is which
have been kept private, to their inspection, in print, if possible, so
that all could form their own opinion about it or them.

The whole matter may be briefly stated thus: Edwards believed in
an eternity of unimaginable horrors for "the bulk of mankind." His
authority counts with many in favor of that belief, which affects great
numbers as the idea of ghosts affected Madame de Stall: "Je n'y crois
pas, mais je les crains." This belief is one which it is infinitely
desirable to the human race should be shown to be possibly, probably,
or certainly erroneous. It is, therefore, desirable in the interest
of humanity that any force the argument in its favor may derive from
Edwards's authority should be weakened by showing that he was capable
of writing most unwisely, and if it should be proved that he changed
his opinions, or ran into any "heretical" vagaries, by using these facts
against the validity of his judgment. That he was capable of writing
most unwisely has been sufficiently shown by the recent publication
of his "Observations." Whether he, anywhere contradicted what were
generally accepted as his theological opinions, or how far he may have
lapsed into heresies, the public will never rest satisfied until it sees
and interprets for itself everything that is open to question which may
be contained in his yet unpublished manuscripts. All this is not in
the least a personal affair with the writer, who, in the course of his
studies of Edwards's works, accidentally heard, from the unimpeachable
sources sufficiently indicated, the reports, which it seems must have
been familiar to many, that there was unpublished matter bearing on
the opinions of the author through whose voluminous works he had been
toiling. And if he rejoiced even to hope that so wise a man as Edwards
has been considered, so good a man as he is recognized to have been,
had, possibly in his changes of opinion, ceased to think of children as
vipers, and of parents as shouting hallelujahs while their lost darlings
were being driven into the flames, where is the theologian who would not
rejoice to hope so with him or who would be willing to tell his wife or
his daughter that he did not?

The real, vital division of the religious part of our Protestant
communities is into Christian optimists and Christian pessimists. The
Christian optimist in his fullest development is characterized by a
cheerful countenance, a voice in the major key, an undisguised