greatly diminished; partly owing to the very difficult times through which the country has passed; partly because of higher requirements in the department of preliminary studies; and partly from most of the evangelical communions having now education societies of their own. Thus the "Old School" Presbyterians have a Board of Education under the direction of their General Assembly, which prosecutes its work most wisely and efficiently. It had 350 beneficiaries during the year end ing 1st May, 1843, and had assisted 1330 young men in all. Its receipts for that year amounted to 30,000 dollars.* of the Reformed Dutch Church supported twenty-four last year. A Methodist Education Society has also been formed at Boston. These statements will give the reader some idea of our Education Societies. Though of recent origin, they are exercising an immense influence in training up a more thoroughly-educated ministry. In the absence of precise information, the young men now receiving assistance from them may be moderately estimated at 1600 in all, and of these at least 250 annually finish their studies, and enter on the work of preaching the Gospel. CHAPTER XVIII. THEOLOGICAL SEMINARIES. A number of devoted clergymen and laymen of the Protestant Episcopal Church, having met at Georgetown, in the District of Columbia, for the purpose of laying the foundation stone of an Episcopal church, were providentially led to talk of the importance of having a plan for aiding pious institutions, in their several gradations, I HAVE spoken of the various literary but indigent youths, of suitable talents, in through which our youth may pass in prepreparing for the ministry. The result was the formation, in 1818, of the Protest-paring for the professional course with ant Episcopal Education Society. It has have noticed also the education societies which they usually close their studies. I proved a great blessing to the Church and for assisting poor but pious young men, of to the world. It may be said to have suitable capacity, in their preparations for originated the Episcopal theological school the ministry. And I now come to speak near Alexandria, in the District of Colum- of the theological schools, in which a very bia; and nearly a tenth part of the clergy large number of our candidates for the of the church to which it belongs have been more or less assisted by it. A sixth part cred office. ministry complete their studies for the saof the present clergy in Ohio, an eighth of those in Pennsylvania, a fifth of those in Maryland, and a large proportion of those in Virginia, have been aided from its funds; and it is now assisting a seventh of all the students in the several theological schools Formerly the young men who sought to tions which require, in those who occupy enter the ministry among the denominatheir pulpits, a college and theological education-I use the term in a technical sense, and mean nothing invidious-were of that church in the United States. I do not know the precise number of its pres-immediately under some individual pascompelled to study theology, more or less ent beneficiaries, but believe it exceeds eighty. There are also several Education Societies among the Baptists, which have aided a large number of young men.‡ That tor, and it was common for six or eight of them to place themselves under this, and a few under that other, distinguished divine. They often resided in the house of their spiritual teacher; sometimes they boarded in families near his house; they availed themselves of his library, and were directby him in their studies. But this was obviously a very imperfect method. Few pastors could afford time to do their pupils justice; fewer still possessed such a range of learning as to fit them for conducting others to the acquisitions, in various branches of knowledge, required in order to a competent preparation for the ministry. * The American churches have long been impressed with the importance of having a competented and sufficiently numerous ministry. The friends of the American Education Society observe the last Thursday of February yearly as a day of special prayer for colleges, academies, and other institutions of learning, that God may be pleased to pour out his Spirit upon them, bring many of the students to a saving knowledge of his Gospel, and incline their hearts to preach it. The General Assembly of the "Old School" Presbyterian Church recommended last year, to all the churches under their care, to observe the first Sabbath of November as a day of spe cial prayer to the Lord of the harvest, "that he would send more labourers into his harvest." They recommended the subject also to the daily intercessions of Christians, in view of the vast demand for ministers of the Gospel. + Dr. Hawks's "History of the Episcopal Church in Virginia," p. 261. In particular, "The Northern Baptist Education Society," and "The Baptist Education Society of New-York." The former of these was instituted in 1814, and has the seat of its operations in Boston. Du To the late Rev. Dr. John M. Mason, of New-York, one of the most eminent divines ring the eight years from 1831 to 1839 it had aided 279 young men in preparing for the ministry, and supported 134 in 1840. It was mainly owing to its cfforts that the Baptist Theological Seminary at Newton was founded in 1827. The latter society was founded in 1817, and has maintained many students at