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The bulk of mankind think of no other rights, than fuch as they can enjoy, which are focial rights.

-the epithet natural had been applied to thefe rights, and this state.

The bulk of mankind are little able, and lefs habituated, to analize the import and tendency of words and phrafes; and few amongst them will feparate the idea, which they conceive the word natural conveys, from the state of their physical existence. They will plainly argue, that fuch as God hath made them, fuch they are; nor do they think of, nor demand any other rights, than fuch, as God hath given them for the purpose, for which in his goodness he created them. The practical doctrine from fuch argument will be, what I before quoted from Mr. Locke. "God having made man fuch a creature, that, in his own judgment, it was not good for him to be alone, put him under ftrong obligations of neceffity, convenience, and inclination, to drive him into fociety, as well as fitted him with understanding and language to continue and enjoy it." Thus, perhaps, more properly, :though lefs technically speaking, we come to confider man in his real natural state, which is that of fociety. For Buchanan fays truly: *

• Buchanan of the due Privilege of the Scots Government, p. 198..

« First of all, then, we agree, that men by nature are made to live in fociety together, and for a communion of life." "Hitherto we have spoken only (and that but in part) of the natural Rights of Man. We have now to confider the civil Rights of Man, and to fhew how the one originates out of the other. Man did not enter into fociety to become worse, than he was before, nor to have lefs rights, than he had before, but to have thofe rights better fecured. His natural rights are the foundation of all his civil rights." Thefe will be the fubject of the enfuing chapter.

Payne's Rights of Man, p. 48.

CHAP.

CHA P. II.

OF THE STATE OF SOCIETY.

Origin of fo-
City•

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OCIETY was the neceffary confequence

of the experimental discovery of man's wants and infufficiency to fupply them in the theoretical state of pure nature. These wants were coeval with his physical existence; for, as Mr. Locke fays, God fo made man, as to put him under ftrong obligations of neceffity, convenience, and inclination, to drive him into fociety, as well as fitted him with understanding and language to continue and enjoy it. And here, as Mr. Payne allows, Our enquiries find a refting place, our reafon finds a home. This infufficiency of individuals fought a remedy in the affiftance of others; mutual affistance brought on obligations, and obligations produced dependance. The diverfity of age, strength, or talents, probably gave the firft fuperiority over a promiscuous multitude (for parentage certainly gave the first fuperiority over individuals); this multiplied and varied, as the objects who poffeffed it; envy ever followed the poffeffor; and the confequences

broke

So

broke out into ftrifes, feuds, and wars. *" as foon as mankind enter into a ftate of fociety, they lofe the fenfe of their weakness; the equality ceafes, and then commences the ftate of war." These ruinous effects increased, as mankind was multiplied; and the natural tendency to fuperiority urged individuals to reduce their neighbours into a state of fubjection. Still was man fenfible of his own infufficiency, and he applied in need to his neighbour for affiftance. This gradually Origin of na formed men into diftinct bodies: each body had their own respective views and interests and hence arofe the difference of communities or nations.

Societies then once formed, the interests of the individuals forming them became united in one common centre; they dropped the former fenfe of that weakness and indigence, which had driven them into fociety, and affumed a confequence (which I call political) from the newly acquired ftrength of their collected affociates. The fubfiftence and prefervation of their own community was their first concern; to defend themfelves against

the

power and encroachments of others was

tions.

their next. Thus did their collective exi- Origin of go

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veroment.

The rights of individuals in the ftate of nature transferred to the commu

Lociety.

gencies enforce the neceffity of order and government.

It is a poftulatum, that when men formed themselves into fociety, their natural rights were not given up nor destroyed, but were nity in that of transferred only from the individual to the body at large. Whatever the former had an indefeasible right to do in the ftate of nature, the latter has an indefeasible right to do in the state of fociety; and throughout this ftate of fociety, the general intereft of the community is the principle, upon which the conftitution and particular laws of each state must be founded. The private confiderations of individuals were given up, in the exchange of our natural rights, for the improved liberties of civil intercourfe and fociety.

*«Men being, as has been faid, by nature all free, equal, and independent, no one can be put out of his eftate, and subjected to the political power of another, without his own confent. The only way, whereby any one divests himself of his natural liberty, and puts on the bonds of civil fociety, is by agreeing with other men, to join and unite into a community, for their comfortable, fafe, and peaceable living one amongst ano

• Locke of Civil Government, p. 194.

ther,

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