or of right can be compelled to attend any religious worship, or erect or fupport any place of worship, or maintain any ministry, contrary to, or against his own free will and confent: nor can any man who acknowledges the being of a God, be justly deprived or abridged of any civil right as a citizen, on account of his religious fentiments, or peculiar mode of religious worship and that no authority can or ought to be vefted in, or affumed by any power whatever, that shall in any cafe interfere with, or in any manner controul, the right of confcience in the free exercise of religious worship.

III. That the people of this State have the fole, exclufive, and inherent right of governing and regulating the internal police of the fame.

IV. That all power being originally inherent in and confequently derived from, the people; therefore all officers of government, whether legislative or executive, are their trustees and servants, and at all times accountable to them.

V. That government is, or ought to be instituted for the common benefit, protection, and fecurity of the people, nation, or commuN 4 nity

nity; and not for the particular emolument or advantage of any fingle man, family, or fet of men, who are a part only of that community: and that the community hath an indubitable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to reform, alter, or abolish government in such manner as shall be by that community judged most conducive to the public weal.

VI. That those who are employed in the legislative and executive business of the State may be restrained from oppreffion, the people have a right, at such periods as they may think proper, to reduce their public officers to a private ftation, and fupply the vacancies by certain and regular elections.

VII. That all elections ought to be free; and that all free men having a fufficient evident common intereft with, and attachment to the community, have a right to elect officers, or be elected into office.

VIII. That every member of fociety hath a right to be protected in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property, and therefore is bound to contribute his proportion towards the expence of that protection, and yield his perfonal fervice when neceffary, or an equivalent thereto; but no part of a man's property can be justly taken from

him,

!

him, or applied to public ufes, without his confent, or that of his legal reprefentatives: nor can any man who is confcientiously fcrupulous of bearing arms, be justly compelled thereto, if he 'will pay fuch equivalent: nor are the people bound by any laws, but fuch as they have in like manner affented to, for their common good.

IX. That in all profecutions for criminal of fences, a man hath a right to be heard by himself and his counsel, to demand the caufe and nature of his accufation, to be confronted with the witneffes, to call for evidence in his favour, and a speedy public trial, by an impartial jury of the country, without the unanimous confent of which jury he cannot be found guilty: nor can he be compelled to give evidence against himself nor can any man be justly deprived of his liberty except by the laws of the land, or the judgment of his peers.

X. That the people have a right to hold themselves, their houfes, papers, and poffeffions free from fearch or feizure; and therefore warrants without oaths or affirmations first made, affording a fufficient foundation for them, and whereby any officer or meffenger may be commanded or required to fearch fufpected places,

or

or to feize any perfon or perfons, his or their property, not particularly defcribed, are contrary to that right, and ought not to be granted.

XI. That in controverfies refpecting property, and in fuits between man and man, the parties have a right to trial by jury, which ought to be held facred.

XII. That the people have a right to freedom of fpeech, and of writing and publishing their fentiments ; therefore the freedom of the prefs ought not to be restrained.

XIII. That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the State; and as standing armies in the time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up and that the military should be kept under ftrict fubordination to, and governed by, the civil power.

XIV. That a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles, and a firm adherence to juftice, moderation, temperance, industry and frugality, are abfolutely neceffary to preserve the bleffings of liberty, and keep a government free: the people ought therefore to pay particular attention to these points in the choice of Officers and Reprefentatives, and have a

right

right to exact a due and conftant regard to them, from their legiflators and magistrates, in the making and executing fuch laws as are neceffary for the good government of the State.

XV. That all men have a natural inherent right to emigrate from one State to another that will receive them, or to form a new State in vacant countries, or in fuch countries as they can purchase, whenever they think that thereby they may promote their own happiness.

XVI. That the people have a right to affemble together, to confult for their common good, to inftruct their Representatives, and to apply to the legislature for redress of grieyances, by address, petition, or remonstrance.

FRAME OF GOVERNMENT.

I. THE Commonwealth or State of Pennsylvania shall be governed hereafter by an

Affembly