not known to any nation that ever yet was upon the face of the earth! So punished, and so preserved for judgment, and I hope, at laft, for a more wonderful mercy! "For if the cafting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall "the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For God "hath concluded all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom "and knowledge of God! How unfearchable are his judgments, "and his ways paft finding out! For of him, and through "him, and to him, are all things. To whom be glory for " ever. Amen."

"

A

DISCOURSE

ON THE

ENGLISH CONSTITUTION;

EXTRACTED FROM

A LATE EMINENT WRITER,

ROGER NORTH, Esq.

AND

APPLICABLE TO THE PRESENT TIMES.

PREFACE.

"HE Editor of the following Difcourfe on the Eng

THE

lish Constitution, having been witnefs, for fome years paft*, to the many dangerous abfurdities which have been published in factious News-papers, to corrupt the good people of England, and anfwer the purposes of a party, who have been working fecretly and openly, in every poffible way, to throw things into confufion, and bring about a change of the government, thinks it high time that fomething should be offered, to fhew the public how they are impofed upon, and to furnish them with a few rational principles concerning the nature of civil power, the neceffities of fociety, and the positive laws of their own country. Hence they will foon fee, that no plan can be made fenfe of, except that doctrine of allegiance againft which they have been taught to clamour; and that "refiftance to civil government," afferted on principle, is nothing but the extravagance and nonfenfe of defigning writers, who want to be refifting every thing for their own private ends.

SUPPOSE I defire to trip up a man's heels, and pick his pocket; what can I do better, to keep up my own credit, and promote my own purposes, than publish it to the world, and get it believed, if poffible, that the

common rights of humanity" give one man a title

*This difcourfe was firft extracted by an anonymous Editor in the year 1776.

to trip up another man's heels? And if many are perfuaded into the fame notion, till we are either too ftrong or too cunning for oppofition, then the property of the public is at our difpofal; which is the thing we had in

view.

WHEN this principle operates in low life, and raifes a gang of thieves and house-breakers, the principle itfelf, and the effects of it, are equally deteftable. And it ought to be abhorred as much in other cafes for what is every regular government, but a larger fort of houfe? What is the public revenue, but the pocket of the ftate? And are there no thieves who want to be breaking into fuch an houfe, "while the family is afleep!" Are there not a larger fort of pick-pockets, having the fame appetites and principles with those of the common fort, who would plunder the ftate as freely as the others rifle a pocket? There is, indeed, this dif ference betwixt the two claffes; that the ordinary thief has but little to fay, while his brother of high degree turns orator, and with falfe principles, and infinuating fpeeches, renders his profeffion honourable and popular, till a nation is betrayed into its own ruin, and becomes a fpectacle of misery to other states, who have been wife enough to provide better for their own fecurity.

EVERY Government ought to be upon its guard against fuch men, before they have intoxicated the lower order of the people with that enthusiastic notion of natural privilege againft pofitive law, which leads directly to rebellion: and the people fhould be better informed in due time, left their ignorance make them a prey to thofe who labour fo induftriously to deceive