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into the rivers, that run among the hills, to give drink to every beaft of the field, and that even the wild affes may quench their thirst. And fuitably to this, he directs us to be tender of even the meaner creatures, to fhew mercy to these alfo. Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn, (a cus、 tom which is observed in the Eastern countries, even to this day.) And this is by no means contradicted by St. Paul's queftion, Doth God take care for oxen? Without doubt, he does. We cannot deny it, without flatly contradicting his word. The plain meaning of the Apoftle is, Is this all that is implied in the text? Hath it not a farther meaning? Does it not teach us, We are to feed the bodies of those, whom we defire to feed our fouls? Mean time it is certain, God giveth grafs for the cattle, as well as herbs for the use of men.

2. But how are thefe Scriptures reconcileable to the prefent ftate of things? How are they confiftent with what we daily fee round about us, in every part of the creation? If the Creator and Father of every living thing, is rich in mercy towards all: if he does not overlook or defpife any of the works of his own hands: if he wills even the meanest of them to be happy, according to their degree; how comes it to pass, that such a complication of evils oppreffes, yea overwhelms them? How is it, that mifery of all kinds overspreads the face of the earth? This is a queftion which has puzzled the wifeft philofophers in all ages. And it cannot be answered, without having recourfe to the oracles of God. But taking these for our guide, we may enquire, I. What was the original state of the Brute Creation? II. In what state is it at prefent? And

III. In what state will it be, at the manifeftation of the children of God!

I. 1. We may enquire, in the first place, What was the original state of the Brute Creation? And may not we learn. this, even from the place which was affigned them, namely, the VOL. V.

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garden

garden of God? All the beafts of the field, and all the fowls of the air, were with Adam in Paradife. And there is no question, but their flate was fuited to their place: it was paradifiacal, perfectly happy. Undoubtedly it bore a near resemblance to the state of man himself. By taking therefore a short view of the one, we may conceive the other. Now man was made in the image of God. But God is a Spirit. So therefore was man. Only that spirit being defigned to dwell on earth, was lodged in an earthly tabernacle. As fuch, he had an innate principle of Self-motion. And fo, it seems, has every spirit in the universe; this being the proper diftinguishing difference between Spirit and Matter, which is totally, effentially paffive and inactive, as appears from a thousand experiments. He was, after the likeness of his Creator, endued with Underfanding, a capacity of apprehending whatever objects were brought before it, and of judging concerning them. He was endued with a Will, exerting itself in various Affections and Paffions: and laftly, with Liberty, or Freedom of Choice, without which all the reft would have been in vain, and he would have been no more capable of serving his Creator, than a piece of earth or marble. He would have been as incapable of Vice or Virtue, as any part of the inanimate creation. In thefe, in the power of Self-motion, Understanding, Will, and Liberty, the natural image of God confifted.

2. How far his power of Self-motion then extended, it is impoffible for us to determine. It is probable, that he had a far higher degree, both of fwiftnefs and ftrength, than any of his pofterity ever had, and much lefs any of the lower creatures. It is certain, he had such flrength of understanding, as no man ever fince had. His Understanding was perfect in its kind capable of apprehending all things clearly, and judg ing concerning them according to truth, without any mixture of error. His will had no wrong bias of any fort, but all his paflions and affections were regular, being fteadily and uniformly guided by the dictates of his unerring Understanding; em

bracing

bracing nothing but good, and every good in proportion to its degree of intrinfic goodness. His Liberty likewife was wholly guided by his Understanding: he chofe or refufed, according to its direction. Above all (which was his higheft excellence, far more valuable than all the reft put together) he was a creature capable of God, capable of knowing, loving, and obeying his Creator. And in fact, he did know God, did unfeignedly love, and uniformly obey him. This was the fupreme perfection of man, (as it is of all intelligent beings,) the continually seeing, and loving and obeying the Father of the fpirits of all flesh. From this right ftate, and right ufe of all his faculties, his happiness naturally flowed. In this the effence of his happiness confifted; but it was increased by all the things that were round about him. He faw with unspeakable pleasure, the order, the beauty, the harmony of all the creatures of all animated, all inanimate nature; the ferenity of the skies, the fun walking in brightness, the sweetly variegated clothing of the earth; the trees, the fruits, the flowers;

"And liquid lapfe of murmuring ftreams."

