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About Google Book Search Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at |http: //books .google .com/I OnLMED J / .f 9' ■ ■■ s s. 1 -s •) t8SS9SSSSS®9SSSS$®^SS®®$ DISSERTATION ON THE DUTY OF MERCY AND SIN OF CRUELTY TO BRUTE ANIMAJuS. ■V-.V:- $SS9SSSSS®9SSSS$®^SS®®$ DISSERTATION ON THE DUTY OF MERCY AND SIN OF CRUELTY TO BRUTE ANIMAJuS. $3®®®®@@®®®@9®S®$^®®®SSj^ ^/H^t^. >^ C^i^^^0-t^-^^'*-a^ ^. i. DISSERTATION ON THE DUTY OF MERCY AND SIN OF CRUELTY T O BRUTE ANIMALS- By HUMPHRY PRIMATT, D.D. OPEN THY MOUTH FOR THE DUMB in thb cav8b op all such as are appointed to destruction. lemuel. Ego me nova videri dicere intelligo, cum pbr- VETERA DICAM, SED INAUDITA PLERISQUE. CIC. ORATOR. LONDON: Printed by R. Hett; And sold by T. Cadell, in the- Strand i J. DODSLEY, IN PALL-MA/.i ; ^ND; J! JoHNSON, IN St. Paul's Chukch -Yard, , - ••- , MDCC LXJCVT,- C '-;■; .--- - THENEWYORK PUBLIC LIBRARY s> •^V ' 0". ASTOR, LENOX AND , TILDLN EOUNOATIONS, 1897. - » * " • mmtmmtmmmmmmmmmmmmm»m0mmmimmmmmmmmmHmmmmmmm^m^mti»m t H E PRE FACE. TtOtFEFER Then may differ as to fpeculati've points of Re^ ligidrty yUSTICE is a rule of uni- verfal extent and invariable obli^ Ration. IVe acknowledge this im^ portant truth in all fnatters iti tohich MAN is concerned^ but then *ff>e limit it to our tmn fpecies only* Jlnd though we are able to tract the fnofi evident marks of the Cre- ator s wifdom and goodnefsi in thi formation and appointment of the various clajfes of Animals that are A infe- [ ii ] . . ■ • - . inferior to Men^ yet the confciouf- nefs of our own dignity and excel- lence is apt to fuggejl to uSy that Man alone of all terrejlrial Am-- tnals is the only proper objeEi pf Mercy and Compajfton^ becaufe he is the moft highly favored and di- Jlinguijhed. Mijled with this pre- judice in our own favor ^ we overlook fome of the BRUTES'', as if they were meer Excrefcencies of Nature^ beneath our notice , and infinitely un-- worthy the care and cognifance of the Almighty ; and we confider others of them y as made only for ourfervice ; gndfo long as we can apply them to * In the enfuing treatife I ufe the word Brute as a general term for every creature inferior to Man, whether Bcaft, or Bird, or FJfli, or Fly, or Worm. 9Ur [ ui ] ef^r ufe^ we are carelefs.and indif^ f^rent as to their happinefs or mi-^ Jhy^ and can hardly bring our- /elves to fuppofe that there is any kind of duty incumhefit upon us toward them. To reEiify this mijiaken 7totion is the dejign of this treatife^ in, which I have endeavoured to prove ^ that as the Love and Mercy of God are ovjsr all his %vorksy from the higheji rational to the lowejl fenjitivey our Love and Mercy are not to be confined within the circle of our own friends^ acquaintance^ and neighbours ; nor limited to the more enlarged fphere of human nature^ to creatures of our own rank^ Jhape^ and capacity ; i?Ut are to k^ expended to every ob-^ A 2 jeSI < JeSf of th Love and Mercy tf GOD the univerfal Parent; '^^, as he is righteous in all his wayi(| and holy in all his works, ^// undoubtedly require of Man, ju-^ per tor Man, a firiEi account of his conduEi to every creature' fkir- trujied to his care, or coming ifl-hi^i way ; and who will avenge every iMr'- fiance of wanton cruelty, and op-r- prej/ion, in the day in the which^v^lf he will judge the world in RidH^ TEOUSNESS. ;.v;i ■ 1- As it is of no confequence to taH^^ Brutes, for whofe fakes this tf^s^}^ tife is puhlifhed, what may be t^:^^ different modes of faith or forms df:y^ worjbip amongfi meH, I have end6ar^::y% voured to write it without any iiasy ■ ... pryur. [ V ] frejudice^ vr partiality. And if fotne of my fentiments 'Jhbuld not in all r^ffeSls fqtiare with thofe of my reader J I have only to defire that they may he read and interpreted with the fame candour and charity with which they are written^ as J do ajfure him I have vo defign to offend any party whatfoever^ , As to the manner in which this work is executedy let it he confidered that y as it treats upon a fuhjeEl in which men of all ranks ar^ con- ^erned^ it is neceffary to pay fome attention to the capacities of thofe^ who have not had the adva?ttage of a liberal education y and^ on their gxQount it; is^ that the Au-- thor [ vi ] thor has enlarged upon fome points of duty in his illufi ration of fome of the tefiimonies from Scrip-- ture ; and if it is written fo as to contribute to mollify one fingle . hearty or to refcue hut a fly or a worm from unnecejfary pain^ it would be a refieBion upon the huma- nity of the learned to attempt an apology for the manner of it. But if I pould feem to them to have miflaken^ mifapplied^or diflort^ , ed any text of Scripture^ I hope no miflakcy inaccuracy y or defeSly on my party will be any objeSiion to theb^ene- volent caufe which I have efpoufed. Upon me be the reproach y fpare but the innocent brute. You are welcome to fay y if youpleafcy I have handled the { vH ] the word of G OD improperly, of injudicioufly, but fay not that I have handled it deceitfully ; for I am confcious my intention is good ; iand^ if I have deceived fnyfelfy it 9 is a delightful deception^ and I \ Jhould he forry to be undeceived^) : But I prefume I have deceived nei-^ ther my f elf nor others : for^ Mercy fs a mojl amiable difpoftion of mindj admired even by thofe that will not praSiife it ; and, the cultivation of it in the lowefi injiances^ and to the mojl infegni- fcant objeBsy can never be attend- ed with any ill confequences to So- ciety i nor has it any thing in it inconfijlent with reafofi^ or with our ideas of yujlice. Reft it upon thefe common principles^ andy though , ' 3 I JJjould t »ia ] IJhouJd have failed in myfrMpffbM Revelation, my end is in part an*^ Jweredi and I am well pleafed ; but much happier jhall I be^if I have beeri able to provey that Mercy to Brutes is as much a doBrine of divine Reive"' Idtion^ as it is in itfelf reafonable^ amiable y ufefuly and jujl. ^■•«i*Mi*MftMMHMft«ife«MiriMdMB4UMMMi*MdMfHilM«MhaM«^ ERRATA- Page 14, li. i5./flrbarrsr^^ibars — P. 4!* li. j^i for not be read not to be — P. 95. li* $.for 20 read 29— P. 97. U. 6* for as read if — P. 98. li, 16* after Hebrew a comma-^P. 109. II. 13^ for 24 read 23-=— P* 114. at bottontj for ix read xi— P. 148. li. 3. for that read when he — P. 158* li. 2. after likewife dele the eomma'^F, 159. li. ji- JVATERtNG? — ?. i4. iine the laji. for in read at — P. 181. in fiote^ line the la/l^ after binding put a comma — P. 184^ li. 7,0* for on read in — P. 190. 1. 12. for for rfflrfand— P. 256I li. 11. for neighbors f«irf neighbor's — P. 264. Hnethi lafi^ afler muzzle put a comma — P. 266* line the laft^ Cactle ?-^P« 274. line xi.fvr ia reodvipoai A DIS- «MMMMMUMiMMi A . ' . P X S; S E..R:.T, A T I O N ' ' ' ' N ' Y H E • ' ' ^ : D 6 T t OF M E R C V AN 6 SIN OFi.C RUEL T Y » ■ ■ ■ ' » • . -i , . " * T O"*" " v - - . . 3B H U T fi.' A N 1 A?t'A r "^r * • r -k •- vs. i^ LOV E is the gteat ^ Hmge tipoft whith univerfal'NatuTc tiirnS. The Creation is a: ttanfcript t)f !;he .diviile Goo dnefs ; and every leaf in ihfe Book of Nature reads \i$ a Icdufe on the wifdoni and' benevolence of itis great Author, The Philofopher, inured to ftudf land contemplation, untainted with l^idd, and unbiafed b^ prejudice, ' B feci [ ^ 3 fees and acknowledges this trutn as inconteftable, that the Supreme Being is wife, and juil, and gdod,' and merciful. And from tht ob- fcFvations he has. n^de . upon ;he animal part of the creation that is within his view and reach, hd draws ^ this general cbnckti^ny I that levery creature mufl have its I proper ^ufe and oiEce, (however I latent as to us i) and that the diF- ; £sreikt powers, appetites, p^rfeor ;tions« and even comparative^ d^ .&ds of different animals^ are et- fentially ntccffsffy to a^fwer the I difiexent purpofes for which they [were created^ and to promote the I comn^on good of the whole. I fhall nqt undertake to illuftrate thi& ^ticularj as it would carry me too far from my purpofe j and as ■' * all f C « 3 & repetition qf wh^ .haM ^ii'^i^X bcein "writteii* by the iftajiy ;k|iQ)^ ftiudinge&kiiUs ;>N8tiitidilbti\ iW^Qk &Ab- taim it j^a^. befifi : to • jdetiiQH-f llrani tH&" exsdience. 4nd: :>pf9leiPT €reatron» .1 ^ KKtW' thejffkfopib t.»kfi it rfcf graBtoif^riihat »9. CiCi^l> rii \ciro aii4 gDodv^^aH his; Yi«ir|R$.{afii iaEppc^tmentsrttmft bet thfrrf^c)^ of wifdom and- gobdm&i r^ ; ' « ■ <' - 1 lure of lactd' 'b^ the •g(^% ' QeHttilr- ^d f^thdr df the tWilwrfe, i^tthc Top bf the Mtr b^ ite^refti^^l aai-. snaN ^1^ Tvippofe Jkf^iV} andj When tW5 tr6ntcmj>te thfc t .^nd from him dow^ to the vileft brute, that . we are all £ilceptible ^d feniible of the mUery of jPiw^.; an evil, ^hich though neceilary iit idelf, and wifely intended as the.fpnr to in^ cite us to felf-preienration, and to the avbidanoe of defiaiiiftioii, we nevertheleft are n&turaUy avftrie to, and (hrink bkck at the ap^ prehecdioi of it. Superiority of rank or fiaticn exempts no crea- ture from the len&linlity of pain, sor does inferiority render the fadings thereof the lefs e)f(|uiiite. rain h pain, whether it be in« fi,inpf'^v<^c^^y» where nd o^nccc ha$" been' givson^' ant} no- good -end ican poi^bfy^b« anfwered by it, but merely to- ex- hibit power or gr^fy malice,' is Cruelty and Ihjudice in -him that occafions it, ■ I prefume there is no Mti;; o/* fiilingy' that has any idea of ^i^ /ic<, but would confefs upon the principles of reafbn and common finfe^ that if he were to be put to ttnnecejfary and unmerited . paio by another man, his tormentor would do him an ad oi v^ufitce^ and from a fenie pF the injuflice • # > I 9 3 L in hu iwn cafe,, now tbafHii-')! the Ipi^flFerer, he muft ifiiiery that if he were td pit another man of feeling to itnnece£^ and unmerited ^ which He now fuifers, thes in himielf to the other cxadly the fame as the ii^ in his tormentor to Him. There* fore the man of feeling • and juflice will not put another nuun to unmerited pain, becatife he will not do that to another, which he is unwilling jfhould be done to himfelf. Nor will he take any advantage of his own fuperiority is& ftrerigtb^ or of the accidents of J&tuney to abufe them to the op- ptdlion of his inferipr; becaufe Jie knows that in the article of ffeiif^vHX xatn are equal; and that % that the difierefice« of flfengtti bt Ibition are &t tnwh. the gifts md ll^intmentsr of OOD^ a$ th« difeenccB of uoderftanding, co-» liDiM|, or &[taoe. Supeiiority of iisaol: or ft&tioa may give abili^ itd 'OQsnjnimicQite faappuie!^, (and : iedtis To mteoded :) bot it caa I gire >tt6 right to inflid uimeoefiary ( br :unmerited {sain. A 'wt/k man jiTiTuld idlip^ach his own wtfiJom, Udd h^ unworthy of the bki&ag 49f 4 good iinderilanding, if he w^re. to iof^r from thence that he )iad tt i^gh$ to defpife or make Hameof a^s/) or put him to any i^egree of pain. The ifbily of tl^ fool o^ght rather to ^xoite JhIb [ion, 9i)d demands the wUe maa^s care ^and attetttiofi to one th^t cannot takt c^i^ c^ himfelf. It It hat ^eafcd C Ol^die FatW tif idi ifiefi.toc6vtr ibme men triiili '^hiteikint, and otheii ^th Mack |ltin${ tyitt at there is ndtfadr iiimt fior dtment in coxnp]ezion» tli& ^he- ann (notwithllandsdg thi h£rrl^tit)r «>f cuftom and pre« jliilUe} ei»^ have no rights b^ tu^ of hk cvi&i^r) to eoilave and lymniiize over VL-i/itci man $ nor has aji^ man any right to Acfpi&i «ho&, and inifult a irmtm man^ Nor do I believe that a /ir// man^ hf yktAe of his fiature-i has any k^l right to trample a dtamf imder his foot. For, whether a taan U mft or foolifli, white or U^l^) &ir or brown, taUor.£hort, uA I iiiight add rich or poor (for lit is no more a man's choice to be pobr,^ than It i« to be a lbo]» J or £ " J wki.dvwtfi iO# hUek, joi*. tawrney,) 4ttdi ker is b^. G0X>*» appoinitr debid, ts; ncitlier;.j^ fubje^ for pride, nor an bbjteA p£ contempt. |i{oi(ir if. ; amon^ ; lafioy. ,the 4ifr lerences: of their 'ppwjers;of tile V fmndy . and of. ..their Q9.i9p|exi9n9 Ibuure, and accidents, of ..'fortune^ do not give. to. any. one inan a Hglit to abiiiie or infuk any other man: on account of thefe difor cnoes ; for the Bime reafon> a man can have no natural right to abuie and torment a beafl, merely be-^ caufe a bea(b has not the.>!r^//i/ powers of a man« ^or fuchJ^ the man is, he is but. as GOD made him; and the very ikme is true of the beaft», _N^ither of them can '..lay: daim tP, -any inr . trinfic ttiniic Merit i for itemg. AicH : M titcy.; arc ; ' for beft)re; Jih^ ^tti createdv it was i8op«f|iWe,:,||»i €ttheri qF ! them " c^i^ld: i 4e|erv^.s and at their: cr^tibn, f their Ih^peli pcffcaiw«< or d§fe4^9, . ;wer;>: rjisd vajiiably Hxed, ainir tK<$ir bpij?ii4»* fct wjbkh ithey,:ina^e .then^, thert^KliS nainore\demctitri^ aiibeaftVb^' xng a beaft, Chan there is merit' iii>a mans being*'a'mari5 that isj' there ?is neidbo: jpaerit nor dcfmeric incithet of thetn* '; ■» V. If , < -■ - . ^ A Brute h' an animal no lefi ftnfible of |jain than a Man. He has iimilar nerves and organs of feifation ; and his cries and groans> in cafe of violent imprelUoos upon ; his C »6 3 • .• ' WiSk npxd to the ModlG-ti-i (dm'- of t&r mafs of matter of ^ioch tfQ loimal is formed, it . is '^tadrntdd as to the creature itfelf j I mwm, it was not in the power ar will of the creature to choofe»^ wlietlicr it (hould fuftain the fhape of' a brute, or of a man : and yet,: whether it be of one fhape^ or of the.other 5 or, whether it be . inha- bited or animated fa^ the * .^1 of aibrute ojr the *.(bul of .a man; tbe fiibftaftce or matter, of which, the. (^refttufis i$ compofed, would be equally iulibeptible ,of feeling. It is iolely owihg to the good * It is of 00 coi^uence, as to the ca|b now before us, i^bether the SOUL is, as fotne think, only a Power^ which cannot exift with- out the Body ; or, as is generally fuppofed, a ffiritual Suhfimct^ that can exift, diftind and ftparate from the body« Pleafure t »7 ] Plcafure of GOD, that We are created Men f or animals in the Jhape of men . For, He that ^formed Man of the dufi of the ground^ and breathed into his nqftrils the ireath of life that he might be-' come a living foul and endued with the fenfe of feeling, could, if he had ib picafed, by the fame plaftic ppwer, have caft the very fame dufi into the mould of a B^^; which, being ani- mated by tl\e life-giving breath of. its Maker, woul4 have be-« come f tf . living foul in . that form ; and, in that form, would have been as fufceptible of pain, as in the form of a M?». ^nd if, in brutal fhape, We had been en- 4ued with the fame degree of reafon ♦ Qcq, ii, ^ , t Qcn. I, 30. in the vmgi% C and 1 and reftciSion wHkh Mrs now xsk-*. joy ; and other Beings, in human ibape, {liould take jupon tbem to torment, abufe, and barbaroufly ill treat 01, ^caiift we were not mad$ in their (hape ; the injuftico^ and cruelty of their behaviour to XTs vf^ould be ielfrovident : and we fhmUd naturally infer, that, whe-» ther we walk upon two legs of ^r } whether our heads ^e prcMM or erei^:; whether we are naked or (rovered with hair ; whether we have tails os no tails, horns or no hornsj long ears or round ears ; or, whether we bray like an ais, fpeak like a man, whiftle like a bird, or are mute as a fifti ; Na- ture never intended thefe diftinc-f tions ^s foundations for right of tyranny and oppreifion, Butper- '7 haps t ^9 1 Jkaps^ it will, be fikids it is iabfurd to saake&cii aa mfeitencefeom a meer ^ppofidon cisat a Oiftn in^^if h&ve been n briate, and a brute inigbt ^ave been a fnan ; for, iJie Slitppo- litioQ kfelf is chimerical, aod has J9Q fouadadon in nature ; aivl from &dl, and not horn iu^oy of wbattnigbt be or might not be. To titts I Te^^ i&few iV!Qrd$» land m general ;. that all ca&s and aiv gumeoAs, deduced from the i«i^ ^ppr^ant and benew^leat pf>6cept <^f .Z)«^ #^ toihem aswg'WMdd ke done ,im0i aepefikriJir require luch kin4 ^i Juppdfitiam \ that is, they fop- poTe the cafe to be ttherwi/e ^han it really is. For inftanee ; i? i?<^<& )!»^»2 is not a Poor ^an ; yet, the duty plainly arifing .from the Pre- C a cept, cept, is this,— The man who is now r/V/6, ought ^o behave to the man who is DOW pd6ry in fuch a mapper AS the Rich man If be vsere foor wopld be willing that the Poof man If he were rich fhouki behave 'towards him. Here is a cafe whicH in fad does not exift between the& twp men, for the rich man is not a poor man, nor is the poor man a riph man \ vet the Syppoiition, is neceflary to enforce and i|luf- trate the precept, and the rea-^ fonablenefs of it is allowed. An4 if the Aippofltion is reafonable in one cafe \ it is reafonable, at leaft, not contrary to reafon, in. all cafes to which this general precept can extend, and in which the duty enjoined by it can and ought to be performed. ^ Therefore though t it . ] It be true that a mah is Hgta brnffei y^^> ^ ^ horfe is a fubjet^ iyitbiii the extent of the preceptj that is, he is capable of receiving benefit by it, the duty enjoined in it extends to the man, and amounts to this,— Do You that /zr^ a Man S O treat your horfe> A S ycfti would be willing to be treated by your mafter, in cafe that You Wire ja,_ Horfe. • I fee no aWurdity nor falfe reafoning in this^ precept, ttor apy ill confequjence that would anie from it, ■ however it may be gainiaid by the barbarity of Cuftom,. A ■ ^ . ■ •• • • - But there is iio cuftom, whe- ther barbarous or abfurd ; nor in- deedyany vice however deteflable, but will find fooie £tSettors to juf- C 3 tify h.i^'lK'^ [ 2i ] tify^ or at fcaft to palliate it ; though the vindication kfclf 15 an aggravation of the crTmc. Whew wc are umJer apprchcnfions tttat We Otrrfelvcs fliall be the fuffer^ftf* • _ _ of pain, we natirrally Ihrink hsLck at the very ' idea of it : we catt then abominate, it ; -we dcttfi it with horror ; tre plead hafd for Mefcy\ and we feel that lit can feet, 5*t when MAN- 19 out of the qtrcftibh, Humahi^ fleep*, anai]i(m4 And when the mind i$ thuk warped and difpofed to ^vil^ a light argument will have great weight withjt; and we ranfack and rack all nature in her weakfift and tendereil parts> to eJitort from her, if pofilble, any confeiHon ^l^reon to reft the .appearance of 'in argument to defend or excufe our cruelty and :oppreiIlon. , ,;TJbe Ctmfcioufn^s oi the Rank which as men we hold in the creation, and of the evidently fu^ peiior powers of the mind of man, whi,ch juAly diAinguifh vatsx from btf-Utcs,, puff us up with fuch a fond conceit of our own dignity and merit, that to make any €om-^ ^ari/on between a man and a C 4 kute I \ i J * ■ _ brute is deemed as abiurd ^s it 19 ddidusi and fauitful to our Prkk* ' H - . . . ■ ■ • -• *fc The miftaken: indulgence of Parents ; and the Various inf^ancei^ of fportive crueltv in fome fhape or other daily pradifed by men in all ranks of life; and the many barbarous Co^owj connived at, if not countenanced by perfons in high ftations or in great authority, (whofe condud in other points may be truly amiable and refpeft* able,) prejudice our minds to con-^ fider the brute animals as fcnfelefV and infignificant creatures, made only for our pleiafure and fpcrt. And, when we refieft upon the moft (hocking barbarities, and fee the brutal rage exercifed by the moft worthlefs of men, without controul I ^5 il controul of Law, and without "no* ticc or reproof from the Pulpier we are almoft tempted to draw this inference, that Cruelty cannot, in iSin, : ■' \ « \ And) poflibly, the Affedatio!!! of) love or hatred according tb the mode of the fafhion ; or, in. pthctf wor4s> ^fcious Tafie^ . which conr fi{l« in ihaking the love or hatred of others the flandard of our own love and hatred ;— that we mufl admire whatever our fuperiors ad-^ inire, and condemn whatever the^c are pleafed to condemn j — that true politenefs is to have no thought, no foul, no fentiment of our' own, but a graceful reiignation of the plaineft dictates of truth andcom-i mon fenfe to the follies and whims of others j — that the art of pleafing is i u the art of Battery and. hihxxmt* plrance ; and tbat Smgularitjt of ientiment of praAice is the mark v>f a mean, aru^ar, andachur- lifh foul ; this afFe<^ation of com* pliance, this vicious tade, and ^s AverfioHn to fingukrity may pioffibly lead Q^ to fuppofe, — that jBO diwrficm can be crttal that has the faii6tioa of NobiMty ;• and that no di(b can be" uit^Ujed (hat is fervcd up at it Great mari^ table, though * ihe kftehen h covered mtb bloody ^nd fitted mtb the eri'ei rf creature f exptrir^ in tortures, I am fbrry there^ould be any «K;ci^on to liame ReRgion as in >ny trfpea contributing to this xnfenfibility and indifference as • The Guardian, VoL I. N% 6i. to I *7 1 to tbe .'happiQefs or mi&ry of * -tbe kafcsior amtnais* ' I am well ariraie d£ ii^i^ ddicacy and tendecneis.