§. 148. Though, as I said, the executive and federative power of every
community be really distinct in themselves, yet they are hardly to be separated
and placed at the same time in the hands of distinct persons. For both of them
requiring the force of the society for their exercise, it is almost
impracticable to place the force of the commonwealth in distinct and not
subordinate hands, or that the executive and federative power should be placed
in persons that might act separately, whereby the force of the public would be
under different commands, which would be apt some time or other to cause
disorder and ruin.