Sec. 226. Thirdly, I answer, that this doctrine of a power
in the people of providing for their safety a-new, by a new
legislative, when their legislators have acted contrary to their
trust, by invading their property, is the best fence against
rebellion, and the probablest means to hinder it: for rebellion
being an opposition, not to persons, but authority, which is
founded only in the constitutions and laws of the government;
those, whoever they be, who by force break through, and by force
justify their violation of them, are truly and properly rebels:
for when men, by entering into society and civil-government, have
excluded force, and introduced laws for the preservation of
property, peace, and unity amongst themselves, those who set up
force again in opposition to the laws, do rebellare, that is,
bring back again the state of war, and are properly rebels: which
they who are in power, (by the pretence they have to authority,
the temptation of force they have in their hands, and the
flattery of those about them) being likeliest to do; the
properest way to prevent the evil, is to shew them the danger and
injustice of it, who are under the greatest temptation to run
into it.
Sec. 227. In both the fore-mentioned cases, when either the
legislative is changed, or the legislators act contrary to the
end for which they were constituted; those who are guilty are
guilty of rebellion: for if any one by force takes away the
established legislative of any society, and the laws by them
made, pursuant to their trust, he thereby takes away the
umpirage, which every one had consented to, for a peaceable
decision of all their controversies, and a bar to the state of
war amongst them.
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