“THEODORE PARKER, the most eminent moral theologian whom the first half of the nineteenth century produced in the United States.  When the churches were so besotted, as to uphold the curse of slavery because they found it justified in the Bible; when the Statesmen, the Press, the Lawyers, and the Trading Community threw their weight to the same fatal side; Parker stood up to preach the higher law of God against false religion, false statesmanship, crooked law and cruel avarice.  He enforced three great fundamental truths, God, Holiness, and Immortality.  He often risked life and fortune to rescue the fugitive slave.  After a short and very active life full of good works, he died in blessed peace, prematurely worn out by his perpetual struggle for the true, the right, and the good.  His preaching is the crisis which marked the turn of the tide in America from the material to the moral, which began to enforce the eternal laws of God on trade, on law, on administration, and on the professors of religion itself.”

And what will be then said of him, who now despises the noble Parker?  I hope something more than the following:—­“HENRY ROGERS, an accomplished gentleman and scholar, author of many books, of which by far the most popular was a smart satirical dialogue, disfigured by unjustifiable garbling and profane language, the aim of which was to sneer down Theodore Parker and others who were trying to save spiritual doctrine out of the wreck of historical Christianity.”

Jocose scoffing, and dialogue writing is the easiest of tasks; and if Mr. Rogers’s co-religionists do not take the alarm, and come in strength upon Messrs. Longman, imploring them to suppress these books of Mr. Rogers, persons who despise all religion (with whom Mr. Rogers pertinaciously confounds me under the term infidel), may one of these days imitate his sprightly example against his creed and church.  He himself seems to me at present incurable.  I do not appeal to him, I appeal to his co-religionists, how they would like the publication of a dialogue, in which his free and easy sceptic “Mr. Harrington” might reason on the opposite side to that pliable and candid man of straw “Mr. Fellowes?” I here subjoin for their consideration, an imaginary extract of the sort which, by their eager patronage of the “Eclipse of Faith,” they are inviting against themselves.

Extract.

I say, Fellowes! (said Harrington), what was that, that Parker and
Rogers said about the Spirit of God?

Excuse me (said Fellowes), Theodore Parker and Henry Rogers hold very different views, Mr. Rogers would be much hurt to bear you class him with Parker.

I know (replied he), but they both hold that God inspires people; and that is a great point in common, as I view it.  Does not Mr. Rogers believe the Old Testament inspired and all of it true?

Certainly (said Fellowes):  at least he was much shocked with Mr. Newman for trying to discriminate its chaff from its wheat.