^ and hope iiiball-not be deemed cade or . uncharitable^ oi; as re- ceding upon true Rd^ion, whcik I disclate it is oiat my mteatioii to pMC office to Ghrtftinns o£ a^ 4enotnimtioa. Let me not tke^ be * mf&mfkribjod* wben I expr^is. the concern q( my foul; if her i&cicd ^mentfr.haye ever been pc^lufeed with bloody «iaW& niifreprefented. But, vpoa entity, we fear, it i» tco iace in a bre^ft that withheld and denied the Mercy of GOD unttf Menf Or,* arc We to wander « that Cruelty ti^ brutes tAade no Article of Self-examination j when mercy itfelf was deemed berefy ? Even in prior and f purer times, it was .affirmed, that it is f yihfurdj and * Pf. cxix. 99. * Abfurdum eft ad hoc Dei dcducere Ma-^ jeftatem, ut fciat per momenta fingula quot nafcantur culiccs, quotvc moriaritur ; quae ci- micumi t «9 1 ^od a difparagement' to the Ma-* jeftffoi QOD tofuppofb tiin^ /# KNOW how muny infeSis there dicit in the worlds «r haw ptanyfijhes iff ihe fea y y^i thzt fuch an; idea qf^;^^;^^ the Omnifciencc of Q OD woui4 he faoli/b flattery tq UIM^ ap4 an Injury, to, QURSMLFES* Noty, if GOP inows them notj he cannot regard thein^ and if He regards them not, why fhoyld We ? Why ihould we thus flatter GOD, and injure our own Pride? . • f^icum et pulicum et rriufcarum fit in tern( tnulticudo ', quanti pifces in aqua natent, ^t qui de minoribus majorum prasdas cedeFe do- t)eaqt. ^on fimus tarn fatui Adulatores Pei^^ yc dum potentiam ejus etiam ad ima dctrahi- mus in nos ipfos injuriofi fimus. HiERONrm Ccmment. in Abac. Lib. i. Edit. Bajih Tom. vu But [ 3* ] Sut Itt tiot 'ihis& mtAaken «m>- ^oiis^^e tai|NBiltcid tic) the fpnit of d» Gbfpcl x^ JESUS. Lofc iitid beoevc^ettce are the ^^ nuine chaia^riftics of his Reli- ^g^, whfdi origifiated in the Mirty of GOD, and is perfeded in the Lovb of Man. True Chrif* Ciaii humility abominates the(e fweliings ef Jpiriiuai fridey and the enlarged Soul of a Chrifttan >can« not iind room in the Marrow heart of a bigot. I mean not ; to give offence to any one ; but if any take ofFence, they befpeak the error I mean, to correft, Chrif- tiaa love is without pardaltty, and without hypocrify: and all that 1 mean, is this, — Let not our love be evil Ipoken of; let us examine ourfelves well, and if we £ind that we t n ] wig kMm^ diodnhe Of tenet thai $3rpUpitl|r or coQ&qiieatially re« preiient& the Supreme Bdiig i» partial of injurious to my of his cr judice, AverGoQ to fingularity^ and coQtrai^d Miirqirefenta^ tions of GOp and Keligioui do aU .contribute to haxdea die heart agalnft the natural impref« ^ons and. foft feelings of com^ ^alfion. But perh^ I may he miilajken as to the three laft parr^ ticulars; at kaft, there gre very few t 32 j few perfons, who will ingenuoufljr conf(^s themfelves the dupes of Prejudice^ or the fools of AffeSla-^ tim ; and ^as to miftakes in points of Reli^otty they are fcarce ever acknowledged ; hard to be red;i« £ed; and hardly to be touched upon, though with the utmoft tendernefs, without exciting the flame, which it is the {cope of true religion to quench and fup-« prefs. But as to Pridcy which arifes from the fond conceit of our own dignity and fupcrior ex-* cellence above the brutes ; though the name is odious, and we dif- claim the imputation of it } yet, we cherifh it with pleafure, and dote upon it with admiration. We blufli at the thought of a. Comparifon ; vve fire with re-^ fentment ; we tbfs up our heads 7 " with With"' fcorn; and claim kiridrcfd ■ « with heaveh. Well ; be it fo. Man is the tnoft hobld, the mpfl: excellent, the moft J^erfeiSt of ^11 terxeftrial ! Beings. But what then ? He is fliil biit a Creature ; aiidj with alt his perfections atid excellencies^ he is a dependent and nccbu72tabU * • » . Creature ; yea, accountable for thefe very perfe6:ions and excel- lencies, whether or no he has be- haved in a manner becoming a creature fo eminently diftinguiflied &nd exalted. Arid if found defi- cient in this grand inquifition,' That wherein he now glories will be the burthen of his difgrace. The more talents are intrufteJ with any man^ the more he ftands accountable for: and if not rightly; D employed \ t 54 ] employed^ or mifapplied, it had been better for him not to have pofTefled, thenir Every Excellence in a man i» furcharged with a Daty, from which the Superiority of his ftation cannot exempt him. Nay, his fuperior ftation urges the demand j and his NoncoropHance may be Tuftly deemed ftubbornnefs and ingratitude. And where Supe- riority of ftation, and Excellence of nature, do both concur in one fub^edl, (as is fometimes but not always the cafe amongft men,) there the duty required is greater, and the obligation is ftronger. But however it may be between m Man and Man; this is certain^ that, when we compare M^n and Brute, we find both Ex- cellence t 35 ] celletice and Superiority to center in Man/ The Excellence of the nature of a man to that of a brute, no one will queftion; and the advantages which the loweft of men derive from their J}atia?i as men> give them a Superiority which deferves their gratitude and attention. This granted i I be- lieve it will be found not difTonant from reafoUj^ if we were to affirm \ from the above principle, that the cruelty of Men to Brutes is more heinous (in point of injuf- tice) than the cruelty of Men unto Men. I will call the former brutal cruelty, and the latter hu- man cruelty. In the cafe of human cruelty, the oppreffed Man ha? a tongue D 2 that .- ^ ^. 7r t 36 ] that can plead his own caufe, and a finger to point out the ag- greflbr : All Men that hear of it fhudder with horror; and, by ap- plying the cafe to themfelves, pro- nounce it cruelty with the com- mon Voice of Humanity, and una- nimoufly join in demanding the punifhment of the offender, and brand him with infamy. But in the cafe of brutal cruelty, the dumb Beaft can neither utter his complaints to his own kind, nor defcribe the author of his wrong ; nor, if he could, have they it in their power to redrefs and avenge him. - . \ In the cafe of human cruelty, there are Courts and Laws of Juf- tice in every civilized Society, to which f 37 ] which the injured Man may make his Appeal ; the afFair is canvafled^ andpunifhmcntinflidedin propor- tion to the offence. But alas ! with fhame to man, and forrow for brute, I afk thfe queftion. What Laws are now in force ? or what Court of judicature does nowexift, in which the fuffering Brute may bring his adlion againft the wan- ton cruelty of barbarous man ? The laws of Triptolemus are long fince buried in oblivion, for Trip- tolemus was but a heathen. No friend, no advocate, not one is to be found amongft the * bulls nor calves of the people to prefer an ipdi preflion of his inferiors, he ex^ hibits his folly as well as his mU'- lice» What ihould we think of A flout and ftrong Man, that (hould exert his fury and barbarity on a helplefs and innocent Babe? Should we not abhor and deteft that man, as a mean, cowardly, and favage wretch, unworthy the ftature and ftrength of a man ? No lefs mean, cowardly, and favage is it, to abufe and torment the innocent Bead, who can neither help himfelf nor avenge himfelf } and yet has as much right to hap- pinefs in this world as a child can have : nay, more right, if this world be his only inheritance. Again, [ 47 ] Again, what dignity pr diftinc- tion have We, that we did not re- ceive from the great Giver of all good ? It is true that man is fuperioc to a brute. But then, * * Who * maketh thee, O man, thus to * differ? And what haft thou that * thou didft not receive ? Now if * thou didft receive it, why doft * thou glory, as if thou hadft not * received ? -f- Have we not all one * Father, and hath not one GOD * created us ?' He that made thee a man, could have made thee a brute. Now if thou art a Man, be thankful, and fhe w thy fuperiority by mercy and compafiion ; elfe thou debafeft thy reafon, and art as low, * if not lower than the brute whom you opprefs. You confefs, that a • I Cor. iv. 7, t Mai. ii. lo. brute f 48 ] brute is an animal without reafon ; and Reafon fays, that to put anj^ creature to unmerited or unne*. V Ceflary pain is unjuft and U7irea-^ finable : Therefore, a man that ii cruel is a brute in the Jhape of a man. But what I fay you, Shall a man endued with an iminortal Soul be compared unto a beaft that periflieth ? I anfwer, be this as if ftiay happen. If a man ads like" a brute, the comparifon is juftj however difagreeable. But wa- ving the comparifon : If thou art cruel, thy boaft of Immortality is the moft egregious folly* Thou art like a prifoner, making his boaft of the brightnefs and exqui- fite workmanfliip of ^ his fett^s. Or, r 49 ] Or, thou art like an linjlifl: arid haughty Steward of a great eftate, counting over his Lord's money, «nd bragging of it as if it were his own ; and flattering himfelf with the future .favour of his- maften though all the tenants groan under the weight of .his opprefTion, and can and are ready to bear witnefs to his pride and perfidy, at their Lord's return, when a thoufand articles . will be exhibited againft the upftart fycophant, of wafte, mifmanagement, negligence, abufe, .tyranny, and injuftice. Yet this is thine own Cafe, this thine own Fdlly, if thy foul is polluted with malice and cruelty. Thou mayft glory in thy pretenfions to im- mortality now ; but wilt thou glory in it hereafter^ when the dreadful E ^ time C so ] time diaW come that thou wilt wifli thyfelf upon a kvcl with tht bead whom thou haft dt{pi(hd and abufed; when thine Immortality will be thy greateft Burthen, Strange! therefore, to hear cruel men boaft of that very Circum* fiance, which will make them truly wretched* Birt I know not how it is ; cor hands arc fa imbrued in Wood, that in fpitt of the ihame <^ it^ we cannot wafh them clean. We glory in that which, being mif- appHed, is our difgrace;. and when we feel ourfeWes woundcci itfour pride, we change the fcales ; wfe drop the confideration of our own dignity, which avails us Butr little J and betake us . to argu- > ment^ •• r |p^ v. tf:.-'/ ^' Ic4ge4 ia defence pr ex^ufe of the Wanton cruelty of ^iani FckT t|i\^s it i$ ^rgue4— ^ -^That Man has a Pefmiifipiij that is, it is a^ juniverfal prac- ;w>»-j>>i Ugg with niankiadj to eat the fiefii of animals ; which tarioot bi done without taking aw^y their iiveS) and putting jhenj to fo^f degree of .pain* -^That thcFC^e fome dnimals Obnoxious to tiiankihd; and the inoft compaflionate of men iildke ho fcruple to deftroy them* And ■^That there are fome Brutes vf pr^ whith wholly fubfift on the ne{h of other brutes; and whofe lives are one coptinuftd Coorfe of rapine and bloodfhed. E 2 Thefc t S2 ] ■ Thefe are the formidable afgii- riients, which we fomctimes have recourfe to in vindication of our cruelty, our abufe, or unfeeling negled ; but to each I fhall make a reply. « And, firft, as it is a univerfal Pradlice, it fliall he taken for granted, that Man has a permif" fion to eat ihe flejh of fome ani-^ fnah\ and confequently, to kill them for food or neceflary ufe. . « But this permifJion cannot au- thorize us to put them to untiBcef- fary^zin^ or lingering death.. Death they are all liable to; they muft fubmit to it ; and they do not feem to us to have any idea, or feat* of death. Avoidance of pain is in- deed as natural to brutes as it is to [ S3 3 I to men, therefore pain is the only ground of fear in brutes. As to ourfelves, We fear both pain and death ; and our fear of (Jeath arifes from the fear of fu- ture pain, or from apprehenjions of what may happen to us after death : and in fome men thefe ap- prehenfions are fo terrifying, that they prefer exquifite pain to death. But the Brute, having no idea of an hereafter, cannot fuffer any terror on account of death. To \i\mprBfent pain is the only Evil ; and prejent happinefs the only Good ; therefore, whilft he lives he has a right to happinefs. And death, though it is to him the period of his prefent happinefs of §xiftence, (and fo far is a negative E 3 evilj) t 5+ 1 tin\ j) yet it is likewlfe the p^od to all his fe^rs and future pain y and fo far ^s it removes him from the pofiibility of JfViture niifery fr^ift the <*u€lty i)f inen, it may ]^ 5£,-the woods and fields in fearch af the unburied bodies, . and thus r/vs become the living graves of the dead. And if, in the courfe of their range or flight, they cfpy a beaft or bird worn out with age, or with a leg or wing by accident broken, or forfaken by his dam, unable to help himfelf, or any way rendered incapable of getting his own food ; GOD, the Father of Mercies, , hath ordained Beads and Birds of Prey to do that dif- treffed .creature the kindnefs to relieve e'.','--..C relieve him (torn his mifery, hj ptrtdng him to death. A kind-" nefs which fl^e dare not (hew to our own fpecies. If thy father, thy brother, or thy child fhould fuffer the utmoft pains of a long and agonizing iicknefs, though his groans fhould pierce through thy heart, and with ftrong crying and tears he fhould beg thy re- lief, yet thou mufl be deaf unto him ', he muft wait his appointed time till his change cometh, tilt he finks and is crufhed with the weight of his mifery. But then, in all human afflidion, whether our own or others, (not the pu- nifhment or tSt&. of vice and de- bauchery,) we may comfort our^ felves and them with the hope of P a bleiTed t 66 ] a bleffcd immortality, when * aJf tears Jhall be wiped from our eyes ^ when there Jhall be no more deatb^ neither forrow nor cryingy neither Jhall there be any more pain. Hu- . man hope is human fupport and comfort. But what hope is there to. fupport and comfort the brutes underj their afili<9don ? They are incapable of hopey becaufe they can neither refledt nor forefee. The ■.••-.. ^ . .■ ,(■■'■' prefent moment is ^as ^terriijty to them. All their happincfs is va. this life only ; they have neither thought nor. hope of another. Therefore when they arc mifer-- able, their mifery is the more ia- fupportable. And when they can no longer enjoy happineis, Death is welcome; and the more wel- * Rev. xxi. 4, come. C 6> 3 'come, the.foonerit comes; and fudden death more defirable than a lingering painful Life. And , tyliilft the poor animal is thus kindly delivered from his pain by- precipitated death, the Creature that devours him has his degree of happinefs therein, and will him* felf one day meet with the fame kind treatment from fome other beafl or bird, when he is no longer able to enjoy life. This is not cruelty but mercy : as much mercy, as it is to (hoot thy horfe or thy dog, when all his teeth are gone, and the happinefs of his life is at an end*. • See Dr; Prieftley*s Inltitutes of Natural and Revealed Religion, Vol. i. Part i. Seft..3, F 2 And t 68 3 And what if fome of the creatures, fwifter of foot or wing than the tanner kind, fhould fomcf-" times feize upon a harmlefs and defencelefs animal not under the diftrefled cafe before fupppfed ? This ihould be confidered as ant accidental evil hardly to be avoided in the prefent ftate of things. la brutes it is a natural, and not a moral evil. Ferocity, ftrength, and a carnivorous appetite arc eflen- tially neceflary to brutes of prey ; and the Divine Being does not in* terpofc to alter their 'natures^ if by chance they meet with & flieep or a man. It is neceflary that they fliould he/avagey to an-' fwer the purpofes of their crea- tion; elfe they would not have been fo created* It is as necef- fary. [ 69 ] ^ry, as that Soldiers and Execu* tioners of the La^y fhould be ^m, refolute, and in fome de- gree unfeeling. All that men have to do with regard to noxious brutes is to keep out of their way, and arm themfelves againft their attacks. But in this country wre have riot much room for dread. We have neither Lions, Tigers, nor Wolves to moleft us. There- fore, for us to infer, that men may be cruel to brutes in general, becaufe fome brutes are naturally fierce and blood thirfty, is tanta- mount to faying. Cruelty in Bri- tain is no ftn, becaufe there are Wild Tigers in India. But is their ferocity and brutality to be the ftandard and pattern of our humanity ? And, becanfe they have. F 3 no E 7<^ ) no companion, are we to have na eompaflion ? Becauib they have; little or no reafonj are we to havci no reafon ? Or, are we ta becomCi as very brutes as they f However,: we need not go as far as India;, for even in England Dogs will- worry, and Cocks will fight f (though not fo often, if we did not fet them on, and prepare them for the battle.) Yet vi^hatt is that to us ? Are we Dogs ? Are we fighting Cocks ? Arc they to be our Tutors and Inftrudlors, that we appeal to them for argu- ments to juftify and palHate our inhumanity ? No. Let Tigers roar, let Dogs worry, and Cocks fight ; but it is aftonifhing, that MEN, who boaft fo much of the Dignity of their nature, the fu» 7 . perior * peribr Excellence of their under- fkndings, and the Immortality of their fouls, (which by. the by. is a- circumftance, which cruel .• men ; aboVe all others have theleaft Tcafon to glory in,) fhould difgrace their dignity and underftandings, by recurring to thepra* But if a man's capacity is not Iq exalted as that. of a pifmire, or if he is become ftupid and obfti- nate ; then fend him for inftruc, tion to an Ox or an Afs ; for it is thus that Ifrael was reproved for ignorance aiid ingratitude (Ifa. i. 3.) The OX knoweth his Owner^ and the ASS his mafiers criby but Ifrael doth not hnowy my People doth pot conjider*. There are fome cafes there-!