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 the late Bill of Treasons (tho it reach’d not so far as many wou’d have had it) a Favourite of the Old Whigs; they thought it a very desirable one whenever it cou’d be compass’d, and perhaps if not at that very Juncture, wou’d not have been obtained all:  ’twas necessary for Two different Sorts of People to unite in this, in order for a Majority, whose Weight shou’d be sufficient to enforce it.  And I think some Whigs were very unjustly reproach’d by their Brethren, as if by voting for this Bill, they wilfully exposed the late King’s Person to the wicked Designs of his Enemies.

Lastly, The supporting of Parliamentary Credit, promoting of all publick Buildings and Highways, the making all Rivers Navigable that are capable of it, employing the Poor, suppressing Idlers, restraining Monopolies upon Trade, maintaining the liberty of the Press, the just paying and encouraging of all in the publick Service, especially that best and usefullest Sort of People the Seamen:  These (joined to a firm Opinion, that we ought not to hearken to any Terms of Peace with the French King, till it be quite out of his Power to hurt us, but rather to dye in Defence of our own and the Liberties of Europe) are all of them Articles of my Whiggish Belief, and I hope none of them are heterodox.  And if all these together amount to a Commonwealthsman, I shall never be asham’d of the Name, tho given with a Design of fixing a Reproach upon me, and such as think as I do.