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Animal Rights History Timeline » [1785-1837] Romantic Age » Rev. John Hill

John Hill

Sermon on Cruelty to Animals

A Scriptural and Moral Catechism, Abraham Smith

Abraham Smith, "A Sermon on Cruelty to Animals in 1833 by The Rev. John Hill," in A Scriptural and Moral Catechism, Designed to Inculcate the Love and Practice of Mercy, and to Expose the Exceeding Sinfulness of Cruelty to the Dumb Creation: To Which is Added an Address to the Ministers, Parents and Instructors of Youth and Christians in General(1833; London, 1839; Google Books: Online Library of Free eBooks.

On Sunday, Nov. 4, 1833, the Rev. John Hill, Minister of the Independent Chapel, Gornal, in the parish of Sedgley, preached a sermon to his congregation on cruelty to animals, particularly bull-baiting: he also appointed the children belonging to the school to meet him in the chapel the day following. A considerable number of adults assembled with the children, and I also had the pleasure of attending with them. After signing and prayer, Mr. Hill very tenderly and affectionately addressed them upon the exceeding sinfulness of cruelty, and with a fearlessness highly becoming a Christian minister and a man, he held up to their abhorrence the disgraceful conduct of certain individuals who he named, promoters of bull-baiting (the horrid sounds which might be heard in the chapel. On the Sunday following he examined the children to ascertain what success had attended his labours; when to his great encouragement he found, that out of upwards of one hundred children, only one child had attended the bull-baiting! The delinquent, upon being reprimanded by Mr. Hill, in the presence of the whole school, wept and seemed to be sensible of his improper conduct. Mr. Hill had selected several portions of the first edition of this work, and appointed them to be read to the children by their teacher, during the week previous to the wake. Surely such labours cannot be in vain! May every minister do likewise! (17)