- * There is a fimilar kind of reprciof to tTie fame people in the Prophet Jeremiah, Ch* viii^ ^ Vcr. 7. The STORK in the heaven knoweth her appoinie'd [ 73 1 therefore in which wc might dq well to imitate thpm. But when we make the kxopity of favage Brutes the model for our imita-^ tion , ^hen we pay them th^ com- pliment to copy* their manners in that which is moifl: deteftabl^, and which we naturally dread and avoid, we carry the matter too far; we betray the wcakneft of our own underftanding ; we de- grade ourfelves from the rank we hold as Men ; and with all p^r pretended boafl of Honour, the obfervation of David King of Ifrael is as true as it is plain^ (Pfa. xlix. 20.) MAN that is i» (i0cinte4 times', and the TURTLE, and the CRJNE, and the SWALLOfT ohferve the time pf their coming: t>ut m^ Feoplf know not the judgmenf of the LORD. .7 honour^ f 74 1 honour, and linderjiandeth not; it like the BEASTS that ferijh:- " - •' , • f • » • ■ ■ But let us have done with tri- fling obj^diofis, and hruiijh Ex- ampUsy whether of real Brutes, or of Brutes in the fhape of Men. My appeal is not to Brutality, nor tb brutal Inhumanity. And my Arguments arc not deduced from the natural fiercenefs or ir- rationality of the one, nor from, the unnatural barbarity, blind ratge, dr unfeeling avarice of the other. It has been my endeavour to plead the caufe of the Dumb Creatures on the Principles of Natural Religion, Juftice, Ho- nour, and Humanity. And I ihall be happy if any thing which I have hitherto fuggefted, may have t 7S ] have the bleffed effedt of mollify- ing a fingle humaa heart ; thougl|. at the fame time I am aware of the * obloquy to which every man muft expofe himfelf, who prefuiAes to encounter Prejudice and long re- ceived Cufioms, To make a com" parifon between a Man and a Brute, is abominable i To talk of a man*s Duty to his Horfe or his Ox, is abjurd ; To fuppofe it a Sin to chace a Stag, to hunt a Fox, or courfe a Hare, is un-^ polite ; To efteem it barbarous^ to throw at a Cock, to bait a Bull* to roaft a Lobfter, or to crimp a Fifh, is ridiculous. Reflexions of this kind muft be expeded ; though I have avoided as much as I could the pointing out any particular inftances of cruelty ; for f 1(> ] for I had rather the Propofition fhould • be general, that Cruelty i« any fhape is foolilh arid deteft- abte. But if it is applicable to any of the abovementioned parti- cokrs, I have no obje(fti6n to the inference, Atid I ^ill hot denv ^ # tliat r had thefie:, and matiy more than thefe in view. 1 cannot, I dare not give up a true andufeful Pro-' jfofition, becaufe the cohclufiori niay carry in it the appeafancc of cenfure or difapprobation of the felie notions or wrong pradices of other men. There are fome Truths which ought not to be con^ cealed. And there are fbme cafes, aaid indeed many cafes, in vt'hich, through the fear of offending, and a dcfire to pleafe and recom- mend Gurfclvcs to favour, we carry 't 77 ] carry our complaifancc mucK too far. I would not willingly give any one ofFence, but, in the pre- fent cafe, to be filent would be cruelty, and an offcnct to the brutes for whofe fake I write* Let it be deemed then in th? eftimation of the Vul^r*, a,bo- xninable, abfurd, unpolite, or ri- diculous, I am not afbamed as a Chriftian to teftify my utter ab-^ horrence of every inftance of Cruelty; and as a Minifter of Chrift, I fcruple not to 'Saifirnij upon the genuine Principles of our Holy Religion, that:. an Un-^,. merciful Chriftian muft be either extremely ignorant of his duty, * By th? Vulgar I mean the Obftinate, the Hard-hearted, and the Ignorant j of every clals and denominatlQa^ or [ 78 I or extremely obftinate, Hard-* hearted, and ungrateful* To vindicate and fupport this aflertion, as well as to illuftrate and confirm what has been before advanced on the Principles of Nature, I fhall now appeal to the authoritative Word of tht Great GOD the Benevolent Creator, and to the Gofpel of the Bleffed JESUS the Merciful Redeemer of the World. And if it fhall appear from the Teftimonies and Examples, and from the Pre-^ cepts and Promifes contained in Holy Scripture, that MERCY to Brutes is a Z)C/T!rcommanded, and that CRUELTY to them is a SIJV forbidden ; Then, let all Objec- tions vanifh j Let all the Earth keep [ 79 ] keep filence before GOD. And though * there are many Devices in a Mans hearty neverthelefs the Counfel of the LORD^ that Jhall ftand'y and every Device and Attempt to invalidate the Duty of Mercy, or to exculpate the Sin of Cruelty, (befide its repugnance to Reafon and Common Senfe,) mufl be confidered in a religious view, as taking its rife, either from Blindnefs of Hearty ox from Pridcy Vaiii-Glory and Hypocrijy ; or from Envfy Hatred^ and Ma-t lice J and all Uncharitablenefs ; or from Hardnefs of [Hearty and COI^TEMPT OF GOD'S WORD AND COMMAND- MENT. • Prov. xix. air THE [ -So 3 np HE lirft account of Brute "■• Animals in Holy Scripture is in the Hiftory of the Crea- tion recorded by MOSES in the firft chapter of the Book intituled GENESIS or Genera-* tion, (vcr. 20. and 24.) GOD SAlDy Let the WATERS bring forth abundantly the MOVING CftEATURE that hath LIFE^ (or as it is ta the HebreWy and in the Margin of our Bible, The Mo- ving Creature that hath SOUL,) and FOWLi that may fly above the Earth in the open firmament of hean)en, ^ And GOD SAIDy Let the EARTH bring forth the LIVING CREATURE after his (or iis} kindy CATTLE and CREEP" [ 81 y CREEPING THING, and BEAST of the Earth after his kind'y and it was fo. Thete is a peculiar * fublimity of Stile throughout this chapter in which the facred Hiftorian re- prefents the WORD or Mandate of the Almighty as preceding every Event of Creation. GOD SAID, LET BE. A Form of ExprefHon this, which cannot fail to engage the attention of the Reader ; and it feems intended to denote that it was as eafy to the Supreme Being to DO as to SPEAK, yet not fo as to exclude the idea of the adual Exertion of * Vide Dionyfium Longinutn Ufft 'X'\'vu Pearcei Edit. 8vo. pa. 50. G the [: 84] the Diviftc POWER irtediately (» immediately. LIGHT OT Fire, FIRMA- MEJVr ot Air, WATER^ ind EARTH^ were Elements of ink*' mediate Creation, or Effefts of which the divine Power was the Sole and Immediate Caufe. The SUN and STARS^ iht . SEA and VEGETABLES w«rt mediate Effbfts, or Formatiosw produced by the confluence and configurations of the Elements which were before crealedx But ANIMALS, or Bdi^ with Life and Senfe, are to be confidered both fts Ptx>daAiohs and Creations j PrnduHions as to their [ 8s ] iheif Subftance or Matter, and dreatiom as to Life and Senfe. LIGHT or Fir^ colleAed into Orbs, and fet in propejr places in the great Expanfe, became Sun and Stars, ThcfFATERS, endued with Gravity and Lubricity, were gathered together^ that is, ran down into the bafon prepared for their recejption, and fo formed the Sea. And the EARTBy endued with the wonderful quality of Vegetation, was, in the hand of its Maker, the powerful Medium of the Germination of Grafts HeriSi and Trees, Yet, aft-er all, thcfe Effe<9:s were as inanimate as the Elements of which they were formed. There is fomething in our ideas of Life and Senfationy G 2 which t 8+ i which cannot be accounted for as the mere effe6l of any configura- tion or modification of inanimate matter. The Waters by conflu- ence might hew out a Rock, of fhape out an Ifland ; and a por- tion of Earth might be concreted into a precious Stone or a Mineral j yet rocks and iflands, precious ftones and minerals are as void of fenfe or felf-motion, as if they had never been formed. Neither Water nor Earth (though power- ful mediums to caufe furprizing effeds) can any more communi- cate Life and Senfe to their owrt produftions, than a weight or- fpring can communicate Life or Senfe to a Clock or a Watch. If, by the motion of the Waters, the- Slime or Subftance in the bed of y. ■■ ■ the f 8s ] t^e Sea had been thrown into the form of the moft perfed: Fifli ; or if the Earth had brought forth a Vegetable in the perfed: form of a Beaft ; the Fifh would have been as lifelefs as a rock or a fponge, and the Beaft as infen- £ible as a fione or A blade of grafs. Or, if all the Elements together by an accidental concourfe had formed Beings of the fliapes of all the Animals that exift in the Uni- verfe, and of the fame fubftance and texture as to every part of them within and without, ftill they v«rould have been but as figures of pafte, or as dead corpfes without Life or Senfe. To communicate Senfe to in- animate matter, or to kindle but G z the [ 86 ] the fifft fpark of Life (however when fo kindled or communi* cated to any being, that Being might be enabled to continue and extend the flame to others of its own fpecies and generation) was a new and diftind: exertion of the divine Agency'; or, it was as much a CREATION, as the ori- ginal Creation of the inanimate Elements ; and as fuch it is repre- fented to us by Mofes. For though it is wntteil *, GOD faidy Let the Waters bring forth abun^ dantly the MOVING CREA- I'U RE that hath Life, and FOWL) that may fly above the Earth in the open firmament of heaven ; yet we are not to fup- pofe, from this form of expref- iion, that the Fifhes and Fowls * • • Gen. i. 20. were f «7 ] were a fpontaneous generation, or the meer produdlion of the waters without the interpofition and ope- ration of the divine Power; for it follows in the next verfe, and GOD CREATED Great WHALES and Every L^IVING CREATURE that movethy which the Waters brought forth abun- dantly after their kind^ and Every Winged FOWL after his kind^ The WATERS brought them forth^ and yet GOD created them. That is, they were both Producr tions an4 Creations. And the meaning feems to be this, Of the Slime or Mud or othey ijeccf- fary Ingredieots brought forth qt yielded frorq th^ Waters ^nd * G 4 Earthy * That Earth as well* as Water wg$ p^rt Qf the Subftance of Fowls is evident from ch. ii« [ 88 ] Earthj GOD took thereof, and formed the Fi/lies and Fowls^ and created them ANIMALS or Moving Creatures-, by communi- cating to them LIFE, or Soul And GOD faw that they were Goody good in their kind, and well adapted to their proper Ele- ments ; and GOD bleffed them. Again, (ver. 24.) GOD Jaidy Let the Earth bring forth the LIVING CREATURE after his kind, CAtTLE and CREEP- ING THINGy and BEAST of the Earth after his kind ; ajjd it was fo 5 that is, // wasfo that the ch. ii. 19. and therefore, it is moft likely it was part of the fubftance of Fifhes, though the writer does not mention them in that place, becaufe the Fiihes were not brought to Adam. Earth [ 89 ] Earth brought forth or yielded lubftance or matter for the divine Hand to work upon, and for the Spirit of Life to quicken and ani- mate ; for we read in the next verfe, that GOD MADE the BEAST of the Earth after his kindy and CATTLE after their kind', and Every THING that CREEP ETH upon the Earth after his kind. The EARTH brought forth the fubftances ; but GOD fliaped them and gave theni Life, and fo Made rhem to be ANIMALS or Living Creatures. And GOD faw that they were Good. , From this account of the Crea- tion it plainly appears, that the Fifhes of the Sea, and every Crea- 5 if*re iure that moveth in the Waters ; the Fowls of the Firmament, and every Creature that ftieth in . the Air ; the wild Beajis of the Earth, and the tame Cattle of the Earth, and every Thing that creepeth upon the Earth ; all and every Brute Animal, from the Great IV hale to the Creeping Worm, were MADE and CREATED by the Divine i\ppointment, and by the Operation and Power of that GOD, who in the Beginning created the Heaven and the Earth. I obferved above, that every Animal was a Creation as well as a Production. And this is no lefs true of MAN (the laft made and created^ biit th« moft perfe£l and tnoft eminent of all the terreftrial Animals,) [91 ] Animals,) than it is of Brutes. For we read (ch. ii. ver. 7.) The Lord GOD formed MAN, of the Duft of the Qroundf and breathed into his Noflrils the Breath of Lifi^) and MAN became a Llf^INS---.-..^ SOUL. Diftinguiflied and exalted as Man is above all the other Ani- ' - ■ • • - . . . f xnals, there is nothing, rccordedvl of Him as to his Origin that i&i not applicable to Them like wife. The Lord God formed MAN of the JOufi of the GROUND. And the fame is faid of the Beafts and Birds, (ch.ii. li^.) Out of the GROUND the Lord God formed every BEAST of the Fieldy and every FOWL of the Air. As to Sub- (lance then Men and Brutes are alike. [ 92 ] I alike, Of the Dufl of the Ground. ''■ And to the fame purpofe faith the Royal Preacher (Ecclef. iii. 20.) fpeaking of Men and Beads, Ail are of the Dufl^ and all turn to Dufl again* The truth of the laft part of the fentence is iudifput-> able, that all turn TO Dufl ; and daily Experience demonftrates it. Therefore we have reafon to con- clude that the former is equally true that All are OF the Dufl. And this is confirmed to us by the Declaration of GOD unto ADAM, (Gen. iii. 19.) Thou fhalt return unto the Ground % for but of it waft Thou taken ; for DUST Thou art^ and unto Duft fhalt Thou re- turn. It is further faid of MAN, and GOD breathed into his Nof- trils t 93 ] trils the Breath of Life. If wt turn to the fixth and feventh chapters, we find the words Breath of Life applied both to Brutes and to MEN. For when GOD declared to Noah (ch. vi. 17.) that he would bring a food of Wa- ters upon the Earthy to defray all FLESH, wherein is the BREATH of LIFEy it appears throughout the feventh chapter, that the Brutes are included in the words FLESHy wherein is Breath of Life. And the Brytes that were faved, are defcribed in the fame form of words (ch. vii. 14, 15.) They, Noah and his family, and Every Beaf — and all the Cattle — and every Creeping Thing — and every Fowl — and every Bird went in unto Noah into the Arky two and two [ 94 ] iwo of all FLESH.y wherein is the BREATH of LIFE. And more particularly, more expreily, add remarkably in verfes 21, 22. All FLESH diedy that, moved up9rt the Earthy both of FOWLy atid of CATTLEy and of BEAST, and of every CREEPING THING that creefeth upon th^ Earthy all in whofe NOSTRILS was the BREATH of LIFEy «f all that '6x1s in the dry land *j diedk The Brutes then have the Breath of Life in their Noflrilsy as Well as Men. The GOD that made the J^orld and all things therein (faid St. Paul to the Athenians, • The Limitation in this place, of all that ivere in the dry Land,, intimates that the Fiflies, though not in the dry Land, were Crea- tures in "whofe I^ojlrils was the Breath of Life, 5 Afts [ 95 ] Ads xvii. 2^.) gtvefh to a/J LIFE and BREATH. And when i/i? taketh away their BREATH, they die^ and return to their Duji^ Pfa. civ. 29-. And that which hefalleth \ the Sons of Men, fays Solomon, (Ecelef. iii. 1 9.) hefalleth Beajls ; as the One dieth, fo dieth the Other > yea^they have all ONE BREATH\ fo that a Man (in this refped) bath no preeminence above a Beafl* All go imto^cne place ; All are of the Dufi\ and All turn to Duft again^ He then fubjoineth this very pertinent queftion. Who knoweth the Spirit of a MAN that goeth upward, and the Spirit of a BEAST that goeth downward to the Earth f As much as to fay, Who Icnoweth the difFerence (as to this World) between- a man ■ ' and V H [ 96 ] and a beaft ? Or wherein has a Man any preeminence above a Beajiy except that a Man walketh cre<9: *, and fo his Breath goeth up- ward^ but a Beaft walketh prone *, and fo his Breath goeth downward to the Earth f I confefs this com- parifon and this home queftion is very humiliating ; but I defire it may be obferved, that I quote the , WORDS of Holy Scripture, which- feems to reprefent Men and Brutes in their original conftitution as nothing more than B R BATH- ING DUST, ft But it is added in the Creation of Man, that MAN became a • Pronaque cum fpedent animalia caetera tcrram ; Os homini fublime dedit : coelutnque tucri Juflit, ec credos ad fidera tollere vultus. QVW. Metam. LIVING C 97 ] LIVING SOUL.— "" He Lord God formed MAN of the Dufi of the Ground ; and breathed into his Nofirils the Breath of Life^ and MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL. Now if Man became ^^ Lwing Soul by God's breathing into his Noftrils the breath of Life ; Every Creature, into whole Noilrils was breathed the Breath of Life, became a Living Soul like- wife. But we have feen above that all the Creatures, who perifhed in the flood, were fuch in whofe Nof- trils was the, Breath of Life f ; therefore, all thofe Creatures, whe- ther Fowls, or Cattle, or Beafls, or Creeping "things, were LIVING SOULS ; and confequently all of the faipe kind, at this day, are LIV- * Gen. U. 7. f vii. 22. H ING [ ^8 3 ING SOULS. And AjcIi thcf zte in Hi^£W Scripture faid to Wy and f6 they are denoii&inatal iii- oat EngUIh Bibles^actotdtngto the Margin wbkli hsL% been alway^ Undet-fto twiry^ Btafi'^ttf the Earthy • iwfe/ /» «>*rf • iW/ iff' the Air^ and to tvery- Thing thnr Creepeth upon the Earthy "wherein there is LIFE : in the Hebrrev^ and in the Margin, 10 herein ther^ isaLIFlNGSOUL,. The Sum of the whole is thisC' In the Scripture Account of the S ^ Original E 99 y Ori^nal Confiitution of Men and- Bn^tes, the very fame Tprms are applied to Both. Arc the Brutes of • the /)<^ of the Ground f So is Man. Have Men the Breath of Life in their Nofirils f So have Brutes. Are the One Living Soukf So are the Other. For the- Lord GOD formed both Man and Brute of the Dufl of the Ground^ and breathed into their Nsftrils the Breath of Life, and {o Man and Brute became LIV- ING SOULS, or (ch. vii. 4. 23.) LIVING SUBSTANCES. ■ / * t 1 hope I fhall not be mifundcr- ftood in this (hort difquiiicion concerning the Creation of Brute Animals, as if I meant hereby in any refped to difparage the real H 2 Dignity 4» [ 10^ 1 Dignity and Excellence of Main*' kind. I acknowlege with all thankfulnefs and humility, that there are perfections, endow- ments, and advantages on- the fide of Men, which devate Us far above the Brutes 3 and when we take into the account the future Immortality of Man, the diftance between us is infinite. But as it; appeared to me necefiary, in a^ Treatife of this nature, to con- fider the Origin of the Creatures: who are the Subjeds of it; it. would have been an adt of great, partiality to ourfelves, and of in- juftice to their caufe, to have omitted any circumftance, that may be advanced in their f^vor^ to conciliate fome attention from us towards them. And furely it f is [ lOI ] is ibmething in their favour, when, "^ in looking to the rock from whence Adam was hewn^ and to the hole of the pit from whence he was digged^ we find that, in our original cooipofition, we are all of the. Duft of the Ground^ that we are all of One Breathy that we \ have all Otje^-Father^ and . that j One GOD created us. In Dominrpn, Rationality, and | Juture Immortality, a Man hath \ undoubtedly the preference to a \ Brute; and in thefe refpe(Sls he is j t Made in the IMAGEy after the \ Likenefs tuf GOD, But let it be \ obferved that he i« but a created linage^ or an Image of Appoint- ment. It is not abfolutcly ne- . * Ifa. li. I. f Gen. i. 26. H 3 ceflary ceflary to his conilitution as ^ Living Creature^ that he {hoiild be thus appointed and diftin- guiihed. He might have been "without Dominion, without Rea« fOD, and without Immortality ; and yet would have been a Man as to figure, feature, naked ne(ji> and upright pofture. DOMINION is a • Gift or Qranc unto Man, |br whicK'he is accountable to Him that ^vt and' granted it; and which may i and in Tome cafes has been taken away ^m a man without his ceafing to be a man. And when* ever he abufes the Power and Dt^ ■ ^ ^hou naadeft bim tQ iavi Dominion wer ... .. , , • tbi works of $by bands. Pfa. viii. 6. minion { ^5)3 J ; ... ' . * fitinim .wj^ich. G Q D has given iiim * G^er the Fijhfdf the Seg^^ an4 fi^r the Fowl, of the y^ir, and over $he Cattle^ and o^ver all the Eartbt I ■ ■ • ■ i^nd over ivery Creeping Thing, that freepeth upon the Earth ; whenever he tyrannizes over them with the brutal fiercenels of a Shark, a Vulture, or a Tiger; though he may retain the- ihape of a man ; he degenerates into a Monftcr, and forfeits the title of the Image of GOD'^whofe Mer-r cies are oTe? all his Works." J^--/^ ' ' ' ' ' \ ■ ' And as Dominion, {q REASOtST h a GIFT unto Man, yet not in- ieparable frpm the h^nian form (as is evident in the cafe of Idiots.) And whenever we abufe that • Gen. i. 26. r H 4 Reafon, [ I04 ] Reafon, and a6); beneath the cha-- rader and dignity of a National creature ; we lofe the divine Image in that refped ; we have nothing to denominate us Men but out- ward fliape ; or, in other words, we become Brutes in the fhapeS of Men. And as Dominion and Rea* fon, fo future IMMORTALITY is * a GIFT'y and, being a Gift, we have no natural claim or right to it, but by the Grace of the Donor. We cannot claim it merely becaufe we are animated Duft ; for on this pretence a Lion may put in the very fame claim. • the Qift ef God is Eternal Life tbreurb Jefus Cbrtfi our Lord. Rom. vi. 23. Nor [ I05 ] Nor can we claim it through any Merit of our own ; for * it is GOi) that worketh in us both to will and to do, or, GOD gave us our powers of thinking and ading* J^ it (hould be faid that we are intitlcd to it through the Merit of another \ it is plain that exclufive of that merit, we (hould have no claim to it at all. Or if it fhould be faid that, from the firft moment of our exiftcnce, Immortality was damped upon us, or, that f GOjy created Man to be immortaly and made him to be an Image of his own Eternity ; ftill it was GOD's Will and Pleafure thus to dignify and diftingtiifh the duft - of the Ground* in one fhape, from the like duft of the Ground in ano- • Phil. ii. 13. t Wifd. ii. 23. thcr ^itdp^thee. ta differ .{torn, a Brutcr; ^und what httji thou^ thai,, tbm didfi not recevoef i Oor. U(> 7., .