MENTAL DI SCI PLI NE ,

WI TH R E F E R E N C E TO TH E

ACQ UI SI TI ON AND COMMUNI CATI ON

K NOWLED GE,

AND TO E D UC ATI ON G E N E R ALLY .

TO WHI C H I S A P P E ND E D

ATOPI CAL COURSE OF THEOLOGI CAL STUDY

Da vi s111 QI l a r lf 211 11
By 13 m { . .
, .

EI GH T H T H O U SA N D .

N EW Y OR K
P H I L L I P S H U N T .

C I N C I N N A TI
W A L D E N S T OW E .
 En t e ed
r , d g
a cco r in t o Ac t of s
C ong r e s, m me y e a r 1 847 , by

LANE T i
I PP E TT, n the
’
t t
C l e r k sOtfice o f t h e D i sr ic C o ur t of
the Sou th m s
a t n c t of Ne w-
Yo r k .
 PRE F A C E .

TH E h i s
t or y of the l i ttl e vol u m e , h ere
wi t h p r e s
e nt e d
p u bl i c , i ss
to t h e i m pl y t h i s .

W h i l e e ng a g e d so m e y e a r ss i nc e i n a c a
dem ica l s t u d y a sp ri n c i p a l o f a s e m i na r y ,

the s j
u b e ct of m ent a l d i sc i p l i n e o fte n

as se d i n r e v i e w ; a n d fo r t h e m o s t a rt,
p p
t h e p r i nci p l e s i m b o d i e d i n t h i s t re a t i s e

we re d i s cu s se d a nd e nforc e d b
y t h e a u t h or

i n c o nnec ti o n w i t h t h e s t u d y o f m e nt a l

p h i l os o hy
p . M o re r e c e nt l y t h e w o r k o f

H F B u rd er , o n Me nt a l D i s
. . ci l i ne,
p
”
ha s
fa l l e n i n t o h i sh a nd s T h a t w o r k , so fa r
.

a sh e k n o w s , i
sno t i n v er y e xt e ns i ve c i r
c u l a t i o n i n t hi sc o u nt r y ; no r i si t , i n s om e

o f i t s a rts p re c i s el y a da te d to e ne r a l
p , p g
us us b ein a dd r e s s d a r t i cu
“
e a m on
g , g e
p
l a rl y t o s t u d e n t si n t h e o l o gy a nd y o u ng

r ea c h er s a m o n w h o m a c ou r s e of m e n
p g
t a l t r a i ni ng a nd a s t y l e o f p r ep a r a t i o n w e re
4 PR E F A C E .

se d , n o t a l t o e t h e r fe a s i b l e a m on us
u g g .

T hi st r e a t i s e h a sb e e n c o n s t ru c t e d p r e t t y
m u ch o n t h e s ame
p l a n a st h a t o f B u rd e r ;
a nd i n t h e fir s t a nd s eco nd
p a r ts ,
w i l l b e

fo u n d m o s t t h a t w a sv a l u a bl e i n hi sw o r k ,

a ccr e d i t e d t o h i m s i m p l y b y m a rk so f q u o
t a ti o n. T hes e , h o w e v e r , fo r m b u t a s m all

p a r t of th e pres e n t vo l u m e . So m e few o f
t h e g e ne r a l p re ce p t sa r e a l s o e x res
p s ed i n

h i sl a ng u a ge .

I n a dd i t i o n t o t h i s ,
t h e a u t h o r h a se v er y

w h e re s o u h t fo r
g
“
h e l s a nd
p
” “
a u t h o ri

t i e s i n t h e c o m p os i t i o n o f t h i sw o r k
”
. It
w ou l d h a v e b e e n l e s sl a b o r a nd r e qu i re d
,

l es st i m e t o w r i t e o u t a n o r i g i n a l w o r k ,
w i th o u t s to p p i n g t o c o ns u l t a u t h or i t i e s ,
’

b u t h e b el i e v e d h i sp a g e sw o u l d b e e u
r i c he d b t h e ob s erv a t i o n so f t h e r o fo u n d
y p
t h i nk er si n t h e s c i e n ce o f m i n d .

Ast o t h e m a nn e r i n w h i c h t h e a u t h or
h a se xecu t e d t h e t a s k h e h a su nd e r t a k e n ,
h e l ea ve st o t h o s e who m a
y s t u d y h i s w ork
to j ud
g e .

TH E A U T H OR .
 I N TR OD U C TI ON .

O BJ E C T A ND PL A N OF THE W O RK .

THE a ut h or of th i s t r e a ti se h a se n
tert a i n e d t h e i de a t h a t a fe w h i nt s
on th e su bj e ct of m e n t a l di s ci p l in e
m i g ht be u se fu l a n d n ot u n a c c ep t a
,

bl e t o m a n y w h o a re e n de a v or i n g
to m a ke i n t e l l e ct u a l i m p r o ve m e nt .

He h a sn ot desi g n ed a ny p h il os op h i

Q , c a l a n a l ys i s o f t h e p o w e r s o f t h e
"
sm i n d r e a ra t o r y t o a n e xt e n ded
, p p
a n d c o m p l e t e sys t e m of m e n t a l di s

0 c i p l i n e b u t s i m p l y t o o ffe r p ra c t i c a l
,

h i nt s i n t he m o st c on ci se a n d si m p l e
,

f or m . Th i s w i l l a cc ou nt for t h e di
d a ct i c s t yl e w hi c h h a sbee n e m p l o y
ed t hro u g h o u t t h e w ork a sbei n g ,

best a d a p t ed t o c on c i se n ess a n d
 I N T R O D UC T I O N .

c l e a r n ess , a nd al so for w h a t m a ny
w il l dee m t h e p a u c i t y of t h e i l l u stra
ti o n s . Wi t h t h e s a m e obj e ct i n vi e w ,

th e a u t h or h a sbee n ob l i g ed t o di s
m i ss i n a s u m m a r y m a nn e r s om e
t op i c s t h a t m i g h t h a ve c a l l ed fort h
a n e xt e n ded d i s c u ss i o n . He tr u st s ,

h ow eve r t h a t t h e st yl e wi l l b e fo u n d
,

s u ffi c i e n t l y t e r se for p r ofi t a n d t h e ,

i l l u str a t i o n s s u ffi c i e n t l y c o p i ou s t o
r e n d e r t h e w or k u se fu l t o eve r y c l a ss

a nd r a de of t oil e r s for i n t e l l e c t u a l
g
w e a l th .

T he w or k e m b r a c es m e n t al di s
c i p li n e w i t h r e fe r e n c e t o t h e t w o

gr e a t p r a ct i c a l obj e c t s of a l l ed u c a
ti on n a m e l y t h e a cqui s
, , i t i on a n d th e
com m u ni ca t i on of k n o w l ed g e Th e
.

fi r st i sp r e p a r a t or y t o t h e se c o n d a n d ,

sh ou l d by n o m e a n s h e c on si de r ed
th e l ess i m p ort a n t of t h e t w o Dr . .

Ba rr o w ve ry j u st l y r e m ar ks th a t “

th e c om m u n i c a t i on of tr u t h i sonl y
 I N T R OD U C TI ON . 7

h alf of th e b u si n ess of ed u c a t i on a n d ,

i sn ot eve n th e m ost i m p ort a n t h a l f

”
.

On t h e ot he r h a n d Mr Lo c ke w i t h
, .
,

e q u a l exp l i c i t n ess a sse rt s T he i m

, ,
“

ve m e n t o f t h e u n de r s t a n d i n g i s
p ro

for t w o e n ds ; fi r st ou r ow n i n c r e a se
,

of k n ow l ed g e se c on d l y t o e n a b l e u s
,

t o de l i ve r t h a t k now l ed g e t o o t he r s .

T he l a tt e r of th ese if i t be n ot t h e
,

c hi e f e n d o f s t u dy i n a ge n tl e m a n ;
e t i t i sa t l e a s t e qu a l t o t h e o t he r
y ,

si n c e th e gr e a t est p a r t of h i sb u si n ess
a n d u se fu l n ess i n t h e w orl d i sby t h e ,

i n fl u e n c e of w h a t he s a ys or w r i t es ,

I t i sevi de nt t he n t h a t
”
t o o t he r s .
, ,

eve r y c om p l e t e syst e m of edu c a ti on

m u st c o m p r ehe n d t hese t w o o bj e c t s ,

a n d t o o n e w h o des ir es t o be n efi t h i s

fe ll ow -m e n i n a n y p u b l i c p r ofessi on
, ,

th e l a tt e r i s as i m p or t a nt a st h e for m e r .

The d i s c i p l in e of m i n d w i t h r e fe r
e n c e t o t h e a c qu i si ti on of kn ow
“

l ed g e,
c on si s t s i n t h e i n vi g or a ti on
8 rNTR OD U C TI ON .

of ou r i n t el l e c tu al p ow e r s, a n d i n t h e
for m a t i on of t h o se m e nt a l h a b i t s t h a t
w i l l fa c il i t a t e s u bse qu e n t a tt a i nm e nt s
- na
e bli n g t h e m i n d s u cc ess fu l l y to
g ra p p l e wi t h a n d Ove r c o m e di ffic u l
ti es t o t h r e a d t h e i n tr i c a c i es of l o gi c
, ,

t o di s c ri m i n a t e be t w ee n t h e r e a l a n d
t h e s op h i sti c a l i n r e a s o n i n g a n d t o ,

ob t a i n c l e a r pr e c i se a n d c om p r e
, ,

h en s i v e n ot i o n s . I t sdi s ci p li n e w i t h
r e fe r e n c e t o t h e c om m u ni c a t i o n of
“

”
k n ow l ed g e i m p l i es su c h t ra i ni n g of
,

o u r fa c u l t i es a n d t h e a c u i r e m e n t o f
.
q
t h o se m e n t a l a p t i t u des w h i c h w il l
,

e n a b l e u st o i m p a rt t h e k n ow l ed g e
w e h a ve o b t ai n ed i n a l u c i d c o n c i se
, , ,

i m p r essi ve a n d e ffe c ti ve m a nn e r I t
, .

m i gh t a pp e a r o n fi r s t si gh t t o s om e
, , ,

t h a t t h o se a tt a i n m e n t s w ou l d n e c e s

s a r il y a cc o m p a n y e a c h o t he r b u t oh ,

s e r v a ti o sh ow s t h a t su c h i s
n o t th e fa c t . a r g e a c qu i s i ti o n s of

k n ow l ed ge a n d gr e a t a b il ity t o a c
,
 IN TR O D UC T I O N . 9

q u i re a r e n ot u nfr e q u e nt l y fou n d i n
,

feeb l e p ow e r s of
ib
c on n e c ti o n w i t
l he r e i sn ot l ess
‘
c o m m u n i c a t i on

oi n t a n d t r u t h t h a n s a t i r e i n t h o se
p , ,

l in es of Yo u n g
Wh a t n u m ber ss , h e a t h d i n eru di t i on, l i e
’

P l un ge d t o t h e h i l t si n ve ne ra bl e t o m e s ,

And r u s t e d i n w h o m i gh t h a ve bo r ne a n e d ge
, .

And p l a y ’d a s p r i gh t l y be a m i f bor n t o s
, p e ech ,

I f bor n bl e st h ei rsof h a l f t h e i r m ot h er s t ong ue 1”

’

The . fi r st p a r t of th e fol l owi n g

t r e a ti se , n a m e l y t h a t w i t h r e fe r e n c e
,

t o t he a c ui s
i t i on of knowl ed e i sof
q g ,

g e n e ra l a p p l i c a ti o n to all wh o a re

desi r ou s of c u l t i v a t in g t he ir i n t el l e c
t u a l p o w e r s— w he t he r w i t h o r w i th
ou t r e fe r e n c e t o a n y o f t h e l e a r n ed

p r of essi o n s An d es p e c i al l y w il l i t
.

be fou n d u se fu l t o t h e st u de nt i n t h e
e a rli e r st a es of h i sa c a de m i c or c ol
g

I e gi a t e c o ur se An e a r l y a tt e nt i o n t o
.

s om e of t hese p ri n ci p l e sm a y n ot
o n l y fa c i li t a t e s u c h i n t he ir s t u di es ,

bu t l e a d t he m to t h e a c qu i s i ti on of
10 I N T R OD U C TI ON .

s u c h h a b i t s a sw il l be n efi ci al l y a ffe c t
the i r w h ol e m e n t a l c h a r a c t e r .

To t h e se c on d p a rt or t h a t w hi c h
,

h a sr e fe r e n c e to t he com m u n i ca ti on of
knowl edg e i t w a sn e c ess a r y t o g i ve a
,

sp e c i fi c d i r e c t i on I t h a sbe en t he r e
.
,

for e c om p o sed w i th r e fe r e n c e t o s
,
t u
de nt s i n t h e m i ni st r y t h ou g h m o s t
,

of t h e s u gg es t i o n s a r e e qu a l l y a p p l i

c a b l e t o a l l w h o se p r ofessi on a l c a l l
i n g i m p o ses o n t he m t h e e x e r c i se of
p u b l i c s p e a k i n g. T he gr e a t des i g n

o f th e a u t h or w a st o s u gg es t t h o se

m e nt a l h a b i t s t h a t w ou l d g i ve e ffic i
e n c y a n d p ow e r i n p u b l i c d i s c o u r se .

Pa rt t h i r d r e l a t es t o th e d i ve r si
“

t i es Of m e n t al c h a r a c t e r a n d i sde
,

s i g n ed t o sh o w t h e i m p ort a n c e of a
c a r e fu l o bse r va t i on of o u r m e n t a l s us

c ep tibili t i e s a n d a w e l l -di r e c t ed a n d
,

e n er g eti c u s e of t he m i n or de r t o t h e

t r u e deve l op m e nt of t h e i n t e l l e c t ua l

c ha ra c t e r
. T he va ri e ti es of m e nt a l
 IN T R O D U C T I O N . 11

ch a r a c t e r , fro m w h a t eve r c a u se t hey

m ay r es u l t , oft e qu ir e di ffe r e n t
en r

m o des of t r a i ni n g a n d d i s c i p li n e .

He n c e t h e i m p or ta n c e t o h i m w h o ,

w ou l d h a ve h i sp o w e r s p r op e r l y b al
a nce d a n d r e g u l a t ed of c a r e fu l l y
,

d i s c ri m i n a ti n g th e va ri ou s gr a des of
in t e l l e c t u a l c h a r a c t e r a n d es p e c i a l l y
,

of de t e r m i n in g t h e c l a ss t o w hi c h hi s

ow n m i n d bel on g s t h a t he m a y
,

c h oo se a n a p p r op r i a t e sys t em o f m e n
ta l d i s ci p l i n e I t w a st h e des i g n of
.

th e a u t h or i n t h i s p a rt of h i st r e a ti se
, ,

t o p r ese n t n ot a sys t e m i z ed vi e w bu t
, ,

s u c h a spe ct s of th e s u bj e c t a ssh o u l d
sh ow i t w or thy of i m p or ta n t c o n s i
de ra t i on i n r e fe r e n c e t o t h e d i s ci p l i n e
of m i nd .

To t h e w ork h a sbee n a pp e n de d
a
“
T o p i c a l C o u r se of T he o l o gi c a l
St u dy t h a t i s a l i st of t h e l e a d i n g
”
, ,

d o c t r i n es a n d p ri n c i p l es i n a c o m
l e t e c o u r se of C hri st i a n t he ol o gy
p
12 I NT R O D U C T I O N .

h a sbee n m a de ou t a n d r e fe r e n c e
,

m a de u n de r e a c h t op i c t o s ou r c es o f
i nfo rm a ti on u p o n t h a t s p e c i a l s ub

j e c t
. T he l i s t of a u t h o r s r e fe rr ed t o

h a s bee n r estr i c t ed s , o a st o b r i n g

t h e n u m be r of b oo ks i t w o u l d r e

q u i r e w i t hi n n a r r o w l i m i t s T hi
. s
c o u r se w i l l be u se fu l t o t h e t he o
l o g i c al s t u de n t b o t h by a ss i sti n g t o
,

syst e m i z e h i sst u di es a n d by l e a d in g
,

h i m t o v al u a b l e s ou r c es of i nfor m a
ti on on e a c h t op i c of i n qu i ry .

D . W . C L A RK .

Ns
w Yor k, Sep tember , 1 84 7 .
 C ON T E N T S .

I N TR ODU C TI ON — D esign and pla n of th e work

stated Page 5

P A RT 1 .

Menta l dis
c ip l i ne wit h r eference t o th e a c qu is
i ti on
f k nowl edge
o .

SE C T l — E ndea v or to i mpress upon your minds

. .

the importance of mental d iscipline 21

E G T 2 — E ndeavor to form a correct esti mate of
F . .

your own powers 23

S E C T 3 —Let not your estimate of the importance
. .

of the v arious branches of study h e formed m ere

l y from the considerati on of their prac tical bear

ings upon the business of l ife but als ,o upon their
tendency to promote the discipline and i mprove
ment of the mi nd 26

V SE C T 4 — Apply the min d wi th full vigor a n d with

.
,

u nd i vided atten tion to every inte l lectual pu rsuit

,

in which you engage 30

SE C T 5 —E ndeavor to ac quire clear and precise
. .

ideas on every subj ect of i n v estigation you under

take 36
 14 C O N T EN T S
.

S ECT —B e deterred from en teri ng u pon n o neces

. 6 . ~

sary branch of stu d y merely from the plea th a t

,
”
you h ave no tal ent for it “
Page 4 1
S E C T 7 -Accustom you rsel f to di sc ri m i nate c a r e
. .

fully betwee n sound and Sophistical reasoni ng and ,

never i ndulge yoursel f i n the use of the latte r 4 3

S E C I 8 — Never let the fancy and imaginati on pre
' ‘
. .

domi nate over the u ndersta nding so as to i mpair ,

i ts energy and darken i ts percepti on 46

S E C T 9 — C ultivate the habit of strict and diligent
. .

i nvestigation 50
S E C T 1 0 —E ndeavor to h ave some special subject
. .

of i nvestigation constan tly be fore you to sti m ulate ,

your exertions 52
S E CT 1 1 .
again s
.

t the wa ste of tim e in fr i

i m p or ta nt pursui ts
-
v olo ns a nd {in 54
S E C T l 2 —G uard again s
. . t i n i ndulg i ng i n v ague
menta l re v eri es 57
S E C T 1 3 —A ttend to but one thi ng at a time and
‘

. .
,

be not easily di verted from any subj ect of st udy

you h ave u nderta ken G2
S E C T l 4 — Le t yo u r plan of study i ncluding the
. . .

arrange m e n t and distr ibution of your M e be ,

judic iously formed and prosecute d wi th the u tmos t

diligence and pu nc t uali ty 65
S E CT 1 5 — Avail yoursel f of exte rn al helps only
. .
,

when fou nd absolu m necess a ry after the tr i a l of ,

your ow n powers 68
S E CT 1 6 . .no high i ntell ectu al attai n ments
without great labor 69
S E C T 1 7 — B e n ot only will i ng but desi rou s t o
. .
, ,
 C ONT E NT S
. 0

h av e e v ery de fect i n your powers attai nments or

, ,

producti ons fully and expli citly poin t ed out

,

P age 7 3
S E C T 1 8 — Guard agai nst those mental h abits whi ch
. .

may h e eventually though imperceptibly p r ej u

, ,

d i ci a l by impairing the v igor of the mind or of the

,

body 76
S E C T 1 9 — Guard a gai nst those bod il y h a bi tswhi c h
. .

m ay be prejudicial to the mind by impairing the

health and vigor of the physical fr am e 88
S E C T 2 0— Le t it be your ai m to arrive at general
. .

pri nciples on all the subjec ts to which your atten

,

tion is d i rec ted 98

S E CT 2 1 — B e not sati sfied wi th the knowledge you
. .

have acquired on any subject of investigation till ,

you ca n express the result of your i nquiries a nd

reflections i n your own wo r ds either i n conversa
,

tion or i n writing 1 00
S E C T 22 — Let the lov e of truth be your chie f sti
. .

mulus to the pursuits of knowledge 1 02

S E C T 23 -When your pl ans are finished i n deliber
. .

ation let action upon them be immedi ate ly com

,

m e nce d 1 04
SEC T . 24 .
— Remember that menta l discipl ine ac

qu i red can be re ta ined and improved onl y by

,

con tinued mental acti vity 1 09

S E C T 25 — Let your mi nd be impressed with the
. .

much to be learned compared wi th the l ittle you

,

know 110
16 C ONTENT S .

P AR T II .

Al enta l dis
ci l i ne wi th
p referenc e to th e com m u nic a t i on

f k no wl edge
o .

S E C T 1 -Remember that the communication of

. .

kn owledge to oth ers is one of t h e great ends of

,

i t sacquisit i on and especi ally is one of the i m

, ,

portant objects of the mi nis t eri al pro fess i on

P age 1 1 3
S E C T 2 — Impre s
. . s u pon your mind the fac t th at a ,

h i gh ord er of delivery is n o less the result of e ffort

and acquisi tion than is a h i gh order of i ntellect
,

ual attai nmen t i n any other respect 119

SE C T 3 — As a C hris t ian mi nister c onsider the
. .
,

close con nection between theologic a l study and

p u lpit eloquen c e 1 25
SE C T 4 — Le t the di gn ity and importa nce of y our
. .

profession deeply impress your mind and lead ,

you to set be fore yoursel f a high standard of mi n

is t er i a l attainment 136
SE C T 5 — Let the duties of your profession be th e
. .

absorbing objects of your stu d y and i nterest 1 4 1

S E C T G— Let the vigorous prosecut i on of study a c
. .

company the discharge o f public otfici a l duties 1 4 5

SEC T 7 — C onsider the frequent and weighty de
. .

mands made upon your mental resou rc es and e n ,

d e a v or to meet them 1 59

SE C T 8 — C onsider t h e demands m a de by the diver

. .
~

si t y of mental characte r i n yo u r congregation s ,

and endeavor to meet them 1 63

 C ONTE NT S . 17

SECT . 9 .
—
C onsi der the demands made by the i n
cre a se of literary and scientific kn owledge among
all classes of society and endea vor t o meet
,

the m P age 1 6 4
SE C T 1 0 -C onnect men tal improv ement with your
. .

preparation for the pulpit 1 67

SE C T 1 1 -Let not your direc t preparati on for t he
. .

pulpit be superficial but let the subject be

,

thoroughly i n v estigated and t h e thoughts meth o

di ca l l y arranged 1 72
SE C T 1 2 — D o not attach too much im porta nce to
. .

artificial rules for the prepara t ion of a ser

mon 1 76
SE C T 1 3 —Consul t the best authors who have wri t
. .

ten upon the subject you propose to discuss 1 79

S E C T 1 4 — Let your own feeli ngs be attuned to
. .

harmony wi th the spirit and senti ments of your

subj ect 1 81
SE C T 1 5 — Remember that the intellectu al powers
. .

are quicke ned by devoti on and de votional feel

i ngs 1 85
SE C T 1 6 — I n order to communic ate k n owledge
. .

wi th e ffect be i mpressed with the i m porta n ce of

,

being able to express yo urself wi th self-posse ssion ,

re adiness clearness precision and for ce
, , ,1 90
SE C T l 7 —Accustom yourself to exte mporaneou s
. .

di scourse 1 97
SE C T 1 8 — Use only plai n langu ag e
. . 21 9
S E C T 1 9 —C onsider th e importanc e of a good de
. .

li very 2 25
18 C ONTE N T s
SECT . 2 0— C onsider
. the impor t ance of a good el o
cu ti on as cont ri buting to a good deli very

Pa ge 22 7
SE C T 2 l —C onsider the i mportance of m an ner as
. .

c ontributing to a good deli very 23 4

SE C T 22 — Study the best li vi ng mod els of de
. .

li very 24 1
SE C T 2 3 — D o not attac h too much i m port a n ce to
. .

artifici al rul es for deli v ery 24 3

S EC T 24 —Let your chief solici t ude hav e r eference
. .

to the matt er rather than th e man ner 24 4

SE C T 25 -Accustom yoursel f to the frequent ex er
. . ,

c i se of your powers when it c an be don e with

"

sui table preparation 24 8

S E C T 2 6 —Wri t e out a disc ourse frequentl y and
. .
,

oc cas ion ally commi t one to memory that you r ,

style may be im prov ed a nd your memory i n vig or

ate d 25 0
SE C T 2 7 —K ee p steadily i n vi ew the great objects
. .
_

and end of the C hristi an mi nist ry 253

S E C T 2 8 — Ever preserve a moral upri ghtne s
. s and
i ndependenc e of spi ri t and ac tion 25 7

P AR T II I .

D i vers
i ti esof meni a l c ha ra cter c ons
idered wi t h f
r e er

c
en e to menta c
l d isip l i ne a nd educ a ti on g ener a l y .

SE C T . 1 .
— D iversities of i nt el l ect u al ch a r a ct e r 25 5
SECT . 2 .
—\Ve should c are fully note these diver siti e s ,

and as certai n the cl as

s of i nte ll ec t to whi ch we
belong 26 1
 C O N T EN T S . 19

S EC T . 3 .
— Cl a s
si fica ti on of the v ari eti es of i ntel l e ctu
al char a cter among men Pag e 2 6 3
S E C T 4 — The philosophical v ariety
. . 26 4
.
—
SE C T 5 The matte r of fa c t or cir cumstan ti a l
.
”
,

mind 26 6
Sé C T 6 — The imag inati ve mind
. . 2 70
SE C T 7 — Il l ust rati on s of this s
. . u bj ec t from D u g ald

Stew a rt 2 73
SE C T 8 — These fac ul ti es co-Operate together and
. .
,

mu t ual ly assist each other 2 76

SE C T 9 — Temperaments — Th e i r influence upon
. .

the i ntell ectu a l char a c ter — Remarks of Ra nch

28 1
SE C T . 1 0— Nonomnes omnia possumus
.
2
85
SE C T 11 —
. Application of the preceding principles
.

to the di scipl ine of m i nd 28 7

S E CT 1 2 — Th e char a cteristi cs of a well-di scipli ned
. .

mi nd 29 3

APPEN D IX ;

A t opical course of theological study with re fer

,

e nce to sources of i n formation on e a ch to ic 8 01

p
 ME NTA L D I S C I PL I NE .

P A RT I .

MENTAL D I S C I PLINE WITH F

RE E REN C E TO
THE A C Q UI SI TION OF KN OWL EDGE .

0T I ON —E ndea vor to i mp r es
sup on y our m i nd the i m
8
I .

p or ta n c
e f menta l dz s
o czpl i ne
'

ME NTA L discipl i ne i sthe primary object the of

education (edu c o) of the i nte l lectu a l fac ulties It is .

not so much i ts object to fil l up as to dr a w out ; not so ,

much to sto r e the mind with id ea s as to devel op it s ,

p o wers Mr Locke h assomewhere remarked

. . that ,

a great and paramou nt object of our present inves ti

g a t i onsis to prepare the mind for future i nvestiga
,
”
ti ons. A n d any syste m is not so much to be v al ued
for the number and variety of ideas it i mparts as for ,

the symmetrical development of our mental po wers

whi c h it prod uces What Senec a says of the bo d y
.
,

has not an i napt appl i cation to the m i nd —F a s t i di ,

m z iss ta re qu ce u bi va r i a s
tom a cl z i m u l l a deg us
'

,u n t cl

d i ver- 3a i n qu i na n t non a l u n t
, ,
A mind overloaded.

ni t h ide a s yet wanti ng i n mental d iscipline is not

, ,

un l ike the stom a c h whose d i gesti ve organs are i m

,

paired but which i s overloaded with n u t r i ci ou s

,

ali men t .
22 M E N T AL D I S C I PL I N E .

The at t ai nment of a proper disc ipli ne of the m te i

lectual powers should be a di rect obj e c t of pursuit
wi th the student) “ In layi ng hi splans and selectin g ,

his course of study this ou gh t t o be a pre ponde rati ng

.

motive to i nfluenc e hi m A si t is the object istoo .

,

o fte n th e simple att ainment of so much k nowledge ,

rather than so much power It may be objec te d that .

the two go h a nd i n hand and necessar i ly accompany ,

ea c h other Here we may sa fely admi t that our

.
, ,

systems of liberal education have been so w i sely a d

j uste d that whi le a spe c i fic amount of knowledge is
,

requ i red as a condi ti on of grad uation to li terary

honors the d evelopment of the i n tellec tu al powers is
,

al so sought as a paramou nt objec t It i s not distinctly .

stated to the student You must h ave so much ,

min d ; but it is presumed that the acqui s i tion of so

much knowl edge will give so mu c h men tal c ap ac ity
a n d strength How ofte n is thi s expe c tation di s
.

appointed What multitudes go out from ou r

sch ools of learnin g cr a m m ed but not ed u c at ed ; and
, ,

how many wandering stars i n the fir m a m e nt of

i ntellect di sc over to us that great ac q u i si tions of
k nowle dge are not nec essari ly ac compan i ed by a s yi n
~

metr i cally developed a n d well-regulate d i ntellect "

Le t h i m then who enters u pon a course of men
, ,

t al traini ng say w i thi n himsel f

,
I must have men ,
”
t a l power if I Obta i n noth ing else
,
With th i s .
,

knowled ge can be acquire d for use ; w i thout i t ,

knowledge ac quire d c annot be u sed With th i s oh

,
.
'

Th e a utho r h a sh e a nd i n ot h e r
er , p a r
t so f thi stre a t is
e

used t h iste rm i n i tsw i de s

t se nse .
 A C QU I S ITI O N OF KN O WL E D G E . 23

j cet be fore hi m— armed and sti mul ated by thi s deter ~

m ination h e w i ll tire over no study

,
No cu i bono .

will drop from his lips as he pores over classic pa g es

, ,

or threads the intricac i es of meta physical or mathe

m e tical sci ence Ins t ead of being led along hoo d
.

wi nked to the acqui si tion of knowledge of whose ,

practical use he c an form no conception the di r ect ,

aim and practical end of these studi es wi ll become

ap pa ren t and stimulate hi m to renewed exertions t o
,

reach the goal .

S E CT I O N I L—E ndea vor for m a cor rect es

to ti ma t e qf y ou r
own owers
0 p .

E very i ndividual undoubtedly forms some kind

, ,

of an Opinion of hi s own menta l powersand c apaci

ties. Hi sOpinion may have bee n formed i n v ery

early li fe a nd may have been modified by frequent
,

comparisons between himse l f and hi sassoc iates as ,

we l l as by the commendations or ani m adversions of

h i ssupe ri ors B ut after al l this estimate may be
.
, ,

excee di ngl y incorrect It may be by fa r too favor

.

able ; or it may be bv fa r t oo u n favorable In eithe r .

c a se the i nfluence wil l be prejudicial

I f the estimate be too fa vora bl e not a few evils ,

may be generated of wh i c h the te ndency will be to

,

obstruct i ntellectual progress It may be expected .

to p ro duce th at pri d e and complacency which will ,

c onceal from the i n dividual the de fects of his capaci

t ies a nd atta i nments en feeble the sti mulus t o exor
,
~

and render him impati ent i f not indignant , ,

d eficien c ies are exposed of whi ch he was not

24 M E N TAL D I S C I PL I N E .

aware and errors which he is not prepared to a c

,
”
knowledge . I t may al so i nduce a person to ente r
prematurely on a spec i es of i ntellectu al e ffort to
which his mental energy is i nadequat e Mr Locke . .
,

a fter a ffi rmi ng that the faculties of the mi nd are i m

proved by exe r cise says Y e t they must n ot be
, ,
“

p ut to a stress beyond their strength Q u id va l ea n . .

h umer i qu id fer re r ec a s
, ent must be m ade the mea ,

sure of every one s u nderstanding who has a desire

’
, ,

not only to perform wel l but to keep up the vigor of ,

h isfaculties . The mind being engaged i n a task

beyond i ts strength l ike the body strained by li fting
, ,

at a weight too heavy h as o ft en its forc e broken and

, ,

thereby gets an unaptness or an aversion to a n v

vi gorous attempt e v er after The understandi ng .

shou ld be brought to knotty and di fficult parts of

k nowledge that try the strength of thought and a ,

full bent of mind by i nsens i ble d egrees

,
F er r et .

t a u r u m qu i t u l i t vit u l a m The ardent and sel f-con

.

fide n t presuming on energies they do not possess

, ,

and impati ent at the slow progress of dis c i pli nary

improvement rush forward in to departments of s
, ci

ence for which they are unprepared Here they are .

ba fll e d wi th unexpecte d d ifficulties ; di sappointment

succeeds to th e ardor of sel f-c onfide nce and i n th e
end they re tire from the pursuits of knowledge i n
disgust
I f the estimate be too unfa vora bl e the e ffectsare of ,

a n opposite character but equally inj ur i ous to i ntel

,

lectual progress Such an estimate may excite h u

. ~

m il i ty and modesty and thus exert a b e neficial mor a l

,
 A C QU I S ITI O N OF KN O WL E D G E . 25

fnflu en c e but i t unquestionabl y t e nds to depress the

mi nd and dete r the individu a l from enga ging i n
,

t hose intellectual enterpri ses th at might be prose

c ut ed wi th success Those who have been most d i s
.

t i n gu i s h e d for i ntellectual power as well as for the ,

succ ess that has crowned their e fforts i n the various

departments of human learning have possessed i n , ,

general a characteri stic modest appreciation of thei r

,

own p owe r s But along wi th this ch aracteristic mo

‘

.
,

des t y they have also possessed an i nvinc i ble deter

,

mination of spir i t and an in d omi table energy of a c

t i on that sto od appalled at no obstacle and shrunk
, ,

from no l a bor . Many pursuits appear on a distant ,

and i n d isti nct survey to be environed by i ns, ur

mou ntable obstacles ; whereas on a nearer approac h , ,

the di fficul ties become less formidable and soon eu ,

t i r el y d i sappear Many of the early attempts whi c h

.

mental di scipline prescri bes are onerous and i r k

some to those who are only beginni n g to cultivate
hab i t s of intellectual exerti on and the mi nds of
some who are not defi c ien t i n ability may be ready ,

to shrink fi om a task to wh i ch they imagi ne them

'

selves u nequal Le t them gu ard against such an e s

.

ti mate of their own powers as would di scourage vi g

or ou s exertion and impede the march of i ntellect of
, ,

which it may be said w ith u ndoubting confidence

vi r es a cqu i r i t eu ndo
‘ ’
.

We have here spoken of our s ettl ed u dgmen ts

j con
cerning our powers ; and not of those h asty and v a
eil l a t i ng noti ons of them that are passi ng more or
,

less in the minds of all A temporary success es .

,
.
26 M E N TA L D I S C I PL I N E .

e ci a l l y if
it be u nexpected has a te n d ency to e xal t
p ,

Ou r notions of our powers on the other hand a tem ,

po r a r y wan t of success tends to depress them .

l Vi t h most p ersons the al ternation s of success a nd

,

disap p ointment i n a measure cou nteract the e ffec ts

of ea c h other ; but when either a r e long conti nued ,

the notions they produce are apt to acqu ire the per
m a ne n c y of settled con v iction Hence it is t h a
.

fe w fai l ures com pletely dishea rten the timid ; and on

,

,
é
the other hand a few casual i nstances of success h e
,

get i n the m i n d s of the weak a n d vai n the abiding

con v iction that they possess a genius .
’

c ult to d eterm ine whether the i mbe the one .

or the pedanti c v anity of the other should most ex ,

cite our comm i seration .

S E C T I O N I I I —Let not y our es f the i mp orta nce g

t im a te o
‘

the va r iousbr a nchesof s t udy be f or med m er el y f rom the

consider a t io nof thei r p a ct ica l bea ri ngsup on the busi ness
r

o l i e but a l s
f f ,
o r om t hei r tendenc
f cip l i ne
y to p r omot e the di s
a nd i m rovem ent
p f the m i nd
o .

Li fe is short art is long is a homely but ex

, , ,

pressive adage The departments of human learn

.

ing are so n umerous and comprehensive the powers ,

of the mind are so li mited and the time to be de ,

voted to li te rary and scienti fi c purs uits is at longest

so short that a selection i s absolutely necessary
,
.

W hen ci r cumstan c es w i l l admit of but a limi ted

cou rse of stu d y th is selec tion should be emi nently
,

practical and have a dire c t re ference to th e busi ness

,

of l ife It is fol ly for those to be dabbl ing i n an c ient

.
 A C QU I S ITI O N or KN O WL E D GE . 27

mu gu a ges
,
who ha ve a ll otted to their studies har dly
s uffi cient tim e to acquire a knowledge of the i r m o
ther tongue ; or to ski m over the h i gher depar t ment"
of science whe n they have hardly tim e-
,
to become
well grounded i n elemen tal E ngl i sh B ut e ve n .

i n thi s hurried practical education if education it

, ,

can be c alled an ultimate re ference should be had to

,

Al l educa
‘
the i nvigoration of the mental powers
— .

SD r Labarce may be regarded as prae

.
,
“

tical ; it aim s to qualify students for the various

duties of l ife and every branch of study is supposed
to have a h ea r i ng more or less d i rec tly upon this
, ,

point Some studies , howe v er a r intended mai nly

.
,
e

for mental disc i pli ne wh i le the knowledge acquired

,

cannot be appl i ed to the ord i nary purposes of li fe .

The h i gher d epartments of mathematics for i nstance , ,

would be of l ittle practical service to the farmer but ,

the common principles of ai i t h m et i c might be em

ployed by h i m I n the transactions of every— day busi
ness The study of the Lati n and Greek langua ges
.

is happ i ly adapted to the culti vati on of the mental

fa c ulti es ge nerally ; but these languages are not now
the med i um for commun i cating thought or of a o ,

quiring use ful i n formati on and there for e a know ,

le dge of them does not necessari ly cons t itute a part

of practical edu c ation C lassi cal study we bel i eve
.
, ,

is essential t o fin i she d scholarship ; but i f a youth can

devote no m cr e than two three or four years to , , ,

academical s t udi es
f we are qui te sure that the other
‘

branches of learning have stronger cla i ms upon hi s

{

attenti on There are departments of science , whic h

.
2 s
‘
ME NT AL D I S C I P L I N E .

will develop and discipl ine the intellectual facul ti es ,

a nd at the same tim e furnish the mind wit h gratify
,

”
ing and useful in formation .

B ut wh en c ircumstances ad mi t of an exte nded

course of study ; especiall y when the i ndividual de
s i gns to engage i n the pursuits of li te rature or to ,

enter one of the l earned professions ; at least i n the ,

earlier stages of his course the development of the

,

i nte l lectual powers should be the primary object of

atte ntion In education the ends a r e continual ly
.

mi staken for the means ; and it is al most u n i versall y

forgo t ten that elementary e d ucation is fa r less i n
ten d e d to qual ify for any specific pursuit than to ,

g ive development and energy to the mental powers .

“
In a li beral education there is much that is pre
liminary No superstructure shoul d be attempte d
.

ti l l the basis be ren d ere d broad and firm The first .

object of sol i ci tude should be t o gi ve vigor and ex

p a ns i on to the faculti es of the mind ; and whatever
pursui ts are best adapted to secure this end shoul d
be selected by the instr ucto r ; and by the learner
should be regarded with i nterest and prosecute d ,

with ard or Let hi m not imagi ne th at they are of

.

i n ferior i mportance be c ause he cannot discern any

,

direct connection between them and the leadi ng ob

j ec t of his professional career Let him rather i n
.

quire in to thei r tenden c y to subject his m i nd to a

sal utary d i scipl i ne and to form those habits of
,

thought and stu d y by whi c h h i sfuture progress may

be di rected or fa c i li ta te d The student i n theolog y
.
,

for example may perhaps enterta i n doubts with res

,
 A C Q U I S ITI O NKN O WL E D G EOF 29 .

gard to the u ti lity Of studies i n m th m ti csor i n

a e a ,

os
p h i l op hy f the hu m a n m i nd ; y e t i t is not di fficult to
o

e xhibit the direct and powerfu l ten d ency Of the

pursuits to generate habits of i nea l cul a bl e v alue to
those who i n the discharge of their pro fess
, ional en
a em e ntswill find occas ion f o r the ex e rc i se Of a o
g g ,

curate discrimination and the power 01 conclusiv e

,

reasonin g C ould i t e v e n be shown that the researches

.

of m athematical science and of mental philosophy

would impart but little in formation of real value sti l l ,

i t might be contended that the advanta ges accruing

,

from the v ery e fforts of inte llectu al energy which

they call forth must secu re to the student an ample
”
remuneration for his expe ndi ture of time and labor .

The above views expressed b f Mr B urder are thus

,
.
,

confirmed by D r ThomasB rown . In some former

s ever e di scussions like the present I e ndeavored to
, ,

extract fo r you some l i ttle consolati on from that

v ery forti tude Of atte ntion which the discussi on r e

qui re d — poi nti ng ou t to you the advan tages Of ques

'

tions Of this kind i n trai ning the mi nd to those habits

,

c f serious thought and patient inves ti gation whi c h , ,

c onsidered i n their primar y relati o n to the i ntell ec

tual character are of infinitely greater importa nce
,

t han the i nstruction which the que s ti on i tse lf may

a fford . Ge neros osl a bor nu tr i t I n the di scipline
Of reason as i n the training of the a t h l e t ae it is not
, ,

for a s i ngle v i c to ry whi ch i t may give t o the youth

fu l cha mpion that the combat is to be val ued but for ,

that knitting Of the joints and har dening of the

mus cle s—that quickening of the e ve s a nd collected
30 M ENT AL D I S C I P LI N E .

ness of e ffort whi ch is form i ng

, for the strugglesof
”
more ill ustrious fields .

S E C TI ON IV .
- E ndea vo r to ac
qui re t he ha bi t of a pp l yi ng
t he m i nd , wi t h fu l l vi g or a nd u ndi vided a t t ent i on, to

eve ry i nt el l ect ua l p u rsu i t i n whi ch

y ou eng ag e .

I ntell ec t ual habits detrimental to any worthy ac

q u ir em e n t are often engendered by a car l e s s ex e r e

”
cise Of attention I f there c a n be anything says
.
,

D r Reid i n matte rs Of mere j udgment and reason

.
,

i ng worthy the n ame of geni u s it seems to consist

, ,

chiefl yi n being able to give that atten tion to the sub

j cet which keepsit ste a dy i n the mind till we c an
survey it acc urately on a ll sides The v igor of i n .

t e l l ec t u a l power aswell as the a c tual knowledge we

,

may Obtai n m ust depe nd i n a great measure u pon

,

our habits Of attention Si tting with a boo k be fore .

y o u or dozing over one with dreamy indi fference is

, ,

not s t udy . Ne i ther are thos e oft i ntermitted e fforts ,

that a r e made by some worthy Of the name of study , .

”
“
Would you deserve to be c all e d a student says ,

one you must learn to abstract your mi nd from

,

everything else and fa sten i t upon the su bject be

,

fore y ou . I f it wander bring it back and chai n i t t o

, ,
”
the subj ect agai n C on tinu e thus ti ll you ha v e
.
,

fully formed the habit Of applyi ng the whol e attentio n

to whatever subject of i nvestigati on you u ndertak e ,

wit h fixed a nd i n tens e t houg ht This on e habit is of

.

more value to hi m who woul d ex te nd his rese ar c h e s

a n d enlarge the domi nion of his though t than t h e ,

p o s ses s ion of a s u pe r fic i al kn owl ed e of h al f-

g a d o z en
‘

r
 A C Q U I SITI ON OF KNOWL E D G E . 31

l angu a ges without it The mi ghty i ntellec ts of every

.

a o have been distinguished for this power

g It i s .

said of Seneca that i n the midst Of the bustle of an

, ,

encampment he fell into a pro found medi

,

stood with the immobi lity of a statue from on e morn

, ,
~

i ng ti l l the sun rose on the next The celebrat ed .

mathematician of Syracuse A rchimedes was so , ,

absorbed by his mathematical researche s as not

to be disturbed by the i n v asi on a n d capture Of
‘

the city by a hos ti le army C ardan is also said to .

have brought himse l f in to s uch a state as to be i n

sens ible to all impressions When t h e servant that
.

attended u pon Locke some hours a fter the usual

,

time for his taking hi s me a l h ad uncovered the di sh , ,

he would often fi nd the food he h ad prepared u n

to uched To the same point is the expressive de cl a
. .

ration of Si r Isaac Newton concerning himsel f ,

that whatever service he had done the publi c w ,

not owi ng to any extraord i n ary sagacity but sole ,

to i nd us tr y a nd p a ti ent

This concentrati on of the i ntellectual power is not

to be con found ed with that state Of mi nd usual ly de
nominated reverie The latter results from an i n
.

abil ity to fix the atte n tion stron gly upon any one
subject and is i n fact c omposed of fugitive and dis
, , ,

con nected tho ughts ; while the former even when ex ,

e r t e d t o such a de gree as to produ c e abse nce of

mind consists i n the concentration Of the Whole i n

,

t e l l ect u a l energy upon one po i nt, to the ex c lusion

Of e v ery other subject This will account for the
.

abs s wh i c h has often c haracteriz ed

m i nd exl n es
e nt -
r
32 ME N TAL D I S C I PL IN E .

”
profou nd thi nk ers Indeed says the author of
.
“
,

The P hilosophy of Sleep all s tu d ies which requi re,

“

deep thi nking are apt to induce mental absence i n ,

consequence of the senso ri al power being d rained

from the gen eral ci rcum feren c e of the mi nd and di ,

r ect e d strongly to a c ertai n po in t Thi s drai ning .

,

wh i le i t i nv i gorates the organ of the part i cular fa

c ulty toward whic h the sensori al energy is coneen
t r a t ed leaves the others in an i nanimate state and
, ,

i ncapac itates them from performing their p r oper

fun c ti ons ; hence pe rsons subjec t to abstraction are
,
”
apt to commit a thousand lud i crous errors New .

ton i n a fit of absence made a tobac c o -stopper of a

, ,

l a dy s finger The following well d rawn po r trai ture

’
.
~

i s m uch to the point It is a case of one Of the

most profound and clear-head ed ph i losophical thi nk
ers a n d one Of the most amiable Of men bec oming
, ,

so completely absorbed i n his own reflections as to ,

lose the percept i on of extern al things and a lm ost ,

that of his Own i d entity and ex i sten ce There ar e .

fe w that have paid any attent i on to the finance of

the E nglish nati on bu t must ha ve heard of D r RO
, .

bert Hamilton s Essay on the Nati onal D ebt which

’
,
’

fell on both ho uses of parl i ament li ke a bo mb-shell ,

or rather whi ch rose and ill umi na ted their d arkness

, ,

l ike an orient sun There a r e also other wri t in gs

.

of h i s i n which one k nows n ot whi ch to adm i re

,

most— the pro found and accura t e s c ience the beau ,

t i ful arran g em e nt or the clear expression

,
Yet i n .
,

p u bl i c the man was a shadow ; pulle d o ff his hat to

,

h i sown wi fe in the st r eets and apologi zed for not ,

 A C Q UI S ITI O N or KN O W L E D G E . 33

t xi
' a ng the pleas ure of her acquai ntance ; went t o
his classes i n the college on the dark morn i ngs with
, ,

one of her wh i te s tocki ngs on one leg an d one of hi s ,

black ones on the other ; o ft en Spent the whole ti m e

of the meeting i n moving from the table the hats of

t h e stu d en t s whi c h they as constantly repl aced ;

,

sometimes i n vi ted them to call upo n h i m and then ,

fi ned them for coming to insult hi m He would run .

a gainst a co w i n the road turn roun d beg her par

, ,

d o n madam and h Op e she was not hurt At other

’
.
, ,

t i mes he would ru n aga i nst posts and chi d e them for

,

not getti ng out of h i sway ; and yet his conversation ,

at the s a me time i f anybody hap pe ned to be with

,

him was perfec t logic and perfect mus i c

, .

The above are extreme cases of menta l abstrae

tion and the latter espe c i ally i ndi c ates a n habitual
,

state of mi nd hardly to be coveted But the e xe r .

»

c i se of i n t e l lectual power with re ference to one point

,

or subject i mpl i es abs t raction and concentrati on ;

,

a n d w i thou t these there can be no great exer c i se Of

i n telle c tual power D r Ma c nish aft er stati ng that

. .
,

"
the E dinburgh phrenologi s t s c on t end that those
”

who have a large development of the organ of con

sare peculiarly liable to fits of abstr ae
a e n t r a t i ve n e s

tion says A good en d owment of the power i n

, ,

question ( concentrative ness ) a dds very much to th e

e fficiency of the inte llec t by enabli ng its possessor to
,

apply his mind continuously to a partic ul ar investi ga ~

ti on unannoyed by the intrusion of foreign and i r

,
~

relevant ideas It seems to h ave been very s

. t r ung
in Si r Isaac Newton whose liability to abstrac tion
,

3
54 ME N TAL D I S C I P L I N E .

has al re ad y been alluded to D uring the t wo .

years says Biot which he spent i n prepari ng and

,
’
,
‘

developing h isimmorta l work P h i l os op h esNa t u ra l is

,

P r i ncip i a Ma them a ti c a he lived only to calcul ate a nd

,

tl i nk Oftentimes lost i n the conte mplation of these

.
,

grand obj ects he acted unconsc iously ; his thoughts

,

a ppeari ng t o preserve n o connecti on with the or d i

n ary a fia i r sOf l i fe It is said that frequently on

"
.
, ,

ri sing i n the morning h e would sit down on his bed

,

side arr ested by some n ew conception and would

, ,

rem a in for hou r s togeth er engaged i n tracing it out .

without dressing himsel f

This i ntense menta l exertion i n which the mi nd ,

is applied with ful l vigor and u nd i vided attent i on to

one defi n i te subject i sl a bor ; and the undiscipl i ned
,

mind will often shrink from i t — nay is o fte n utterly , ,

incompetent to it for any length of ti me We are .

no less inclined t o i nte l lectu a l than bod ily laz i ness .

