mended to every minister who has health and advantages to do so. But how much the regular assistance of a competent teacher would facilitate his progress, I need scarcely urge.* It is, indeed, cause of gratitude and congratulation, that such are now the facilities for acquiring a knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, that a tolerable knowledge of these languages may now be said to be within the reach of every thorough and diligent student. We have improved grammars of the Greek language, and Greek and English lexicons, both classical and Biblical, containing the results of the researches of able linguists. The works of the great Hebraist, Gesenius, upon the grammar and lexicography of the Hebrew language, are given us in an English dress; the grammar by Professor Stuart, and the lexicon by Professor Gibbs. So that we are now no longer under the necessity of acquiring Greek and Hebrew through the medium of the Latin, but are conducted directly to the best sources of information in our own vernacular tongue; through which means the student is saved a world of painful labor and vexation in the acquisition of them.

The following remarks of Professor Stuart upon the study of the languages are so much to my purpose, that I hope I need make no apology for inserting them :-"If a man really loves study,-has an eager attachment to the acquisition of knowledge,-nothing but peculiar sickness or misfortune will prevent his being a student, and his possessing, in some good degree, the means of study. The fact is, that when men complain of want of time for study, and want of means, they also show that, after all, they are either attached to some other objects of pursuit, or have no part nor lot in the spirit of a student. They will applaud others, it may be, who do study, and look with some degree of satisfaction, or a kind of wonder upon their acquisitions; but, for themselves, they cannot spare the time nor expense necessary to make such acquisitions, or they put it to the account of their humility, and bless themselves that they are not ambitious. In most of all these cases, however, either the love of the world, or genuine laziness, lies at the bottom. Had they more energy and decision of character, and did they redeem the precious moments that they lose in laboriously doing nothing, or nothing to the purpose of the Church, they might open all the treasures of the east and the west, and have them at their disposal. I might safely promise a good knowledge of Hebrew and Greek to most men of this sort, if they would diligently improve the time that they absolutely throw away in the course of three or four years. While one man is deliberating whether he had better study a language, another man has attained it. Such is the difference between decision and energetic action, and a timid, hesitating, and indolent manner of pursuing literary acquisitions. And what is worst of all in this temporizing class of students, is, that if you reason with them, and convince them that they are pursuing a wrong course, that conviction operates no longer than until the next paroxysm of indolence, or a worldly spirit comes on. These syren charmers lull every ener

*The assistance necessary in conquering the grammatical forms of the languages, may be had in the academies where they are taught. But what I have particularly in view, in this connection, is a critical reading of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Testament; embracing the study of the peculiar idioms and usus loquendi of these languages, not now provided for in the literary institutions.

getic power of the mind to sleep. The mistaken man, who listens to their voice, finds himself at the age of forty just where he was at thirty. At fifty his decline has already begun. At sixty, he is universally regarded with indifference, which he usually repays with misanthropy. And if he has the misfortune to live until he is seventy, every body is uneasy because he is not transferred to a better world." It is no wonder that to such men the study of languages is intolerably hard and dry. This is, in fact, the case with every other study that lays a tax upon their diligence and patience. But I must not be understood to denounce all who do not engage in the study of the languages. Undoubtedly there are many, very many, of my fellow laborers whose age, health, and opportunities for prosecuting these studies are such, that it would be altogether improper for them to undertake them. "Nor," says the gentleman just quoted, "am I such a strenuous advocate for the studies in question, as to maintain that no cases can occur where young men should not be licensed to preach," [and ordained too,]" without the knowledge of them. Does not the Church need teachers of all degrees of knowledge? May not ardent piety, united with good sense, inculcate the fundamental principles of religion, and be the means of saving multitudes, though it is associated with a very moderate stock of learning? I answer, without hesitation, in the affirmative. The Church needs in her service officers of all ranks; and soldiers too may surely be employed to a very valuable purpose. Every day's experience shows this where the trial is made. And thus, too, did the primitive Christians, They that were scattered abroad, went every where preaching the word;' that is, publishing the doctrines of the Gospel. These were not apostles, but Christians of the common rank. I should not hesitate a moment in employing pious men of all degrees of knowledge, to teach what they are adequate to teach."