>- -GREAT then a;s MAN: ^ and Uhn^fi ofi GO J) jr how cxt Alted f0ever his ftation noW-y or ivhat^er jit .may be hereafter ;;. it invaJidatQs -. not r this.; truths that our Pi|F(?Fence from: and E»cel-. lence above the i^rutes isr thrpiigh the Gift and Grace of GOD. In the firft point of Bxiftence, in Pur original Compoikion, ^ we leem to. have been more upon fi level f and during our £xiftence here, we fubdft together as the joint ^4 temporary tenants of the earthy alike as to pailtpn, ; fenfe, [ 'Q7 3 ^nfe, and appetite; aod alike \ Aifbja6fc tp itki^mkyi pain, and j death. Thje; Brutes «at, and [ drink, and fee, and hear, and : tafte, and fmdl, and have organs of fenfation as well as Men. The Blood circulates in their veios a$ in our own. They hunger, they thirft, they faint for want of food and refrefhment ; and Man hath the fame pailiohs, and 'ilands. in need of the fame fupport. And when GOJD taketb away their breathy they die, and return to their duft, Pia. civ. 29, And when the breath of Man , gottb forth y he returneth to his earth, Pia. cxlvh 4. In fome refpcd$, in (Irength,. in fwiftncfs, in fcent, and iharp* iightednefs, it is certain that many of them exceed us. And though [ 108 ] though it is true in general, that the Brutes have neither the Shape nor the Reafon of Men, yet it is likewife true, that fome Brutes approach fo near to the human fhape, and (bme Men lecm to be fo defe&ive as to reafon, that upon Comparifon ^. But Comparifons are odious^ We will fiippofe MAN in all re- (pcds, and at all times, fo perfect and fo diflinguiilied, that no Comparifon can, or ought to be made. Yet thus much I prefume will be granted, that a Brute is a creature fuperior to a Stone, and that fome of them poflefs proper- ties and qualities which are not unworthy of the notice and atten- tion of men, inafmuch as they tend [ 109 ] tend to difplay the power and wifdom of their great Creator. : / will fetch my knowledge from afary faid Elihu fo Job, (Chap. xxxvi. 3 — 5.) and will afcribe righteoufnefs to my Maker. — Behold GOD is Mighty y and defpifeth not any ; He is mighty in Strength and Wifdom. ^ Chap, xxxvii. 14. Hearken unto this^ yob ; Jiand Jiill and co?ijider the wondrous Works of GOD.^Y^r. 2g.. The Al- mighty is Excellent in Power. But how {hall Job confidet this ? Qr from whom fhall he learn inftrqc- tion ? For in the extremity of his grief, he had faid to Corruption j Thou art my Father ; and to the Worm^ Thou art my Mother and my Sifter * ; and to the like pur-^ • Ch. xYii. 14. pofe s f «^«^ ] i>ofe had Kldad faid, ♦^Mii* is d Worin^ mnd (be ^t/n of Maw is a Worm *. To evince therefore the Excellence of the divine Power, the fublimc Writer of thi» noble and; incomparabie Poem, ds if he thought it bcyruliitg poW» ^d ap* pointment of GOD ( and Theli^ by referring him to the Living fokaens tad MeOisof movo khan fiDoman pWerond greata^, iiiani^ k&ci in tke. prodigious 'Stre>h, or^ amazing 'Swiftnefs, or grsuieful Beauty, or; caormous Scature, or ttiemendous Fiercenefs of the mof^ epiinent oC the Brute Creatures ;< ai^ parti^ylarly . exemplified m thp.LIO^, the JIAVEN, the Wild GOA% the HIND,^ the ^//.^ ^^^, the UNJCORATy the. PEACOCK, the aSTRIGH^ths HORSE, the ^y/^^, the. J^AOLEy ihe BEHEMOTH or Elephant, and the * LEVIA- THAN I.I. • ...«•. * The Defcription of the Leviathan in ch, xli. induces me to think tliat this Creature is the Chwiikj^ and not the WbaU^ as fome h^ve fup- pofed. [ '" } *THAN or Crocodile, Ch. xxxviii," xxxix. xl. xli. Tbfcfe noble Brutes in a moft remarkable manner, and indeed Every Living Creature io fome rcfpe(9: or other, do fo evidently declare the Wifdom and Power of GOD, that the Royal Pfalmift calls upon them ALL, from the Greateft to the Smalleft, to join in the grand Chorus to the Praife of the great Creator : Praife the LORD from the Earth ye DRAGONS, and all Ye CREA- TURES in the depths of the Sea ; Te BEASTS and all CATTLE, poled. It was the great Dragon of the rivers, and more known in Egypt, where Mofcs was educated, than the Whale. SeePfal. Ixxiv. 13. 14. Ifa. xxvii. i; Ezech. xxix. 3. and xxxii. 2. CREEP' t *'3 j am E PING THING S and \ FLYING FOWL,^Praife ye tU \ LORD, Pf.exlviii. 7,1 o. hxALet Every thing that hath BREATH ■■ Prai/e the LORD* Pfa. cl. 6. pROM the Cohfideratiofi ci( god's Power eihibited in the CREATION of the Brute AmV inalsi Let us now proceed to the Contemplation of his Good- nefs manifefted in his PROFI-- DENCE over them. * The Lord of the Heavens and * Earth, the Creator of the Wa- * ters is the King of every Crea- < ture */ What GOD hath created, he cannot but love ; and what he 5 Judith ix. 12/ I loveth t "4 ] loveth cannot but be the 6bjeA of his Goodnefs. * O Lord, Thou * loveft all the things that are,' (faith the Writer of the excel- lent but too much negle<9:ed Book of * WISDOM) < and abhorreft * nothing that Thou haft made ; for * never wouldft Thou have made * any thing, if Thou hadft bated * it. And how could any thing * have endured, if it had not been * thy Will ? Or been preferved, * if liot called by Thee?' No creature, that GOD hath made, can be unknown to or difregarded by him. Hear the words of th( great Creator himfelf, who in th fiftieth Pfalm is reprefented as tb Speaker in terms that commar our utmoft attention : 7%e Migl • Wifdoxn of Solomon, $d 24, 25. GO [ "5 J GODi even the LORD hath fpokerti and called to the Earth from the Rifing. of the Sun^ unto the Going down thereof \-^RVE,RY BEAST of the Forefl is Mine, and the CA'TTLE upon a thoufand Hills', I know all the FOWLS of the Mountains, and the Wild BEASTS of the Field are Mine-^ or * with me\ or -f- in my fight y \. e. of my Creation, and tinder iny Proteftion. , The Goodnefs and the Mercy of GOD are as extenfive as his 'Wifdom and Power. For what He hath created by his Power • * •and Wifdom, He preferveth by his Goodnefs and Mercy. The • The Margin. f Common Prayer Verfion. ■ •• I 2 Eyes C "6 3 Eyes of ALL wait upon 7%ee, O Lord, and thou giveji them their , Meat in due feafon. Thou openefi thine hand, and Jatisjieji the Defire of EVERY LIVING THING* No fooner were the Animals created, than they received the Blcfling of their Creator. For having appointed unto MAN his proper food, and declared what fhould be meat for Him +; he then adds, as a teftimony of his Provi-^ dential Care over the Brutes — To EVERY BEAST of the Earth, and to EVERY FOWL of the Air, and to EVERY THING that creepeth upon the Earth, wherein there is Lifey I * Pfa. cxlv. 15, 16. f Gen. i. 29. have I "7 ] J}ave, given every green herb for Meat, Gen. i. 30, How excellent is thy Loving- Kindnefs^ O GOD; Thou f re- fir ver of MAN and of BE AS T. Pfa. XXX vi. 6. — Give Thanks unto the GOD of Heaven ^ who giveth Food to ALL FLESH i for his Mercy endureth for ever. Pfa. cxxxvi. 25. I But befide thefe declarations in Holy Scripture concerning the benevolence of GOD to all his fOreatures in general, let us turn to the ClVth Pfalm, and we fliall hnd therein- a ftrikingly beautiful Illuftration of his Providential Goodnefs to various Species of them. Which Pfalm if any man I 3 can [ "8 3 qan read deliberately, without fome tender emotion, he muft be either very proud of himfelf, or very infenfible of the divine Good- nefs and Greatnefs. Blefs the Lord^ my Soul ; — for He/end^ eth the Springs into the ValUes which run amongji the Hills ; and why ?-. that All the BEASTS of the Field may drink thereof \ and the Wild ASSES quench their thirjl ; and that the FOWLS of the Air may have their Habitation in the Trees nouriflied by their moifture, and fng and chirp among the branches. — He water eth the Hills from his chambers above ; and the Earth is fatisfed with the fruit of his works ; and why ? .Becaufe it brings forth Grafs for the CATTLE as well as Herb for 3 ih [ ^^9 ] the fervice of Man. 'The Trees of the JLiOrd are * full^ even the tall Cedars of Libanus which He hath f* planted : To what purpofe ? Only to pleafe the eye of Man, or to afford him timber for his houfe, and a fhelter from the ftoirm? The Pfalmift afligns ano- ther i^aiony — that the BIRDS ♦ In both our trandations it is rendered Full of Sap^ but I h^ave here omitted of Sap^ becaufe it is not in the Hebrew, The word IShBOU denotes Fulnefs in general \ and io its extent it means not only fulnefs of fap^ but likewife fulnefs as to Growth^ Height^ LioveSy Fruits^ zjid Branches^ and whatever ipight contribute to render the Trees more \jfcful and convenient to 'their inhabitants. •f Thofe Trees are faid to be the Trees of th LQRDy and planted by .Him, which grow of themfelves, without the Art an4 Care of Men. mt % hi [. I20 J might there make their Nefls\ and as for the STORKi the Fir-Treef are her Houfe. Let us next fuf- vey the high Hills, and the Cfaggy Mountains and Rocks inacceflible to Men, and dangerous for us t^ climb 5 yet they are not withdtit life, or inhabitant ; for, The high Hills are a Refuge far the - IVild GOAT'S I and the flony Rocks are 'a Retreat and Habitation for the CONIES^ a weak and timorous race of animals which could hardly be fafe in more frequented places; and concerning whom Agur in the book of * Proverb$ makes the like obfervation, that 3.8 they are but a feeble Folk^ th^y make their Houfes in the Rocks, Th^ Pfalmift then proceeds tq ? Prpv. XXX. a 5. N. [ .« ] contemplate th6 good Providence of GOD both to Man and Beaft, in appointing tibe darknefi ; of the Nighty as the moft convenient feafon, for the Wild BEAST^S of the foreji ta move and ct^ep forth^ when they can be the leaft ob- aOxious «ntO Men \ for. Then do the LIONS to4r after their Prey^ and ftek their M^at front GOD. And having fulfilled their pleiafure and appointed tafk in devoui'- mg the dead bodies of animals, which, for want of fuch Scaveng- ers, would probably infed: the air and render it offenfiye aftd un- wholefome ; when the Sun arifethy they get them away together ^ and lay them down in their Dens^ that they tnay be no obftrudion to the indviftriovis M-^N^ who goeth forth [ 122 ] forth in fafety to his work and ta his labour^ until the Evening, when the Wild Beafts fally forth again. Struck with a juft fenfe and reverential awe of the Wifdom and Goodnefs of the Great Crea- tor, the enraptured Pfalmift can- not refrain from burfting out in accents of Love and Admiration.— LORDy how manifold are J7>y Works ; in Wifdom hafl Thou made them all: the EARTH is full of thy Riches. And not only the. Earth and Air, but SO alfo is * the Great and Wide SEA, where the LEVIArHAN taketh his pa/lime^ and wherein are Things Moving innumerable both fmall. and great * LIVING CREA- niRES, * As Beaft in our language denotes a land- aaimal,^ and the fubjedts in this place are water [ '23 ] ^IXIRES. ' Thefe wait all upon ithee, that Thoti mayfi gwe them their Meat in due feafon. Thou givefi them^ They gather ; Ithou openefl thine Hand ^ They- are filled with Good. Thus fung the j^i?^/ Pfalmifl of IJrael^ in Hymns oJF Praife unto the LORD his GOD, who though clothed with Majefiy and Honour^ and High above all -Nations^ and his Glory above the Heavens^ Yet humbhth Himfelf to behold the things that are in hea^ ven and earth -f*. The Goodnefs and Benevolence » • -- -, of GOD to the Brute Creatures • t ■ ' water, animals,. I have {nhAitutcd Living. Creatures for Beafts. And thus the Hebrevy word ChlUT is rendered in Ezech. i. 5. ' * 2 Sam. xxiii. i, -|- Pfr, cxiii/6. feem [ 124 ] leem to hiive made fuch sin itn< prefHooi upon the mind of David, and to. have been fo favourite a theme with him, and he takes fuch frequent occafions to intro- duce their Names into his moft iacred Poems, and moft ardent Prayers; that one would almoft fuppofe he thought to render GOD the more propitious towards Men, by reminding him as it were of his Mercy, and Loving Kind- nefs, to Creatures fo much infe- rior to Men. When he was be- wailing his own mifery and weak- nefs, he compares himfelf to the loweft reptile : — I am a WORMy and no Man. (Pfa. xxii. 6.) When he was interceding for his people in the time of plague, he recom- mends them to the divine Mercy and [ »2S ] and Forbearance, under the de- nomination of harmlefs and inno* cent Sheep * :— / it is that hofue finned and done evil indeed ; but as for thefe SHEEP what banxe They, donef (i Chron. xxi. 17.) And when deprived of the opportunity of attending the public worfliip ; when his Mind was contemplating the Atniahlenefs of GOD's Taher^ nacle ; when his Soul was longing and fainting for the Courts .of the LiORDy and his very heart and flejh crying out for the Living GOD, the Sparrow and the Swal- low are the Mediators of his Sup- * It is well known that our bkiled Saviour frequently calls the Members of his Church his SHEEP, which word likewife occurs in the daily Liturgy of the Ch. of Cng. Wi have erred and ftrayed— -like loft Sheep. 3 plication i C '.26 ] plicatioh i — 7:5^ SPARROH^: hath found an Hdufe^ and the SWALLOW d Neft for herfelfi where She may lay her Youngs even Thine Altars^ Lord of Hofisj my King and my God* Pfa.» Ixxxiv. 3« « in the CXLVIIth Pfalmj He calls for the Harp to accompany the Voice of Melody :-^0 Sing unto the LORD with Thankfgiv^ tngj Sing praifes upon the Harp unto our GOD ; who covereth the Heaven with Clouds^ and prep areth Rain for the Earthy and maketh the Grafs to grow upon the Moun- tains *. He giveth to the BEASX * In the Com. Pr. Book Verfion,^ it ft kdded/ and herb for the ufe of men ; bat ats this is not in the HebreWy nor in our Bible Vcr* iion, I omit it in this place. his ik [ 127 3 his Food; and feedeth the Toung RA FENS which cry or call upon him. With GOD no Creature is contemptible. By his general Providence, He hath manifefted his Love and his Tendernefs to- wards ALL. Even a young Raven cannot call upon him, but the Lord will hear its cry and will an- fwer it : For He provideth for the RAVEN his Food^ when his Young Ones cry unto GOD, Job xxxviii. 41- It is not improbable that our Lord JESUS had an eye to the laft mentioned paflages of Scrip- ture, when he commanded his difciples to Confider the RA*- VENS-i which neither fow nor reapy neither have Jlorehoufe nor barny t ^28 .] Sartfy for GOD FEEDETH 7iem> (Luke xii. 24.) In anothek* place this fentimeht is cxpreffed in more general ternls : (Matt. vi« 25,) Behold the FOWLS of thi Aivy They fyui) notj neither do they reap^ nor gather into harris^ yet Your HEAVENLY FATHER feedeth Them.^Thdit fame GOD^ to whom You are to addrefs your-^ felves by the endearing and yet exalted Title of Our Father tvhich art in Heaven^ and to whom You are daily to put up this Petition of dependance, Give us this day our daily Breads That Heavenly Fa- ther^ That Giver of Bread, who daily feedeth YOU^ feedeth alfo the RAVENS and the FOWLS of the Air, It ( 4 tt was a ufual method of teach- ing with our BlefTed Saviour^ to deduce his Arguments from Na^ ture and common Obfervation; and particularly, when it was his dcfigU) either tocofre6: the pride^ or to mollify the hea,rt8 of his hearers. W hen he would . rcmon- ftrate with the people, whom he came to redeem, concerning their perverfenefs and ingratitude to- wards him, and his tender affec- tion and concern for them, he borrows a Simile from the cir- cumftance of a HEN that would have gathered together her CHICKENS under her Wings^ hut they would not *> Afld when. * Matt, xxiii. 37. Lu. xiii. 34. fuoted from % Efdras i. 30. K he C Jf30 ] he would convince his Difciples of the Providence and Love of GOD towards Men, and of the Duty of Truft and Confidence id him, he refers them to the Spar- I rows^ as to beauty and melody the moft inferior of all the fear thered race; and hcH fo- cheap with men, that two of them are worth but one farthing, yet not fo cheap in the eftiniation of the GOD that created them as to be beneath his notice, or unworthy" of his care. Are not Two SPAR- R OWS fold for a Farthing r And One of Them Jhall not fall to the Ground without your Father. Matt. X. 29. And that our Lord did not mean hereby barely to re- prefent to his Difciples the exten- iive Knowlege of the Creator, ex- clufive f »3f J clufive of his providential Carq and Tendernefs towards thenfi^ is evident from another paflage in jvJiich Jbe exprefles hjmfelf morQ particularly, Are not Five SPAR-: RPWS fold for Two Farthing^ f And, not ONE p/THE^M k fir- gotten before GOD. Luke xii. 6» WJiether Two Sparrows for on^ Fartlyng, pr (which is cheaper ftill) Five Sparrows for Two Far- jthings ; Not One of them fliall fall to the ground without your Fa- ther ; not One of them is forgotten before GOD. # . ■ ■ / Now to what purpofe thefe nu- merous Teftiraonies of Scripture^ which I have collqdbed together in proof of. the S4aptnntending Care of GOD over all his Creatures ?■ K 2 but [ 13^ ] but to enlarge the mind of M^n^ and to teach us that, as GOD is the common Father of the whole Creation, His Mercy is over all his Works. * The Goodnefs, the Mercy, the Kindnefs, the Love of GOD towards his Creatures, is fo clearly laid down in exprefs words, throughout the Scrip-; tures, that the greateft caution fhould always be taken not to offend, againfl them; and no Notions muft ever lead us to run counter to them *.' Not even a Sparrow is forgotten before GOD, but holds a place in the divine Remembrance. Infignifi- cant as many of the Creatures may appear to us. They are all in the iight, and under the prote&ion of ♦ Dr. Sykes« the E 135} the great and merciful Creator, They are all recorded in his Book ; and it is He that cloaths, and feeds, and preferves them. And well it is for moft of them, that they are in GOD's keeping, and iiot in Our's; for we fliew too plainly by our treatment of thofe animals, that are in our power, and are committed to our care and management, what would be the unhappy fate of all the reft, if they were left to our difpofal. Not that the Supreme Being is the lefs concerned for fome than for others; for they are all of them parts of his great Family iipon eafthj though fpxne of them are more immediate obje^s of his care and protedlion than, others, K 3 Creaturcf »l >% V* f »34 J as W$ own peculiai^ pi^ptrt y *. ^'Jtll'tii Beafts of the For^Ji are Mikey fafth tlie Miglity GODi iT^fraT h-hrr^'tU €ArrLE tk>m ii iS' 2dty of A^en con- ^efMng 'A'tiimkU' that ar^ Md-by ntarb, life's i'li' a' very narrow com- ^--Xef Mm ^/^//^L •' ' Beitig ^^&^b's'pi'd|>fejr^'^nti in 'Ms fight, ^6l> wiif prbvrd^ for '■ thetn. And it i^ ieribti^ for t^s,' 'tharive invade * P(a. 1. 10, II. not • • C 135 ] not their province, tut leave them unpolefted and at liberty to per- form the tafks, and anfwer the pods,; for vjrhich GOD was pleafed to create them. ., ,Our principal Duty and Bu- jGinefs it i^ to confider the Crea- Itji^es^of the tame and domeftic kind y fuch as come frequently in dvir way, or. are daily before our eyes, or are appointed to the Ipe- cial Ufe an^ Service of Men, and a^e afUgned ove;r to pur care, ma- nagement, and protediion. Which Ajnimajs, if I.might be permitted |:0 give them a particular name to diftingyifli tixem from Brutes of fer.oQity.y I WiOUjld denominate ^rutes of Ji)umaniiyy becaufe they have not ^hat Enmity or natural K 4 Averfion f »36 3 Averfipn to Mankind, which fi difcernihle in the reft qf Brutes. ft is an inftance of the Wifdom » - • • ^nd Goodnefs of GOD, that the Brutes fhould be animals Irratia- nal^ and Dumb, As to Brutes of ferocity^ it is certain, that if^ befide their Strength, Swiftnefs, and Sharpnefs of Tooth or Talon, they were endued with the powers of Reafonand Speech ; Men, who are animals naturally defencelefs, and comparatively flow of motion, would live in perpetual fear and dread of them. And with regard to Brutes of humanity^ particularly the large and laborious kind, were they capable of Reafotiy the re- fledlion upon their Subordinate and fervilc Condition would render [ 137 ] them very unhappy in themfelves ; and perhaps' lefs tradable^ and confequehtly lefs ufeful to Us. Andjif, to the power of Reafon, we fnppofe them likewife endued with the power of Speecby the inconvenience to Meaiwo^ldi be much greater. For thefe Brutes, by the united facuhies of Realbn and Speech, would be able to ea-!> ter into^ combination^ aiui confpi*^ racies againft mankind.. Nor need we doubt but that this in fad would frequently be the cafe. By their conftant intercourfe with Men, they would foon difcover OUF natural • weaknefs, and their own ftatnre and {|rength ; and the Senfe of their hard flavery, and of the injurious treatment they meet ivith from us, would probably awaken t '5« I tjij»l throw^ off vthf.'L'H^Jpjaij klre Aot: ihe £acuitie«4 of: .Re^foa noStJis 'a Ibrthei! proof of.itikc thjite diei Jacge Mrufef- -af. humanity^ iodMire' great ilrengt^ and ilatiue #6' are fo inucii iodebded Co ias i^our aixl .draught, jQioiild heib ibniark.abJy . j^raSiaMff : %»^ Tamh fiicw iF iwith : their £bength( ian^iftiu- Ktaie:the7 had thai: iavagemii) 4od fettjoity pf i>eaTt, or*tb«ttiiyjeBfioQ to ^>enn9it)r to mankind,) vnhioh tftacy nthor iai^e Wutf/s jbavi^ « ii!^i'*. < * QUIT C 139 1 ourMiic ■: and wc {bioxASi as Tub?