The formati on of energetic bu s i ness habits requires

firm determinati on and perseveri ng ac tion Be fore .

they are formed th e path of such a one will often

,

seem rugged and u ncom fortable to himsel f ; but

when onc e formed they will c onsti tute his li fe
,
“
.

Just so i n the formation of our i ntellectual h abits .

The mind will at fi rst shrink from the fati guing

drudgery imposed u pon it ; but by in sensible d e ,

grees i ts powers of action and of endurance wi l l be

,

c ome so s t rengt hened and i ts habi ts so confirmed

, ,

t hat it will greatly delight i n that which w asat first

disagreeable and irksome One great obstacle to .

the formation of these h abi t s by the stude nt is the ,

 A C QU I S ITI O N or KN O WL E D G E . 35
”
. . fl u ence of wandering thoughts These though ts
“
.

a r e c onstantly intruding themselves upon hi s studies ;

t hey are suggested by surround i ng obj ects or by ,

circumstances deeply inte resti ng to us or by trai ns ,

of th ought with wh i ch the mind has become famil i ar ;

a n d when once repelled they recur again and oh

, , ,

s t i n a t el
y i ntrude upon the attention They have .

perh aps a stronger hold upon the feeli ngs or pass i ons
than the subject of study prescribed ; they are per
haps more pleasing to the imag i nation and f anc y ,

pleads for a little i ndul g ence Thus a contest is .

,

goi ng on between the student and his wan d ering

thoughts ; and a fte r awh i le he finds the mi nd fa
, ,

t ig u e d with its exertion wh i le at the same time l i t

, , ,

tle or no advan c ement h asbeen ma de i n the subjec t

”
o f stu d y :
“
A bootless e ffort he exclaims while he
, ,

lays aside his book i n d isappointment and disgu s t

Not so fast my young fr i end ; the en c ounter in
,

whi c h you have been engaged i s n ot so bootless as

you imagi ne the very exe rtion you have put forth
has but strengthened your po wers for a second and
m ore su c cess ful conflic t Mr Stewart thus explains
. .

the c a me of ou r d i ssatisfa c tion and weari ness : It “

is not an ex c l usi ve and ste a dy attenti on that we gi ve

t o the object but we are losing s i ght of it an d r e
,

curring to it every instant ; a nd the painful e fforts of

whi c h we are conscious are not (as we a r e apt t o
,

suppose them to be ) e fforts of u ncommon attenti on ,

bu t unsuccess ful attempts to keep the m i nd ste ad y

to its obje c t and to exclude the extraneous Ide a s
,

whi c h are from time to t i me sol i c i tin g its n o we ” ‘

.
 36 M E N T AL D I S C I PL I N E .

Every battle gained in this co nfl i ct ai ds to insu re

the final triumph ; every field sur r endered without ,

a vigorous d e fense ten ds to bri ng about final de feat

,

“
Le t then the mind of the student be deeply
, ,

impressed with the convict i on of the importa nce of

this habit and of the prac t i c abil i ty o f mak i ng great
,

and indefin i te progress in acqu i ri ng the power of

fixed att e ntion Le t him resol ve that he will d a il v
.

mak e the m ost vigorous e fforts ; that he w i ll sum ‘

m on the full energy of his mi nd whenever he is e n ,

ga ged in stu dy ; and that he w i ll never tolera t e i n

h i msel f a h ab i t of languid and i nte rm i tti ng appl i c a
tion Le t h i m be assured that i f he ever a llows this
.
,

he not only loses his time and frustrates hi simme ,

d i ate obje c t bu t that he i njures the tone and i m

.

pai rs the v i g or of h i sm i nd l Vh e n you remi t your .

'

attention sa i d E pic te tus do not fa nc v that you c an

,
’
,

re c ove r i t whe n you ple a se ; but remember t hat by

th e fa ult of t o-d a y you wil l be in a worse sta te to
morr ow a n d a habi t Of not atte n d in g is i ndu c e d
,

Wh v shoul d you not preserve a consta nt attention r °

t here is no c oncern i n l ife in wh i ch attenti on is n ot

“

require d .
’

S ECT I O N — E ndea vor unzfm ml y to a cqui r e cl ea r a nd

V .
'

e i dea son even, s

j n ccis ul i ect
g of i nvest ig a ti on you undi r
'

ta ke .

F ew mental hab i ts are of more c onsequence in

t h e formati on of the intellectual c hara c ter or exert ,

a more de c i si ve i nfl uenc e upon the reputation and

s tan ding of a n ind i vid ual i n soc iety t han t h s It
'

.
,
 A C QU I S ITI O N or KN O W L E D G E . 37

sOpposed to and will be a preventive of the habit

, ,

of superfi c ial observation and reflec tion into which ,

the great majority of men fall ; it wil l lead even ,

wher e few of the a d van t ages of early culture have

b ee n enjoye d to the atta i nment of criti cal exte n
, ,

sive and val uable k nowle dge ; a nd it w i ll secure for

,

the i n d ivi d ual the pro found respe c t of h isfellow

men and enable him to exert a wi d e influence over
,

them In every com munity we shall fin d me n whose

.

j u dgine nt is regarded with de ference by their ne i gh

bors ; they are not always to be found among those
who have enjoyed the greatest a d vantages of wealth
or edu c ation ; sometimes i t is fa r otherw i se They .

are the men who are sought i n all matte rs of contro

ve r s
y . I f we care fully analyze the mental c harac
te r of this c lass of men we shal l fi nd that i n ad d i t i on
, ,

to moral i n t egrity one prominent fe ature of their

,

chara c te r wi l l be the hab i t we have here e njo i ned .

Among the great lumi naries of learni ng espe c ia l ly ,

those who have stru c k out new paths and explored

new fields of knowle dge th i s has ever been a cha ,

r a et e r i s
t i c a q u i r e m e n t not e n l o wm enl as too many
,
/
,

suppose Ne wton c ounte d noth i ng a cc ompl i shed ti l l

.

the truth sought stood out i n a clear and steady

“

”
l ight. To this power are to be attri bu ted i n a ,

gre at measure the c learness and simpli c i ty whi c h

,

characteri ze the theologi cal wr it i ngs Of D r D wi ght . .

It is sa i d of D r Emory for some ti me a d i sti ngu ished

.
,

member of the Baltimore C on ference a n d aft erward ,

one of the bishops Of the M E C hurch that when a . .

,

s ubjec t by the heat and con fusion of debate had

, ,
38 M EN T AL D I S C I PL I N E .

become so complicated th at the members h a rdl y

k new what to d o wi th i t the docto r usual ly c ame to
,

their relie f Someti mes he atte mpted no new arg u

.

‘
n ent but simply d isenta ngled and c l ass i fied t hos e
,

already offered ; so that each one could see fo r

himsel f the bearing u pon the pre c ise poin t at is ”

sue ; a u d when he close d the con ference were

, ,
”
genera lly ready to v t e o .

To the atta i nment of clear and precise ideas ,

habits of care ful analysis are n ecessary A critical .

exami nati on of the par t s is n ecessary to the compre

h e ns ion of the whole To ac c omp l i sh t h i s the parts
.

m us t be disentangled from the mas s and each par ,

ti cu l a r exam i ned b y itse l f Mr Locke says “ The . .

,

greatest part of true knowledge lies i n a di sti nc t

perception of th i ngs in themselves distinct A nd .

some men give more clear light a n d kn owledge by

the fai r d isti nc t sta t ement of a question than others
, ,

by ta king it in gr oss whole hours together In this

,
.

they who state a question do n o more bu t separate ,

and d isen tangl e the partsof it from one another ,

and lay them when so d i sentangled i n their d ue

, ,

or der This o fte n without any more ado resolves

.
, ,

the doubt a nd shows the m i n d where the tru t h lies

,
.

In learn i ng anyth i ng as l i ttle shoul d be proposed to

,

the min d a t once as possible ; a n d that be i ng un de r

stoo d a nd fully mastered proc eed to the n ext a d
, ,

joi ning part yet unk nown simple unperplexed

, , ,

p r e pos i t i on belonging to t h e matte r i n hand and

, ,

te ndi ng to the cleari ng wh at i s pri n c ipally designed ”

.

The course here presc ribe d wi l l not only tend to

 A C QU I S ITI O N or K N OWL E D G E . 39

c l ear and accurate knowledge but wi ll also produce ,

i ndependenc e of thought It w il l free the mind.

fro m a slavish thral ldom to the opinions of othe rs .

It wi ll enable th e i nd ividual to be as the poet de ,

s c ribes himself N u l l i u sa ddi ctu sj u m re i n verba

,
“

m a g is tr i
. Al as how many s e m t o be sati sfied with
, e

be ing serv i le plo dd ers i n the tra c k of others— mere

ch i ldren i n leadi ng strings " T hey are sati sfied with
a k nowledge of the books they re ad rather than of ,

the subjec ts of which the books treat ; and zp s

'

e d i xi t

is their highest authority The progress of the mi nd

.

that i nvestigate s thoroughly w i ll at the outset be , ,

slow ; and the in di vi d ual may acquire the rep u tation

of d u llness among his companions and with indi s ,

c riminating teachers ; but perseverance will insure

to hi m ulti mate s uccess .

Never be satisfied then with look i ng at the mere

, ,

surfa c e of things ; but push your i nquiries to the u t

most l i mi t of your ability Never allow con fusion .

or i ndistinctness of thought to remai n in the mind ,

when it is possible for you to acquire clear and pre

cise ideas On e defin i te and clear idea i s worth
.

more than a d ozen hal f-formed not i ons floating i n

the head “ A d i sposition to rest satisfied with oh
.

sc ure and i ndefi nite noti ons on subj e c ts wi th i n the

,

l i m i tsof our kno wle dge is at once an in di cation of

,

the want of mental v i gor and a most form i dable ,

barrier i n the way of i ntelle c tual improvement On .

the other han d a di ssatisfaction with i mperfect half

, ,

formed c oncept i ons is a most powerful stimulus to

,

further inqu i ry and an e ffectual pre venti ve fro m

,
40 ME N TA L DI S C I PL I N E .

the e rr or of ta ki n g for gran ted that we al r ead y ,

kn ow that of whi ch we are i n truth only begi nning

, ,

A d is
pos
” '

to pe rc eive our ignorance a ti on to rest

.

satisfi ed with hal f-formed not i ons is the precu rsor of

m enta l I mbecili ty Our menta l as we l l asour bo
.
,

d i ly faculti es are
,
stren g thened by u se a nd weak
“
,
”
en ed by disuse The imbec ile mi nd at l ength fin d s
.

the e ffort to acqui re i tssuperfici al n otions vague ,

and indi sti nct though they be lik e Os si a n sghos t s

’
, ,

di m forms of unc i rcu m sc ribed shad e — as labori ous

“ ”
, ,

and by fa r less satisfac to ry than are the e fforts put

,

forth by the m ind accustomed to vigorous thought .

P recisi on of l a ngu a ge is very closely connec t ed

with pre c ision of th ough t Wh ether our i m m edi
.
“

a te obj ec t be to arri ve at cl e a r conceptions i n our

own tr ain of thought or to convey our ideas with

,

c learness to others i t is of the greatest im porta nc e

,

to study precision i n the us e of langua g e It is by .

the aid of languag e th at we c a rry on our proc esses

of thought ; and unless we accusto m ou rselves to
accurate defini tions a nd di sti nc tions our notio ns ,

must be obscure our reason i ngs perpl exed a nd our

, ,

conclusions fre quently erroneous We ofte n i mpos e .

upon ou rselves by falsely ima gining that we fully

,

u nderstand a subj ec t be c ause we are famili ar wi th

,

many of the comprehensi ve terms i n whi c h that

subject is usu ally discu ssed ; where as to m a ny of ,

th ose te rm s we may n ever have atta ched any pre

ci s e or defini te ideas ”
.
 A C QU I S ITI O N OF K N OW L E D G E . 41

S E C T I O N V I — B e det erred fm m
. te
en ces
ri ng up on no ne sa ry

f s t he p l ea tha t y ou ha ve
“
In a nch o t udy m er el y f r om no
”
ta l ent for it .

Thi s plea when ser i ously regarded i s highly I ndi

, ,

c ative of p u s il a n i m it y a nd i ndecision Of character .

It is unq u estionably tru e that all minds are not

equal ly well adapted to every i ntellectual pursuit .

Some seem to have a gen i us for the languages and ,

a cquire them wi th great facili ty ; others seem to have

a peculiar aptitude for m athematics Wh ether th i s .

i ntellectual bent or aptitude result from hab i t or

, ,

nati ve gen i us it i s in d i cati ve Of the undue preponder

,

an c e of some on e Of our facul ties and is i n i tsel f a , , ,

substantial reason why the discarded study should

be made a speci a l subject Of mental applic ati on .

La bor om n ia vi nc i t I f you have no taste for a par

.

t i cu l a r and necessary bran c h Of study form one by ,

your o wn mental energy and d etermi nation ; if you

“
have no talents for such a branch cr ea te th em ,
.

The energy of min d you will have cal led i nto ex

e r ci s e and the i ntelle c tual power you w i ll have e n
,

gendered i n the confl i c t w i ll amply repay your ex

,

e r t i on
. Many of the most d istingui shed votari es of
s c i ence d i scovered no origi nal aptitude for the par
,

t i cu l a r branch Of study i n whi c h they afterwar d ex

celled ; some indee d seeme d to possess a pos iti ve i a
, ,

aptitude and d i srel i sh for those very pursu i ts wh i c h ,

t hey afterward prosecuted with so much honor to

themselves and use fulness to the worl d On the

,
.

ot her hand we Shall find that our sm a rt childre n

,
42 M E N TAL D I S C I PL I N E .

and youth who seem to comprehend a lesson almos t

s
,

by i ntuition rarely become p r ofic i e nt in scienc e ; i n

,

fa c t they rarely mainta i n a respe c table medioc ri ty

, ,
'

even in those very b ranches i n which t h c r p recocity

’

w as most observable Let no on e then be d eterred

.
, ,

from any necessary study by this mischievous plea .

We have not here in tended to u joi n that every

man nor i ndeed that a ny man should “ intermeddl e
, ,

with all k nowledge ; but have spoken only of the

”
branches Of s t udy necessary to the full a n d sym
metrical development of the powers Of the mi nd or ,

such as may be cal led i n requisition by the duties of

Ou r profession This development is the i nal i enable
.

right Of every immorta l be in g A nd a l l this may .

be affi rmed without denying the propriety or uti li ty

,

Of special education for the parti c ular c al li ngs Of li fe .

The v ision ary notion wh i ch some h ave ente r ta i ned

, ,

of converti ng the great mass Of mank i nd into sa g e

phil osophers exhibi ts a l amentable misapprehensi o n

,

of the Obj ectsand d est i ny Of humanity The exten .

s i ve pur suit of Belles L ettres a n d a passion for the ,

s t udy might be Of essenti al servic e to the orator ;

,

but at the sam e ti me injurious to the farmer The

, ,
.

stu dy Of the ancient clas s i cs so essential in t h e lea r ned

,

professions i s not equal ly i ndispensable i n the m an

,

u al o c cupations Says a witty wri te r I f a farmer

.
,

whose l i vel i hood depen d s upon h i s bodi l y l a bor ,

sh ould Spend that tini e i n investigating the p hil os op hy

of hi s plants whi c h he ought to Spend i n h oez ng

'

them he would merit ridicul e and be sure to meet

, ,

wi th poverty A me c hanic wo uld q ui c kly lose his

.
 A C Q UI S ITI O N OF KN OWL E D G E . 43

cu stomers should he bran di sh his learning in their

,

fac es and att empt to enterta i n them with s

, c i entific

haran gues instead Of performing their work with di s

,

patc h and neatness Nor woul d a mechanic thr i ve

.

in t rade who should negle c t h is leger for t h e stu d y

,

of Homer or Sh ak se ar e ; or who should be courting

p
t h muses when he o u ght to be posti n g h i s
e
,
book s or
”
wai ting u pon his customers Vi e adm i t the forc e
.

and truth fulness Of these remarks but we doubt ,

whether they are of very extensive appli cab i l i ty .

Nor do they i n the least j ustify the author s conclu ’

sion that al l learning that is entirely fore i gn to

,

one s business is ve ry a pt to be worse than useless to

’

him .
”
It was an adage of the ancient Latins— p a r
neg ot usn equ e s u r a — t hat a man shoul d be equal
“
p
to h i sbusiness not above i t
,
An d there ar e thou
.

sands wh o seem more soli c itous not to be a bove than ,

they do to be equ a l to thei r bus i ness To us i t seems .

a most Obvious truth that th e capabi l it i es and a c

,

q u i r em e nt sof e very man should so fa r surpass the

spe c i al demands of his business as to en able h i m to,

meet the clai ms Of his social a nd i n t el l ect u a l destiny .

The a cc ompl i shment Of this w ill require a mi n d of

c ultivated feeling Of d eveloped and refined powers ,
,

and Of v ari ed a nd v aluable knowledge .

S E CT I ON V I L— A cc st m y
u o slf ca ref ully to dis
o ur e cr i m i na te

bet ween s
ound a nd s t i ca l r ea s
op hi s oni n
g a nd never i ndul ge
,

y our s
elf i n th e u e s of the l a tter .

Owing the i mper fecti on Of the human under

to
s
tanding fall acious Or unsou nd ar gumen tsOften find
,
 44 M EN TAL D I S C I P LI N E .

place i n a trai n Of re asoni ng even when there was ,

n o inte n ti on of using them on the part Of the Speak er .

They also Oft en occur from des i gn in order to sus ,

ta i n a bad cause to m ak e the worse appear th e

,
“

better reason or more e ffectually to secure the t r i

umph o f a cause i n itsel f good The for mer implies
,
.

an i nte llectual de fe c t ; the l atter moral obliqu i ty ,

.

On e Of the most delicate and importa nt pro c esses

connec ted wi th the exercise Of the reasoning power ,

i s the c ritical d i s c rim i nati on of the natu re and rela

tions Of the various p r e p os i t i onsthat are called up .

Mr Upham considers d iversity i n the s

. us ce t i
p
bi l i t y Of feel i ng relations one Of the groun d s Of the
,

d ifferen c es in the power Of reasoning am ong men .

This sus c epti bi lity is unquesti onably capable Of a

high degree of cultivation and when its use becomes ,

habit-u al the indiv i dual will rarely be betraye d i nto

,

the u nintentional use Of a fall ac ious argumen t nor ,

be very likely to be deceive d by one whe n used by ,

another .

Those i n whom memory or imagi na t i on p r edom i ~

nates are e x t r em el y l i a bl e to the uni ntentional use

,
’

of fallac ious reasoni ngs The former presents a

.

hurdl e Of isolated facts , and then imagines that he

has produced an argument ; th e l atter brings i nto

battle array what P ope denomin ates a mob Of
, ,
“

metap h ors a n d then excl a i ms I o tr i ump he " The

”
, ,

m ul t i tude bewildered equally by t h e volubility Of the

,

ma n Of memory and by the var i ety and n umber Of

,

his facts ; or smitten by th e brilliant flashes a nd

’

sparkl ing imagery of the man of imagin a tion are t oo ,

 A C QU I S ITI O N OF K N O WL E D G E . 45

“
ft e n unable at the moment to fathom the sh a llow
, ,

depths of the reasoning B ut i t should not be for

.

gotten that this momentary vi c tory i sgai ned at the

,

expense Of the future c onfi d ence and respect Of those

over whom it is gai ned It was palm i ng Off upon
.

them worthless though gl i ttering d ust for gol d I ts .

e ffect w ill be to ex c ite i n thei r m i n d s a suspi c ion a s

to the talentsOf the reasoner the soun d ness of his ,

j u dgment and t h e a ccura c y o f his Opinions ; or lead

,

them to the questi on h i smoral integrity A rgu

ments are to be weighed not nu m bered , A soph i s .

ti cal argument when dete c te d in c ompa ny with those

,

that are sound detracts from their weight and for c e

, ,

just as n eg a ti ve qu a nt i ti es i n an al gebraic formula

, ,

cause a diminution of the value Of the whole e x pres

sion When an i ndividual i s detected i n us i ng fa l
.

lacions a rguments u n i n ten ti ona l l y i t w i ll beget a di s ,

trust Of his i ntelle c tual capabilit i es ; when i n us i ng

'
,

them i ntenti ona l l y i t wil l b eget a distrust Of hi s m oral

,

integrity as a reaso n er An d i n ei ther c ase men

.
, ,

will hesi tate to y i eld themselves any lon ger to his

gui d an c e On the other h a nd noth i ng c an be m ore
.
,

e ffecti ve i n secur i ng c onfi d en c e than a sound dis , ,

~

crim i nating judgment a nd a m a nly d eterm i nation

,

n ever to avai l yoursel f Of the temporary advan t a ge

ga i ned b y the u s e of falla c ious argume n ts .

A soun d a nd dis c r im i nati ng judgment c a n be a t

t a i ne d only by cultivat i ng habi ts of care ful di s cr i

m i nation between error and truth and a ri g id a d ,

h e r e nc e to the latte r .In the c ond uct Of l i fe and ,

c ertai nly in every professional ca r e r it is of still e

,
46 MEN TA L D I S C I PL I N E .

greate r impor t ance to exer c ise a sound , di sc rim inati

ing j u d gmen t , than e ven to h ave at comman d ample
sto res of l i teratu re and science A lesson of no i n
.

considerable value should be learned from the e x

a mple of those write rs ( and th ey are not few i n num

h er ) whose memory h a sbeen much more success

f ully c u lti vated than their j udgment ; who exci te
a dmirat i on a t the ri c h a nd varied treasures of their

k nowledge without i nspiri ng respect for their opi n

,

ions or confidence i n thei r reasonings ; who can

, ,

with apparent fa c ility borrow illustrati ons and e m

,

h m e nts
be l l i s from almost every department of sc i ence ,

bu t employ them i n aid of Opinions formed with i n

cautious has te supported with fall acious arguments
, ,

and m ai nta ined with a ll the confidence of dogm a

ti s
”
m .

SE C TI ON V III — N eve r p er m i t the

fa ncy a nd i m a gi na t i on
to predom i na te over t he u nder s o a sto i m a i r i ts
ta nd i ng s , p
energ
y or da rken i ts p ercep t ion .

The imagi n ation is undoubte dly cal led i nto e x a

c ise i n every proc ess of reasoning and contributes ,

e ssenti ally to the progress of an individual i n the

a cquisiti on of kn owledge Mr Stewart though as
. .
, ,

w e thi nk he hardly gi ves just rank and i mport a n c e

,

to the imagin ati on am ong her sister facul ties m a kes ,

the followi ng c oncessions upon this subjec t : I n

scientific researches those habits of the mi nd whi c h
,

l a y th e fou ndati on of poeti cal geni us may undoubt ,

edl be e by suggesting a n a l og i esa s

of occasion al u s
y , ,

i nteresti ng subjects of philosophic al examinati on

 A C QU I S ITI O N or KN O WL E D G E . 47

whi ch anal ogi es , though they oft en do n o more than

furnish amusement to th e fancy may yet s om et i m es ,

lead to important di scove ri es The power of i n .

~

v en t i on beside- s is necessari ly con n ected with the

, ,

powers of imagi nation and fancy ; at least they con

tr ibute their share l argely i n supplying the materials
on whi ch i nvention is to Operate It is sc arce ] v .

necessary for me to add of what advanta g e they aro ,

to the theorist i n supplying h im with happy and

,

vari ed illustr ations Of his hypothesis ; an adv a nt a ge

which it must be owned has i n the p a s
,
t history of
, ,

s c ien c e been more frequently employed i n gi ving

,

plausibility to error than i n i llustrating and es,

t a bl i s
h i ng truth
”
The author also as. serts that it is ,

from the seducing in fluence of these powers that th e

principal c harm Of D arwi n s Z oonom ia arises And ’
.

that young and undisciplined understandings are apt

to be mi sled by philosophi c al romance Mr Uph a m . .

also asserts that a vigorous a nd well -dis c iplined im

,

a i n a ti on may be made subservien t to the i ntellectual

g
process of rea soning ; but at the same time gives the
cauti on that the remark is made only on the sup
position of the imagi nati on being well d iscipli ned ,

which im plies that it is un d er suita ble contr ol other

, ,

wise it will rather encumber and perpl ex than afford ,

”
a id
.

Mr Stewart i n his remarks upon the i nfl uence

.
,

of poeti c habits on the i ntell ectual fa c ul t i es further

”
,

assertsthat by cherishing a proneness to analogical

,
“

combination they have a tendency to impair that

,

severe and dis c riminatin g good sen se whi c h alon e ,

 18 M E N TA L D I S C I PL I N E .

”
c an gu i de us i n fallibly
i n the search of tru th .

”
“
Not h e further observes “ that I would venture
, , ,

with Mr Di afoi r e st o assume as certain the conver s

.
, e ,

o f thi s propos i tion and to c on c lude that i n propor

.
, ,

tion as im agi nati on is weak our other fac ulti es m ust ,

n ecessarily be strong I foresee said thisro a d

.
‘
,
’

parent from the heaviness of my son s ima gi n ation

,
’
,

that he wi ll have in t ime an excellent j u dgn i e nt

, , .
’

Al l that I would be understo od to assert is that a ,

more than ordi n ary liveliness and warmth of i m

a i n a t i on will require i n a greater degree the dis
g , ,

c i l i n e of logi cal precepts and of phi losophi c al habits

p
of thi nking to prevent the possessor fi o m los i ng '

his way in his scienti fic resear c hes than when this ,

fa c u lty do e s not possess the ascen d ant i n the intel

”
lectual fr a me . After remark ing upon the influence
c f the imagi n ation i n c ulti vation of moral and i n

t e l l ec t u a l chara c ter Mr A be rcrombie observes

,
.
,

There is certa i nly no power of the m i nd that r e

q uires more c autious m ana g ement and ste m control ,

a n d the proper regulation of i t c an not be too stron gly

”
impressed upon the mi nd .

t e n imagi n ati on and fanc y pre d o minate there ,

is a constan t tendency to withd raw the mi n d from

the care ful Obse rv a ti on of extern al re a lities so os ,

s e n t i a l i n c rit i c al invest i gation and to send it ou t ,

u po n v isionary speculatio ns F ost er i n one of his .

,

es s ays remarks There may be an intellect not p os

, ,

i ti vel g f ebl e yet practi c a lly reduced to debil i ty by

e
,

a di sproportionate ima gi n ation whi c h co nti nual ly ,

in vades its sphere a nd t akes everyt hing out of i ts

,
 A C QU I S ITI O N or KN O W L E D G E . 49

h ands . Im agi n ation may be indulged til l it us urp ,

an entire ascendency over the mind and then every ,

s ubject presented to that mi nd wi l l excite im agina

t ion instead of understa ndi ng to work ; im a gi nation
, ,

will throw its colors where the inte llectual fa culty ,

ought to draw its lines ; imagi nation wil l accum ulate

meta phors when reason ought to deduce arguments;
,

images wil l take the place of thoughts and sc en es of ,

d i squisitions The whole mind may become at

.
,

length somethi ng li ke a hemisphere of cloud -sce

,

n ery filled with an ever-moving trai n of changing

, .

mel ting forms of every color mingled with rai n

, ,

bows meteors and an occ asion al gleam of pure sun

, ,

light a ll vanishing away the mental like this na

, , ,

tural imagery when its hour is up without leaving

, ,

anything behind but the wi sh to recover the vision

, .

An d yet the while thi s series of vi sions may be m i s

, ,

taken for Operations of thought and each cloudy ,

image be admi tted in pl ace of a proposition or a rea o

son ; or it may even be mistaken for someth i ng sub

limer than thinking The i nfluence of this habit of .

d welling upon the beauti ful falla c i ous forms of i m ,

a i n a t i on will acco m pany the m ind into the most

g ,

serious spec ulations or rather m usings of the real , ,

world a nd what is to be done i n it and expected ;

, ,

as the image which the eye acquires from looking

,

at an
y dazzli ng Obje c t still appears be fore it where ,

ever it turns The vu lgar materials that constitute

.

t h e economy of the actual world wi l l ris e u p to i t s

s ight i n fi c ti t ious forms which it c a nnot d i senchant ,

into plain reality nor will even suspe c t to be decep

,

4
50 M E N TA L Di s
c i p L I NE .

li ve . It c annot go about with sober rati on al i ns pec ,

tion and asc erta i n the n ature and val ue Of thi ngs
,

ar ou nd i t Indeed such a mind is not d ispose d to

.

ex a mi ne with any c are ful minu teness the real cou

, ,
o

di ti on of th i ngs Th i s i s that class of persons

.
”

whi ch the sam e author says i n another place oc

, ,

cu i esa dubious fronti er spac e between the rational

p
C ertain it is that it is a cla s
”
and the insane . s which ,

can n ever make dis ti ngu ished progress i n sou nd i n

t el l e ctu a l atta inme n ts .

—
S E C T I O N I X Cul t i va te
‘
. theha bit f s
o t r i ct a nd di l igent in
ves
t iga t i on .

Such a habit will not only c ontri bute largely to

men tal growth a n d expansi on ; but it will al so tend
greatl y to th e i ncrease of our sto ck of valuabl e
knowledge To investi gate i n the origi nal sense
.
,

of the word is to search for an unknown Obje c t by

, ,

dis coveri ng or follo wing out the traces whi c h it h as

le ft i n the path which l eads to its unknown situ ation
, .

Thus we find where a p er s

,
on is con c ealed by tra c ing

his footsteps from the pl ac e whence h e s e t out In .

the i nvestigation of truth we set out from a point ,

which i s al ready a sc ertained with a view to our ar ,

riv al to a poi n t not yet ascertained But this pro .

gress is not to be e ffected by plans arbi tr ary and

capri c ious Ou r steps must be d i rected and our
.
,

e fforts gui ded by certai n pri n c iples of inquiry and

,

research There is a certai n proces

. s of thought ; an
unbroken series of causes a n d consequents by wh i ch ,
 A C QU I S ITI O N o r K N OW L E D G a . 51

al one we can pass from that which is k nown t o th at

whi c h is unknown If an y of th e links of that chai n
.

be disjoi ne d or rather i f they be not clearly di s

, ,

c overe d the in terval m ay i ndee d be supplied by

,

j
on ect u r e bu t,
the in vestigation is incomplete .

Someti mes th e e xpen d i ture of mu c h labor an d tim e

is necessary in order to sear c h out all the successi ve
li nks and make them tak e the i r proper pl aces in the
.

trai n of i nvesti gation or reas oning Nothing short .

of this however
,
can se c ure vigor to our mental
,

power and compl eteness to our knowledge

, .

The atta inment of th i s habit wi ll require vigorous

and determined e ffort The true spi rit of investi
.

g a ti on, and a fa c il i ty in pursuing the requisi te in

q u i r i e sare not of eas
, y acquisi ti on They are the .

resul t of frequent e ffort and j udicious dis c ipline

, .

But the value of the att ainment is an a mple com ,

a ti on for the labor whi c h it demands

p e ns The habit .

a c quired is applicable to all the objects which are

placed wi thi n the grasp of the human faculti es It .

is equal ly requisite and equally benefic i al i n i nv es

,

ti g a t i on of in d iv idual c harac ter of historical fa c ts of

, ,

t h e phenomen a of ma t ter and of mi nd a nd of the ,

still more momentous and interesting truths whic h

constitute the system of di vi ne revelation .

Thi s h abit of care ful i nvest ig ation wi ll also exert

a s al utary i nfluence upon the intellectu al ch a i a cte r ,

i n produ c ing a manl y in depen d en c e of mi nd He .

who has been accustomed to exam i ne for himsel f will

not be disposed to rely impli c itly on th e Opin ion of
others or to surrender his ju d gment to th e demand
,
52 M EN T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

cive and a cknowle dge the a i d of others in cor ,

v

t ing his Opinions and exte nding his vi ews he w i l l ,

be i n n o danger of resembl ing those who res i gn the i r

j udgm ent to the l ast man they he a r or read ; wh o ,

chamelion-like tak e the color of that wh i c h is lai d

,

be fore them and as soon lose or res ign it to the next

,
”
that happens to come i n their way .

I
SE C T ON X — E ndea vor . to ha ve some s
p eci a l s j of m
ub ect

s con ta nt l s y ou to s
t i m ul a t e y our exer
'

re i ziqa t con y befor e ,

t i ons .

I would advise you says the author of Letters,

to a Student to form the h abit of enga ging ofte n

,

i n fixed and profound thought on some interesting

subject with the object of acqui ri ng greater skill in
,

the work of thorough i nvestigation It would be .

well if you shoul d m ake this a dai ly busi ness Sele c t .

some interes t ing subject : abstrac t your mi nd from

everything else : fasten your thoughtson th i s : sur
vey it in all i t sa Sp ects: trace out a l l its relations :
a nalyze it thoroughly B e assured y ou can
not too s oon adopt correct principles and en ter on ,

a right course of a c tion on this subj ect Let me ,

.

forewarn you however you will n ot succeed i n put

, ,

ti ng i nto practice what I h ave recomm ended with

out much e ffort E very man is in a greater or less
.
,

degree n aturally i ndolent Your mi nd wi l l ofte n

, .

shrink from the in tense thought whi ch wil l be n eces

sary in the c ou rse I h ave mark ed out But put it .

to the task An d thou gh the way may seem roug h

.
 A C Q U I SITI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 53

a nd at first it will doubtless grow more

forbiddi ng ,

smooth and deli gh tful at every st ep of your p ro

gre s s ”
.

Two important advan t ages will resul t from pur

suing the course here pointed out The m i nd will .

be making rapid improvement in the power of a c

curate and profoun d i nvestigation ; and will at the ,

sam e ti me acquire a more pe r fec t and extensive

,

knowledge of many important subjects than it would

otherwi se have attained Nu l l a di ess i ne l i nea was
.

the motto of a great painte r and shoul d be the motto ,

of every one that would excel Si m i lar to thi s was

“

the reply of Luther ; whe n asked how in addi tion ,

to a ll his other labors he had found ti me to transl ate

,

the whol e Bible he rep l ie d that he had done a

,
“
,
”
littl e every day It is wonderful how much a m a n
.

may accompli sh by faith fully acti ng upon this motto .

”
He may be ne i ther a fast worker nor a geni us
n ay he may be what is technicall y called a hard
,
” “
studen t a delver ; but in the end he wil l be
, , ,

found to have made more valuable acquisitions than

could ever have been mad e by the irregul ar sallies
of the brightest genius .

These are the e fforts and this is the mental dis ,

,

cip l i ne that is to enable indi viduals to grasp the

,

emergencies of coming years and bend them to ,

the i r own purpose t a t will the occurrenc e of a

. .

thous a nd emergencies and a thousand openings of

,

Providence accomplish for any one ; unless by

,

previous mental disc i pline and attai nments he is

prepared to enter upon the t heatre thrown Open to
54 ME N T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

hi m ? The imagi nation m y p i c ture a thousand

scenes i n which the idler hopes to be the ma gna
va r s uor u m f u i but al as f or his pros ects "he puts
p
q ,

fo r th no we l l -di rec ted and conti n uouse fforts to pre

pare hi mself for them The sighi ng i mbe c il e lan
.

gui dl y i nqui res where is the use of his making p re

,

sent exertions when i t is altog ether u ncertai n what

,

may be the emergencies in which he may Le c a l led

to ac t and whether there will be any Openings of
,

P ro videnc e for him ? Had t hey acted upon such

principles the world had never known a Newton
, ,

nor science ack nowled g ed i ts indebte dness to a

F rank l i n When the s
. t a d i u m i sdefined the goal ,

plac ed i n sight and the crowd assembled to witn ess

,

the race and applaud the victo r it i sno time for the ,

contender to begin hi spreparati on for the race .

l vi l l he then be ta k e hi mself to exerc ise that he may ,

obtain suppleness of musc le flexibi li ty ofjoint a g ili ty

, ,

of moti on an d power of enduranc e ?

,
Nay u nl ess ,

al l t hese have been acq ui red by previous exercise ,

he ente rs the lis tsonly to su ffer de feat and d isgrac e .

SE C TI O N XL Gua rd a qa m s
t t he wa s f t i me, i n f r i vo
te o
l ousa nd uni mp ort a nt p urs
ui ts.

In close connection with the subjec t of the pre

cedi ng section stands the prec ept we h ave pl aced at
the head of th i s Indi vi duals of great mental power
.

and capac ity some times fall into di ssolute habi ts ,

Wi th regard to the occ upation and improvement of

the ir ti me They are diverted first by one obje c t
.
,

t h e ; by a nother from the object the y a r e consc io us

,
 A C Q U I S ITI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 55

they ought to pursue and indeed the c ou rse the y

, , ,

a r e d eter mi ne d to pursue ; and i n the end find , , ,

wi t hout h ar dl y know i ng why that noth i ng has bee n ,

a cc ompl i shed In this fr i volous waste Of ti me may

.

be inclu d ed mu c h that is spen t i n perusing t h e l ight .

li terat ure of t h e day i n read i ng newspapers and

, ,

not a smal l porti on of that spent in so c i al chit-chat .

Also i n atte n d in g upon the l i ttle d omest i c dut i es r e

lating to the person or fam ily of the p o fessional
o
r

man es
,
s
en ti al i n d ee d but t oo o ft en m ade a pretext
, ,

for dall ying a n d fr I t t e r i ng a way a large portion of the

ti me that should be appropriated to stud y To a t .

tend to ordi nary d uties perta i ning to the necessary

economy of l i fe to take su ffic i ent tim e for social i n
,

t e r c ou r s
e for sleep for menta l rel ax ation a n d for
, , ,

bodi ly exerc ise isby no means a waste of time Al l

, .

these are necessary for the preservation of our i ntel

lectu al balance and power ; but whe n they become
the Occ asion of d i vert ing the mi n d from those s t erner
purs u i ts so esse nti al to mental c ulture their i n fl u
, ,

en c e is most pernicious D issol ute habits w i th re.

,

fe ren c e to the use of ti me will be c ome strong ; an ,

a vers i on t o ri gi d mental appl i cat i on w i ll be g e ne

rate d ; and men tal imb e c ili ty wi ll be the inevitable

resul t These hab its are the more d angerous be
.
,

c ause they appear fi rst i n the form perhaps of i nc i , ,

denta l duties or of n e c essary relaxati on

,
When .

they are onc e formed the v i ctim of them can fi nd

,

su ffi c i ent excuse fo r the o c cupati on of his ti me other

wi se than i n h isstu d y ; he may in d eed be ever plan
ning sc h emes of l i t er a ry ente rpr i se m m
56 I I E NTA L D I SC I PL I N E .

study but n ever the time to ex ec u te them

, . Th e
fol lowi ng disti c h of Ovid is not inappropriate

s
ta , s
P ri ncip al obs er o modea no
'

p a ra t ur
Cum ma l a p er l onga sconva l uer e mom s .

We shall find fe w ,
who have been disti nguished
I n any department of hum an learning or who have ,

ac c omplished extensive good for their race who ,

have n ot been jealous of the waste of time The .

celebrated John Wesley was never known to s

'

qua n

der a moment ; even while traveling the highway ,

from on e appointment to another he was oc cupied ,

with some theme of meditation or might be seen ,

with hi spen or book in his han d F e w men have .

traveled and perhaps non e preached as much as he

, ,

did ; and yet by this c are ful expendi tu re of time

, ,

he produ c ed an amount of matter for the press a bs o

l u t e l y i ncredible Accordi ng to Mr E van s

. his .
,

w ork s i n c ludi ng abri d gmen ts and transla t ion s

, ,

a m ounted to abou t two hundred volumes They .

compri se treatises on almost every subjec t di ,

vi nity ,poetry m usi c hi s t ory natural moral meta

, , , , ,

physi cal and poli ti c al philosophy

,
”
How man y .
,

eve n if they shoul d live to h isa g e would n ever find ,

time to read as many vol u mes as he wrote " It is

al so said of Boyle that duri ng his continental tours
, ,

when a you ng man u nder the c are of hi s tu to r he

, ,

would never lose a vacan t moment t il e on th e .

road though i n a rough way or wal king down h i ll

, , ,

he woul d be reading a l l the tim e When they c am e .

to an in n at night he woul d study ti ll su pp er , a nd

, ,
 A C Q U I SITI ON K N OW L E D G E
V

OF . OJ

fr equently propose such di ffi c u lties as he met with

to his governor His works com p r I s
. e six l a rge

q u a rto volumes on theology ori ental l i terature n a

, , ,

t ur a l history mathematics and experi ment al physics

, , ,

in c ludi ng mus i c an atomy chemistry geography & c

, , , , .

ac . The law of our nature says D r B lai r and ,

”
.
,

t h e con di ti on u n d er wh i c h we are placed from ou r

b i rth i s that noth i ng good or great i sto be a cqu I I ed

, ,

without toil and industry A pric e is appoi nted by .

Pro vidence for everyth ing ; and the price of i m

” "
provement is labor In al l labor says t h e wise
.
,

man “ there is profit ; but the sou l of the sl uggard

,
”
desi reth and b a t h nothi ng
,
.

SE C T I ON XI I . Gua rd a ga i ns
t va g ue m ent al rever ies .

Th e mi nds many are occupied not a smal l por

of ,

tion of thei r wak i ng hours in a kind of revery or ,

mental abstraction i n whi c h they gi ve loose reins

,

to the imagi nati on and su ffer the m i nd to rove,

wherever it may without c ontrol or restrai nt SO

,
.

accustomed do su c h mi nds become to vague menta l

r e veries that they seem to lose the power of se lf
,

control and to whate ver subje c t of general in q u i ry

,

they may be di re c ted they become a lmost i nstan tly ,

absorbed i n some dreamy revery— ever and anon

awaking to c onsciousness only to put forth a nother
shor t -l i ve d intellectual e ffort and then to relapse
s
,

into forgetfulness This cl a s of intelle c tual d ream

.

ers are not unlike those with whom sleep exists as

a n id iopathi c affe c tion and over who m Morpheu s ,
58 M ENT AL D I SC I PL I NE .

has establi shed a universal and but feebly dispu te d

”
d ominion . Revery procee d s says the author of ,

the P l I il OSOp h y of Sleep from an u nusual q u i es

,
“

cence of the bra in a n d inabil i ty o f the m i nd to di

,

rect i tsel f stro ngly to any one po i nt ; i t is often the

'

prelude of sleep There is a defect i n the att enti on

.
,

which i nstead of being fixed on one subje c t wan d ers

, ,

over a thousand a nd even on these is feebly and i n

,
'

efiect i v e l y directed We someti mes see this while

.

reading or rather whil e attempti ng to read we

, .

get over page a ft er page but the ideas take no hold

,

u pon us ; we are i n truth ignorant of what we

, , pe
ruse and the mi nd is either an absol ute bl ank or
, ,
”
v aguely addressed to something else .

It wou ld be surprising to consider how large a

portion of our time is thus consumed w i thout being
productive of any good Since the time that rea
.

”
son began to exert her powers says Blair thought , ,
“
,

during our waki ng hours h a sbeen acti ve in every,

breast without a moment s suspens i on or pause

,
'
.

The current of ideas has bee n always flowing The .

wheels of the spiritual engine have c irc ulate d with

perpetual motion Le t me ask what has been the
.

fru i t of this incessant a c ti vity with the greatest part

of m a nkind Of the i nnumerable hours that hat e
been employed i n thought how fe w are mar ked with ,

any permanent or use ful e ffect ? How m any hav e

either p a ssed away i n idl e dreams or h ave bee n ,

aban doned to anxious dis c ontente d musi n gs to un

, ,

soc i al and mal ignant passions or to irregul a r and ,

?
c rimin al desires E ve n when men im agine their
 A C Q U I SITI ON or K N OWL E D G E . 59

t hough tsto be i nno c en tly employed they too com ,

m o nl y su ffer them to run out i nto extravagant i m

a i na t i o n s and chimeri c al plans of what they would
g ,

wish t o attai n or choose to be i f they coul d frame

, ,

the course of th i ngs ac c ordi ng to then des ire Thi s .

b r ie f paragraph comprehends the outl i ne of the i n

t e l l ect u a l histo ry o f a great p r op om on of our race ,

and co vers not a smal l proportion of the time of ea c h

i ndividual What a waste of intellect is here "
.

What a misapp l ic ati on of those powers that were

give n us for exalted and worthy purposes
These mental reveries are w i dely d isti nct from the
profound abstraction to which the minds of close
thinkers are s om e t i I n e s subject In the c ase of
.

revery the atte ntion is fixed definitely on no one

,

thing while the mind skims lightly over a thousand

,

fanc i ful ideas ; i n the c ase of men tal abstraction the ,

i ndividual seems absent-minded bec ause his whole ,

soul h asgone out asit were to grasp t h e object of

, ,

its contemplations . Some il lustrations have been

give n upon th i s poi nt in a pre c eding section Ac .

c ording to Mr C ombe those who have a small de

.
,

v e l o m e n t of the organ of con cen t r a ti venes s are ex

p ,

c eedi ngly prone to r ever y while those who hav e a

large development of it are pe c ul i arly liable to fall
,

i nto a state of a bs tr a c ti on
”
The two states may
.

there fore be considered not only as d i stinct from

each other but also i n a measure as oppose d to e ach
, , ,

other Their tendency i s al so widely di s t i nct t h e

.
,

one le a ding to absurdi ties in ac ti on t he oth er to ,

ge neral men tal i mbecil ity .

60 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

The cause s that lead to i ndul gence i n this ha bit of

mental d issipati on are various Says D r Ma cni s
. h .
,
“
Re very has been k nown to arise from the m in d
sustainin g a temporary weak ness in consequence of ,

long and excessive appli c ation to one subjec t It i s .

al so I bel ieve i nduced by forci ng young people t o

, ,

learn what they disl ike In thi s c ase the m i nd fin d

.
, ,

ing i t i mpossible to di re c t i tsel f to the hated task ,

goes wandering off in another direction and thus ,

a cquires a habit of inattention whi ch i n extr eme

, ,

c ases may terminate in imbecility Sometimes reve

,
.

ries aris e from peculi a ri ti es of te mperament either ,

n atural or induc e d by mental or bodily weakness

, .

The best-regul a t ed mi ndsand strongest bodies may ,

however, and in fa ct ofte n have occ asional att a cks ;

,

bu t when the feeling grows i nto a habit and is too ,

much in d ul ged i n it i sapt to i njure the use fulness

,

of the i ndi vi dual and impai r the whole fabric of hi s

”
understan di ng .

Th e inj ury th at indulgenc e i n v a g ue mental rev

eries does to the intellectu al economy is clearly
worthy of atten tion It involves n ot only a w aste
.

of time but d i squal i fies the min d for sober though t

,

and c lose st udy and i n the end impairs the vigor of

, , ,

the intell ec t itsel f Says D r Blair It i s the power

. .
,

of attention w h ich i n a great measure distin guishes

the wi se and the great from the vulgar and trifling

herd of men The latter are ac customed to think or
.
,

rather to dream wi thout knowing the subject of the i r

,

thoughts In the i r u nconn ected ro vi ngs they p uI su e

.

no end they fol low no tr a ck E veryt hi ng floats

,
.
 A C Q U I SITI ON or K N OW L E D G E . G .

l oose and disjointed on the surfac e of their mi nd ,

l ike leaves sc atte red and blown about on the fac e of

the waters The pern icious e ffects of thishabit OI I
the mental powers generally are thus presente d by
Pro fessor Upham : When the mi nd is long left at
“

l iberty to wan d er from obj ect to object without b e ,

ing cal led to an a c coun t and subj ected to salutary

d i scip l ine it entirely loses at l as t the abil i t y to dwell
,

upon the subje c ts of i tsthoughts and to exami ne

them And when this power isonce lost there is
.
,

but li ttle ground to expect any solid attai nments .

"

The person who is capable of strictly fixing hi s a t

t enti on will have great advantage over others Of .

two persons who seem naturally to have equal parts

, ,

the one who possesses this characte ristic w il l greatly

excel So that it is h ardly too much to say that i t
.
,
”
may become a sort of substi tute for geni us itself .

D r Good to the same purpose decl ares It is upon

.
, .

the fac ult y of atte ntion that every other faculty is

dependent for i tsv igor and expansion w i thou t i t the
per c eption exerc ises itsel f in v a in the memory can
,

lay up no store of i deas the judgmen t draw forth n o

,

compari sons the ima gi nati on become blighted and

,

barren and when there is no attention wh at ev er the

, ,

case must necessarily verge u pon fatuity Such.

are some of the extreme results that may be pr o

d u ce d by a neglect of the contr ol of our thoughts .

How then sh all the in di vi du al whose mi nd is sub

j cet to these vague mental reveries redeem it from
habi ts s o detrimen tal to i ntell ectu al improvement ,

a nd so en feeblin g to intell e c tu a l power ? This is

62 M E N T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

not a que s tion of easy sol ution Mr Locke seem ed . .

t o thi nk that “ th e person who should fi nd out a

,

reme d y for wanderi ng thoughts woul d do a great ,

servi c e to the studious and contemplative p a rt of

mankind ”
The v i c ti m of th i s habi t — and how fe w
.

there are who are en tirely free from i t—In ust be con
v i n ce d that de c i ded e ffort and a determined wil l are ,

absolutely i nd i spensable to hi s d i senthrallment Le t .

h im apply himsel f with indomitabl e en ergy to those

intelle c tual pursuits for wh i ch he has the greatest
relish leaving those for which he has a di slike til l
,

his pre-formed habits ar e i n a measure corrected or ,

h ave given place to new ones Let hi m feed the .

d esire of knowledge that ex i sts within his breas t ti ll ,

it h as become a perman en t and strong passion of his

nature Let him gi ve no place to the chil dish i n
.

ab i lity to confin e the mind to on e obj ec t of contem

l a ti on but resolute ly make t h e e ffort ; and wh e n
p , ,

once de feated repeat it a gai n and aga i n ti ll on e

uccess i nspires him with confi d ence in h i s
, ,

s powers ,

a nd sti mulates him to the achievement of a comple t e

and final vic tory .

