man nature. Let military students be prompted to emulate this exalted character; and as Britons profeffing Chriftianity, let them crowd as much knowledge and as many virtues and graces into it, as the character is capable of receiving. The wifer and better they are, as men and citizens; the more useful and illuftrious they will be, as SOL DIERS, THE END. The following Sketch of the great principles of righteous government, and of the British Conftitution as raised upon them, which is chiefly taken from a celebrated writer, has been pointed out as the clearest and most comprehenfive that could be given: and as it is fubjoined to this Elay, lefs for the information of the reader, than for the inftruction of the pupil, it is printed in a fmaller character. THE THE Infinitely Wife and Beneficent Author of Existence has intrufted man with life, and liberty, and ftrength to acquire property for his fupport. These are the natural inherent and indefeasible rights of all men. No confent of parties, no inftitution, can make any change in this great fundamental law of rights; it is univerfal, invariable, unalienable; it is only defeasible in particular cafes, as where one man, by affailing the safety of another, juftly forfeits the title which he had to his own fafety. If human nature had never fallen into a ftate of inordinate appetence, laws and legal restraints would have been needlefs: but as all men are tyrants by nature, prone to covet and grasp at the rights of others, the great law of SAFETY TO ALL can no otherwise be maintained, than by THE RESTRAINT OF EACH FROM DOING INJURY TO ANY. On this fad neceffity of man's calling for help against man, is founded every intention and end of civil government; and all laws that do not branch from this ftem, are cankered and rotten: all political edifices, that are not built and sustained upon this foundation" of defending the weak against the op preffor," muft fink into a tyranny even worse than that anarchy which is called the ftate of nature, where individuals are unconnected by any focial tie. But if a fyftem could be framed, by which wrong should not be permitted or dispensed with in any man, right would confequently enfue and be enjoyed by all men, and this would be THE PERFECTION OF CIVIL LIBERTY, It has, however, been affirmed even by learned men, that God, in whom is the difpofal of all lives and all proper properties, has given to fome a right to rule over others; that governors are his vicegerents and representatives upon earth; and that he hath appointed the descendible and hereditary rights of fathers over families, of patriarchs over tribes, and of kings over nations. In a qualified fenfe, indeed, this affirmation may be just: all the agents and difpenfers of BENEFICENCE, whether their sphere is small or great, are God's true reprefentatives and vicegerents upon earth. He hath given authority to the tenderness of parents over their offspring; and he hath invefted patriarchs and kings with the rights of protection but he never gave the vulture a right to rule over the dove-cote; never gave up the innocent many for a prey to the tyrannous few. Arbitrary regents are no further of his appointment, than the evils of earthquakes and hurricanes; and as he is faid "to give "the wicked a king in his anger," and "to fet over "the nations the baseft of men." God can never take pleasure in the breaches of the law of his own righteoufnefs and benignity; he is the God of equity and good-will to all his creatures; and he founds his own authority, not in power, but beneficence: the law, therefore, of SAFETY AND WELL-BEING TO ALL, is founded in the nature of God himself, and is eternal, immutable, and indifpenfable. : One man may abound in ftrength, authority, and poffeffions; but no man can have greater right than another the beggar has as much right to his cloak and his fcrip, as the king to his robes and crown-lands. To establish and preferve this divinely inherent right of security to the perfon and property of man, has been the study and labour of Hermes, Confucius, Minos, Ly curgus, curgus, Solon, Numa, and of all the legiflators whose fyftems of civil polity ever warmed the world with a fingle ray of freedom. But fo ftrong is the propenfity to ufurpation in man, fo dangerous is it to tempt trustees. with the inveftiture of power, that whether government has been committed to ONE, the FEW, or the MANY, the parties intrufted have generally proved traitors, and deputed power has been almoft perpetually feized upon as property. Monarchy has ever been found to rush headlong into tyranny; ariftocracy into faction, and multiplied ufurpation; and democracy into tumult, confufion, and violence. And all thefe, whether diftinct from or compounded with each other, have ended in the fupremacy of fome arbitrary tyrant, enabled, by a body of military mercenaries raifed and fupported by himself, to rule opprefs and spoil the people at plea-, fure. That Great-Britain, after fo many wrecks and injuries as are recorded in hiftory, has been able to recover, to grow founder from her wounds, and mightier from her discomfitures, is owing to the peculiarity of her conftitution. "Salus Populi, Public Safety, Se"curity to the Perfons and Properties of the People," conftitutes the whole of Britain's polity. Her empire, is IMPERIUM LEGUM, the fway of law; it is the difpenfation of beneficence, of equal right to all: and this empire rifes fupreme over king, lords, and commons, and is appointed to rule the rulers to the end of time. Other ftates, before now, have been compounded, like ours, of prince, peers, and people; the one, few, |