Humanity Against Cruelty to Animals in Historical Literature, Timeline of Animal Rights History

Animal Rights History »»James Foster

1732 | Sermons

Of the Image of God in Man;
or the Excellency of Human Nature

Cruelty, even to brute creatures, is a certain sign of a very base and degenerate mind.…Tis our duty to excercise our dominion over brute animals with lenity, moderation and mercy: For by unnecessary severities and cruelties towards them, we manifest a barbarous and savage temper of mind, and consequently that we have lost those sentiments of goodness and pity, which are our most glorious resemblance of the great Creator; and act contrary to those excellent rules, which he himself adheres to in the government of the universe. And I can't help observing upon this occasion, that our treatment of brute creatures, who, in respect of their many services to mankind, as well as from the regard to to our common Creator, have a claim to much better usage from us, must be matter of great uneasiness to persons of benevolent and generous dispositon; not only upon the account of the misery which they endure, but because the barbarous instruments of their misery are so far from having that merciful temper, which the Christian religion recommends, and they seem, almost, to have fogot common humanity. (James Foster, Sermons [1732], "Of the Image of God in Man; or the Excellency of Human Nature")

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1732 | James Foster, "Of the Image of God in Man; or the Excellency of Human Nature," Sermon 4 in Vol. 1 of Sermons [First Edition: London, 1732] 4th ed. (London, 1745; Digitized by Google, 2007).

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