Plea for mercy to animals / by James Macauley.

  • Macaulay, James, 1817-1902.
Date:
[1875]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Plea for mercy to animals / by James Macauley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    lower animals declared, that in the covenant with Noah they are specially mentioned ; and in the institution of the Sabbath they are to share the advantage of the day of rest from toil and labour. “ Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed ” (Exod. xxiii. 12; Deut. v. 14). Other passages might be cited, as where harmless cattle are mentioned along with innocent children, as being regarded by the Almighty when He averted His judgments from guilty Nineveh. “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand ; and also much cattle ? ” (Jonah iv. 11). Enough has been said to prove that kindness to animals is a duty enjoined by the precepts of the Bible. And besides these direct precepts, we find some of the most touching representa- tions of the interest God takes in our welfare, and of His love to mankind, given under the figure of the kindness due on our parts to the lower animals. The love of the Saviour of the world is denoted by that of a tender and good shepherd : “ He shall feed His flock like a shepherd : He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young ” (Isa. xl. 11 ; John x. 11). It is true that God has given to man “ dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth” (Gen. i. 26; ix. 1-3). But the dominion thus conferred is not absolute. It is limited by the eternal obligations of justice and mercy, even in matters not included in special precepts of the Scriptures. It is also to