believers, and many doubtful and indifferent, as to its truth; - the more all this can be done, the more powerful and universal will be its influence.

But, while we rejoice in the gradual progress of truth, we have no intemperate zeal for making proselytes. Though gratified, like the rest of the world, that others should think with us, we can be content that even some of those whom we personally love and respect should think differently. There are many, especially among the aged, whose belief we might think erroneous, but whose belief we should have no disposition to disturb. With it are intwined all their religious principles and affections, and the former could hardly be removed without shattering or destroying the latter. It is the lot of a great part of the world to receive their religious opinions upon authority; and, though there are many belonging to this class, whose opinions we might by no means esteem altogether true, yet we should not be very ready to lead them to doubt of the correctness of the authority in which they had confided, lest their distrust should extend to all they had been taught, and because we might not be able to substitute our own, instead of that authority which we had weakened or over

turned. To such men we do not address ourselves, or we only address ourselves to say, that, if their faith has produced the fruits of good living, if it has shown itself in love to God and love to man, we have no question of its excellence and its sufficiency to salvation; we should be among the last of men to wish them to feel pain from any doubt of its correctness. Let it be remembered, however, that we say this only to humble and unobtrusive piety, and not to intolerant ignorance, which pretends to dogmatize, and to make its own opinions the standard of belief. On questions where wisdom, and learning, and piety must have decided wrong, because in different men they have given opposite decisions, it does not become any one, who has not spent some time and some thought in their examination, to intrude his opinions, and far less to pronounce his censures. There is an obligation upon every one, which we hope we do not forget, to examine, with very serious attention, the reasonableness of that faith which he himself holds, and which he would induce others to receive.

A

DISCOURSE

ON THE

EXTENT AND RELATIONS OF THEOLOGY;

DELIVERED BEFORE

THE UNIVERSITY IN CAMBRIDGE

(NEW ENGLAND),

AUGUST 10, 1819,

ON ASSUMING THE DUTIES OF DEXTER PROFESSOR

OF SACRED LITERATURE.