SE C TI O N XIII — Att end to but one t hi ng a t a t i me and be

not ea s
i l y di ver ted j io m an
y s f s
ub ect o
j t udy y ou under

ta ke.

A perfe c t c ommand of the atten tion an d grea t ,

power of abstraction are indispensabl e to a well cul

,
~

t i v a t e d i ntellect Nei ther of these powers can be

.

c ul ti vated wh ile the m i nd i s distracte d by i ts futile

e fforts to gra sp a variety of su bjects a t once or ,
 A C Q U I SITI ON or K N OWL E D G E . G3

v acil l ating i n i t sattention between opposing i n flu

en ces Noth i ng great has been ach i eve d i n scienc e
.

without th i s u n i ty of purpose a n d action This .

un i ty was highly character i sti c of Newton He a t .

te n d e d emphaticall y to one thing at a ti me ; a nd

hence the consecutive order i n whi ch his splen d id
di scoveri es were ma de M B i ot says of him : In
. .

general the intensity of thin k ing wasso great that

, ,

it enti rely abstracted his attention from other m a t

ters and confined hi m exclusi vel y to one object
,
.

Thus we see that he wasnever occupied at the s a me

tim e with two sc i entific i nvestigat ions and he him
se l f i n reply to one that as
,
ked him by what means
he had arri ved at his di scoveries said By always , ,
“

thinking u nto them I keep the subjec t b e

fore me and wai t til l the first dawn i ng opens slowly
, ,
”
by li ttle and li t tle i nto a clear a n d ful l light
,
.

In the ordinary pursuits of l ife we rarely expe c t

,

ulti mate success to attend the man whose attenti on

is di vided among vari ous kinds of business and who ,

i s constantly d i verte d from one pursu i t to another .

How mu c h less c an we hope for suc c ess i n the

higher walks of learning or i n the pursui ts of pro
,

fes si o nal business i f we pursue a l ike course " C a r

,

bon might have been a good bla c ksmi th and mended ,

his neighbors ploughs shod their horses and li ned

’
, ,

his own po c kets with cash ; but he must n eeds let

the fires of hi s forge go out that he might m a nu fa c
,

ture mac h i nes to winnow his neighbors grain ; then ’

he mak es an as tounding discovery and gets a pate n t

,

for a bee -hive Thus he wasal ways busy ; but

.
,
64 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

s
omehow the u npoi nted ploughshares continued
,

to accumulate till the season for ploughi n g was past

, ,

the last ord er for bee-hives remained unanswered

“

t i l l the season of swarming had past and his ,

wi nno wing machines were not finished til l a fter his

n eighbors grain had been ground and
’
aten C a r e .

bon is now old ; he is lank an d long ; h i sclothes are

worn and threadbare ; the clapboards clatte r upon
his dwelli n g ; hi spurse is empty and debt presses ,

u on him
p He is alway s busy : but it i s of n o use
. .

Y onder t v r o of a blacksm i th toi l ing away at his

,

forge from the gray of morning ti l l the dead of

,

ni ght now mends hi sneighbors ploughshares and

~
’
, ,

Shoes their horses ; whi le that man u facturer i n wood ,

that h aserected hi ssh 0p j ust over the stream mono ,

o l i z esthe m a nu fac tures demanded by the surround

p
ing pe a santry The mor al of the above is easil y a p
.

phed .

There are fe w men who c an lay claim to u niversal

genius D ugal d Ste wart somewhere remarks of
.

D r ThomasBrown that he would have been a

.
,
“

still bett er metaphysician if he had not been a poet ;

and a stil l bett er poet if he had not been a meta
physic i an An d further i ntim ates that D a rwi n and
.

B eat-tie m ight have won a still more d i sti ngu i shed

fame had not their atten tion been divided between
,

m etaphys i cs and p oe t r v Man y wi th capabili ties

.
,

of accompl i sh i ng noble and worthy enterprises place ,

so many obj ects of pu rsuit be fore themselves that ,

their whol e strength their u ndi vided energy can be

, ,

bes t owed upon non e ; or they change too s oon from

 A C Q U I S ITI ON or K N OWL E D G E . 65

one o bject to another to ac compl ish anyth ing n oble ,

and worthy of themselves i n any of them Thi nk .

of Newton who in com p osing his great work afte r

, , ,

mo s t of the mate ri al s had be en al ready prep a red

.
.

fo r two ye a rs li ved only to think .

SE C TI O N XI V
y .
-Let ou r p la n f s
o tudy ,
i ncl ud i ng the an

ra ngement a nd di s f y our ti me, be j ud ici ous

t r ibut ion o tz/
or med, a nd r ecu t ed wi th the ut mos
os d i l i ence a nd p unc
f p t g
t ua l z ty
'

The beneficial e ffe ct of order and regulari ty i n

the discharge of engagements especial ly when a v a ,

r i et y of subj ectsmay demand attention must be in ,

some degree apparent t o every one To the student .

and the pro fessional man not less than to the m a n ,

of business is regul arity and method important i n

,
.

the arrangement of hi spu rsu its ; as i t preven ts l o ss

of ti me by embarrassi ng suspense with re ard t o the
, g
object which at any given hour cl ai ms imm edi ate
,
‘

attent i on E ven a plan of arrangemen t i n some

.
,

respects de fective and obj ectionable would sec ure to ,

a student a decided advan ta ge over anothe r i nd i vi

dual who should di sregard order a n d me thod In .

c a l cua bl e then must be the benefit a r ising fr om

, ,

regulations whi ch p roc eed on wi se and enl ighten ed

pri nciples .

“
A fe w suggesti ons on this point m ay be d ese rv

ing of notice .

1 Le t not the plan lai d down be so di fficu l t of

.

observance as to incur t h e danger of frequent fai lure

or ii r eg ul a r i ty It iswise for us to con s
ider , not
.

5
66 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

Only wh at we would wi s h to accomplish but al s o ,

what it is p roba bl e that with o u r habits and i n our

, ,

ci r c umstances we shall be a bl e to e ffec t By a t

, .

temp ti ng too much we often accomplish l ess than

we should have e ff ec te d with plans guid ed by pri n
’
o

ci l e s of greater m oderation ; and one reas on that

p
may be a ssign ed for this is that a fter ha vi n g r e
,

p ea t e dl y fal len short of the line p r esc ribed our plan s ,

cease to have au thori ty i n our own estimation lose ,

their pra c tical influen c e on the distribution of our

time and ha ving been thus vi r tu a l l y they a r e at
, ,

length a vowedl y , abandoned .

2 Le t the proport ion of time and at te ntion de

.

v oted to every su bj ec t of s t udy be regulated by a

regard both to its rea l and to i ts relative i mpo rt

,

ance .

3 Le t t h e most important s t udies be assigned to

.

those h ours in whi c h we find by ex pe rience that we

, ,

ca n exe r t our i nte ll ec tual energies with the g r eatest

”
fac ili ty and in te nsity .

Any one would be as to nished could he have ,

pl a ced be fore h i m the a ggre gate of time that has

been s qu andered duri ng h i sli fe for wan t of some
,

sys te matic pl an of st udy rigi dly a dhered to Ma ny

,
.

a ti pler h asSq uandered a fortune i n p ennies ; and .

when it is a ll gone he k nows not where or how i t

,

has disappeared So do man y squ ander the pr e

.

cions mom ents of li fe away The close husba nd in g

.

a n d wi s e di stribution of time is oft en the true secret

of the s u cc e s
s of wi se and good men D r Todd . .

sa ys of J eremi a h E v arts : D uring years of close

“
 A C Q U I SITI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 67

Observ ation , i n the bosom Of his fam ily I n e ver saw ,

a day pass wi t hout his accomplishing more than he

expe ted ; and so regular was he i n all hi sh abi ts
c ,

th a t I knew to a moment when I should find him

w i th a pen and when with his too b-b ru s
, l I in his
‘
,

h and ; and so methodi c al and thorough th at though ,

his papers fille d many shelves when closely tied up , ,

there was not a paper among all his letters corres ,

‘

po n den ce editori al matter and the like which was

, , ,

not labe l ed and i n its pl ac e and upon whi c h he

,

could not lay hi sha nd i n a mo ment I never knew .

h im se ar c h for a paper ; i t was al ways in i ts place .

I have never yet met with the man whose i ndustry

was so gre a t or who would accomplish so m u ch in a
,
”
given time .

A nother great a d v antag e of system in the allot ,

ment Of time w i ll be that the mind will not be

, ,

subje c t to impulses but move with method and re

,

gul a r i t y
. It 1 5 sai d Of D r Po rte r that he could a c
.
,

compl i sh any t a sk to whi c h he applied wi t h equal

facility at all times ; and never wasb e u nder the
necessity Of waiting for some h appy hou rs Of
thought be fore he could proc eed with the busi ness
,

i n hand This is a char a c te r isti c Of the well-d is

.

: i pl in e d mind
r
It is n ot merely the poweI to mak e
.

a g rea t efibr t on spe cial and i ntermi tted occasions

but to be able to m a ke good e fforts cons t a nfl y .
63 M E N T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

I
S E C T ON XV — A va il y our s
.
f er tm a l hel p sonly when
el f o

a bs ol ut el cessa ry a nd never reso t to them til l a fter your

y ne ,
r

own
p o wersha ve been ta s ked to the ut mos t wi t hout p r o ,

d uc i ng the des ired resul t .

Whatever may be the natu ral e nd owm e nt sof an i n ‘

d ividual whate ver may be hi sextern al ad van tages

,

a n d helps the e ducation Of his mi nd

,
the d i s
c ip l i n

i ng and i nvigorati ng i ts powers—must be his own

work Wh oever has been educated i n school or
.
,

out Of it whoever has acquired in tensity and power

,

Of inte llec t has acquired them by the in te n se and

,

v igorous use Of his i ntellec t A rtificial helps w ith

.
,

ou t thi s u se can never impa r t the requisite d i scipli ne

,

of mind .

Oral i nstruc ti on from teachers or associ ates a n d ,

the peru sal of authors may Ofte n prove of ess , ential

ser vice not only i n removing the Obstacles that had
,

i mpeded our progress bu t al so i n exten d ing t h e

,

bou ndaries Of our knowledge “l h c n however .

, ,

these are resorted to to a void in telle c tual exerti on

,

on our part su c h a pra c ti c e w i ll be ex c eedingly d c

,

t i i m e n t al to our i n te llectual growth .

The question perpetually arising i n the m i na nf

the student Of remiss and i ndolent habits is How . ,

Shall I fa c il i tate my labor by Obtain i ng a ssistance

from others ? The question e qu al l v fam i li ar to the

mind Of the student athi rst for k nowledge and will ,

ing to a c qu i re it at the expense Of strenuous ex o r

t i o i is How shal l I a c complish my Obj ec t wi th the
‘

l ea s t assistance from o thers ? It is n ot difli cu l t t o

 AC Q U S I ITI ON OF K N OW L E D G E. 69

redict the tendency and resul t Of either habit of

p
mi nd By the one the intellectu al ch a rac te r is de
.

graded and en feebled by the other it atta ins dignity

,

and elevati on energy and sel f command He wh o

, .

al ways does his best w i ll usual ly do well and Oft en ,

more than well and if he fail occ a s

,
ionally to aecom
pl is h hi sObject his failure will neither be aecom
,

p a ni ed with self reproach nor fol lowed by a re l axa ,

t ion of e ffort The assistance withi n hi sreach he

.

will resolu tely decli ne till hi sbest energies have

,

been put forth ; he has been i nitiated into the habit

of applyi ng himself to grapple with a di ffi c ulty ; a

di fficul ty whi c h appeare d form i dable whe n viewed

at a distan c e wi th only a transient glance h asOfte n
, ,

been conquered by the first encounter and i n a ,

better cause than that on whi c h the exclamation was

first mad e he has been prepared to say Veni vi l i
, , ,
l
,

vi c i
. Or i f a vigorous patient and persevering in
, ,

ve s t iga t i on was requisi te he has at lengt h entered

,

in t o the recompense Of hi m who expressed the d c

light of no Ordinary mi nd when he exclaimed , ,

SEC TI ON XV I .
-
Ex
pect no high i nt ell ect ua l a tt a i nment s
wi t hout grea t l a bor .

Labor i sthe pri ce at whic h excellence may be at

“
P a t e r i ps e co l e nd i

I
l a u d fa ci l e m e s s e v
i a m v ol u I t , p r i m u s
q u e p er a rt e m

Mov i t a g ros, c u r i sa e ne usm or t aJ I a cor di s” .

Th ere is no more com mon error than that great men

70 M E NT AL D I SC I PL I N E .

a re great by na tu re or by cha nc e and not by labo r

, ,
.

A nd who ever l i sten s to the be auti ful eulogi um pro

nou nced by E rsk i ne upon one who was un d oubtedly

one Of the greatest phil osophe rs that ever li ved ;

“
Newton whose mi nd burst forth from the fetters
,

c ast by nature upo n ou r fi ni t e conceptions ; Newton ,

whose s c ien c e was truth and the foundation of whose

,

knowledge Of it was philosophy ; who c arri ed the

l i ne and rule to the utm ost barriers Of creati on a nd ,

explored the pri nciples by which n o doubt a l l , ,

c reated matte r is held to ether and exists who g

ever li stens to this and ima g ines that he d isc overs

,

genius withou t e ffort bursting away from the Shackles

that bi nd other mi nds and soaring unimpeded to the
,

lofty summits of human science w ill h ave his ima ,

gi ni ngscorrecte d by t h e s obe r declarati on of th e

.

great philosopher himself who modestly de c lares his,

success to be the result Of pati ent thought “

.

T he remarks Of the gift e d and lamen ted Wirt

are much to the poin t and c oming from su c h a .

m e m e possess a double v al ue Ta k e it for g ra nted

th a t the re isno exc el l en c e wi thou t g rea t l a bo r NO .

mere aspirations however ar dent will do the busi

, ,

ne s s. Wishing and Sighing and imagining a nd

, , ,

d re ami ng Of greatness wi ll n ever m ake you great

, .

I f you wo u ld ge t to the mou ntain s top on which the

’
,

temple of fame stan d s it w i ll not do to stand still

, ,

looki ng and admiring and wi shing you were there

, .

You must gird up your loins and go to work with a ll ,

t he i n d o m itable energy Of a Hannibal scali ng t h e

Alps L aborious study and d iligent Obs
.
,
ervation Of
 A C Q U I S IT I O N o sK N OW LE D G E . 71

th e world are both indis

,
pensable to the atta i nment
of emi nence By the former you must make your
.
,

s elf master of a l l that is known of s cience and lette r s

by the latt er you must know m a n at large and par
, ,

t i c u l a r l y the character and genius of your country

men We can not a l l be F R A NKL I N S it is true ; bu t
.
,

by imi tat ing h ismental habi ts and u nwearied indus

try we may reach an eminence we shal l never
,

othe rwise attain Nor wo ul d he h ave been the.

F ra nkl i n he w as i f he had permitted himsel f to be

,

disc ouraged by the reflection that we can not a ll be

Newtons It is our busine ss to mak e the most of our
.

ow n talents and opportuniti es a nd ,instead of dis ,

cou r a g i n ourselves by compar i so ns and i mposs i bili

g
ties to be l ieve all thi ngs im agina ry possible as i h
, , ,

dee d al l things are to a spirit bravely and fi rmly

, ,

resolved F r a n k li n was a fine model of a p r a c ti ca l

.

m a n as contradisti n guished from a vis

,
i ona r y theori st ,

as men of genius are very apt to be He was great .

,

in t h e greatest of all good qual itie s —s ou nd s tr ong , ,

com mo n s e ns e A mere bookworm is a miserable

.

d r iveler and a man of geni us a thing of gos

, samer ,

fi t onl y for the winds to sport wit-h D irect your .

intellectual e fforts pri nc i p a l ly to the culti vation of

the strong m a sc ul i ne powers of the mind Learn
, .

nk— th i nk d ee l
( I repeat it ) to t h i p y comprehensively
, ,

powerfully ; and learn the sim ple nervous langu age ,

whi ch is appropriate to that ki nd of thi nking Read .

the legal and poli tic al arguments of C hief Justice

Marshal l and those of Alexander Hamil ton whi ch
, ,

are coming out Read them— s

. tud y them and oh ,
72 M E N TA L D I SC I PL I NE .

s
e rv e wi th what an omni poten t sweep tho ught of

they rang e over the whole field of the subject they

take i n han d and that with a sythe so ample a nd
,

so keen that not a straw i s le ft standing behi n d

,

them Brace yourselves up to these great e ffort s

. .

Strike for t hi sgiant charac ter of mind and leave ,

pretti ness an d fri volity to t r i fiers It is perfectl y con .

sisten t wi th these Herc ulean habits of thi nking to ,

be a labo riou s s t uden t to k now a ll that books can

,

t e a ch You must never be satis

. fied with the surface
of th ings probe -them to the bottom and let nothing
, ,

o till ou unde rstand it as thoroughl y as your

g y
powers will enable you Seize the moment of ex .

cite d c uriosi ty on any subject to solve your doubts ;

for if you let i t pass the de sire may never r e
, ,

turn and you may re m ai n i n ignorance The habits

,
.

whi c h I have been recom mending a r e not merely ,

for coll ege but for li fe F rankli n s h abits of con

’
.
,

s tant and deep excogitati on clung to h i m till his latest

hour F orm these habitsnow Look at Brougham
. .
,

and see what a man ca n do i f wel l armed and well ,

re sol ved With a load of pro fession al duti es that

.

would of themselves have been appal li ng to most of

, ,

our countrymen he stood nevertheless at the h e ad

, , ,

of hi sparty i n the House of C ommon s and at t h e , ,

s a me ti me set i n motion and superi ntended variou s

,

p ri mary schools and various publications the most

, ,

i nstructi ve and use ful that have ever issued from the
B ritish press for which he furnished with hi sown
, ,

pen some of the most m asterly contribu tion s and

, .
,

yet fou nd time not only to keep pace wi t h t h e p r o

,
 A C Q U I SITI ON or KN OW L ED G E . 73

gr es
s of the arts and sc ienc es , but to keep at the
head of those whose pecul i ar and excl usive occupa
tions these ar ts and sciences were There is a m o .

d el of i n du s
t r v and use fulness worthy of all your
”
emulati on .

SE C TI O N X V I I —B e not only wil l i ng but des

. i rousto ha ve , ,

every defect i n your p ower s a tta i nments or p rod uct ions

, , ,

f ul ly an d exp l i ci te z/
l p oi nt ed out .

”
G i ve me the friend says one “ who wi l l tel l me
, ,

of my faults We c an have no higher eviden c e of

.

the sincerity of a professed friend s regard than that ’

, ,

on sui table occasions an d i n a proper spirit he will ,

t ell us of our faultsso that we may im prove B ut

, .

thi s is a matter of great deli cacy and of extreme

di ffi c ulty The reproved are extremely liable to
.

mistake the motives of the reprover so that the very ,

fai th ful ness of friends someti mes begets d i strust and

ill -will He however who is deeply sol icitous as to
.
, ,

h i smoral and intellectu al growth will neither over

look nor slight the inti mations of his de fects w
,

hether ,

they spring from friendship or envy The dis .

closure may be u nwelcome it may be even u ne x ,

pect ed but it wi ll be salutary

, It may be conduci ve .

to the interests as well of intellectual as moral c ul

tu re A capa c ity that appe a rs con t racted may be
.

fur ther developed may be greatly expanded ; attai n

,

ments which at present disappoint expe c tation may

be considerably augmented and the productions , ,

which may justly be regarded as un favorable Spe

fort, may supply m a terial s
c i m en sof i nte l lectual e f
74 M E N T A L D I SC I P L I N E .

of comparis on with future exercise s from whi ch ma y

,

be deri ved the most cheeri ng encouragemen t .

“
I t is one of the many ad vanta ges ari sin g fr om
a ssocia t ion w i th other students in a publi c se m in a ry ,

t hat such de fects are rendered apparent to the i ndi

xi du a l sby whom they are displaye d The cul ti va
.

tion of t h e u n d ers ta nding may doubtless be carri ed

on in the abse nce of li vi ng instr uctors and Without ,

associate s i n stu d y B ooks may s

. upply i n part the , ,

want of tu tors and plod ding d iligence may am ass

,

stores of knowledge i n the d eepest seclus i on ; but

the n the means are wan ting not only of abrid gi ng
,

u nnecessary labor and remo vi ng formidable obstrue

,

tions but also of detec ti ng those de fects of know

,

ledge and those prej udi ces of early education th ose

, ,

mi staken noti ons those inju rious habits those n ume r

, ,

ou s errors and ble m ishes of pe rforman c e whi ch ,

mi ght never have been appare nt to the i ndi vidual s

themselves .

To receive with docility and with gratitude the

exposur e of our own defects an d mistakes i s an a t ,

t a i nm en t of no smal l value It h asa benefi c ial i n

.

fl u e n ce i n restraining us from thi nk i ng more highly

of our tale nts and producti ons than we ought t o thi nk ,

a nd it renders even the detection of our d e fects a n

excite ment to in te l lectual progress and a means of
,
”
moral improvement I have never k nown a student
.

who was re s tless and im pati e nt whi l e t h e teacher

w as poi nting out t h e de fects i n his performance u n ,

wil li ng to be told of hisfaul ts or to acknowledge

them to be faul ts rise to any degree of emi nenc e
,
 A C Q U I SITI ON o r K N OW L ED GE . 75

m a p m fes sion al career ; or i ndeed mak e any pro , ,

found acquisitions Of k nowledge .

We should be the more w i llin to receive such a

cor r ec tions from the i ndi s p e fifiibl e n es s Of se l f

k nowle dge to our success as students and p r ofes
”

si ou al men a nd also from its extreme d i ffi c ulty of

K no w
,
”
acquisiti on . thyself was one Of the earl iest
a nd wisest maxi ms of heathen phi losophy ; and even

now fe w moral m a xi ms are more comprehensive

,

and use ful Th a les to whom its authorshi p is as

.
,

cr i be d wasaccustomed to say that for a man to “

, ,
”
know him sel f is the hardest thing in the world .

And i n aft er time the precept K now thysel f a c ,

“ ”
,

quired the authority of a di vine oracle was asc ri be d ,

to Apollo a nd writte n i n golden capita ls over t h e

,

door of his temple at D elphos Ci cero says it was .

considered divine be c ause it hath such a weight

,

Of sense and wisdom i n it a sappears too great to be

,
”
attr i bu te d to any man A nd Plu tarch also r e
.

marks I f it wa sa th i ng Obvious and easy for a

,
“

man to kno w himse l f poss ibly that sa ying h a d D Ot

,

p as sed for a di vine orac le .

”

But while we esti mate the value of the critic i sm

of friends and ass oci ates i n ass i sting us to a corre ct

k nowledge Of our powers and performances we ,

mu st also h ave the ability to distinguish between

m eI e fl a t te r e r sand judic ious faithfu l ad vi sers
,
To , .

s eek correction and counsel without discrimination , ,

of e very one that happens to be thrown i n our way ,

and to be perpetual ly changi ng our habi ts and p u r c

sui tsor al tering and a men di ng our produc tions at

, ,
76 M E NT AL D I SC I PL I N E .

the caprice or prepos sessions Of e a ch is a mark Of ,

in decision of charac te r that precludes the hope of

anyt h ing noble or worthy .

TI
SE C ON v II Gua r d a ga i ns
. t those menta l ha bi ts
c
which ma y be event ua ll y , thoug h i mp er ep t ibly , p r ej udi ia l , c
by i mp a i r mg t he vigor gf the m i nd or o
f the body .

The idea seems to be prev al ent that a l i terary li fe

s
must n ec es a ri ly be a short and s i ckl y one
‘
A nd so .

in too m any cases it is but not necessarily The

,
.

lamen table fact is that inatte ntion to the mental

,

and bodi ly h abits i n thei r relation to health a nd

,

longevity h ascarried down to a premat ure grave

,

hun dreds of our most p r omising candi dates for fame

and professional use fulness and hu ndreds Of others ,

live victi ms Of a diseas e that disturbs the balance Of

the men t al powers d i s qu al i fie sthem for the prose
,

cu t i on of any noble scheme of li terary ente rprise and ,

imbitters their whole l i ves The history of many .

of the distingu i shed scholar s Of both the Ol d and new

world demonstrates that the m enss a na i n sa ne cor

p ore is not a mere chimera but that wi th due atten ,

tion to the mental and bodily habitsit may be pos

sessed ; nay that a sound and healthy ton e of the
,

body and even a protra c ted l ife are perfectly con

, ,

si st ent with the most ard en t devotion to science .

Th e Germ an scholars subject themselves daily to

fifte en or s i xteen hours confinement and application
to study and y e t as a cl as
, s are d i stin guished for
th eir longe vi ty Heyn e attained to the age of
.

eighty -six ; K astn er to that Of eig hty-on e ; Michae li s

 A C Q U I SITI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 77

to seventy-four ; Haller to seventy ; K an t to eigh ty ;

Jacobi to seventy-six ; \Vi el a n d to eighty— one ; and
K lopstock to seventy-ni ne The average age Of .

twenty-three of the most eminent Italian scholars as ,

sta ted in the Ameri can Quarterly Register is seventy ,

six ; of fifty -six Of the most eminent F rench schol a rs ,

is seventy-seven ; of twenty-fiv e Of the E nglish ,

i s seve nty-three The following names are in cl u d ed

.

i n the above namely : F ont e n n el l e who d i ed at the

, ,

age of one hundred ; Lo c k e at seventy-three ; Roger

B acon seventy-eight ; Young eighty ; Warburton
, , ,

eighty-one Newton eighty-five ; and Halley eighty

, ,

six The longev i ty Of the Scotc h philosophers is

.

equal ly remarkable D r Reid re ached the a g e of

. .

e ighty-seve n Adam Smith sixty-seven ; D r C amp ,

.

bell seventy-seven : Roberts

,
on seventy — two ; Play ,

fair seventy and Stewart se v en ty -five

,
These facts
,
.

certa i nly ind i cate that there is no n ecessary con

ne c t i on bet ween an early d eath and pro t racted and

ardent devoti on to literary and scienti fic pu rsuits .

The same general fac t may be i n ferred also from

the histo ry of some of the most emi nent scholars Of
our own country It is said that Incre ase Mather
.
,

one of the earliest and most celebrate d schol ars a nd

di vines of our country was accustomed to spend s
, ix ~

t een hou rs daily i n close application to s t u dv He .

Wrote eighty-five works on vari ous subjec ts ; and

‘

yet attained to the age of eighty-five having pre a c h ,

ed sixty-seven years C otton Mather his son — Of

.
,

whose labori ous habits some idea may be fo r med

from the fa ct that in on e year he prea ched seventy
78 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

t wo sermons kept sixty fa s

,
t} ; and twenty vig ils a nd ,

wrote fou rteen books —l ived t o the age of six ty-s ix ,

and at the t ime of his death h ad published three

, ,

hundred and e i ghty -two works some of them of ,

“

huge dimensions ”
D r Styles die d a t the age of
. .

six ty-eight leaving behi nd him as a part of the re

, ,

sult of his labori ous li fe m an usc ripts a m ounting ,

“

t o more than forty vol umes

”
D r Sa muel Hopkins . .

was a mos t inde fati g a bl e stu dent He frequently .

de v oted eigh t een hours per da y to s tudy ; and

framed sermons and huge syn ta gmata wi thout num
”
ber ; and yet he lived to enter his eighty-fou rth
year The celebrated D r Bellam y the firs
. t N ew .
,

E ngland di vi n e honored wi th the doc tora t e from

B ri ta i n attai ned to the ag e of seventy -two Sher
,
‘

man a nd \Vi t h er s p oon F ranklin and Je fferson the

, ,

two Adam s were profound thinkers as well as

,

labo rious students ; and yet they a ll passed fa r b e

yond the ordinary l imi ts of human li fe " .
6

Al l constitution s we a dm it are n ot equally adapt

, ,

ed to sedentary habits or to e ndure the bu rde n ,

which menta l labor imposes upo n even the bod ily

system; To e ffect a Classifi c ati on among men so ,

that those only whose consti tuti onal tendenc i es were

favorabl e s houl d devote themsel ves to study would ,

be u tte r l v impr a c t icable ; this is not attained even

i n the ordi nary branches of manual labor Some .

times where there is a phys i c al system and t em

,

p e r a m e nt favorable the d isposition of mind is wan t

,

ing ; and a g ai n othe rs will struggle on a mid pai n

, ,

Se e t a bl e at t h e e nd o f t h i ss
e c ti on .
 A C QU I S ITI O N or KN OW L E D G E . 79

a nd bodi ly infirmity s a c rificing every thi ng el s

, e to
mental acquisi tions and mental pleasures Bu t .
,

aside from this want of constituti onal adaptat i on to

t he labors of the chosen pursui t —a nd this is a cir
cu m s t a n ce common to every pursuit i n li fe — we are
di sposed to attr i bu t e the premature fa ll of so many
promising candidate s for literary fame and use ful
ness to i mprope r and inj urious menta l or bodil y
hab i ts .

Of the inj urious me nta l ha bits above re ferred to, ,

s ome may be di stinctly specified

1 Und ue c on ti nuance of studi ous exerti on and
.
,

mental ex c i te men t .

The Op i nion has been publ i c ly expressed by a ,

professor of eminen c e i n a modern un i vers i ty that ,

no man can apply his m i nd to i nt ens e s t u dy during

more tha n s i x hou rs i n a day without i njury to hi s
,

health This Opi n ion be it remembere d re fers to

.
, ,

the dete rmined energy Of men tal applica t ion i n s e

v ere study ; and i f to six hours of se r i ous study h e

ad ded three or four hours of su c h read i ng as con

veys instructi on wi thou t in d u c i ng any consciousness
of fatigue the studen t wi ll have m ade near a p
,

p r oa ch e s to that l i ne beyond whi c h to trespas s

,

i s compati bl e wi th ne i ther safety nor with

”
du ty .

Si r E dward C oke pre -eminent i n leg al k now

,

l edge and whose works h ave been denom i nated

,
”
“
law classics seems to have expressed the rule for
,

the division of hi s time and the d i stribution of hi s

,

la bors i n th e following cou p l e t z

,
 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

Si x h o u r st o s
l eep ; in l a w sg t tudy six ;
s
'
ave

Fo ur s
p e nd i n pr a y e r ; t h e re s
t o n na r
t u e fix .
”

Sir Will iam Jones justly celebrated for h isl ea rn ing

, ,

and for the ami able vi rtues of h isc h aracter and

who d i ed at the a g e of sixty-eight a fter having i n , ,

a ddition to immense judi c i al labor mastered t we n tv ,

eight l an gu a ges and written works i ncluding poem s

, , ,

translations philologic a l essays d igests Of Hindoo

, ,

and Mohammedan law s& c formi ng when coll ec t ,

.
, ,

ed twel ve vol umes thus paraphrased these lines of

, ,

C oke and then adopted them as the rule for the

,

regul ation of his time and studies .

Si x h ou rst o l a w , t o s l u m be r s
oo t h i ng s e v en ,

Te n t o t h e wo r l d a l l ot , a nd a l l to h ea ve n .
”

“
Le t not the young and arduous adventurer i n
the path of knowled g e imagi ne t hat bv the omi ssion
Of the hours due t o sleep a nd to bodily exerci se h e , ,

c an be a gainer on the whole How many d istress

, .

i ng instances have there been in which it has t oo

plainly appeared that u ndue exertion and exci te
,

ment have u nderm i ned even a vi gorous con s tit u

tion and disqu alified for the perfo r mance of those

,

duties for which a course of study is the inte nd ed

preparation " And should these fe arful e vi ls n ot be
enta iled s ti ll i t may be shown that undue appl i c a
,

tion de feats the obj ect in V iew a nd proc eeds upon ,

principles of calc ul ation al togethe r erroneous In .

all intellectual as well asmechanical labors the work

accomplishe d must be in proportion to th e p ower
exerted But t he power whi c h the mi nd c an p u t
.
 A C Q U I SITI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 81

fort h i n a ny study dependsu pon a v ar iety of c ir

cu ms t a nces ; among which are to be i ncluded i ts
freedom from exhaustion and depression and from ,

those di sabilities to which it wil l be subj ect if the

he a lth and sp i rits be i mpai red No hesitation c an .

there h e in haz arding the assertion th at i n the ex ,

e r i m e nt of a month or a year it will be found t hat

p , ,

the st udent wil l a c complish more of inte ll ectual la

bor by eight hours of d a ily study with two hou rs of ,

bodily exercise and recreation th a n he coul d e ffect ,

i n t e n hours wi thout such intermi ssion .

2 A n undue ea g erness of desire to compl ete

.

any performance wi th in a given time .

The tranquil exercis e of thought may be carried

on with energy for a consi d erable time wi thout i n ,

d u ci ng men tal weari ness or occ asioning e ffec ts i n

,

j u r i ou sto health V ery di fferent however a r e the

.
, ,

e ffects Of study when pursued with any degree 01

anx i ety or perturbati on and especi ally when a c
,

sa n d impatient ea gerne ss
tl e s
i

companied wi th a r es
to complete the pe r for mance or to ac complish i n a
, ,

given t ime a certa i n task which we have presc ribed

,
.

There are indeed minds habi tually inclined to i n

, ,

dolence or to procrasti nati on whi ch deri ve benefit

, .

from the st i mulus ari sing from s u ch requirement ;

but whe n the stimulus ari sing from other con si dera
tions is su ffic ien tly powerful that additional excite
,

ment may become highly inj u r ious They wh o feel .

the pressure of n umerous engagemen ts are fr e

quently too eager to complete the literary labor i n
which they are employed be fore they proc eed to
,

6
82 M E NT AL D I SC I PL IN E .

ano t her p u rs u i t to which either the plan of study or

,

the call of duty may require the i r i mmediate atte n

ti on and th e hurried attempt wi ll either by und u e ,

d ispatch be un favorable to the performance i t s

, ei f ,

or by the di s
, qui eti ng anx iety induced be inj u riou s
,

to the corpore al frame . It is related of Mr Joh n .

Wesley that when a refere nce on on e occ a s

, ,
ion ,

wa smade to hi s numerou s avoc ations he repl ied ,

Though I am always i n h aste I am ne v er i n a h ur

,

r y becau se I n ever u nderta ke more work than I

,

c an go through with perfect c al mne ss of spi ri t .

’

3 An inabili ty to tr an s fe r with ease the atte n

.

tion fr om on e subject to another ; or when it is de

,

s irabl e to u nbend an d recreate t h e mi nd

, .

The love of v ariety of n ovelty and of relie f

, ,

from continued e fforts of thought renders it eas

,
y for
the u n discipl ined mi nd to di smi ss from i tsn oti ce a
subject to which i ts att enti on has been direc ted .

B ut in proportion as habi ts of fixed an d persevering

atte ntion are cul ti v ated an d feeli ngs of interest i n

,

the pursu it of knowledge ar e awaken ed it becomes ,

d iffic u lt to d isenga g e the mind at pleasure from a ny

, ,

subject of considerati on Yet this wan t of c ontrol

.

over t h e thoughts and energi es of th e mi nd i s at

once u nfavorabl e to progress i n knowledg e to the ,

enjoyment of the pl eas ures of soci al intercourse and ,

to th at en dr e recreation of mind by whi c h it is pre

pared to ren ew wi th i nc r eased energy its appli ca
, ,

ti on to severe stu dy It is most desi rable for rea

.
,

son s s u fli ci en tl y Obvious to cul ti vate variety and

,

cheerfulness of di spositi on ; and in order to this it i s ,

 A C Q U I SIT I ON or KN OWL E D G E . 86

of no small im portance to be able to wi thdraw the

mi nd at pleasure from pursuits whi c h by their con
, , ,

t i nu a n ce occasion fati gu e and abstracti on a nd yi eld ,

to the fu ll impress i on of su rroundi ng objects , or of

”
e nli ven i ng con v ersation .

NO ET — SE E P A G E 78
.

Th e followi ng tabl e whi ch we h ave compi l ed wi th

,

some care th o ugh i t may not be free from error wi ll i n

, , ,

i ts elf afford a us eful a nd i nstru cti ve l esson

, .

Na m e .

Th ales
Solon
A n ax i man der
P yth agoras
Si mon ides
C on fu i us c
A n a x a g ora s
So crats e

Xenoph on
P l a to
Ari stotle
Th eo p h rastus
Ar ch i m edes
Ci c ero
64 M EN T A L D I SC I PL I NE .

Na m e . B orn .

Q u i n ti l i an
P lutar h c
Ta i t usc
J u sti Mar tyr
n

Or i ge n
A u g ust i n e
B ede
Abe lard
R og er B a c on
E rasmus
Ma ch i av el
H u gh L a ti m er
Ari osto
Mart i n L uth er
J ul i us C aesar Scal ig er
Mel a n ct h on
Joh n Knox
G eorg e B u ch anan
Joh n C al vi n
B eza
Monta ign e
J oseph J ustus Scali ger
F ran c i s B a con
Sh a k s
p ea r e
C amp a n ella
B en Jonson
Groti u s
I ocock
’

Matth ew H al e
J eremy Taylor
L afonta i n e
B lai s e Pasca l
 A C Q U I SITI ON or K N OWL E D GE . 80

Na m e .

R . B oyl e

I saac B r w a r:

A rch bi s h op Ti l lotson
Joh n Lo ck e

P u ffen d orf
W hi tby
In crease Math er
Si r I saa c Newto n
L eibn i tz
B a yl e
P ri d eaux
R oll i n
R B entl ey
.

C otton Math er
L a dy R a ch el Russ el
D ean Swi ft
B oerh aav e
Ste el e
A d d i son
Samuel C lark e
Sh erlo c k
La rd ner
B erkel ey
Mon te s qui eu
La d y Monta g ue
B i sh op B utl er
A rc h bi s h op Seek er
Warburto n
D oddridge
Jona th an Edwards
Joh n Wesl ey
B enj am i n Frankl i n
86 M ENT AL D I SC I P L I N E .

Na m e .

Eul er
B uffon
Samu el J oh n O
sn
D av i d H um e

H ugh B la ir
Samu el H opki ns
Roger Sh erman
J am s Mackni gh t
e

R obertson
Sm ol l ct
Samu el Ad ams
A d am Sm i th
B lackstone
Immanu el Ka nt
Klopsto ck
Ed mun d B urke
B i sh op H orne
B i s h op P orteu s
B i sh op H orsley
J P ri estley
.

Warren H asti n gs
Granvi lle Sh arp
Jam es B eatti e
J oh n A dams
H o m e Took e
St Pi erre
.

Si r Wi ll i am H ers ch el
MrsB a r ba ul d
.

Arch dea c on P al ey
Steph en Mi x Mi tch ell
Th omas J efferson
Ma ck enzi e
 A C Q UI SI TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 87

Na m e .

Joh n Jay
Benj am i n R ush
Lin dl ey Murray
Sir Wi ll iam Jon es
J er em y B enth am
Th omas S c ott
J oh n A i k e n
B er t h el l o t
L a P la ce
Joh n Trumbull
J mes Madi son
a

D ug al d St wart e

C ount Rum ford

Joh n Marsh all
Sch i ll r e

Kotzebu e
Wi ll i am C arey
Sa mu el L Mi tch ell .

Sir J am es Ma c k i ntosh
Mad am D e Sta el
S T C ol eri dg e
. .

D r Th omas B rown
.

Robert Morri son D D , . .

88 M E NT A L D I SC I P L I NE

SE C TI ON XI X —Gua rd a ga i ns
t thos
e bod i l
y ha bi ts which
ma y be p rej ud icia l to the m i nd by i mp a i r i ng the hea l t h a nd

vi o
g r qf the p hy s
i ca l f ra me .

We h ave al ready en d eavored to show that the m ens

s a na i n s a ne c orp ore is not a mere chimera of the

i m agin ation That i t is i n ordinary cas

. es attain
able is e viden t from the long l ife and good health
,

whi ch have been enjoyed by eminent scholars i n

every a g e In fac t such is the s ym pathy betwee n
.
,
“

the mi nd and the body that when the one is ,

diseas ed the other must i n a g reater or less de gree

su ffer by i t The highest possible d egree of menta l
.

vigor c annot be atta i ned , without a healthful state Of

”
th e physical system .

“7 e shall offer two suggestions with re ference to

th e preservati on of bod i ly he alth whil e engaged i n
li te ra r y pu rsuitsand stu dies .

1. B OD I L Y E X E R C I SE — Some have su pposed ,

n ay it is a general impression u po n the publi c mind

, ,

that s t u d ious hab i t s necessarily i nduce bodily decli ne

and i nfirmi ty A nd th e premature decl i n e of so
.

many mo d ern scholars seem to warrant such a con

elusion B ut we are not yet prepared to a ssent to
.

i t We look u pon thi s decline as resul ti ng from t h e

.

ab use of literary occupati on and not as its n atural ,

con sequen c e An intelli gen t wri te r on th e Heal th

.
“

of L ite rary Men

”
a ffi rms that l i te rary occupa
“
,

ti on prudently conduc ted , i sc onducive to he a lth

,
”
.

To this p os iti on we are more th a n i nc l ined to yield

a ssen t .
 A C Q U I SITI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 89

Let us present the argument of the author j ust re ~

'

l e r r ed to There must be an equili b ri um between

the v arious powers of the human system or the sys ,

t e m cannot be completely sound ; and wi thou t the

exer ci s e of these various powers the requisite e q u i l i ,

br i u m cannot be preserved Menta l exercise there

.
,

fore i s equ al ly importan t with m u s

, c ul a r and from ,

the proper u nion of the two results the perfect ,

he al th of the whole m an L ook at the maniac ; .

his mi nd though shattered is active often to i n

, , ,

tensity and he possesses a firm robust bod y The

, ,
.

idiot on the contrary , whose mi nd is torpi d and

,

lead-bound isa creature of weak er nerves and more

,

languid frame P erhaps no class of men whatever

.

are plied with more harassi ng menta l action than

our city merchants bu t thei r necessary muscular
,

ac tion preserving the necessa ry equil ibrium of the

,

system gives them a v igor of health to which th e

,

sedentary a r e strangers We have read of a mer .

chan t i n on e of the Swiss can tons who enjoyed the ,

most perfec t health while enga ged i n the most per

p l exi n
g mercantile spe culati ons ; but at the age O f
f or t v trans ferring his mind from the pu rsui ts of
commerc e to the less harrowing but more se d entary , ,

pu rsuits of science he fel l a v ictim to a d isord ered

,

brai n . C essati on from study and medical p r es cr i

p
t i on restored his health but a renewal of his m ental
, ,

u nconnected with h i sform er bodily exerc i se agai n ,

de s t royed th e equilibrium between his br a in an d

other organs and of course induced d i sease We
,
.

a dd uce these instances to p rov e th at study however ,

 90 M EN T AL D I SC I P L I NE .

fatal when dis c onnected i s when c onnec ted with co:

. ,

por e al exerc i se benefic i al to health

”
, In ac cord .

ance wi th the above conclusion i sthe fa c t ofte n Ob

served by li terary men namely that wh ile l i vi ng in
, ,

mental and bodil y industry the v igor of the body a s,

well as of the i ntell ec t i s greatly i ncreased ; but

whil e i n a state of m en ta l i ndolence the physic al ,

sys t em also experiences a degree Of lassitude a nd ,

i s wearied by the most t ri vial bodily exertion We .

have proof also to the same point i n th e fact that

whe n men re ti re from active bu s i ness pu rsuits or ,

men tal occupati on enervation of body aswe l l as

,

i nte l lect soon succeeds to that mental i ndolence to

whi ch they have su rrendered themselves .

The p osition here assum ed is that study properly ,

conduc t ed or i n other words mental action aecom

, , ,

p a n i ed with sui table muscular a cti on is conduci ve to ,

health The philosophy of this pri ncipl e and t h e

.
,

danger of disconnecting mus c ular wi th mental a c tion ,

is thus explai ned by the wri ter from whom we have

just quoted The exercise of any bod i ly organ is
.

atte nded with a determinati on of the blood to th at

orga n Ubi usus ibi a fil uxus Hence the exerc ise
.
,
.

o f the brai n i n thought

( for the bod y is not only th e
receptacle but the instrument Of the min d) causes
,

a determi nation of the blood to the brai n When .

confined withi n proper l im its and preser ving the ,

just equilibrium this de t ermin ation of blood i ssa lu

,

ta ry But when unduly protrac ted it oft en res

. ults ,

i n sudden death ; and with a more li mited conti nu

a nce i n v erti go epilepsy a nd a namelesstr a in of
, , ,
 A C Q U I SITI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 91

c r e ebral dis eas

es Accordingly we find that many
.

di stingu ished schola rs have expired in the mi d st of

their severest e ffor t s ; the professor in his lecture
r oom ,
the divine in his pulpit and the barriste r ,

during his plea F or the same reason Boe rhaave

’

,
.
,

a ft e r an i ntense appli c ation was deprived of his

sl eep for six months and D ugal d Stewart was once

,

u nable to attend without mental aberration even to

hi sow
, ,

n publi shed speculations The u ndue deter.

mination then of the blood to the brai n must be

, , ,

prevented by t he exerc i se of other organs by walk

ing or ridi ng especi all y on horsebac k or the use of
, , ,

the gymnasium or mechanic al tools To attempt to

,
.

l i ve without such exe r cise is preposterous ; how

much more so to att empt to s tu dy without it " What
i f some pecu l iar consti tutions i nured by early habi t
,

and remark able abste m iousness to an u nnatural

mode of li fe have dispensed with all recreation from
,

study and yet retained health We are not to be

go v erned by excep tionsbut by the gener a l r u l e
,
”
.

A sit is less our object to presc ribe rul es for t h e

preservation of heal th th an to show the nec essity of
a so und state of the body i n order to the v igorou s
exerci se of the mi nd we shall content ourselves on
,

this point with t h e followi ng perti nent extr ac t

When our body has i tsfull health and strength ,

the mi nd is so fa r assisted thereby that it c an bear ,

a closer and longer applic ation ; our apprehension is

r eadier ; our imagin ation is l i v elier
; we can better
enlarge our compass of thought ; we c an examin e
our percep tions mo re s tri ctly , an d compar e them
92 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

more exac tly ; by which mean s we ar e e nabl ed t o

form a t ruer j udgment of thi ngs ; t o remove more
e ffectual ly the mi stakes i n to which we h av e b een
l ed by a wrong educati on by passion i n attenti on , , ,

custom ex am ple ; to have a clearer vi ew of wh a t i s

,

best for u s of what i s most for our i n te rest and

, ,

thence dete rmin e oursel ves more readily t o its pur

sui t and persist therein w ith greater resolu tion and
,
”
steadi ness .

2 DI E T — Some degree of atten ti on to d i et is i n

. .

dispensabl e to th e preserv ati on of a healthy an d

v igorous tone of both the mental a n d physical sys »

tem A nd no on e can reasonably hope to make ex

.

tensi ve acqu isitions of knowledg e or to put forth the ,

v igorous exercise O f in tellec tu al power u nless he ,

possesses a moral domi nion ov er hi sappe tites and

p assions .

The first and most i mpo rtant considerati on i n re

lati on to di et is the qu a ntity of food taken i nto the
,

syst em It was th e opinion of D r F rankli n that

. .
,

si nce the improv ementsof c ookery m ankind ea t

”
about twice as much as nature requires Nearly .

all medical auth ori ties confirm th e same Opi nion .

That this ove rcharging of th e digesti ve organ s is de

t r im e n t al to he al th i sunquestionable An d th u s i t .

is th at we fi nd th e most celebrate d medic al wri ters

,

attributing the greater porti on Of our bodily dise ases ,

especi ally chronic al compl aints and th e i n fir m i ti es

”
of old a g e to intemperance i n di et
,
The pri ncipl e.

on which thi s overcharging of t h e digestive organ s

becomes detrimental to the he al th , is thuscl e arly
'
 AC Q U S I ITI ON or K N OWL E D G E . 93

s
tated by Professor Hitchc ock i n his in val uable
t reatise , D yspepsy F
orestal led
t e n food is ta ken into the sto mac h i t is con ,

v erte d i n to a pulpy mass cal led chyme I f the

,
.

quanti ty is too great this proc ess is of course bu t

,

i mperfectly pe rformed as the gastric j u ic e i snot

,

su ffic ient for the whole work The consequence is .

,

that imperfect chyme will produce imperfect chyle

‘

the second state i n to whi ch th e food passes and i m ,

perfect chyle will pro d uce imperfect blood an d i m ,

perfect blood wil l produce morbid secretions ; the

blood will be too much i n quanti ty and poor i n ,

quali ty and hence the system wi ll be imperfectly

,

nou rished Nature must m ake a great e ffort to get

.

rid of the superabundance with which she is deluged .

Hence she will force through the pores of the ski n

fetid sweats and load th e M entary c an al and
,

every part of the sys t em wi th every ki nd of morbid

secretion We see hence Wh y t he men who gor
.
,

m a n d i z e most ar e generall y pal e and emac i ate d ;

though sometimes the excess of nourishment is con
verted i nto fa t which seems generall y to be a morbid
,

secreti on .

The n umerous facts produced by the professor

c oi n c ide with the con clusion to which his p hiI OSOp h i
c al anal ysis leads namely that a rigid governmen t
, ,

of the appeti te is es s e ntial t o l ife and health Py t h a .

goras was accu stomed to restric t himself to vegeta ble

food his dinner c onsisting of bread honey and
, , ,

water and yet he li ved upward of eighty-four year s

,
.

