more attentively. When he intermits, he is ever very well supplied by some able man; who treads in his steps, and will not throw down what he hath built; whom also he entreats to press some point that he himself hath often urged with no great success, that so in the mouth of two or three witnesses the truth may be more established.

When he preacheth, he procures attention by all possible art, both by earnestness of speech, it being natural to men to think that where is much earnestness, there is somewhat worth hearing, and by a diligent and busy cast of his eye on his auditors; with letting them know that he observes who marks and who not; and with particularizing of his speech now to the younger sort, then to the elder, now to the poor, and now to the rich-"This is for you, and this is for you;"-for particulars ever touch and awake, more than generals. Herein also he serves himself of the judgments of God; as of those of ancient times, so especially of the late ones, and those most, which are nearest to his parish; for people are very attentive at such discourses, and think it behoves them to be so, when God is so near them, and even over their heads. Sometimes he tells them stories and sayings of others, according as his text invites him; for them also men heed, and remember better than exhortations; which, though earnest, yet often die with the sermon, especially with country people, which are thick and heavy and hard to raise to a point of zeal and fervency, and need a mountain of fire to kindle them; but stories and sayings they will well remember. He often tells them, that sermons are dangerous things; that none goes out of church as he came in, but either better or worse; that none is careless before his judge, and that the word of God shall judge us.

By these and other means the parson procures attention; but the character of his sermon is HOLINESS. He is not witty or learned or eloquent, but HOLY:-a character that Hermogenes never dreamed of, and therefore he could give no precepts thereof. But it is gained, first, by choosing texts of devotion, not controversy; moving and ravishing texts, whereof the Scriptures are full. Secondly, by dipping and seasoning all our words and sentences in our hearts before they come into our mouths; truly affecting, and cordially expressing all that we say so that the auditors may plainly perceive that every word is heart deep. Thirdly, by turning often, and making many apostro phes to God; as, "O Lord! bless my people, and teach them this point!" or, "O my Master, on whose errand I come, let me hold my peace, and do thou speak thyself; for thou art love, and when thou teachest, all are scholars." Some such irradiations scatteringly in the sermon, carry great holiness in them. The prophets are admirable in this. So Isa. lxiv.; Oh, that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, etc. And Jeremiah, chap. x. after be had complained of the desolation of Israel, turns to God suddenly, O Lord! I know that the way of man is not in himself, etc. Fourthly, by frequent wishes of the people's good, and joying therein; though he himself were, with St. Paul, even sacrificed upon the service of

their faith. For there is no greater sign of holiness, than the procuring and rejoicing in another's good. And herein St. Paul excelleth, in all his epistles. How did he put the Romans in all his prayers, Rom. 1: 9; and ceased not to give thanks for the Ephesians, Eph. 1: 16; and for the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 1: 4; and for the Philippians made request with joy, Phil. 1: 4; and is in contention for them whether to live or die, be with them or Christ, ver. 23; which, setting aside his care of his flock, were a madness to doubt of. What an admirable epistle is the second to the Corinthians! How full of affections! He joys, and he is sorry; he grieves, and he glories! Never was there such a care of a flock expressed, save in the great Shepherd of the fold, who first shed tears over Jerusalem, and afterwards blood. Therefore this care may be learned there, and then woven into sermons; which will make them appear exceeding reverend and holy. Lastly, by an often urging of the presence and majesty of God, by these, or such like speeches-"Oh, let us take heed what we do! God sees us; he sees whether I speak as I ought, or you hear as you ought; he sees hearts, as we see faces. He is among us; for if we be here, he must be here; since we are here by him, and without him could not be here." Then, turning the discourse to his majesty," and he is a great God, and terrible; as great in mercy, so great in judgment! There are but two devouring elements, fire and water; he hath both in him. His voice is as the sound of many waters, Rev. i.; and he himself is a consuming fire," Heb. xii. Such discourses show very holy.