the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution, founded in 1820. that America has ever produced, we owe the first attempt to establish anything that could be called a theological school. He collected in Europe an extensive and valuable theological library, and commenced a course of instruction in various branches of theological study about the beginning of the present century. For years he carried it on almost single-handed, and many young men heard at his feet the masterly instructions that he was so capable of giving them. The theological seminary at Andover was founded in 1808, and being the first, on a complete plan, founded in the United States, and the most celebrated, I shall notice it more amply than the rest. The college buildings are beautifully situated on elevated ground near the village of Andover, about twenty miles to the north of Boston. They consist of two large edifices for the residence of the students, and a central building, in which are the chapel, the library, lecture-rooms, &c. At a due distance behind these stand the refectory and steward's house. The grounds in front are tastefully laid out, and their walks and avenues adorned with various sorts of forest trees. Facing the seminary buildings, and forming one side of a street which borders the grounds in front, stands a row of houses where most of the professors reside. The grounds are very ample, the situation salubrious, and the buildings remarkably convenient. This seminary forms a branch, as we have elsewhere stated, of Phillips' Academy, which stands in the immediate vicinity, though the two institutions are no farther connected than by being both under the same board of trustees. The history of the Andover Seminary may be given in a few words. It originated in a growing conviction of the need there was for a higher standard of qualification in the clergy, and in the obvious necessity of having something to take the place of the University of Harvard on its defection from the Faith. Farther, the good providence of God was manifested in the undertaking, by his giving both the necessary means and the heart to four or five enterprising merchants to lay the foundation. One of these was the aged Samuel Abbot, of Andover, who had already executed a will bequeathing funds to a large amount for the support of professors and indigent students of theology in Harvard University. But having lived to witness the new movements there, and to be convinced of the danger of trusting a legacy to an institution which, in his view, had perverted the funds left by Mr. Hollis* for the support of an orthodox professorship of divinity, he was led to unite with Mrs. Phillips, widow of the late Hon. Samuel Phillips, one of the founders of Phillips' Academy, and her son, in a plan for connecting with that academy the erection of buildings, and the appropriation of certain funds for the support of a theological professor, and of indigent students of theology. Meanwhile, a similar plan for another seminary was formed by the late Rev. Samuel Spring, D.D., of Newburyport, and the Rev. Leonard Woods, D.D., of West Newbury, now a professor in the Seminary at Andover, and funds were pledged for its endowment by Mr. Bartlett and Mr. Brown, two parishioners of Dr. Spring, and by Mr. Norris, of Salem-all at the solicitation of Dr. Spring, who was the author of this scheme. Dr. Woods, in whose parish the institution was to be placed, was to be professor, and a colleague was to be appointed to assist him in his pastoral duties. Thus far had the parties proceeded, not only without concert, but although living within the compass of twenty miles, and several of them having friendly intercourse with each other, without being cognizant of one another's plans. This seems to indicate the intervention of a kind omniscient Providence, and may have been a link in the chain of causes which cordially united, in the end, the two parties into which the orthodox Congregationalists of NewEngland were then divided, and to the adoption of a better creed for the seminary than it might have had otherwise. These parties were, on the one hand, the so-called moderate Calvinists, moderate both in action and speculation, and, on the other hand, the Hopkinsians, the keensighted, active, fervid, pungent, and perhaps rather ultra men of their time. Now, to have continued and widened the separation of these parties by their having contiguous and rival seminaries, would have been no less disastrous than their union was desirable, both for the nearer approximation of both to exact truth, and for its common defence against the advance of Unitarianism; and nothing could well have been imagined more likely to produce prompt and effectual union, than their being led to co-operate in establishing a common seminary. But it seems very doubtful how far they would ever have thus combined their efforts, had not certain members of each been led, in the providence of God, by ways that they knew not, and for a high end which they never contemplated, each to advance thus far in their projects. The evil sure to result from there being two such seminaries was obvious; the benefits to be derived from their being united in one were appreciated, at least to a certain exsented to it a philosophical apparatus and many Thomas Hollis, Esq., a highly-esteemed Christian merchant, was born in England in 1659, and died in 1731. He founded the professorships of theology and mathematics in