The early C hr i s tians who retired from persecuti on

94 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

i nto the deserts of A rabia and E gyp t, allowed them

s elves but twelve ounces of bread per day asthei r
solid food an d wate r alone for d rink an d yet they
, ,

were charac teri zed for bodil y and menta l vi gor and ,

lived to enjoy both ofte n to a great age Thus St

,
.
,

Anthony lived one hundred an d fi ve years ; Jame s

the Herm i t on e h undred and four ; Jerome one
, ,

hundred ; Simon Stil i t es one hu ndre d and n i ne ;,

Ep ip h a n i u sone hundred and fi fteen ; and Rom a l du s

,

and Ar s eni u seach one hundred and twenty

, Ga .

len one of the most di sti ngu ished of ancient ph y si

,

c i a n sli v ed one hu ndred an d forty years and com

, ,

posed be tween seven hundred and eight hundre d

essays on medical and phil osophical subjects and he ,

was always after the age of twenty-eight extremely

, ,

sparing i n the quantity of h isfood The C ardi nal .

de Sal i s archbishop of Seville who li ved one hu n

, ,

dred and ten years wasi nvari ably sp a ri ng i n his

,

diet One Lawr enc e an Englishman lived one

.
, ,

hundred and forty years ; one K ent i ger n call ed St , .

Man gah one hundred and eighty -fiv e ; Hen ry Je n

,

kins of Y orkshire one hundred and si xty-ni ne ;

, ,

Thomas Parr one hundred and fift y -three ; Henry

,

F ranc i sc o one hu ndred and forty ; all i ndebted t o

,

their abstemiousness and exercise for their longe .

vi t
y .Mr Gall oway i n hi s work upon The Am e
.
,

ri c an Rebell ion thus speaks of Sa muel Adams

”
,

“
He eats l ittl e d r i nks little sleeps little th inks
, , ,

much and is most inde fati gable i n the pursuit of

,

his objec t It was this man who by his superior

.
, ,

a pplication , managed at onc e the factions i n C on

 AC Q U I SITI ON or KN OW L ED G E . 95

g r e ss a t P hiladelphi a and the ,

fac ti ons of N e w-E ng o

”
land 1
B ut heal th and longevity are n ot the only re sults
”
of abstemiousness i n di et I Ve are fa r says the
“
.
,

wri ter i n the Register from whom we have already

,

quoted we are fa r from limiting the i nfluence of

“
,

a bste miousness t o the body i tse ffect on the mi nd ,

i se v en more admirable J u lius C ze s.ar constitu tion ,

all y a p r ofli ga t e when bent on some great exploi t

, ,

wa saccustomed to dimi nish his diet to an extent

truly m arvelous and to this di mi nution he as
,
cribed
the keen -sightedness and eagle views which so hap
pily distingui shed his mi nd i n the battle hour Sim i .

lar too when extraordi nary mental v igor wasde

, ,

sired was the abstemiousness of Napoleon a nd ot

, ,

the recent commander of the Russi an ar my To .

his rarely equ al ed moderation of di et D r F rankli n ,

.

ascribed his clearness of ideas and quickness of

‘ ’ ‘

perception and considered hi sprogress i n study

proportion ate to the infl uenc e of his pru dent tempe r
ance The Jou rn al of Health i n forms us th at wh i le
.
,

Si r Isaac Newton was composing his treatise on

Op t ic s he confined himself entirely to bread a nd a
,

little sack and water Scarcely less rigid was the

.

absti nence of L eibnitz when prepari ng some parts

,

of his Universal L anguage We have j ust taken ou r

.

eyes from the identi cal silver bowl which P r es ru e n t

Edwards pu rc h ased for the express purpos e of mea

sur ing his food It is an i nteres t ing reli c It con
. .

t a ins about hal f a pint and he conscientiously r e

,

st r i cted himsel f at supper to the chocolate a n d b r ead

96 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

which th is woul d contain Whoe v er ha sm a d t h e .

Memoir of President Edwards cannot but h ave ,

n oticed his frequent resol uti ons to curtail his al low

anc e of food and hi s happy surpri se at the menta l
,

”
vigor which resul ted from hi s i ncreased frugality .

D Au b i g n é relates of L uther on the authority of

’

Me a ct h on that a l ittl e bread a single herring

l n
“
, , .

were Oft en his only food Indeed he w as con s t it u

.
,

ti on a l l y abstem i ous E ven after he had learne d

.

that heav en was not to be purch ased by abstinence ,

he oft e n contented hi mself with the poorest food ,

and would go fou r days together wi thout eating or

drinking It is relate d also Of P resident D wight
.
,

that b e during some portion of his l i fe was accus

, ,

t om ed t o limit hi smeals to twel v e m outh fuls Dr . .

C heyn e a c elebrated E ngli sh physician reduced

, ,

himsel f from the enormous weight o f four hundred

and forty-eight pou nds to one hundred and forty by ,

c onfining himself to a limi t ed qu antity Of vegetables ,

milk and water as his only food and d rink The

, ,
.

r esult was a restoration of health and of men tal

v igor a nd amid professional and li terary l a bors

, , .

un i nterrupted heal th and a protracte d li fe J effer .

so n once m ade th e remark that nobody e v er re

“
,
~

e n t e d having eaten t oo l i tt l e
p .

Having touched u p O n the great evil in relation to

d i et it is hardly necessary that we should enlarge

,

u pon other poi n ts such as the qua l i ty of our food

, ,

the t i m e and m a nner of e a ti ng ; or to the oth er

branche s of bodily regimen such asclothi ng sleep , , ,

Sz c . There is howe v er one c aution which we feel

, , ,
 A C Q UI SITI ON OF KN OW L E D G E . 97

bound to give because of its close connection wi t h

,

a heal thy and v igorous tone of the i ntellect The .

cau tion is agai nst an u nbending uni formity i n our

d iet
. There is much pract i cal philosophy i n the say
i n g Of Lord Bacon “
Let him who wou l d enjoy
'

he al th occasionally v ary his course S ometimes let

. .

hi m feast and someti m es let him fas t someti mes over ,

sleep and sometimes watch sometimes walk and ,

someti mes r u n ; yet let him rather fast than feas t ,

rather than watch let him oversleep and rather wal k ,

”
than run .Both the bod y and mind must become
in some degree accustomed to change that the indi ,

v idual may become i n some degr ee prepared for the

un avoidable vicissitudes Of li fe “ When C o r naro .

was i n such a sta t e that the addition to hi sdail y

,

food of two ounc es of solid and two of liqu id al imen t

occ asioned severe pai ns and eventu ally a violent
,

fever Of five weeks conti nuance ; w h en the philan

’

t h r Op ist Howard wa sin such a state that the le ast

, ,

dev i ation from his rules of li vi ng was a disease ,

they were in a st a te fa r too artificial for this variable

”
world . Whi le then on the one hand attenti on to
, , ,

dietetics and the v arious economies of health are i n

di spensable to bod ily and mental v ig or and co u se ,

quently to the successful prosecuti on of knowledge ,

a too scrupulous e ffort to live by r ule will be

'
“

found detrim enta l to both .

7
98 M E NT AL D I SC I PL I N E .

SE C TI ON XX — Let i t be y our ons

. c
ta nt a i m to a m ve a t

genera l p r i ncip l es
,
on a l l t he sbj ectsto whi h y our a ttent i on
u c
i sdi rect ed .

1 . Without the guidanc e of gen eral princi ples the

“
,

human mind resembles a vessel at sea without chart , ,

or compass or pilot It must fluc tu ate i n doubt and

, .

uncerta i nty ; and amidst the c onflicting sen ti ments

, ,

i t must be at the mercy of almost e v ery wind of

Op i nion and u nprepared to encou nter t h e rising
,

wave of Opposition In every d ep a r t m m t Of human

.

knowledge whether o f l iterature or of science

, ,

whether of reason or of revel ation there are c e rtai n ,

fixed pri nciples— c ertai n general t r u t hs from which ,

we must set out i n our researches and by whi c h we ,

must be gui d ed i n our reaso nings To borrow the .

lan gua g e Of Mr Lock e There are fun dam en tal

.
,

truthswhich l ie at the bottom the basis upon whi ch ,

a great many others rest and i n which they have ,

thei r consi s t ency These are teemi ng t ruths ri c h

.
,

i n store with which they fu rn ish the mind and like

, , ,

the l i ght of heaven are not only beau ti ful and ente r
,

tai ning i n themselves but give light and eviden c e o

,
t

other th ings that wi thou t them c ould not be se e n

,

or known Such i s that admi rable dis c overy of

.

Newto n th at all bodies gravita te to one centre

, ,

which may be counted the basis Of na t ural p hi l os o

phy Ou r Saviour s great rule— th a l we s

. hou l d l ove
’

ou r n eigh bor a sou rs — I salso a fii nda m en t a l truth

el ves

f or the regulati ng Of human s o c iety t hat I think by , , ,

th at alone one might wi thout d iffic ulty determine all

,
 A C Q U I SITI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 99

th e cases and doubts i n social morali ty These and .

,

s uch asthese are the truths we should endeavor to

,

fi nd out and store our minds w i th We should .

’

accustom Oursel ves i n any questi on proposed to ex

, ,

a m i ne a nd find out upon what i t botto m s Most Of .

the di ffic ulties that come i n our way when well con ,

sider e d and trac ed lead us to some prop ositi on

,

which known to be tru e clears the doubt and gives

, , ,

an easy solution to the question .

’

2 l ve should not only seek to arrive at general

.

princ i ples i n the p ur s

u i t o f kno wledge ; but also to

re fer the k nowle d ge we may have attai ned on any

spec ial subject as mu c h as possible to gen eral prin
, ,

c i l es That is we should as fa r a swe can classi fy

p .
, , ,

our knowledge and no classi fication will prove so

,

benefic i al as that founded upon the n atural order

and relations of things The immense advantag e .

derived fro m generali zation and classificati on in the

pursui ts of knowle d ge whether scientific or moral
, ,

cannot be too highly appreciated Wh at for i n .

,

stance could be accomplished i n botany or zoology

,

wi thout analysis and classifi c ati on ? When would

the botanist ever acquire a knowledge Of the myriad s
of v ege table prod uc tions or the zoologi st of the,

m y riads of the an i mal c reati on without some com ,

.

prehensi ve system of generalization

It is equally impor t ant i n order to the reten tion ,

a nd re ady use of k nowle dge acquired that it be r e ,

ferred to general prin c iples The foll owing illus .

t r a ti on of P rofessor Uph a m is pertinent If a

l awyer or merchant were to throw al l their papers
1 00 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

together promi scuously they coul d not c alculat e on

,

much re ad i ness i n find i ng what they mi ght at any

t h e wan t I f a man of lette rs were to rec ord i n a
.

common -place book all the ideas and facts which

occurred to hi m wi thout any method he would ex
, ,

pe r i ence the great est d i fli c u l t y in applyi ng them to

‘

use It is the same with a memory when there is

.
,

no classificati on Whoever fixes upon some general

.

pri nciple whether political li terary or phi losoph i c al

, , , ,

a n d collec ts facts i n illustrati on of i t wi ll find no ,

di ffi culty in remembering them however n umerous ; ,

when wi thout such general pri nciples the r ecol l ec

, ,

tion of them woul d have bec ome extremely burden

”
some .

SE C TI O N XXI — B e
s a t is
fied wi th t he knowl edge y ou
not

ha ve a cqui red on a ny s ub ect o f i nvest iga t ion t il l y ou ca n

j ,

exp ressthe res ul ts

of y our i nqu i ri esa nd reflect ionsi n y our
own wordseit her i n convers a t ion or i n wr i t i n
, g .

The attempt to convey our ideas to others is the

most sati sfa ctory test by whi c h we may as certa i n
thei r correctness or i naccuracy— their completeness
or deficiency Nothing is more common th a n for
.

those whose minds are u ndi sc ipli ned to flatter them

selves that they have a competent acquai ntanc e with
a subject on which the i r ideas are still obscure and
,

confused and on which they betray Obsc u rity and

,

con fus ion as soon as they attempt the com m u n i ca

tion of t heir thoughts to others It is there fore Of .

great importa nc e i n school s of ed ucati on that an ,

adequ ate test should be appl ied by the teacher

 A C Q U I SITI ON or K N OW L E D G E . l o .

th roughout the whol e course of study bc th by in sti ,

tuting a strict ex a mi nati on on the course of reading

pre s c ribed and by requiring frequent exercises i n
,

c omposition on the subjec ts to wh ich attention h a s

been d irec ted .

On the same pri nciple it would be found hi ghly

,

benefici al were those who are ass ociate d i n a studi

ous c areer to bri ng eac h other to the test by mu tu al
ex ami nation and by conversing freely on points of
,

importa nce and d ifficulty It would be too much to

.

assert that i n every instan c e where there is clear

ness of conception there wil l be facility of expression ,

since there may be ca u ses of embarras sment i n the

attempt to convey ideaswhi c h d o not arise from the
Obscur i ty of the i d eas themselves ; but when no such

causes are in Operatio n it may be presumed that

c on fusion of langu a g e has its origin i n con fusion of
thought and that we ought not to give ourselves
,

credit for a competent acqu aintanc e with any sub

j cet ti ll we c an convey our ideas on that subj ect
,

with pre c ision and perspicuity .

This abil i ty to expre ss the results Of our reading

and reflections is to be distingu i shed from the fac ulty
of repeati ng memori te r the language of the authors
”
we have read A boy of strong memory
.
“
says ,

D r l V a t t s “ may repeat a whole boo k of Euclid

, ,

y e t be no geometer ; for he may not perh aps be able

t o demonstrate one single theorem Memorin o h as
.

learned h al f the B ible by heart and is become a ,

l i ving concordance and a speaki ng index to th eol o

,

g ca l foli os and yet he understands l ittl e o f divinity

i ,
1 02 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

A wel l-fur ni shed library and a c apacious m emo ry

, ,

are indeed Of singul ar use to w a rd the improvemen t

of the mind B ut i f al l your learning be n o thin g
.

el se but a mere amassment of wh at others hav e

wri tte n without a due p enetr ation into their mean
,

ing and without a j u dicious choic e and determina

,
r

tion Of your own sen timentsI do not see what ti tle ,

”
your head h as to tru e learning above your shel v es .

SE C ON XXII —Let the love of

TI . t r ut h a nd k nowle dge be
t i m ul ustha t s
t he s ha l l i nci te yo u to the p ur s
uit s
qf know
l edge .

The motives and feeli ngs that an i mate us in en ter

i ng u p O n the purs u its Of knowledge are not u n

worthy of our atten tion even i n a mere in t ell ectu a l

,

point Of vi ew They will have much to do with our

.

su c cess or want of success in giv i ng true develop

, ,

ment to the mind .

C uriosi ty or desire of knowledge is an i mplanted

, ,

s e n t i m m t i n the soul ; but it i ssusceptible of cul ti ~

v ation It may be fostered or repressed Henc e

. .

the regul ation of it becomes a moral duty When .

pro p erly cultivated it consti tute s a powerful s

, tim u
lus to i ntellectual exerti on and at the same ti me ,

i mpartsa pleasure to our intell ec tual toil A mong .

students rivalry the ambiti on of attaining a high

, ,

grade or be aring of the honors Of the cl ass may do

, ,

much toward stimulating intell ectual exerti on And .

so m eti mes the mi nd m a y when acti ng u nder the i n

,

flu en ce of such a s t i m ulus insensibly i mbibe a love,

.

fo r study ; bu t it c annot the less be considered a

 A C Q U I SITI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 1 03

motive unworthy Of s c ience and one too that is Oft en ,

exceed i ngly detrimental to th e true development of

mi nd A stu d en t who h ad e fl ect ed the solution of a
'

.
,

d i l ficu l t problem sa i d on presenti ng his sol uti on to

, ,

D Al cm be rt Si r I have accomplishe d this in order

’

, ,
”
to gai n a seat i n the aca d emy “
You wi l l n eve r .

”
be wo r thy of one replied the p l I il OSOp h e r u nless
, ,

you are actuated to the purs u its of learning from

h i gher motives ”
.

A love of t r uth i n the intellectual is like the love ,

Of g ood nes si n the mor al world — a h a l l -pervadi ng ,

and u nceasing stimulus to its acqu i si tion If ostenta .

ti on show ambi t ious rivalry only i nci te you you

, , , ,

will be v ery likely to slight those portions of know

ledge t l ia t do not further these ends ; and these ,

per c hance may be the most important porti ons Of

,

the furniture Of a well -d i s c ipl i ned mi nd and when

these motives are not t o be realized the m i nd turns ,

aside from its t ask in di scoura gement i f not i n dis ,

gust B ut the love Of truth i s all-pervading and

.

ever-e nduri ng It w i ll be ever present wi th u s

.
,

c heck our haltings reprove our i nd e c i sion and pro

, ,

du c e a combined and happy activity Of all our

powers The mi nd will feel ample reward for i ts
.

toils i n the ri c h a c cessions made to its k nowle dge ,

and i n the equal d evelopment Of its powers This .

was the princ i ple that i nspire d the great intellects

that now a d orn t h e intellectu al fir m a m en t of our
race It was the mov i ng principle that i nspired a
.

Lo c ke a Ne wton a La Place i n their profound i h

, , ,

ves ti g a t i ons What thoug ht had they of th e bus

.

y
1 04 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

tongu es of men that should echo thei r fam e whil e ,

so absorbe d in their commu nings wi th tr u th as to be

forgetfu l of themselves an d Of the world arou nd

them High intellec t u al attainmen tsc an n ever be
reached u nless the mi nd be penetr ated wi th a pro
,

fou nd and enduring thirst for knowledge .

SE C T ON XXI II —
I . t en
y our p l a nsa r e finis hed i n de
l i ber a t ion, l et a cti on up on t he m be i m medi a tely com

If whe n we h ave formed a deliberate purpose of

action we l ack the decision and en ergy to en ter im
medi ately upon its execution it i s highl y probabl e ,

th at the plan will n ever be execu te d Irresolution .

will grow upon its victim When the time whi c h he

‘

had fixed upon for the execu tion of his plans ar

ri ves he wi ll find h imsel f i n a l l probability less i n
, , ,

c l i n ed to action than at first ; so that the subject

will pretty c ertainly recei ve a second and ev ent u ,

ally a fin al postponement He who aft er he h as .

,

deliberate d and resolved h as not the en ergy Of

,

characte r to apply h i msel f to the subject may de ,

spair Of its a ccomplishment .

F oster in his essay on D ecisi on of C harac ter has

, ,

some excellent hi nts and fine illustrations upon this

poi nt In making hi si nquiry into the consti t uents
.

Of t his comm a nding qual i ty he assertsthat en erg y ,

of
feel i ng is as necessary as con fidence of Opinion .

It is this energy of feel i ng which secu res acti on .

Th i s display of systemat ic energy seems to indi cate

a constitu t ion of min d in which the p assi ons are com
 A C Q U I SITI ON or Kh OW L E D G E . 1 05

mensurat e wi th the intellectual part and at the , ,

same time hold an inseparable correspondence wi th

,

i t lik e the faithful sympathy of the tides With the

,

moon There is su c h an equality and connection ,

.

that subjects of the dec i sions of j udgmen t become

proporti onably a nd Of cou rse the subj ec ts Of p a s
, ,

sion t en the judgment deci d es with a very

.

strong pre ference that same stre ngt h of pre ferenc e

, ,

actuati ng also the passions devotes them wi th en ergy

,

to the Object so long as it is thu s approved ; and this

,

will produce such a condu c t as I have described .

Whe n there fore a firm sel f-c onfidi ng and unal ter
, ,

ing judgment fail s to m a ke a decisive characte r it is ,

evident that either the passions i n the mi nd are too

l anguid to be capable Of a strong and u nre m i tting
ex c itement which de fec t m akes an i ndolent or irre
,

solute man ; or that they perversely sometimes coin

de with judgment and sometimes cl a sh wi th it
, ,

which mak es an i nconstan t and versatil e man .

There is no man SO irresolute as not to act with

determ ination i n many single cases where the motive ,

is powerful and simple and where there is no need

,

of plan and perseverance ; bu t this gi ves I I O claim

to the term ch a ra c ter which expresses the habitual

,

t e nor Of man s acti ve being The char a cter may be

’
.

dis played in the successive u ndertakings which are ,

eac h of limited extent and end wi th the atta i nment

,

of their part i c ular Obje c ts But it is seen to the .

greatest advantage in those grand s c hemes of ac ti on ,

whi c h have n o ne c ess a ry point Of conclusion which ,

c ontinue on through successiv e years and extend ,

 1 06 ME N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

e ve n to that dark pe riod when the a gent hi mse l f is

withd rawn from h uman sight .

“
I have repeate dl y remarked to you i n conver
sati on the e ffect of Wh a t h asbeen c alled a ruling
,

p ass i on W Vh e n its object is noble and an enli gh t

.
,

e ned un derstand i ng di rects its movements it appears ,

to me a great fe licity ; but whether its Objec t be nobl e

or not i t i nfall i bly create s Where it ex i sts in great
, ,

force that a c tive ardent constan c y whi c h I des c ribe

, , ,

as a capital feature of the de c isive chara c ter The .

subj ect of su c h a co m m andi ng passio n wonders if ,

i ndeed he Were at le i sure to wonder at the persons ,

who prete nd to attach importa n c e to an object whi c h

they m ake non e but the most languid e fl or tsto se
'

c ure The utmost powers Of th e man a r e constrai n

.

ed into the service Of the favorite cause by thi s p a s ,

sion wh i ch sweeps away as i t advances a l l the

, , ,

trivial Obj e c tions and little Opposing motives and ,

seems al most to Ope n a way through opposing i m

possibilities The spi rit comes on h i m i n the morn
.

ing as soon as he re c overs h isc onsciousness an d ,

commands and impe l s hi m through the day wi t h ,

a power from which he could n ot emancipate him

self i f he would When the forc e of habit is added
.
,

the de termi nati on becomes i nvinc i ble an d seems to ,

assume rank with th e great laws of n ature m a ki ng ,

i t nearly as certa i n t hat such a man wil l pers i st in

”
hi s cou rse as that the morning sun w il l rise .

There is a nobleness i n th is deci si ve Spi r i t whi ch ,

combines at once decision of j u d gment and of a cti on,

that ex c ites our wonder and ad m i ration Ev en whe n .
 A C Q UI SI TI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 1 07

we cannot approve of the cause in whi ch th is deci

Sion and energy are enlisted we shall feel ourse lves ,

compelled to do homag e to the nobler trai ts o f cha

r a c t e ; but where the cause merits our approval we
g ,

shal l not fail to have exci t ed the hi gh est d egree of

admiration It was a subli me mani festati on Of thi s
.

Spi ri t i n the reply Of Pompey when some Of his

fri en d s endeavored to d i ssua d e him from haz a rdi ng

his life on a tempestuous sea in order to be at Rome ,

on an i m p OI t a nt o c c as i on It I snecessary for me
.
“

”
to go ; it is not necessary for m e to li ve Luther .
,

when en t reated by his friends not to risk an attend

an c e at the D i et of Worms rep l ied with a c alm de
,

c isi on that forbade all further e ffort to pre v ent : I “

,

am cal le d in the n a me Of God to go and I would go , ,

though I were c ertain to meet as many devils i n

”
Worms as there are tiles on the roofs of its houses .

Says F oster “
In almost a ll plans Of great enter
,

pri se a man must systemati c ally d i smi ss at the e u

, ,

tran c e every wish to stipulate for safety with hi s

,

destiny Ei ther they must allay this fire Of enter

.

pri se Or they must hold themselves i n readi ness to

,
”
be exploded by it from the world .

The student woul d do well to study care fully the

following portra i ture of the intellectual char acter of
Howard as drawn by the same mas ter hand
,
The
energy of his determi nation was so great that if i h , ,

s te ad Of being habitual it had been shown only for

,

a short time on particul a r oc c asions it would have ,

appeare d a vehement impetuosity ; but by being nu

intermi t te d it had an equabi li ty of manner whic h
,
 1 08 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

sc ar cely appe ared to exceed the tone of a c al m con

sta mey it was so totall y t h e reve rse of anyth i ng l i k e
,

turbulence or agitation The moment of fi nishing

.

h i spl ans i n deliberation and commencing t hem i n

,

acti on was the sam e I wonder wh at must hav e

,
.

bee n the amount of that br ibe in emolument or ,

pleasure that would h ave deta i ned h im a week i h

,
~

active after their final adjustment The law which .

c arri es wa te r down a declivity , was not more u ncon

qu e rabl e and inv ari able than the determination of
,

h i sfeelings toward the m ai n Object The im port .

ance of this Object held his fac ulti es i n a state of ex

ci t em e nt which was too rigid to be a ffected by l i ghter

i nterests a nd o v er which there fore the beauties of

,

nature and of art h ad n o power He h a d no leisu re

.

feeli ng which he could Spare to be divert ed among the

i nnumerable varieties of the extensi ve scene whi c h he
trave rsed ; all his subordin ate feelings lost their sepa
rate existenc e and Operation by fal ling i nto the
,

grand one His exclusi ve d evotion implied an i n

.

conceivabl e severi ty of con victi on that he h a d on e ,

thi ng to do and that he would do some g r eat th ing i n

,

thi s short li fe must apply himsel f to the work with

,

such a concen tration of his forces as to idle s pe c t a

, ,

to rs who li v e only to amuse th emselves l ook s like ,

in s anity ”
. It is not too much to say that the above ,

i schar a c te ristic Of al l who have made great atta i n

men ts in k nowledge , and contribu te d largely to th e
good of m ank i nd .
 A C Q UI SI TI ON OF K NOWL E D G E . 1 09

SE C TI O N XXI V — Remember tha t menta l dis

. ci l i ne a o
p
ca n be reta i ned a nd i mp r oved only by cont i nued
’

quz r ed,
m enta l a ct i vi ty .

Ou r mental l i ke ou r bodily powers are en feebled

, ,

by disuse The ardent prosecu tion of our stu dies

.

and i nvestigati ons is the only thi ng that can keep

ali ve the intellec tual fire and preser v e unimp a ired , , ,

the intellectu al v i gor Those who h ave retained .

longest their i ntellectu al v igor are those general ly ,

who have prosecuted longest thei r literary and

e nt i fic pursuits Adam C larke at the age of three
.
,

score and ten had lost n one Of his i ntellectual fire

, .

It 1 5 said of Newton that at the age Of eighty-five, ,

he was not Only I mprovi ng previous produ c tions but ,

also prose c uting new enterprises ; and “ Waller at ,

eighty -two is thought to have lost none Of his poet

,
”
i c a l fire . Some l ate i n li fe h ave entered upon
, ,

departments of study or take n up lan guages entirely

n ew to them In fact most d i stinguished men who
.
,

have retained their faculties ti l l late i n li fe have ,

acted u pon the pri nciple of ever learning and ever ,

c oming unto the truth .

How many aft er being decorated wi th col lege

,

honors never exhibit a mental energy equ al to the

,

expec tati on of their friends " Nay how many ne v er ,

exh i b i t a ft er their graduation strength and energy Of

mi nd equal to that previously displayed but soo n ,

disappear from the theatre of i ntellectual activity "

How emphatic the rebuke of Rush when hearing a ,

young man boast Of having completed his educati on "

110 M E NT AL D I S C I PL I N E .

Have you says the v ete ran student ; well I am “

.

”
sixty years Ol d and have not y et completed m I ne
, .

The point at which an i ndi vidual feel s that h i seduc a

tion i sc ompleted i sprobably however i mm ature he
,

may be the point at which im provement will ce a se

, ,

and d ecline commence .

SE C I I ON XX V — Let y our m i nd be i mpr es

‘
. sed wi t h the m uch
to be l ea r ned, comp a red wi th the l i t tl e y ou know .

Nothing i s more common than for persons of small

p owers of mind an d l imite d knowle d ge t o i magi ne
, ,

themsel ves to be possessed of all or n early all the , ,

k nowle d ge that is worth possessing I Vh e r e asth ose .

of more capacious and enlightened mi nds are struck

with asto nishment and won d er at the v astness of/the

unknown The chemist afte r the mo s
.
, t l a bj rj Q g s
a n d prolonged resear c h — the as tronomer aft er ex ,

l or in the remotest regions O f the sta r ry heave n s

p g
revealed to man — t h e men t al phil osopher a fter oh ,

serv i ng wi th profound att enti on and anal yzing and

,

comparing the ph enomen a Of mi nd— the theologi an ,

a ft er devo u t a n d protr a c ted stu d y in to the subl i me ,

profound myste r i es Of n atural and r ev e a l e d r el igion ,

feel that they have only j ust ente red the outer vesti
bul e of knowledge Such were the feel i ngs or
.

Newt on when he excl ai med I do n ot know what I

, ,

may appear to the world ; but to mysel f I seem to ,

h ave been only lik e a boy pl a ying on t h e sea shore ,

and di verti ng mysel f in now and then fin d i n g a

sm oother pebbl e or a prettier she l l than ordinary
, ,

wh i l e th e r ent oc ea n of t rut h l a y u nd is
1 c over ed be ore
f
 A C Q U I SITI ON OF KN OW L E D G E . 111

me .
7,
the great Roman orator was a m a n
C icero , ,

o f unti ring labor E very known s c ience and every

.

branch of li terature was mad e tributary to his sti r

ring eloquenc e Was i t not tha t some t h ing
.

mense and i nfini t e—a l i qu i d i m m ens

u m i nfin i t u m gu e ,

-whi ch seemed perpetu ally to haunt the mi nd o f

C icero ? was it not this that stim ulate d him to his

incessant and immense labors i n pursuit Of know
ledge ? In hi soration for Arc hias the poet he
‘

, ,

l r a wsthis no doubt true picture of himsel f — As

, ,
“

much ti m e as is given to other men for the i r own

busine s s ; for the celebrati on Of festi val days and
other pleasures ; for the repose of body and mind ;
for gaming ball and nightly entertainments ; so
, ,

much I appropriate to myse l f and devote to these ,

”
studies .

A more serious Obstacle i n the way of i nte ll ectual

improvemen t can har dly be imagined than that
which exists i n the n arrow-minded sel f-s u ffici en t ,

soul which can concei v e of no val uable knowledge

,

without the sphere of i ts own attai nments Su c h a .

person i snot unlike the c hil d who imagi nes creation

itself to be bounded by i ts own restricted horizon
but its chance for c orrection and for Obtaining a ,

proper underst an di ng of the true boundari es of i ts

k nowledge is not h al f so great
,
.

On the other hand we c an hardly imagine a ,

greater s t imulus to i ntellectual exerti on than b e ,

holdi ng thi s i m m ense u nkn own gradu a lly becomi ng

subject to our intell ectual domi nion In ancien t .

l iterature i n s c ience and art i n philosophy i n the

, , ,
l l : M E NT A L D I SC I PL I N E .

p ri n c iples of moral ity and the rul es that regul ate

Ord inary li fe and e s

, p eci a lly i n the sphere of reli
gion how immense are the fields Of k nowled ge a s
, ,

yet not subj e c t to our dom in ion " Human sc ienc e

,

seems to have i llumi nated an i nvi ti ng but li mi te d

,

portion of this wide range of knowledge while a ll ,

beyon d and around this illu mi nated spot spread s

out one vas t u nexplored and unknown i mmense
boun d less as the dom i n ion of God himse l f .
 P A RT I I .

MENTA L DI S C I PLIN E WITH F

RE E REN C E TO
THE C OMMUNI C A TI ON OF KN OWL E D G E .

SE C ON I — Remem ber t ha t t he om m uni ca t i on of know

TI . c
l edg e to othersi sone of the grea t endso f i tsa cquisi t i on,

p c
a nd ese i a l ly , i sone qf t he i mp ort a nt ob j ects
f
o the

m i nister ia l p r ofes
si on .

TH E d isci pli ne the mind with reference to the

of
”
communic ation of knowledge impli es such a trai n ,

i ng of ou r fa cu l t i esand the acquirement of th ose

°

mental aptitudes which will enable u sto i mpa rt th e

,

knowledge we ha v e a t ta i ned i n a lu c id concise and

, , ,

e ffec tive manner The imp rovement Of th e under

.

standing says Mr Locke i s for two ends : first

”
,
.
,
“
,

for our own increase of k nowledge ; seco n dly to e n ,

able u sto deliver that knowledge to othe rs ”

There .

are some ki nds Of soil that abs orb the d ressing of the
c ul ti vator bu t yield no harvest to repay his to il
,
.

Not like this should be the mind E nriched by

k nowledge it sh ould bear fru i t —t h e fol i age should
,

s pring up to cover i tsbarrenn ess th e flo w ers should ,

blossom to delight the eye and fill the ai r wi th odor

, ,

and fruit should mature to su pply the wants and

grati fy the taste The i ntellec t ual miser is n
. o t less

fal se t o his own i n terests not l ess rec reant to the

,

great e nds of intel lectual acc umu l ation , than hisp ro

8
1 14 M EN T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

t ot yp e who delves to gather that which t h e ncetor '

ward becomes useless — whos e co ffers are a pool i nto

whi c h th e waters flow only to sta gna t e till drai ned
off by d eath .

That the great en d Of the a cqu i si ti on of k now

ledge to a publi c speaker especially may b attained
, ,
e
.

he must be able to c om m u nica te E speci a lly isthis .

the c ase i n the mi nisterial o ffic e th e m ai n e nd and,

design of which o ffi ce is to commun i cate an d en forc e

truth Now bec ause a man possess k nowledge it
.
, ,

by no means follows as a m atter of course that h e

, ,

can e ffectivel y c omm u nicate i t The comm a i c a .

tion of kn owl edge c all s i nto exercise other po wers

o f min d and gi v es a di f
,
feren t mod e Of exercise to its
powers i n general th an does i t sacqu is ition The .

water may flow freely i nto th e deep tank while it ,

wi l l require the power of the syphon or of the forcing

pump to remov e i t Professor Upham says Ma n v
.
,

of the most respectable and v aluable men i n our

l egisl ative assemblies are pe rson s who are rarely

heard in debate While they are known to posse ss
reach Of thought and c orrectness Of judgment they ,

exhibi t i n publi c discussi on little more than c onfu

s ion and apparent in ability Mr Je fferson at the
. .
,

time Of the C onti nent al C ongress was c onsidered 9A ,

forc i ble and l uc id wri ter and h ad the rep u t ation of

,
.

scie nce and li ter ature ; and even in C ongress lent

great aid by hi s promptn ess an d de c is i on on c om
m i t te e s.And yet he is declared by one of his il l us ,

trious associ ates to hav e been a silen t member of

,

that body Mr Je fferson himsel f mak es a s

. .
, imilar ,
 CO MM U N I C A TI ON OF K N OWL E D G E . 1 15

r emark concerning Washington and F ranklin How .

many professional divin es well re a d profound in , ,

t hought extensive i n research are unendurabl e and

, ,

almost uni ntell i gible i n deli very " The legislator

may render great service to his cou ntry without
being an e ffective speaker ; but by him whos e voca ,

ti on is that Of public speakin g no m eans shoul d be ,

le ft untried to make himsel f proficient i n true ora

tory .

The communic ation Of k nowledge al so reac t s upon

the mind and ai d s i n i t sacqu i siti on .

Th o u gh t ss
h ut up w a nt a i r,

And s
p oi l , l i k e ba l e su nop e n’ d t o t h e s
un .

Ha d t h o u gh t be e n a l l , s
we e t s
pe e c h h a d been d e ni e d ,

pe e c h t h o u gh t sc rI t e ri on t oo ;
Sp e e c h t h o u gh t sc a na l ; s ’ ’

Th ou g h t I n m i ne , m a y co m e fo r t h g ol d o r d r e s
s
Wh e n c oi n’d i n word , we no w i t sr e a l o rt h " k w .

Th o u gh tt de h v e r’ d , i st h e m or e p r og re s
oo , s’
d;
Te a c h i ng , w e l e a r n a nd g i i n g, w e r e t a i n v
Th e bi r t h so f i nt e l l e c t ; h e n d u m b, forgot w .

Wh a t ss
n u m be r h e a t h d I n e ru dI t I on h e
,
’
,

Pl u nge d t o t h e Iul t si n ve ne ra bl e t o m e s ,

And r u s t e d I n w h o m i gh t h a v e born a n e d ge
,

A nd p l a y d a s p r i g h t l y be a m i f bor n t o s
’
p ee cn , .

I f bo rn bl e st h e i r so f h a l f t h e i r m ot h er st o ng ue
‘

K nowledge is not hal f possessed unless it be a ecom

p a n i ed with the power of e ffecti ve commu nication .

I t is said to be po wer but like money i t ceases to , , ,

be so when not in circulation In no sphere of a c .

tion is the power to comm unicate more essenti a l

than i n that of the C hristian mi nistry The mighty .

t heme which the pro fession con templates as its sub

jc et is in t erwoven with all science and all k nowle d ge .
116 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

The science of theology is e mphatically the s cienc e

sci en cesencircl ing and comprehending the whole

of , .

It carries us back to the antiquity Of our race and ,

requi r es of u s a knowledge Of ancien t ar t s manners , ,

c ustoms history and rel i gi on It e ncircles ancien t

, ,
.

geography poetry a n d lan guage The fields Of i a

, , .

t el l e ct u a l and moral scien ce — th e wonders of th e

sky as developed in a stronomy—Of the earth as d e

v e l O e d i n n atural phil osophy and i ts kindred sci
p
e n ce s — Of our own n atures and powers as made
k nown i n physiology— all lie withi n its scope In a .

word the scienc e of theology takes i n the whole

,

man Social moral and immortal ; i t comprehends

, , ,

his Whole history past and future ; i t raises the con

, ,

c e t ion sto the throne of the E tern al and bids us

p ,

study his attributes and l aws " I Vi t h i n this wide

range how many subtil questions requ i ring the
,

cl ose s t scrutiny and the clearest expositi on ; how

many practical du ti es that require to be d eveloped
‘

and en forced ; how many Ol d and ti me -worn truths

are t o be reanim a ted and clothed with n ew and
li vin g light ; a nd wh at momentous interests are to be
asserted and vi n d ic ate d " But the subtilty and mag
ni t ud e Of th e tr uths a r e not the only Obstacles in t h e

way of the C hristian orator He fi nds i f possi ble a .

, ,

more poten t Obstacle i n the apathy the ignorance , ,

and general mental imbecil i ty Of those most deeply ,

i nte rested i n them In order to dispel th at i gn o

.

ran c e th i s apathy must be removed and these slug

,

g <i h i ntell e cts be aroused to action .

The Ofii c e Of the C hristian ora t o r then is twofold ,

 C OMMU N C A I TI ON or KN OW L E D G E . 1 17

n amely to make an impression and t o instruc t

, ,
.

To make a n impression simply is insu ffi cient ; the

mi nd must be i nstructed or nothing permanent or
lasti ng w ill be e ffected The re i gn of Louis XI V
. .

was Si gnali zed as an era i n the eloquenc e of the

F rench pulpi t B ou r d a l ou e and B ossuet and Ma s
.
, ,

si llon and F enelon Ofte n exci t ed the passi ons of

, ,

t heir courtly aud i ences to the h i ghest pitch by the

bold strokes and affec ting appeals Of their eloquence .

B u t their oratory was that of the stage only trans ,

ferred i nto the pulpit It was adapted to sta ge

.

e ffect ; the audi ence was im pressed the feelings ex ,

c ited the passions aroused ; but when the ti de Of

,

feel i ng had passed Over no traces were le ft behi nd .

It is said that even Massillon composed and p r a c

ticed every sentence which he uttered in his most
celebrated sermons a nd not u nfr equ en t l y were they
,

announced for repetition like a theatri cal perfor m ,

ance and persons flocked to he a r h im not as a gos

, ,

pel mi nister but as a p ulp i t a ctor spec ulating upo n

, ,

the manner i n whi c h he would pronounce certain

well-known passages NO wonder that under t h e
.

in fluence Of su c h prea c hing only s ta ge ej fec tswere

,

produced The monarc h and the court continued

.

as corr upt as ever ; they were alarme d or they wept ,

for a moment and the next turned to their folli es

,

a gain The eloquen c e Of th e preacher was heard as

.

the music of one who had a pleasant v oice or could ,

play w ell upon an instrument ; but no permanent

i mpression was made We observe similar emotions
.

p roduced by ve ry a ffec t ing narratives magazi ne ,

1 18 M E N T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

nove l s t h e tragi c m us
,
e nay by music alone with
, , ,

out a s vll a bl e of sense A whole audien c e of an y

. .

kind may be anima t e d or be made to weep wi thou t

, ,

bei ng re forme < B ut when the appeal i smade to

the understa nding as well as the heart we may rea ,

s on a b l y expect more pe rmanent results though per

haps less powerfu l impression s

,

may be m ad e at th e
moment of deli very .

E minent critics have remarked thi s as the ch a

r a ct e r i s ti c d ifference between t h e el oquence of the
F rench a n d E ngli sh pulpits ; that the former seems
to be ad dressed more d i rectly to the passi ons while ,

the latter is more soli d and plain— power fu lly appeal

i ng to the understa nding and the conscience The .

results are such as we might have ex pecte d In .

E ngland the pulpit is the centre of light and i nt ell i

,

e n r e to the n ation ; i n F rance the professor s lec

’

g ,

ture is the foc us of li ght and knowledge while the ,

pulpit as a pla c e where instruction is to be sou ght

, ,

is almost entirely overlooked In E ngland the pulpi t .

,

exerts a powerful i nfluence u pon th e morals of the

people forms their general ch ar a c te r gives direc ti on
, ,

and tone to their ta stes and pu rsui ts ; i n F rance it is ,

almost a n ullity The legitimate object of the min

.

is t e r i a l profession then is to instruct aswell as to

, ,

impress to impart C hristi an i n tel l i gence as well as

,

to awaken a n d excite the emoti ons .

Th e C hristian m i nister is the religi ous ins tr u ct or

of the commu ni ty The great bod y of men are
.

busily oc cupied about the conce rns of worldly b

ness and comparati vely fe w h ave ti me to devote to
,
 CO MMU NI C ATI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 119

the extensi ve study of the truths and duties of re

vealed re l igion F e w have the books and other a p
.

p li a ncesnecessary to enable them to prosecu te such

i nvestigations wi th any tolerable success ; or if they
ha ve a ll these fac i li ti es they are desti tu t of the
, e

mental di sc i pli ne that wi ll enable them s u ccess fully

to use them C omparati vely few i n eve n the most
.
,

favored communiti es have those hab t s of diligent

,
i

i nvestigation and patient thought that will e nable

them to thread the mazes of verbal c riticism or hold ,

the mind in conta ct wi th abstract tr uth till its i nt r i

cate points are clearly percei v ed This lack the .

pulpit must supply The C hristian mi nister then

.
, ,

must impart i ntell i genc e as well as awaken emotion ;

and i n order to overcome the apathy and men tal i m
,

be ci l i t y of the great m ass the i ntelli gence he would

,

communic ate must be first thoroughly comprehend

, ,

ed by himsel f and then clothed wi th all the a tt r a c

,

ti ons and power of an able de l i very .

SE C TI ON II — I mp res . sup on y our m ind t he fac t , th a t a

high or der o f del i very i sno l essthe res ul t of efior t a nd
'

c
ul t i va t i on, tha n i s a high order o
f i ntell ect ua l a tta i nment i n
an
y othe r res
p ect .

We would not be understood that a hi gh order or

delivery can be attai ned by e ffort and cultivation ,

when there are no natural gi ft s or endowm ents for

Our position is sim ply that howe v er lavish n a
'

t .
,

ture may have been in our bodily or mental endo w

ments the highest per fection of a good delivery
,

c a nnot be reached wi thout c ultivati on A ba r r e n .

1 20 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

soil may be unprod ucti v e after the highest cul tiv a

tion ; and a soil n atur a l ly rich uncultivated may
, ,

produce something ; but cul tivated will yi eld more

, , .

In order to attai n the highest degree of eloquence , .

n atur al parts and high culti v ati on must be combined

t gether
o
“
On e thing I must premise says Quin
.
,

t ilian i n his treati se on deli very , “ that wi thout the

, ,

assist a nce of n atural c apac ity , rules and precepts

ar e of n o e ffi cacy There fore this treatise is n o
.
,

more i ntended for those who are entirely wanting

in c apac ity , than a treatise upon the im provemen t
of lands is appli cable to barren
g rou n ds Besides , .

nature throws i n other aids v oice strength of lungs ,

,
’

he al th resolution , comel iness ; a ll of which are i m

,

provable by a r t i f nature con t ributes to them but a

,

little ; though they ar e sometimes so defective that ,

they spoil e ven what is v al uable i n genius , and i n

”
appl ic ation .

The v oice of an tiquity is that oral eloquence is

,
“

un attainable bu t by a r t ; that it requires study pr sc ,

”
tice , and imitation Q uintilian declar es t hat the
.

longest li fe is short enough to acquire i t ”

The hi s .

tory of the celebrated orators of antiquity full y con

fi rms this Opi nion concerning eloquence The his .

to ry of D emosthenes i s a n e x em l ifica ti on of this

p
t ruth .We need not repeat the story of his di ffi
dence of his stammering voice or of his early
, ,

fai lures i n the art of Speaking They su fficiently

.

i n dicate that D emosthe nes whose fame as an orato r

,

towers abov e and overshadows that of a l l succeedin g

orators , wasnot born an orator His retir emen t
.
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 1 21

fr om the world hi s shorn head his subterranean

, ,

ca ve his declam ations amid the deafening surges of

,

the sea or i n a state of breathless exhaustion or with

, ,

hi smouth filled with pebbles his unceasing e ffort to ,

produce distinct arti c ulati on the lessons of instru o ,

tion received from m a sters i n eloc ution all i ndicat e ,

to us how assiduous and perse v ering cultivati on was

combined with n atural endowmen t in the production
‘
of t h e p e r fec t orator He had unquestionably by
.
,

nature those intellectual endo wments necessary to

,

consti tute an orator ; but aside from these hi selo

, ,

qu e nc e was the result of cultivation .

”
“
It was much the same says a write r in t he ,

Methodist Q uarterly with the great Roman orator

,
.

He early studied eloc u tion u nder Phi lo the mos t ,

disti nguished of the Romans for hi s eloquence .

When he c ame to the ba r however he learned , , ,

by experience that even then his voice had not

,

been su fficie ntly trai ned ; i t was harsh and u n ‘

formed and as he bec ame excited i n pleadi ng i t

’

, , ,

al ways rose to too high a pitc h so as to endanger ,

his health He therefore laid aside the bus i ness

.

of his profession an d traveled into Asia and v isited

, ,

the Island of Rhodes for the express purpose of

,

perfecti ng hi s voc al powers and bringing his voic e

,

to a pitch which his consti tution would b ear At .

Rhodes he studied under the rheto rici an Apol

l oni u s; and among the rhetoricians of Asia h e
availed h i mself of the i nstructions Of Xenoel es ,

D ion y sius and Menippu s SO intent was he on

,
.

hi spurpose that accordi n g to Pluta r ch , ‘ he s

, uf
 22 M E N T AL D I SC I PL IN E .

fe r e d not a day to pass wi t hout ei ther d ecl ai m ing

or attend i ng the most c e l eb r a t ed or a to r s Asto
'

’
.

n atural grac e i n gesture the sam e biographer sa ys

, , ,
‘
that his tu rn f or a ct i on wa snaturall y as de fecti ve
a sthat of D emosthen es and there fore he took all
,

the ad vantage he c ould from the in stru c ti on of Res

c i us who ex c ell ed i n come d y and of i Es
, o,p whose ,

talents lay in tra g edy Thus C icero labored to im

.
’

”
p rove and educa t e his nat ural powers We may .

wel l suppose that i t wasupon the authority of th i s

long and toilsome experi enc e that he affi rmed N 0 ,

man is an orator who has not learned to be so .

”
‘
Thi s science says the sa me author above quote d
, ,

has al s o been stu died by many of E ngland s most ’

eminent orators Mr Pi tt learned elocution u nder

. .

the tuition of h i snoble and el oquent father ; and it

wasof one of h i sspeeches that even F ox coul d say ,

The oratorsof antiquity woul d have admi red pro

.
,

bably would h ave en vi ed i t and after li stening to ,

another Mr Win dham says Of himsel f that he

, .
,

walke d home lost i n am azeme nt at the compass ti ll

, ,

then unknown to h im of human eloquen c e

, The .
’

c ase of Sheridan i s a more striking one still To .

a d e t the l an gu a g e of L ord B rougham : With a ‘

p
pos i ti on by birth and pro fession li ttle su ited to com
mand the respect of the most aristocratic country in
E ur Op e— the son of an ac tor the ma nager himsel f
,

of a theatre — h e c ame i nto that arlia m ent whi ch

p
wasenl i gh tened by the v ast and v aried kn owledg e ,

as wel l asfortified and adorned by the most choic e

l i t er a ry fame of a B urke and whi ch owned the con
,
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 1 23

sum m ate sway of orators l ike F ox and Pi tt B ut he .

had stud i ed the eloc ution of the sta ge hi s father h t l

ocen his teac her ; and although he n ev eI acquir ed

any great e m i n enc e as a statesman yet Pitt himsel f , ,

a t one time wri thed under h i seloquence

,
An d it .

was at the close of hi scelebrate d speech be fore the

House of C ommons upon the Begum charge i n the
, ,

proceedings a gainst Hastings that the practice of ,

c heeri ng the speaker was first i n troduced ; an d it

was on this oc casion t hat Mr P itt then pri me mi nis
.
,

t e r of E ngland besou ght the house to adj ourn the

'

d e c ision of the question as being inc apacitated fr om

,

form i ng a just j udgment un d er the influence of such

po werful eloquence Several of our disti nguished
’
.

