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ready, with the utmost benignity, to receive into his favour everyrepentant sinner.

“ By the constitution of nature, which may properly be con-sidered as indicating the will of God , all excess in sensual indul-gences tends to the depravation of the mind, and to the debilita-tion of the body, and may, on that account, be esteemed repugnantto the will of God . This repugnancy is made more apparent bythe Gospel. Now all our happiness in this world and in the nextdepending ultimately on the will of God , every one may see amoral necessity of conforming his actions to that will. But, asthe will of God has no degree of selfishness in it, is not excitedon any occasion to gratify the resentment or any other passion ofthe Supreme Being (as often happens in the will;of man), I cannotbut believe, that a change of temper, accompanied by a change ofconduct, is all that God requires of us in order to be restored,after our greatest transgressions, to his perfect acceptance.

“ We know not in what the felicity of the next world will con-sist, but we do know that it will not consist in the gratification ofour present senses; yet God is not an harsh Master, for he hathfurnished us with abundant means of present enjoyment; and hadevery enjoyment of sense been sinful, he certainly would neitherhave given us senses nor objects adapted to them ; he hath doneboth; and he requires from us such a moderation in the use ofthem, as may preserve our minds from being so addicted to them,as to prevent us from having any relish for the duties of benevo-lence and holiness, in the exercise of which it is not improbablethat our future happiness may consist.

“ Every denunciation of God against intemperance in the plea-sures of sense, against injustice in our intercourse with mankind,