These would be but common-place observations, coming from a Methodist. I have quoted them with approbation, not only to show that this eminent theologian and scholar has, as the result of his own observation, arrived at the same results with Mr. Wesley, and taken up the principles upon which he organized the Methodist ministry,— but also that there might not be left the shadow of a reason for a supposition, from what I have advanced upon this subject, that I have forsaken those principles.

But, before I leave this point, I must notice another material deficiency in the means of education. I refer to the entire want of pecuniary provisions for the education of young men of approved piety and gifts, who have not the means to support themselves at school. Many such there are who feel an inward drawing to the high and holy relation of a minister of the Gospel. But they have not the literary qualifications which they see to be necessary to the office, and they have not the means to sustain themselves at school. Some of these young men are struggling slowly along, by teaching school, or attending to some other employment, for the greater part of the year, and attending school the remainder of the time. In this way they lose much time. If some provision were made for their gratuitous education, so that they might be permitted to devote the whole of their time and strength to their studies, at some one of our literary institutions, more than half of their time would be saved to

the Church, and they would come forward much better furnished for the work. But there are still others who, unable to sustain themselves at school, and knowing that the Church has made no provision for them, shrink from the least approach to the duty to which they feel themselves called, and are in their shops, or offices, or fields, withering and dying under that fearful wo which constrained Paul to assume the awfully responsible work of a watchman, upon the walls of Zion. Can nothing be done to bring out these men, and to afford them encouragement and aid under the heartbreaking pressures and difficulties of their condition? Might not education societies be organized in every annual conference, for this purpose? And if a plan for such societies were carried out among our people, can it be possible that they would draw tight their pursestrings with one hand, and raise up the other in annual supplications to our bishops, for more able ministers to fill their circuits and stations? Let them know that the men are already called, "moved by the Holy Ghost," and are panting to be thrust out into the field, but are delayed and held back by the stern hand of want. Let them know that the means to prepare a host of vigorous, effective, and acceptable laborers. are in their own hands, and that if they will furnish them, they shall be economically and faithfully applied: and I doubt not these means will be forthcoming; and the gates of our Zion will soon be made glad by reason of an abundant supply of watchmen upon her walls. Upon this subject I feel much, and could say much, but have not time now to enlarge. A hint only must suffice: and with this I must dismiss this part of my subject, already protracted to a tedious length.

II. The second cause which I shall notice, as operating unfavorably upon the cause of ministerial improvement, is the defects which I conceive to exist in our courses of study.

The first I shall notice is, that in these courses we begin too low. All the courses I have seen, take it for granted that the student may be ignorant of the common branches of an English education,such as English grammar, geography, &c.: and consequently prescribe the small elementary works upon these subjects, used in the common schools. Now, how is any one to begin with the very elements of an English education,-pass through the sciences,study theology, and attend to the duties of a travelling preacher at the same time, within the term of two years! It strikes me forcibly that the time has gone by, when these small studies should stand upon the catalogue of studies appointed for candidates for admission into the annual conferences. That now, no person (except under very extraordinary circumstances) ought to receive a license to preach, or even to exhort, without a knowledge of the lower branches of an English education. At least, as many of them as a child of eight or ten usually masters in our common schools. But so long as men commence these branches, and commence travelling a circuit simultaneously, so long we shall continue to find many of them deficient, even in the common branches, when they come to be examined at the end of two years.

Another defect is in the catalogue of books. This often consists in a list of books, jumbled together without much classification or order. And commonly so many of them upon the several branches,

that the student is lost in the maze, or absolutely discouraged. The course prescribed in this conference has been several times revised and improved. And it is probable that it will be judged expedient to revise it again, and to substitute some new works, which have come before the public since it was drawn up, for some now upon the catalogue, of less value, or less adapted to such a course.*

Another defect is the want of suitable text books. Upon several of the branches, this has hitherto been a deficiency of no small magnitude. A text book for our candidates should embody the subject in as close and compendious a form as possible, and be characterized by a perspicuous and natural method. It is therefore to be hoped that the time is not far distant when our committee will not be under the necessity of putting into the hands of our candidates a series of volumes, or a pile of pamphlets, upon any one subject, but will be able to supply them with suitable text books upon all the branches. When this shall be the case a great difficulty will be removed.

