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He was adverse to such a view of the Supreme 

 Being as is injurious to the perfect goodness of his 

 character, which, because his power is unbounded, 

 has supposed it might please him to exercise that 

 power to the suhversion of his no less immutable 

 attributes, justice and mercy. Such ideas of our 

 Creator appeared to him dishonourable to that pa- 

 rental character which makes our adoration spring 

 from the heart, and delight in obeying his com- 

 mands : such a view of God is to invest him in the 

 evil passions, the imperfection and weakness of 

 humanity. He believed that " in no being is the 

 sense of right so strong, so omnipotent, as in God ; 

 and that his almighty power is entirely submitted 

 to his perception of rectitude. He ascribed to him 

 not only the name, but the disposition and princi- 

 ples of a father ; that he has a father's concern for 

 his creatures, a father's desire for their improve- 

 ment, a father's equity in proportioning his com- 

 mands to their powers, a father's joy in their pro- 

 gress, a father's readiness to receive the penitent, 

 and a father's justice for the incorrigible ; — that 

 God's justice has for its end the highest virtue of 

 the creation, and punishes for this end alone ; and 

 thus it coincides with benevolence, for virtue and 

 happiness, though not the same, are inseparably 

 conjoined. He looked upon this world as a place 

 of education, in which God is training men, by mer- 

 cies and sufferings, by aids and temptations, by 

 means and opportunities of various virtues, by trials 

 of principle, by the conflicts of reason and passion, 