A merican orato rs also it is asserte d are ever ready

, ,

to a c knowledge their indeb t edness to the study of

the principles of that art whi c h is procuring fo r
them so rich a reward of fame An d some of those .

who h ave been most admired are fa r from being

.
,
”
those for whom nature has done most .

What has here been predi c ated of secular elo

u e n ce also applies to sacred Natural and Spiritual
q .

gi ft s may do much fo r the sacred orator ; but culti

vati on of hi sgi ftsonly can elevate him to the h ighest
su mmit of eloquenc e That prodigy of the pulpi t
.
”
,

says an e s sayist upon oratory the great and good

,

“fl u t e fiel d w as probably n ever suspec ted by h is

,

hearers of Observi ng the punctili os of delivery ,

and subjecting hi msel f to severe and sys t ematic d i s

ci p l i n i n Yet his late biographer assures us that
.
g
t houg h he a l ways appear ed so rapt and so artless i n
1 24 M E N T AL D I SC I P L I N E .

the desk he was neve rthel ess a close s t uden t of

, , ,

manner and could not attai n his highest power un til

,
‘

he had perfec te d the address of a sermon by thi rty ,

or forty repetiti ons be fbr e his large and ex c itable

,

congregations “That is here asse r ted of “ h i t e fiel d

.
”
.
7

may in a greater or less degree be predicated of

, ,

the mo s t distinguished pulpi t orators i n every age .

Some have supposed that art employed i n the

pulpit to h e i gh t e n the grac es and the e ffect of de
live r y must nec essarily conflict wi th the character
and des ign of the min i ste rial Offic e Le t the bi og r a .

pher of “rhi t e fiel d in his de fense of th at pre-emi

,

nent pulpit orator answer this objection : Wasthat

,

spi rit ever trammeled c ooled or c arnali zed by , , ,

\Vhi t efiel d sattention to the grac es of pulp i t elo

’

q u e nc e ? D id the study of oratory estrange him

from the closet ? or l essen hi sdependence u po n the
Holy Spirit ? or di vert him from living habitually
i n the light of etern ity and the di vine presence ?
NO man ever lived nearer to God or approached ,

n earer to the perfecti on of oratory He was too .

devoti on al to be cooled by rul es and too natur a l to ,

be spoiled by art and too much i n earnest to wi n

,

souls to neglec t system He so u ght out acceptable .

t ones and gestures and looks as well as accepta

, , ,

ble words Was Whi tefield right ? The n how

.
’

many like mysel f are fa r wrong ? Let the risin g

, ,

ministry take warni ng Awkwardness i n the pul pit

isa sin ; monoto ny a sin ; dull ne s s a s i n ; and a ll
, ,

of them si ns a g ainst the welfare Of immorta l souls .

These ha v e be it e v er remembe red too man y ex

, ,
 C OMM UN C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 1 25

c uses already for evadi ng the cla ims of th e gospel ;

do not there fore place you rself ST UD E N T a mong , ,

the i r reasons for rej ect i ng i t It is as easy to be

gra c e ful i n gesture a nd n atura l in ton e as to be
, ,

gramm atical You would not dare to violate gram

.

mar : dare not to be vulgar or vapid i n manner .

Your spi rituality of mind i s too low and your com ,

m u n i on wi th God too sl i ght and your love of truth

\
,

too col d i f they can be endangered by cultivating

,
”
a n eloquence worthy of the pulpi t .

SE C ON I I I — As a Chris
TI . t i a n m i ni s
te r , ons
ider the c
c e connect ion bet ween theol ogi ca l s
l os t udy a nd p ul p i t cl o

quence .

A wri t er i n the T heological Review has very j ustly

said that as the greatest masters of ancient el o
,
“

ue n ce laid i ts fou n d ation i n a thorough stu d y of the

q
civi l law so must the foundation of pulpit eloquence
,

be laid i n a thorough knowledge of the B ible D e .

m os t h e n e shad never rendered h i seloquence more

potent than the arms of Phil i p had he not con stantly ,

attended the lectures of Plate The nam e Of C icero .

had never been identi fi ed with that of eloquence i t

sel f had i t not been for the w a l ks of the academy ;
,

n or can any one att a i n to great pulpit el oquence ,

wh o is not capable Of jo i ni ng t o the truths of inspired

writ the d eepest results of u nassisted reas on ; when
e nlarged and varied stu dy has not en d owed wi th a n
a ffl uen c e of i deas and an elevation of sen ti ment
, ,

equ al ly wi th the re a dy command of appropriate dic

tion .I f we consider that the true o ffice of the
1 26 M E N T AL D I SC I PL IN E .

sac red orato r i sto enl ighten aswel l a st o p cr w a dc to

im part the knowledge of the profo u ndest and most
momento us truth s as well asto a m u s e t h e energies
of the soul to ac tion w shall n ot fa il to di scover
,
e

that a close and i nti mate re lati onship exi sts between
theologic al study and pulpit eloquence .

Th i s subjec t is so full y and so clearly discussed i n

a n essay by P ro fessor P ar ke that we cannot do
,

better than present a summ ary of h is argumen ts .

He begins by showing the i mportant service whi c h

theology renders to other sciences and other arts ,

and from these premi ses concludes it must be pre ,

emi nentl y ser viceable to the sc ience an d the art of

p u lpit eloquence ; and the preacher must feel that
his success in preac hi ng depen d s not on his gr a c es
of delivery or hi sbeauties of style so much a son
, ,

his enl arged and fam il i ar acqu aintance with t h e

principl es of religio n .

1 Theologi c al s tu d y c onduces to the pre a cher s ’

.

eloquence because i t c o n duces to hisgreatest vi gor

,

of m ind and heart . I f the mi n d is strengthened by

exercise it must be strength ned by exe rci se on
,
e

themes of theology a smu c h a so n other themes I f .

it is i nvi gorate d by grappl ing with i ntricacies and

abs trusities it certai nly can fi nd no sc ience so heal th
,

ful as that which mu st from its very nature tax and

, , ,

ta sk t h e whole soul The math emati cs will yield to

.

theology in their te ndency to d i sc ipline the in tell ec t .

A di s tingui shed barri ster of our d a y who h asbut ,

l i ttle fai th i n ev angel ical d octr ines re c ommen d s to

.

his law-studen ts the freque nt per u sa l of the vol u m e s

 COMMU N I C A TI ON or K N O WL E D G E . 1 27

which di scuss thos e doc tri nes ; because nowh e re e l se

ca n be found such invigorating ar gu ment on s u ch

elevating theories Indeed the very a llus

. ion to th e
,

ideas of God eternity holi ness is su ffi c ient to sho w

, , ,

that whoever comes into c ontact with them must be

intellectually qui c kene d and expanded I f i ntelle c t .

ua l l,y still more so morally Religious a ffection s,

.

not less than any other are strengthened by e x er

,

cise ; a n d these a ffe c tions are exercised only upon

themes di rectly or indi r ec tly theological He who .

c om munes with the tru th of God employs the means ,

of spiri t ual growt h This truth has a singul ar and

.

v ari e d use i t is t h e soul s sunshin e and al iment i ts

'
’

rain and dew and also its shelter a nd resting-pla c e

,
.

Spi ritual enl argement resultsfrom no study as it

does from the stu d y of pulpit addresses and it results ,

not from the rhetoric of these addresses but from the ,

theology of them .

“
The vigor of mind and heart wh i c h is gained
from doctrin al investi gati on is the mainspri n g of ,

e ffective preaching The eloquence Of the pulpit i s

.

the eloquence of thought A feeble mind can n o .

more wiel d this t hought than the stripli ng shepherd

c ould wield the armor of Saul Warmth of emotion .

in the pulpit wi ll not di ffuse i tsel f through the pews,

unless the great object of that emotion be distin c tly
and vi vi dly exhibit e d and the prea c her c annot ex
,

bibit what he does not fully possess He can not .

write with i nterest and zeal nor can he with earnest ,

ness and energy deliver what he has wri tten unl ess ,

he un d erstand and feel the great bearings of hi s

1 28 M E N T A L D I SC I PL IN E .

theme He may goa d up his a ni mal s usceptibi liti es

.

to an in te nse exci tement he may s a w the a i r and , ,

d istort his vi sage and beat t h e pulpit cushion and , ,

sta mp his foot a n d thun d er with his voice but this

, ,

is n ot the animati on which hearers wi sh or want .

Nothi ng bu t deep study c an impart the t ru e sober

.
,

energy the considerate reason able exci temen t

, , ,

which wherever seen i sp ower The spe aker may

, , .

pr a cti c e be fore his mi rror and learn to raise h is h and ,

grac e fully and explode vowels forcibly but wi thou t

, ,

i ntense thought on the matter of his dis ourses all c

the rul es i n the world will never m ake him eloquent ,

and wi th this i ntense thought awakenin g emotion he ,

will be eloquent without a singl e other ru l e Other .

rules are useful they make the body T h is rule is , .

essenti al it makes the soul The soul wil l live with

,
.

out the body the body is putre fac tion wi thout the
,

soul .

2 Theologi c al study inc reases the eloquence of

.

the pre a cher beca use i t gi ves him proper con fidence
,

i n h i mself and his min i strati ons .

There is something i n the very na t ur e of t h eol o

i c a l truth whi c h gi ves confi d en c e to the preac her
g .

It Opens enlarges and vi vi fie sthe mi nd The r e i s

, , .

a clea rn ess in truth a d irectness and a freshn ess in , ,

i t wh i ch stran gely d i s
,
i n t h r a l l sthe Spi ri t and gives ,

free full scope

,
Truth favors freedom freedom of
.
,

thought freedom o f speech free d om of act Re

, , .

vealed by the same God who m a de the soul and al l

t he laws o f the soul i t harmoni zes wi th these l aws , ,

moves al ong with them easily an d happily and jars .

 MM U N I C A TI ON
‘

CO OF K NOW L E D G E . 1 29

wi th the mi nd only when the mi nd putsconst rai n t

upon itse l f and jars wi th i ts own principles .

Poi nt to any man who i n his preaching is fet , ,

t ere d wi th doubts t ram m eled wi th consc iousn ess of

,

i mpote ncy moves with hal ting step u tters his doe
, ,

trin e i n long periphrases and explain s abou t it an d,

a bout it and as well he might be s

, , peaks pity for it , ,

a nd never thrusts it home wi th energy and cour ag e

upon the conscience and th e hear t ; and I strongly

suspe ct the man does not u nderst a n d t he gospel .

‘
You shall know the truth says Jesus and th e ,
’
,
‘

tr uth shall mak e you free and where the Sp i rit of

th e Lord is says Paul the re is liberty I love
,
’
,
‘
.
’

to see the preacher deeply imbued with the i m

pression that he is a moral being and his hearers ,

are m o r al beings and that he must aim at mor al

,

e ffects by moral means that he has something to ,

do and hi shearers have so mething to do and that

, ,

they must do th ei r duty imm ediately and he mu s t do ,

h isd uty fearlessly ; for thi s i mpression is i n h a r m o n v

wi th actual fa ct and he who mak es this impression
,

a part of his soul shall be fre e indeed B ut n o

‘
.
’

minis t er will speak with th a t co nfidence which i s

n either too g reat nor too small but j ust right, n u le ,

he have the mastery of hi ssubject .

3 There is a thi rd mode in which the minis

. t er
improves his eloquence by exte nsi ve theologic al i n
,

v es t i ga ti on ; he acquires by it the respect and con fi

dence of his peopl e A bishop says Paul must
.
‘
, ,

have a good re port of those who a r e wi thout an d

an orator says C ice r o must be confided i n as a good
, ,

9
1 30 M E N T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

man or his orati on wi ll exert bu t dim inished i nflu

,

ence The preacher must m ake obj ecti ve as well as

.

subje c ti ve preparations for the most fi nished sermon

,

will fall u pon an u nprepared audi ence as Priam s ’

spear upon the buckl er of Neopto lem u s It is a wi se .

remark of Hooker Let Ph i dashave rude and oh

,
‘

s t i na te s t u ff to c arve though this art do that it

,

should hi s work wi ll l a c k that beauty wh ich other

,

w i se i n fitter matter i t might have had He that .

striketh on an ins t rumen t wi th sk i ll may cause n ot ,

withsta nding a very unpleasan t sound if the string

, ,

whereon he striketh chance to be i ncapabl e of har

mony .
’
When a n audi ence depreciate their minis
is te r sabili ty t o i nstru ct them the i r very prejudi c e
’

will convert his eloquence in to i nanit y ; and more

over , h e will find it beyond his power to att ain such
eloquence be fore hearers who turn the cold shoul d er
to the pulp i t as be fore those who turn the ea g er eye
and Open breast .

I f there fore the preacher ai m at e ffi ci ency in the

, ,

pulp i t he must dive rt the power of popul ar prej ud i ce

,

to his own favor as the skill ful p i lot wa t c hes wi nd

,

and ti d e so asto be waft ed along by th e same e l e

,

mentsthat would othe rwi se resi st h i m The preac her .

must appear to be piou s a n d intell igent ; and the

only way of appearin g so i s to be so The bare be ,
.

l ie f that a pre a cher ha sn o ex c ellence but th at of

elocution a nd no g race bu t that of atti tu de will
, ,

soon degrade hisauthority while the bare b elie f t h a t ,

he is a consumm ate theologi an wi ll i nv est h is te a ch

t a gs with commandi ng importa nce .
 I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E 1 3 1
C OMMU N C A .

t‘ 4 . Theologi c al study is impor t ant f the prea c h or

er s eloquence because it secures to hi smi nistration s

’
,

appropri ateness and vari ety Appropriateness d e .

pends upon variety ; for the wants of the soul are

va ri e d and sermons adj usted to these wan ts must
,

h e correspondently v ari ed Not only must divers

.

characters be di versely treate d but the same i ndi

'

v i d ual must have di f f erent susceptibil i ti es appeal ed to ,

d ifferent emotions excite d so that the entire soul

,

may be ed i fie d By vari ous instruction he will be

.

tra ined not a C hristi an monste r but a C hri stian ,

m an Is it not a law of intellectu al education to ex

.

e r ci s e a l l the fa c ulties ? So i t is the law of moral

e d u c ati on to exer cise al l the graces ; a nd they cannot
all be exer c ise d by one style of prea c hing more than ,

al l the mental fa c ult i es by one subje c t o f study .

D i e t e t i ci a n stel l us that we must have variety i n

our food or lose v i gor of body and that those tr ibes
, ,

that confin e thei r diet to a single arti c le however ,

nutriti ous it may be are stun t ed and shor t li ved

, .

What must be the state then of the spiritual system

whi ch is fe d from some pulp i ts sabbath after s , ab

bath year a fter year by on e and the same kind of

, ,

n utriment
?
It wi ll be thought so but it w i ll not be ,

extrav a g ant to s a v that there are ministers who dis

,

ourse nearly fi fty sabbaths of the year on only two

or three subjec t s Wh ate ver their text whatever
.
,

t h e i r introduction wh ate ver their purpose they slide

, ,

I nt o the same hac kneyed stra in Their min ds have .

worn a channel and flow i nto it n a t ur a ll v and of

course Not that they always us
. e the sam e words ,
 1 32 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

or adopt the same plan but the whole genius of thei r ,

sermon s is the same and l osing the individual cha

,
~

r ac t e r i s
t i c of every d oc tri ne they merge it i nto one ,

t i resome general ity A late president of a co l lege

.

i n New -E ngland said that h e sat seventeen years

,

u nder a very pious pre a cher yet heard from hi m ,

only four se rmons one thank sgi vi ng sermon on e fas

,
t ,

sermon one fu neral sermon and one general ser

, ,

mon .
’
The force of the above argument wi l l be
m ore fully se en when it is remembered th at the
,

preacher is subj ected to regular h ebdom a del drafts

upon hi si ntelle c tual stor es To speak fluently elo .
,

quen tly e ffectively u pon some spe c i al occasion and

, , ,

on some set su bjec t requires not hal f so high a n,

order of talent or hal f the fund of kn owledge as to

, ,

di s c ourse eloquently and e fie c ti v el v at state d an d

'

oft -repeated pe ri ods to th e same congregation ; and

that too on to pics with whose gen eral outl ine and
,

bearings most of the au dience are fam iliar .

5 Theolog i cal stu d y is essential t o sacred el o

.

qu e n c e be c ause i t discloses the pre c ise truths which

,

are fi t ted to re n ovate the heart T r uth is G od s : .

’

the soul is G od s On e being made for the other is

’
.
,

a d apte d to i t as the tenon to the morti c e The sur

,
.

geon may as well overlook the d i fference between a

s c alpel and a forceps as a prea c her overlook t h e ,

distin c tion between d oc trines every one of whi c h ,

is an i nstrument aptly a n d be a u t i ful l v shaped for

a spe c i al pu r pose ; a n d if the surgeon should use
the saw when he ought to use the lance he would ,

Operate less harm fully than the preacher who appli es

‘
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON or K N OWL E D G E . 133

on e doc tri ne when he ought to apply another I f .

God requi r es us to u s e the hammer we shoul d not ,

us e the fire instead thereof ; an d i f he requi res us to

m i n i ster the Oi l of con solati on we should not i n l ieu

, ,

thereo f a d mi nister the wormwood of r ep r oofi It is

,

the truth which the Spiri t blesse s —the tru th as it is ;

not h al f the truth not the whole truth with some a d
,

d i t i ons not maimed and d i storted tru th n ot truth

, ,

which is i nvolved i n doubt and may a ft er all per

haps be proved a l i e ; but clear plain prominen t , ,

tru th This it i s which bec ause it harmonizes wi th

.
,

the commandi ng sen timents of ou r moral n ature is ,

harmonized with by th e Spirit in renovating that

nature ; for the Spirit is a God of harmony and em ,

ploys no instruments wh i ch are not congenial with

the fee l ings of the Operator and the nature of the
,

a g ent operated u pon It is this tru th and only th i s

.
, ,

which the min i ster i scommissioned to u n fold I f h c .

would un fold it he must study it ; for save i n a n

, ,

age of m i racles how knoweth any man le t ters hav

, ,

ing never learned ? I f he do not st udy it he may ,

speak with eloquence i n d eed but can never preach

,

with sacred eloquence ; for to s p ea k i s not to p r ea c h

and it is not mere eloquence but sacred eloquence ,
,

whi c h is adapted to se c ure the great e ffect of pre a ch

ing on the heart of man .

No other luminary than that which God h as

made can enl i ghten the earth ; no other doctrine
than that which God has reveal ed c an meli orate the
heart It is then al most a truism to say that h e who
.

woul d eloquently persuade m en to godl iness, must

 1 34 M E N T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

make hi scq u en ce a v ivid presen tation of the great

motives to godl i ness and as these moti ves are a ll
, ,

i nvolved i n d i vi ne tru th he may without under , ,

standi ng that truth write elegantly and speak grace

,

fully but what he w rites will be no se rmon and his

, ,

speak ing w i ll be a declamato ry profanati on of t h e

pulpi t wh ich is not the orator s but the preacher s
,
’
,
’

throne and should exhibit nothing but the life and

,
’

l ife-gi ving spiri t Of evangel i c al doc tri ne .

G I remark i n the last pl ace that sacred elo

.
, ,

q ue n ce depends essentially on theologi c al stu dy be ,

c ause th is study di scloses the essential truths which

glori fy God The pre a cher iscom manded to declare
.

a l l the doctrines of the gospel to declare them vari ,

ou s l y explicitly thoroughly ; and he who obeys this

, ,

command honors not only the government but also ,

the c haracter of Jehovah To represent the di vi ne

,
.

excellences so that they may be apprehen d ed i sthe

sacred eloquence of thought ; so that t hey shall be
loved i s the s a cred eloquence of feeling ; for if the ,

heathen s remark be true that to kn ow God i sto

’
,

glori fy h im then to make him k nown i s to glori fy

,

him more extensively ; and i f to m ake h im known

be glorious to him to make hi m loved is sti ll mo re
,

glorious .

“
Whether an audience adore or despise the cha
r a ct e r of Jehovah their very apprehension of the
,

chara c ter wi l l eventuall y honor it ; and thei r con

t empt even w i ll illustrate the boun dle s sness of his
merc y or the pu ri t y Of his j ustic e It is a thought
, .

whi c h may always add solemn ity to the preacher s ’

 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 135

emoti on and energy to his eloquence that when he

, ,

portrays the divine attributes hi swords if they be , ,

understood shall not one Of them be lost b ut shall

, ,

for ever el i cit new prai se to Him who maketh even

s i n the occasion of new and honorable developments .

I f this thought h e impressive there is another sti ll ,

more animating to the faithfu l pre a cher that by his ,

vi vid deli neat ions of the D ivinity he may multiply ,

C opies of that infinite per fec t ion ; and by trans fusing

the di vine iI n a ge may cal l forth the glory whi c h

,

comes not barely from the k nowledge but al so from ,

the love and resemblanc e of God .

A minister need not i n these days be afraid Of , ,

study He c annot k now too muc h of truth He

. .

must remember that all sacred rhetoric is but a new

arrangement of the mate ri al s of theology and in ,

proportion to the abundance of hi smateri a ls may be

the felicity Of his selection In vain will he labor to .

polish his discourses u nless he have given them the

,

firm solid contexture which is derived from sacred

, ,

s c ience D i si nte grated sandstone c annot be pol ish

.

ed. l n vain wi l l he hope to elevate the mi nds of his

hearers by fervent appeal unless he himsel f be born e ,

aloft by his subject his whole subject and nothin g

, ,

but his subject ; u nless I say his subj ect rai se him
, , ,

and he be relieved from forcing h i sown progress

upward l ike a bird of prey dragging his subjec t
, ,

a long with him In v ai n will he decorate his style

.

with tropes when his doctri ne l i ke a poor stray

, , ,

ch i ld is lost amid a forest Of similes

. A neat shroud .

isvery neat and a whi te fill et is v ery whi t e ; but a

,
136 M E N T A L D I SC IPL I N E .

car c ass is still a ca r c ass n otwithsta ndi ng t h e s h roud ,

an d t h e vac a n t fa c e i s stil l vac an t notwiths t a nding
the fil let In v ai n wi ll he stri ve to impar t a be
.

coming energy to h isse rmons u nl ess he ha v e t hat ,

enthusias m whi ch nothing but s acred study can i n

spi re ; an enthusiasm whi ch is n othing but anot he r
n ame for ferv ent love of truth and which is more ,

es sen tia l for a pre acher th an even secul ar ent h us i

asm for a secular orator .

Sac red eloquence then which is the power of

, ,

speaking so as to glorify God is th e power of spe a k ,

i ng well on al l the truths of God and parti cul arly ,

on those attributes whi ch in themselves make up his

esse nti a l and i n their ex hi bition his declar a t ive
, , ,

glory . Asthe sac red is the top-stone of al l elo

q u e nc e so it ultimately re sts on the broadest of al l
,

bas esa comple t e theological sci ence

, .

SE C TI O N —Let t he digni ty a nd i mp ort a nc e of y ou r

IV .

es si on dee l i r es s our m i nd a nd l ea d y ou to s et be
pr o/ p y mp y ,

j or e y our sel
f a high s t a nda rd of m i ni s
t er i a l a tta i nm ent .

NO other p rofession contemplates acc omplish th e

men t of a work so momentous ; no other a ffords so
wide a scope for the exe rcise of hi g h i ntellectu al e n
dowm en ts ; no other prese nts such h igh and enduri ng
moti ves to exertion ; an d n o oth e r c ontempl ates i n ,

so wide and exte nded a sense the well-bei n g of man ,

.

He whose mi nd is not deeply impressed with t h e

dignity and the importa nce of the work to which he
is c al led is unworthy of i t And especially when
,
.
,

we consider that mi n isterial qu a l ifi ca t ionsare inti

 I
C OMMU N C A TI ON OF K NOW L ED G E . 137

mately conn ec ted with mi niste rial us e ul nes

s we
f ,

s h a ll not wa nt for high a n d powerful moti ves to s ti

m ul a t e us t o thei r attai nm e n t Study to show thy

.

sel f approved unto God a workman that neede t h

,

not to be ashamed was the direction of the v en ei L

"
,

able apostl e to his son i n the gospel The same .

”
apostle bids us covet earnestly the best gi fts
“
.

There i s also a nec essity for a high order of talents ,

t hat a man may fulfil l the important duties of the

mi niste ri al o ffi c e It is not merely to be able to
.

stand i n the desk and wear away an hour in m i s c el

l a n eou s harangue but to grapple wi th profo u nd t ruth

, ,

and throw u po n it the sun -light radi ance of deep

and thoro ugh i nvestigation ; it is to grapple wi th dif
ficu l t i e sand not only overcome them our selves but ,

to assist others to do the same ; it is to thread the i n

t r i c a ci esof theological science and Open its s, tore
house that star ving m i ndsmay be fed wi th l iv i ng
,

al iment .

There i ssomething i n the persevering e fforts of

D emosthenes and C icero to reach that sum mi t of
,

eloquence they had prescribed to themselves which ,

challenges our admiration But how much higher

.

mu st be that glow of a dmiration could we see equ al

exerti ons put forth for the attainmen t of that di vine
eloquence that should adorn the pulpi t and give e fii ,
‘

c i en c
y to its ministrati ons ? It wi l l n ot be dero
gati ng from the nature Of their office nor from t h e ,

e fficient age ncy of the Holy Spirit i n qu ickening

the truth to s,
a
y that not only Whi te field but also ,

John l Ves hed founder of Metho

l ey , the di sti n gui s
 138 M EN T A L D I S C I P L I N E .

di em were not a li ttle i ndebted to thei r thorough

,

knowledge and care ful obse r vanc e Of the principle s

of sacred el oquence for the aston i shi ng e f fects of
,

their preac hing He that di sregards m ea nswill fail

.

of r es u l ts It is a stru e i n respect to the attainments

.

befit t ing the C hristi an mi n i stry as in regard t o any ,

other pursuit that he who ai ms at the stars though

,
“
,

he may not rea c h them will shoot higher than he ,

who eleva t es not hi saim at all The sculp tor c on

c e i v e shis bea u i dea l and then a i ms to equ al i t
,
The .

real statue may not equal the ide al but it wil l pos ,

sess a degree of perfection that woul d n ever have

been reached had not the ideal exi s te d SO wo u ld
,

we say to the student i n the sacred o ffice Set be ,

fore y ou a high stan d a r d of ministeri a l atta i nmen t

let e ffort to re ach that sta ndard be put forth and , ,

even though you should fai l to reach it your labor ,

w i ll not be lost I r emember somewhere reading the

.

description of a picture representing a man at th e

base of a huge mountain with h ishat and coat throw n ,

upon the ground delv i ng in to the sides of the moun

,

tai n wi th a pi c k-a x whil e j ust above him was the ,

motto Little by little

,
“
L e t th i s be the device Of .

h i m who would excel as a ministe r of Jesus C hri st .

Slowly and amidst many d iscour a g ementsmay the

fabric rise but i ts fair proportions will at lengt h
,

shi ne forth i n the workman that needeth not to be

“

”
ashame d .

This leads us to remark that mental improveme nt

1 3 o f Slow acquis i tion and that mi nd c an mat ure
‘

only by i tsown ac tivity However success ful the .

 CO MMU N I C A TI ON OF K N OWL E D G E . 139

qu ac k may be in impar ting a knowledge of his science

”
or art i n twelve lessons no twelve lesson system
.
,

ca n enlarge and di scipl i ne the powers of t h e m i nd , ,

or sto re the u nderstandi ng w i th varied profou nd, ,

and u s e ful knowledge Mr Roll in i n his Belles

. .
,

Lett res mak es a qua i nt comparison between impart

,
»

ing knowledge to the min d and pouring water into ,

a n arrow -necked bottle : “ I f we are i n a hurry we ,

sh al l spill the l iquor and de feat our purpose but if ,

we pour a constant and gen tle stre a m we shall per ,

” ”
fectl y succeed “
They must needs move slowly
.
,

says D r Sk i nner who would move surely and suc

.
,

c essfu l l y up th e h il l of knowledge ; it cannot be

.

ascende d i n a day or a month or a year H a ste

, ,
.

does only harm ; th i ngs must have their natural

course and they who c an not wai t should ce ase a l l
, ,

expe c ta ti on and all h Op e and betake them selves to

, ,

some other pu rsuit I wish I could wri te upon every

.

stu d ent s heart that beau tifu l saying of a nc i ent wis

’

d om, Truth is the daughte r of Time How many .

’

hurry through books and systems as if rapi d ity in ,

growth and mental discipline were the sam e thin g "

Not such as these become mighty in i ntellectual
power ; this is the attainmen t of those sons Of pati ence ,

who p a use a year it may be on a volume or a theory

, , ,

be fore they can ex a c tly pronounce concern ing i t .

They pause for reflecti on an d whil e they pause l ife

, ,

springs u p within them w i th new strengt h ; th e i r

minds gro w apac e ; they extend the i r views ; they
se e the wide and ever -enlarging relations of thi ngs,

a nd thus do they become more i nstructed by con

l 10 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

ti nned reflec ti on on one book or page than th e oth eI ,

classof s tudentsby the reading Of a li feti me Th e .

hum a n mi nd d oes not otherwi se advance than by the

exertion of its own li ving power Things exteri or .

to i t self may favor i ts growth but cannot m ake it ,

g row . C onverse w i th books an d lectu res an d , ,

schools will not s uffi ce K nowledge cannot be read

,
.

i nto it or lectured i nto it or i ntroduced in to it i n

, , ,

any other way except asthe min d i tsel f draws it i n

,

and di ges t s i t by i tsown pati en t thought and r eflec

”
ti on
. He that wo uld excel then must be Wil ling , ,

to labor for excell ence “ Ould he remove the

'

mountai n obstacles be fore him l i ke Luther he must , ,

”
“
do a little every day Would he attai n to com
.

prehensive v aried and profou nd wisdom li ke Adam

, , ,
”
C larke he must ,
i ntermeddl e with a l l k nowledge .

“f oul d he acquire the hig hest standard of s a c red

eloque nce l i ke W hi tefield he must not ti r e over
, ,

even thirty or forty repeti tions Of hi sdi sc ourse .

An d having secured a l l these attai nments woul d he ,

bend them to the great end of their endowm ent, li ke

l Ves l ey he must learn the art of being al ways i n a
,

hurry but never hurried or of so a llotti ng and ocen

,
”
py i ng his time as n ever to lose a momen t With
“
.

an ordinary sh a re of n at ural endowments u nity of ,

purpose combi ned with industry and perseverance ,

,

will lead to th e attainment of abil i ties and the aecom

l i s
h m e nt of objectsof no ordinar y char acter and
p
m a gni tu de .
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF K N OW L ED G E . 1 41

SE C TI O N V —Let
. the duti esq our
p ro e fs si on be the l b~
s
orbi ng top i cs q our s
t udy a nd i nt eres t .

Those who have been eminen tly successful I n the

le a rned professions or i n the cultivation of science
, ,

have felt a strength of attachment and be en led on ,

by an ardor of purs uit that seemed almost exclusive

,
.

This excl usi ve devotion is i n many instances the

great s ecret of profession al success D r B rewste r . .
,

tha n whom few are more competent to judge a t t r i ,

bu te s that extraordi n ar y sagacity and suc c ess that

were characteristic of Newton mainly to this cause , .

The flower Of his youth and the vigor of his man

h ood were entirely devoted to scienc e No inj u .

d ic i o u sguard i an controlled his ruling passion and ,

no ungenial studi es or professional to i ls i n t erru pted

the c onti nuity Of hi spu rsui ts Hi sdiscover ies we re .
,

therefore the fruits Of persevering and u nbroken

,

study and he himsel f decl are d that whatever ser

, ,

v i ce he had done to the public wasnot owing to ,

any extraord i nary sagacity but s olely to industry ,

” ”
and pati ent thought N 0 m an says Robert Hall
.
, ,
“
ever excelled i n a profess i on to which he did n ot
feel an atta c hment borderi ng on enthusiasm though ,

what in other professions is enthusiasm is i n ours , , ,

the di c tate of sobriety and truth .

This oneness of pu rpos e a n d pursui t keeps the

mi nd always alive to the subject and always on the ,

a lert for ne w acquisitions Says P rofesso r Ware as

.
,

quoted by Mr St urte vant

. He that woul d become
,
1 42 M E N T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

emi nent i n any pu rsui t must make it the p rim ary

,

a nd almost exclusive Obj ect of his attention It .

must never be long absent from his thoughts and he ,

must be contriving how to promote it in everything

he undertak es I t i s thus that the miser a ccu m u
.

late s by making the most trifli ng occ u rrences the

,

occ asions of gai n ; and t hus the a mbitious man i son

the alert to forward his p u rposes o f advancemen t by
”
li ttl e even ts which a nother wo uld pass u nobserved .

Thus must h e that would excel i n the execution of

his di vine commi ssion l a y everything under contri
,

bu t i on to the one great obje c t D oes the min d

.

wan der forth i n quest Of other and varied know

l edge ? i t mu st be only to return and deposit i ts
treasures wi thi n the consecrated ci rcle of his p r ofes
sion All his atta inments whether i n s c ience l itera
.
, ,

ture or theology must be made tributa ry to the one

, ,

g rand and ab sorbing obj ect Of his life .

NO one man c an learn everything and i f any one ,

shal l at t empt it he will not only fail but wil l n eglect

, ,

to learn many th i ngs that will be Of special import

ance to him Hence a sel ection must be m a de the
.
,

area Of resear c h must be de fi ned an d i tsboundar i es

”
fixed .It is not necessary says Erasmus that a
“
, ,
“

future preacher should waste hi senergies and spen d ,

a li fe which is brie f and fleeti ng on every ki nd Of

,

subjects ; even though he should attai n to a good Ol d

a e whi c h is a blessing con c eded to but fe w pe rsons
g , .

But l e t h i m first and principally learn those thi ngs

which are best adapte d to the func ti ons Of a preach
 CO MMU N I C A TI ON OF K N OWL E D G E . 1 43

c
ar .
” Wh en we affi rm then that the C h ri sti an , ,

mi nister sh ould be a man Of one book — hom o u ni us

l i br i -we mean not that he should not look i nto nor
, ,

study any other book save the B ibl e but that all his ,

s tudies shall be mad e to tend to the on e Object and ,

t erminate i n the one direct ion .

We u s e the term in the same sense in which P aul

exhorts Timothy Gi ve i hy s eif wh ol l y t o th em

,
”
Mr . .

Scott r emarks upon this passage I remember th at

D emosthenes somewhere uses the same or an entirely
sim i lar expression concerning him sel f and his a p pl i
c ati on to publ ic affairs ; he was always the states
man ; his time his talents his heart hi s a l l were
, , , ,

swallowed up as i t were in this on e objec t And

, ,
.

in fact no man ever be c ame ve ry eminent i n any

line when this was not h i spl an It is note d by some .

wri ter concerning Bonaparte that he never went to ,

any town or city or country new to him but imme

, ,

di a t el y he w a sexami ning and considering where

would be the best place for a castl e or a camp for ,

an ambushment or an attack for the means Of de ,

fe n s e or annoyance He thu s i n his line en t ered

.
, ,

i nto the Spirit of the cl au se i v r ér oz g i sm— always the

general Our Lord says Of himsel f h fy m ea t i sto do
.
,

t h e wi l l of h i m t h a t s
en t m e a n d to fin i s h h iswork
,

and his whol e time and soul were engaged i n it .

No n e s s
t ne c e se ut fut u r u seccl e s iast e sm q u i b u sl i be t cou su

mat op e r a m , a tq ue aat a t e mq t a c br e i s
uez fu g a x e s v
, e t ia m
si co n
t i nga t se ne c t us q u a: no n i t a m u l us
, conce s
sa es t : se d ea p r i m um

a c po t i s
s i m um di s ca t q u a; a d doce ndi m u nu ss
, u nt a cc o m m od a t i s

l i m a — D e A r t e C oncz ona ndi

. .
1 44 M E NT AL D I SC I PL I N E .

Th e apostles say l Ve wi ll gi ve ou rs
,
/
el ve s conti nua l l y

to p ra y er a nd to th e m i ni st ry o th e wor d
f
”
thusanti ,

ci a t i n a nd gi vi ng prac t i c al e x em l i fica ti on of t h e
p g p
i nj uncti on Of P aul In fact the apostle himse l f
.
,

afforded probably the highest exem p l ifica ti on of his

own precept that the worl d has ever witnessed Al l .

the tr easures of his k nowledge all the noble a nd ,

tran scende nt powe rs Of h i sg ifte d mi nd and a l l the ,

e nergies and the pathos of that di vine eloquence

that glowed i n his breast were consecrated to the
,

mighty Objects of his mi nistry In the langu age Of .

E rskine ,
L ove to C hrist set i n motion al l his springs
Of action and made him fly like a flaming se raph
, ,

from pole to pole to procl aim the i ne ffable glori es

.
,

Of t h e Son Of God and t o Offer his i nesti mable bene

,
”
fi ts to the sons Of men The apostl e we may fai rly
. .

presum e di d not exhort his disciples to give atten

,
“

”
tion to study without studying himsel f nor incite ,
”
others to covet earnestly the best gi fts without
“
,

c oveti ng them earnestly for hi mself and endeavor ,

i ng to acquire them So must do the C hristi an

.
_

minister i f he wou ld succee d i n his holy calling

,
.

He must be tho ro ughly impre gnated with the spiri t

of M sprofession a l l his aims m ust c e ntre i n i t a nd
i tse nds ; all his a cquisitio ns must be m ad e r ibu t a r y ‘

to the one purpose To i nsp i re this ardor wi thi n

.

h im motives h i gher than ever nerved the soul of

,

D emosthene s or swe etened the to il of C i ce r o a r e

, ,

l aid be fore him — the salvation of men an d the fav or

of Go d . They were i n c i ted by the desire of tem
o r a r y good a n d assing h o nors whi le the p ulpi t
p p ,
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF K N OWL E D G E . 1 45

r tor l eaves th e impress of his eloquence upo n the

o a

unfoldi ng sc roll Of ete rnal ages and gathers for him self
,

laurels to which new lustr e shall be perpe t ual ly added .

SE C TI O N V L— Let the vigo ou ecut i on of s

r sp r os t ud
y ao

com a ny
p the dis
cha r e
g f p ubl i c ofii ci a l
o dut i es .

Nothing short of this will en able the C h ri sti an m i n

i ster to prea c h to th e continued edi fica t on of his
i

hearers He must continue to replenish his inte l

.

l ectual storehou s e mus ,

t fill u p as well asdraw o ff .

I f t h e cask be full said t h e good Ol d D r Bel l amy

”
.
, ,

“
tap it whe n you will and the liquid will run Off
,

with a ful l and s t eady stream B ut barrenness of

.

thought is not the only evil that will result from a

neglect Of this duty By a great law of our nature
.
,

the i ntell ect a cquires sl uggishness and i mbecility from

inaction and thus becomes en feebled in i ts strengt h ,

as wel l a simpoverished i n i ts resources ,

The importa nc e of unwearied a ssiduity i n a

course of menta l improvement is evinced by t h e ,

contras t observabl e be t ween d i fferent cl asses Of min

is t er s F rom the Obser v ations and inqu ir i es I ha ve
.

made i n refere n c e to the pl ans pursued by V ou ng

min i ste rs after t ermin at i ng their ca r r ee r I have ,

been disposed to regard them a sformi ng two dis

t in ct classe sthe on e cl ass c onsist i ng of those who,
,

by a course Of m en tal dis c ipli ne a r e m a king e v e ry ,

y ear progress i ve a nd obvi ou sadv a nc esi n th ei r qua

l i fica t i onsfor publ ic us eful ne s s; t h e oth er cl as
scon
sisting of those who year aft er year exhi bit the sa me
, ,

u nv a r ing complexion of i ntellectu al c ha r a c te r , with

j
10
1 46 M E NT A L D I SC I PL IN E .

ou t any pe r ceptibl e p r ogress i n c omprehens i on of

mind power Of though t or ext n si on O
, , f knowledge e
.

Their resources appear to be exhau sted their ser ,

mons in stead Of presen ting to th eir hearers things

,

n e w and Ol d reiterate ideas pe r fec tly familiar i n

’
, , ,

forms Of expression which may be almost anti ci pated .

It i s sc arcely n ec essary to add that under such min ,

ist r a t i on sbut little i nterest is exc ited bu t littl e i m ,

press i on is produc ed Indolen c e on th e part Of the

.

minister produces torpor on the part Of the hearers ;

or i f on their part stronger feelingsare exci ted they ,

are emotions Of pain ful regret and growing d is sa ti s

f action .

On th e other hand the diligent studen t gui ded

, ,

by the n oblest p ri nciples and impell ed by the ,

strongest moti ves is constantly adding to his stores

,

Of knowledge and h is facili ties for the dis c harge Of

,

his professional d uties I f his direct preparation for

.

the pulpit rendered easier by the power of habi t

,

a n d the augmenta tion Of his m aterials Of thought ,

d emand a less proportion Of h is ti me he by n o mean s ,

contracts wi thi n n a rrower limits the e ffortsof hi s

mi nd but delights i n th e Opportun ity afforded for
,

ac c umul ation of the most importan t knowledge By .

diligently pursui ng this course he must be ne c es ,

s a ri l y i ncreasi ng his ministeri al qual ification s and ,

ing i n the estimati on of the people of his ch arge .

HOW extensive soever may have been your cou rse

Of study preparatory to your en te rin g u pon the min
is t r y and however di l i gentl y and faith fu lly you m ay
,

h ave p rosecu ted that course y ou have by no m ea n,

 CO MM U N I C A TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 1 47
”
finished your studi es i f you would do justice to ,

rr s
el f and to your pro fession The f oundation
“
y o .

only is laid— the superstru c ture you have yet to

r e ar Only the elements of knowledge have you
.

at present attai ned Le t these first p ri nciples s

. ti

m ul a te not s a t i sy your des i re of k nowledge

, f , L et .

them g u id e not l i m i t your researches Y ou have in

, ,
.

some degree a c qu i red but you have not yet m a tu red,

,

the i ntellectual habits essential to the d u e d ischarge

of the Offi c e on wh i ch you now enter You are now .

arrive d to a criti c al perio d in the history Of your

mind It is now to be determi ned whether i n r e
.
, ,

spect to mental energy and attai nments you are to ,

remai n stationary with sel f-reproach and merite d

disgrace or to prosecu t e with ard or a course of u n
,
”
remitted applic ation and honorable proficiency .

The importance Of thi s subj ect will j usti fy me i n a

D I GRE SSI ON ,

C ON T A I N I N G A F W SU G G S TI ON S ON TH C OU R S
E E E E

O ST UD Y W H I C H T S
F SS N TI AL T H A T TH
I I E E E

C H RI S TI A N M I N I T R S H OULD PU R SU
S W IT H A
E E

V I W TO M N T AL I MP R OV M N T
E E E E .

l The daily s tu dy o f t h e r i t u r e sis a pri

g p
.

mary requ i si tion upon the C hristi an studen t Some

m .

have h ad a c cess to the o ri gi nal tongues i n which the

Sc riptures were writte n but others have not enjoye d ,

this advanta ge .

1 Upon the former I would enjoi n the dai ly read

.
,

i ng of the Hebrew Bible and the G reek Tes tamen t

1 48 M E N T AL D I SC I PL IN E .

Tho ug h it should be but a fe w versesi n eac h th at

you re a d it will keep al i ve your knowledge of t h e
,

langu ages which has be en ac quired with so mu c h

to il a nd al so extend your knowledge of the Sc ri p
,

tures and m ai nta i n and improve your habits Of

,

c ri t ical in vestigati on Mr B urder thus u rges this

. .

course u po n h i sstuden ts
Whatever may be the limi ts withi n w h ich mul ti
pl i ed engagements may requ i re th i s to be contracte d ,

let it be a part Of the bus i ness Of every day In your .

a cad emic e fl or t si t may be presumed you have at

’

, ,

least c onquered the mos t formi d able di ffi c ul ties i n

the ac qu i sition Of the s e lan guages How much to
.

be lamente d would it be should you suspe n d you r

,

applic a tion just at the po i nt at whi c h y ou are abo m

to receive the recompe nse of your toilso me i ni tia ti on i
I f you mak e n o further progress your past l a bo r
,

wil l be productive of but littl e advant a ge and i f y ou ,

n eglect the frequen t and habi tu al readi ng Of the

Sc riptures i n th e original you will lose mu c h Of tha t
,

which you have al ready acquired Surely you ought

.

n ot to be satisfied wi thout atta i ning a fa c i l i t y i n read

ing the Hebrew B i ble a nd Greek Testa ment ; su c h
a fac il ity as wil l remove a ll tempta tions to negl ect
t h e s t udy ; as wi ll render it easy to avail you rselves
Oi the c ri tical labors Of others ; as will authori ze you
to plac e some confid ence i n your own Op i nion on
p o m t son which c ri tics and c omm entators disagr ee ;
a nd will render the perusal Of the Sc ri ptu res i n the

ori gi nal su fficiently eas y to be adopted w i th adv

”
t a ge for the purpose of devotion al improvement .
 CO MM UN I C A TI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 1 49

2 . Upon the latt er , I would enjoi n the daily r ad e

i ng and c riti c a l examination of the Sc riptur es i n

connection with some approved C ommentary I n .

d eed I would n ot have you c i rcumscribe your read

,

ing to only one C ommenta ry however eru di te ex , ,

t e ns rv e and orthodox it may be ; but when you have

, ,

c ompleted the reading of the B i ble i n connec tion

w i th one immed i ately resume i t in connection with
,

another and you wi l l find frequent occasi on to col

,

late the n ote s Of the di fferen t commentators and ,

d i l i ge nt pu rsual Of thi s course wi ll secure to you a

comprehensive and pro found knowledge Of the B i ble .

Non e but a shallow mi nd — too shallow to make good

use either of 3 C ommenta ry or a Bible can
.

to the use of B i bl i cal C ommenta ries Aswell might .

the lawyer Object to the study of Blackstone or Of

Story .

Again note care fully the di fficult pa s

, s
ages i n the
B ible acquaint yourselves w i th the views Of the pro
,

foundest commentators on them and also devote to ,

them pro found refle c tion a nd research B eware .

,

however Of forming spe c ial theor i es for the sake f

,

ac c o m modating these passa ges or Of produc i ng a ,

novel exposition Of them Ge t a l l the light you can

. ,

and never attempt to impart to your hearers mo r e

l i gh than you possess
. These passa g es are not n u
.

m e rou sand a crit i c al ex amination and fam i liar a c

,

quaintanc e wi th them will very much fa c i li tate in

t h e investigati on of the other Sc riptures And .
,

fur ther it will a fford great satisfaction to the many

,

a nxi ous i nquirersfo r light upon these passag es if ,

1 50 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

they can asc erta in how much is k nown a nd how fa r ,

they may expec t to understand the m .

I] A second course of reading on which I would

.
“

l ay stress is one of which the leadi ng object shoul d

,

be the exte nsion of those branches of knowledge for ,

which a demand i s chiefly made i n the exerc i se of

your offi c ial func tions .

I f the senator shoul d be we l l versed in the hi s

to ry of hi scountry i ts consti tu tion and the sourc es
, ,

of nation al prosperity ; if the lawyer shoul d be in ti

mately acquainted with the system of j uri sprudence ,

and t h e en a ct m en t sof the legi slature ; if the physi

,

c nan shoul d be we l l ski l led i n the knowledge of di s

eases and the remedies they requi re ; surely a mi n
ister of rel igi on shoul d be equal ly soli citous to attain
an extensive and acc ura t e acquain tance with that
system of truth which it is the bus i ness of his li fe to
tea c h and to i nculcate On a g reat variety of sub
.

j ec tshi sknowledge must of nece s sity be super

, ,

fici a l ; but on those i n w h ich he u ndertakes to appe ar

i n the cha rac ter Of a publ ic i n structo r hi sk nowledge
,

should be accurate if not pro found l Vi t h thi s vi ew

,
.
,

the energy of his mind should be di rected to the

stu dy of revelation ; nor c an he be deeme d excusable
unless he avail hi mself to the ful l exte nt of h i smeans
,

and Opport unity of those ai ds wh i ch are so abun

,

d a nt l y suppli ed both by ancien t and mod ern wr i l e I s

,
.

A spe c ificati on of the writers who especially m erit

attenti on fall s not within the compass of my present
design Su ffice it to say th at those whi c h are of
,

pr i n c ipal importance may be i ncluded u nder t h e

 CO M MU N I C A TI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 1 51

heads of Bibli cal criti cism ; theology polemi cal and ,

practi cal ; Je wish a ntiquities ; ecclesiastical h istory ;

and works ill ustrative of oriental us ages and Scri p
ture allus ions To t hese i n d eed I may j ustly add,
.
, ,
”
the study of the hu m an mi nd .

H i sto ry geography and chronology should b e

, , ,

added to the above l i st also moral and political p hi

,

l os r y belles lettres and the n atur a l sc iences

o ih , ,
.

These bran c hes will furnish a wide circle of reading

and study but the labor j udiciously devoted to them
,

wil l be amply repaid .

III A third cou rse of reading should be pur

.

sued with a v i ew to devotion al excitement and the ,

c ulti vation of p e rsonal reli gion .

Le t it ever be re m embered that the char a cter ,

of the C hristian is not to be merged i n the o ffi cial

avo c ati ons of the m i nis t er A solicitous regard to

.

the interests of personal piety should every day of

l ife take the lead of all other c onc erns Nor c an it .

be supposed that the mind can be duly qualified for

the Sp i ri tual and elevated duties of the C hri sti an
m i n i stry unless the rel ig i on of the heart be culti
va te d with watch ful c are In addition to the devo
.

t io n a l study of the Holy Script ures great a d van tage ,

may be derived from the habit o f allotti ng a certai n

lim i te d portion of time every d a y to a c ourse of
, ,

r eading for the purpose of religious i mprovement

, .

