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resident graduate at A—, reviewing your theological Astudies, writing sermons and preaching on the sabbath, as you have opportunity. I hardly know how a young preacher could be more favorably situated for intellectual improvement, or for cultivating some of the more important gifts of the ministry. But the danger is, that if you remain at the seminary, you will imperceptibly relax and become self-indulgent, and not accomplish half so much as you expect to. When you go out to preach, as you have nothing special to call you back, you will be tempted to linger a day or two longer than necessary. And when you are on the ground, you will be liable to a great many nameless interruptions, which will steal away your time and break up your habits of study, unless you have something stronger to bind you to regular hours, and a certain amount of work, than your good resolutions. To-morrow is the greatest thief of time in the world. I see you early at your desk. A sermon partly written is before you, and your fixed purpose is to finish it before you sleep. But your thoughts do not flow so freely as you expected, or some one comes in and wants to talk, or you begin to feel a slight head-ache before the task is accomplished, or you have a polite invitation to dine, which takes up the whole afternoon and evening, and so the sermon is put off till to-morrow; and it is well, if two, or three other to-morrows, do not leave it unfinished by similar interruptions.

Besides, should you remain long as a resident graduate at the Seminary, will you not be liable to become discontented; to feel that you are contract

ing habits of mental dissipation, and spending your time to but little purpose; and will not this very uneasiness disqualify you for vigorous and persevering efforts? I do not say, my son, that you will certainly experience all or any of the drawbacks, which I have hinted at. I believe that some resident licentiates do extremely well, for one or two years. Probably they could not anywhere do more, to prepare themselves for future usefulness; but can it be said of all? I do not wish to dictate. If you wish to stay and make the experiment, you have my approbation, especially as I have great confidence in your inflexible adherence to your plans and purposes. What I mean to say is, that before you make up your mind, you ought to look at the case as it is, and if you remain, to be on your guard against every untoward influence.

Another course which you can take is, to engage for a year or two in some agency. I am fully satisfied, that in the present state of the church, of the country, and of the world, our great religious societies must employ agents to diffuse information, organize local associations, collect funds, distribute Bibles, bound volumes and tracts, attend anniversaries and by every suitable measure and appeal to keep the condition of perishing continents and islands, continually before the public mind. Some of these agents may be young men, recent graduates from our theological seminaries; perhaps it is best they should be, although others also of more age, experience and influence are needed. If you wish to take an agency, and can get suitable recommendations, I have no ob

jection. By the blessing of God, you may do much good, while at the same time you are benefiting yourself, and accumulating a valuable stock of knowledge and experience, to carry with you at a future day, into the ministry.

But let me give you a word of advice, in regard to the kind of agency in which you may engage. Although an agent is an agent, all the world over, and whatever may be the object of the society which employs him, it by no means follows, that all the agencies of these bustling times are equally important, or useful. There are some societies, of no measured pretensions, in whose service, I frankly confess, I should be very sorry to see you employed. You ought to satisfy yourself, before you engage, not only that the object is a good one, but that the means and measures, by which its friends seek to accomplish it, are judicious. More harm than good is sometimes done, by moving too soon, or moving too fast, even in the right direction. You might work very hard and from the best motives, and after all, more than lose your labor, by exciting prejudice against a good cause, or interfering with some better plan to promote it. Above all, I hope you will not listen to the first proposal that may happen to be made, and enlist merely to get something to do. Better be idle, than to be working, however unconsciously, against any of the great interests of society. And I hope you will never, like some others, think it your duty to engage upon the plan of retaining, as your salary, all the money you can collect, up to a certain sum, and then paying

over the surplus, if there should be any, to the treasurer of the society that employs you.

There is still another course that you might adopt, perhaps, to better advantage than either of the foregoing. Some young candidates, who do not wish to settle soon after they leave the Seminary, accept of invitations to supply small destitute parishes, where they can be retired, and write sermons, and perform ordinary parochial duties, and thus gradually prepare for the higher and more arduous responsibilities of the pastoral office. You can do the same, if a good opportunity should offer. But on two points, you should be decided before hand; First, never to go and preach as a stated supply, where the people are able and ready to settle a good minister; and Secondly, never to remain so long in any one place, as to make the impression upon the congregation, that it is better to hire by the six months, or year, than to settle a minister. Some parishes have been exceedingly injured, just in this way. Finding that they could be supplied with better preaching by employing candidates, than they can expect to command for the moderate salaries they could offer, they have fallen into the habit of depending upon hire, which, in the long run, is always highly prejudicial to the interests of religion.

I have one suggestion more, and only one, to make in answer to the question, what you shall do after leaving the Seminary, and before you enter upon the pastoral charge. If you prefer it, I have no doubt you can find employment as a Home Missionary ; and this, I confess, would be highly gratifying to my

own feelings. I should like to have you launch out a little, and see more of men and things, before you settle down for life. I think it might be of great advantage to you, to spend two or three years beyond the mountains; and perhaps the farther west you go, the better. I am aware, it may take you from us forever. Parental attachments would retain you, if possible, in New England, to close the eyes of your father and your mother; and if you go as a missionary to the west or south, it may become your duty to remain there. But if it should, I have nothing to say, only, "The Lord bless you and keep you," and make you more useful than you ever could have been in one of our congregations. Determining "the bounds of your habitation" belongs to God, and not to us. What I am now talking about, is a temporary mission, somewhere in the new settlements, or other destitute parts of the country. If you go, "commit your way unto the Lord, and he will direct your paths." "Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." Let it be your grand aim to do good, to glorify God, "to edify the body of Christ," and to save sinners, by preaching the gospel; by hunting up the lost sheep in the wilderness; by gathering new churches, or where they have already been formed, by "strengthening the things that remain and are ready to die." Thus by the blessing of God on your faithful labors, you may do much in a short time, to strengthen the weak, confirm the wavering, and make your good influence felt for a great while to come. If you go, let your eyes and ears, as well as your lips, be open everywhere. Learn all you can about

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