Harvard University, and pre-books. tent; yet this union of the two institutions, | pathize, and act together. These results and the adjustment of principles common to are matters of devout astonishment to many both, cost nearly two years of anxious and a beholder of what God has wrought amid incessant labour, during which the negotia- the movements of our times. tions were more than once wellnigh broken off, and at one time quite abandoned. "No one," says the Rev. Dr. Woods, “who did not himself act a leading part in these interesting transactions, can ever have an adequate conception of the unnumbered difficulties which the principal agents had to encounter, or of the amount of solicitude, and of effort, which fell to their lot, or of the variety of dangers to which the great object was from time to time exposed.' The opposition, in various forms, to orthodoxy was considerable, but was of little avail in retarding its progress. Fears were at one time entertained lest a majority of the trustees of Phillips' Academy, under whose guardianship the seminary is placed, should ultimately be found men of lax opinions; but, as most of the suspected parties died or resigned their seats within a few years, those fears gradually subsided on the vacancies being filled up by others who were unquestionably sound in the faith.* Anxiety on this head led to a greater solicitude about creating a Board of Visiters, and the quinquennial renewal of subscription by the professors and visiters, though this could not be extended to the trustees, no provision to that effect having been made at the institution of that board. At The greatest difficulty in the way of the union was the adjustment of a common creed, to be subscribed by the professors of the seminary. The founders of Phillips' Academy had already adopted the Westminster Assembly's Shorter Catechism. To this Dr. Spring, with the advice and support of his friend, the Rev. Dr. Emmons, strenuously objected, because some parts With all these guards, and looking to of it were widely understood to imply what the present character of the boards, the he did not believe, and, partly, because he friends of the institution consider that thought that more definite and extended there is none in the country more comstatements on several points of doctrine pletely guarded against perversion. were desirable. He and his friends, also, the same time, the most perfect freedom wished for additional barriers against her- of inquiry is allowed, and even encouraged esy, and particularly for a Board of Vis- among the students, in order that their iters, professing the same creed, and with faith may rest on conviction, not on huample powers for the correction of errors. man authority or constraint. No subscripThese difficulties were adjusted at last by tion to a creed is required of them, nor the institution of such a board, and by the can any one who gives to the professors adoption of a new creed, drawn up by a satisfactory, evidence of Christian characcommittee from both parties, and couched ter be debarred from entering the seminavery much in the language of the cate-ry, or dismissed from it on the ground of chism, but with some omissions and some his belief. This condition was required additions. And this creed is to be solemn- by the State Legislature on their enlarging ly repeated and subscribed in the presence the powers of the trustees, so as to enable of the trustees of the academy, by every them to hold the additional funds required professor and every visiter, on his induc- for the establishment of the seminary. tion into office; and the same is to be re- And although its expediency has by some peated, in like manner, by each of them, been doubted, it seems as yet to have had once every five years, during his continu- no bad consequences. It has been thought ance in office. unreasonable to require a minute profession of faith from students who go to the institution for the very purpose of learning what is truth, as well as how to teach it. In this adjustment the Hopkinsians gained their main object, but, at the same time, sacrificed some favourite points which they would gladly have introduced into a semi- The seminary was opened in the autumn nary of a more sectarian character. Some, of 1808. For several years there were indeed, a few of whom are still to be found, only three professors, but now there are persisted in their objections to the semina- five, one of whom acts as president of the ry on this account; but nearly the whole institution. Each member of the faculty orthodox community of New-England have has a salary of 1500 dollars per annum, tocordially acquiesced in it, so that the ar-gether with the use of a family dwellingrangement has most happily, though silent-house, and is debarred from receiving any ly, become a virtual bond of union among them. Foreign missions, and other great benevolent enterprises to which the seminary soon gave birth, hastened and confirmed this coalescence by bringing the two parties more frequently to pray, sym* Manuscript History of the Theological Seminary at Andover, from which much of the information here given was derived. L compensation for preaching abroad. The departments of the professors are, Sacred Literature, including the Greek and It must be kept in mind that Phillips' Academy was founded in 1778, when Unitarianism had not yet developed itself in the United States, though the er rors