The parson's method in handling of a text consists of two parts; first, a plain and evident declaration of the meaning of the text; and secondly, some choice observations, drawn out of the whole text, as it lies entire and unbroken in the Scripture itself. This he thinks natural and sweet and grave. Whereas the other way, of crumbling a text into small parts (as, the person speaking or spoken to, the subject, and object, and the like), hath neither in it sweetness nor gravity nor variety; since the words apart are not Scripture, but a dictionary, and may be considered alike in all the Scripture.

The parson exceeds not an hour in preaching, because all ages have thought that a competency, and he that profits not in that time, will less afterwards; the same affection which made him not profit before, making him then weary, and so he grows from not relishing, to loathing.

THE PARSON CATECHISING.

The Country Parson values catechising highly. For, there being three points of his duty-the one, to infuse a competent knowledge of salvation into every one of his flock; the other, to multiply and build up this knowledge to a spiritual temple; the third, to inflame this knowledge, to press and drive it to practice, turning it to reformation of life, by pithy and lively exhortations ;-catechising is the first point, and, but by catechising, the other cannot be attained. Be

sides, whereas in sermons there is a kind of state, in catechising there is an humbleness very suitable to Christian regeneration; which exceedingly delights him, as by way of exercise upon himself, and by way of preaching to himself, for the advancing of his own mortification; for in preaching to others, he forgets not himself, but is first a sermon to himself, and then to others; growing with the growth of his parish.

He useth and preferreth the ordinary church catechism; partly for obedience to authority, partly for uniformity sake, that the same common truths may be everywhere professed; especially since many remove from parish to parish, who like Christian soldiers are to give the word, and to satisfy the congregation by their catholic answers. He exacts of all the doctrine of the catechism; of the younger sort, the very words; of the elder, the substance. Those he catechiseth publicly; these privately, giving age honour, according to the apostle's rule, 1 Tim. 5: 1. He requires all to be present at catechising: first, for the authority of the work; secondly, that parents and masters, as they hear the answers proved, may when they come home either commend or reprove, either reward or punish; thirdly, that those of the elder sort, who are not well grounded, may then by an honourable way take occasion to be better instructed; fourthly, that those who are well grown in the knowledge of religion, may examine their grounds, renew their vows, and, by occasion of both, enlarge their meditations.

When once all have learned the words of the catechism, he thinks it the most useful way that a pastor can take, to go over the same, but in other words; for many say the catechism by rote, as parrots, without ever piercing into the sense of it. In this course the order of the catechism would be kept, but the rest varied; as thus, in the creed-"How came this world to be as it is? Was it made, or came it by chance? Who made it? Did you see God make it? Then are there some things to be believed that are not seen? Is this the nature of belief? Is not Christianity full of such things as are not to be seen, but believed? You said, God made the world; who is God?" -and so forward, requiring answers to all these, and helping and cherishing the answerer, by making the question very plain with comparisons, and making much even of one word of truth contained in the answer given by him. This order, being used to one, would be a little varied to another. And this is an admirable And this is an admirable way of teaching, wherein the catechised will at length find delight; and by which the catechiser, if he once get the skill of it, will draw out of ignorant and silly souls even the dark and deep points of religion. Socrates did thus in philosophy, who held that the seeds of all truths lay in everybody; and accordingly, by questions well ordered, he found philosophy in silly tradesmen. That position will not hold in Christianity, because it contains things above nature; but after that the catechism is once learned, that which nature is towards philosophy, the catechism is towards divinity. To this purpose, some dialogues in Plato were worth the reading, where the singular dexterity of Socrates in

