ituted, or by whatever name called, have the right to take
the life of man as a penalty for transgression; that no one, who professes
to have the Spirit of Christ, can consistently sue a man at law for
redress of injuries, or thrust any evil-doer into prison, or fill any
office in which he would come under obligation to execute penal
enactments, or take any part in the military service, or acknowledge
allegiance to any human government, or justify any man in fighting in
defence of property, liberty, life, or religion; that he cannot engage in
or countenance any plot or effort to revolutionize, or change, by physical
violence, any government, however corrupt or oppressive; that he will obey
'the powers that be,' except in those cases in which they bid him violate
his conscience--and then, rather than to resist, he will meekly submit to
the penalty of disobedience; and that, while he will cheerfully endure all
things for Christ's sake, without cherishing even the desire to inflict
injury upon his persecutors, yet he will be bold and uncompromising for
God, in bearing his testimony against sin, in high places and in low
places, until righteousness and peace shall reign in all the earth, and
there shall be none to molest or make afraid."

On the same occasion, a DECLARATION OF SENTIMENTS was adopted, in which
the views of Non-Resistants are set forth in the following positive and
argumentative form:--

"We cannot acknowledge allegiance to any human government; neither can we
oppose any such government by a resort to physical force. We recognize but
one KING and LAWGIVER, one JUDGE and RULER of mankind. We are bound by the
laws of a kingdom which is not of this world; the subjects of which are
forbidden to fight; in which MERCY and TRUTH are met together, and
RIGHTEOUSNESS and PEACE have kissed each other; which has no state lines,
no national partitions, no geographical boundaries; in which there is no
distinction of rank, or division of caste, or inequality of sex; the
officers of which are PEACE, its exactors RIGHTEOUSNESS, its walls
SALVATION, and its gates PRAISE; and which is destined to break in pieces
and consume all other kingdoms.

"Our country is the world, our countrymen are all mankind. We love the
land of our nativity only as we love all other lands. The interests,
rights, liberties of American citizens, are no more dear to us than are
those of the whole human race. Hence we can allow no appeal to patriotism,