which led to it were to be found in Boston and its neighbourhood. When it did develop itself, it was not strange that the Board of Phillips' Academy should have been infected with it. Hebrew Scriptures, chiefly during the first | years at first, but they have gradually inyear; Christian Theology, chiefly during creased from about thirty to about 150, the second year; and Sacred Rhetoric, Ecclesiastical History, and Pastoral Theology during the third year. The instruction is given partly by written lectures and partly by the use of text-books, which are recited in substance by the students, and accompanied with remarks by the profes sors. The students are not allowed to preach, nor are they required to write sermons till their senior or last year. Each may then be called on to preach in the chapel, and is also allowed to preach abroad for six Sab-. baths in his last term, within certain limits as to distance, so as to avoid being absent from any of the lectures. The remainder of the preaching in the chapel is chiefly performed by the professors in rotation. Most of the students are graduates of colleges, and all are admitted on examination in regard to their attainments, evidence of piety, &c. During the first year they attend two lectures a day; afterward, usually but one. Great attention is required of the professors in the cultivation of piety among the students, which has ever been regarded by them, as well as by the founders and guardians, as a grand object of the institution. For this purpose, they meet the students for a devotional exercise every Wednesday evening. The students also hold many conferences and prayer-meetings by themselves. Indigent students, of whom there are many, receive half the price of their board in commons gratuitously. No charge is in any case made for tuition, and but a small one for the use of the library, and for rooms and furniture. which has been not far from the number on the list for many years. Any farther increase has been prevented by the mul tiplication of kindred seminaries since its reaching that number. The whole that have been admitted from the first amount to about 1500, though, partly from deaths, partly from many having failed to complete their course, or gone to other institutions, not more than 950 of these have graduated. Nearly 100 have devoted themselves to foreign, and many more to domestic missions. The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions were indebted to this seminary for all their missionaries but one for the first ten years; and many of its students have lived to become presidents and professors of colleges and theological schools, and secretaries and agents of benevolent societies. It possesses peculiar advantages for the training of missionaries. The "Society of Inquiry on Missions," of which almost all the students are members, is nearly coeval with it. It has a valuable library and museum, and exerts a very salutary influence on the spirit and piety of the institution. The doctrine is taught at this, as at most of the other theological seminaries in the United States, that every pastor should be a missionary at heart, and that every student should be willing to go whithersoever God may call him. There are great facilities at Andover for having early intelligence from the American missionaries, by constant correspondence, by visits of returned members, and by intercourse with the secretaries and other officers of the American Board. The "Porter Rhetorical Society," so named from its founder, the late Rev. Dr. Porter, the first president of the seminary, has an excellent library, and exercises much influence. As the design of the seminary is to furnish an able as well as a pious clergy, and as its privileges are, to a great extent, gratuitous, each student is required, at his matriculation, to promise to complete a The library of the seminary itself is regular three years' course of study, "un-thought to be one of the best in the counless prevented by some unforeseen and try. It was selected for the purpose, unavoidable necessity," which is to be contains 14,000 volumes, and has a fund judged of by the faculty. This is a much to provide for its constant augmentation. longer course than had commonly been Some of the large number of German pursued under the guidance of private pas-books contained in it being of a neological tors, and it has been found very difficult thus far to elevate the views of the community, and fully to reconcile the feelings of the students to this requisition. Indeed, the rule itself was not made for a considerable number of the first years. character, it was at one time feared by many that these might do mischief; but such apprehensions have now yielded, in the minds of those who felt them, to the consideration of the importance of having such books in an institution where men are to be trained to face an enemy, not to flee from him. As this is the oldest theological seminary in the country, it has had to make its own way, unaided by previous experience; The institution is under strict discipline. and very many are the changes, mostly Monitors' bills are kept; all are required for the better, it is believed, which have to attend to their studies, and to be presbeen made from time to time in its ar-ent at the lectures of the professors, at rangements. the morning and evening chapel prayers, There were not many students for some and at Divine service on the