eth him not, he is not a Righteous man; that is, he is an Unrighteous

man.

And as Unrighteoufnels is

a footstep to Cruelty; well might DAVID clafs wickedness, unrighteousness, and cruelty together in one and the fame DeprecationDeliver me, O my GOD, out of the hand of the WICKED, out of the hand of the UNRIGHTEOUS and CRUEL Man. Pfa. lxxi. 4.

I have hitherto confined myself to those particular paffages in Scripture, which contain and enjoin our duties towards the CATTLE, that are more efpecially under our OWN care, in the articles of Food, Reft, Forbearance, and Tender Ufage; becaufe in fome of these inftances we are very apt to of

fend,

fend. And here we cannot but admire the wisdom and goodness of GOD, who, in his mercy to the brutes, has given us Rules for our conduct towards them, in ALL thefe inftances; and has been gracioufly pleased to tranfcribe them from the Old into the New Teftament, to teach us that Mercy to the Cattle is a virtue as indifpenfably requifite under the Gospel of Chrift, as under the Law of Mofes. Examine yourself then by these rules and precepts of mercy, and apply these cases to your own conduct, 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 treadeth out your Corn: When

you

you overwork him, or give him not his proper Reft; you do not REMEMBER the SABBATH to keep it, according to the intent of the Commandment : -When you abuse, or unequally yoke him, or put him to a work, which he is incapable of performing; you may be faid to PLOW with an OX and an ASS together :-When you regard him not; you are an UNRIGHTEOUS man:-When you are cruel to him; you are a WICKED man : and, When you beat him for ftumbling or ftarting, or suffer your paffion of anger to be excited by his untowardness or ftupidity; you partake in the SIN OF BALAAM, and your way is PERVERSE before GOD. In all, or any of these, or any other inftances of cruelty, you forfeit

the

the name of a Righteous Man, whose distinguishing character is this, that be regardeth the life and happiness of his BEAST; you know not the righteousness of the Lord; you confider not what is GOOD, nor what it is that he requireth of thee; and, in fhort, you neither

DO JUSTLY, nor LOVE MERCY, nor

WALK HUMBLY before thy God.

THUS far we have confidered the Duties, particularly enjoined in holy Scripture with regard to our own CATTLE. But let it not be inferred from hence, that Mercy is a limited Virtue: Cases may and often do occur, in which the exercise of it is to be practifed and extended beyond our own Province. To neglect, or abuse,

3

or

or ill treat our own Cattle, is cruelty of a heinous nature; because They have a right to our Care and Tenderness: and if any man PROVIDES not for HIS OWN, and efpecially for those of his own houfe, he hath denied the Faith, and is worse than an Infidel. But our Mercy and Regard is not to reft there. It is further our duty to be always ready to relieve and fuccour the Miferable, 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 Assistance. For in the Law of Moses we find it thus written ;

Thou shalt not fee thy Brother's OX or his SHEEP go ASTRAY,

and