Some of the writ i ngs of the old div i nes may be re ad

with thi s vi ew w i th i ncal cu a bl e advantage ; nor i s
,

any species of reading more beneficial in promotin g

de votio nal excitement and professional di li gence than
 1 52 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

the bi ography of distinguished C hristi a n s and of ,

min i s tersemin ent for p i ety and u s efulnes s

”
.

I V The m i niste r sh ould also keep himsel f i n

.

for med as t o the hi story and c urrent literature of h i s

own times .

We do not m ean that the ministe r sho ul d en ter

in to a l l the petty and u ni versal details of c urre nt
history ; but on these subj ectshe should keep him ~

sel f i n formed and his in format ion will i n v ariou s

, ,

ways bec ome subser vient to the general obj ects of

,

his pro fession Such i n formation will have a ten

.
~

den e y to draw hi m fr om t h e more abstract regions

of re condite lear ni ng and mak e him ,
p racti c al Nor .

would I impos e upon the mini s ter the task of wading

through the oc ean sof li terary trash— i n the for m
of novels m agazines p oetry &c — with whi c h the
, , , .

Sol id ea r th is l i tera l ly inundated But he must keep

.

an eye to this its character and i nfl uenc e

, .

Still there is great danger of passing off dissolute

read i ng for study On this subj ect Mr B urder h a s
“

. .

so m e appropriate remarks : Shall I render mysel f

li able to the charge of i ndulgi ng u n founded and
illiberal Su s p i ci ou s with regard to any of my bre
,

thre m i f I venture to express a fear that some allo w

,

too much of their val uable time to be frittered a wa v

i n the p erusal of m iscellaneous an d periodic al pub
The s e j udiciously selecte d m a y afford
, ,

interesting a nd advantageous occ upation for hours

Of l eisu r e a nd i nter vals of relaxation from seri ous

s tudy ; but on th es e the student should not th i nk

hi msel f au th ori z ed t o en t er ti ll by hou rsof applic a
,
 C I
OMMU N C A TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 1 53

tion he h as entitled himsel f to m om entsof l eis

,
u re .

I nc alculable and i rretrievable will be the loss he wil l

susta in if he a llow his mornings and evenings to be
expended in the perusal of l i ght and ephemeral pro
d uc t i on s B y no means would I discourage an a t
.

tention duly l imi ted and regul a ted to the variou s

, ,

d ep a r t rne nt sof polite literature F rom works of

.

ta ste and i m agi nation care fully selected the mi nd

, ,

may reap not del ight only but improvement P oe t ry

,
.
,

elo quen c e and criticism have their c l a i msas well as

, ,

their attractions ; but let the student yi eld to th ei r

attractions only in proportion to thei r claims and let ,

their claims be submitted to the decision of an eu

lightened j udgmen t and a conscience feel ingly
,
”
a l i ve.

V With re ference to the reading of the Lat i n

.

and G reek classics I would commend the remark

,

of Mr B urder to the attenti on of the classic al stu

.
~

dent simply remarking that i n the Lati n and G reek

,

cl assics may be found some of the finest examples

for illustrations as well as s ome of the most beauti ful
,

rheto rical figures ; b u t the minister of C hrist must

be wary of cl assi c al allus i ons i n the pulpit
”
.

The avoc ations of a Christian minister may re

l u c e within narro w l imitsthe time whi c h can be
de voted to this Object ; but surely if the objec t be ,

of s u tfl c i e n t i mportan c e to j usti fy the ran k whi c h

these stu d i es hol d in every course of l iberal and pro

fe s si on a l educ ation they are entitled at l east to
, , ,

s ome a llotment of time i n the subsequent studi es of

”
th e C h risti a n ministry .
 M ENT AL D I SC I PL I N E .

D I GRE SSI ON II .

ON TH E M OS T P R OF I I A B L E
' ‘
MANN E R OF R E AD ING .

Gi ve a t t ent ion to rea d i ng .

A J U D I C I OUS writer has remarked that a studen t

s houl d be as c are ful What books he reads as what ,

company he keeps The i nfluences they exert

.

over the mind are not un l ik e .

E very stu d ent sho u ld procure a collecti on of the

bes t and most approved books whi ch treat upon ,

t hes e depar t ments of learning i ncluded in the p r o

fession he h aschosen ; or whi ch treat upo n special

subj ects of study to whi ch he wishes to give atte n
tion His perusal of these sele c t authors shoul d be
.

close atten ti ve and thorough Th ese works should

, ,
.

be rea d th rough and not turned over , After .

these books have bee n r ead other books of less , ,

weight but treating upon the same subje c t may be

, ,

t u r ned o ver and any add i tional valuable suggestions

,

they m ay be foun d to c ontai n extracted .

An i n d iscriminate reading of authors is often pro

d uct i ve of immense evil to a student — ev i l in re fer
ence not only to e c onomy of time but al so to men tal ,

disci pl ine and correct taste That restl es s curiosity.

w h ich prompts the student to read every n ew book

that comes out because it is n ew and not beca use it
, ,

isworth re ad ing is absurd and ridi c ulousand should

, ,

”
be gu arded agai nst There is a w i de d ifference
.

says D r Mason “ between a m an of reading and a

'

.
,

man of le a rning One can not read e verythi ng ; a nd

 C OMMU N C A I TI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 1 55

If we could we should be never the wiser The bad

,
.

would Spoil the good fill our mi nds with a con fused
,

medley of sentimen ts and desires and the e nd of ,

reading would be quite de feated for want of time

”
a nd power to practice and improve We should as .

soon expect that much and i ndi scrimi na t e eating ,

wi thout exercise and d ig estion woul d make a strong ,

man as that mu c h and indiscr i minate reading with

, ,

out c are ful medi tation would make a strong mind

,
.

Such a course c an never mak e a wel l -read man but ,

A boor i s k
h bl oc h e a d, i gno ra nt l y r e a d ,
Wi t h l oa dsof l e a r ne d l u m be r I n 11 18 h ea d .
”

I f afte r
an author has been selecte d and the read ,

ing of him commenced he is found to be c ommon

’

place insipid or trifling lay him aside

, ,
Time , .

enough has been wasted upon him .

Of that port i on of time allotted to readi ng devote ,

that i n which the mi nd is usually most vigorous and

intent to the more solid reading and th at which r e ,

quires greater exercise of thought and memory .

Lighter reading c an come in at Odd intervals I et . .

such read i ng also be don e i n the retirement of your

study where you will be free from interruption
, .

Ho wever well d i s c iplined the mind may be it can ,

never prosecute i ts stud ies to the best advantage i n

the midst of noise a nd con fusion ; and any prete nce
to th i s is me r e a ffec tation Also the mi nd must be
.
,

c om posed for study and not broke n off sudden ly

,

from care or excitement and appl ied to it “ Neve r,

.

pre tend to study while the mind is not recovered

1 56 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

fr om a hu r r y of cares or the perturbati ons of p a s , .

sion Such abrupt and violent transitions is a dis

.

c i p l i n e to which i t wil l not easily submit espe c ially ,

if it has not been well managed and long a ccustom ,

ed to it Au ror a Zl I us. i sa m i ca necnon v s p ero b e , e

,

cau se the mind is then commonly most free and

disenga g ed ”
.

Observe the characteristic excellences of every

author you read “
E v ery good w r iter
”
says D r
.
, .

Mason has his peculiar felicity his di stinguishing

, ,

excellence Some excel i n styl e ; entertain us with

.

easy n atural languag e ; or with an elegance and

,

propriety of expression ; or delight us with their

florid smooth and well -turned periods " Some love
, ,

a figurative di ffuse and flowing style , Others, .

,

quite a pl ain rati on al discurs ive one E a ch h a ve

, , .

their excellence B ut the most elegant is that which .

is the most natural proper and expressi ve ; it can , ,

not then be too short and pl a in both to d el ight ,

and i ns tr u ct ; the two great ends of l anguage A .

styl e overloaded with studied ornam en ts grows pro

li x ; an d prolixity always weak ens or obs cu r e st h e
‘

sentiment i t would express Others excel in senti .

men ts .Those sentiments stri ke us wi th pleas u re

that a r e strong or clear or soft or subl i m e pathetic

, , , , ,

ust or u ncommon Whatever h asthe most weight

j ,
.

a nd brevi ty fi nds the quickest way to the heart .

Others excel in meth od ; i n a natu ral disposition of

the subj ect and an easy fre e fam iliar wa y of com
, , ,

m u ni ca t i ng thought to the understanding Nothing .

isvery s t I i ki ng Yo u app ro ve and are we l l pleased

.
 C OMM UN C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 1 57

with your au thor , and you sc arce k n ow for what .

T his resembl es the J e ne s a i s u oi t ou t a r eeabl e i n

q g , ,

the very humor turn and ai r of some people we , ,

C onverse with Others are very happy i n their

.

m a nner and way of conveying clear rat ion al solid , ,

argum ents a nd instru c t i ons to the mi nd which arrest ,

your att enti on command your approbation and , ,

f orce your assent at once You see everything i n .

broad day i n a fair and strong and proper light

, , , .

A pe rfect writer has all these excellences of style,

”
sentiment method and man ner united
, ,
A close ,
.

Observance of these pecu l i ariti es will contribute not

a l i ttle to the u nderstandi ng of the author and the ,

ad van tages that result from reading him .

F rom all your authors choo s e one or two for

your model by which to form your style and se nti
,

ments; an d let them be your E uchi r idi a your ,

pocket companions C onsult and i mitate them every .

day till you are not only mas t er of thei r style and
,

sentiments but imbibe their Spiri t

,
But be very .

c auti ou s both in your choi c e and imitation lest with ,

their excellences you a de p t thei r faults to which an ,

e xcessive veneration for them may make you blind ) “

“
I f your author have an established reputa ti on ,

and you d o not relish hi m suspe c t your Own tas t e ,

a nd judgment Perhaps something has biased y o ur

.

mi n d a g ainst him : find it out and compare it wrt h ,

th ese beauties whi c h charm his other readers more

( t i si ng ni i si m m r i v l i sa l i q d
i p rt et s
e t i nnu t r i s
“
er e o a ri o o , e ui

a ttm l ‘
ere q uod in a ni m o fide l i t e r re de a t —p roba t osi t a qu e s em peI

le gs,
at Sl q u a ndo a d a l t o sdi ve r t ere l i bu e r i t , a d p n o re st a ci t —Sen
Ep } .
1 58 M E NT AL D I SC I PL I NE .

th an al l his blemi shes Ofl en d them

'

We should be .

l enient in our j u dgme nt as Hor a c e says h e would ,

be t o the sl ight offenses i n a poem otherwise ex cel ,

v

l e nt fi
‘
The more fam i liar you become wi th such a n
a uthor ,the more highly will you pri ze his exc el
l ences a nd the l ess inclined to be censori ou s toward
,

h i sfaul ts There is re ason and ph i losophy i n the

.

d ec i esr ep et i ta p l a c ebu nt of Juvenal .

“
B e fore you sit down to a book ta ste i t th at is , , ,

examin e the ti tlepage pre fac e conte nts and index ; , , ,

then turn to the pl ace where some importan t articl e

is discussed observe the writer s dicti on argumen t
,
’

, ,

method and man ner of treating it I f after two or

, .
,

three su c h trials you fi nd he i s ob s , c ure con fused , ,

pedantic shal low or trifling depend upon it he is

, , ,

not worth your reading .

Also make marks at th e mar gin of your books

ag ainst th ose passages where the s enh e n t is well

c on c eived or well expressed and worth your r e

, ,

membering or retailing ; or trans fer it i n to your

common -pl ac e book u n d er th e head your author 1 8
,

”
treating of ; or at l east a re ference to i t I f you .

rely wholly on the memory for the retenti on of these

literary gems many of them Wi ll be lost entirely ,
,

a n d others only imper fectly remembered A com .

mon -pl ace book is almost i n d ispensabl e to him who

woul d have at command a large fund of var i ed and
va luable knowledge . .

V e r um u bi t r
p l u ra ni t en i n ca m i ne , non e go p a uci s
Otl enda r
'

m a c ul i s
,
q
ua sa u t i nc ur i a fud I t ,

Ant h u m a na p a ru m c a v i t na t u r a .
— De Ar te P oet i ca
 I TI ON
C OMM UN C A or K N OW L E D G E . 1 59

SE C TI ON V I L—Cons ider the frequent a nd wei g hty dema nds

'

ma de up on y ou r m enta l resources a nd end ea vor to meet

,

them .

A wri ter in the Edinburgh Re view expresses sur

prise that the instances are so rare of eminent elo
u e n ce i n the pulpit and that so fe w of the millions
q ,

of sermons prea c hed annually survive t h e period Of

th eir del i very B ut this surprise will i n a measure

.
, ,

be abated when we consider how frequent are the

demands that are made upon the resourc es of the
mi nist er ; and th at their frequent recurrence is in a
steady and uni form flow— often wh ile the minister is
so harassed with interrupti ons with c ares and du ,

ti es of another character th at leave him ti me greatl y

,

i nadequate to a thorough preparati on of his m a tt er ;

mu c h less for a thorough culti vation of his m a nn er .

The subjoined remarks of Mr Burder do not .

pl ace this subject i n too strong a light In the ' “

discharge of hi s stated duties on the sabbath and of ,

the frequent enga gements which arise out of the ex

c i t em e n t of ben evolent act i v i ty i n the present d a
, y ,

h ow heavy are the demands upon the time and ,

ta l ents and attai nments of a C hristian m i nister "

, ,

With a l imited degree of opportunity for prepara ~

tion on what a v ariety of subje c ts he has to dis

,

course —what a versatility of th ought he has to d i s

~

pl ay " How much he needs an ample sto re of

general principles on almost a l l subjectsi nteresting
,

to the heart of man well -d igested vi ews of the whol e

system of revealed truth ; familiarity with the most
1 60 M ENT AL D I SC I PL I NE .

important points of B iblical critici sm ; and mate ri al s

derived from almost all th e sourc es Of human kn ow
ledge i a o rd er to present to his hearers rich and
, , ,

d i vers i fied and interesting materials of illustrati on

, ,

t o whatever subj ectshe i n vi tes thei r regard Surely .

qual i fications for such e ngagemen ts are not t o be

expected without exten sive reading and perpetual
”
appl icati on .

M B ruyere h as remarked that “ it is e asi er to

.

preach t han to plead ; but more di ffi cult to preach

well than to plead well A c are ful anal ysis Of the
.

eloquenc e Of the bar and of the pulp i t h as con

v i n ced us of the j ustness Of thi s c riti cism It is .

easier to preac h than to plead be c au s e the preach ,

”

er with b ut little preparation and l ittle e ffort m a y

, , ,

consum e his hour i n vague generali ties an d i n di s ,

cou rse u p on al most every misce l laneou s to pic u nder

the sun and his con gregati on will give h i m a respect
,

fu l heari ng but the lawyer must plead to the cas e

i n hand and will n ot be pe rmitte d t o wander over
,

the u niverse Of thought for the sak e Of m aking a ,

s pe e c h B ut to preach w ell is more d i fficul t

.
”
.

The programm of the cas e furn ishes the lawy er wi th

h isbrief imbodyi ng the outli nes Of his plea ; while
,

the ministe r is n ece s ”

sitate d to d i g for the ou tli n e ,

order and arrangement Of his The lawyer will not

, , .

l ack varie t y for it is al re ady provi ded i n the di ffer

,

ent aspe cts th e cause h asassumed ,and t he v ariety

of facts furn i shed by the witn esses ; b ut the preache r
must attai n variety asthe result Of his own toil
, .

The l awyer feels no division Of in te rest i n the s e lec

 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF KNOWL E D G E . 1 61

tion of his top ics and consequent d i straction of mind ,

,

for the c ase that is brought before him furnishes the

theme of his dis c ourse ; while the mi nd Of the preacher
IS Ofte n divided between the confli cting clai ms of dif

fe r e nt subj ects .

A nother and a striking ch aracteri stic di ffere nce

between the eloquence of the ba r and that Of the
pulpi t i s that the l awy er nee ds only t o conv i nce ;
,

whil ethe preacher must not only convince but p er ’

s ua de the lawyer needs only to elici t truth so that ,

i t may be known ; the preacher is Often nay for the , ,

most part obl iged to discourse upon truths pe rfectly

,

k nown in order not so much to convince the under

,

sta ndi ng as to remove the indi fferenc e Of the multi

tude Again the ministe r must produ c e a pe rm a
.
,

nent e ffe c t ; to gain a temporary as sent Of the reason

of his h earers is insu ffic i ent ; a pe rmanent con victi on

must be produced Not so with the advoc ate

. .

D oes he Obtai n the v erdic t Of the jury i n favor Of

h i sclient his Objec t is secured It matte rs not what
,
.

may be thei r Op i n ion in the case to -morrow ; he la

bors only to Obta i n the ir verd ict (0-d a y .

The sphere of the minist e r is to con vince and to

pe rsuade to ad apt a d i sc ou rse to this double end ,

and exe c u te it with success is no easy ta sk a r d re

, ,

qui r es no me an exerci se Of intellectual power TO .

give to what is old the grace Of novelty ; to in vest

a d m itted truth with such colors as a ffect the im ag ina

ti on and the heart ; to confine de s c ription to abst r act

qual ities and yet to i nflu ence practical life is t he
, ,
”
grea t est tri al Of human skill When we conside r
.

1 -1
1 62 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

th e intrinsi c di fli cu l t i esOf the u ndertaki ng and the n ,

reflect that these demands are hebdomadally made ,

a nd that the tal ent of eloquence at best i s rare , , ,

the matter Of surprise should be not that we hear ,

so few eloquen t sermons but so m an y good ones

”
,
.

SE C H ON V I H —Con3 1 der the dema ndsma de by the di ver

°

s c
i ty of menta l ha r a ct er i n y our congrega t ions
,
a nd en

dea vor to m eet t hem .

T’ t there sh ould be a fitness bet ween the di scourse

a nd the audi tory i n order to the prod u c tion Of the
,

highest results O f eloquence or indeed in order to ,

the production Of the ordi n ary results of d iscourse ,

i s ob vi ous Th is fitness m ust regard the style Of

.

thought and e x pressi on al so the sentimentsineul ,

c a t e d and the emotions felt with re ference to them .

Religious a ssemblies general l y combine almost every

vari ety and shade Of moral a nd intellectual charac
t e r henc e the exceedi ng di fficulty of sui t ing the dis
,

course to eac h .

It is a j ust remark Of D r C M pbell in hi s Phil o .

,

Sophy of Rhetoric Th at the more mixed the audi

,

tory is the greater is the d i fli cu l ty of speaking to

,

them with e ffect The preacher there fore has a.

, ,

more delicate part to perform than either the pleader

or the sen at or The audi tors t hough rarely s
. os e ,

complished as to require the same accurac y of c om

position or acuten ess i n reasoning a smay be ex
, ,

p ect ed i n the othe r two are more various i n age , ,

”
rank taste i nclinations sentiments and prej udices
, , , ,
.

Then i n ad dition to this variety i n the ch aracter of

,
 C OMM UN C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 1 63

th e audience there is an almost equal variety to be

,

met i n the time pl ace and circumst a nces of the

, , ,

au dience To meet all these conditions is one Of the

.

highest e fforts Of the art .

The adaptation Of his discourses to the assembl i es

he ad d resses a nd to the d ifferent classes in t hose
,

assemblies should be a matter Of careful study on

,

the p a rt Of the pulpit orator To men of d ifferent .

c astes and complexions says Mr Hal l it is Ob vi

”
,
.
,
“

ous a corresponding di fference i n the s

, el e ct i

topics and the metho ds of appeal is requisite Some .

a r e onl
y capable Of digesti ng the first principles Of
'

religi on on whom it is necessary to i ncul c ate t h e

,

same lessons with the rei t er a ti on Of parenta l soli c i

tude ; there are others Of a wi d er grasp of compre
h e ns i on who must be indul g ed with an ampler varie
,

t y and to whom v i ews Of religion less obvious less

, ,

obtrusive and demandi ng a more vigorous exercise

,

of the u n d erstanding are peculiarly a d apted Some .

are accustomed to examin e every subj ect i n a light

so cool so ar gu mentative that they are n ot easily
, ,

i mpresse d w i th anything whi c h is not presented i n

the garb Of reasoning nor apt though fi rm be l i evers , ,

i n revel ation to be strongly moved by n ak e d asser

,

tion from even that quarter There are others of a .

s ofter temperament who are easily won l y tender ,

a

s t rokes Of pathos Minds Of an Obdurate mak e .

,

which have been rendered c allous by long hab i ts Of

vi c e must be compelled and subdued by the terrors
,

Of the Lord while others are capable Of being dra wn

,

by the c ordsa nd wi th th e h a ndsof a m a n Sc me we .

1 64 M EN T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

t s
m us a ve wi th
fea r , c
p l u ki ng t hem ou t of th e fir e, on
oth e rswe m us t h a ve c omp a s sio n m a ki ng a d ifier ence
‘

, .

You will recollect that He who spake as never m a n

Spak e m i l d gentle i nsinuati ng i n his a ddress to t h e
, , ,

mul ti tude reserved the thunder Of his denunciati ons

,

for san c timonious hypocri te s ; In th i s part Of our

m i niste ri al fun c tion we shall do well to imitate St .

P a ul who bec am e all thi ngs to all men that he

,
‘

m ight win some combining i n his e fforts for th e,

’
,

sal vation of souls the utm ost simpli c ity Of i nten tion
, ,
”
with t h e utm ost versatility of address .

The d iffi cult i es to whi c h we have here a d ve rted

are di ffi culties Of no com mon m a gn itu d e a nd to ,

over c ome them w ill require a deep in si ght into h u

man nature c ombined w i th no small degree Of stu di
,

ous preparation He t hat overlook s the subject i s

.

unmi n dful Of one of the essential elements of min

Ist e r i a l success and use fulness .

SE C T IO N Cons i der the dema ndsm a de by the i n rea s

IX . e c
of l i ter a ry a nd sci en t ifi knowl ed ge a mong a ll l a s
sc
es i n c
soci ety , a nd endea vor to m eet them .

Noth i ng bu t su perior i ntell i gen c e combined with ,

su hr i or p i ety c a n secure for the C hristian mi nister

p ,

that profoun d respect from h i shearers wh i c h will

contribute to the weight and influence of what he
may s ay
“
It is naturall y expe cted sa ys Mr
.
”
,
.

Burder that a minister shoul d h e superior to his

,
“

he a rers not only i n his knowledge Of the Sc rip t ures

, ,

but also in menta l cul ture an d l i te r a r v attai nments .

To secure by a wide in terval that su periority was

, , ,
 CO MMUN I C A TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 1 65

fun ner l y by no means di ffi cult for those mi nisters

who had enjoyed the advan ta ge Of a liberal educa
t ion. In the present day this is not so easy a task .

In most congregations there are not a fe w who have

,

be en versed i n the principles of li te rature an d sci

ence and who are qual i fie d to detect inaccuracies
,

Of thought or express i on which m i ght formerly have,

passed without noti c e It should be deeply impress

.

ed Ou th e mi nd of every minister when he embarks ,

on his profession al course that as the standard Of i n ,

form ation among all c lasses is pe rpetually rising the ,

standard Of learning a nd of ta l ent among the m i n

is t e r sOf the g ospel must be raise d at leas t i n an ,

equal d egree .

Says the Re v D aniel Sm i th in a contribution to

.
,

the Method ist Q uarte rly Review The same qu a ,

“

l ific a t i onswhi c h would have enabl ed a minister to

pass very well thi rty years since will not answer for ,

the s e tim e s Institut i ons Of learning were not t h e n

.

multi pl i ed as at pre s ent and those that did exist , ,

parti c ularly the elementa ry schools did not compare ,

with those ne w i n Operation With the im prove .

~

ments already made and tho s e projecte d a n d in

,

progress no i n c on s
, i derable share Of sc ien c e is likely
to be brought to every man s d oor History the ’
.
,

philosophy Of language geometry chemistry n atural, , ,

philosophy the elements Of astronomy physiology

,
“

, ,

the elements Of moral and i ntelle c tual science and ,

compos i ti on are already taught i n some Of our com

,

mon sc hools and likely soon to be quite general ly

,

i ntroduced Books on all these subjec ts are mu l ti

.
1 66 M EN T AL D I SC I PL IN E .

plied a n d cheap Now n o proposition i n mathe

,
.
,

ma fi cs is more demonstrable than that the m inistry,

the publ i c tea c hers of re l igi on must kee p in ad vance ,

Of the general in telligence of society or lose i ts i nflu ,

ence over the publi c mind The same acquiremen ts .

wh i ch wi l l pass at presen t w i ll not do twe n ty yea rs ,

hence The progress Of learning i n th e m i n i stry

.

must be onward and those whom it may concern

, ,

will do well to look to i t that they do not i ntroduce

,
”
mere novices i n learni ng into the sacred Ofli ce .

”
The minister would be justl y condemn ed says ,

Ri c hard Watson and especi all y i n the present

,

day who negle c ts the acquisition Of knowle d ge and

, ,

Wh o d oes not asSt P aul enj oi ns give atten tion to

, .
,

reading who con ten ts himse l f with hal f-formed and

ill -arranged generalities ; who has no i nte lle c tual
stores from which to m ak e that skill ful distri bution ,

and give that varied illustration Of his subj e c ts ,

which the di ff erent characters states and tas tes of , ,

men require ; who though professe dly a te ac her Of

,

rel i gi on ne i ther de fen d s it by well -c hosen argu

,

ments nor holds i n his mind a just arrangemen t Of

,

I t sdoctri nes ; and who whil e i n every publ ic ser

,

v ice , pl ac es hi mself be fore the peopl e as an e x

pou n d er Of God s word seems not aware Of the d il i
'
’

gent applicat i on to pr i vate stu dy whi ch that i mport

a n t Ofli ce demands nor avails hi mself Of the labo rs
'

of those emi nent men who have devoted their le a r n

ing and the i r spiri tu al di s c ern men t to elucidate the

”
Holy Scripture s .
 C OMM UN C A I TI ON OF KN OW L E D G E . 1 67

SE C l l ON X — Conne
‘
. ct m l i mp rovement wi th y ou r p r e
enta

p a r a ti onsfor the p ul p it .

The young preacher should by n o means thi nk i t

su ffi cient to make that preparation for his appear
ance i n the pulpit which he supposes will be deemed
ad e quate and respectable by those who attend o n
his m inistry To sati s .fy h i mse f should be with hi m
l
an obj ect of much more di ffi cul t attainment u nder ,

ord inary ci rcumstances than to sati s fy his hearers ;

,

and he should not allow hi msel f to be satisfied u nless ,

he has so conducted his preparation of di scourses as ,

to have m ade some ad dition to his stock of valuable

ideas or at least to have m a de some progress i n t h e
,

cultivation of use ful habi ts of thought and expres

sion .

There are several plans by which this improve

ment may be secured some of which I will suggest
,

Pursue when Opportunity occurs those i n

, ,

qu i ri eswhich may in c identa ll y arise out Of the texts

or the subjects which you are studying with a v iew ,

to public d iscourses .

Le t not a Spirit of i ndolence restrict your in

qu i r i e son any importa nt poi n ts because you ar e ,

awa r e that n o re ference to such poin ts is necess ary

i n the disc ourse you may be preparing Thes e .

poin ts may have an impo rta nt beari ng on a v ar i ety

of subjects and the i nvestigati on may tend to enrich
,

your mi nd by the addition of i mporta n t kn owledge ,

or at least to preserve you from inj uri ous prej udi ce s

, ,

and mistakes Much very mu ch , I concei v e , of th e

.
,
 1 68 MENT AL D I SC I P LI NE .

knowledge by which superior mi nds are di s t i ngu i s

h a

ed h asbeen accumula ed by the habi t now r ecom

,
t

me nded Scarcely has any subje c t especi ally i n

.
,

t he ir earli er studi es employ ed the i r though t s with

, ,

out prompti ng some inq u i ries on points on wh i ch

they were i mpati ent to a cquire more corre c t or more
exte nsi ve i nform ation Had not the s
. e Wi shes ex
c ite d them to embrace the earl iest Opportunities of

investi gatio n that knowledge would probably n ever

,

have b een atta i ned With a v iew to t he practic a

.

bi l i ty of th isextended and li be ral plan of studyin g

di scourses for the pulpit as well as for other reasons
,

afterward to be considered it is of great importance ,

to al low for such prepara ti o ns time s u ffi ci entl y a mple

to pre v ent the n ec essity of e ager and inconsiderat e

has t e with the entire omission and neglect of al l i n
,

ui r i es not absolutely essen ti a l to the composi tion of

q
the proposed di s c ourse .

C onsult the best authors t o whose works

you have access who have w ri tten on the subjec t
,

which you propose to discuss .

“
It i s indeed advi s able previously to your having
,

re course to the weal th of other mi nds t o mak e a ,

v igorous demand on the stores o f your own mi nd ;

but havi ng done this you may with great a dvantage

, ,

ha ve recou rse to the prod uctions of men of s uperior

in tell ect an d attainme nts Thi s method i sby no .

means to be adopted with a vi ew to suspend or di

,

mini sh your own i n t ellectual labor bu t on the c on , ,

fr ary to sec ure s

, e ve r al im porta n t a d vanta g es whi c h
 C OM M I
UN C AT ON OF I K NOW L E D G E . 1 69

It w il l gi ve exci tement to the mind an d rouse it ,

a state of hi gher energy a nd activity It wil l pre .

sent ample materials for thought and reflection a nd

‘

s hou ld the m ind fix with a vigorous gras p only on

some one interesting thought that single idea may
,

be t he fi rst of a train which w i ll give a character and

a v alue to the whole d i scourse It wil l g i ve further
.

ampli tude richness and v ividn ess to many of the

, , ,

ill ustrations which your own mind mi ght have sug

gested i n part but wi t h much less power of ex
,

citi ng i nterest and impression It wi ll also serve to

.

give addi tion al confidence i n the expression of your

own Op i n i on.

Be not satisfied wi t h sel ecting detached

t exts and m i sc el laneous sub jectsbut i n addi tion to
,

those enter on a co urse of exposito ry lectures and a

seri es of connecte d di scourses .

The method now recommended w i ll be at once

instruc ti v e to the hearers and highly conducive to
,

the improvement of the preacher It will preven t .

the wearisome a nd fruitless expenditure of time i n

s earching afte r subj ec ts of discourse ; it wil l supply
many i nteresting topics wh i c h might not otherwise
engage the attenti on ; i t wil l habituate th e m ind of
the minister of truth to i nvesti gate with diligence the
exa c t meaning of eve ry part of Sc ripture which h .

undertakes to i nterpret ; and it wi ll stimul ate m os t

power fully to vigorous thought extensi v e reading , ,

and B i bl ical resear c hes .

“
It i spossible that some preachers may hesi tate
to adopt th e pl ans now recom mended , from th e fear
1 70 M EN T A L D I SC I PL I NE .

of their proving unpopular and failing to exci te s uf

fici e nt i nte rest . Le t the i nquiry then be made ,

Have they tried the expe ri ment ? Ha v e they pur

sued the plan with the spiri t and the appli c ation it
requires ? Have they adopted a j udicious app l ica
ti on of subj ects In expou ndi ng the Sc riptur es
h ave they m ade choice Of such books or such chapters
as were best adapted to their ow n mental resources ,

and to the c ircumstances of thei r hearers ? Have

they been su fficiently anxious to combine i nstruction
with impression and whi le they endeavored to c on
vey k nowledge to the understandi ng h aS i t been ,
‘

also thei r assiduou s atte m pt to awak en the con

scienc e and affec t the heart ? If these objects are
kept i n view in the conduct of expos i tory lectures ,

and the discu ssion of connec ted subj ects the i n terest ,

excited i n the m i nds of the hearers instead of being

,

di mi nished will be most sensibly augmen te d

,
.

Le t the subjects and the texts i ntended for

the discourses of the succeedi ng sabbath be selected
early i n the week .

“
I envy not th e preacher who ca n allow day aft er
day i n t he e arly part of the week to glide away ,

w i thout any solicitude to determin e on what subj ects

he sh a ll address his audi tory on the coming sab
bath C a n he secure at the end of the week all that
.

leisure that he c alculates upon— all that freedom

from i ntru sion and interrup t ion requisite to tranqu i l
c onti nuity of thought ? Is it certai n that he wi ll ex
e r i e nc e no perplex i ty or embarrassmen t in e ffect
p
i ng a choice when a choice can no longer be de
,
 C OMMU N C AI TI ON or K N OWL E D G E . 1 71

l a yed ? Is he wise i n deferring his e ffort to select a

subje ct ti l l that part Of the week when all the tim e
,

that remai ns i sscarcely su fficien t for the requisite

inquiries and reflections even were the choice a l
,

ready determ i ned ? Is he consul t ing the a p p r oba

ti on of his own mind or the approbation of Him i n
,

whose service he is engaged or the good of th ose

,

whose edi fica t i on he is anxious to promote Is he

not negl ig e n t l y unmindf ul of the benefit he might
‘

derive d uring the course of the week from those

, ,

thoughts and feelings which even wi thout any direct

,

exertion m i ght al most sponta neously occur to hi s

,

mind and become intimately a ssoc i ated with the

,

subj ect on which he was to preach were the selec ,

tion of that subjec t to prece d e by a due i nter val

, ,
”
the period of due preparation ?
To the above suggestions of Mr Bu r der we a p .
,

pend the following pertinent remarks of P ro fessor

P ark It is by no means su ffi cient that a man i n
v es t iga t e barely those parts of his subject which h e
wishes to discuss i n his sermon He must investigate
.

a l l parts be fore he can safely conclude which to dis

cuss and which to exclude He must be able to

.

tak e the whole subject into his hands as a bal l of

ivory and turn i t over and over an d present a l l
, ,

sides of it E ven if he deem a partic ul ar branch of

.

5t inappropriate to the pulpit stil l i t must be analyzed

,
.

The an alysis wi l l give i mpulse and acumen to his

mind suggest the most suitable and eloquent collo
,

c ation of h i smore popul ar thoughts and often i ni ,

t i a t e hi m into new fiel ds of practical reflection .

1 72 M ENT AL D I SC I PL I N E .

E very part Of h i sdoc trine hasi tscollateral par ts,

i tsdependences its i n t imations and if he explore
, ;
t h e circumj acent ground as we l l asthe spot on which
he inte nds to buil d he wi ll often d isc over a fruitful
,

Spot i n the very darkest corners under the mos t ,

tangled shrubbery .E ve n a R us
‘
sian steppe has
tumul i and gold ornaments; als o m an y a scene tha t
l ooks desert and rock -bound from the d i stan c e wil l ,

un fold i tse l f when v isited in to rare val leys

, , Ou r .
’

clergy m e n commit a n inju ri ous error when t h ey

negl ec t and repudi ate a ll di s c ussion which promises
no immedi a t e prac tical be aring They Shoul d reflec t .

that i n a great building there are rough and u n

s ightl y foundation -ston es which are not to be whol ly
,

di spense d with because they are unsuitable for a

,

place i n the parlor on the so fa or the piano They

, ,
.

should reflect that i n a finished picture there are

,

some colorings w h i c h will disgust if prese nted in bold ,

rel ie f bu t wi l l leave the picture sti ll more disgusting

,

if excluded fiom the b ack-ground where perhaps , , ,

only a connoisseur wi ll be able to explai n their e ffec t .

A s ermon i s incomplete unless its arrangement i ts ,

a ll usions its whole spir i t betray the author s fami

’
, ,

l i a r i ty with the fundam ental and e v en suppressed

”
bran ches of his theme .

SE C T ON XL—Let not y our di rect p r ep a ra ti on for the p ulp d

I
be su ev i ci a l , but l et the s
g y i m es
ub ect be thor ou hl
j t iga ted,
‘
p y
'

a n d t he thought met hodi c l ly

a a rra nged .

A fluen t m a n may pour forth a torrent Of word s but, ,

u nless they gi v e expression to j us

t though t a nd v al u
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 1 73

able ideas his audi tory wil l remind on e

,
of the
descripti on of Milton
Th h ng y sh p l k p n
ed a e nut fe d
r
”
ee oo u , a r o .

No fluency of speech will make amends for poverty

of thought The e fforts of him who shall attempt to
.

preach without having his mi nd stored with theo

,

logical knowledge are not unj ustly characteri zed as

, ,

D r o pp i ng b uc k et si nt o e m pt y we l l s
A nd g r o wm g ol d I n dr a wi ng not h i ng up ” .

Where there is eloquence at all there must be th e ,

el oqu en c e of th oug h t A man may bluster and foam ,

.
,

a n d rave a n d stamp and gesticulate and scream ;

, , ,

but these can never supply the l a c k Of thought .

”
The foun d ation of all that can be called eloquent ,

says Blai r is good se nse and sol id thought Le t i t

,
“
.

be the fi rst stu d y of publ ic speakers i n a ddressing ,

any popular a ssembly to be previously master of the ,

busi ness on which they are to Speak ; to be well p r o

ni ded wi th m a tter a n d a rg u m en t ; and to res t upon
these the chie f stress ? " Mere ornament c an never e

be c ome a substi tute for these subst a nti al el ements Of

d isc ourse but i t may o fte n be ad d ed to advan tage
, .

The public speak er however should be wary of , ,

using that whi c h is m erel y ornamental remembe ring ,

that that can a dd no i ntri nsi c beauty to a d i scourse

which does not at the sa me ti me contribute to its
s t rengt h .

Th e bbe M ury a l s
a o i ns
iststh t t h e ra tor m ust j i n t o t h e
a a o o

I ns tru ct n wh ich h e h sd ri e d from h isprep r t ry st d es“

io a e v a a o u i
,

it mm t e k n w l e dg e f t h e sbj e ct whi ch h e propos

a o o est o i fs
u c uu
’
.

— Pri nci p l sof El q ence sec v

e o u , .
1 74 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

Sometimes the whol e outline and plan of a d is

course may be almost i nstantly suggested in conne c
tion with the text or the topic upon whi c h the d is
course is to be m ade When this i s the case t he
.
,

l abor of preparation will be greatly l ightened and ,

will c onsist mai nly i n filli ng up the outline al ready

, ,

ske t ched and i n improving the plan where it may be

done to good e ffect Th i s i s a work however that
.
, ,

c an not be n eglected with safety I f n eglected t il l .

the moment of deli very the speaker will most likely

,

be compelled to rear his edifice withou t ceme n t to

joi n th e stones .

When however which is oft e ner the case no such

, , ,

plan is suggested the spe aker is compelled to m edi

,

tate stu dy and read upon the subj ect In this wa y

, ,
.

he Slowly accumulates isolated facts and thou g hts .

which clus ter without order i n his mind ; and thus

he collects what C icero terms a forest Of i d eas an d
subj ects ” Th ese ideasand subjects are now t o be
.

reduced to system and arranged i n order ; so that

,

truth may Open to the hearer as the landsc ape does ,

to the traveler ”
It i shere says the abbe Ma ury,
.
”
,

“
where art begins It i s time to fix your p l a n
. .

This is generally the part wh i ch costs mu c h labor ,

and which very much influences the success of the
discou rse . Is thi s plan ill -conceived oh ,

scure and indetermin ate ? There wi ll be i n the

,

proofs an inevitable con fusion the subj ects will not ,

be cl early distinguish ed and the argum en ts instead

, ,

fording each other a mutu al SUPPt t wil l inter

of a f '
'
x
,
~

Sy l v a r c ru m a c s
ent e nt i ar um com p ar a nd a m—D On t
s a c
 C OMMUN C A I TI ON or K N OW L E D G E 1 75

fere . The more you study your plan the gre a t er ,

enlargement you give to your subj ect Statements .

which at first seemed su fficiently copious to em

, ,

brac e the substance of a dis c ourse i n al l its exten tz

scarc ely form a subd i vision fertil e enough when you
a r e acquai nted with the method of expanding your
”
ideas .

“
In all kinds Of public speaking says Mr Blair , ,
.

“
nothing is of greater consequenc e than a proper
and clear method Though the method be not laid
.

down i n form no discou rse of any length should be

,

wi thout method that is everything should be found ,

i n i ts proper place Ev ery one who speaks will fi nd

.

it of the greatest ad van tage to hi msel f to have pre

v i ou sl y arranged his thoughts an d clas sed under ,

proper heads i n his own m i nd what he is to deliver

, , .

This will assist his memory and c arry him through ,

his di scourse witho ut that con fusion to which one is

e very moment subject who has fixed no disti nct plan
Of what he has to say .

An d i n respect to the hearers order i n discourse

, ,

is absolutely necessary for maki ng an y proper i m

pression It ad ds both forc e and light to what is
.

sai d It m akes them accompany the speaker easi l y

.

and readily as h e goes along ; and m akes them feel

the full e ffect of eve r y argu ment he employs .

TOO much pains there fore , c annot be employed i n

,

previously studying the plan and method I f there .

be i nd isti nctness and disorder we ca n have no suc

”
cess in convinc ing .

Anoth er ad vantage arising from the plan is foun d

1 76 M E NT A L D I SC I PL I NE .

in i ts p rogression It is always n ec essa ry says

.
“
,
”

the abbe Maury to Observe a Specified p r ogre ssi on

,

i n the distribution of the plan i n order to i mpart a n ,

rncreas i ng forc e t o the poi nts advanced to gi v e ,

weight to the argu men t and energy to the rhe t oric al

,

movements It is as rare asi t is di fficult to render

.

both partsof a se rmon equ all y excellent be cause ,

the sam e res ourc es seld om pre sent themsel ves t o the
imagin ation of the orato r The latter howeve r .
, ,

ought to excel the former Eloquence al way s de .

c l ines when it c eas e s to ri s

e It is there fore t o the .

second branch of the division that t h e mos t pe r

Su asive arguments and pathe tic senti ments ought to

be reserved These p ri nciples sugges

”
. te d by Mau ry , ,

are clearly obse rvable i n the orations of C ic ero who ,

i nvariably adopted a method i n hi sorati on s which

'

obliged him to be surpassing himse l f conti nu a lly

“

by fresh e fforts .

SE C TI O N X I I —D o not a tt a h too m uch i mp ort a n e to a rty r

c c
c iul r ul es
for the p r ep a r a t ion of a s
ermon .

I would not discou rage the pe rusa l of such produc

tions as the celebrated e s say of C laude on the com
position of a sermon ; but I wi l l take the liberty of
sayi ng that I attach to such aids only a subo rdi na te
,

degree of im porta nce An able tran sl ator of tha t

.

e ssa y sta tes i n his p r e fac e th at he was i ndu ced to

, ,

publish it for t he use of those s t udiou s ministers i n

our P rotestan t D isse nting C hurches who ha ve n ot ,

e njoy ed the advantages of a regular ac ad emic al

e d u c ati o n The r emark Ob vi o u sly im plie s tha t i n
.
’
,
 C OMM UN C A I TI ON or KN OWL E D G E . 1 77

his Op i nion the r ules and advices which that ess ay

,

contains are of m uch less i mportance to those who

have enjoyed such advanta ges and I cannot but be
of the Op i nion that they whose mi nds have been
,

di scipl ined by a cou rse of liberal studies wi l l derive

, ,

f ar more assistance from the gui dance of general

principles than from any specific or arti fici al rul es .

Almost a l l the exercises of i ntellect whi ch a

j udicious pl an of educati on presc ribes have a te n ,

deney to train the mind to those habitsof though t

whi ch dictate a natural and there fore logical method
, ,

of un foldi ng and arrangi ng our ideas so as to put ,

our hearers by a method the most direc t in to fu ll

, ,

possessio n of our sentiments t a t e v e r then is .

, ,

a d apted to induce those importa nt habits of thought

tendsby most beneficial influence to supersede the
, ,

n ecessity of arti ficial aid and at t he same time to , , ,

secure the a dditional ad vantage of leavi ng the mind

free from those fette rs and trammels w h ich the rules
of art too frequently i mpose .

“
In the composition of sermons the exercise of
disc rimi nating j udgment i s requisite not only i n the ,

formation but also i n the exhi bi tion of the plan of

,

arrangement I f t h e general outline be not explicitly

.

stated the be a r er remains without any p l t dge fo r

,

the j ud i cious selecti o n or the orderly distribution

of the materials of thought w h ich belong to the sub

j ect and wi thout that excitemen t to fixed att ention ,

,

and that aid in hi se fforts to recoll ect the trai n of

thought whi ch the preacher shoul d not fail to afford
,

On the other hand if the arrangement be too formal ,

,

12
1 78 M EN T A L D I SC I PL IN E .

or the pl an too ful l y di sc l osed other ev il s are I n

,

c u rred.

The evil s to which Mr B urder all udes are thu s

.

exhibi t ed by Robert Hal l “ In the mode of c on

d ucting our publ ic mi nistrati ons we are perhaps too , ,

formal and too mech anical ; that i n the matte r of

,

our sermons we indulge too little v ari ety ; and ex ,

posing our plan in a ll i ts part s aba t e the edge of

,

curiosity by en abling the b ea r er to an tici pate wh at

,

we i ntend to advance Wh y shoul d th at forc e whi ch

.

gives to e very oth er emoti on deri ved from just an d

,

a ffec ting sen ti men ts be banished from the pulpi t

, ,

when i t is fou nd of such momen t i n every other kind

Of publ ic address ? I c an n ot bu t imagin e the fi rst
preachers Of the gospel appe a red be fore their audi
e n ce s wi th a more free and u n fettered air than is
consiste n t wi th the narrow t ram m el s to which i n ,

these late r a g es di scou rses from the pulpit are con

,

signed . The sublime emotions with whi ch they

were fraught woul d h ave re ndered them impat ient
of such restricti on s ; nor coul d they su ffer the im

pe t u ou s stre am of argument expostulation and , ,

path os to be weakened by di vert ing i t i n to th e

, ,

artificial reservoi rs prepared i n the heads and par

ti eu l a r sof a m od ern sermon .

“
Method we are aware i s an essenti al in gredient
, ,

i n every discou rse designed for the instructi on of

manki nd ; but i t ought never to forc e i tse l f on the
attenti on as an obj ect apart ; n ever appear to be an
end ins t e ad of an i n strument ; or beget a suspicion
of the sentiment being i ntrod uc ed for th e sake of
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF K N OWL E D G E . 1 79

the method not the method for the sake of the senti
,

ment Le t the experimen t be traced to some of

the best spe a kers of ancien t eloquence ; let an ora ~

tion of C i c ero or D emosthenes be stretched on a

Procrustes bed Of this sort and i f I am not greatly
’
, ,

m i staken the flame of enthusiasm whi c h has ex

, ,
~

cited admiration in all a g es will i nstantly evaporate ;

,

yet no one perceives a want of method in these i m

m ortal compositions nor ca n anything be concei v ed
,
”
more remote from incoherent rhapsody .

SE C TI ON XIII — Cous
a 1t
. s
the be t a uthor swho ha ve wri tten
u on
p the s
ub ect
j e to disus
you p r op os s c .

A distinguished philosopher treating upon the i n ,

v e n t i ve powers of the human mi nd remarke d that ,

we l earn to i n vent by becomi ng a c quainted with the .

i nventi on sof others And further i nti mates that

.
,

even Byron found it necess ar y to quicken his powers

of invention by the perusal of works s i milar i n cha

r a c t e r to those in the production of which he was

then enga g ed The human mi nd cannot think nu

.

less mate ri al s of thought are furn i she d ; these mate

ri al s are furnished by reading “ A convi ncing .

proo says Mr Sturtevant of the benefit Of read

.
,

ing th e works of others is furnished i n our ju dges

and lead i ng counselors , who appear to have s at

c e eded i n the atta inment of true eloquence above

any " other] order of men i n the worl d ; and this

because they are the most penetr ating and dili gen t
readers of the l aws of na t ions their an c ient cons ti t u,

tions laws customs Of their c ountry and of the com

, , ,
1 80 M EN T AL D I SC I PL IN E .

m e nt a r i esand adj ud ged c ases th at ha ve been pub

lis h e d upon l aws Or igi n a lity of genius is never to
.

be reac hed by the n egle c t of read i ng ; nor can an y

one without exten si ve a nd v aried reading expe c t
, ,

to rise abo v e re spe c tabl e medioc rity .

Yet in consulti ng the Opinions of others and ,

availing ourselves of the materi al scollec ted by them ,

j ust restri c tions and l i m i ts are to be observed .

Ga u s se n tells us ,A man must not go first to com

m e n t a t or sti ll he h as drawn hi sown we l l
Os t er v a l d al so j u d iciously remarks “ A mi nister ,

should do all he c an for himself be fore he h asr e

course to commentators This method will develop
.

a n d i mprove your genius whereas i f you steal away

,

the books from those who are i n the hab i t of plagi

a ris m they are con founded be fore their aud i ence
,
.

A rgum ents honestly drawn from your own mind

have an ai r of originality whi ch con vi nces and per
,

su a d esmuch be tter than a m u l t ifa I i ou scollection

from other mens works

’
Besi d es it imboldens a
.
,

preacher ; a sermon purely hi sown makes a mu c h

more happy i m mes s i on both on hi smemory and
heart than that which he h as transcribed from
,

others Make it there fore an i n va Ii a bl e rule to do

.
,

al l you c an for yourselves and never follow those ,

who be fore considering their subj ec t ha ve im m e

, ,
”
di ate recourse to commentators .

‘
Non p ri u sc o m m ent a t or e sa d e a t , qnam i p s q
i a ua h re roat
Dc Ar t e C a nci ona ndi .
 CO MM U N I C A TI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 1 81

SEC TI O N XI V —Let y our own

.
f s
eel i ng
be a t t uned to ha r
wi th the s ub ect
p i r i t qf t he s
'

mony j .

