two great cities, where their labours were constantly in request. It is impossible to determine which of them most delighted in the actual labours of the pulpit. They never spoke of these as a burden, but eagerly welcomed them as a satisfaction. Before the erection of buildings for the Seminary, there was no separate worship on the Lord's Day, for the students. The professors however preached frequently, and in some years in stated rotation with others, in the village church, and the chapel of the college; the control of the latter service being in the hands of their friend President Green.

At an early period in the history of the institution, a meeting was established on the afternoon of the Sabbath, for the spiritual edification of the young men, and was maintained during the whole life of these professors; it will be remembered by hundreds as the Conference, and shall be more fully noticed. The colloquial addresses which they delivered here would form a system of experimental theology, if they could be recovered.

CHAPTER FOURTEENTH.

1813-1817.

FIRST YEARS OF PROFESSORSHIP-HEALTH-THEOLOGICAL STUDIES-NUMBERS FISCAL CARES-REVIVAL IN

COLLEGE-PREACHING-SPIRITUAL

COUNSELS-VIRGINIA-DR. HOGE-DOMESTIC HABITS.

N the early years of his life as a professor, Dr. Alexander

IN

began to endure trials in regard to health, which were destined to overhang him during the whole middle period of his activity. Princeton, a place proverbially healthful, so as to deserve Witherspoon's appellation, as the Montpellier of America, is nevertheless like that salubrious town of France exposed to the sweep of angry winds, especially about the breaking up of winter. To this influence, his delicately sensitive temperament was peculiarly open. The east winds of March and April harrowed his constitution, and produced a train of most distressing symptoms, chilliness, nervous perturbation and dyspepsy. At this time began that morbid wakefulness, which kept him often whole nights without refreshment. He became thin and haggard, and except in some short intervals this was his condition for many years. It was however more a general malaise than a serious disability,

by which he was harassed, and he seldom made these ailments a reason for abstaining from duty, either at home or abroad. Indeed he rather sought a solace in more intense occupation of mind, which in turn increased and perpetuated the evil. His southern friends began to ponder on these appearances. "I have ever believed," wrote the Rev. John H. Rice, "that your present situation is better adapted to your habits of feeling and of previous study, than any other in the Presbyterian Church; and have regarded you as more usefully employed than any other man in our society. Nothing could make me wish a removal, selfish as I am, but a regard for your health-may I not add your life. I do not believe that the climate suits you. If, however, you could be as usefully placed any where to the South, I should think it your duty to remove; or if it were certain that you cannot for want of health discharge or sustain the duties of your office, I should think that another habitation ought to be sought. What may be the result of certain schemes which I now have in view, I cannot tell, and therefore I will not communicate them.”*

This was the time of his arduous labour and rapid accumulation. With a restless activity he pushed his inquiries far beyond the field of his prescribed course, which was suf ficiently extensive. From this time forward he lost no opportunity of procuring every accessible volume of Latin theology, belonging to the German, French, Dutch and Helvetic schools; of these an unusual store may be seen on

* Rev. John H. Rice to Dr. Alexander, May 4, 1817.

the shelves of the Seminary collection. Nor did he confine himself to dogmatic or polemic works, but read largely in the departments of Criticism and Hermeneutics. During all his life he manifested a strong turn for languages, which was now indulged in connection with his exegetical studies and instructions. His careful application to the Hebrew and Greek texts was continued as long as he lived. He assaulted the Arabic, but as he said with little proficiency. In Syriac he made further advances; and we remember the lessons in this language which he gave to a student of 1815, afterwards widely known as the Reverend Thomas Charlton Henry, D. D., of Charleston. His children were enlisted in the work of copying, and we have a manuscript on Hebrew Archæology, in the yet unformed hand of one of his sons. The reigning controversies of the day awakened his lively attention, and he repeatedly dipped into the Greek and Roman classics, and even into works on mathematical and physical science. It was characteristic of his habits to seek mental relaxation in a change of grave studies, rather than in what is denominated light reading, and for many years nothing

* It is with a pensive interest that the writer remembers having noted at Leyden, for the entertainment of his father, the series of portraits, executed in the best Dutch style, of those worthies, in learning and science as well as religion, whose names he had so often heard at home; for instance, of Joseph Scaliger, Salmasius, Heinsius, Boerhaave, Wesselius, Cocceius, Wittichius, Hoornbeeck, Van Til, three of the family of Schultens, Ruhnkenius, Havercamp, Wyttenbach, Wynpersse, Van Voorst, Perizonius, Witsius, Hemsterhuis, De Moor, and Schultingius; also of Vorstius, and Arminius and Episcopius, side by side; information which, alas! never came to the ear for which it was intended.

INCREASED NUMBERS.

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was more common than to find his evening hours spent over some ponderous tome of the seventeenth century. His pen was constantly in activity, and we have been astonished at the extent to which he made compilations and digests from standard works in other languages. By slow degrees his body of lectures on divinity was growing into shape; while, as has been said, he preferred on many accounts to express his thoughts in the lecture-room in the unfettered diction of the moment. Neither now nor at any later period was he much addicted to modern fiction or modern poetry. Without being a politician he was always a reader on politics, thoroughly acquainted with all questions of American statesmanship, and all his life long a serious and diligent student of the best journals; for, like Dr. Arnold, he considered " a newspaper one of the most painful and solemn studies in the world, if it be read thoughtfully." In a word, every thing showed the vigour and spring of a manly spirit, making trial of its best and as yet unwasted energies.

The number of students during these years was constantly on the increase. The matriculations were in 1812, nine; in 1813, sixteen; in 1814, fifteen; in 1815, twentytwo; in 1816, twenty-six; and in 1817, twenty-three. Among these were some who are living as ornaments of our own and other churches, including two bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in Virginia and Ohio. "The true heraldry of the college," says Chalmers, "is her sons." The Princeton Seminary has no reason to be ashamed of her escutcheon. Among those who still survive, it is a pleasing duty to name, as falling within this period, the Rev. Henry R.