PHI LOS 0 P H Y . - Classic Works of Apologetics Online

British C011siitution. 351
Mo~t of those who treat of tbe British constitution,
con~ider it as a scheme of government formerly planned
and contrived by our ancestors, in sonle certain
-era of our national history, and as set up in pursuance
of such regular plan and de:-:ign. Something
of this sort is secretly supposed, or referred to~ in the
expressions of those who speak of the "principle of
the constitution," of bringing back the constitution
to its "first principles," of restoring it to its " origiM
nal purity," or " primitive model." Now this appears
to m.e an erroneous conception of the subject.
};o such plan was ever forIned, consequently no such
first principles, original mod~l, or ~tandard exist. I
mean there ne*r \vas a date, or point of time in our
history, when the government of England was to be
set up anew, and when it was referred to any single
person, or assembly, or committee, to frame a charter
ff)r the future government of the country; or
\vhen a constitution, so prepared and digested~ was
by common conserlt received and established. III the
time of the civil wars, or rathe~ betuTeen the death
of- Charles the First and the restoration of his son,·
many such projects were published, but none were
carried into execution. The great charter and tIle
bill of rights, were wise and strenuous efforts to ob-­
tain security against certain abuses of regal power,
by which the subject had been formerly aggrieved;
but these were either of thern much too partial nlodifications
of the constitution to give it a new origi ..
naI. The constitution of England, like that of most
countries in Europe, hath grown out of occasion and
emergency; from the fluctuating policy of different
ages; from the contentions, successes, interests, and
opportunities of different orders and parties of melt
in the community.
It resembles one of those old
lnansions, whicl1, insteacl of being built all at Ollce, af.
ter a regular plan, and according to the rules of arch·
itecture at present established, has been reared in dif.
ferent ages of the art, has been altered from time to
rime, and has been continually receiving additioB'S
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