from him. For as SABBATH was ordained for beast as well as man, though the beast is not capable of keeping the fabbath as a day of San&tification, he hath by the command of God a right to a Sabbath as a day of Reft and Blessing,

And as GOD in his goodness hath appointed a Sabbath or day of REST for the Cattle, and hath thereby inftructed us in the duty of Mercy towards them; it neceffarily follows, that we ought not on any day of the week to overwork them, or lay too hard burthens upon them. For as the end of the commandment is Charity, and founded upon mercy; every inftance of unmercifulness is a tranfgreffion, though not of the letter,

letter, yet of the intent and extent of this commandment.

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Therefore if a man were to obferve and keep the legal or eftablished fabbath ever so scrupuloufly, (neither doing any work himself, nor suffering any of his children, fervants, or cattle to do any manner of work on that day,) and yet on the other days of the week put them to work above their ftrength, or keep them too long to work without allowing them fufficient Reft, I would not. scruple to pronounce that man to be a daily Sabbath breaker: because he daily tranfgreffes that general Law of Mercy, to promote which a Sabbath was principally inftituted. Nor will the pretence that a working day is not the Sabbath

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bath Day juftify an act of unmercifulness, any more than it will justify an act of unboliness; unless it can be fhewn that holinefs and mercy, because particularly enjoined on the feventh day, are fo limited to the feventh day, that for fix days following a man has leave to be as profane and as cruel as he pleases. With GOD all days are alike, as to the effential duties of religion and morality. Holiness and Mercy are the duties of every day: and he that faid unto Ifrael (Ifa. i. 15.), ' that even the • SABBATHS were an abomina'tion unto him, and that when they "Spread forth their hands he would hide his face from them, and when they made many prayers he would not hear them, Because

• their

* their hands were full of Blood and ← cruelty,' hath given us thereby to understand, that he will as foon dispense with the Devotion of the Sabbath, as with the Mercy of it. Holiness and Mercy are enjoined in one and the fame commandment of Sabbath, but with this difference according to the interpretation of Chrift and Hofea, (Matt. ix. 13. Hof. vi. 6.) that GOD preferreth mercy to facrifice. And as Man and Beaft are both included in the fame commandment 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 prove that GOD careth for the Cattle,

Cattle, by the rules he has prefcribed for our conduct towards them, in the articles of FOOD and REST. But this is not all. For

III. They have a further claim upon us of REGARD to their Happiness, and TENDERNESS in the Ufage of Them. The Goodnefs and Providence of GOD refpect not only the Being, but the Well-being of his Creatures; not only their neceffary Wants, and what is abfolutely their Demand on the principles of ftrict Juftice, but alfo their Eafe and Comfort, and what they have a reasonablę and equitable Claim to, on the principles of Mercy and Compaffion.

A Righ