On CHAPTER XXVI. SERMON DELIVERED AT BEDEQUE, P. E. I. , BY REV. R. S. PATTERSON , M. A ., IN THE YEAR 183O. II Samuel 2313: "He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God ." The foundation of government is the will of God . From the days of Mr. Locke it has been extensively supposed to be founded in the "social compact." The great man whom we have mentioned was no doubt led to entertain this opinion in opposition to the views of Sir Robert Filmer , who maintained the divine hereditary right of kings to their thrones, by virtue of the original gift of universal sovereignty to Adam. The "social compact" supposes that there was a time when there was no government—that men, when in an absolutely savage state, agreed to come together into a body politic to create rulers, to pre¬ scribe their functions, and the duties to be per¬ formed by those as members of the body. It sup¬ poses that each individual agreed to be subject to the majority,—that previous to this compact there had been no civil rights, obligations or duties, that all these were the result of the "social compact." This theory involves in it many absurdities. It supposes men in a savage state to do things which would require a high degree of civilization. That persons might enter into this compact it is necessary 247