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Animal Rights History Timeline » [1450-1660] Renaissance » Robert Bolton

Robert Bolton

General Directions for a Comfortable Walking with God

[1625] Robert Bolton, Some Generall Directions for a Comfortable Walking with God; Delivered in the Lecture at Kettering (1625)

[1660] Edmund Ellis, "That Man of God, Mr. Bolton," in The Opinion of Mr. Perkins, and Mr. Bolton, and Others, Concerning the Sport of Cock-Fighting, Published Formerly in their Works, and Now Set Forth to Shew, That It Is Not Recreation Meet for Christians, Though so Commonly Used by Those Who Own that Name, in The Harleian Miscellany: and Entertaining Pamphlets and Tracts,…Interspersed with Historical, Political and Critical Annotations edited by William Oldyns (London, 1810; Google Books Online Library of Free eBooks).

That man of God, Mr. Bolton, was of the same mind with Mr. Perkins, concerning such sports: 'Consider,' says he (in his excellent treatise, intituled, General Directions for a Comfortable Walking with God, p. 156) 'that rule which divines give about recreations: We must not make God's judgments and punishments, wither upon man or beast, the matter and object of them. Now, the best divines hold, that enmity amongst themselves was a fruit of our rebellion against God, and more general judgment inflicted upon the creature after the fall. Which misery coming upon them by our means, should rather break our hearts, and make them bleed, than minister matter of glorying in our shame and vexing those very vexations which our impiety hath put upon them. Alas, sinful man! what an heart hast thou, that canst take delight in the cruel tormenting of a dumb creature? Is it not too much for thee to behold, with dry eyes, that which only thy sin hath impressed upon it, but that thou must barbarously also press its oppressions, and make thyself merry with the bleeding miseries of that poor harmless thing, which in its kind is much more, and far better serviceable to the Creator than thyself? Yet I deny not, but that there may be another lawful use of this antipathy, for the destroying of the hurtful, and the enjoying of useful creatures; so that it be without any taint or aspersion of cruelty on our parts, or needless tormenting of the silly beasts.'—Edmund Ellis, The Opinion of Mr. Perkins, and Mr. Bolton, and Others, Cocerning the Sport of Cock-Fighting