by PROMISES, by THREATENINGS, by PRECEPTS, and by EXAMPLES, recorded in Scripture for our Learning? and fhall any man dare to say or prefume to fuppofe that GOD regardeth them not? NO, faith the Wisdom of Solomon: Thou loveft all the Things that are, and abborreft nothing that Thou haft made; for never wouldst thou have made any thing if thou hadst hated it; And how. could any thing have endured, if it had not been thy Will? Or been preferved, if not called by Thee. Wifd. xi. 24. Thy Power is the Beginning of Righteousness; and becaufe thou art the LORD of ALL, it maketh thee to be GRACIOUS unto ALL. Ch. xii. 16.

As

As I have juft now quoted an Apocryphal Writing, I will take up my Song of Praife with ANANIAS, AZARIAS, and MISAEL

57. O Ye WHALES, and ALL that move in the Waters, Bless Ye the LORD; Praife and exalt him above all for ever.

58. O all Ye FOWLS of the Air, Blefs Ye the LORD; Praife. and exalt him above all for ever.

59. O all Ye BEASTS and CATTLE; Bless Ye the LORD; Praife and exalt him above all for

ever.

60. 0 Ye Children of Men, Bless Ye the LORD; Praife and exalt him above all for ever.

65. O Te Holy and Humble Men of heart, Blefs Ye the LORD; Praise

Praise and exalt him above all for

ever.

67. O Give Thanks unto the LORD, because he is Gracious; for his MERCY endureth for ever.

AND now upon a candid Review of the numerous Paffages of holy Scripture, which I have collected into this treatise, and on fome of which I have enlarged, (not with any defign to fatigue or mislead my reader, but only to imprint them the more deeply in his mind), give me leave to ask if it is poffible, that any man, who acknowledges the authority of the facred Writings, and duly confiders the gracious and merciful intent and force of these paffages, can be

infenfible either of the GOODNESS OF GOD, or of the DUTY OF MERCY, or the SIN OF CRUELTY, towards the Brute Animals. To me, I freely own, they appear so strong and irrefiftible, that I cannot but think that he who profeffes to be a Christian, and yet is negligent as to this important duty of MERCY, must be either very ignorant of the genuine Principles of the Gofpel, which is the utmost perfection of the Law, or must have an heart hardened to an uncommon degree.

LIGION

We may pretend to what REwe please, but Cruelty is ATHEISM. We may make our boaft of CHRISTIANITY; but Cruelty is INFIDELITY. We may truft to Y

Our

Our ORTHODOXY; but Cruelty is the worst of HERESTES. The Religion of Chrift Jefus originated in the MERCY of GOD; and it was the gracious defign of it to promote Peace to every creature UPON Earth, and to create a spirit of univerfal Benevolence or Goodwill IN* Men. And as it hath pleafed GOD therein to display the riches of his own Goodness and Mercy towards Us; and the Revealer of his bleffed Will, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, hath commanded us to be Merciful as our FATHER alfo is Merciful, the obligation upon Chriftians becomes the stronger; and it is our bounden duty, in an especial

* ΕΠΙ γης Ειρηνη, ΕΝ ανθρωποις Ευδοκια. Luke ii. 14.

manner,