* i5friffivdj bow dowaf.be^el tJbuek acMir^iariRi: r!0>^ri jj^hfic-.timid^tyt And • * •oFpfT louc fervine, jjGjGD 1)284)0611 pILsafed-to'-areatei fihefe ^ufeful Ami pay &'iharge, 'and • , fkong^;^ afxdi ifbc ©tir '^fecwrity ki. is-,' ^tat thiiy ;aib 11*00(1^ ixrationad; and: dumb. /Bik •cetbinly it does ttot'becpme'usrcd take^ a cruel - advantage -of any of their incapacities or defers, which are .only intsended as the reins Arp which' we are to guide andiooin* trotil: Jthemv They are tendered ta^us iwi«h"ftnehgth Sufficient for laibdtir^jbutiwiih hearts humbled, and 'mdHified ; \afhd willing td ftib- isilt 'Vd M^e delightful and' noble • ^ • ^ iervice [ I40 3 fervice of being ufeful unto Menv And happy are they, when they find we atc'cept tbdr willing obe. 4ience, by our kind atid tender iifage of them. They are entirely in our power, and committed to 0ur care. And it is not impi*o- bable that GOD has afligned hi$ oWn Providence over them to Vsy that they may be the more tra6t» able, the more they find them4 felves dependent upon us. But then it is our duty to cbnfider that, their fervice to us, and depehd-r arice upon us, and their own natu-* ral incapacities, lay a kind of claim and demand upon our attention and tendernefs, There is a con- dition arid reftriiSkion implied in the compad. And as all dele-f giated Dominion is founded -on g^-r 5 ner4 ft neral Utility, the Power granted ! unto Men to ruie over the Brutes^ cannot be a Power to abufe or opprefs them. I It is the Perfedion of a wife and good Government (not to take away the ncceflary diftinc- tions of its fubjeds, nor to put them all upon an equality) but to confult and provide for the hap- pinefs of every individual accord- ing to his refpedive flation. Therefore the wife and good LaW' giver of the Univerfe, the King of every Creature, extends his care and concern to every fubjed in his vaft Dominion. To the feryice of Men he tenders Animals of various kinds, to help our weaknefles, and to fupply our wants. And to £ ^42 3 to preferve due fubordinati f^cve he gave any thing to the mea to 6at, it is exprefUvely laid (ver. 32.) that he UNGIRDED the CAMELSy and gave STRAW and PROVENDER for the GA- MELiS, A circumflance this of fmall importance, were it hot aa example written for our admoni-* nitton, and worthy our imftationtf^ females, who can teftify their delight in the plercirig groans of the dying and more delicate STAG, in minds fo aibortiinably calbus^ Ri:- jigioD can have no place. Elfe I am perfuadedy that the pious ejaculation of the King of Ifrael muft m63 ] The Camels, though faint and fk* tigued) might not have pcrifhed, if the men had eaten and refrefbed themfelves before notice taken of the Cattle. But Compailion urged him to take the iirft care of thofe Creatures, ^ho could not take care of themfelves ; he had re- gard to their happinefs. Rebecca had given drink to ALL the Ca- mels; and ike next bu^befs was to ungird and relieve them from their burthens ; and then to give them provenckr to eat, and flraw to lie down and reft themfelves upon ; Therefore he ungirded tbi Camels^ and gave fir aw and pro'" vender for the Cameh\ before any refreshment was offered to the Men. The neceflities of the cat- tle engaged his Erfl attention ; M 2 and C '6+ ] and the more fpeedy the relief, the more confpicuous was the ha- manity of it. Suffer not the beafl: then, that has carried you or your baggage, and for your fake has borne the burthen and heat of the day, to wait long for his neceflary fefrefliment, but allow it him in good time. For his daily labor give him his diaily wages, and re- frefh him as oft and as ibon as he is weary. Mofes gives this Law with re- gard to Day Servants (Lev. xix. 13.) Thou Jhalt not defraud thy Neighbour neither rob him\ the Wages of him that is hiredy Jhall not abide with thee all night until the corning: and again (Deut. xxiv. 15.) JSa^his Day thou Jhalt 5 give t '6i ] gk)e him bis Hire^ neither Jhall the fun go down upon ity for he is poor and fetteth his heart upon it \ lefi he cry againfi thee unto the Lord^ and it he fin unto thee. To with- hold daily wages from them to whom it i$ daily due, who want it, and fet their heart upon it, is in the account of Mofes a Frauds ^ Robbery^ a Sin^ and a crying Sin. And St. James denounces the . judgments of GOD againft thofe that defraud the laborer of his hire ; (Ch. v. 1—4.) Go to now^ ye rich meny weep and howl for your miferiesy that Jhall come upon you, ^-^Beholdy the Hire of the La- borerSy which have reaped down your fields y which is of you kept back by fraud y crieth : and the cries of theniy which have reaped^ M 3 are [ »66 ] are entered into the tars of the JLitrd of Sahaotb, Now^ if it is a fraud, a robbery, a fin, and a tcryirrg fin to withhold and keep back the wagcs^ of the Hireling ; It muft be a fin to withhold and keep back food and refreihment, which is the hire and wages <)f the Cattle ; for they both alike 'want it, and fet their hearts updn it. The reafon and rule bf jbftice is the fame in both cafes. The 'Ox « that draws the plow, is as necef- fary a Servant as the Laborer ^^hf^ guides it ; and they have equally a claim to indulgence and tender- nefs. The fame Law provides for both. The cnes of the defrauded ^aft, as Wert as of the defrauded Laborer will enter into th^ tears of the Lord of Hofts \ for He that r faid, [ l67 ] Q^d, Defraud n(a the LABORER, iaid alio, Mu^sm/e not the OX, St. PAUL was fo fcnfible of the clofe connexion of tbefe two important Precepts, enjoined by the fame Authority, and grounded upon the fame Principle of Juf- tice and Humanity, that (in his firft Epiftle to Timothy) he clafles them together in fuch a manner, that it is plain he underftood them both to be of equal weight and obligation, and he quotes them both as texts of holy Scripture : (i Tim. V. 18.) The Scripture faithy Thou Jhajt not MUZZLE the OXy that treadetb out the Qorn\ Andy the LABORER is worthy of -kis reward. The former precept ; the Apoftle li|(.ewife quotes io his M4 firft C '68 3 firft epiftle to the Corinthians, and introduces ft by declaring that the precept was more than human^ it was of divine authority : Say I thefe things as a Man P Or faith not the Law the fame alfo f For it is written in the Law of Mofes, 7%ou Jhalt not MUZZLE the mouth of the'OXy that treadetb out the corn, i Cor. ix. 8, 9, From the queftion immediately following thefe words, — Doth God take care for Oxen f Some might infer, that the Apoftle meant to fet afide or weaken the precept ; or that it is only to be interpreted in a figurative or typical fenfe. To me it appears in another light, ^nd that the inference of the Apoftlc is an eftablifhment of the command-* [ i69 ] commandment. It was the fcxs^e £>f St. Paul, to prov0 tjjat the Mi- nifteris of the Gofpel have a right to a maintenance, becaufe they labor in the word and doSirine * ; (and to this purpofe he might have laid the ftrefs of his reafoning upon the almoft fimilar cafe of the Maintenance of i^hc Priefts under the Jewifli Law,.(which, in^- •deed he notices in ver^ i j.) but he licgins with an argument of greater force and more extcnfive obligaF- tion, which the change of the Prieflhood. did not, and could npl: cancel ; aja argument> which, though enjoined by the . Law erf" Mofes, was, founded on the Law of Nature, and acknowleged by ;h^athens and iniidels, viz. that . ♦ I Tim. V. 17. the E 170 ] tke laboring Beaft had a right to fupport t and if the voice of na« ture, and of the God of nature require and command that the • Cattle (hall have the wagfes ef their work, it is but reafonable that Tl^y 'mhich wait at thi altar ^ fioould be partakers with the altar * 5 and for the &me reafon, thejjwd iad Jo ordained that they wbieb preach tbf go/pel^ JbouldHve of the go/pel f , This then was the force of the Apoftle's argument, not to infringe the duties of humanity and tendernefs to the brutes, but to confirm them, and thereupon to build an argument offimilar nature. To fuppofc othcrwiic, is to accufe the Apoftle of weak reafoning. It is to fuppofe him * I Cor. ix^ 13. f Ver. 14. to [ xn ] to lay ia foiindation, and then to dig it up as fbon as he begins to esc6t his building, which would be no great credit to a * wife •tnafier builder, • Upon the equity of the Maxim, acknowlcged • by all men ^ that the Laborer is worlAy of his reward^ andj upon the pofitivc Precept of the Law, that th^ Laboring OX fiould not be musizled ; St. -Paul ^grounds hi« pFoof, that the daim of the-Miniftry to a, jnaintenance is both ^uft and legal. He thought his argument fo ilrong and evident upon thifr foundation, that he icruples pot to compare the ca£e of himfelf and his brethren to that of Oxen plowing in the field, • I Cor. iii, io, ■ Nor [ 172 3 Nor did he do any difefcdit to bis . miniftcrial charadcr by the pa- railel^ o( produce an in fiance un<- becoming the dignity of his fubj- jeA. For his bleffed Mafter upoi^i a matter of more extenfive im- portance, than the maintenance of the miniftry, defcends much lower ^than St. Paul has done in this in- .ftance. Our Lord JESUSt tq teach his dij^iples the duty an^ fecUrity of trujling in GOD for prote<9:ion or deliverance froqi trouble, might have carried their thoughts to refle<^ upon the inter*- pofing and overruling providence of GOD in the affairs and. revolu- tions of flates and empires j or might have drawn his argument from the general view of nature directed by his wifdom and love ; but [ *73 ] but inftead of this, he reminds them to cohfider the Sparrows : — * Are net Two SPARROWS fold for a farthings and one of them poll not fall on the ground without your Father f Fear ye not therefor e^ Te are of more value than many Spar-- rows. What then, are Sparrows of no value at all ? The compa- rifon itfelf, on which the argu- ment is founded, fliews that they are of fome, though fmall value. And if the fimilar queftion of St. Paul fhouM here occur, — Doth GOD take care for Sparrows f Yes furely, as certainly as he takes care for men, if our Saviour, who had -f- the words of eternal Life^ ipake fo as to be underftood. We have here then it feems the judg- • Matt.' X. 29, 31. tJohnvi.68. ment t »74 ] ment of JESUS, whofe authority alone is fuiiicient, and the judgr ment of Paul on the authority of Mofe§5 that Sparrows and Oxeu ate objeils of the care and pro- vidence of GOD : but with this difference) that whilft GOD Ihews hi* care for Oxen mediately, by recommending them to the-care d£ men ; he takes care for Sparrows immediately, by providing few them himfelf. The meannefs or apparent infigi^ificancy of the crea^. ture, how defpicable foever in the judgment of Men, is no obftnic-i tion to the love of GOD tow^ard^ it ; and upon the debafement of the fubjed, Chrift and hi^ Apoftk thought moil to exalt the divine Goodnefs, and thereby to prove the Love of GOD unto Men. Shew [ «7S ] Sh^w me then the Chrillian who denies the providence of GOD over the Birds of the Aif^ and I ilK>uld doubt whether his faith Were fuificient to fupport him in the day of trial. Or ihew me the Minifter of Chrift, who imagines, that GOD doth not take care for Oxefi't and I fhould think he de- i^ves to be mu«%ledy till he hath better learned CHRIST, But as our Saviour in the one cafe proves the Providence of GOD over Men. from his I^vidence dver the Birds of the Air ; fo doth the Apoftle evince the reafonablenefs and jus- tice of the Maintenance of the Miniftry from his Commandment of juftice and mercy to the labor- ing Man and Beaft of the Field ; For the Scripture faithy Thou Jh alt not C *76 1 fiot muzzle the OX that tfeadeth out the corn: and^ The LA" BOURER is worthy of his re- fUard*'* And again, Who fletnt- ith a vineyard^ and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or Who feedeth a flock^ and eateth not of the milk of the flock f Say I thefe things as a Man f or faith not the Laixf the fame alfo f For it is written irt the Law of Mofesy Thou fhalt not muzzle the mouth of the 0-X that treadeth out the corn -f-. The cafes being % fimilar, the rule of equitjr * I Tim. V. iSf. \ I Cor. ix. 7, 8, 9* \ The Similarity of thefe cafes explain to tis the reafon why men, who arc cruel to theii* Gattle, do generally bear hardeft upon their Minifters ; and why they, who make no fcruple to defraud their Minifters of their julf and C /77 3 Equity is the fame. And the! concluflon is this ; that fince it is the merciful Sandion of both ♦ • Teftaments, that the Ox that la- bouts for the Service of man fhall not be muzzled ; the laborious Beaft of every kind, whether Oxj or Horfe, or Afs, has a juft right' to every refrefhment of nature. And though he may not always be at work, yet, as his whole life and ftrength is devoted to the fer- vice of his mafter, and awaits his pieafure to work or not to work at his command, the Matter's care dnd legal riiaintenahcei, tire gerTerally mod cruel' | to their Cattle^ The Precept qf the Apoftle ' feems to contain a Prophecy, that Cruelty and Sacrilege are fins that will go hand in hand ! together. I beg to recommend this obfcr- ' vation to the ferious confideration of the Clergy. N and [ '75 1 an^ attention to him otight Htvtt t» ceafe. Whether dt wctfk dr not at work, fee is nfs Maftet'^ fervant arid dependeht ; afld t?i€f riKlfter by th€ compaiSI and indeii* ttife of the great haW of liatufal juftice is bound to fupport hits. And if the Beaft cannot help hiii*- felf to what he wants^ it is the Mafter's duty to fupply him with it. ]&e it thy Care and Duty thete- fore, if thou art the Mafter of sl kboring Brute, to obferve the foregoing precepts and examples in the article of Food and Refrefh- ment. When thy Beaft is at work for thee, *MU^2LM HIM * Deat. XXV. 4. ifor. t *79 ) N67, Wheii he hath c^friei^ thee or thy burthen j Eafe hiirij' t VNGIRD him, ahd ^/v^ i&i^ STRAfP' ahd PR FENDER. And when tied to the full cribj if It be tod much trouble to the^ to % empty thy pitcher into thi trough, and to DRAlF JVATER for him, yet at leaft reihember to loofe him frtm the fi all, and ckhiet %fend him forth, or || lead him away to tFATERING. But to prdCccdi 11. To give the pattie FOOft ^nd food indue feafon, is but a part ' of our duty towards them ; or l^ut f Geh- xxit. 32. % Gen, xxiv. 20* § Ifa. xxxii. 20. II Lukexiii. 15. N 2 one t '8° ] one duty amongft others. A man may feed his bead till he fwelk with fatncfs, and yet be erucl to him, if he works him above his ftrength, or gives him not fuffi- cient REST. And, here again the Goodnefs of GOD their Crea- tor condefcends to interfere on their behalf. For it is thus writ- ten in the firft table of the Ten Commandments, eftablifhed as the great Rule of Pradice throughout the Jewifli and the Chriftian World : — Remember the * Sabbath Day * By the Sabbath DAY, I mean every feventh DAY fet apart as a day of Reft and Devotion according to the ufage of difierent nations : and it appears to me of little mo- ment what day of the week is fet apart to this end, provided the order of /ic and thtfeventb la ■* . ji - Day to keep - it boly» In ' it • thoU Jhatt not do any work, ThoHy nor is obferved. If the Chriftian Church had appainted Saturday to have been continued as the Sabbath, and the State had confirmed that appointment, it would have been bur duty to have obferved thenev.ol^t JDldflge Merc^ l^nd not Sffrif/:e^ XMriJae preferjeth |i>erc^ jto /^i£ce ^ a,nd iie adds (ver. w . If ■ ^ [ i88 3 (vcr. 8.) 7%e Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath Day ; as much as to fay, Every man is fo far a Lord of the Sabbath, that though Mercy and Sacrifice are both re^^ quired, yet when it fb happens, that the one cannot be performed but at the omifHon of the other, a Man is juftified as Lord of the Sabhathy and beft fulfils the mind of the Inftitutor, to give Mercy the preference. That by Son of man he means Mankind in gene- ral, is evident from the parallel place to this in the Gofpel of St. Mark, (ch. ii. 27.) in which the laft quoted fentence is introduced thus, — The Sabbath was made fot* Man, and not Man for the Sab^ bathy i.e. Man was not created for the fake of keeping a Sabbath ; 3 but [ »89 ] but the Sabbath, after man was created, was inAituted £or the fake of MAN : and according to our Saviour's comment in the paf- fages above mentioned, for the fake of BEAST likewife. Remember the Sabbath Day, is but another phrafe for Remember Mercy \ or, Remember that the Sabbath was ordained principally for the refi and refrejhment of all concerned and mentioned in the commandment, whether child, of fern) ant, or beafi. That this was the principal defign of the inftitution, is further evident from the com- ment of the Lawgiver himfelf; (Exod .xxiii. 12.) Onthefeventhday Thou Jh alt refi ; that thine OX and thine ASS may REST ; (here they are t *9o' f I fife name4 f^JJ ; and the f on of ih^ handmaid and the JlraHger may hi refrejhed. And in the repetition of the Lawj (Deut. v. 14.) it is thus written in fuller terms with a Memento fubjoined ; Thou fiali not do any worky thouy nor thy fan ^ nor thy daughter y fior thy man fer^. K)anty nor thy maid fervanty nor ■ > . ». • ...» thine OX, nor thine ^SSj nor anj of thy CATTLE, nor thy Sitranger that is isoithin thy gatei'^'-^fur R£- M EMBER that thou waft a fer- vant in the land of Egypt \ i. e^ Let the R ecolledtioti of thy former hard fervitudc under the yoke of Egyptj teach thee the duty and feafonablenefs of compaflion and tendernefs to ALL that labor on thy accountj whether they be thy Children, thy Servants, thy CAT- TLE, TLE, the OX that plows for ttiee, ] I the AS9 that carries thee or thy ; bordefl) or the Stranger in thy \ gates* ■ f By the Stranger that h 'Withim thy gates, I fuppofe is meant, thy hireling, dayman, or journeyman,, who is not of thy family, or fo wholly dependent upon thee, as thy children, fervants, car csittlc*. Therefore the Stranger is men- tioned laft, becaufe if you give him not Reftj he can leave you when he pleafes, and give reft to himfelf. But thy children, fer^-? vants, and cattle, being alwaysf with thee, and under thy autho-; rity, and without redreft, it is foif their fakes the commandmeniJ ifeems principally initended ; and 3 there- I [ 192 1 therefore they are named befotd the ftranger, to whom you ought to give fuch allowance for his fix days work, that he may be able to maintain himfelf on the Sabbath day, without doing any manner of work ; elfe you are inftrumental to his breaking the fabbath. it is faid in the beginning of the Commandment, * Remember. the f 4 * In the Church Catechiffn^ the Order is changed thus, Refnember that thou keep Holy the Sabbath Day^ which fcems to intimate that HQlinef5 was the principal end of the inftitw-' tion. And again in the conclufion, infte^d of The Lord blejfed the Sabbath Day^ we read in the Catechifm, The Lord blepdtbe feventh day. Why the Order of the words was changed in • the Beginning, or why the word Seventh was fubftitutcd for the word Sabbath, in the Con- clufion; t '93 ] the Sabbath Day td keep it Hot ly: and it is faid in the con-* clufion of it, The Lof'd blessed the Sabbath Day^ and Hallow-: ED it. GOD firft gave a Blef^ Ji7tg to the laboring man and beaft, by ordaining a Sabbath ; and then \i^ Hallowed ox fandliiied it to holy duties. In the divine mind mercy precedes facrifice j for it is not faid 5 he hallowed it^ and blejfed it J but, he blejfed it ^ and hallowed it. Again, it is faid in the Command^ ment, The Lord hlejfed the Sab-* ■ clufion, I enquire not ; yet, ift my humble opinion, the force and benevolent defigh of* the Commandment is mucil weakened by the tranfpofuion and miftranflacion* For Sabbath doth not imply Hflifiefs^ though Holinefs is enjoined on the Sabbach'Day. 'Nor doth Sab* hath denote Seventh^ though- the fcventh day is the Sabbath day. O JATH tArn J^idTfy or the da^r of Rist ^ fbr Skbbtth denoter Reft : tnd the Sofc^Mth) if GOD had fb pleafedf mlg^t hare been every Jixfbot eighth day, or without any ^cial HoUnefs. The Comcndndinent in^- deed hath appointed the Sabbath or Reft to be on xhefevtHth day 5 and the Reft of the Seventh dajr aftbrds letfurefor fpirituai duties f therefore GOD hath enjoined SanAification as well as Reft on that day : but the firft motive to the appointment was Mercy ta man and beafl^ for the Sabbath was made far fiuM^ and ttot man forthe&ii^ath, There&are if diouk who art a Mafter, worktft. 