Sabbath. There are instances of students being dismissed for irregularity of conduct. The total sums that have been given for the erection of the seminary buildings, the endowing of professorships, the support of indigent students, the library, &c., cannot be precisely ascertained, but they probably exceed 400,000 dollars. Mr. Bartlett, the most munificent of the donors, is supposed to have given 100,000 dollars, besides a legacy of 50,000 dollars. He is said never to have told any one how much some of the buildings that were erected at his instance cost him. Mr. Abbot gave about 120,000 dollars. Mr. Brown and Mr. Norris also gave large sums. No general solicitation has ever been made in behalf of the institution, though it has received from individuals many benefactions of from 500 to 5000 dollars. Connected with the seminary is a printing establishment, known as the Codman press, from its having a fount of Oriental types presented to it by the Rev. Dr. Codman, of Dorchester. Few institutions have ever been more blessed than the Andover Theological Seminary. It has been intimately associated with the origin and progress of foreign missions, and had much influence in originating the Bible, Colonization, Tract, and Temperance Societies, through the exertions of the lamented Mills* and his coadjutors, who were students at it. I have spoken of it more in detail, not only because of its being the oldest, the most richly endowed, and the most frequented of our theological schools, but also because it has been, in some sense, a model for the rest.† tained a great and well-merited celebrity by the distinguished talents of its professors, as well as the excellent course of its studies. It has for several years had an annual attendance of from 125 to 140 students, and has educated, in all, above 1200. The missionary spirit has prevailed in it to a gratifying degree, almost from its first establishment, and a large number of its alumni have gone to carry the Gospel to heathen lands. There is a flourishing" Society of Inquiry on Missions," with a valuable collection of books relating to that subject. The Princeton course comprises for the first year, Hebrew, the Exegesis of the Original Language of the New Testament, Sacred Geography, Sacred Chronology, Jewish Antiquities, and the Connexion of Sacred and Profane History; for the second year, Biblical Criticism, Church History, and Didactic Theology; for the third year, Polemic Theology, Church History, Church Government, Pastoral Theology, the Composition and Delivery of Sermons. One Instruction is given both by lectures and text-books, and the entire course requires the study of many authors. The students must read essays of their own composition at least once every four weeks, and are expected, also, to deliver short addresses before the professors and their fellow-students at least once in the month. evening in the week is devoted to the discussion of important theological questions. Every Sabbath forenoon a sermon is delivered in the chapel by one of the professors. In the afternoon, the students assemble for a "conference" on some subject in casuistical divinity, their professors presiding and closing the discussion with The General Assembly of the Presbyte- their remarks, and the services commenrian Church established a theological sem-cing and concluding with singing and prayinary at Princeton, in New-Jersey, in 1812, er. Questions such as the following are being the second of the kind in the United discussed: What constitutes a call to the States. Although far from being richly ministry and the evidences of it? What endowed like that of Andover, and has is proper preparation for the Lord's Supoften been greatly embarrassed for want per? What is repentance? What is faith? of adequate pecuniary support, it has at- What is true preparation for death? The Andover Faculty consists of the Rev. Drs. Woods and Emerson, and the Rev. Messrs. Stuart, B. B. Edwards, and Park, professors. Professor Stuart is well known for his Commentaries on the Epistles to the Romans and Hebrews, as well as for his Hebrew grammar and other writings. Dr. Woods has published some valuable small works on baptism, inspiration of the Scriptures, &c. Dr. Emerson has not yet published much. Mr. B. B. Edwards has written much and ably for periodical publications, and is the author, besides, of several valuable works relating to missions; among these is a missionary gazetteer. He published the life of Dr. Cornelius; and in 1839 took a joint part with Professor Park in giving to the world an interesting volume of translated selections from German authors. These, and a hundred such subjects, are seriously and faithfully discussed, and none of the other exercises, probably, is so instructive or so important to the students. It is there that the deep knowledge in spiritual things of their venerated and excellent professors most fully manifests itself. God has greatly blessed these heart-searching services to the students, and much is it to be wished that such exercises, and such fidelity on the part of the professors who conduct them, were to be found in every theological seminary and theological department of a university in the world. It is matter for devout thanksgiving that the venerable professors* appointed to the Princeton Seminary in its earliest years, *The Rev. Drs. Alexander and Miller, both of whom have earned an extensive reputation by |