Page:Address of the Convention and a New Constitution for Massachusetts.djvu/25

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LL men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, eential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, poeing, and protecting property; in fine, that of eeking and obtaining their afety and happines.

II. is the right as well as the duty of all men in ociety, publicly, and at tated eaons, to worhip the SUPREME BEING, the great creator and preerver of the univere. And no ubject hall be hurt, moleted, or retrained, in his peron, liberty, or etate, for worhiping GOD in the manner and eaon agreeable to the dictates of his own concience; or for his religious profeion or entiments; provided he doth not diturb the public peace, or obtruct others in their religious worhip.

III. As the happines of a people, and the good order and preervation of civil government, eentially depend upon piety, religion and morality; and as thee cannot be generally diffued through a community, but by the intitution of the public worhip of GOD, and of public intructions in piety, religion and morality: Therefore, to promote their happines, and to ecure the good order and preervation of their government, the people of this Commonwealth have a right to invet their legilature with