01^ the fabbath day, you iin, becau& you do not SanBify it according t6 the commandment : bot if you-' do j6o no work di3rrelf^ and yet fet 3K)ar: Servants and Cattlf to work on that day, then yovi fin like<^ wilcj becaufe you do not Bk/s it according to the defign of it. The Commandment i^ twofold in its {uh^c&i-^k/s ity and SanBify it: and. it is twofold in its ob^ leSkf^Do m work^ and. Require m mork, Confequently» the moft ierupuk>u8 obfervance of the iab- faath on thine own part^ though you were to fpend the whole day ia.ad^s of public and private de* votion, and yet fpare. not the \a^ \ bor of thy Servafus and Catde, would Bot be ii^^ttlSf iiie;i3h!ir «;?/« tbt. Lard ^ .it would fac an tmperf* j ^oBl adbd partial obfcrvaaor; it j ini^t be janBifymi^M u U> !%•* ; ^ but it «9oU not nbtt kiitfng \ O 2 it, t '96 .] it, according to the inftitution cj£ it, in m^rcy to the laborious man and beaft ; I fay, man and bea/f.^ for they are both exprefly men- tioned in the commandment : and the great Creator, having con- fidcred them, both, and having appointed a feventh day as a day of Blefling, as well as of Sanfiifi- cation, will not accept thy felf" JanSiijication of the day of Sab- bath, unlcfs thine OX, and thine ASS, and thy CATTLE, as well as thy children and fervants par> take of the blejfmg of it. I know indeed there may be cafes of neceflity, which require the labor of the cattle on the Sab^ bath day i .and I am not fo pre-< cife as. toifuppoie it a fin, in fucb > c caies. [ 197 J cafes, to make ufeof their Jabor; for as our Savior fays, the Son of Man is Lord of the Snbbath *. But then it is my duty to confidcr %vhether my beaft hath in the pre- ceding week fulfilled his fix days tafk of labor. If he hath not fulfilled it, or has had fome day or days of refl therein, I do not fin in the ufe of him. If he hath done his full tafk in the week, I ought to fpare him for another bcafl that hath not fulfilled his tafk. But^if necefBty compels me to fet the fame beaft to a feventh day labor, who hath fulfilled his fix days work ; then I fin, if I do not Remember, as foon as my ur- gent bufinefs is over, to aflign him another day for his Sabbath.^ in lieu of that which I have taken * Matt. xii. 8. O 3 from C 198 3 ( from him. For as Sabbath wa« I ordained for bead as well as maii^ ■ though the bead is not qapabl^ 1 of keeping the fabbath as a day of ■ / SanSiification^ he hath by the com^ 1 mand of God a right to a Sab* I bath as a day of Reji and Bkffmg, And as GOD in his goodneis hath appointed a SaBbath or day of RfiST for the Cattle, and bath thereby inftmded us in the duty of Mercy towards them j it ncceA ^rily follows, that we ought not on any day of the week to over^ work them, or lay too hard bur^ thens upon them . For as the en J ^f th§ CMtnumdment if Charily^ and founded upon mercy ; eveiy inftance of unmercifulnefs is a tranfgrei^on, though not of the letter. -^ C '99 ] letter, yet of the intent and extent of this commandmeni Therefc^e if a fnan w^e to ob* ftrve and keep the iegal or efig- hUped fabbath ever {q icnipu* loufly, (neither doing any work him'felf, nor ruflering any of hit children, fervants, or cattle to da any manner of work on that day,) lind yet on the Qthtr days of the week put them to work abore their ftrength^ or keep them toa long to work without aUowii]|( them fufficient lieft, 1 would not. icrupie to pronounce that man no be a doily Sabhath brt^teri ber caufe he daily tranfgrefie^ ihat ge* neral Law of Mercy« tQ. promo^ which a Sabbath wa*^ pfin^pally mftituted. Nor wiU the pretense that a wr^m^day k vaA \!lB$o, S^aih P 4 hath [ 200 ] kith Day juftify an aft of » tin* fHercifulnefi, any more than it will juftify an adJ: of unkolimfi \ utalefs'it can be flicwn that holi- nefjland mercyj becaufe particu- larly enjoined on tbc feventh day, ife fo limited to the feventh day, that iov fx days following a man has leave to be as frofane and as cruel as he pleafes.' With GOD all days-'iarealike, as to the eflen- l^al duties of religion and morality. Holinefs and Mercy are the duties of every day : and he that faid un- to Ifrael (Ifa. i. 15), * that even the *- SABBATHS were an ahoniina- * tiQnwvtX.Oi him, and that when they *■ fpreadfdrih their hands he would < hid^ his face' from them, and *- when they made many prayers he ^ would not he^r them, Becaufe^ . ' * their [ 2QI ] * their hands were full of Blood and * cruelty,' hath given us thereby to underftand, that he will as foba difpenfe with the Devotion of the Sabbath, as with the Mercy of it. Holinefs and Mercy arc enjoined in one and the fame command*- ment of Sabbath, but with this difference according to the inter' pretation of Chrift and Hofea, (Matt. ix. 13. Hof. vi. 6.) that GOD prcfcrreth mercy to facirifice. And as Man and Beaft are both included in the fame command- ment of mercy, it follows, that Mercy to Brutes is at all times no lefs a duty than Mercy to Men. I have thus far Endeavored to povc that GOD careth for the Cattle^ C 202 ] Cattle^ by the rules he has prefcri- bed for our condudl towards thetn, in the articles of FOOD and REST. But this is not all. For— ■ ■ ft ■ III.' They have^ fiirthcr claim upon us of REGARD to their Happinefs, and TENDERNESS in the Ulage of Them. The Good^ nefs and Providence of GOD re* fped not only the Being, but' tht Well-being of his Creatures ; iiot only their neceflary Wants, and what is abfolutely their Demand on the principles of ilrift Juftice, but alfo their Eafe and G}mfort» and what they have a reafonablc and equitable Claim to, on thoi principles of Mercy and Compaf- moti (Prov. xli* lo.) regardtth th Life of his BEAST: But th$ tender MiTCtis ^f tht fFkhd art cruel. By Life it foaetimet t9 be Dndcrftood ** Defin^ or Hgp» piDe;i8 ; for what is Life witlhovt Happinefs ? Happtncit ii th^ Salt of Life, and in the pi^erb now before tts i» included in the word iife^ as Appeart from the Anti* the£is«-*^iiW fbe tender Mtrcies rf the iDided are (ruel\ or (as it ia in the Hekrefnt and In the Margin of our Bible) the 3em>eh of tho wicked are cruel. Now as crtaltf and wickednefi In the laft ibt* tence> are put In {^pofition to Life attd Righteoufmfs In the for^ ^ D^r«. So it tU &#^r and a wicked man. As to the latter part of , the the. proverbr, . " the, charadcr ' is To difgernible, that allr further enqui- ries are. needlefs* If I. know that a njan is cruel to his Beail, I afk no more queftions about him. He j may he a noble man, or a rich man J or a polite; man, or a fen- iible man, or a: learned man, or an orthodox man, or a church man, or a puritan, or any thing elfe, it matters not; this I. know, on the facred word of a wife King, that, being cruel to his beaft, he is a WICKED man.. -, But fuppofe a man is not cruel to his Beaft, and > therefore not a wicked man ; yet according to the proverb, he may be an uNRicft- Tfeous man.' And under this cha- ra<^er I am afraid we may clafs thoufands ^Malbah and tea tliwifandr,' wild would cnoiiBfWBComt^omnaitMnmSt tt cmekjr. A Riostioos nuui ik oiui iiax ngai^b^ wbA altpayi ke^ hit tyt on tke nile cf rigbty tnd whom 110 coftom, or^ cxNa^ pluuice, or^ icar- of ridicule ctA cirer penrcfC from hik ^\ktf ill aitt^ ter of right 7%r RiOHTBoosi/iBefiH «A& Mr^f^> ^th David (P&. lEXxvil; 2t)i he doth fiot doik it tip in his breaR> t)f {another It in help-* lefs .pit3r, but he flmttth it ; he attends to its^^calis) and brings it^ forth into a<^on« Again^ (ver. 26.) 7^« .RiGHT&oys U eoir merctfuU (in, the Habrewy off tU day met'r ciful)^ full pf xnerpy at all times^ and on allaccafion$, and to Gvctf objed of it, whether «ian of brute. Every I *®7 3 Every v45f?of Gnidty. if Wkktds- Hefi, 3ut, aneltyapart, the N^*- leB of Mercy is UNRioftTEOus- M.BSS; A man mi^ be vevy^ tender and fbU of- pity, and ytfi beilximer* ciful^ at vxA jbem Mtrcy. If oor Beaft fillers througb.Qi]ri^^^^%in/ or inattention to faim»: mt cannot be faid to be tverat akb^^s mcr4 cifuly.and we do: not fuifii oav duty- towaids iiim;.'for it is the {Mut of -A Righteoos man to Jhem mercy AS well ai topr(^(is it ; and mthdut thi«, ' out* ■ pretendon of mercy is like thtumvorkin^/aitJbf and the uftprofitaiU chari^ de- icribed by 8t Jsimei (ch. ii. 15, 1 6)» We may fin hy OmiiSion as w«U at Gommiifion $ and though. we he sot erml to. him unto C 2°8 ] mckedmfs^ wc may be regardlefs of him unto unrigbteoufnefs. The three Charaders therefore defcribed in the>^ above proverb are thefe."**The Man, who fb hardneth his Bowels to the yearn* ings of companion, that, without the leaft emotion of pity, he can commit an a£fc of cruelty to his Beaft, is a Wicked man. — The Man, who regardeth the happi- ncfs of his Beaft, who JJjewetb mercy to it, by attending to all its wants and infirmities, and who endeavours to make it as ea{y and as happy as its nature and condi- tion will admit, is a Righteous man. — But the Man, vfho regard- eth it NOT, who is carelefs and indifferent about it, though he may C m. J ftiay oot te ixardKearted Stnd cruel to jt, yet ingifmuch as he tegatd- ^h it hot, he is an unrighteous l^aa ; for, , Tie RIGHTEOUS Maff fi&GAKPETn the Life, the iDefirCj and the Happinels <>f his BgASZ Jf nHy (faith St. Paul in th6 ^Jile to Timothy t)efore men^ tiojoed, and in the fame chapter In which he quotes from the Law* of.Mofes*-** Thou (halt not muz- * ^le the OX that treadeth out the < Corn') If any ^ faith the Apoftle, PROviPE not for HIS own, and efpe-- daily for thofa of uis own house, he hath depkd the faith ^ and is morfi than an infidel. This fen- tence deferyes the particular nor tke jof MaftCTS of Families* All P that tliat arc committed to the care and management of the Head of thd houfe, whether children, fervantsy cattle, or hireling, are parts of his family, as I fhewed before in my obfervation on the fourth com-* mandment. They are all there- fore of his own houfe : and being fuch, it is the duty of the Head of the Houfe to provide^ that is, to have providence over, to take care of, and attend to every mem-^ ber of the family within doors and without doors. It is no excufd in the mafter, if a beaft fuffer^ through the cruelty, or, through the negleSi of his fervant. For if the beaft could fpeak, he would make his complaint to the mafter, as the proper perfon to take cog-' ftizance of the Injury; but as he o cannot [ 2" ] feandbt fp'eak for hiirifelfj it is the ihafter's duty to fpeak for him J and, uniefs he is worfe than ali infidel, he will fpeak for him ■without being fpokeri to. But if he thinks any one in his fefvicC beneath his notice,- he is unworthy of the ferfice of that One. And if he titver enquires or eoncerns hitnfelf about any of thofe that are committed to his care, or is iiegligent as to any of them, he cannot be faid to provide for thofe ef, Ms own houfe ; he is negligent Ss to the great duty of Mercy oil ■which thb Gofpel is founded ; he therefore denieth the Faith-, and is pronounced by the Apcrftle to ie 'worfe than an infdel. P 2 Eyut J f «t2 ] ■feiit the RICHTEOUS Man Regardeth the happinels c^en o£ his Beast, and Provideth for him, as ifr one of his owfty and of bis own houfe. It is not enough tliat his Beaft looks well, he enquires whether it fares well ; for many times the mod cruel meai^ 'are ufed (by vain and foolift ferv^ants to pleafe their as vain and iboliih mafters) to make the bead appear fleek, fhining, and of graceful carriage without, vi^hilft thfe poor creature is rotten, and fufFer-s wn- litterable mifery within. As he is Righteous, he is Merciful ; and be- ing merciful upon a righteous prin- ciple, he is ever merciful^ ti^Jbiw^ eth mercy to him in every refeed. He MuzzLETH not the beaft that r *'3 ] treadetb out his corny or, tha^t la- bours for his profit or his pleafwf e j He taketh care that he is UisgirDt ED : He giveth him Straw and Pro vender: He kadeth him forth to the Watering: He alloweth him the Bleftng of Sabbath : and to protect: him from the inclemency of the weather, He folio weth the example of the Patriarch Ja c o b^ who, when he built himfelf m Houfe, made BOOTHS for his CATTLE: (Gen. xxxiii. 17). He attends to all his Wants and Infirmities ; and confiders well his Age, hi? Stature, and his Strength^ If Toungyht breaketh not the^ack of his tender colt, but waiteth till his finews ^re flrengthened wnto perfe(a:ion* Hc; neither Nicks P 3 k\m^^ [ 2U 3 him, nor Docks him, but takes him fuch as GOD made him. If Aged^ he galleth not his feeble Sides, nor addeth one \yeight ex- traordinary to the weight of his years ; but, with a fenfe of grati- tude, he rewardeth his paft and faithful fervices with renewed at- tention, forbearanpe, and indul- gence. He faith within himfelf— - * This Beaft by toil and fweat hath ^ adminiftred to my pleafure pr to ? my profit for many years paft ; * and now that he is no longer able * to perform my work, Shall I dif- * mifs him as a creature not worthy * <>{ my future prote a Staff". The fallen beafl, fenfible of her own pain and of her maf- ter's cruelty andinjuiHce, had fhe been endued with fpecch and rea- fon, would probably, hatte cxpof* tulated with him on iter ;hard treatment the firftand the fecond time: hut alas! fhe was dumby and could not open her mouth. But now, at the thifd time, when Balaam's [ 222 J Balaam's anger was kindled it\to S flame, and afceiided to itsheightj the Lord himfelf was pleafed to interpofe in behalf of the abufed' animal, by opening the fHouth df the j4SS ; and jhe faid unto Ba-' Icuim^ What have I done unto thee ^^ that thou haji fmitten me thefe three, times ? Behold a miracle : the dumb Afs fpeaks. Behold a great- er miracle : the Rider ' was not ftruck dumb with amazement at the voice of the beaft; Infatuated even unto madnefs, he eonfider^ not the overruling power of GOD herein, but being as blind as h(3 was cruel, he replies to the com-* plaint of the Afs ; -^Becaufe thou haji mocked me \ I would there mere a /word in myhand^ for now would I kill thee 4 Cruelty is the kft ftepr to [ 223 ] to Murder. He firft beat the Afs cruelly, and then becaufe (he complained and reproved him, he would have killed her. But the Lord, obferving the malicious rage of the man, blinded with fury, and hardened in his wicked-* nefs, inftead of being reformed by the miracle, was pleafed at length, as he had before opened the mouth of the Afs, now to. open the eyes of Balaam, who fees an Angel of the Lord Jiand-* ing in the way. He had wifhed for a /word in his own hand to kill the Afs, and now he beholds the Angel of the Lord with a drawn fword in his hand ready to kill him. He called for a fword,. and a fword immediately appears. And the man, who had cruelly: treated C 224 ] treated hk beaft for Aarting ditdi tumbling t<» aitroid the fword of the .asrenger, now howetb dawn bis- own jie^fl^,. ««^ J^^/-^ flo-i o» his face. The cafe of the iiiaa ;ajid the brute is now the fame in^ p^iist ef fear : the appearance of, tb)5 Angel was no iefs terrifying to the naafterj than to the Beaft. that -car- ried him; and jiiftly migjit th^ Angel haye rcquit^ Balaam ifi. kind for his cruelty, fiat . as GOD is more merciful to Anfnl lAen, than men- are to unixhnipg i brutes ; the Angel of the Loaul was pleafed to fheath ; his fword s and though he. came to Balaam itrith a meilage from the Loka of .very ; great imjpottance, y«t hs. poflpone^ the delivery of his er- rand, till he had.firft reproved - 3 and C 225 J and convinced Balaam of hisi wickednefs and cruelty in fmiting the Afs^ which was a SIN defefv-' ing his notice and reproof. And that the teproof might be more- ilriking to Balaam, the Angel makes ufe of the very words which the Afs had fpoken before : What have I done unto thee, faid the^ Afs, that thou haft smitten «»^ THESE THREE TIMES ? and the Angel faid unto Balaam, Where- fore haft thou SMITTEN thine ASS THESE THREE TIMES? To thC queftion of the Afs Balaam had replied, Becaufe thou haft mocked mey iand, / mould there were a fmotd in my hafid, pr A&m wokld' 1 kill thee. But When the An^l hk tdiif^ i7S6 cha • $ It feems then, that this ridi- culed piece of facred hiftory has the authority of both the Old and New Teftament for its fupport. And it deferves the more to be noticed by us, and I have dwelt the longer upon itjr becaufe this particular injiance of-paflion and cruelty is, I believe, more com- mon than any other; and that too in men otherwife compafHor^ nat^ C 236 3 > * ^ate enough. F05 iay ; pid You never whip, or fpur, or ill -treat your- horfe, when at any time he has fiarted or fiutnbhd ? Was your paflion never excited thereby ? and did you not almoft wifii there bad k^en a faord in your band to^ Mil him^ Pardjon me, reader^ for putting the queAion boqie to you* I hope you can anfwer in the ne- gative ;, but i$ is an inftance com- napn^ every day. If You are inno*- gent as to this pointy Well for Thee; and I turn myielf to another that will pl^ad Quilty. And to the fornoer qutflioa, I aik hi^K^. fi^r- %hbT y Did you, when your paf- Khki was OTcr, lay your . brand upoi% your brea^, axid fay ioi the wordsof Balftam^ I havb siNNsn? i&ar wHi. ..Ttwen give pie leave to [ 237 ] t to tell you ; You have Co many Sins ftill unrcpcnted of: You have erred with Balaam, but not repented with him ; and the fword of the Angel is ftill drawn againft thee. Btit repent in time, that he" may fheath it. And whenever it fo happens for the future, that your horfe either ftumbles, or ftarts, I intreat thee to call this to mind. Know, that your beaft is not to blame. He no more loves to be affrighted, than You do. It is no more agreeable to Him to make a falfe ftep, than it is to Yourfelf. He feels the pain of the jarr, as well as You. There- fore Smite him not. But ^6- member this hiftcwy, and add not fin unto fin. The Angel of the Lord is with you, though you fee him [ 238 ] him not ; and, in this cafe, fbme-* times withfiands thee. Say not, my horfe stumbles, and therefore I fmite him : but confidcr that, whilft You ride, your Horfe goes a-foot : and a fixed ilone or hil- lock, a (harp Hint, or a pinched and uneafy flioe might caufe even Yourfelf to ftumble if you were to travel on foot ; and you would think it hard to be chaftifcd for an involuntary or forced trip. Do not then unto others as you would be unwilling fhould be done unto you. Say not, my horfe starts, and therefore I fmite him ; and I correft him, becaufe he is timo- rous : but confider that You have your paffions, as well as your Horfe. Elfe, why the blood in thy face ? or, why thy palenefs of coun- 5 tenancc [ 239 ] tenancc on thefe occafionsf ? The paflion of anger, or the paflion of fear, do then predominate in thy- felf. Learn firft to fubdue the fudden emotions of thine own paffions, : and then endeavor to correct his fears. I will grant, if you pleafe, that his paflion of fear may be fooliA ; but fo is ^our paflion of anger : and your folly is greater than his, if what you fometimes fay is true,^ — that a Man has more Reafon than a Horfe. You have reafon, and ufe it not ; your Horfe has no reafon, there- fore he cannot ufe it. Your Horfe { \ has not reafon tp conquer his | fears, whilfl You have both reafon I and power to fubdue your own j paflion. Your horfe oiFends and I o cannot help it j You offend, and mav I . ^ [ 240 ] may help it. I leave it to your own judgment to determine, whe- ther You or your Horfe deferves moft to be corrected . In fliott, to fmite your horfe becaufe he ilumbles or ftarts, is irratioftftlity and wcaknefs. And if you will not dlow your boafted reafon to corred the fear of your horfe by gentlenefs, forbearance, or fkilful management ; but think to over- come his fears by whip, fpur, and barbarity, you expofe yourfelf to the juft and fevere correction of the Angel, who withjlands tbee^ becaufe thy way is perverfe before him *. And inftances are not un- common, when his juft anger is fo provoked at the cruelty of Man in this cafe, that though he doth not * Num. xxii. 32. open open the mouth- of the beaft td reprove his rider^ (as hex^nce did, and which there is no occafion to do a fecond time)', yet he appoints the injured beaft to plead his own caufe another way, in being the inftrumerit of puniflimentf, arid Ibmetimes the executioner of death, without allowing a mo- ment's leifure to make the' fhort confeflion of Balaam^ I have SINNED. -The inference is- ob- vious, that to lofe life by the prancing or unrulincfs of a horfc^ . excited thereto by barbarity, bc- caufe he may have ftarted or ftumbled, is tadie in an Act of SiN» ' - '■ We are told by the prophet MICAH, that when Balaam, who R had C 24* ] had finned, in thus pafHonatel)!