with mans Defirt aion clination in God of communicating that good which is in himCclf to his creatures, as farce as he can without wrong- inghis Jake : And therefore if God be ( as the Scripture reporteth him ) good to all , it cannot be that he fhould of himfelf without any motive in the reafonable creature pro- vide for it from everlafiing the greateft of all miferies, and that before he thought of making it er beftoyving anygood at all upon ir. It is furtherobjefted, (H) That we do and may ílaùgh- ter our beafts for our daily ufe without any cruelty or in- reek be juftice; and therefore God may as well, nay much more, ap- Pned. PaZ° point as many of us as he pleafeth to the tormentsof hell for his glory,and yet be juft and good notvvithfianding : for there is a greater difproportion between God and us then be- tviceen us and beafts. For anfvver to this we are fiat to premife thus much, rinfyr, I. namely, That our flaughtcring of our beafts for our daily ufe, is by Gods ordinance and appointment : We hadnot this au- thority of our (elves, but God of his bounty towards us gave it us, as we may fee Gen. 9. a, 3, where we may obferve, Firft, that God delivereth upall creatures, beafts,birds,and fillies, into the hands of men; Secondly, that the end why he doth fo, is, that they might be meat for men, and conte. quently that theymight be flair. Whichbeing fo, our flaugh- teringof oxen, fheep and other creatures for our dailyufe, is to be accounted Gods doing rather thenours. And therefore the objeftion fhould have been made thus; Godmaywithout any breachof goodneffe or juflice appoint brute creatures to be 'lain for mans ufe, therefore he,may ordain mcn tobe caft into helltorments for ever for hisownufe, that is for the de- clarationof his fovereignty, &c. This being premifed, I anfvver further, That this compa- rifon holdethnot : For there is littleproportion between the Objefts compared, and leffe between the Aas. z. There is but (mall proportion between the objefts, Beath and Men, creatures of a different nature and made for a different end. Beafis are void of reafon and liberty in their a&ions, creatures whole beings vanifh with their breath, made onely for the ufe and fervìce of men upon earth : Bue Men are reafonable andunderfiandingcreatures,ablethrough the Creatours bounty to difcernbetween good and evil, and according to their firft principles to choofe the good and fore fake the evil; they are the cry image of Gods puritie d etcrrita an , 77
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