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The Camels, though faint and fatigued, might not have perished, if the men had eaten and refreshed themselves before notice taken of the Cattle. But Compaffion urged him to take the firft care of those Creatures, who could not take care of themselves; he had regard to their happiness. Rebecca had given drink to ALL the Camels; and the next business was to ungird and relieve them from their burthens; and then to give them provender to eat, and straw to lie down and reft themfelves upon; Therefore he ungirded the Camels, and gave straw and provender for the Camels, before any refreshment was offered to the Men. The neceffities of the cattle engaged his first attention;

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and the more fpeedy the relief, the more confpicuous was the humanity of it. Suffer not the beast then, that has carried you or your baggage, and for your fake has

borne the burthen and heat of the day, to wait long for his neceffary refreshment, but allow it him in good time. For his daily labor give him his daily wages, and refresh him as oft and as foon as he is weary.

Mofes gives this Law with regard to Day Servants (Lev. xix. 13.) Thou shalt not defraud thy Neighbour neither rob him; the Wages of him that is hired, fhall not abide with thee all night until the morning and again (Deut. xxiv. 15.) At his Day thou shalt

give him his Hire, neither shall the fun go down upon it, for he is poor and fetteth his heart upon it; left he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be fin unto thee. To withhold daily wages from them to whom it is daily due, who want it, and set their heart upon it, is in the account of Mofes a Fraud, a Robbery, a Sin, and a crying And St. James denounces the judgments of GOD against those that defraud the laborer of his hire: (Ch. v. 1-4.) Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miferies, that shall come upon you. Behold, the Hire of the Laborers, which have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them, which have reaped,

Sin.

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are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Now, if it is a fraud, a robbery, a fin, and a crying fin to withhold and keep back the wages of the Hireling; it must be a fin to withhold and keep back food and refreshment, which is the hire and wages of the Cattle; for they both alike want it, and set their hearts upon it. The reafon and rule of justice is the fame in both cafes. The Ox that draws the plow, is as neceffary a Servant as the Laborer who guides it; and they have equally a claim to indulgence and tendernefs. The fame Law provides for both. The cries of the defrauded Beaft, as well as of the defrauded Laborer will enter into the ears of the Lord of Hofts; for He that faid,

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faid, Defraud not the LABORER, faid alfo, Muzzle not the OX.

St. PAUL was fo fenfible of the close connexion of these two important Precepts, enjoined by the fame Authority, and grounded upon the fame Principle of Juftice and Humanity, that (in his firft Epiftle to Timothy) he claffes them together in such a manner, that it is plain he understood them both to be of equal weight and obligation, and he quotes them both as texts of holy Scripture: (1 Tim. v. 18.) The Scripture faith, Thou shalt not MUZZLE the OX, that treadeth out the corn; And, the LABORER is worthy of bis reward. The former precept the Apostle likewise quotes in his

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