* imiting'tbe Afs^ was afterwa^a confulted by Balak the King o£ Moab (at whofe requeil he had undertaken this journey) how he mi^t hium the righteoufnafi of the Lord ; that is, how he inight r^ commend himfelf to, and b^ft pleafe Jehovah the God of Jfra^l, whofe power he was now fenfibkf of, and whofe favor he de£red tQ obtain ; Balaam gives this inilrup-' tion unto the I^ing,— '^^ b^k Jhewed thee^ Marty wba^ if Go&di and what doth the Lord requirot of thee, but to do juftly, and to love mercy, and to walk humWy with thy God, Micah vi. 8. In this advice to the Kihgy Balaam feems to allude to the three great duties of Juftice, f 243 ] Mercy, and Humility^ againft which he himfclf had fo noto* rioufly tranfgreflfed in fmiting his Afs three times. To ftrike the beaftj that never before Jince jhd ivas his unto that day was mooni to fiumble or fiart *, becaufe no\^ fhe ftarted for the lirft time, Was Injustice. To ftrike her d fecond time ; and the third time to beat her with a Staffs and to wifh for a /word in his hand to kill her, was Cruelty. And to ^uppofe, becaufe the Afs was his own^ that he had an abfolute and Unaccountable power over her to ufe her as unjuftly and as cruelly as he pleafed, was taking too much upon human nature ; it *Was contemptuoufly ill treating ♦ Num. xxii, 30, R 2 one [ 244 ] one of god's creatures^ a ufeftd and an innocent creature, and a bead whofe fimplicity and natural ftupidity, (peculiar to the Afs, that it may go through its drud- gery with lefs reluftance), iliould have recommended her to her mailer's mercy and forbearance : it was overvaluing Himfelf •, it was under-rating his Beaft ; and in ihort, it was Pride. Balaam there- fore neither did Jujlly^ nor loved Mercy ^ nor walked Humbly. But no fooner was he brought to a fenfe of his crime, than he con- feffed, I HAVE sinned: and^ as if that were not enough, at the hazard and expcnce of all his hopes of preferment, he moreover preaches in the Court of Moab the great duties of Juftice, Mercy, and L 245 ] and Humility. Haft thou finned ' then with Balaam ? with him confefs that T^hou haft Jinjted. Per- iod: thy confeflion, and fulfil thy repentance, by taking every op-^ portunity afliduoufly to inculcate into others thefe great and necef- fary duties. You will thereby, give a more fure proof of thy re- pentance, and better pleafe the Lord, than with thoufands of rams, or ten thoufands of rivers of oil : for, the Lord defireth Mercy and- not Sacrifice^ and the Knowledge of GOD more than Burnt Offer-- ings^\ If thou wert to give thy firji born for thy tranfgreffton^ or the fruit of thy body for the Jin of thy foul -^^ it would avail thee no- thing; it would be worfe than t Hofea vL 6. f Micah vi. 7^ R 3 nothing} [ ==46 3 nothing J it would be adding one fin to another : But the Lord hath JJjewed thee^ O man^ what is Good^ what in this cafe thou ought to do, and what he will accept and require of thee ; viz. to do JustlY| and to love Mercy, and to walk Humbly with thy COD. Are Juftice, Mercy, and Hu- mility, the criterions of righteouf-f nefs? Then, Injufticc, Unmercir^ fulnefs, and Pride, which fre-f quently go together^ and point to each other, and are all com- prehended in the idea of Cruelty to Brutes, muft be fure tokens of fin and wickednefs. And in par^ ticular is the Love qf Mercy % Mean whereby to know the Righ- teou/nefs of the Lordf fs it a Duty whiph X 247 3 which the Lord will requite of thee, and according to which thou wilt be accepted ? Then, as you Would avoid the imputation of unrighteoufnefs, and as you defire to fecure the favor of thy God, let Mercy be fliewn in the treat- ment of thy beaft. But it is not the counfel of Balaam only ; it is like- wife, as was before obferved, the judgment of the wife King of Ifrael, that Mercy and Cruelty are the figns whereby to didingiiidi a righteous man, and a wicked man* (Prov. xii. 10.) A Righteous man rBgardeth the Life or Happiness of his BEAST; but the tender Mer-'- cies or Bowels of the wicked are cruel. If a man is cruel to his Beaft, he muft be a ff^icked man. If he is ROt cruel to him, yet if he regard-^ R 4 eth C 248 ] €th Him'not, he is not a Righteous man ; that is, he is an Unrighteous man. And as Unrighteoufnefs is a footftep to Cruelty ; well might •David clafs wickednefs^ unrigh-^ teoufnefs^ and cruelty together in •one and the fame Deprecation-— '"Del'iver^Me^ my GOD j out. of -the handof tbeWiQYL^T^^ out of the 'hand of the Unrighteous and Crvel Man. Pfa. lxx>i. 4. . I hare hitherto confined myfelf to thofe particular paflkges in Scrip- ture, which contain and enjoin our duties towards the Cattle^ that are m9re efpecially imder our OWN care, in the articles of Food^ H^Ji^' Forbearance^ and Tender Ufage\ becaufe in fome of thefe inftancea we ar^ very apt to of-^ fendf [ 249 ] fend. And here we cannot but admire the wifdom and goodnels ,of GOD, who, in his mercy to -the brutes, has given us Rules for our conduct towards them, in ALL tbefe inftahces; and has been] gracioufly pleafed to tran- scribe them from the Old into the New Teftament, to teach us that Mercy to the Cattle is a virtue as indifpenfably requifite under the Gofpel of Chrift, as under the Law of Mofes. Examine yourfelf then by thefe rules and precepts of mercy, and apply thefe cafes to your own condudb, and you will plainly perceive that ; — When you withhold from your beaft his due quantity and proportion of Meat or Drink ; you muzzle the OX that (readefh out your Corn : — * When you [ 250 ] you overwork him, or give him not hi« proper Refl ; you do not Remember the Sabbath to keep it^ according to the intent of the Com- mandment J —When you abufe, or unequally yoke him, or put him to a work, which he is in- capable of performing ; you may be faid to i>low nuith an OX and an ASS together : — When you re^ gatd him not 'y you are an unrigh-^ Ttous man :-^When you are cruel to him ; you are a wickbd man : and, When you beat him for ftum- bling or ftarting, or fuffer your paf- fion of anger to be excited by his untowardnefs or ftupidity; you partake in the Sin of Balaam, and your way is perverse before GOD, In all, or any of thefc, or any other inftances of cruelty, you forfeit the [ 251 ] the name of a Righteous Man, whofe diftinguifliing character is this, that he regardeth the life and happinefsof i^/j^JS^^y; you knom not the righteoufnefs of the Lord\ you confjder not what is good, nor what it is that he tequireth of thee ; and, in fhort, you neither DO JUSTLY, nor LOVE MERCY, nOT WALK HUMBLY before thy God, r THUS far wo have conHdered the Duties, particularly enjoined jn holy Scripture with regard to our own Cattle. But let it not be inferred front hence, that Mercy is a limited Virtue : Cafes may and often do occur, in which the cxercife of it is to be pradifed and extended beyond our own ^Province. To peeled, or abijfe, 3 o^ C 252 ] or ill treat our own Cattle, is cruelty of a heinous nature ; be- caufe They have a right to our Care and Tendernefs: and if any man provides not for his own, and efpecially for thofe of his own boufe, he hath denied the Faith y and is nscorfe than an Infidel. But bur Mercy and Regard is not to reft there. It is further our duty to be always ready to relieve and luccour the Mifcrable, whether known or unknown to us. Any Beaft in diftrefs, be it Ox, or Ass, or Sheep, or other Animal, has a claim upon us of Afliftance. For in the Law of Moses we find it thus written ; — I'hoti fhalt not fee thy Brother s OX or his SHEEP go ASTRAY, ^ and « [ 25S ] and hide thyfelf Jrom 77)em^ 7%ou JJoalt in any cafe bring them again unto thy Brother : and if thy Bro-^ ther he not nigh thee^ or if thou KNOW HIM NOT, (i. c. if it is the beaft of a ftranger,) then Thou fh alt bring it unto thine own houfe^ and it Jhall be with thee^ until thy Bro-^ ther feek after it ; and thou /halt rejlore it to him again. (Deut. xxii. I, 2). The fcope of this precept doth not confift merely in the rule of Juftice to reftore the loft Beaft to thy Brother or Neighbour, but in the rule of Mercy and Compaf-* fion to the Beaft itfelf : elfe it. might have been enough to drive * ^he Owner paying the charges of keeping if, from the tirie it was brought to the houfe^ tUl it's being rejiored. Patrick. it t »54 ] it to a Pound, or to tye it to d Gate, till the Owner fhould come to enquire after it. But the Law- faith ; — 'Thou Jhalt bring it unto thine own Houfe^ and it Jhall he with 'Thee. As the Finder, thou art the temporary Poffeflbr of it in Iruji for the right Owner; and thou {halt take as much care of the loft Beaft, as if it were thine own, till the Owner re- covers it again. And as the Law has thus pro^ vided for the Beaft that is going afiray\ fo no lefs indulgent is if to the Beaft, that hath met with an accident* For in the fourth verfc of this chapter, we have! another Commandment of Mercy refpeding the Cattle that are not ouf C 255 ) Qur own property ; .—7*hou jhah mt fee thy brother s j^SS or his OX FALL DOWN iy the way, and hide, thyfelf from Them \ Thou Jhah furely help him to lift them up again. This Law feems exprefly enjoined for the fake of the Beaft \ for it can hardly be fuppofed that, if you were to fee thy Brother, or thy Neighbor, in any kind of dif- ficulty or diftrefs, you would for- bear to help Him. Brotherhood and Neighborhood have this de- mand upon thee without a Lawi It is not faid therefore, Thou fitalt not hide thyfelf from Him; but, thou fhalt not hide thyfelf from Them, that is, from the Ass or the Ox that are fallen down. Thou fhalt not Hide thyfelf, or draw back, as if afhamed or un- willing t 256 3 willing to do an aA of charity td diftrefled becaufe brutal irtno*- cence J but thou /hah surely, or at the peril of a breach of a di- vine commandment, help him to lift Them up again^ and afford all the fuccoiir to them that thou arr able to give. But what if the Brute that is go- ing ajlray^ ox fallen down^ \% nbC my Brother's, nor my Neighbors ? What if I know it to belong to a man, who hath done me re- peated injuries ; an open Enemy j a man that hateth me ; who re- joiceth at my adverfity ; and who, if he was to fee my bead going aftray or fallen down, would let him go, or keep him down ra- ther than help him? Am I to 3 provide t ^^1 3 provide for, or to regard the Beaft of fuch an Enefny^ and of the toan that hateth me? To this I might reply in the words of the meek and merciful Jesus *^ Love thine Enemy^ and Do good tq him that hateth thee^. But as the queftion fuppofeth that thou haft not yet attained unto this high, degree of chriftian Perfec* tion, let us return back to the Law, which is a Schoolmajier to bring us unto Chriji i*, and let us enquire what that fays as to this point. But I fliall firft beg leave to afk thee a queftion or two. Is the Beast of thine Enemy an Enemy unto Thee? Doth the Beaft hate Thee ? Did the Beaft ever willingly and defignedly do * Luke vi. 27. f Gal. iii. 24. S Thee C>58 ] Thee an Injury f Doth the Bcaft retain any grudge againft Thee ? Did the dumb Bcaft ever fiander or bely Thee ? or, Did the irra- tional Beaft ever contrive any plot or device againft Thee ? I believe thou wilt anfwcr, NO. Then^ what is it to Thee, with regard to the Brute, that his Matter is thine Enemy ? A Creature endued with a fenfe of feeling, who never did thee an injury, is in diftrels or pain : You have it in your power to help him : but he hap*- peneth to be the property of a man that hateth Thee r therefore this diftreffed but innocent brute muft continue to fuffer pain, bc- caufe, without any choice of his own, he belongs to thine Enemy. Is this good reafoning ? or, is it at all <% t ^59 i :ftH cQdfiftent mth the rule of juC« tice or equity^ that the innocent ifepuU fijfFer for the guilty j ot that the Matter's Enmity to Thee Ihould.tancel thy duty of pojnpa^ jQoti and relief to the diftrefTed j»Ad unoffending Brute? I think (jnoti But as this is only human 5 let iis refer for direc- ibh to the pofitive and written Law of GOD. And bleiTed be his .Goodaefs and Metcy^ that h« hath l>eeii pleafed td give tis therein (L Coftimandment f^li and clea^ as tp i)Oth thigfe points $ whether We (dt our Enemies Beaft g^^^ ^fi^^i ^ falleH down under his burthen. t* tf thou fHeei thine £!VEMifi4 OX at his j4SS going astrav, 7i&«#^ Jhalt furely hriftg it hack tn S 2 him [ 26o ] ifim again, (Exod. xxiii. 4.). Wc ixnay obferve above in the cafe of a Beafl going ajirayi if it be the Bead of thy brother, or neigh- bour, you are required to fend it to him again ; but if it be the beaft of a ftranger, then to take it to your own houfe and to keep it, till, you hear of the Owner, and he fends for it. But in the prefent cafe^the Owner is thine Enemy; as fuch, you know him, and moll likely where he lives : you are not required therefore to take this loft Beaft to your own houfe, and keep it till the Owner comes to enquire after it ; for, as the Owner is your Enemy, You or your Servants might be tempted, on that account, to neglect or mifufe it j but you are to Jend it hack t =^6' ] hack to your Enemy, or at leaft to give him imme4iate notice that you have found it:— 7/" thou meet thine Enemies OX or his ASS go- ing afiray^ Thou jhalt fur ely bring it back to him again. And this you may do, without having any intercourfe with thine Enemy. You may fend the Bead home to him, without feeing the Man. You may do an a(3: of kindnefs to the Brute, and yet avoid the dif- agreeable circumftance of a parley. But—. . 2. Suppofe you fhould fee the Beafl fallen down under his bur- then^ and the Mafter with him. The man is thine Enemy and hateth thee', and we will fuppofe too that you do not much love S 3 him 5 t 26a ] Mill ; tit leaftj thdt yoU have 4id, ydU will have no cotih^dioil at aU with him ; yoU will ftot ercn be feeq in his company ; iliuch lef^ ^ill you undertake any wc^k fp? him, 0t co-operate with him in ff ^ly rtfpc€ti Yet whit faith the Law to this ? —Jf Thou fee the ASS of hifh that HAtETH 7^^, lying tinder his Burihe»f and wouldfi forbear to help him\ Thm fhdh furely help tsoiih him, (Expd. xxiii. K.), The Law ihaketh not the leaft allowance in the duty of Mercy to an innocent Brute. The Bpaft IS in a ftate of painful fufFering \ he is faljen down, and requires inftant relief. All animofity apart, and no difpenfation granted, Thou art commanded to lend an help- ing hAnd to the man that hateth 5 ^??ee, [ 263 ] \ thee, how difagreeable foever the taik riiay be: and though you would forbear to help the man him"* felf out of difikulty, beCaufe he is thine enemy and haieth thee^ yet for the fake of the poor crea- ture, thou Jhalt furely help with him to lift him up. The ASS is jtot to bear his Matter's tranfgref- fion. The Beaft is innocent, though the mafter is guilty : and to refufe to the wretched bfute thy attention and afUftance, be- cauf^ the mafler hateth thee, is a weak, a crutl, and a mifplaced revenge. If any Brute^tben^be in diftrels, and we know it, and are able to relieve him, it is our Duty, and wc are coi^MAMDED to do it, vi^bether % ^ the [ 264 ] the Owner be known or unknown to us ; and whethei" he be our friend or our foe. And if we are required to (hew mercy to the Cattle of Strangers and Enemies, it is felf-evident that we ought tq abound in mercy to our own Cattle, whether Oxen, or Asses, or Horses, or any ather kind. Horses indeed are not mentioned ' in any of the foregoing precepts and examples, becaufe they were not in common ufe amongft the Jews, who plowed with Oxen, and rpde iand carried burthens upon Asses ; yet the rule of Equity ex» tends the Commandment to Ali* the Creatures intrufted to our care, and included under the ge- neral denomination of CATTLE, which we are neither to Muzzle, f *6S ] jior tb Overwork, nor to Over- i,oAD, nor to III Treat, nor in any wife to Neglect or Abuse, I cannot entirely qtiit this fubje ^ [ ^7' ] ^(limation, we cannot put it to any degree of pain without a via- iation of the Laws of Nature ; becaufe every living creature is the work (A the GOD of Nature^ » - , . * According to the divine Law-^ Mercy is a Duty of that univerM extent, that it will not be dii^ penfed with even in the accidental^ and yet not uncommon circiim- ftancc, of finding a BIRD's NEST. If a bird's NEST chanct to be before thee in the way in any trety cr on the ground^ whether they be Young Ones or Eggs, and the DAM Jitpng upon the Youngs or upon the Eggs '^ Thou p alt not take the DAM with the Youngs but thou fh alt in any wife let the DAM go ; *— That it may be well with Thee, * and t 272 J and that thou mayfi prolong thy Days. (Deut. xxii. 6.)* Were there DO other text throughout . the Bible, from which to prove the Duty of Mercy to Brute Aninials) but this only ; this alone is enough to reft it, upon. The Goodnefs and Condefcenfion of the great Creator in this feemingly trifling inftance of a BIRD's NEST is fo xemarkably difplaycd ; and our attention to the Law, and our comp^flion to the diftrefled Bird, is enforced with the promife of a blefling of fo extraordinary a kind, for fo fmall a fervice : that to re- fledl upon it at all, one would think it fufEcient to mollify the hardeft heart, and to confound the pride of the greateft man upon Earth. Indeed it is a precept fo ftriking. ilriking,. fa important, and {q abundant in Love?, that I cannot avoid repeating it over again : ^^1/ a BIRUs NEST chance to be be- fore thee in the way in any tree^ or on the ground^ whether they be Young Ones or Eggs^ and the DAM fitting upon the Toung^ or upon the Efggs ; Thou Jh alt not take the PAM niqifh , the Xoung \ but Thou /halt in atpi wife let the DAM go \ — that it may be well with thee^ and that thou mayfi prolong thy Days. I am forry there flaould be any \ oqcafion, (though when I con- ' jider the remifsnefs or many Pa- rents in not itiilru(5ling their Chil- (3ren in the duty of mercy to BIRDS, i find myfelf neceffitated) • * * ' ' Mi. K. ■ . * T to [ 274 ] to remind them, that the Blefiing annexed ia this Commandment to this inftance of compaflion to the Bird, is the very fame as the Bleffing fubjoined to the Fifth Commandment of the Decalogue, in which Parents are fo deeply in- terefted. Honour thy Father and thy Mother y faith the Law of Sinar, that thy Days may he LONG in the land (Exod. xx. 12) ; or, as it is more fully exprefled in the Repetition of the Law, — that THY Days may he prolonged, and that it may go well with THEE. (Deut. V. 16.) The words are fimilar to the words in the precept before us ; — TChou fhalt in any wife let the Dam go^ — that IT MAY BE WELL WITH THEE, and that Thou mayfi prolong ti^y Days. [ 27 S I Days. Length of Days^ attainable by all men, is in the right hand of Wisdom : Riches and Honor y which can be the portion of but a i&fiTy are only the ornaments of her LEFT hand*. But it is her right hand gift, the moft noble and venerable gift, which wifdom can beftow, that is promifed as. the reward ; of Reverence to Pa- rentSy and yet not deemed mif- plgced nor thrown away upon the Merciful and Compajftonate, Thoujbalt not tale the DAM with the Youngs fays the precept ; hut thou (halt in any wife let the DAM go. This may mean that, thou (halt take neither Dam nor Young, un- lefs you find the Nest upon the Ground, in which cafe the Young • Prov. iii. i6. T 2 Ones [ 276 3 Ones may be bruifed of hurt" by the fall, or trodden uhider foot; and then it is a kTndriefs to take them away, and difpatch' tlitfti. But^whether you take the Young Or f not, ^Tbou jhalt in any wife let the DAM fro. Thou flialt not add one afSi^tion to another. The tender mother is bereaved of her children, and is ncrt this forrow fufficient ? but wJlt thou cruelly deprive her of her liberty likewife, and of the plealiire or^oflibility of having other young in their ftead ? No. — Thou Jhalt im take the DAM with the Tdung', but thou Jhalt in any wife let the Dam go ; that it may he well with theey and that thou iHdyJi prolong thy days. Oh, that all Parents would duly and ferioufly refteft 5 "po^ { 277 1 \ipon this important precept, in which their own Honor as well as their children's Happineis is Co Hiqch at ftake ! ^he foolifh Mo- ...» • J • ther may think ilie is fecuring to herfelf the love and affediion of » - ■ ■ . her favorite child, when fhe is pleafing him with the fight of the BIRD fluttering in tfee CAGE; « and may affedtedly laugh at the impertinence and novel correftion of any one that attempts to re- prove her Folly pv convince her of her Miftake ; for like as a FAR- XRIDGE taken and kept in a (ZAGEyfohthe.Heartof the Proudy (Ecclus. %\. 