The Creatures Goodness, Title page – Dedication
THE Creatures Goodneſs, As they came out of God's Hands, AND THE GOOD MANS MERCY TO THE BRUTE CREATURES, Which God hath put under his Feet.
IN TWO SERMONS, The firſt Preached before the Univerſity of Oxford, The ſecond at the Lecture at Brackley.
By Thomas Hodges, B. D. late Rector of Souldern in OXFORDSHIRE.
London, Printed for Tho. Parkhurſt at the Bible and three Crowns in Cheapſide, 1675.
To the much Honoured RICHARD WINWOOD, Eſq
SIR,
I Here humbly preſent to you, and under your Name and Patronage publiſh to the World two Sermons, the one concerning the primitive Goodneſs of the Creatures as they firſt came out of God's hand; the other, of the righteous Man's goodneſs, kindneſs, and mercy to the Creatures, which God hath put into his hand, or under his feet. If any queſtion me for preaching on the firſt Subject, ſaying, wherefore is this loſs? My anſwer is, that God himſelf,Pſal. 8. who is infinitely wiſe, did preach on the Creatures goodneſs and excellency unto Job, and thereby brought him on his knees,See Job. Ch. 38, 39, 40, 41. even to abhor himſelf in duſt and aſhes. That Solomon, the wiſeſt of Men ſince Adam, ſhewed his Wiſdom not in Metaphyſical Speculations or Notions, not in Logical Sophiſms or Terms of Art, not in Philological Criticiſms: But in that he ſpake of Trees, from the Cedar-tree that is in Libanon unto the Hyſſop that ſpringeth out of the Wall; he ſpake alſo of Beaſts, and of Fowls,1 Kings. 4.33. &c. and of creeping Things, and of Fiſhes. And I have heard of Mr. Wheatly of Banbury, an eloquent and a famous Preacher, that he made a whole Sermon in commendation of a Horſe. And truly where God gives a Text, and preaches on it himſelf, his Ministers have a ſufficient warrant to make a Sermon. As for my choice of the ſubject of the ſecond Sermon and my Diſcourſe thereon; my apology is, if it need one, that it hath often grieved my Soul, to ſee how the poor bruit Beaſts have been uſed, or abuſed rather, by their inhumane, mercileſs, abſurd, & unreaſonable cruel Maſters, who having no underſtanding became worſe than the Beaſt that periſheth. And I would, if it was poſſible, put a ſtop to the rage of brutiſh Men, and however hear teſtimony to the truth, namely, that 'tis a good Character of a good Man to be merciful to his Beaſt.
As for this Addreſs to you; I may ſay that of all Men living of quality that I have known, you are moſt free from this fault. You are like the good Man in the Text, you do regard the life of your Beaſt. And I wiſh all your Servants may be like their Maſter, or like Eleazir, Gen. 24.Abraham's Steward, that had ſuch a care of his Masters Camels. Further, SIR, give me leave to tell you that I have read a Treatiſe of Monſieur de la Chambre, to prove that Beaſts have reaſon;B. M. and that one of the Ancients ſaith, that Canis is Logicus, Ethicus, Theologus. Now, if ſo it be, that Dogs make Syllogiſms, and that they do diſcurrere as well as currere, diſcourſe as well as courſe, I preſume you may know as well as moſt Gentleman in England. Honoured SIR, although I never did preach to thoſe irrational Animals (as the Book of Conformities tells us S. Francis did to the Wolf, and the Birds,) to teach them their duty to God or Man; nor do I pretend to preach in theſe Sermons to ſtir up Men's Devotions from what is reported of the great Reverence which S. Anthony's Mule,V. D. S. 2. D. p. 502. S. Francis his Sheep, and the Cook of Lisbon's Dog ſhew'd to the Sacrament; yet I may and muſt profeſs to learn Gratitude to my Benefactours, and particularly to your Worthy ſelf from Patroclus his Lyon, who fawned on him when thrown to him in the Theatre at Rome to be devoured by him,A. G. l. 5. c. 14. and all this for a good turn the Man had formerly done him in Africa by pulling ſomething out of the Lyons foot that hurt him. SIR, I ſhall not hold you long in the porch by prefixing a large Epiſtle to ſo ſmall a Piece; I ſhall only add one humble and hearty Requeſt unto all Gentlemen who delight in Hunting, who ſhall read theſe Sermons, if any ſuch ſhall happen to caſt their eyes in them: That they would often think of Amedeus, Duke of Savoy, who was choſen Pope, but too good to hold it, who ſhewing a Company of poor People nouriſhed by him, ſaid theſe were the Hounds wherewithal he did hunt after the Kingdom of Heaven. And however never to take the Childrens bread to caſt it to the Dogs; I mean, to provide always that the Poor may not fare the worſe, becauſe their Hounds fare ſo well. And ſo I conclude with my humble and hearty Requeſt to the Almighty GOD for you, that he would be pleaſed long to continue you a Lover, Practiſer, and Countenancer of the true Proteſtant Religion, a loyal Subject to his Majeſty, a worthy Patriot, a Son of Peace, and like that great and good Man your Father (when he was Ambaſſadour in Holland remonſtrated againſt Vorſtius) a Lover of the Truth, and a Lover of good Men. So wiſhing you, and your virtuous and religious Conſort, all happineſs, I reſt as in duty bound,
Your obliged humble Servant T. H. May the 12th. 1675.