To have the mi nd pene trate d Wi th the emotions we

would des el i be is essential to true eloquence and i n ,

th i s l i es much of its force and e ffec t A clergyma n .

who heard Mr Whitefield when he pre a ched at

.
,

Norwich on the great wh i te th rone relates that

, , ,

after the books were Opened and the p r i s

‘
on eI
’

had been impe ac he d the Ju dge asked hi m P risoner

, ,

at the bar "what hast thou to say in thy own dc

fe n s e What excepti ons c anst thou take to the
Witnesses ? The pr i soner was si lent
’
What "hast .

t h e n nothing to say The pri soner conti nued silent .

Th e preac her then cried out Bri ng my cap " I ,

‘

m ean my c ondem ni ng cap Upon this Mr White , .

field burst into a flood Of te ars and a gener al weep ,

ing followed throughout all the congregation This .

divi ne unction wh i ch constitutes the gis t and i n a

, ,

great meas ure the power of el oquence is even more ,

i ndispe nsable than reasoning itse l f ; for the soundest

reason i ng without i t w i ll fall powerless to the ground .

“
I f you wish me to weep you shoul d first show ,

yoursel f to be affected with is an Ol d and

exp r essive adage con c erning eloquence E rasmus .

also declares Nothing is of greater pote ncy to ex

,

cite good affections i n others than to have the foun ,

tai n Of such pious feelings within one s own breast 1 ’ ‘

SI m e fl e r e , d ol e nd u m e s t p r i m um i p s
l t i bi .

t N1 11 1] p o t e nt xu sa d
’
t a nd osbono sa ffe ct os
e xc n . q u am p ri oru m
a fl u c t u u m t n t e m h a be r e i n p e c t o re .
1 82 M E NT AL D I SC I PL I N E .

The best models of eloquence h av e practiced and

t h e best teachers of it h a ve i nculcate d this as a p ri
mary element of true eloquence D r Mason in his . .
,

Student and P astor says The mind should be we l l

, ,

se asoned with the discourse be fore it be delivere d .

It is not enough to be maste r of your notes but you ,

must e nter i nto the spirit of your subject C all i n .

everything that is proper to improve it and to raise ,

”
and animate your mi nd i n the contemplation of it .

This har mony bet ween the feelings Of the publi c

speaker and hi ssubj ect will conduce much to the
per fection Of his langua g e and diction I f the sub .

j cet be clearly conceived says Mr Os

”
te rv al d
,
“
and .
,

deeply impre ssed upon the heart you will certa inly ,

express yourselves i n appropri ate langua g e Th e .

pas si onsa r e a l l el oqu en t Ga u s

se n also presen t s
.

further considerati ons upon the same poi nt F or ,

this will be the e ffect : from the fu ll ness of his heart

he will pour for th suitable express i ons A nd be .

cause these ar e furn ished by the very nature of the

subject u nder discussion and not by the i ndustr y ,

of the speaker who suppresses a l l high -sounding

,

phraseology and atte mpts at hyperbole they will be ,

as appropri ate to the subjects of the discourse as a ,

well -forme d garment grace ful ly befits the person of

the wearer His style will exhibit a manly stren gth
.

and words pregnant with sentiments such words ,

bei ng not the mere signs Of thi ngs but vivid r ep r e ,

s e n ta t i on sof them and their express i m a ges

,
”E .

p l e m t u d m e p ec or i s e rb a fu nda t , q u zn,
t v
"
Na m l ta het ut ex

q s
u i a i p a r e r um na t u ra , non d i c c nt i si nd ust ri a , s
u p p edi t a t , a m otc
 CO MMU N I C A TI ON OF K N OWL E D G E . 1 83

A nother reason why the orator should h av e his

own feeli ngs imbued with the spirit of his subject is ,

that no mere art or imi t at i on c an supply the want .

Heat can never be imparted to a painted flame how ,

ever exquis i te the art of the painter SO it is i m .

'

poss ible for the speaker to give u t t er a nce t o emotions

that do not exist in his own soul Orato rs says
”
.
,

F enelon in his D ialogues upon E loquence “ are i n

, ,

m os t ca s es li ke poets who w ri te elegi es or other

, ,

patheti c poems they must feel the passion they de

,

scribe or else they can n ever pai nt i t well The

,
.

greatest art imaginable c an never speak like true

passion and und i sguised nature Henc e you will .

always be an imperfec t orator i f you be not tho ,

roughly impressed wi th the sentiments you would

paint and commu nicate to others .

To the sacred orator th i s genuine sensibility Of

soul is indispensable Any a fl ect a ti on Of it will not
'

be tolerated by a d i scriminating aud i tory e v en upon

t h e st a ge ; how then c an it be i n the pulpit ?
.
But
to be entirely desti tute of it is to be u nfitt ed for the ,

mi nistry “
Now ou r proposition is says D r An
.
”
, .

drew Reed that deep emotion of the heart is not

,

only proper but i ndis p ens

a bl e to the work of the

m i nistry so that should a person either from physi

,

cal or sp i ritu al c auses hav e his affections in so dull

and obtuse a state as not to allow a corresponding
om ni ve r bor u m t um ore , s
me a h y p e r bol e , r e bu snon s
ul l e cusa c

v e s
t i sc or p o r e s
a pt x s
nm e a dh m r e bu nt E xi t I n i l l i nss
. t i l o V i ri l a

q u odd a m r o b ur , a c e s
p l e ns e nt e nt i a ru m v oce squan er u m non t a m
,

s
i g na e ru nt , q u am v m d a e q
uaed a m e t s
e xp r e sesi m a gine s—Di
Ar t sC om m a nd s
1 84 ME N T AL D I SC I PL INE .

feeling with the tr u th to be uttered he is dis qua l ified ,

for the high a n d important service He would fa il .

to prod uce a co nviction of the tru th of his mess a ge

i n the minds of those who heard it ; he woul d f a i l to
p r od uc e e ven t h e c onvi c t i on th a t h e bel i eved i t h i ms
”
e
lf .

The same author i n endeavorin g to Show that

,
”
deep emotion is one of the essen t ial qualities of
'

”
an efli ci e n t ministry says By emotion I do not
, ,
“

mean a forc ed physic al ex c i tement There are .

many spe akers who hav e inadequate views of the

i m portant truths t h ey utter and whose a ffecti ons ,

have l i ttle sympathy wi th them who n evertheless ,

ta sk themselves to be animated and strik i ng; that

they may be accepta bl e and popular as though any ,

man were truly eloquent by t ry i ng to be SO " The

c fl ec t is that they overstep the m odesty of nature
'
‘
, ,

and do violence to taste and reason In t ry i ng to be .

fo r cible they are extravagant ; in l a bori ng to be

,

patheti c they whin e a nd wh i mpe r ; and i n s

,
tr i vi ng

to feel they become turgid i n the extreme There

,
.

is a great de al of v oci ferati on a n d b es i de i t— nothing

, ,
.

Such services are of very questi onable e fficacy .

Nor by emotion do I re fer with commen d ati on

, ,

to th a t so ftness of nature which disposes an in divi d ual

to u ndue sensibil i ty and even to tears on sli ght oc
,

casi ons a nd on trivial subjects This I S m ere u ea k .

'

nes s and sensible weakness in a minister can ne ver

,

give power to hi s ministr a ti ons .

F inally b y emotion I do n ot understand those

, ,

occasi on al and sud d en gu s ts of real but animal feel

i ng into whi c h some sp eak ers work the ms elves a nd ,
 C OMMUN C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 1 85

which s
p Ii ng from no s
u i c i ent cause , and de fy all
fi
control of j udg ment a n d reason To command .

others we must conm i a nd ourselves It must be

,
.

fel t that thou g ht r i ses wi th pa ssion and that we are ,

ne ver so truly natural aswhen we are deeply im

passioned .

“
B y emotion I re fer to that deep ea r nestnessof
,

the soul whi c h is created by the truth s

,
t r ongl y p er

c e i ved and ent i r el y bel i eved and the consequent ,

qu i c k and h ol y sy mp a t hy Of a l l th e ej ec ti onswith the

word the min i ste r ha sto de l iver a nd the c i r c u m ,

sta nc esi n which he is placed Such emotions e vi

.

d e n t l y would i ndic ate neither weakness nor wild

ness It would be i n keeping with the su bje c t a nd
.
, ,

appeari ng only when it was demanded its presence ,

would be li fe a nd power It would suggest the just

.

ac tion ; it would gi ve the j ust intonation ; it would

create the just expression E ve rything would Speak . ,

and speak eloquently and woul d c arry to the con

,

sc i ence of the be a r er that convic ti on of sincerity and

power in the Speaker which nothing else could sup
”
ply . We may add no one shoul d ever undertak e
,

a subj ec t in the sa c red desk wh i ch he d oes not deem

,

of su ffi c ient importance to awaken the sympathi esof

his heart ; and when the heart is touched the inte l ,

lect will be qui c kened and al l i tse ner gi esi nspi red '

I
S E C T ON X V — Remem ber
. c
i nt el l e t ua l p ower sa re
t ha t the
c
qu i kened by devoti on a nd devot i ona l
feel i ngs .

An example may be a fforded to the C hristian m i n

is ter i n the prac tice of the ancient heathen who were ,
1 86 ME NTA L D I SC I PL I N E .

s
a ceu tu m ed to invoke the a id of the D eity when the y
en g aged in literary ente rp ri se s We have a n ex .

ample of thi s i n Homer who be gins both his Il i ad

,

and Odyssey with an i nvoc ation to D eity So N u .

seus begi ns his Song of Hero and Leander Hesiod ,

his hVor k sand D ays and Ovid his Meta m orphoses

,

Hence the —o J ove p r i n c ip i u m m us ce— Of the L atins .

On the same point might we c ite many of our mo

d ern poets A nd m any of our wisest and best men
.

have thought it i ndi spensable to connect the exer c i se

of devoti on with the prosecution of study Luther .
,

and aft er h im the pious D r Watt s c laimed that .

,

prayi ng was the best And D r Saunder .

St udy wit h out p ra y er is a thei s

”
son declared ,
m .

While St James enjoins I f any of you lack wis

.
,

dom let him as

, k of God
”
.

The du ti es of the C hristian m i nis t er are spiri tual

duti es and require therefore Spiritual a n d devo
, , ,

t ion a l habits of thought and feeling I f the state of .

the m i nd correspond wi th the ch arac ter of the sub

j ect on wh i ch in tellectual energy is to be employed ,

the employment becomes e a sy and d el ight ful ; if

otherwise i t is di fficult i f not irk some The hours
, ,
.

expe nded i n the pre paration of di scou rses for the

pulpi t may on these pri nciples be either among the
, , ,

most happy or t h e m os t distressin g of a studious l ife

'
.

Under the i nfluence of devoti onal excite ment with ,

what clearness and with w h at beauty may a n i n

te r es t i ng passage i n the word of God unfold i ts
meaning to the eye of the mind " It become sat
Be ne ra s
se es t be ne s
o t ud ui s
, se .
 CO MMU N I C A TI ON or K N OWL E D G E . 1 87

o nce a sourc e of spi r itual delight and a theme for ,

pulpit discussion The truths i t i n c ulcates or i a

.

volves present themsel ves in quick suc c ession to the

me d i tati ng m i nd and seem to arrange themsel ves
, ,

without di fficulty i n an ord er the most n atural and

,

c orrect To be an e fficien t m i nister of a s

.
p m t ua l

gospel a man must posse ss a spiri tu a l and powerful

,

per c epti on of truth which may be obta ined onl y by ,

c ombi ning prayer with study .

D evotional feelings will not only inspire an ardor

i n study but especial ly clothe the Christi an mi nister
,

with power i n th e delivery “ When the ti me for .

”
the delivery of his di scourse draws near says ,

E ras mus let the preacher profou ndly and earnestly

,

devo t e himsel f to importunate entreaty and suppli

c ation and let hi m a s
,
k wisdom utterance and suc , ,

cess for hi s sermon from Him who m a kes e ven the ,

tongues of in fants eloquent It would seem al most .

incredible were I to describe how great is the light

, ,

the vi gor the strength and the cheer fulness which

, , ,

from this pious exer c ise acc rue not only to a preach ,

er but a lso to every man who is about to engage i n

,

the performance of d i ffic ult a n d im porta nt duti es ” .

He says Mr Su te l i fl e who like Moses spe aks

”
,
.
, , ,

with God before he addresses the people acquir es a ,

Sub h ora m c o nc i om se cc l e s te sd et se
ia s p rofunde d e p r e c av
t i o ni et a b eo po s a pi e nt i a m , l i ng n a m , e t or a t i o m s
t ul e t s e ve nt u m ,

q u i h ng u a sI nfa nt i u m fa C I t di s e r a s i ncr e d i bl l e d i c t u
t . ua nt um q
l u cxs,
q
u a nt u m v i g or i s , qu a
nt u m q ue r obo n sa t u e a l a c r i t a t i sh m o q
t aa, i m o c u nct i sh o m i m busa d q u o d vxsunq u a m
a c ce d a t e cc l e S I a s

ne g o t l u m a r d uu m sus
c i p i e nd u m et p e r a g e nd u m .
—D e Ar t e C o.
ci ona mh
1 88 M E N T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

ra vi ty and if I may so speak a m or al gl ory of

g , , ,

aspect whi ch en ables him to preach w i th fer xor

,

from on big Mr Shuttleworth i n his Sp ec ul u m

.
,

Sa c r u m relates the following inci d ent wh i ch i s worth

, ,

preservi ng i n this conn ecti on Ro be rt B ruce was

min i ster i n Edi nburgh and much esteemed by our ,

James II Having to prea c h on a solemn occ a sion

.
,

he was late in coming to the congregati on So me .

of the peopl e begi nning to be weary and others ,

wonderi ng at his stay the bells having been ru ng ,

long a n d the tim e fa r spent, the beadle was desired

,

to go and learn the re as on ; who coming to his house , ,

and fi ndin g hi schambe r d oor shut and hearing a ,

sou nd drew n e a r ; and listening overheard Mr

, , .

B ruce ofte n with much seri ousness say I protest

, , , ,

VVh e r e u po n
’
I will not go except thou go with me .
,

supposing some man wa si n company with him w i th ,

drew without kno c ki ng at the door and re porte d to ,

the wai ting congregation that some person was with

the ministe r whom he waspressing to come w i th
,

him and declaring that he woul d not c ome without

,

h im . Mr Bruc e soon aft er c am e ac comp a n i ed by

.
,

no man but h e cam e i n the fullness of the blessi ng

,

of the gospel of C hrist and his spee c h and his preach

,

i ng were in such e v iden c e and demonstration of the

Spi ri t that it was easy for his hearers to perceive h e
,
”
had bee n i n the mou nt wi th God .

Wh en devoti on with i t s sacred torch says

, ,

Ga u s sen has inflamed the heart of the prea cher i t

, ,

ca rri e s h im ou t beyond h i msel f and scarcely perm its ,

him to have th e control Of his p o wers That perso n, .

 C OMMU N C A I TI ON or K N OWL E D G E . 1 89

there fore ,
seems to have answered with much truth
and wi sdom who on being asked by his friend what
, ,

wa s the best method he could adopt for mak i ng a

rapid progress i n C hristi an eloquence said Your , ,
‘

progress in that will be in proportion to the i n t erest

,
’
of your love of C hrist .

PR A YE R or T H OMA S A Q U I NA S B E F OR E S T UD Y
I NG on P R E A C H IN G 1 .
‘

A fr ee
" t r a ns
l a t i on ) .

Great C reator ; i n e fl a bl e G od " who from

the
'

treasures of thy wisdom has t c reated the d i fferen t

or d ers of angels and placed them i n marvelous rank
above the empyreal heavens and hast most glor i ousl y ,

arranged the various parts of the u niverse ; thou "l

beseech who art the true fount of l ight and wisdom
, ,

D e V Ot I O c u m eccl e s ms t en s u i sa s sxt fa c t b u s c u m t a p l t e xtr , a

8 9 , ne c s ui s atis c om p o t e m e s s e Sl h l t : u t v er r é e t s e l t é r es pon
dl s s e vi d e a t ur q u i m t e rrog a t u sa b a m i c o q u a v i a p ot i s , s i m um
m a g nu m e l o q u e n t i a C h r i s t i a na p r og re s su m fa cere t ? Si i nq ul t , ,

m a m m e a m e sC h ri s t u m —D e A r t e C onc i ona nd z
. .

f C re a t o r i ne fl a bi h sD e u s" q u i d o t h es a u ri s s
'

, a p i en t i ae t o ze

nove m o r d i ne sa ng e l o r u m i n for m as t I e t e osm i i o o rdm e s

. up e r

c oel u m e m p y re u m c ol l oc as t i e l e g a nt I S S I m e p a r t e su m v er s
, i di s
p os uI s t I t n i nq u a m q u nve r u sfo nsl u m i m se t s
, a p i e nt i ae d i c e n s ,

q
a t ue s u p e re m i ne u sp r i nC I p l u m i nfu nde re d I gna r i ss
, u pe r i nt e l

l e c t u i no s t ri t e ne bra st u s e r a di u m c l a n t a t i s; d u p l i c e m , i n q u a

na t I s u m u s r e m o ve a sp n va t l one m
, p e c c a t u m S e t i g nor a t i a m
, , .

Q ui "h ng u a sI n fa nt l u m fa c i sdi s e r t a s l m g u a m m e a m e ru di a s
, ,

q
a t u e i t l a busm e i s
.
g r a t i a m t u ae be ne d i c t l o m sI nfu nda s D a m l hl
l nt e l l i g e nd i a c u m e n r et m e nd i c a p a c rt a t e m
, i nt e r sp e c t a ndi s
, ub

t i l it a te m , a ddi s c e ndi fa cu l t a t e m l oq u e ndi g ra t i a m c op l o s

, am

gr e s su m i ns tr ua s proc e ssa m di ri gas, e t egr e ssum com pl e a s

,

Am e n .
1 90 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

—the Hi ghest of the high —spread over the dark ~

ness of our und e rstand i ng the rad iance of thy li ght ;

remove the twofold degr a dation i n which we are
born —si n and ignoran c e Thou "who makest elo .

quent the tongues of babes make eloqu ent my tongue ,

and pour out upon my lips the favor o f thy benedic

tion . G rant unto me an a c uteness of understanding,
a capacity of reta i ning a depth of i nvestigation a
, .

fac u lty of conti nually learni ng and an overflowing ,

C opiousness of speech : point out my path direct ,

my progress and complete my c ou rse A men

, . .

SE C TI ON XV I — l n or de r to c mm
o uni ca t e knowl edge wi th
ef ect , be i mp r es
sed wi th the i m or ta nce o
p f bei ng a bl e to ex
p ressy ours el
f with sf p os
e/ ses sion, rea di ness
,
ck a r nes
s, p
re

ci s
i on, a nd
for ce .

To be able to speak e ffectively is to be eloquent .

Socrates defines eloquence to be th e p ower of p er

s u a di n ;
g C icero defines i t to be s p ea ki ng i n a p er
s ua s i ve m a nn er Q uintilian s p ea ki ng wel l ; and a
,

modern l ecturer s p ea ki ng ou t
, B ut di ffer asphilo.
,

l ogi sts m a y about its definition tru e eloquence is not ,

li kely to be mistaken nor u nder valued Some of

, .

the elementsof e ffective speak ing we have i m bodied

i n the above precept .

1 . Selfip o esessi on This coll ec tedness of mind

.
,

and i ndependence denoted by sel f-possession a r e ,

i ndispensable to the public spe aker Says a m a ste r .

i n the art The ora t or should keep up a sel f-com

,

m and and a becomi ng presence of mind a nd get ,

above a low ser vile fear of man

, A speaker wh o .
 CO MM U N I C A TI ON or KN OWL E D G E . 1 91

isafrai d of his auditory never command them ;

ca n

nor can one who cannot command himsel f "his .

fear cramps the genius of the speaker restricts the ,

flow of his thought ren d ers his manner awkward

,

and sti ff if not p eu r il e and foolish D oes he attempt

,
.

to draw out a sentence ? he stammers and falters

’

D oes he attempt to use a rhetoric al figure ? he i s

afrai d to carry it ou t ; and so stops in the middle or ,

flats out i nto such a tone and manner that the figure
loses its force and often becomes ridiculous D oes
,
.

he atte mpt a gesture he is afraid to gi v e bold ness

and expression to i t and awkwardly c atches back
,

his arm or holds it i n a ridiculous posture The

,
.

timidity and fear he mani fests and his evident con ,

straint and perplexity affect the sympathies of his

,

aud i tors to such a degree that the discourse com

p l ete l y loses i ts e ffect .

“
I f perfectly at ease says Professor Ware “ he
, ,

would have everything at comm and and be able t o ,

pour ou t his thoughts i n lucid order and with de ,

si rable variety of man ner and expression But .

when thrown from his sel f-possession he can do no

thing be t ter than to mechanically stri ng together
words whil e there is no soul i n them because his
, ,

men tal powers are spel l -bound and imbecile He .

stammers he s , i ta t es and stumbles or at best talks

, , , ,

on without Object or a im as mechanically and n u

, ,

con sciously as a n automaton He has learned little .

e ffectu ally u ntil he has l earned to be col lected .

This there fore must b e a le ading object of attention

, ,
.

It wi ll not be attained by a man of delic acy and

1 92 M ENT AL D I SC I P L I NE .

sensibility except by long and trying practic e I t

, .

will be the result of much rough experience and ,

man y morti fying failures And after all o c casion

.
, ,

may occur when the most experienced will be put

of f thei r gu ard Still however much may be done
.
, ,

by the control whi c h a vigorous mi nd has over itsel f ,

b y resolute and persevering determi nation by re ,

fu s i ng to shrink or g ive way and by pre ferri ng ,

alway s the m or t i fica t ion of ill success to the weak

n ess that would grow ou t of retreating .

2 R ea d i nes
. s Opposed to readiness is hesitation
.

whether resulti ng from defective vocal organs la ,

bored e ffort to reclai m h al f-forgotte n thoughts habi t , ,

u nmanly d i ffide n ce or any other c ause

,
Such a .

delivery is pain ful to the li stener ; and u nless ex ,

t r a n eou sor i ncidental circumstances give int rest to e

the discourse it will fail to interest and c onsequent

, ,

l y i n a great mea sure to profit however replete it

, , ,

m ay be i n val uable matter or however apposite to ,

the occ asion and the assembly By readi ness how .

,

ever we would not be understood to mean that

,

pec uliar fl ipp a n cy with which shal low minds show

”
off : but ability to speak wi th suitable prompt ness
and decisi on It is remarked that shallow waters
.

”
are easily drained off and unquestion ably there is
,

a certai n readi ness of spee c h whi c h is much admired

by some but whi c h spri ngs from the ve ry shallow
,

ness of the thou gh ts ; while those who speak wi th

meditation are o ften slow and hesitating ti ll they
become warmed with th e subject The prompt .

c ommand of l a ngu m e to express the thoughts we

 C OMMU N C A I TI ON or K N OWL E D G E . 1 93

h ave , is to be regarded not only as a mental excels

lence i n itsel f but to a public speaker it is i ndis
, p en
s able In a philosopher like Locke or Newton ,
.
,

hesitation may be tolerate d ; but i n one whose pro

fes si on is public speaking i t is inexcusable .

3 Cl ea r nes
. sor p er sp i c u i ty By clearness is mean t.

a luminousness and perspi c u i ty of thought and ex

press ion that convey the mean ing of the author dis
t i nc t l y to the m i nd of the b e a r er It is opposed to .

that misti ness whi c h seems to give an indisti nct out

l i n e and color to everything P erspicu i ty is one of .

the highest pri nciples of eloquence ) “ P rofessor

Os t er va l d says It is the soul of disc ourse It con
, .

sist si n having simple an d n atural i d easof wh at we

say Th i ngs must be clearly conceived i n order to
.

make them understood by others Abstract reason .

ings are not apprehended by the body of the peo

”
ple . Perspicuity also depends upo n the terms
employed Though the ideas of the speaker may
.

be c lear to himsel f i f he use schol astic words m eta

, ,

p h or i c a l and figurative language the thoughts will ,

be rendered obscure to the multitude through their ,

not comprehending the definition of his words and

t h e meaning p f his metaphors .

The public speaker must not only have a keen

perception of the rel ations of thi n gs — truth s as well
as principle s- but ability to gi v e distin ct ex p r ession
'

to them .

Prl na est el q nt i ze vi t u sp spi cui t a s; et q uo qui sq ue l n

i o ue r , er

g ni o m i nu sv l t h c s
e e m gi sa ttol l e e e t di l a ta e c ona t r ; u t
a e , o a r r u

s
t a t ur a b re ve si n di gl t ose ng un t ur , et p l a ra i nfir m i m i na nt ur
Q u i ntt l t a u
1 94 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

Thi s distinct percep t ion is essential to the form i n g

of hi sown j u dgment I f says Mr Locke
”
.
“
in , .
,
“

havi ng our ideas i n the memo r y ready at hand con

sist s quickness of parts ; in this of having them nu
con fused and being able to dist inguish one thing
,

from another where there is but the least di fference

, .

consists in a great measure the exactness of judg

, ,

ment and clearness of reason which are to be observed

”
i n one man above another F rom what we have .

already observed it is e vident th at clearness of ex

pression is not a necessary consequent upon clear ~

ness of thought It is one thing conti nues Mr

.
“ ”
,
.

L oc ke, to thi nk right and another th i ng to kno w

,

the right way to l ay our th oughtsbe fore others wi th

”
a dvanta e and clearness
g .

Th ou gh t i n m in e , m a y com e for t h gol d or s”

dr os .

Many who c an n ot be suppose d to be deficient i n

,

c l earn ess of thought, are n evertheless dark obsc u re , ,

and uninte lligible in d el i very There is not an ex a c t .

correspon dence between the ment al proc ess and the

verbal expression of it Ma ny of th e litt le links t hat

.

were c arefully secu red i n the men tal process and ,

that were esse ntial to the perfec tion of t h e chai n are ,

omi tted i n the exp r ession of the train of reasoning .

Oliver C romwell is a striking illustration i n point

Al l accoun ts says Mr Hume
”
,
agree in a scri bing
.
,

to C ro mwell a ti resome dark and u nintelligible el o

, ,

c u t i on even where he had no in tention t o disguise

,

his meaning ; yet n o man s ac tions were ev er i n su c h ’

,

a variety of d ifficult c ases more decisi v e and j u dr ,

 CO MMU N I C A TI ON OF K N OWL E D G E . 1 95

Ious Thi s will do for the military ad venturer ,

who i sto be understood by his action s and not by ,

his word s ; it will do for the businessman who h a s ,

occasion but seldom to explai n the processes of his

re a soni ng ; but not for the publ ic speak er Hi s .

tho u ghts should be like coins issued from the mint ,

ea c h — the least as well asthe greatest—c lear in i ts

impri nt and reta i ning a l l its origi nal l ustre He
, .

d
shoul speak so that the bea r er not only may be “

a bl e to u nderstand i f he wish ; but that he m ay not

,

be able not to unders tand whether he cares to or ,

”
not .

4 P r ec is
. i on Pre c ision is closely alli ed to p e r s
.
pi
cu i t y It consists i n using such l angu a ge as will
.

read ily con v ey the exact ideas of the speaker to the

m i nd of the bearer It implies not only freedom .

from obsc urity but also from redundan c y of expres

,

sion and from meretri c ious orn ament Mr Webster . .

,

one of the most eloquent speakers aswell as one of ,

t h e profou ndest thinkers of the a ge is remarkable ,

for clearness and pre c i s i on and at the sam e time h i s

,

speeches are rem arkably free from similes meta ,

p or s St e
h They are an acc umul ation of m a s
, . si ve
rea s on i
g and he when once questioned as to the
n
, ,

se c re t Of his power said that it arose from the fact

,

that he always clothed his ideas i n pl ai n old Saxon .

Ho w di fferent t h is from the style of those who i m

,

-
a gi I e that truth cannot be eloquent unless burnished

wi ‘
laboriously wrought orn ament and who are ,

e ver st ormi ng the m inds of their auditories wi th

what Mr Pope calls a mob of metaphors

.
1 96 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

Meta phors and similes are not however without , ,

their use They often render that apparent whic h

.

woul d otherwise be Obsc ure to min d s unaccustomed

to rigid thought or of slow comprehension They
, .

also ofte n gi ve ad d itional force to that which was

prev iously apprehended Mr L ocke unquestion . .
,

ably carries his aversion to them to an extreme yet

, ,

t here is m u c h truth i n the following reflecti ons

They wh o i n their di scourse strike the fancy and ,

take the hearer s c oncepti ons along w i th them as

’

fast astheir words flow are the applauded ta lkers , ,

and go for the only men of clear thou ghts Nothing .

contributes SO much t o thi s as similes V Ve l l -chosen .

similes meta phors and all egories with meth od and

, , ,

order do th i s the best of anything because being

, , ,

taken from objec ts al read y known and fam iliar to ,

the u nderstanding they are concei ved as fas

, t as
Spoken and the correspondence be i ng c on c luded
, ,

the thi ng they are brought to el ucidate is thought to

be u nderstood too Thus fancy p asses for know
.

”
le dge and what is prettily sai d is m i staken for solid
,
.

5 F orc e
. By force is meant a sort of sp i ritu al i m
.

pe t u sand power with which the thoughts are d eliver

ed A speaker may be read y i n his del i very clear i n
.
,

his conceptions conc i se in expression a n d yet be in

, ,
»

s ipid and powerless F orce i n orato ry i s that wh i c h

.

g ives just express i on to the s

e n t im m t It origi na tes i n .

a n energy of soul that gives propul sion to thought It .

i sm ani feste d i n the i ntonations of th e voi c e the ex ,

pressions of the counten ance t h e fla s hi ngsof the eye , ,

the expre ssi v e gesti culati on a n d the v ery p os .

ture of
 C O MMUN I C ATI O N ( F K N OW L E D G E . 1 97

the body All these however must be only the out

.
, ,

beam i ngs of 3 Spirit stirring wi thi n Imitation of i t .

at the bar is censurable i n the pulpit it is re volting

,
.

\V hen D emosthenes was in t errogated as to the first

element of el oquence he replied a ct i on ; when asked
, ,

lhe se c ond he repeated a c ti on ; and also when as

, ,
ked ,

again he responded a c ti on The schoo l-boy will

, ,
.

not soon forget Webster s Ch aracte r of Tru e El o ’

q u en ce ;
”
nor yet hi s“
ac ti on noble subl ime god , , ,
”
li ke action .

I
SE C T ON X V II — Accus
.tom y ours
e f to
l extemp or a neou s
d is
cours
e .

In order to commun i cate truth and espec i ally reli ,

gious truth with the greatest force and e ffect the

, ,

speaker must be brought i nto immed i ate contact

w i th the sympathies the he a rts of his hearers This
, .

can be done— we w i ll not say onl y bu t best i n ex , ,

temporaneous discourse ; in which the thoughts pos

sess a freshn ess a nd v i va c ity rarely attained i n writ
t e n sermons and i n their delivery are accompanied
,

w i th a force of expression and a sympathy of feeling

seldom evinced i n rea d ing Professor “7are i n his .
,

E ssay on Extemporaneous P reach i ng here quoted ,

from the Preacher s Manual presents the subjec t i n

’

a very clear and convincing man ner .

“
That the advantages of extemporaneous di s
course are real and substanti al may be safely in fer ,

red from the habi t of publ i c orators i n other p r ofes

s i ons and from the e ffects wh i c h they are known
,

to prod uce There is more natural w armth in th e

.
i 98 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

:l ccl a m a t ion ,
more earnestness i n the address greater ,

a nimati on i n the manner more Of th e l ighti ng up of ,

the soul i n the c oun tenan c e and whol e mien m or e ,

free d om and meani n g in the gesture the eye s pe ak s .

and the finger speak s a n d when the orator is so ex ,

cited as to forget e v er v t h i ng but the matter on whi c h

his mi nd and feel ings are a c ting the whole body is .

a ffected and helps to propagate his emotions to the

be a r e r A mid all the exaggerated coloring of P a t
.

ri c k Henry s biographer there is doubtless enough

’
,

th at is true t o prove a power i n the spontaneous

energy of an excited speaker supe ri or in i t se ffe c ts ,

t o anyth ing th a t c a n be prod uced by wri t ing .

“
In deliberati ve assemblies i n senates and parlia ,

ments th e larger portion of the speaking i s n ece s

,

s a r il
y unpreme d itated ; perhaps th e most eloquent is
always so for i t is eli c ited by the grow i ng Of debate
,
.

It is the spo nt a neous combustion of the mind i n the

o n fli c t of Op i nion C h atham s spee c hes were not
’
.

w ritten nor those of F ox nor that Of Ames on the

, ,

B ri tish treaty They were so fa r as regards their

.
,

langu a g e and orn am ents t h e e ffusions of the m o ,

ment and derived from their freshness a power

,

whi c h no stu d y c ould impart Amon g the orati ons .

of C icero which are said to h ave mad e t h e greate s t

impression and to ha t e best accompl i shed the ora

,

to r s d sign are those delivered on u nexpe c te d

’
e
,

emergencies whi c h precl uded the possibility Of pre

,

vi ons preparati on Suc h were his i n v e tive agai nst

. t

C atal i ne and the spee c h wh i ch sti lled the disturb

,

a uces at the theatre In a l l these cases there c an

.
,
 C OM MU N C A I TI ON OF KN OW L E D G E . 1 99

be n o questi on of the advantages which the orators

enjoyed in their abil ity to make use of the excite
ment Of t h e occasion u n c hi l led by t h e formality of
,

stud i ed preparati on Although possibly guilty Of

.

many rhetorical and logical faults yet these would ,

be u nobserved i n the fervent and impassioned to r

rent which bore aw a y the mi nds of the del igh t ed
” ”
au d itors . It m ay be doubted says the cont ri butor ,

Of an able article i n the Methodist Q uarterly Re

view whether the highest ki n d of eloquence can

,
“

be otherwise atta i n ed ; it i s tr ue at least that all , ,

the great masters Of art D emosthenes and C icero , ,

LI i ra b e a u and C hatham G rattan and C urran Henr y

, ,

and Webster Wh i tefield and H a l l have been most

, ,

l v extempori zers .
’

That to t h e g ener a l ity of hearers the e xt em po

r a n eou smode Of a d dress i s more attractive no one ,

can question si nce any ord inary mixed as sembly

wil l be more I nterested and longer entertained with
an ad d re ss c f ord inary merit as to m a t te r than wi th ,

a superior dis c ourse read It was for this reason .

that C e c il advi sed you n g preachers to l imi t a wr i t

”
t e n sermon to hal f an hour A nother consideration.

that is worthy Of note as it certai nly possesses weigh t

,
,

i s th at the power of extemporaneous dis c ourse is

,

held i n high estimation among men and this cannot ,

fa i l Of itsel f to conduce to the i nfluence Of the public

Speaker . i onswill al so occur on whi c h a man
OC( a s
u naccustomed to extemp oraneous speaking will be ‘

compelled to sit still and fore go th e opportunity for

use fulness or hazard the interests of a good c aus
, e
2 00 M E N T AL D I SC I PL IN E .

by an awkward e ffort at that to which he is un ac

c usto med and for which his habits h a ve re ndered
,

him incompeten t D irect Speaki ng is al so the n a

.
~

tu ral mod e of delivery a n d henc e the s pe ak er wil l

,

express him se l f with gre ater animati on and tr uer

emphasis than he who isunder the necessity of di
r ec t i n
g his eyes and hi s thoughtsto hi s m anusc ri pt
in s te ad Of his subject .

“
It is a fir r th e r advan tage not to be forgott en ,

here that the excitement of speaking in publ ic strikes

,

out new views of a subject new illustr ations an d , ,

new arguments whi ch perhaps ne v er would h ave

, , ,

presented thems el ves to the mi nd i n reti rement .

The warmth whi ch animates hi m says F en el on ,

’
,
‘
gives birth to expressions and figures whi ch he
n ever could have prepared i n his study He who .
’

possesses suitable self-confidence as an extempori zer ,

will read i ly seize u pon these a nd be as tonished a t ,

the new li ght which breaks i n u p on hi m as he goe s

”
on and flashes a l l around him
, .

As t o the Sc riptu re warrant for extempore preach

ing we may at l east claim that i t h asthe authori t y
,

of example wh i ch is more than can be sai d of

,
”
readi ng . The present mode of reading se rmons
“
,

says Su t cli fie i sn either supported by example nor

‘
“
,

enj oined by precept i n the Holy Sc ri p t ures In th e .

syn agogue at Nazareth our Lord rea d a passage out ,

of the B ook of Isa i ah then closed the book and gave

,

it to the m i nister P hili p i n te aching the noble

.
,

eunuch began at the sc ri pture he w as read i ng and

, ,
”
pre a che d Jesus t o can be so absurd as to i m
.
~
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 201

t g i ne that our Saviour i n deliveri ng his sermon on

,

the mount rea d f r om a m a nu s

, crip t ? Who c an sup
pose that Peter u s ed n otesi n th e del ivery of his i m

passion ed sermon on the day of P entecost or that

Paul in preachi ng “ ri ghteousness temperance and
, , ,

j udgment to F elix or Jesus and the r es

”
, ,
u r r ec
“

ti on to the G reek criti c s and phi losophers on Mars ’

Hill depended upon the grace and refinement of a

,

stu d i ed composition rather than the sponta neous

,

gushing up of thought from the deep resour c es of

his own gen i us trans fused w i th glowi n g l ife by the
,

free communi c ations of the Holy Spiri t ?

The Obi e cti onsmainly u rged against ex t em po
r a n e ou sdiscourse h ave general ly bee n founded on “

the idea that by extemp ora neous is meant u np r e

m ed i ta t ed whereas there is a plai n and impor tant
,

distinction between them the latter word be i ng a p ,

pl i ed to the thoughts and the former to th e langu age

,

only To preach w i thout premeditation is altogether

.

unjusti fiable although there is no doubt that a m a n

,

Of h ab i tual readi ness of mind may express h i msel f to

great advantage with a subject on whi c h he is fami

”
liar a fter very little meditati on
, .

This subject is of so much moment i n t h e com

m u ni ca t i on of knowledge th at we may be justified ,

in considering i n detail the leading objecti ons which ,

some writers o n pulpit eloquence and even on ora ,

t ory i n general have made against extemporaneous

,

d i scourse .

“
1 The Obj ecti on most u rged is on e that relates
.

to s ty l e It is said , the expression wi l l be p oor, i n

.
2 02 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

elegan t i nac c urate and Offensive to hearers Of t a s

, , ts .

“
To those who urge th i s i t may h e replied tha t
, ,

t h e re a son why style i s an i mportan t cons i deration

i n the pulpi t is not th a t the taste Of the hearers m a y
,

be gratifie d for but a small part of any con gregation

,

c apable of tak i ng cognizance of this matter but ,

solely for the purpose of presenti ng the speak er s ’

thoughts reason i ngs and expostulati ons d is

, ,
t i nct l v
,

a n d forcibly to the mi nds of his hearers I f this be

.

e ffecte d it i sa l l that c an r ea s
, on a b l v be demanded .

A n d is i t not noto ri ous that an earnest and appro

r i a t e elocution will give this e f
f ect even to a poor
p
s tyle and that poor Speaking will take it away from
the most exact and emphatic style ? Is it not also
noto ri ous that the pecul i ar earnestness Of spontane
ous speech is above all Others suited to arrest the
, ,

atte ntion and engage the feeli ngs of an au d ience

and that the mere read ing of a p i ece Of fine compo ~

Sit i ou
,
un d er the noti on that c are ful thought and
fi nished dicti on are the o nly thi ngs nee dful leaves ,

the majority u ni ntereste d i n the disc ourse and free ,

t o th i nk of anyth i ng they please It is a poor com

plimen t says B lair that one is an accurate reasoner
,
’
,
‘
,

i f he be not a persu asive Speaker al so It is a smal l

.
’

matter that the style is poor SO long asi t answe r s

,

th e great end of instructing and a ffe c ting men .

Besides i f i t were not so the obj ection will be

, ,

found qu i te ass t rong agai nst the wr i t i ng of sermons .

F or how large a proportion Of sermon writers have

these s am e faul ts of style " What a great want of
forc e neatness compactness , is there i n t h e comp o
, ,
»
 C OMM UN C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 2 03

"t o i n of mos t: preachers " What weak ness i ncl e ,

gance a n d i nconclusi veness " and how small i m

,

provement do th ey make even after the prac tice of

,

years " How h a ppens thi s ? It is because they do

not m ake it an objec t Of attenti on a nd stu dy ; and
some might be u nable to attai n it if they di d Bu t .

th at watc h fu l ness and care which will secure a cor

rect and neat s t v 1 e in writi ng w ou i d also secure it i n
Speaking It d oes no t n aturally b elong to the on e
.

more than to the oth e r and may be as c er a i nly a t

,
t

t a i ned i n ea c h by the p r oper pains In d eed s o fa r .

,

as my obse rvation has e x tended I am not certa i n ,

th at there is not as large proportion of extempore

a

speakers whose di c tion rs sexa c t and u ne xce pt ion

a

able as of w r i ters ; al wa y s t king i nto v iew their e d u

a

c ation wh i ch equally a ffecn the one and the o ther

,
, .

A nd i t is a consideration o f great weight th a t the

faults i n questi on are fa r l e s sOffensive i n
than i n wri ters .

“
2 A want Of order a r a mbling u n con re ct e d
.
, , ,

desultory m anner i sobje c ted Hume styles it ex

, .
‘

treme c arelessness of m eth o d a n d this i sS ) often ’

,

observed as to be justly an ob tect of dread B ut this .

is occ asioned by that i n d olenc e and want o f d isci

pline to which we have j ust alluded It i s n ot a n e .

c es sar
y evil I f a m an h ave never stu d ied the art of
.

speak i ng nor passed through a course Of preparatory

,

d i scipl i ne— if he have so ras h a nd u nj usti fiable eon

fide n c e in h i ms el f that he will u ndertak e to Speak
without ha ving consi dered what he shall s a
y what ,

Object he Shal l ai m at or by what ste ps he shall a t

,
204 M E N T A L D I SC I PL I NE .

ta in i t — the in evitable c onsequenc e will be confa

s ion incon c lusiveness and wandering Who r e
, ,
.

commends such a course ? But he who has fi rst

trained himsel f to the work and whenever he woul d
,

Speak fi rst becomes famil i ar with the po i n ts to be

,

dwelt u pon and th e cou rs e of reasoning and the

track of thought to be foll owed will go on from on e
,

s t ep to another i n an easy and n atural order and ,

give no occasi on to the complai nt of con fusion or

d isarrangement .

Some preachers says D i non a r t have the foll y

’ ‘
, ,

to thi nk th at they can make sermons impromptu

A n d what a pi ece of work t h ey m ake They bol t
out everyth i ng which comes in to their head They .

take for granted what ought to be proved or perhaps ,

they s t ate h al f the argument and forget the rest .

Their appearance c orresponds to the state of their

mind whi c h i s oc cupied i n hun ting a fter some way
,

of fi nishing the sentence they have begu n They .

re pe at themselves ; they wander off in d igr e s s

i on w

They sta nd sti ff without movi ng ; or if they are of a

, ,

li veli er temperament they are full of the most tur

,

bulent ac ti on : their eyes and hands are flyi ng about

in every directi on an d their words choke i n their
,

throats They are like me n swimming who ha ve

.

got frightened and throw about their hands and

,

feet at random t o save themselves from drowning ’

There I S doubtless great truth i n this humorous de

sc ri ption Bu t what i s the legitimate in ference ?
.

that extemporaneous speaki ng is al together r i dicu

lous and mischi e vous or only that it is an art wh i c h
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON or K N OWL E D G E . 205

r eq ui res s t u dv and discipline , a n d wh ch no m a n .

s hould presume to practice un t il he has fi tted hi m

self for i t ?
3 In the same way I should dispos e of the obj ec
.

tion that thi s hab i t lead s to barrenness i n preach i ng

, ,

and the everlasti ng repeti tion of the same sentiments

and top i cs I f a man make his facility of speech an
.

excuse for the neglect of study then d oubtless this ,

w i ll be the result He who cannot resist his i ndolent

.

propensities had best avoid this occasion of t em pt a

tion He must be able to command hi msel f to think
.
,

a nd i ndustri ously pre pare himsel f by medi tation if ,

he would be safe i n this hazardous experiment He .

who does th is and continues to learn and reflect

,

while he preaches will be no more empty and mono

,
”
tonous than i f he care fully wrote ev ery word In .

deed we are not sure tha t this everlasti ng repeti

,
”
tion of the same sentiments and top i cs is not as
common to writing asextemporizing .

Whether the preacher writes or extempori zes this ,

is the result of the neglect of theologi cal study and

general mental improvement This sam eness and .

monotony so much and so reason ably objected to,

,

is not exclusi vely confined to the extempori zers ”

.

4 B u t this temptation to indolen c e in t h e pre

.

a r a t i on for the desk is urged as i n its el f a decisive

p
objection A man fi nds that a fter a little prac tice ,
.
,

i t is an exceedingly easy thing to fil l up his hal f hour

with declamation w h ich shall p a ss off very well and ,

h e nce he grows negligent i n pre v ious meditati on

a nd insensibly degenerates into an empty exhort er
2 06 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

without choice of langua g e or variety of ideas Thi s .

i sun d oubte dly the great and alarming d a nger of this

practi c e Thi s must be triumphed over or i t i s
.
,

ru i nous We see examples of it wherever we l ook

.

a mong those whose prea c hing is e x cl u s i v el e x te m v

pore I n these cases the e v il rises to i ts m a g nitude

.
,

i n consequence of their to tal neglect of the pen .

The hab it of wr iti ng a certai n proporti on of t h e ti me

w o u l d however coun terac t thi s dangerous t enden c y
, , .

B ut it i sstill i nsisted that man s n atural love of

’

ease i s not to be trusted that he will not long con

,

t i n u e the drudgery of wri ti ng in part that whe n he ,

h ason c e gained confi d ence to speak without stu d y

he will find i t s o flatterin g t o his indolence that he

wi ll volun tari ly give h imself up to it and reli nquis h ,

the pen altogether ; and that co nsequently there is , ,

no se c urity except i n never beginning To this i t

,
.

may be repli ed that th ose who have not principle

,

and sel f-governmen t enough to keep them in d ustri

ous will n ot be kept so by be i ng compelle d to wn t e
’

sermons I thi nk we have abundant proof that a

.
-

man may wri te with as li ttle pains and th i nki ng as

he can speak It by n o means foll ows that be c ause
.

it is on paper it is there fore the resul t of study .

An d if i t be not it will be greatly i n ferior i n poin t

, , ,

of e f f e c t to an u n premeditated declamation ; for in

, ,

the lat ter cas e there wrl l probably be at least a t em

,

por a r y ex c i t e m ent of feeli ng and c onsequent vi va

,

city of mann er whi le i n the former the i ndolence

,

of the writer wi ll be mad e doubly i n t o l erable by hi s

h ea vm es si n re Lding .
 CO MMUN I C A TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 207

5 . Many su ppose that there is a certai n na tural

tal ent essenti al to success i n extempore speaki ng n o ,

less than i n poetry and t hat it is absurd to r e c om

,

mend this art to those who h ave not this pecul i ar

a lent and vai n for them to attempt its practi c e
t
.
,

‘
Asregard s merely the use of unpreme d itated
l anguag e it is fa r from being a di ffi c ult attainmen t
,
.

A write r , whose Opportunities of observat i on give

weight to his op inion , says i n speaking of the
,

style of the younge r P itt : This profuse and i nter

m i nable flow of words is not i n itsel f either a rare
, ,

or remarkable endowment It is wholl y a thing of

.

habit a nd is exercised by every vi llage lawyer with

,

v ari ous d egrees of power and gr a c e I f there be

’
.

circumstances that render the habit more di ffi c ul t to

be acquired by the preacher , they are sti l l such a s
m ay be surmou n ted ; a n d the advan ta ges wh i ch he
may thus i nsure to h i mse l f certainly offer the stron g
est indu c ement to h im to m ake the a ttempt ”
Pr e .

s ide nt Madi son w as an able debater combining ,

fluency of speech with close logi c al argumentation ;

and yet this was not wi th him a n a t ural en d owment ,

but attai ned with toilsome dil igence and c are .

But i n regard to that ready flow of words whi c h

seems to be the natural gi ft of some men i t is of ,

l i ttle consequence whether it be really such or be

owing t o the educ ation and habitsof early l ife and ,

t rai n self- con fide n c e

‘
It is c ertai n that d ifli d e n ce
.

and the want of habit are great hinderances to fluen c y

of speech ; and it is equal ly certai n th at th i s n atural

fluency is a v ery questi onable adva n ta g e to hi m who

208 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

would be an im pressive speaker Those who at fi rst .

talk easiest do not always ta lk best Their very fa .

n

c il i t
y is a snare to them ; it serves to keep them con
tent ; they make no e ffort to improve and are likely ,

to fal l i nto slo venly habits of elocution So that this .

u n a cquired fluency is so fa r from essential that it is ,

not even a benefit and it may be an inju ry It

, .

keeps from final emi nenc e by the very greatness of

its early promi se On the other hand he who pos
.
,

sessed originally n o remarkable command of langu a ge ,

and whom an un fortunate bash fulness preven ts from

using well what he h as is obli ged to subj ect hi m s
, el l

t o severe di s cipline ; to submit to rules and tasks ; to

go through a tedious process of training ; to a c quire ,

by much labor the n eed ful sway over his thou ghts
,

and words so that they shall come at his bidding

, ,

and not be driven away by his own di ffid ence or by ,

the presence of other men To do all this is a long

.

and disheartening l a bor He is expose d to frequent

.

m or t ific a t i o nsand must endure man y g ri evous fail

,

ures be fore he at t ains th at con fidence which is indis

pensable to success B ut then in this discipline his
.

powers mental and moral are strained up to the ,

hi ghest intenseness of acti on after persevering p r a c

t i ce they become habitually subj ect to h i scontrol ,
and work wi th a precision ex a ctness and en ergy ,
, ,

which can n ever be the possession of him who h a s

depended upon his native undiscipli ned gi ft It is
,
.

probably this to which Newton referred when he

s aid that he never spoke well un ti l he felt that he
,

c ould not spe ak at a ll .

