314 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONVENTION [1776.

sential to the impartial administration of justice, and a great secu-
rity to the rights and liberties of the people; wherefore the chan-
cellor and all judges ought to hold commissions during good be-
haviour, and the said chancellor and judges shall be removed for
misbehaviour, on conviction in a court of law, and may be removed
by the governor upon the address of the general assembly, provided
that two-thirds of all the members of each house concur in such
address. That salaries liberal, but not profuse, ought to be secur-
ed to the chancellor and the judges, during the continuance of
their commissions, in such manner and at such time as the legisla-
ture shall hereafter direct, upon consideration of the circumstances
of the state: no chancellor or judge ought to hold any other office,
civil or military, or receive fees or perquisites of any kind.

" 31. That a long continuance in the first executive departments
of power or trust, is dangerous to liberty, a rotation therefore in
those departments is one of the best securities of permanent free-
dom.

"32. That no person ought to hold at the same time more than
one office of profit, nor ought any person in public trust to receive
any present from any foreign prince, or state, or from the United
States, or any of them, without the approbation of this state.

" 33. That as it is the duty of every man to worship God in such
manner as he thinks most acceptable to him, all persons professing the
Christian religion are equally entitled to protection in their religious
liberty, wherefore no person ought by any law to be molested in his
person or estate on account of his religious persuasion or profes-
sion, or for his religious practice, unless under color of religion any
man shall disturb the good order, peace, or safety of the state, or
shall infringe the laws of morality, or injure others in their natural,
civil, or religious rights; nor ought any person to be compelled to
frequent or maintain, or contribute, unless on contract, to maintain
any particular place of worship, or any particular ministry; yet the le-
gislature may in their discretion lay a general and equal tax for the
support of the Christian religion, leaving to each individual the pow-
er of appointing the payment over of the money collected from him,
to the support of any particular place of worship or minister; or for
the benefit of the poor of his own denomination, or the poor in
general of any particular county; but the churches, chapels, glebes,
and all other property now belonging to the church of England,
ought to remain to the church of England for ever. And all acts
of assembly lately passed for collecting monies for building or re-
pairing particular churches or chapels of ease, shall continue in
force and be executed, unless the legislature shall by act supercede