e _pretended
Prince_ of _Wales_; he goes upon another Principle than they, who carry
the _Right of Succession_ so far, as (upon that Score), to undo all
Mankind. He thinks no Prince fit to govern, whose Principle it must be
to _ruin_ the Constitution, as soon as he can acquire unjust Power to do
so. He judges it Nonsense for one to be the _Head of a Church_, or
_Defender of a Faith_, who thinks himself bound in Duty to overthrow it.
He never endeavours to justify his taking the Oaths to this Government,
or to quiet his Conscience, by supposing the young _Gentleman_ at _St.
Germains_ unlawfully begotten; since, 'tis certain, that according to
our Law he cannot be looked upon as such. He cannot satisfy himself with
any of the foolish Distinctions trump'd up of late Years to reconcile
base Interest with a Show of Religion; but deals upon the Square, and
plainly owns to the World, that he is not influenc'd by any particular
Spleen: but that the Exercise of an _Arbitrary, Illegal Power_ in the
Nation, so as to undermine the Constitution, wou'd incapacitate either
King _James_, King _William_, or any other, from being his _King_,
whenever the _Publick_ has a Power to hinder it.

As a necessary Consequence of this Opinion, a _Whig_ must be against
_punishing the Iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children_, as we do (not
only to the _Third_ and _Fourth Generation_, but) _for ever_: since our
gracious God has declared, that he will no more pursue such severe
Methods in his Justice, but that _the Soul that sinneth it shall die_.
'Tis very unreasonable, that frail Man, who has so often need of Mercy,
shou'd pretend to exercise higher Severities upon his
_Fellow-Creatures_, than that Fountain of Justice on his most wicked
_revolting Slaves_. To corrupt the Blood of a whole _Family_, and send
_all_ the Offspring a begging after the Father's Head is taken off,
seems a strange Piece of Severity, fit to be redressed in Parliament;
especially when we come to consider, for what Crime this has been
commonly done. When Subjects take Arms against their _Prince_, if their
Attempt succeeds, 'tis a _Revolution_; if not, 'tis call'd a
_Rebellion_: 'tis seldom consider'd, whether the first Motives be just
or unjust. Now is it not enough, in such Cases, for the prevailing Party
to hang or behead the _Offenders_, if they can catch them, without
extending the Punishment to _innocent Persons_ for _all Generations_ to
come?

The Sense of this made t