entertain worthier
notions, both of the power and goodness of our heavenly Father, and
believe that he doth vouchsafe to assist the obedient to experience a
total surrender of the natural will to the guidance of his pure, unerring
Spirit, through whose renewed assistance they are enabled to bring forth
fruits unto holiness, and to stand perfect in their present rank.

"There are not many of our tenets more generally known than our testimony
against oaths, and against war. With respect to the former of these, we
abide literally by Christ's positive injunction, delivered in his Sermon
on the Mount, 'Swear not at all.' From the same sacred collection of the
most excellent precepts of moral and religious duty, from the example of
our Lord himself, and from the correspondent convictions of his Spirit in
our hearts, we are confirmed in the belief that wars and fightings are, in
their origin and effects, utterly repugnant to the gospel, which still
breathes peace and good-will to men. We also are clearly of the judgment,
that, if the benevolence of the gospel were generally prevalent in the
minds of men, it would effectually prevent them from oppressing, much more
enslaving, their brethren, (of whatever color or complexion,) for whom, as
for themselves, Christ died; and would even influence their conduct in
their treatment of the brute creation, which would no longer groan, the
victims of their avarice, or of their false ideas of pleasure.

"Some of our tenets have, in former times, as hath been shown, subjected
our friends to much suffering from government, though to the salutary
purposes of government our principles are a security. They inculcate
submission to the laws in all cases wherein conscience is not violated.
But we hold that, as Christ's kingdom is not of this world, it is not the
business of the civil magistrate to interfere in matters of religion, but
to maintain the external peace and good order of the community. We,
therefore, think persecution, even in the smallest degree, unwarrantable.
We are careful in requiring our members not to be concerned in illicit
trade, nor in any manner to defraud the revenue.

"It is well known that the society, from its first appearance, has disused
those names of the months and days, which having been given in honor of
the heroes or false gods of the heathen, originated in their flattery or
superstition; and the custom of speaking to a single person in the plural
number, as havi