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parently understanding exactly why, or by what means, it was 

 brought about, when their circumstances called upon them to 

 remodel and reorganize society upon what was deemed a more 

 popular basis, they saw and proclaimed the true purposes, end 

 and aim of government ; and they first promulgated the great 

 truth, which I have tried to develop, that such purpose and 

 end is simply and only to preserve itself and protect the 

 individual. It was for this that the Eill of Rights was 

 ordained, and was designed to be before and above all con- 

 stitutions and above all human authority — or to speak with 

 more careful accuracy, it was to declare that there were things 

 which were not the subjects of human government. It is en- 

 titled not a " Bill of Rights," as it is now almost universally 

 designated, but " A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhab- 

 itants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ;" by which was^ 

 meant, the rights of each individual, with which no human 

 government had any authority or rightful power to interfere,, 

 rights — born to the individual; rights, which he could not 

 surrender ; rights, which it is mere usurpation in any gov- 

 ernment, whatever that government may be, to attempt to in- 

 terfere with. We can better appreciate the importance of thi& 

 declaration of rights, when we contrast it with the interpreta- 

 tion which, even in England, had been put upon the same 

 declaration. But just previously to the adoption of the Con- 

 stitution of Massachusetts, a celebrated writer, the " enchant- 

 ing harmony" of whose style, together with the elegance 

 and comprehensiveness of his commentaries, has made his 

 work a text book to this day, thus comments upon the great 

 charter. " Thus much for the declaration of our rights and 

 liberties. The rights themselves, thus defined by these sev- 

 eral statutes, consist in a number of private immunities ; 

 which will appear from what has been premised, to be, in- 

 deed, no other than either that residuum of natural liberty,, 

 which is not required by the laws of society to be sacrificed 

 to public convenience ; or else those civil privileges, which 