Nor was this pleasure interrupted by evil of any kind. It had no alloy of forrow or pain, whether of body or mind. For while he was innocent he was impaffive, incapable of suffering. Nothing could stain his purity of joy. And to crown all, he was immortal.

3. To this creature, endued with all these excellent faculties, thus qualified for his high charge, God faid, Have thou dominion over the fifh of the fea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth, Gen. i. 28. And fo the Pfalmift, Thou madeft him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou haft put all things under his. feet. All fheep and oxen, yea and the beafts of the field: the fowl of the air, and the fifh of the fea; and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the feas! Pfal. viii, ver. 6, &c. So that

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man was God's Vicegerent upon earth, the Prince and Go. vernor of this lower world; and all the bleflings of God flowed through him to the inferior creatures. Man was the channel of conveyance between his Creator, and the whole. brute creation.

4. But what bleffings were thofe that were then conveyed, through man, to the lower creatures? What was the original ftate of the brute creatures, when they were first created? This deferves a more attentive confideration, than has been úfually given it. It is certain thefe, as well as man, had an innate principle of Self-motion: and that at least in as high a degree as they enjoy it at this day. Again. They were endued with a degree of Understanding, not lefs than that they are poffeft of now. They had also a Will, including various paffions, which likewife they ftill enjoy. And they had Liberty, a power of Choice, a degree of which is ftill found in every living creature. Nor can we doubt, but their Underftanding too was in the beginning perfect in its kind. Their Paffions and Affections were regular, and their Choice always guided by their Understanding,

5. What then makes the barrier between men and brutes? The line which they cannot pafs? It was not Reason. Set afide that ambiguous term: exchange it for the plain word, Understanding and who can deny that brutes have this? We may as well deny that they have fight or hearing. But it is this: man is capable of God; the inferior creatures are not, We have no ground to believe, that they are in any de gree capable of knowing, loving, or obeying God. This is the specific difference between man and brute: the great gulph which they cannot pass over. And as a loving obedience to God was the perfection of Men, fo a loving obedience to man was the perfection of Brutes. And as long as they continued in this, they were happy after their kind; happy in the right ftate and the right ufe of their respective faculties. Yea, and fo long they had fome fhadowy re

femblance

femblance of even Moral Goodness. For they had gratitude to man for benefits received, and a reverence for him. They had likewife a kind of benevolence to each other, unmixt with any contrary temper. How beautiful many of them were, we may conjecture from that which fill remains: and that, not only in the nobleft creatures, but in those of the lowest order. And they were all furrounded not only with plenteous food, but with every thing that could give them pleasure pleasure unmixt with pain; for pain was not yet: it had not entered into paradife. And they too were immortal. For God made not Death; neither hath he pleafure in the death of any living.

6. How true then is that word, God Jaw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good. But how far is this from being the cafe? In what a condition is the whole lower world? To fay nothing of inanimate nature, wherein all the elements feem to be out of courfe, and by turns to fight against

Since man rebelled against his Maker; in what a ftate is all animated nature? Well might the Apoftle fay of this, The whole creation groaneth together, and travaileth together in pain until now. This directly refers to the brute creation. In what flate this is at present we are now to confider.

II. 1. As all the bleffings of God in paradife flowed thro' man to the inferior creatures: as man was the great channel of communication, between the Creator and the whole brute creation: fo when man made himself incapable of tranfmitting thofe bleffings, that communication was neceffarily cut off. The intercourfe between God and the inferior creatures being ftopped, those bleffings could no longer flow in upon them. And then it was that the creature, every creature was fubjected to vanity to forrow, to pain of every kind, to all manner of evils. Not indeed willingly; not by its own choice; not by any act or deed of its own: but by reafon of him that fubjected it; by the wife permiffion of God, determining to draw eternal Good, out of this temporary evil,

2. But

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