30.) The proud heart of the ojptjj^r is as unwilling to bear reproof, as the partridge to be conftped in a cag?. But, for my own part, I think, that both the T 3 mother [ 278 ] mother and "the child are real ©Ij- jedls of pity : for the parent kno%vs not what (he is doing, and that fhe is teaching her child the rudi- ments of undutifulne(s to herfelf, and difhonor to The Family ; and as the Cage is full of BIRDS, fo is her Houfe full of Deceit, Jerem. V. 27. St. Paul obferves (Eph. vi. 2.) that the commandment, Honour THY Father and Mother ;x the FIRST commandment with promise. He thought the Promife of Profpe- rity and Length of Days was the beft fecurity to the obfervance of it. And furely the blefling can lofe nothing of its excellence, becaufe annexed to the Precept Let the Dam gOy which after the apoftle, I may [ 279 ] I may call the second command^ ment with promise. What GOD hath been pleafed to join together with the very fame promife, let not the folly or cruelty of man put afunder. Oh Mother ! think upon this golden chain of innumerable links of days of profperity ; for thy own, and thy child's fake, preferve it inviolable. If you truly love your child, inftrudt him in .the love of Mercy, and fear of God. The two commandments^ Honor thy Parents ^nd Let the Dam go^ are more clofely con- neded than you pethaps are wil- ling to fuppofe. But revolve, I pray you, in your mind, the cafe of fome family of your acquaint- ance, where the peace of it has been difturbed by the undutiful- T 4 nefs ( 2t6 ] nefs ahd dbftinftcyof the childrea j and r believe you will find, that the Parents have not a little con- tributed theretOj by not timely reftratning their children frdmafts of fportive Cruelty to BiRi>s and Insects. Poflibly they will hot acknowledge that this t^s the caufe of it. Few parents will confefs themfelves to have been iti the Wrong. The blaftie is gene- rally laid upon the pervcrfe difpo- iition of the children, when yet that very perverfenefs is frequently chargeable to the parent's account. The liiinds of children are natu- i-ally tender, and fufceptiblc of foft arid benevolent irapreflions ; "and if fome are of a rougher caft th^n others, they are ftill' capable of being inftrudted in their duty, and t 28, ] and reduced to orddr.'by the priii'^ ciples of Religion,* the fear of GOD, and truft in his Projnifesj On the ground of Religion, ^and of Nature, Paretits may lay a fore foundation of reveiiential honor and filial love to themfelves. But^ if you fuffer your child to Qom^ mit any ads of cruelty, you harden him again ft fear and every fc^ impreflion : you overthrow the foundation, and marr aU >the .ma^ terials of thy family ftru<9:urd, may gather them- felves together and rejoice in his adverjity*. But if there be fuch a thing as relative holinefs, or iF there be any two animals more . facred than others, I would fay they are this Bird of Repentance^ and the beforementioned Beast of Humility : or^ if there be any bar- barous fport that is a particular fcandal or difgrace to Chriflianityy I would fay it is Cock-throwing : but Woe be to them through whom the offence cometh "f. Yet it is by f Pfa. XXXV, 15. f Matt, xviii. ^. c thefe [ 287 ] thefe utireftrained pra£liees that the heart of youth is hardened; and from the wing of a Fly to the teat of a Cow, we may trace his procedure from one degree of cruelty to another, till at length Humanity itfelf muft bear the weight of his oppreflion and ty- ranny ; and regardlels of the cries of nature, or the ties of blood, he verifies the obfervation of the wife king of Ifrael, that. as He that is Merciful doeth good to his owA Sou/f fo He that « Cruel troubletb his own FLESH. Prov. xi. 17. Cruelty then^like other fins has its progrefs and ftages; but being the devil's Darling, it {lands at the head of the black catalogue of iins. It is the very fiiril fin that we [ 188 ] we read of in Scripture after the fall of man ; and ^ though the overt ads may be fupprefled, ' yet whilft it lurks in the heart, it lays the foundation of every adt of mifchief and injuflice. A man that violates nature by any aft of wanton cruelty, how trifling fb- evec the objed, can have no fear of GOD, no true principle of juftice or honor. He can neither iio juflly-i nor love mercy ^ nor walk humbly with GOD. Even in the fmallefl inftances of it, he difcOvers a malevolence of heart dangerous to Society. When Domitian was firft advanced to the Imperial Throne of Rome, he amufed himfelf in killing and tormenting of Flies. We might elfe wopder how it was. pofllble for. a inan to be be guilty of the barbarities, which he prae^ dient Prophet in Bethel *, fp long inuil this Lion retain his fierceneis as a terror and executioner or <>OD-s judgment; and ip long muft hi? fiercenefs be Aipportei^ and fed widi the ^vigof ating blood of the ilain. But tkefe SflEEP wkit }iavt they done ? Why (hould inno* pent CATTLE fuffer bccaufe of the fins of Men ? I anfwer, by a iimilar queftion ; Why fhou|d in- nocent Children fuffer for the fins pf wicked parents? When the Houfe is overthrown, the whole family muft perifh. For though GOD may fpare Nineveh for a while for the fake of the innocent f I Kings xiii. 24. Children V . . . X ; 1 t 297 ] CbilcJren and Cattle; yet if Ni-- peyeh will not repent, the inno^ fcent Cattle mud fall in the ger neral ruin, bi}t as guilt fefs as the innQceint Children which caftne^ 4ifc.€rn ketween their right band fifid their left hmd* Jongh* V^* I ?« Till wp are able to account why innocent Children ihould fuffer for the {ins of others, let it not be particularly alledged as an pbje^ion to the Mercy of GOD towards the Brutes, that the Brutes ihould fufFer likewife.. His Mercy ought no more to be called in queftion in th^ que caie, than in the other; nor tp a considerate mind will it bfc queftiqned ip either pafe. Fpr^ indeed, it can hardly be avoided in public diftre(s, but . % i t 298 3 but that the Children muft fom^ Way or other feel the effe6t of it ; and/or the fame reafon^we are not to wonder that the Brutes of humanity, who are conneded with us, and dependent upon us, and who live as it were under our roof, are many times unhappily involved in the calamities which befal Mankind, And^if this be ian Evil, to the fcore of finful Men be it charged ; and not to any wrath or difpleafure in GOD towards the innocent and unfin- ning Brutes, any more than to the innocent and unfinning Babes 5 for Shall not the yudge of all the Earth do right? Gen. xviii. 25, Be this then the general an- fwer to all objedions of this kind. I 299 ] kind. Yet fee the perverfenefs and unreafonablenefs of finful Men. We firft call down the Vengeance of Heaven, by pur fins, to confume us in his wrath, and then we arraign the Mercy of GOD, becaufe thofe that are con-^ ne^ed with us, perifli in the flame which our own follies have kin- dled. But if it be true, that the Innocent muft fufFer with the Guilty, it maketh Sin to be more exceeding finful ; and this con-^ fideration ought to make us more careful how we offend, becaule when we fall, we fall not alone, for in our fkirts is found the blood of the fouls of the poor, innocents * ; and we aggravate our own fins, by the miferies which we know ^ Jcrcm. ii. 34. the [ 300 ] the juft punifhment thereof mud bring upon others. And yet the Mercy of GOD towards the innocent may ibme- tinies be traced even in his judg- ments upon the wicked. For though the idea of Death may be terrible to the Living, yet, in it- felf, it hath no Sting but for the Sinner 'y nor hath the Law any Strength but for the Tranfgrejfor, In the hands of GOD alone are the iflues of Life and of Death, of Blefling and of Curfing ; and he knows beft how long he fliall continue to any creature the blcf- ^ iing of Life. But, when the day of the Lord is near^ or the 'voice of the day of the Lord, a day of wrath ^ a day of trouble and difirefsy a day of wafienefi [ 30* 1 wttfienefs and defalation ; when hi will bring dijirefs upon men^ — becaufe th^ have Jtnned againjl thehovLH ;— and when the whole land Jhall be devoured by the fire of his jea- loufy * ; it is in his Mercy that by the medium of inftant death, he taketh away the Innocent from the evil to come: or, if fbme In- nocents fhould be referved, to pro- craftinate the day of vengeance^ for a time (as in the cafe of Ni- neveh), and at laft to fall in the general wreck, to make the cala- mity the more exemplary and more affecting to others; yet, though they fall with the guilty, they fall not as the vidims of Vengeance. To the unfinning Beast, to the (potlefs Babe, and • Zrph. i, 14— 17. [ 302 *] to the righteous Man, Death ii no further an Evil, than as it is the Period of Life ; and when Life i would become a Burthen, Death I becomes a Bieding to all but to [the Sinner. Suppofe we now the day of diftrefs at hand, and the Blef-- fing of Death decreed. The un- : offending BRUTE muft die : and \ what matters it to him, whether f in the earthquake, or in a deluge, I or in a: flaughter-houfe ? The helpjefs CHILD muft die : for fhould it furvive the fall of its parents, it would, be expojfed to all the miferies of cold and fa-^ mine j ihe tgfigue of the fucking child would cleave to the roof of its mouth for thirji*y and the young children C 303: ] children would ajk breads and no man to break it unto them"^ r but God is pleafed to take them away s by the fudden point of the fword, not more painful* than the tedious cutting of the: teeth. The Righteous MAN too muft die, and be feemeth to die in pain : In the fight of the un- wife^ his^ departure is taken for mi- fery ; and his going away to be utter deft ruEi ion ; yet he is in\ peace : and though he may feem ; to be punifhed in the fight of men^ yet is his hope full of immortality i r and having been a little chafiifed^- he fhall be greatly rewarded. Wif-j dom iii. 2, 3, 4. ^ : ) • Lam. iv. 4. I * . \» tw^s Accord- [ 3H J • According to the foregoing (up* pofition, in the day of pubHc cala-< mity, the fame event of untimely death befalls the righteous Man, the helplefs Babe » and the unoiTend^ ingBitUTB* Now^if the Man and the Babe are not exempted) I pre-* fume there tt no occafion for me to endeavor to prove, that more favor ought to be ihewn to the innocent Brute> than to the innocent Man. If it is in his Mercy that GOD taketh away the Man ; it can be no impeachment of his Mercy that the Brute dieth likewife. But fup<« pofc it were in JVrath ; whatever evil may enfue, to the account of wicked men be placed all the difmal charge. For as the Goo O } of Nature is the God of Graces and as the fame GOD who was the Creatoi' i 3<>5 ] Creator of the 'world is the moral Governor of it, I am emboldened ta fay, on the principles of divine revelation, that Nature would never have groaned, if Man had not finned. Jf the Brutes then^fufFer through our fins, upon ourfelves be their mifery ; we are the occa- fion of it all : for^ wien the La7id mournethy and the herbs of every field, "Wither^ for the wickednefs of them that dwell therein^ the BEASTS and the BIRDS are confumed* Jerqm. xii. 4, See here the dire efFedl of Sin, The Land mourneth, the Herbs wither, the Brutes perifii; and v/hy? for the Wickedness of them that dwell in the Land. Say not then that GOD is unmerciful to ' ^ X the f h€f Br\34e* ; bfft % rathefj that the unmcf eifultiefs and cruelty is te Man, who provoketb tktf AU mighfy to Gurfe the land, which would otherwife produce food Suf- ficient for aU the irtnabitants there- of;- and what little is referv^d fot the B^A^r or the Bird, is detrour- ed b^ the Men through wh^m the calamity oonieth. la this manner tolght we in fome meafure account for the miferies which befal the iimo- cent. It is their misfortune to be con'ne^te'd with the guilty : but the general' Mercy of GOD to- wards all his creatures is no* more to be called in queftion for this, than the Juftic'e of a wife Legifla-. ture is to be arraigned, becaufe, 5 in i' [ 307 ] in the puiiifliment of a criminal, the effect of his crime may extend to his innocent family. The Law doth not pinip the innocent; but^if the inwocent fuffer for the guiltyy chafge that fuffering to th* account of the CrimdnaL KtA yet, after aft that has beeii faid, I iirmly beKeve, that no evil whkb the innocent Brutes laf^f ffdfn- tl^ bawd of GOD on the ac-^ Count of Mefi, fo in any refpcA cquat Co the paks ami laifems they- endure froili the Craehtes of Mem For God is mctcifbl even when provoked to Judgment, but Man is cruet without any provo- cation at alK Ljet Me foM, &ith Davids inta the hands of the LiORUy (for Ms Mercies are great ), and X 2 /«# [ 3o8 ] let me not fall into the harid of MAN, 2 Sam. xxiv. 14. When the wickednefs of Men was .{0 great in the earth,- that GOD was determined to dcftroy the whole race of mankind, (the jnclofed in the; Ark only, excepted,) His Mercy was confpicuous even in his Judgment. For the fake, of the few Men that were to be (av- ed, jt;feemed expedient that the Br c?tes fhould perifli ; for had they all been fpared, the difproportionof numbers between Men and Bruteis in the new world, would probably have occafioned various inconve- niencies. The multitude of the favage Beafts would have been a continual terror to the new race of. men, and the multitude of the 5 tamer [ 309. ] tamer kinJ would have been as ftraggling (heep without a fhep- hcrd. Born to die once,^ their term of life indeed was (hortened : but the manner of their death by ff^ateryWZSy upon the whole,. more eafy to many of them,; and more expeditious than if the tame brutes had been devoured by the; fierce, and the fierce had periflied by lingering Famine. Had it been by general Fire^ it would, have confumed the Pifhea of the Sea, as well as the Creatures of the Earth ; and it would have made a greater havock in th§ creation, than was neceflary to accompli fli the end propofed ; nor would the. Arl^ it- felf have been fpared. But as GOD was not angry with the Brutes, Water was the merciful X 3 expe- [ 3IO ] expedient to faire no hC& tluin to deftroy. iTfe fF'aters prevailed, and every Living SubftaiKre was de- frayed which was ufon the facfi ^ the ground^ both Man and Cattle, and the Creeping Things, and the Fowl of the heaven ; and\ they were deftroyed from the earth. Gen. vii. 23. r. But GOD remembered NOAH^ and Every LIVING THINQ^ end all the CATTLE that mas ^/) him in the Ark. (Gen. viiL i.). GOD REMEMBERED the BrUTES that w€r€ ftiut up, as well a6 the Men ; and made a wind to pafs over the Earthy and the Wat en ajfwaged. And the Lord fent forth his Spirit^ and renewed the face of the Earth^. He looked • Pfa. civ. 30. upon ■ • Upon tbe Deiblatiom, aad it feemed to have rejiented Aixmy that the Brutes had peri/iSaed ; and ith^t which had beea the MV $HALL PJS IN THE CLQI7> ; and I wUl loo^ upon it, that I oiay ref)2ej9:ibcr THE JEVERLASTINC COVENANT BETWEEN COO AND EVERY LIVING CREATUkS > • of sili flcfli* tliat is upon xhe Earth. And COD /aid ufUo Noab^ THIS '13 T«B T01{:EN Of TH« COVE^ANT^ WHICH I HAVE ESTABLISHED BETWEEN MB AND ALL FL£$« TIJAT tfll^lf THE EARTH. Gen. ix. 8—17* h 3^^ 3 Look upon the RAINBOW, afid pratfe him that made it * ; and, Let that beautiful and re^ fplendent Arch of Heaven be the vifible MEMORIAL of the Lord throughout all Generations, that HIS Mercv is over all his Works. ■ I preftime it is now unneceffary that I fhpuld add any more Argu- ments or Teftimonies to thofe :** • ' ■ * which have been already advanced and produced. For what ? Shall GOD establish his COVE- NANT, his EVERLASTING Cove- nant with EVERY LI VI N G CREATURE of the Fowl, of the Cattle, and of et^ery Beast of the Earth, as well as with Man } and fhall we defpife thofe Crea- * Ecclus. xliii. II. • . V tures, t 317 ] tures, which are nolcfs than Our-r ' ' ' /elves in Covenant with GOD? Shall GOD SPARE d wicked City for the fake of Beast, as well as Babe ? and fhall we abufe thofe Creatures, for whofe fake (per- haps) our City, and our Land is SPARED? Shall God difplay the riches of his Goodnefs in his CREATION of, and in his PRO- VIDENTIAL CARE over the Beasts of the Earth, and over the Fowls of the Air, and over the Fishes of the Sea, and over Every Living Creature that moveth upon the Earth, which his Wifdom and Goodnefs hath created and made? Shall he confirm the com- mon dicStates of Humanity and NATURAL Religion, by theexprefs Declarations of his holy Word, by ( i*8 3 by PROMISES, byTH-RBATEN- iUG^, by PRECEPTS, and by EXAMPLEa, rceorded iti Scrips tare for bur Learning ? Jliid Gasll any man d^re to fay or prefume to fuppofe thatGOl!) regandeth them flot ? N0, faith the Wifdotti •6f Solomon: Thau lo^veft all the Things that are, and abhor reft nothing ihat Thou haft made ; f(sr neoer wouldfl thou haiie madi Ort^ thhtg if thou hadfl hated it ; And ho'm. could any thing have endured^ if it had not been thy Wiflf Or Been preferved^ if not called by Thee. Wifd. xi. 24. Thy Power is the Beginning of Righteoufnefs ; and becaufe thou art the LORD of All, it maketh thee to he gracious unto All. Ch. xii. 16. As [ 3fi9 ] As I' have jKift now ^oted.^ Apocryphal Writing, I will . take up tAj Sottg of Praife wkE Ana- nias, ALARMS, a(nd. Mis A Eri,-*^ 57. n WHALES, and ALL that move in the Waters.^ Blefi T« tbi Ix^RD J Praife 1 OUT, Orthodoxy ; biit Crudtjr id. the worft of HfiRfestES. The Re- ligion of Chrift Jeftls originated in the Mercy of GOD; and it was the gracious defign of it to> proniote Peace to every creature UPON Earthy and to create a fpirit of univerfal Benevolence or Good-^ wUl m'^ Men. And as it hath pleafed GOD therein to difplay the riches of his own Goodnefs and Mercy towards Us; and the Reveakr of his blefled Will, the Author and Finiftier of our Faith, hath commanded us to be Merci-^ ful as our Father alfo is Merci- ful, the obligation upon Chrifti- ans becomes the ftroriger; and it is our bounden duty, in an efpecial * E n I yni Eipqvq, E N av^foiireis EucToKia.' Luke ii. 1 4. manner, t 323 ] jnanner, and above all other peo- ple, to extend the precept of Mer- ty to every objeft of it. For, iti^ deed, a Cruel Chriftiai> is a Mon- fter^f Ingratitude, a Scandal to hii Profeflion, and beareth the Name of Chpift* in vain: and in vain will he plead the Mercies of GOD in Chrift Jefus, rwhen he appqareth before the.GOD of iini- verfal. Nature. jf4s is the Majefiy x^fthe. Lo^D /a is :his Mefcy "^^^unto Merciful Men^ whofe Righteoufnefs Jhall not be forgotten^. But, as his Mency is great j fo is his CorreEiion alfo \ for he judgeth a Man accord^ ing tO- his Works %. Cruelty will debar Mercy even in the Father af Mercies J and cut ofFall Hope evea in the GOD of all Comfort. * Ec(?lus. ii. 18. -f xlivi lo, ;J xvi. 12. y 2 He [ 324 ] He that hath jbewed no Mert^^ pall have yudgment without Mervhether iptrufted to thy care, or coming in thy way, fuffer through thy negledt or abufe. Let no views of profit, no compliance with cuftom, and no fear of the ridi- cule of the world, ever tempt thep, to the leaft a<9: of Cruelty or In- juftice to any Creature whatfoever, But let this be your invariable Rule, every where, and at all times, to Do unto others as, in their condition, you would be PONE UNTQ. After this general Precept, all further Rules for thy condu6l are unnecef-r [ 3*6 i iinneceflary. I {hall therefore add no more than to exhort thee, to Bb ' Merciful as GOD is Mer- ciful ; to Be Merciful as you HOPE FOR Mercy ; and to receive with Reverence and Attention TifE BLESSING OF THE Lord Jesus ChrisTi — — BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL, FOR THEY SHALL OBTAIN MERCY. A i.;