A treatise of self-denial. By Richard Baxter, pastor of the church at KidderminsterA treatise of self-denial. By Richard Baxter, pastor of the church at Kederminster

5. You think it neither cruelty or injustice, that the lives of brutes should be much at your dispose! Your poor fellow-creatures must die when you require it. Birds and Beasts and Fishes, even multitudes of them ⟨p. 246⟩must die to feed you, yea often for your delight, to make you a Feast, when you have no necessity. The most harmless sheep you will not spare; The most laborious Ox, the most beautiful Bird, must give up their lives to satisfy your pleasure. And is not God ten thousand thousand times even infinitely more above you, than you are above your fellow-creatures? Is one creature fitter to kill another, and afterwards devour it, and becomes its grave, than God to dispose of the Lives of all?

5. You think it neither cruelty or injustice, that the lives of bruits should be much at your dispose! Your poor fellow-creatures must die when you require it. Birds and Beasts and Fishes, even multitudes of them ⟨p. 246⟩must die to feed you, yea often for your delight, to make you a Feast, when you have no necessity. The most harmless sheep you will not spare; The most laborious Ox, the most beautiful Bird, must give up their lives to satisfie your pleasure. And is not God ten thousand thousand times even infinitely more above you, than you are above your fellow-creatures? Is one creature fitter to kill another, and afterwards devour it, and becomes its grave, than God to dispose of the Lives of all?

6. Where could you wish your Lives to be better, than in the hand of the most wise & gracious God? If you may rest content, or have confidence in any, it is in him. You need not doubt of his Goodness, for he is goodness and Love it self. And therefore though you see not the world to come that you are passing to, yet as long as you know that you are in the hands of Love it self, what cause have you of disquiet or distrust? And that you know that he is wise as well as Good, and Almighty as well as Wise, and therefore as he meaneth you no harm, (if you are his children) so he will not mistake, nor fail in the performance: You need not fear lest your happiness should miscarry for want of skill in him that is Omniscient, or for want of will in him that is your Father, or for want of Power in him that is Omnipotent. You may far better trust God with your lives, than your selves. For you have not wisdom enough to know what is best for you; nor skill to accomplish it, nor Power to go through with it: Nay, you love not you selves so well as God doth love you. Did you but believe this, you would better trust him. You can trust your selves in a narrow Ship, upon he wide and raging Seas, when you never saw the Country that you are going to; and all because you believe that the voyage is for your commodity and that you have a skilful