Assembly Proceedings, May — June 1674. 355

This Wee doe Lay before the Govern^r & his Councel &
Assembly in the Wisdome of God to Consider of from us who
are in Scorne Called Quakers
What we Can Say and doe in stead of an Oath It is in
Obedience to Christs Cornand th^t we can not Sweare & take
an oath & Christ o^r Lord & Saviours Cornand is I Say unto
you Sweare not at all Though in the old time they were not to
fforsweare themselues but performe their oathes to the Lord &
the Lord Jesus Christs Cornand is but Let your Cofhunicacon
be yea yea & nay nay for whatsoever is more then these
Cometh of Evil & S^t James Saith in his Gen^ll Epistle to the
Church of Christ Above all things my Bretheren Sweare not
neither by heaven nor by the Earth nor by anie other oath
Marke But Let your yea be yea & yo^r Nay be nay least you
fall into Condemnation Now here ye may See th^t Christ & his
Apostle Setts up yea yea & nay nay over & above an oath &
Swearing & in lieu of an Oath Soe in Obedience to Christ &
the Apostles Cornand it is th^t We doe not & dare not Sweare
least we should goe into the Evil & soe fall into Condemnacon
as Christ & the Apostle Saith before but according to Christ
Jesus & the Apostles Comand doe Keep to yea yea & Nay nay
Wherein they doe double their words to make them of more
force Christ Jesus to the desciples & the Apostle to the Church
And now if th^t when we are Called to Testifie the Truth or to
Serve in anie Office or Place or Jurie if th^t We doe Breake o^r
yea yea or nay nay then let us Suffer the same Penaltie as they
th^t doe breake an Oath or are forsworne & this is not Repug-
nant to the Lawes of England haveing the same Penaltie upon
the same Transgression for in Gemaica their Law is soe That
o^r Brethrens Testimony upon yea yea & nay nay as Christ &
the Apostle Comanded is taken & the same in the Acts & Pro-
vince Lawes at Carolina & the same in the Pattent & Acts at
Road Island & the same in the New Countrey of Jersey is
taken instead of an oath W^ch the Govern^r & his Councel &
Assembly may by an Act of Assembly Let us have the same
Liberty here as of Brethren have in other Places Colonies or
Provinces th^t we may not be Put to Inconveniences for you doe
know what trouble often manie of us are Put to because We
can not Sweare nor take an Oath & doe Lose o^r Rights &
th^t w^ch is due to us from others & how we have been made a
Prey upon by manie because we cannot Sweare & have lost
much in o^r Estates & Cannot be soe Serviceable in o^r Genera-
con to the Countrey as we might be & allsoe w^t Trouble we
have had who have been Overseers or Execut^rs or the like th^t
have been entrusted w^th Orphans fatherles & Widdowes Estates
or Wills for want of an Oath And therefore you having
Power to Remedie these thinges by making an Act we doe

U. H.
Journal
original
p. 10