4. To justify rebellion, it is necessary that there should be a fair prospect of successful resistance--of an overthrow of the government. If the resistance is not likely to be successful for good, but is only likely to cost the lives of the resisting individuals and others; then, such individuals are sacrificing themselves and others for no good purpose,--which is a thing that cannot be justified to reason or religion. A man has no right to fling away his life for a mere sentiment, and leave his wife a widow, or his gray-haired parents without a son to solace them. There must be some fair prospect of great good to come from it, before one can justly fling his life into the scale, in a violent contest with the government. 5. To justify rebellion, there must be a fair prospect of the firm _establishment of a letter government_, and the enactment of more just laws, after the present government is overturned. Nothing can justify a revolution, a conflict, a waste of treasure and blood, which are not going _to gain anything_ in the end.--Again, the last four years' experience of European nations may read us a lesson. 6. To justify rebellion, or what is the same thing, violent resistance to the execution of the laws, it is necessary that something more than a _small fraction_ of the people should rise in such a resistance. If the people in general are ready for it, and are willing to run all the hazards of a rebellious conflict with the government, conscious that they have righteousness and the God of righteousness on their side; this is a very different affair from what it would be, if only a minority of the people were ready for rebellion. Such a minority have no right, on account of their deemed injuries, to plunge the nation into a civil war, for the purpose of over-turning a government which suits the great mass of the people;--a civil war, in which there is every prospect, that the government and the majority who aim to support it will prevail; and prevailing, must crush their hostile opponents, this hasty and reckless minority. These are some of the things which appear necessary, in order to justify violent resistance of Law. They must _all_ exist, or such resistance would be criminal,--contrary to reason, to benevolence, and to Christ.