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¬concur in the new law thus proposed to them, when it fell of course to the ground — Soon afterwards, however, ,upon further consideration, this very assembly, which had so refused to con- cur with the other, did of their own mere motion originate the very same law which they had before rejected, and sent it up to its original authors for their undoubted approbation ; but its original authors having been inspired in the mean time (as I ought, at least, to believe) with some new and sudden light upon the subject, did then in their turns reject it ; or in other words, denied that it had so pleased Almighty God as they had before with one voice voted, and wholly refusing to acknowledge any rights in animals such as they had themselves enacted, left them to be driven to death in the manner which so much affects you; but let it not there- fore be imagined, that our councils denied or discountenanced the just claims of humanity, because, though they refused to enact protection to animals, they admitted in argument that it was a duty of imperfect obligation." — " Imperfect ¬obliga- ¬
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