The impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavoring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world and through all time.

Every male citizen of the commonwealth, liable to taxes or to militia duty in any county, shall have a right to vote for representatives for that county to the legislature.

When two parties make a compact, there results to each a power of compelling the other to execute it.

Do not be too severe upon the errors of the people, but reclaim them by enlightening them.

Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.

Our peculiar security is in the possession of a written Constitution. Let us not make it a blank paper by construction.

The merchant has no country .