moralists, until the Bible shall be looked upon by them in the light it
now is by the followers of Mahomet, and until all the present laws of
society be considered tyrannical and unjust.

_Art. 16._ The God of Nature, we hold as our God, has in no principle
required us, through his wise construction of our component parts, to be
in any manner driven by, or subject to man,--that He, as a wise,
intelligent being, created all mankind upon an equality, and that all
men should so stand in regard to each other--that no being was ever
placed upon this earth to rule as monarch over others,--and, therefore,
that all monarchies, all governments, which are headed by rulers, such
as kings, presidents, governors, &c., are unlawful in the sight of God,
and unjust--and that we, as men and Christians of the Holy Brotherhood,
do hereby pledge ourselves, aye, do swear by all we hold sacred, that we
will use all the cunning of our natures to put down all kingdoms, all
governments which are ruled by crowned heads, presidents, or governors,
or ruled by any principle of religion other than, nature--and that all
religion, priestcraft, &c., is unholy in the sight of the Most High God,
and that He requires of us, as a paramount duty, that we labour
zealously for its final extermination, to the glory of Him and the
benefit of mankind here and hereafter.

_Art. 17._ We hold that the foregoing articles are wholly correct, and
fully sanctioned by the God of Nature--that whoever of our fraternity
proves in anywise recreant to them is a traitor to us, to himself, and
his God;--that the candidate for membership, in view of this, does by
this article most solemnly declare and avow that all the foregoing are
according to his most unbiased views--that such, and only such, he will
ever support, nor shrink, nor waver from, nor expose the same, even in
the agonies of death, on flood, or field, in prison, on the rack,