ngaged, but, on the other hand, to be content with
their wages. To this the Quakers reply, that John told them also, "to do
violence to no man." But even if he had not said this, they apprehend
that nothing could be deduced from his expressions, which could become
binding upon Christians. For John was the last prophet of the old
dispensation, but was never admitted into the new. He belonged to the
system which required an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, but
not to that which required no resistance to evil, and which insisted
upon the love of enemies as well as of friends. Hence Jesus Christ said
of him, that "he who was least in the kingdom of heaven, was greater
than he."

[Footnote 10: Luke iii. 14.]

The second argument brought against the Quakers on this occasion, is of
a similar nature with the former. It is said that, if war had been
unlawful, our Saviour, when the centurion[11] came to him at Capernaum,
would have found fault with his profession; but he did not do this, but
on the other hand he highly commended him for his religion. In answer to
this the Quakers observe, first, that no solid argument can be drawn
from silence on any occasion. Secondly, that Jesus Christ seems, for
wise purposes, to have abstained from meddling with many of the civil
institutions of his time, though in themselves wicked, thinking
probably, that it was sufficient to have left behind him such general
precepts, as, when applied properly, would be subversive of them all.
And, thirdly, that he never commended the centurion on account of his
military situation, but on account of his profession of his faith.

[Footnote 11: Matt. viii. 5.]

They say farther, that they can bring an argument of a much more
positive nature than that just mentioned, from an incident which took
place, and where Jesus was again concerned. When Peter cut off the ear
of one of the servants of the high priest, who was concerned in the
apprehension of his Lord, he was not applauded, but reprimanded for the
part which he thus took in his defence in the following words:[12] "Put
up again thy sword in its place, for all they that take the sword, shall
perish by the sword." Now the Quakers conceive, that much more is to be
inferred against the use of the sword from this instance, than from the
former in favour of it.

[Footnote 12: Matt. xxvi, 52.]

The last argument, which is usually adduced against the Quakers on this
subject, is, that they have mista