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A Law —what It's Matter
One point considerable with respect to a Law, is
 the authority, i.e., the quality and circumstances
of the persons issuing it; and the circumstances
 under which it is issued. That being settled; the next is to give an idea
 of what  issort of a thing <add>composition</add> what sort of an instrument
 a Law is, supposing it to have issued from
 the rightful source, whatever source that be
 This then must be such as shall be applicable
 to all the parts that are to be distinguished
 in it, all the properties, all the ends, and
 all the functions that are to be assigned to it
  The same instrument  the same assemblage
 of words, that now is a Law constituted, or 
 a collection of Laws, once was the work perhaps
 of asome private draughtsman.
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INTROD. A Law-what-1st Origination. 2. Matter. Form. Law. [BR| | ] x Direction.
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Origination Matter & Form. The notion of a Law is compleat, when it
 embraces it's source or origination, it's matter, and it's
 form
The notion of a Law with respect to it's
 origin, includes the description of the persons
 and the solemnities: of the persons who are
 to make it; and of the circumstances they
 must place themselves in when before & which they make
it
Law & Direction We may conceive a command without
 motives to obedience. We may  
conceive
 a command, tho' issued to no purpose.
 An ineffectual command is as intelligible
 as an effectual one.
A Law tho' ineffectual may subsist as a 
 command — but to be effectual it must present
 a motive. If it present a motive
of & that motive be of  it's own creation. [or to speak more strictly
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a motive enacted by another volition issuing
 from the same source) then is it what we
 commonly understand by the term Law.
 if it the motive be not of it's making but it's finding,
 then a motive borrow'd from the Moral
 Sanction, then may it be termed
 Direction.
| Identifier: | JB/070/005/001"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 70. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| not numbered | |||
| 070 | of laws in general | ||
| 005 | introd. a law what - 1 origination 2 matter form law & direction | ||
| 001 | |||
| text sheet | 1 | ||
| recto | |||
| jeremy bentham | [[watermarks::gr [crown motif] [britannia with shield motif]]] | ||
| 23120 | |||