themselves, there was no necessity for an oath; and it would
be a reproach to their Christian veracity to assure their truth by such
an extraordinary way of speaking; simple and uncompounded answers, as yea
and nay, without asseveration, attestation, or supernatural vouchers,
being most suitable to evangelical righteousness. But offering, at the
same time, to be punished to the full for false-speaking, as others for
perjury, if ever guilty of it: and hereby they exclude with all true, all
false and profane swearing; for which the land did and doth mourn, and
the great God was, and is, not a little offended with it.

IV. Not fighting, but suffering, is another testimony peculiar to this
people: they affirm that Christianity teacheth people to beat their
swords into plough-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks, and to
learn war no more; that so the wolf may lie down with the lamb, and the
lion with the calf, and nothing that destroys be entertained in the
hearts of people: exhorting them to employ their zeal against sin, and
turn their anger against Satan, and no longer war one against another;
because all wars and fightings come of men's own hearts' lusts, according
to the apostle James, and not of the meek Spirit of Christ Jesus, who is
captain of another warfare, and which is carried on with other weapons.
Thus, as truth-speaking succeeded swearing, so faith and patience
succeeded fighting, in the doctrine and practice of this people. Nor
ought they for this to be obnoxious to civil government, since, if they
cannot fight for it, neither can they fight against it; which is no mean
security to any state. Nor is it reasonable, that people should be
blamed for not doing more for others than they can do for themselves.
And, Christianity set aside, if the costs and fruits of war were well
considered, peace, with all its inconveniencies, is generally preferable.
But though they were not for fighting, they were for submitting to
government, and that, not only for fear, but for conscience-sake, where
government doth not interfere with conscience; believing it to be an
ordinance of God, and where it is justly administered, a great benefit to
mankind. Though it has been their lot, through blind zeal in some, and
interest in others, to have felt the strokes of it with greater weight
and rigour than any other persuasion in this age; whilst they of all
others, religion set aside, have given the civil magistrate the least