The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca

11^SERMONS.]iisopulence aiibrded him any fcreen againfl a publictrial, and as public a puniiliment. There is not fo*ir^uch as»cne perfon who opens his mouth to pleadfor him. Matters go quite differently now. If aBritiih Achan is half-detected, (which indeed willrarely happen) his friends, as guilty perhaps as himfelf,v/ill |)lead ftrongly in his behalf. He is of nobleextraftion, will they fay ; his family was alwaysloyal ', himfelf hath long been a faithful fervant tothe crown. If it is forefeen, that, if a fair inquiry isallowed to proceed, a great proportion of the accurf-.ed thing, that is, of the public monies, will be foundin his hand, they will obtain a mandate from the fovereign,to ftop all further inquiry till the royal pleafureis known, which perhaps m^ay never happenand fo the great defaulter keeps, and is allowed tokeep, all that he had purloined. Thus it commonlyfares with our Achans of rank and opulence : But i£a poor cottager, groaning under heavy taxes, anddreadfully opprelTed by a fcrewed rent.; or if a work-'inianj living under the dreadful expectation of newI'orn-bilis^ fleals a beggarly fheep to keep in the livesof his flarving family ; then, then the fpirit of ourjudges and -lawyers, like the fpirit of a pack of dogswhen a timid hare is ilartcd, is all up at once ; theJaw is armed with rigour againft this poor thief j th