trinfic Merit, for being fuch as they are; for before they were created, it was impoffible that either of them could deferve; and at their creation, their fhapes, perfections, or defects were invariably fixed, and their bounds fet which they cannot pafs. And being fuch, neither more nor less than GOD made them, there is no more demerit in a beaft's be ing a beaft, than there is merit in a man's being a'man; that is, there is neither merit nor demerit in either of them. A Brute is an animal no lefs fenfible of pain than a Man. He has fimilar nerves and organs of fenfation; and his cries and groans, in case of violent impreffions upon his his body, though he cannot utter his complaints by speech or human voice, are as ftrong indications to us of his fenfibility of pain, as the cries and groans of a human being, whose language we do not understand. Now as pain is what we are all averfe to, our own fenfibility of pain fhould teach us tocommiferate it in others, to al→ leviate it if poffible, but never wantonly or unmeritedly to inflict it. As the differences amongst men in the above particulars are no barts to their feelings, fo neither does the difference of the Shape of a brute from that of a man exempt the brute from feeling; at leaft, we have no ground to fuppofe it. But shape or figure is as much the appointment of GOD, GOD, as complexion or ftature. plexion or ftature does not convey to one man a right to defpife and abuse another man, the difference of shape between a man and a brute, cannot give to a man any right to abuse and torment a brute. For he that made man and man to differ in complexion or ftature, made man and brute to differ in shape or figure. And in this cafe likewife there is neither merit nor demerit; every creature, whether man or brute, bearing that shape which the fupreme Wisdom judged most expedient to answer the end for which the creature was ordained. With With regard to the Modifica tion of the mass of matter of which an animal is formed, it is accidental as to the creature itself; I mean, it was not in the power or will of the creature to choose, whether it should fuftain the fhape of a brute, or of a man: and yet, whether it be of one fhape, or of the other; or, whether it be inhabited or animated by the * foul of a brute or the foul of a man; the substance or matter, of which the creature is compofed, would be equally fufceptible of feeling. It is folely owing to the good * * It is of no confequence, as to the cafe now before us, whether the SOUL is, as fome think, only a Power, which cannot exist without the Body; or, as is generally fuppofed, a Spiritual Subftance, that can exift, diftinct and feparate from the body. Pleasure Pleasure of GOD, that We are created Men; or animals in the Shape of men. For, He that* formed Man of the duft of the ground, and breathed into his noftrils the breath of life that he might become a living foul and endued with the sense of feeling, could, if he had fo pleased, by the fame plastic power, have caft the very fame duft into the mould of a Beast; which, being animated by the life-giving breath. of its Maker, would have become + a living foul in that form; and, in that form, would have been as susceptible of pain, as in the form of a Man. And if, in brutal shape, We had been endued with the fame degree of reason * Gen. ii. 7. Gen. i. 30. in the margin. C and |