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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LETTER IV. MORALS. "Qui proficit in litoris, ot deficit in moribus, non proficit, sed deficit. Oecolampadius. " The excesses of our youth are drafts upon our old age, payable, with interest, about thirty years after date." Lacon I. 76. My Dear Sons?The disposition to prefer intellectual to moral reputation is deplorably prevalent iu seminaries of learning. Many an ambitious youth, if he could establish a character for distinguished genius and scholarship, would be quite content to lie under the imputation of moral delinquency. Or, at least, if he must be defective in either, he would decisively choose that it should be in regard to moral purity. I need not say, that this preference is an instance of deplorable infatuation. It is as much opposed to common sense as it is to the word of God. And it is of the utmost importance that the minds of youth be early imbued with sentiments adapted to its correction. I am aware that many sober thinkers are opposed to the consideration of this subject apart from religion. They insist that what is called moral philosophy, is a mere system of refined infidelity; that pure morals cannot be hoped for, and ought not to be inculcated, apart from pure, evangelical religion; and that all attempts to promote them on any other principles, is an attempt to "gather grapes of thorns and figs of thistles." I am by no means able to concur in this opinion, especially in all its extent. I acknowledge, indeed, that the Bible is the only infallible and perfectly pure teacher of morals. I acknowledge, too, that nothing can be relied on, either for the attainment or the maintenance of sound morality, but the religion of Jesus Christ, sincerely believed and embraced as a practical system. He who expects strict moral principle to hold a consistent and...