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

j84- of tbe Admini.clration if l!IItif!.
faction of each man's mind, requires uniformity in
judicial proceedings. Nothing qudh a spirit of liti.
gation like de~PJir of succes~: therefore, nothing so
completely PUt5 an end to la\.\--suits, as a rigid adherence
to known rules of adjudication. '\:nil!'t the
~,"ent is uncertain, Wilich it CVf~r nllj,t be, whilst it is
uncertain whether f~)rmc: dctcrmil1ations upon the
same subject wiil be foilowcd or not, law.suitti will be
endle~s and innumerab!e: n1~n ,viiI comnlonl}r en·
gage in them, eirher from the hope of prevailing in
their ciainls, ,\-hieh the 5Ina!le~t chance is sufficient to
encourage; or with the design of intimidating their
adversary by the terrors of a dubious litigation.
When justice is rcnat.!red to the parties, only half the
business of a Cl)urt of ju~.tjce is done: the more important
part of its oL1ce remains-to put an end, for
the future, to every fear, and quarrel, and expense upon
the same point; and ~o to regulate its proceedings,
that not only a doubt once decided may be stirred no
more, but that the \\=-hole train of law-suits, \\9hich issue
from one uncertainty, may die with the parent
que,tion. Now this ad\~antage can only be attained
b)1 con~idering each deci~ion as a direcri.O!l to succeeding
judge:-.- 1, nd it should be ob!'erved, that every
departure from former determinations, e~pecblIy if
they havre been of tell repeated" or long- ~ublnitted to,
shakes the stability. of all legal title. It is not fixing a
point anew; it i,~ lea\,ing e\1er~: thing 11nfixed. For,
by tl1e same stretcll of po\vcr J l;y \'vhicl1 the pres{'nt
race of judges take UpOl1 tl1ci1~
to cC!1tradict the judgl11Clit
of t11eir I)r€df·ces~o:·~-: tl~0sC .\t;11o try the question
next, nlay ~ct asiJ~ t~it.:·i:·s.
l i 'r()lll an adhercllce, !lC'Y1'e\'cr, t·, precedcllts, by
wllich so much is ga!n~~J » the: public, two couse·
qU(~HCt'S arise which arc ohen iament::-d ; the hard~lip
t,f particular dcternl:nati.~!1~, ~111d tile illtricacy of the
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m u Ii tap ply t his r di C' c til 111 ~ " ! 1!: t tun i fC' r mit y is ( If
111()rC inlportaJ1C'~ tilar) ~'lI~liI)" II ill !)rc}l)~)r~i()ll ~5 a gC!l-
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