The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 10 (of 12)Burke, Edmund
History
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 10 (of 12)
Burke, Edmund
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760-1820; Political science -- Early works to 1800
My Lords, in His temple we shall not forget that His most distinguished
attribute is justice, and that the first link in the chain by which we
are held to the Supreme Judge of All is justice; and that it is in this
solemn temple of representative justice we may best give Him praise,
because we can here best imitate His divine attributes. If ever there
was a cause in which justice and mercy are not only combined and
reconciled, but incorporated, it is in this cause of suffering nations,
which we now bring before your Lordships this second session of
Parliament, unwearied and unfatigued in our persevering pursuit; and we
feel it to be a necessary preliminary, a necessary fact, a necessary
attendant and concomitant of every public thanksgiving, that we should
express our gratitude by our virtues, and not merely with our mouths,
and that, when we are giving thanks for acts of mercy, we should render
ourselves worthy of them by doing acts of mercy ourselves. My Lords,
these considerations, independent of those which were our first movers
in this business, strongly urge us at present to pursue with all zeal
and perseverance the great cause we have now in hand. And we feel this
to be the more necessary, because we cannot but be sensible that light,
unstable, variable, capricious, inconstant, fastidious minds soon tire
in any pursuit that requires strength, steadiness, and perseverance.
Such persons, who we trust are but few, and who certainly do not
resemble your Lordships nor us, begin already to say, How long is this
business to continue? Our answer is, It is to continue till its ends are
obtained.
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