comes an indifpenfable duty on the part of Men, in conformity to the divine Goodnefs, to be Merciful to them likewife; elfe we limit the extent of this divine and important commandment, and are NOT merciful as our Father is Merciful. But let it be further noted, that the heavenly pattern and precept of Mercy is moreover ftrengthened and secured with the Bleffing and Promise of Mercy. BLESSED are the MERCIFUL, faith JESUS, the Son of THE BLESSED, for They shall obtain MERCY, (Matt. v. 7.). And fimilar hereunto was the Exhortation of JESUS the Son of SIRACH-Make way for every work of MERCY; for every Man fball find according to his Works. (Ecclus. xvi. 14.). The obvious meaning

meaning of both these sentences is the fame :- Be Thou Merciful, and GOD will be Merciful unto Thee: -Be thou Cruel, and GOD will requite thy Cruelty according to its work.

To be Merciful as our Father is Merciful, and, To make way for every work of Mercy, neceffarily imply that it is our duty to extend or fhew mercy to every object of it. No Creature is fo infignificant, but whilft it has LIFE, it has a Right to Happinefs. To deprive it of Happiness is Injuftice; and to put it to unnecessary Pain is Cruelty. It is very unreasonable therefore, if not foolish in men, to estimate the degree of the fin of cruelty to any creature

by

by the value we set upon the creature itself; or to suppose that difference of fize, or difference of beauty, are foundations of real difference as to the feelings of Brutes. A Fly has feeling as well as an Ox; and a Toad has as much right to happiness as a Canary Bird: for the fame GOD made the Ox, and the Fly, and the Toad, and the Bird. It is true, we have an averfion to fome creatures, and we are better affected towards fome than to others: but we ought not to put any of them to pain, if we can avoid it; for Cruelty to a Brute is odious and abominable, whether it be to a Beaft, or a Bird, or a Fish, or a Worm. Be the creature never fo infignificant in our eftima

eftimation, we cannot put it to any degree of pain without a violation of the Laws of Nature; because every living creature is the work of the GOD of Nature.

According to the divine Law, MERCY is a Duty of that univerfal extent, that it will not be difpensed with even in the accidental, and yet not uncommon circumftance, of finding a BIRD's NEST. If a BIRD's NEST chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be Young Ones or Eggs, and the DAM fitting upon the Young, or upon the Eggs; Thou shalt not take the DAM with the Young, but thou shalt in any wife let the DAM go;-That it may be well with Thee,

and

and that Thou mayst prolong thy Days. (Deut. xxii. 6.). Were there no other text throughout the Bible, from which to prove the Duty of Mercy to Brute Animals, but this only; this alone is enough to reft it upon. The Goodness and Condefcenfion of the great Creator in this feemingly trifling inftance of a BIRD's NEST is fo remarkably displayed; and our attention to the Law, and our compaffion to the diftreffed Bird, is enforced with the promise of a bleffing of fo extraordinary a kind, for fo fmall a fervice; that to reflect upon it at all, one would think it fufficient to mollify the hardest heart, and to confound the pride of the greatest man upon Earth. Indeed it is a precept fo ftriking,