this kind may be observed and imitated. Yet the skill consists but in these three points; first, an aim and mark of the whole discourse, whether to drive the answer, which the questionist must have in his mind before any question be propounded, upon which and to which the questions are to be chained. Secondly, a most plain and easy framing the question even containing, in virtue, the answer also, especially to the more ignorant. Thirdly, when the answerer sticks, an illustrating the thing by something else, which he knows; making what he knows to serve him in that which he knows not. As when the parson once demanded, after other questions about man's misery, "Since man is so miserable, what is to be done?" and the answerer could not tell; he asked him again, what he would do if he were in a ditch. This familiar illustration made the answer so plain, that he was even ashamed of his ignorance; for he could not but say, he would hasten out of it as fast as he could. Then he proceeded to ask, whether he could get out of the ditch alone, or whether he needed a helper, and who was that helper. This is the skill, and doubtless the Holy Scripture intends thus much, when it condescends to the naming of a plough, a hatchet, a bushel, leaven, boys piping and dancing; showing that things of ordinary use are not only to serve in the way of drudgery, but to be washed and cleansed, and serve for lights even of heavenly truths. This is the practice which the parson so much commends to all his fellow-labourers; the secret of whose good consists in this, that at sermons and prayers men may sleep or wander, but when one is asked a question, he must discover what he is. This practice exceeds even sermons in teaching; but, there being two things in sermons, the one informing, the other inflaming, as sermons come short of questions in the one, so they far exceed them in the other. For questions cannot inflame or ravish; that must be done by a set and laboured and continued speech.

ARTICLE XIV.

THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PREPARATORY

COURSE.

A PASTORAL LETTER TO CANDIDATES FOR THE GOSPEL MINISTRY.

ISSUED BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

PRESBYTERIAN EDUCATION ROOMS,
Philadelphia, February, 1852.

DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST:-Among the agencies which it is the privilege of the Board of Education to employ, in endeavouring to advance your best interests, is that of addressing a pastoral letter; and we pray that the Spirit may sanctify the truth he may permit us to bring at this time and in this form to your consideration. The connexion of the preparatory course with your future career, together

with some of the responsibilities and duties resulting therefrom, are the topics on which are offered a few brief hints.

I. It is a certain fact that there is a connexion between your preparatory and future course in life.

The power of habit proves this connexion: and in this principle of our nature how abiding a strength! Dispositions are now being formed, habits of action nurtured, and a standard of life established, which are to exert lasting and powerful influences. "Father," inquired a child, "what kind of a man am I to be?" "Very much the same kind of a man as you are a boy," was the reply. The habits acquired in early life are prophetic of our future destiny. Exceptions prove the general rule; and the demonstrations of what has been called our second nature possess an authority not easily overthrown. The student rarely becomes a different man from what he was in his early course.

The influence of training throws light upon this same idea. The processes of education are among the most direct and controlling in the formation of character. Much active influence is at work in academies, colleges, and theological seminaries! The recitations, the prayers, the intercourse of the preparatory period-all its incidents, trials, duties, sins, efforts are the unconscious occasions of developing and fixing, of exciting and retaining, the traits which are seen throughout the whole future life.

All the analogies of the Divine government conspire to enforce the solemn truth. Is there any connexion between sowing and reaping in the natural world? Not more than between the seed-time of youthful acquisition and the harvest of matured character. The axiom that "eternity depends upon time," includes the influence of early discipline upon after years. Providence would invalidate its laws, if the issues of the preparatory course failed to correspond with the promises and threatenings of its beginning.

Accordingly, experience and observation declare, that young men commonly convey with them, through life, the characters formed in the college and seminary. More than twenty years ago, Dr. Miller said, "Mark my words; that young man will never do anything in the ministry;" and the sifting of a quarter of a century made the sad prophecy a hopeless reality. Who expects to gather grapes from thorns? When did human observation falsify the union between the means and the end, or break up the connexion between causes and their results? The ministers who have left the seminaries of our Church, and are now engaged in active duties, will ordinarily recognise in their own Christian experience no essential change of general character. There has been improvement, where the elements existed in earlier life; but the progress actually made has not varied materially from what might have been foretold by a shrewd observer of human nature.

II. The certainty of this connexion between the present and the