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Show [ 5I ] afpecifick fané'tion, to the general fenfe of and fat with nearly as much regularity to hufie the community, is the true end of legiflature. nets as Parliament itlelfi It is no v called for form only, It fits For the purpole of making fome polite ecclefiallical compliments to the When it goes beyond this, its authority Will be precarious, let its rights be what they will. King; and when that grace is laid, retires and is heard of no more. It is fo with regard to the exercife of all the powers, which our conftitution knows in any of its parts, and indeed to the fubf'tantial exrft- ence of any of the parts themfelves. The It is however apart of the Con/Zilutz‘m, and may be called out into aft and energy, whenever there is occafion ; and whenever thofe, who conjure up that fpirit, will choofe to abide the confequences. It is King's negative to hills is one of the molt 1n~ Wife to permit its legal exiflence ; it is much difputed of the royal prerogatives ; and 1t extends to all cafes whatfoever. I am far from wifer to. continue it a, legal exiflence only. certain, that if feveral laws, which lknow, had fallen under the firoke of that fceptre, that the publick would have had a very heavy lots. But it is not the propriety of the exercife which is in quellion. So truly has Prudence, (confiituted as the God 'ofthis lower world) the entire dominion over ‘every exercife of power, committed into its hands; and yetI have lived to fee prudence and conformity to circumf'cances, Wholly fet The exercrfe ‘at naught in our late controverfies, and treated itfelf is wilely foreborne. Its repofe may be the prefervation of its exiflence, and its ex. iflence may be the means of {avmg the con- as if they were the molt contemptible and fiitution itfelf, on an occafion worthy of bringing it forth. As the difputants, whofe accurate and lo. gical reafonings have brought us into oar pre. irrational of all things. I have heard it an hundred times very gravely alledged, that in "order to keep power in wind, it was neceffiry, by preference, to exert it in thofe very points in which it was moft likely to be retitled, and the leafl likely to be produétive of any advantage. 'fent condition, think it abfurd that powers, or members of any conflitution fhoulcl exrfi, Thefe were the cenfiderations, Gentlemen, rarely if ever to be exercifed, Ihope, lfhall be excufed in mentioning another ii‘tltance, Which led me early to think, that in the com- that is material. prehenfive dominion which the divine Provi- We know, that the Convo- dence had put into our hands, inflead of troua cation of the Clergy had formerly been called, bling our underllandings with fpecu‘ations and concerning ,CWAWWflggfw‘:2HWW'W.I%W'5:K S.:'_'.,f5t, "1‘2‘lrfi'fi‘imfiifufi‘fi' VWfi'wwanfibfi7iflfiWm‘a-g‘p 33$; «‘2‘. v mm" [so] |