If, then, knowledge be power, how much more power to we gain through the agency of faith, and what elevation must it give to human character.

Simpson contrasts the widely accepted maxim “knowledge is power” with a Christian claim about faith’s transformative efficacy. The sentence argues that faith is not merely assent to doctrines but an “agency” that confers a greater kind of power—moral and spiritual capacity to act, endure, and aspire beyond what information alone can supply. In this view, faith elevates “human character” by orienting the will toward higher ends, strengthening conscience, and enabling self-sacrifice and hope. The quote thus participates in a common nineteenth-century Protestant rhetoric that treats religion as a force for personal formation and social uplift, rather than as a purely private sentiment.