A Righteous Man, faith Solomon (Prov. xii. 10.) regardeth the LIFE of his BEAST: But the tender Mercies of the Wicked are cruel. By Life is fometimes to be understood * Defire, or Happinefs; for what is Life without Happiness? Happiness is the Salt of Life, and in the proverb now before us is included in the word Life, as appears from the Antithefis—that the tender Mercies of the wicked are cruel; or (as it is in the Hebrew and in the Margin of our Bible) the Bowels of the wicked are cruel. Now as cruelty and wickedness in the laft fentence, are put in oppofition to Life and Righteousness in the for

* Defire. So is the Hebrew word NPSh tranflated in Ecclef. vi. 9.

mer fentence, it is plain that by Life must be meant kind and tender Ufage, as contrafted to hardheartedness and cruelty.

The above proverb is of general use to distinguish a righteous man from a wicked man. It is fo plain that it hardly needs a comment; and it is fo well known, that it is frequently used and applied to the correction of Cruelty by many perfons, who confider not that, in the application of it, they accuse themselves of Unrighteousness. For though it confifts but of two parts in the letter, in fpirit it defcribes three characters, viz. a righteous man, an unrighteous man, and a wicked man. As to the latter part of

the

the proverb, the character is fo difcernible, that all further enquiries are needlefs. If I know that a man is cruel to his Beaft, I afk no more questions about him. He may be a noble man, or a rich man, or a polite man, or a fenfible 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 UNRIGHTEOUS man. And under this character I am afraid we may clafs thousands

thousands and ten thousands, who would on no account commit an act of cruelty. A RIGHTEOUS man is one that regardeth, and always keeps his eye on the rule of right; and whom no cuftom, or com pliance, or fear of ridicule can ever pervert from his duty in matter of right. The RIGHTEOUS fheweth mercy, faith David (Psa. xxxvii. 21): he doth not cloak it up in his breaft, or fmother it in helplefs pity, but he beweth it; he attends to its calls, and brings it forth into action. Again, (ver. 26.) The RIGHTEOUS is ever merciful, (in the Hebrew, all the day mer ciful) full of mercy at all times, and on all occafions, and to every object of it, whether man or brute.

Every Act of Cruelty is Wickednefs. But, cruelty apart, the Neg left of Mercy is UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. A man may be very tender and full of pity, and yet be Unmerciful, or not shew mercy. If our Beast fuffers through our Difregard or inattention to him, we cannot be faid to be ever or always merciful, and we do not fulfil our duty towards him; for it is the part of a Righteous man to fhew mercy as well as to profess it; and without this, our pretenfion of mercy is like the unworking faith, and the unprofitable charity defcribed by St. James (ch. ii. 15, 16). We may fin by Omiffion as well as Commiffion; and though we be not cruel to him unto

wicked