The last defect I shall notice arises from our manner of examining the candidates. We examine them on all the branches prescribed, from the first to the last, at the same time. The prospect of such a terrible seige so excites some of the candidates as to induce them to overact; and so overwhelms others with dread, that they either recede from the fiery ordeal, or enter it void of all self confidence, and are not able to answer questions which are at other times perfectly familiar to them. If the studies were divided into two parts, and one portion of them appropriated to the first year, and the remainder to the second, and an examination had at the end of each year, it would undoubtedly much relieve the candidate, and enhance the utility of these examinations.†

But an improvement of much greater importance than any here suggested, is the extension of the course to four years. It is a lamentable fact that some of our young men exert themselves commendably until they are admitted; and when they have passed the straits they relax their efforts, and sometimes appear to give them entirely over. But if they were to be subjected to four successive examinations, they would continue to apply themselves to their studies until they had acquired a competent stock of knowledge, and formed regular habits of study. But until this arrangement shall be made by the General Conference, we hope in this conference to find a partial remedy, at least, for the evils of the present system, in the annual examinations of this association.

III. The third cause of the want of literature among us arises from the fact that many are prematurely called into the work. So numerous and pressing are the calls for laborers in our opening fields, that we often employ young men of few or no scientific attainments, and scarcely any theological knowledge; and give them so much work to do, that they have very little time for pursuing a regular course of studies. Many of these, could they have time and means, would be amply furnished for the work. But now it is next to impossible, or at least so very difficult, that but few such ever attain the object. It has ever appeared to me much better This was accordingly done. This arrangement was adopted by the conference.

that the work should suffer a temporary inconvenience, than that the Church should be ultimately deprived of an able ministry. It is urged in excuse for this policy that the necessities of the Church are great. Of this I am by no means insensible. And it is for this very reason that the best care should be taken of all the materials which can be wrought into efficient instruments of usefulness. None of these should be spoiled by calling them into use prematurely. If we compel our young men to buckle on the harness before they have acquired the strength and vigor necessary to sustain and use it to advantage, they will quite break down under its weight or, at best, their growth will be so stinted and cramped that they will for ever remain dwarfs. I have, to my deep regret, seen this observation verified in very many instances. It is not a case of rare occurrence for young men who had made a fair beginning in their literary pursuits, and were successfully prosecuting their studies, under competent instructers, to be torn from their appropriate work, and put upon a circuit or station. Here they relinquish their scientific pursuits, and turn their attention to sermonizing, in which they are obliged to occupy most of their hours of study. Not having gone far enough in the elements of general science to enable them to pursue their course under so many difficulties, and without assistance, much of their former labor is lost. And here, very frequently, it may be said of them, They have finished their studies.'

But is this good economy? Is it the most successful course to meet the continued and multiplied calls of the Church for efficient laborers? Is it not cutting off our resources, and perpetuating the very evils it is designed to cure? In bringing forward a young man, a regard should no doubt be had to circumstances. As some will be prepared for the work much sooner than others, under the same circumstances, no invariable rule should be established as to the time they should occupy in preparatory studies. But when a young man has acquired sound practical knowledge sufficient to enable him to labor acceptably and successfully as a preacher, and to prosecute his theological investigations in connection with ministerial duties, he may then safely be employed, whether he has been preparing a longer or a shorter time.

It is found a very difficult task to unite much study with so much ministerial labor as is required of a Methodist travelling preacher. He has to preach from three to ten times a week: he has to visit the sick, to bury the dead, to administer the discipline, to attend to the interests of the great benevolent institutions, and to those of the Book Concern, &c., &c. With all this labor upon his hands and heart, after preparing himself to meet his congregations, what time will he be likely to find for a systematic course of study? If he finds any time for this purpose, and certainly if he finds time to prosecute the study of the sciences, in connection with theology, it can only be by a close and uniform attention to the rules of a preacher, laid down in the Discipline:-'Be diligent. Never be unemployed. Never be triflingly employed. Never trifle away time. Never spend any more time at any place than is strictly necessary. Be punctual. Do every thing at the time.' A close attention to these rules was the grand secret of the Herculean labors performed by VOL. VII.-January, 1836.

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