 C OMMUN C A I TI ON or K N OWL E D G E . 209
“
Le tno one there fore feel it an oos
,
t a el e in hi s,

way that he h a sno read i ness of words I f he h ave .

good sense and no deficiency of talent and is will i ng

, ,

t o labor for this as all great attainments must be la ~

bored for he needs not fear but that i n ti me he will

,

attain it A ny m an with powers which fit hi m for

.

th e ministry at a l l — unless there be a few e xt r a or d i

n ary exception s—is capable of l earning to express
himse lf c l early correctly and wi th method ; and
, ,

this is expressly what is wanted and no more tha n ,

this . I do not say el oquently ; for as it is not ,

thought i ndispensable that every writer of sermons

Should be eloquent i t cannot be thought essenti al,

that every Sp eaker should be so B ut the same . .

powers wh i ch have enabled him to wri te will with , ,

su ffi c ient di scipl ine enable him to speak with every

, ,

probability that when h e c omes to speak with the

same ease and collecte dness he will do it with a ,

nearer approach to eloque n ce Without such d is .

ci p l i n e he has n o right to hope for success ; let him

not say that s uccess is impossible until he has sub

m i t t e d to it Le t this art be made an object of atte n
.

tion and i f any of competen t tale nts and tolerabl e

,

scien c e be fou nd at last i ncapable of expressing

, ,

themselves i n c ontinued and conne c te d d i scourse ,

so asto answer the ends of t h e Christian mi ni stry ,

then and not till then let it be said that a pecul i ar

, ,

talent or na t ural aptitude is requisite the want of ,

which must render e ffort v ai n— then and not ,

till then let us a c quiesc e i n this in dol ent and

,

timorous notion w h ich con tradicts the whol e t es

, ti o

14
21 0 M E N T AL D I SC I P L I N E .

mony of antiquity and , al l the experience of th e

world .

D oubtless
a fter the most that can be done th e r e
, ,

will be fou nd the greatest v ariety of atta i nment ;

‘
m en wil l d i ffer as B urnet remarks qui te as mu c h
,
’
,

i n their written compositions and some will do but ’

,

poorly what others will do excellently B ut this is .

likewise true of e very other art i n which men e n

g e and not least so of writi ng sermons concern
(r
, ,

ing which no one will say that as poor a re n ot wri t ,

ten asi t woul d be possible for any one to speak In .

truth men of small talent and great sluggishness

, ,

of a feeble sense of duty and n o zeal wi l l of course ,

m a ke poor sermons by whatever pro cess they may ,

d o it let them write or let them speak

,
It is doubt .

fu l concerning some whether they would even s tea l

”
good ones .

We cannot dismi ss this subj ect wi tho u t first giving

a few hi nts upon the mod e and amount of prepara
tion essenti a l to suc cess i n extemporaneous discourse .

1 In the fi rst place the subject must be thorough

.
,

l y stud i ed The practiced extemporizer may some

.

times be unusu ally h appy and successfu l without

premeditation but this will not answer for a gen e
I a l rule In order to be safe to spe a k to good pur
.
,

po se the whol e subject with the order and conn ec

, ,

t i on of its parts must be thoroughly in vestigated an d

,

understood There must be n o uncertai nty when

.
,

he rises to speak as to what he i s going to say n o

, ,

mist of darkness over the land he is about to travel .

2 Having weighed th e whole subj ect its p arts

. ,
 CO MMU N I C A TI ON OF K NOW L E D G E . 21 1

must be distributed according to their relations into

, ,

the d ivisions a nd sub— course Thi s

divisions (i f the di s .

care ful d istributi on of parts is essential to perspicuity

i
n the dis c ourse . The text i s the staple the divi ,

si ens a r e t h e swivel a nd the subordinate thoughts

,

are the l i nks of the ch a in — the se ries should be nu

broken i f the art i san would be sure We do not .

mean that the whol e d iscourse should be prepared ;

but that the d i ffe r ent propositions should be con
n e ct e d by leading and well — selec t ed thoughts An .

extemporaneous Speaker should not go into the pul

pit ( exc ept in emergen c ies ) without such a clew .

P rofessor Ware recommends a careful and minute

d i vis i on of t h e s j
u b ec t The divis i on should not only
'

be logical and clear but i nto p arts as numerou s a s

,

possible The gre at advantage here is that the , ,

parti ti ons being many the spe a ker is compe l led to

,

return frequently to his minutes He is thus kept .

i n t h e track and pre vented from wandering fa r i n

,

needless digressions —that besetting i nfirmi ty of nu

restrained extemporizers .

.3 Ha v i ng pres c ribed a thorough in v esti gation of

the subject and a care ful distri buti on of parts 1 .

would n ext say Il l a ke a s

,
kel eton of the whol e A .

person accustomed t o extempore preaching may ,

perhaps b e able to retain for the time being all t h e

,

ou t li nes of his discourse bu t in gen eral unle s

,
sthey ,

have been s ketched down and made a direct subj ect

of memory he will be liable to forget some of them
, ,

and thus wander ; a nd c erta in i t is preparations not ,

sketc hed down a r e rarely retained for future use .

21 2 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

A eleto n should c ontai n the d i sti nct statement

Sk

of the propos i ti ons t d be d i s c ussed or the divi s i on s ,

and subdi vi sions of the d is c ourse Also a fe w .

”
“
trailing though t s li nki ng these p a rts together .

It wi ll never be safe to depe nd altogether U pon the

inspirati on of the moment for the fill i ng up of a “

discourse The in te rmediate trai n of though t shoul d

.

a lso be studied and a consecuti ve train of thought

,

between the propositions sketched d own not wri tte n

out but ind i c ate d j ust as the surveyor i n d i c ates the
, .

course he h as taken not by a highway but by monu

, ,

men ts le ft i n h i spath In add i tion to this it is de

.
,
“

sirable that some specially good thoughts some apt ,

or striking illustrations a d apted to throw a strong,

li g ht upon the subject and to arrest the attenti on of

,

the au d ience should be noted— some illustrati ve quo

,

t a t i on sof Sc ripture or apposite passag es of poet r y

some flower e t sfrom the dusty hedge-row whi ch

‘

will stri ke the mind a sappropri ate and even beau

”
t iful provided it be not irrelevant beauty
,
These .

a p posite Sc ri pture p a ssages or s c raps of poetry must ,

of c ourse be commi tted to memory and also such

, ,

ill ustrati ons as t h e speaker may borrow Many dis .

t i ng u is h e d extemporaneous speakers are s ai d to wri te

out with c are a n d repeat from memory the more
, ,

br i l l iant strokes in their di sc ourse This may u n .

“

doubtedly be d one t o advantag e by one who h as that

c ommand of himse l f that will enable him to pas s
from memory to invention without t ri pping .

4 Afte r the skeleto n h as

. been thus pre pared it ,

m us t be th oroug hl y m emon z ed We should in sis

'

. t
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 21 3

u pon th i s even when it is tak en into the desk wi th

,

th e speaker A constant re ferenc e to a sketch or

.

brie f c annot bu t in terrupt t h e flow of thought and

feeli n g as wel l as detract from the power of expres
,
~

sion The great advan tage resulti ng w i ll abu n d an t

.

l y repay the labor of comm i tti ng ; and in d eed when , ,

a d i sc ourse h as been thoroughly studi ed and the ,

Skeleton c are fully prepared i t will require but a

,

tr i fli ng e ffort to c ommit the latter to memory .

.5 Wi th regard to the lan g uage to be e m ployed ,

asi d e from the exc epti ons al ready i ndi cated the ,
“

best rule is that -no preparati on be made There is .

n o convenient a n d profitable me d i um between speak

ing from memory and from i mmediate suggestion .

To mix the two i s n o a i d but a great hin d erance

, ,

be c ause i t perplexes the mind between the very di f

”
fe r e n t Operations of memory and inventi on .

The exte mpore prea c her then should m ak e n o

, ,

preparation of language Langu age is the last

.
“

th i ng he should be anxious abou t If he have ideas .

,

and be awake it w i ll come Of itself unbidden and

, ,

unsough t .The best language fl ashes upon the

Speaker as unexpectedly as on the b ea r e r It is the .

spon t aneous gi ft of the m i nd not the extorted boon,

Of a spe c ial sear c h No man who h as thoughts and

.
,

is intereste d i n them is at a loss for words

,
—not the
most une d ucate d man ; and the words he uses wil l
be according to his educa t ion and habits not accord ,

ing to the l abor of the moment I f he feel tru ly .

,

and wish to communicate h i sfeelings t o those aroun d

him the last t hing that will fa il him will be language ;
,
21 4 M E N T AL D I SC I PL IN E .

the l es
shethi nks of it an d c ares for it the more ,

C O i ciu s
p l y and ri c hly wi ll it fl e w from h im ; and whe n

he h as forgotte n everything but hi sdes i re to gi ve

ven t to his emotions and do good the n wi ll the nu ,

conscious torrent pour as it does at no other se ason

,
.

The entire s urrender to the sp i ri t which sti rs wi thin

is indeed the real secret of a ll eloquence True .
‘

eloquen c e says Mil ton I find to be none but the

,
’

,
‘

se rious and hearty love of truth ; and that whose

m i nd soever i s fully pos s essed wi th a fervent desire
to know good things and with the dearest charity to
,

in fuse them in t o the minds of others —when such a

man would speak hi swords li ke so many nim ble
, ,

and airy servitors tr ip about at command and i n

, ,

well -ordered files ashe would wish fal l aptly in to

, ,

their own places .

’

6 . In o r der to the best success extempo raneous ,

e fforts should be m ade in an ex c ite d state of mind ,

when the thoughts are bu rning and glowi ng and ,

ong to find ven t There are s . ome topics whi ch do

not adm it of this exci t ement ; when such are taken
up they may be tre ate d by the pen When the
,
.

p re a cher would speak ex te m poraneously h e should ,

choose topics on which his own mind is kindled wit h

a feel i ng which he i s earnest to commu ni c at e and ,

the higher the de gr ee to whi c h he h aselevate d his

feeli ngs ( provided he retai n his sel f-command ) the
, ,

more readil y happily and powerfu l ly wi l l he pour

, , ,

forth whatever the occ as ion may demand There i s .

no s tyle sui ted to the pulp i t whi c h he wi ll not more

e ffectu al ly comm and in thi s state of mind He wil l .
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 21 5

r eason more d ir ectly pointe dly and convincingly ;

, ,

he w i ll d esc ribe more viv i dly from the living con

ce t i o n s of the moment ; he will be more earnest in
p
persuasi on more an imated in declamation more
, ,

urgent i n appeals more terri ble i n d enunci ation

,

E verything will v an i sh be fore him but the subj ect

of hi s attention and upon this hi spo wers will be
,

con c entrated i n keen and v igorous ac tion .

“
I f a man would do his best it must be upon t Op i c s ,

whi ch a r e at the moment interesting to hi m We .

s e e i t i n conversation when every one i s elegant

,

upo n his favorite subjects We see it i n deliberative

.

a ssemblies where it is those grand questions whic h

,

ex c i te an i nte nse i n tere st a n d absorb and agita te the

,

m i nd that cal l forth t hose bursts of eloquence by

,

wh i c h men are remembered as powerful orators and ,

that give a voi c e to men who can speak on n o other

oc c as i ons C i c ero tells us of himself that the i n
.
,

stances i n wh i ch he wasmos t successful were those ,

i n wh i ch h e most en tirely abandone d him se l f to the

impulses of feeling E very speaker s experienc e
.
’

will bear testimony to the same thing and thus the ,

say i ng of Gol dsmith proves true that to feel one s ,

‘ ’

subject th oroughly and to speak without fear are

, ,

t h e only rul es of eloquen c e L e t him who wo

’
.

prea c h successfully remember t his In the choice .

of subjects for extemporaneous e fforts let him have ,

regard to it and never enc umber himsel f nor dis

,

t ress his hearers w i th the attempt to interest them

i n a subject whi c h at the moment excites only a

feeble i ntt rest in his own mi nd Let hi m al so us
e .
21 6 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

every mean s —by care fu l medi tation ; by calling up

the strong motives of his offic e ; by reali zing t h e
n ature a nd responsibil i ty of his undertaking and by ,

earnestl y invoking the blessing of God — to attai n t h e

fram e of devou t engagedness whi ch will dispose him
to speak zealously and fearlessly .

After all there fore which can be sai d the gr eat

, , ,

essenti al requisite t o e ffecti ve prea c hing in thi s

method (or indeed i n any method ) is a devoted
, ,

h ea r t. A strong reli gious sentiment leading to fe r ,

vent ze a l for the good of other men is be t ter than ,

all rules of art ; it w ill giv e him courage wh i ch n o

s c ience or practi c e can impart and Open hi s lips ,

boldly when the fear of man would keep them closed .

A r t may fail him and a ll his trea s

,
ures of knowledge
d esert him bu t i f h i sheart be warm with love he
, ,

w ill speak right on aiming at the heart and reaching

,
’

the heart and sati sfie d to accomplish the great pur

,

pose whether he b e thought to do it taste fully or not

, .

Thi s is the true spirit of his o ffice to be cherished ,

and cultivated above all thin gs else a nd capable of ,

renderi ng all his labors compar ati vely easy It r e .

minds him that his purpose is not to make profou nd

disc u ssion of theological doc tri nes or d isquisiti ons ,

on moral and meta physical s c ience but to present ,

su c h views of the great a n d ac k nowledged truths of

revel ati on with su ch applications of them to the
,

u ndersta ndi ng and c on science as m ay a ffect and ,

re form h i shearers NOW i t is n ot study on y in

.
,

divi nity or i n rhetoric which will enable him to do

th is
. He m a v reason in geniously but not c onvi n e
 I TI ON o r K N OW L E D G E
C OMMU N C A . 217

ingl y he m ay de c laim eloquently but not p , s

er u a

s
i ve nv There is an immense though i nde s
.
c

d i fference between the same argumen t s and truths ,

as presented by hi m who earnestl y feels and desi res
to persuade and by h im who designs only a display
,

of in te llectual strength or an exercise of rhetori c a l

sk ill In the latter c ase the decl a mati

.

splendid but i t will be cold and without expression

, ,

lull i ng the ear and diverting the fancy but leaving ,

the feelings u ntou c hed In the other there is an

.

a i r of reality which words cannot describe but which ,

the heart feels that fi nds its way to the recesses of

,

the soul and over c omes it by a powe r fu l sympathy

,
.

Th i s 1 8 a di fference which a l l perceive and al l can

a cc ount for .The truths of reli gion are not matters
of philosophical speculation but Of expe ri ence ,
The .

heart and al l the spiritual man and all t h e inte rests

,

and feeling of the immort a l being have an i ntimate ,

concern i n them It is perceived at once whether

.

they are stated by one who has felt them himsel f i s ,

personally ac quainted with their power is subject to ,

their i nfluence and speak s from a ctu al experi ence ;

,

or whethe r they come from one who knows them

only in spe c ulati on has gathered them from books
, ,

and thought them out by his own reason bu t with ,

o u t any sense of thei r spi ritual Operation .

But wh o does not know how much easier i t is to

declare what has come to our knowle d ge from our
own experience than what we h ave gathered col dly
,

at s e cond-hand from that of others ; how much

easi er i t i st o describe feeli ngs we Ourselves have
218 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

had and pleas ures we have our s

, e l xes enjoyed th an ,

to fa s hi on a des c ripti on of what others ha ve told us

how mu c h more freely and c onvin c ingly we car
speak of h a pp i ness we have known than Of that to ,

which we are strangers ? We see then how mu c h , ,

is l ost to the speak er by col d ness or ignorance i n the

exercise of personal religi on How can he e ffec t u.

ally represent the joys of a religious m i nd who h as

n ever known what i t is to feel them How can he
efl ee t u a ll y ai d the contri te the despondi ng the di s
’

, ,

trustful the tempted who has n ever him se l f p a ssed

, ,

through the same fears and sorrows ? or how c an he

pai n t i n warm colors of truth religious exerc ises
, ,

a n d spi ritual des i res who is personally a stranger to

,

them Al as "he cannot at a l l come i n contac t

with those souls which stand most i n need o f his sym
pathy and aid But i f he have cherished i n himself
.
,

fondly a n d habitual ly the a ffecti ons he would ex c ite

,

i n others— i f he have combate d temp t ati on an d ,

pra c ticed sel f-d enial and been insta nt in prayer

, ,

and taste d the joy and peace of a tried faith a nd

hope — then he may communicate directly with the
~

hearts of his fellow-men and wi n them over to that

,

which he so feelingly desc ribes I f his spirit be al .

ways warm and s t irri ng with those k i nd and pure

emoti ons and anxious to impart the means of his
,

own feli city to others how easil y a n d freely wil l he

,

pour hi m sel f forth "and how li ttle will he thi nk of

the embarrassments of morta l m an whil e he is con ,
s

sc ious only of l abori ng for the glory of th e ever

”
p r esent God l
 C OMM U N C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 21 9

SE C T ON I X V III — Us
e onl.
y p l a i n l a ng ua ge .

We have already sho wed that pe r spicuousness in

delivery i sessential a swell as clearness of though t
, ,

to an e ffe c ti ve speaker One mode of atta ining this .

er s i ne s
e uo u s sof delivery— namely the use of pl ain
p p ,

language — we wish to consider more defini tely .

F e nelon i n his D ial ogues upon E l oquence Oh

, ,

serves that the whole art of good oratory c onsis t s

,

i n Observing what nature does when unconstrai ned .

Y o u ought not to imitate those haranguers who

.

ch oose always to declai m but never to ta l k w i th ,

their hearers On the contrary you shoul d ad dress

.
,

an au d i ence in such a modest respectful engaging , ,

manner that each shall imagine that you are speak

,
”
ing peculiarly to him Th i s can not be done with
.

out the use Of plai n and famili ar langu a g e Sim .

pl i city says Os
,
”
t e r va l d re fuses admission into our
,

ser mons to everything which is too abstruse too ,

learne d and too subl ime It rejectsal l subti l and

,
.

meta phys i c al argumentation It should equally a p .

pear i n the style the d elive ry a n d the gesture I t

, , .

should be the predominant chara c ter of every dis

.

c ourse Truth must Open to the b ea r er sa ys Mr ”

s
.
, .

Sutcli ffe a the landsc ape to the traveler

, E very .

sente nce must be l umi nous and eve ry membe r Ope n ,

with a n e w idea directed to the objec t asthe stroke s

,
”
of a workman fell i ng a tree Plainness is charac .

te r i s
t i c of the languag e of the Bible Mr B l ack . .

wall in h isSacred C lassi c s pays the followi ng com

, ,

pl i m e nt to the B ible The Ol d Testament is t h e

220 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

ri chest treas ury of all the subli mity of thought mov i n g ,

tenderness of passion and vigorous strengt h of

,

p r es si an which i s t o be found i n all the language by

,

whi c h mortals con vey their thoughts The stoc k .

“

of words provided i n the Scri ptures says Mr , .

Sturte vant will enable the preacher to speak

,

classi cally elegantly and eloquently ; and though

, ,

deprived of fore i gn sto ck he will sti ll retai n hi su t

,

most skill of gi vi ng advantage to conceptions by

perspicuity of arrangement happy constr uction of ,

sentences a j udicious choice of word s and agreeable

, ,

and harmoniou s periods He will stil l be at liberty

.

to give a l l the gr a d e of delivery Thus while h e .

,

d el i ghts his audi ence he wi ll use only such words as

,

c ommon people u nderstand .

Aspl ai n langu a ge a d mits of beauty so it i s also ,

c apable of strength ; for the Ol d E ngl ish is capable

of expressing the most violent feelings of the m i nd ,

or the most pathetic Nay it i s c apable of sublim ity

.
,

also ; for subl i mity does not consist in pompous

wordsbut i n the thought i t sel f ; pompous words do
,

bu t delight the c a r but they do not produce such a

,

true elevation of soul asshort words mostly mono ,

syllables ( and of such the old language mai nly con

,

sists while foreign words compounded and dou l iy ,

u

compounded impede the current of thought and r ob

, ,

the subj ect of its proper energy The least atten .

tion to Scripture langua g e and that of n ature will , ,

supply al l the evidence that is necessary to the proof

of this point E ven our poets and orators of sens i
.

bil i ty and feeling h av e al ways been aware of thi s

 CO MMU N I C A TI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 22 1

an d , though the common strai n of their lan guage

m a y have been refined yet i f they had an a ffa ir of , ,

t he heart to treat of respecting these poin ts they ,

turne d for the occasion to the wor ding of pure n a

ture ; and here they pay de ference to what I r e
commend .

Asillustrative Of the above suggestions Mr Stur ,

.

t e v a nt quotes the following inci d ent from Gregory s

’
,

L i fe of Robert Hall
\ In one of our i n terviews “

with Mr Hall I used the word fel i ci ty three or four

.
,

times He asked Why do you say fel i ci ty ? happi

.
,
‘

ness is a better word more musical and comm on , ,

E nglish coming from the Saxon Not more mu si ’

.
,

c al I thi nk s
, ir Yes more musical and so are all
,
.
’
, ,

words deri ved from the Saxon generally Listen .

,

sir : " My h ea rt iss m i tten a nd with ered l i ke g ra s s , .

There is plaintive music for you Listen again sir .

,

Und er th e s ha dow of thy wi ngswi l l I r ej oi c e There .

is cheerful music Yes but r ej oic e is F rench

.
’ ‘
, .
’

True but a l l the re st is Saxon and r ej oi c e is al most ,

out of tu ne with the rest L is t en aga i n sir : Thou .

, ,

ha s t d el i ver ed m y ey es f r om tea rsm y s ou l f rom d ea th , ,

a nd m y f e et f r om fa l l i ng : all Sa xon ex c ept de ,

l i vered I could think of the word tea r sir till I

.
, ,

wept Then for another noble specimen of the

.
,

good old Saxon E nglish "Su r el y goodn es sa n d m er cy

s ha l l f ol l ow m e a l l th e da y sof my l ife a n d I wi l l ,

d wel l i n the h ou s e of th e Lo r d f or ever It must be ’

.

a d mitted that Robert Hall m u ch as he a dm i red pl ain ,

l a nguage was not always parti c ular a sto its use

, .

The use of plain language is also sanctioned by

22 2 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

the authori ty and practice of many d i s t i gu i s

h e d fo a x

learning and eloquen c e D r Mason s a ys : It isa . .

n auseous a ffe c tation to be fond of hard words or t o

’
,

in tro d uce terms of art and learning i nto a dis c ourse

to a mixed a ssembly of plai n ill i terate , ,

men They who d on t u nd e rstand you

.
’

d i sl i ke you ; and they who do wi ll see t h e ,

Ar c hbi s hop Usher

”
ct a t i on and despise you
,
.
,

n o mean authority gi ves th e foll owing precept to

,

his preachers “ A void all exoti c phrase s scholastic ,

te rms and forced rhetor i cal figures ; sinc e it is no t

,

di fficult to make easy th i ngs appear hard ; but t o

render hard things easy is the h ard est part Of a good
orator as well as preacher D oddri dge i n r ecom ,

mending plai nness and simpl i c ity of spee c h r e ,

marks : The m ost c el ebrated speak ers in jud i ci al

“
,

courts and i n senates have i n all nations and a ges, , ,

pursued the meth od I n ow recommend ; and the

most successful preachers have success fully attempt
ed i t This c onsti tutes that bre vi ty of spee c h whi c h
.
”

C i c ero tells us i s chara c teristic of the m ost abl e

tea c hers l The i d ea of imparting stre ngt h to dis
.
at

course by the u s e of words extra c te d from foreign

or an c i ent languages and compounded a n d r e -com

,

pounded till they have a c quire d a length a lmost i h

t ermi nable i s per fectly absurd a n d con trary to a l l
, ,

the pr i n c iples of true oratory A cquire stren gt h .

a n d d i rectness of thou ght a n d the good old Saxon ,

E nglish will b e amply su fficient to g i v e i t full ex

p ress i on .

s
Q ui br e V I t e r di c u nt , do c e r e p o su nt .
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 2 23

A great critic observed of D ean Swi ft that he ,

never used a deri ve d or foreign word when an equ i va

l en t E ngl i sh one c ould be found D oes any one doubt
”
.

the compass and power of pl a i n E ngl i sh to gi ve ex

p ress i on ? let him look i n to the P il grim s Progress ’
.
‘

I n t hat work B unyan has brought vast conceptions

“
,

noble thoughts and ingen i ous similitudes in to the

, ,
”
plai nest words that the d ictionary can give us .

Bi s hop B e v e r idge sSermons are admirably plain

’
.

D r South a giant i n language relies almost ex

.
,
“ ”
,

el usive l y upon the c lear bold Saxon D r Adam

,
. .

C larke was an advoc a te of pl ain language whi c h he ,

also employed D r Watts clothes the purest a nd

. .

subl i mest thoughts both i n prose and poetry i n th e

, ,

c hastest and simplest lan g uage Mr John Wesley . .

,

i n the pre face to his Sermons remarks : I l abor t o “

s
,

avoid all words which are not easy to be under tood ,

all which are not used i n common li fe ; and i n par ,

t i cu l a r those te c hnical te rms that so often oc c ur i n

,

bodies of d ivini ty ; those modes of Speaking whi c h

men of readi ng are well acquai nted with but which ,

to c ommon people are an u nknown ton gu e Yet I .

,

am not assure d that I do n ot slide i nto them u na

wares ; it is so extremely natural to i magin e that a
word whi c h is familiar to ourselves is so to a ll the
”
wo r l d
.

On e part of eloquence and by n o means the least

,

Im por tan t end of i t i s to impart knowledge ; and to

,

this end the use of plai n l an guage is i nd i spensable to

nine -ten t hs of our m i xed assembl i es They cannot .

compreh end the mean i ng much less appreciate t ho

,
 M E N T A L D I S C I PL I N E .

beauty (if i ndeed there be any be a u ty i n them ) of

, ,

uncommon words com ed from foreign to ngues wh e

, ,
o

ther G reek L ati n or F rench A nd certai nly i f

, , .
,

example tea c h us anything the use of such word s is

,

n ot essen ti al to real eloqu ence The eloquent states .

men and d ivines of our own country seek no a s sist p

a n c e from them ; an d if it be said that some of our

di vi nes repu ted to be el oquent speakers are ex

, ,

c ee d i n l
g y prone to their u se we would reply that , ,

i f eloquent at all they are eloquen t i n spi te of such

,

use and not i n consequence of it But we seriously

,
.

doubt whether the speaking of such me n ever reaches

to the character of true eloquence We would coun .

sel with a ll the ardor of earnest conviction the young

, ,

preacher to c hoose the orat ory of the apostle Paul

for his mod el rather than the turgi d verbosity of
,

those whose forte l i es rather i n coining words than

though t Who can doubt whether the a postle were
.

an eloquent man when we have on record so many

,

spec i mens of his eloquence a nd so m any i nsta nces

,

of i t spower ? An d yet hear h i m de c lare I had

rather speak five words with my understan d ing that ,

by my voice I might teach others also than ten ,

thousand words i n an unknown tongue An d m )

Speech and my preaching was n ot with en ti cin g

words of man s wisdom ; but i n demonstration of the

’

S pirit and o f power ”

It i sthi
. s “
demon stration
”
of the Spirit and of power clothed i n l angu age
,

pla i n and i ntelligible breathing thoughts and

,

words of fire that conveys the gospe l to the

,

ignorant and the poor Nay it isn ot mere as.

,
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF K N OWL E D G E . 2 25

sumption that this constitu tes the gist of a l l tru e

el oquen c e .

SE C TI O N XI X . Cons
ider the i mporta n c
e
qf a good del i very .

The finest composition badly deli vered will lose its , ,

efiee t ; while on the other hand an i ndi f ferent d i s

‘

, ,

c ourse well de l ivered wi l l not fai l to i nterest

, , An .

ancient rhetorician a ffirms that an ind iff erent di s

c ourse assisted by a good delivery will h ave great er
, ,

e fficacy than the fi nest harang ue which wants that

advantage So great was the power of C icero s de
.
’

livery that when declai m ing i n Greek be fore Apol

,

louins the rhetorician exclaimed

,
“
A sfor you , ,

C i c ero I pra i se and admire you but I am c oncerned

, ,

for the fate of G reece Sh e had nothing le ft her

.

b ut the glory of eloquence and er u dit i on and you ,

Philip of Mace d on
”
are carrying that too to Rome .

pays the following compliment to the vehement de

clamation of D emosthenes : “ F or I mysel f had I ,

been presen t and heard that v ehement orator de

,

claim should have been the first to conclude that i t

,

was indispensably necessary to decl are war aga i nst

”
me .

Sheridan never attai ned any high eminence a sa

statesman and yet the power of his eloquence was
,

irresistible The i mpressive delivery of a White

.

field rendered matter that was absolutely puerile

whe n after ward published overwhelmi ng to his audi ,

tories Sum m e r fiel d too — who has not heard of the

.

transc endent power of his oratory "and yet what

judicious friend has not reg r et t ed that hi s fai r fam e
15
22 6 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

s
hould be darkened by th e public ation of di s es
cour s
whi c h were destined only to d isappoin t the expect a

ti ons whi c h the l ivi ng fire and genius f his orat y o or

h ad ex c i ted
Rhetoricians ha ve al ways give n a high place to
dcl i ve r y among the qualifications of the orator .

After a sermon h asbeen composed s a ys the abbe

Maury and even com m itte d to memory much st i ll
,
“
,

remains for the orator to execu t e ; for the success

of the composi tion depends upon t he manner of de

livery This concludi ng particular (that is I n the

.
,

preparation of a d is c ourse ) ought to be the subject

of a separa t e work The ancients regarded delive r y
.

as a very considerable branch of the art of oratory ,

and have carried this talent to a degree of pe r fectio n

of which we have n o idea .

F or such a sare merely desirou s to avoid the

“

c ommon faul t s i n deli very th e followi ng are the,

p r m C I p al precautions wh ich ought to be adopted

'

“
Th e v shou ld ind ulge a favorable h Op e of t he
s ucc ess of their perform a nce at the very moment of ,

deli very that they may spe ak wi t hout rel uctance or

,

uneasiness Th ev should be deeply pene trate d with

.

t heir subject an d recal l what passed i n their min d

,

wh ile engaged i n composition They should di ffuse .

,

throughout every part of the d i scourse the ardor ,

wi th which they are animated They should speak .

a u thoritati v ely i n order to arrest the atte ntion of

,

the he a rers They shoul d avoid the de c l a mation of

.

a n actor and be cautious of in tr od ucing theatrical

,

pan tomime i n the pulpit whi c h wil l never s uc ce ed

,
.
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 227

They should begi n with p i tching their voi c e at a

r O e r med i um so that the ton e m ay be capable of
p p ,

risi ng without pro d uci ng dis c or d and of bei ng low ,

ere-d without becoming i na udible They may be .

as sured that the e ffe c t is los t when they attempt t o

strai n their v oice to the highest pitch ; th a t bawlin g
repels atten tion instead of assi sti ng it and that the ,

lower they si nk their voic e s i n pathetic passages the

be tter they are heard They sh ould not allow them .

selves to make use of a multipli c ity of ges t ures ; and

they should espe c ially guard a g ainst laying an undue
stress on a particular word in the general movement
of a period Th e y should av oid all corporeal agita
.

tion and never strike t h e pulpit either with the feet

,

or han d s They sho u ld vary the inflections of their

.

voi c e with each rhetori c al figure and the i r i ntona ,

tions with every paragraph Let them im i tate the .

simple and impressive accents of n ature i n delivery

as well as i n com p c si t i on In a word with rapi d ity .
,

of utteran c e the y should blend pauses .

whi ch a r e ,

a lways stri king w a e n but seldom used and properly

”
time d .

The above sugges t ions wi ll not supersede the con

sideration of elocuti on and manner or gesture in , ,

their relati on t o delivery .

I XX — Consi der the c good elocut i on

'

SE C T ON . i mp or ta n eo
f a

scont r but i ng to good del i very

a
i a .

1 On e of the fir s
. t objects of attention i n order ,

to secure a good elocution is the p r op er c on tr ol a nd ,

ma na gement of th e voi c e Thi s ca n rarely be ao .

2 28 M ENT A L D I SC I PL I N E .

qui red wi thout the aid of the li vi ng te a cher and ,

thorough att ention and dis c iplin e In this perfect .

m astery of the v oice lies the se c ret of many an ora

tor s strength It is said that Whitefield could give
’
.

utterance to the single word Af es op ofa m i a with su ch

a power of utterance and for c e of expressi on as t o

m ake an aud itor tremble This e ffect was produced
.

by the i ntonations of t h e voice let i t be remembered

, ,

unassisted by any communication of thought How .

powerful then m ust such in ton at i ons become when

, ,

employed in the deli very of subli me glowing thought " ,

The time spent in the study of some well— digeste d

system of elocution and i n receiving the instructions
,

of some compete nt tea c her will not be lost to the

,

C hristi an minister Le t hi m not fear that art and

.

s c ience will make him sti ff and mechanic al ; for ,

should t h ev have this e ffect h e will su ffer no harm ;

,

it will only prove that he was wanti ng i n some of t he

necessary constituti onal elements of the pulpit or a
tor The hints imbod i ed i n this section will not
.

supersede th e necessi ty of the instructi ons of the

elocutionist .

2 A nother thing e s
. sen ti al to a good elocution I s ,

dis sof a rti c ul a ti on

t i nc t n es .

D r Bl a ir i n hi s Lectures remark s : D isti nc t ness

.
, ,

of articulation contributes more perhaps to bei n , g,

well heard an d clearly u nderstood than mere loud

n ess of sound The qu anti ty ofus
. ou nd necess ary to
fil l even a large sp ac e i s small er than i scommonly
Im agined ; and wi th a distinct arti culati on a m an
, ,

wi th a weak v oice will mak e it reach further tha n

 C OMMUN C A I TI ON OF K N OWL ED G E . 2 29

t ne strongest voic e can reach wi thout i t To this .

,

t here fore every public speaker ought to pay great

,

att ention He must give every sound wh i ch he

.

utters i tsd u e proportion and let every syllable and , ,

e ven every letter i n the word whi c h he pronounces ,

be distinc tly heard without sl urring wh i spering or

, , ,
”
suppressing any of the proper soun d s C icero says .

that the C atul i on account of their disti nct articu l a

,

tion were considered the best speakers of the L ati n

,

l anguage “e .

D r Porter tells us that a friend of his a respecta

.
, ,

ble lawyer in formed him that i n a cou rt which he

, , ,

usually attended there was often much difficulty i n

,

heari ng what was spoken at the bar and from the ,

ben c h On e of the j udges however a m a n of s

. l en , ,

der health and somewhat ad vanced i n age was

, ,

heard with perfect ease i n every part of the court

room whenever he Spoke So observ able was th e
,
.

d ifference between him and others that the fact was ,

mention ed to him asa subject of curi os i ty The

, .

judge explaine d it by s a ying that his vocal powers , ,

which were ori ginally qu i te i mperfect h a d acquired ,

c learness and strength by the long-continued habi t

of re ad ing aloud for a bou t h al f a n hour every day

, ,

The common errors i n articulation are pointed ou t .

in our works on elocution E very publ i c speaker , .

howev er can do much toward the atta inment of a

,

good articulation by h aving some friend poi nt out

,

i t sde fects from time to time and then exercising

, ,

h imsel f wi th special re ference to their correction .

D e Officns .
23 0 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

3 . Atte n t ion
mus t also be paid to a c centua ti on .

E very word in the E nglis h langua g e has on e or

more accen ted syllables ; the per fe c t u se of th at lan
g uage ca nnot be attai ned without a thorou g h maste ry
of acc entuation It may be tru e as P rofessor C ald
.
,
~

well observes that it plays but a sub ordin ate part

,
“

i n speech ; but yet it is a great source of variety ,

and is ofte n necessary i n oral discourse to dete rmine

the signi fi c ation of a word as many words having ,

d iffe ren t meani ngs must have the accent determined

b y the parti cular sign ification with whi c h it is used .

Thus des ert a wi ld ernes

,
’
s desert m er i t or dem er i t
,
’
,

—con d u c t beha vi or ; conduct t o l ea d or m a na e

’ ’
, g , .

4 A tten tion must also be paid to emp h a s

. is It is .

said that the readi ng of the Scriptures by John Ma

son was a commentary on them ; and that the re a d
ing of the hymns by Mr Nettleton was of ten a .

sermon to the assembly Thi s resul t ed from their .

perfec t a cc ent and emphasis combined with app i , o

pri ste in ton ations of the voi c e ”

E mphasis say s .
,

Mr Sturtevant ei ther establishes the true sense

.
,
“

of a sentence or perverts i t .

The following two examples taken from the same ,

a uthor will su ffi c e to i llustrate this point

,

Tak e for exampl e the words of our Sa

“
, ,

V I ou r Joh n v i 6 7
,
“f ill ye also go away
,
He r e
the emphasis i s c ertainly required upon t h e word
y e
. The crowd is gone the crowd is o f
f ended and , ,

will we go aft er them The reply of St P eter in .

,

the name of h i sfellow-disciples proves this point ,

Now although I have fixed upon the emphasis y et

, ,
 C OMM UN C A I TI ON OF K N OWL E D G E . 23 1

t here is very strong meaning i n the se n te nce on ,

w h i c hever word the emphas i s is placed Upon the .

word y e it is very strong : Ye my disciples whom , ,

I have ta k en u nder my wing whom I have tau ght ,

a n d ins t ructed ; consider the profession you have

made the obl i gations y o u are under the expecta
, ,

ti ons you have from me If we pl ace the emphasi s

.
’

upon a l so then it refers to those who have departed ;

,

if on the words g o a wa y fresh matter i mmedi ately ,

appears : WV ill y o u leave yo u r Mas ter ? are you

w i lling to relinquish a l l claim to my care love ten , ,

derness protection and sal vation ? What wrong

, ,

have you found i n me ? have I ever disappointed

y ou r j ust and reasonable hopes have I ever been
a l a r r e n w i l derness to you C a n you fi nd a better
Mast e r ? will your adversary the devil wi ll the , ,

world or si n promise or per form what I make over

, ,

to y o u i n the New Testament ? What c an earth ,

what can heaven d o for you ? I f you draw back

, ,

my soul shall have no pleasure i n you ; and can you

h ea r my depa r ture from you
D r Blai r points out several shades of di ffer
.

e n c e i n the po i nt and mean i ng that may attach to

t h e appeal C hrist ma d e to Ju d as accor d ing as the ,

em phasis is placed : Ju d as betrayest thou the Son

“
,

o
f
man w i th a k i ss " Emphasizing the word be
t r a y est m akes the reproach t u rn on the in famy of
,

t r e a ch e r v Betrayest th ou makes i t rest on Ju da ss

.
’

connection with his Master B etrayest thou the .

Son of m a n "res t s it on C hrist s characte r as Re

’

deemer Place th e emphas

. i s on the word ki s s, and
23 2 MF N TA L D I SC I PL I N E .

t ur ns
'

It u on
p pros t ituting the sign al ot peace to th e
,

purpose of destruction Now I submit that the cm

.
,

ph a sis ought to li e on the word th ou which marks ,

J uda s sconnec t ion with his Master because it agrees

’
,

with the prophetic langu age of Psalm xli 9 “

Yea , ,
”
my own familiar friend & c ,
.

With re ference to the use of emphasis Mr Stur

'

,
.

te v a nt suggeststhe following caution It is bett er

to emphas iz e too l ittle than too much Ex t r a v a .

ganc e is always disgusting an d an atte mpt to make

,

al most every other word emp h ati c is quite contr a ry

”
to a just m an ner .

5 At t en t ion must be paid to a proper va r ia ti on

.

o th e voi c e
f The Ar sva r i a nda of Qu intili an has not
.

escaped the attention of rhetoricians The orator .

must study variety in his spe aking The r ichest .

thought expressed i n the chastest and most forcible

,

language cannot redeem a spe ak er from the i m p u

,

ta t i on of tiresome dullness when he is charac te riz e d

by a monoto nous delivery .

Neither will a mere mech a nic al change— regulated

by no just appreciation of the sentiment expressed
answer to this requ i site variety It is di ffi cult to tell .

whether monoto ny is more tiresome or mere me ,

cha n i ca l variety more disgusting .

6 Of p a us
. e i n el ocu t i on Notice must also be “

t ake n of the r es t or p a u s e says Mr Sturte v an t ,

. .

that is we are sometimes to suspend discourse

, .

Race-horses must not sto p ti ll they pass the post ; bu t

not so wi t h the preacher or reader ; he is allowed to
”
t a ke breath freely at suitable places in his discourse ,
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 23 3

We however re fer here more particul arly t o the

, ,
'

ause that is made for rhetorical c fiect or to give j ust

p
expression to the sentiment —a pause that speak s
wh i le the orator s v oice is suspended There are
’
.

some occasions says Cambray in his D ialogues on

”
, ,

Eloquence when an orator mi ght best express hi s

,

thoughts by silence ; for i f being full of some great ,

sentiment he continue immovable for a moment

, ,

the surp rising pause will keep the minds of the a u

di en ce i n suspense and express a n emotion too b ig
,
”
for word s to utter .

Thi s pause is sometimes necessary i n order to ,

convey the sense of the text Mr Sturtev a nt illus . .

trates thi s by a re ference to Matt xi 7 : What .

,
“

went ye out i nt o the wilderness to see ? a reed

shaken with the wind I f these words h e read as
a questi on and answer which i s evidently oppo ,

si te to our Lord s meaning it is as much as though

’
,

our Redeemer meant to say that John was unworthy

of attention that he was a fickle u nstable i n con
, , ,

stant preacher carried about with every wi n d of

,

doctrine Whereas i f we consider the pass a ge a s

.
,

two questions (as i t really is ) the sense clearly a p

, ,

pears to be a strong assertion to the contrary that ,

Joh n was a person of quite a di fferent character ,

and that he stood firm and immovable as an iron “

pil lar or a brazen Wal l ; that the doc trines he

,
"

preached were not yea and nay but yea and am en , .

There fore to mark the above passage properly a ,

pause mu st be used aft e r the first question to gi ve ,

silent eloquence to the passage and the same aft e r ,

23 4 M E NT AL D I SC I PL I N E .

t hesecond questi on ; then our Lord s mean mg

’
a
p
pears to ad vantage .

SE C TI O N XX L— Consider the i mp orta n e o

f ma nner c cu

contr ibut i ng good del z ve7y

'

to a .

Ac ti on 1 5 elo q u e n ce , a nd the eye so f t h e i gnor a nt

M le or e a r ne d t h a n t h ei r ea r s”.

Su ch ,i n my view says Mr Sturtevant is the

,
.
,
“

i mportan c e attaching to the manner i n which any

thing is d o ne that it may be c all ed a dis t inct s t udy ,

and one that i swell wor t h v the student s a t tention ’

.

When we cons i der the commandi ng influence the

mere manner Of a thing Obtains a mong men h o w ,

much the best actions may su ffer from the man ner
in which they are performed and how often the ,

man ner will c arry a poin t with very slender means ,

must we no t admit that it ought to re c eive our best

a t tention in everythi ng we execu te i n everything ,

we say and i n everythi ng i n whi c h our fellow -men

,

are to be our observers and c ritics ? The m an ner

I» ; wh i c h an army is arranged and a battle fought is .

commonly of great consequence and Oft en contri ,

bu te s more to the victo ry than valor or n umerical

s trength Often has the man ner of the orator been
.

found so to strike the eye and ear that thunders of ,

applause have followed a well -del i vered sentenc e 3 ,

just emphasis or a grace ful caden c e though t h e

, ,

sent nce i tself woul d hav e passed unnoticed bu t

e
,

for such an appendage We have popular preach

.

ers who owe al most everything to their man ner ;

an d many others who ought to be popular and ,
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF K N O WL E D G E . 23 5

c erta inly would be so i f an a t tent ion to manner oc

,

cu i e d one — tenth of the ti me a n d p a i ns occupied on

p
”
their compositi ons .

D r Blai r in one of his lectures employs the fol

.
, ,

low i ng for c ible argument Ou the subject of man ne r

i t delivery When we address ou rselves to others
by words our intention certa i nly I S to mak e some
,

impression on those to whom we speak it i sto con

v cy t o them our i d eas or emotions Now the tone .
,

of our voice our looks and gestures i nterpret our

, ,

ideas and emotions no less than word s do ; nay the ,

impression they make on others is frequently much

stronger than any that words c an make We Oft en .

see that an expressive look or a passion ate cry u n , ,

accompanied by word s conveys to others more for ,

cible i d eas and rouses within them stronger passions

, ,

than c an be commun i cated by the most eloquent

d iscourse The significati on of our sentimen tsmade
.

by tones and gestures h as this advantage over that

,

mad e by words t hat it is the langu age of nature It

, .

i s that method of i nterpreti ng our mind which nature

h as d i c tate d to all a nd which is understood by all ;
,

whereas word s are arbitrary con ventional symbols

,

of our i d eas and by consequen c e must mak e a more

, ,

feebl e impression So true is this that to render

.
,

word s fully signi fic ant they i n almost every case ,

receive some a i d from the manner of pronunciatio n

and delivery ; and he who i n speaking should em , ,

pl oy bare words without en forci ng them by proper

,

t o n e sa n d accent would leave us with a fa int and

,

i ndistinct nnp r es si on o ften with a doubt ful and am

,
23 6 M E N T A L D I SC I PL I NE .

bi gu ou sconception of what he had de l ivered Na y .

,

so close i s the connection between certa i n s enti

ments and the proper manner of pronou ncing them ,

th at he who does n ot pronounc e them aft er that

manner can never persuade u s that he Bel ieves or
,
”
feels the sentim ents themselves .

Pl e sh e i n e a r ne s
ad t " L o o k u po n hi sfa c e
Hi se y e sdo dI Op no t e a r s h i sp ra y e r sar e j e s
t,

Hi sw o rdsco m e fro m h i sm o u t h , o u r sfro m o ur br ea s t

He p r a y sbu t fa i ntl y a nd w o ul d be de ni ed ;
We pr a y wi t h h eart a nd s
oul .
”

It is astonishing what force and e ffect manner wi ll

add to the most finished discourse It is a matter .
“

sa y sMr that Ros

”
of history S urtevant c ius a
“
, t .
, ,

celebrate d Roman a c tor and C icero h a d an amiabl e , ,

con test wi th each other which coul d represe nt the

same thought i n the greate st number of ways the ,

former by g es t u re and the latter by wor ds ; and it is

stated though we can hardl y believe it that n either
, ,

party coul d be pronounced v i ctori ous Thi scontest .

is men tioned by C ic ero h im sel f i n on e of his letters , .

It is spoken of by Macrobius as one of habitual oc

currence i n the i nte rco urse between these two di s
t i ngu i s
h e d Romans “ .

The a r t of p a ntom i m e affords a specim en Of t h e

precision an d force with whi ch gestu re is capable of
Sa t i sc onsa t t c ont e nd e r e e u m ( C i ce rone m ) eum ips
o h is
tn one
'

( B os
cio) s
ol i t um , sae p i u sc a nd e m s
u t ru m I l l e e nt e nt i a m v a r i l s ge s
,e p e r e l oq u e nt i ae co p i a m s
t i h u sc fli c e r e t a n i p s . er m o ne d i v e rs , e

p ro n u nc i a re t Q uae r e sa d h a nc a rt l ss
. e fid u c i a m Ros
ua ci um a b

s t r a xi t u t h bru m co ns
, c n bere t q u o e l o q u e nt i a m c u m h i s t i i oni t
c o m p er a r e t —Ma cr obt u s Sa t ur n Li , 1 0
.
, ,
 CO MMU N I C A TI ON OE KN OW L E D G E . 23 7

imparting ideaswithout the aid of oral l anguage .

’Q

Th e pantomimic exhibi tions are recorde d to hav e

produced a powerful e ffect upon G reek an d Roman
a ssemblies Luci an relates that a cel ebrate d pan “
.
,

t om i m i c actor of the time of Nero prev a iled upon

, ,

the cynic philosopher D emetri u s who was always , ,

ridi c uling pantomimes and inveighi ng a gai nst the

folly of the people in being so mu c h ente rtained by
them to be present at his performance on a certai n
,

occ asion D emetrius was so delighted that he could

-

not con tai n himself but shouted out Ma n l I not

, ,
‘

only see but hear you for your v ery hands speak "
, ,
’

The above wi l l almost lead u sto credi t an inci

dent recorded of one of our own orators and which ,

is here related from memory It wasat one of the .

vast politi c al gatheringsat the south where William ,

C P reston was making on e Of hi smost impassioned

.

speeches that a spe c tator says I observed an i ndi

, ,

v i dual by my Side who joined in the a cclamati ons of

the multitude asthe speak er turned off one period
a ft er another A nd just as he po ured out one of
.
.

those mass i ve overwhelming to rre nts of eloquence

, ,

for which he is SO distingu i shed the indi vi d ual , ,

whose stran ge motions had attracted ou r attention ,

responded with a shout that was heard above the

ac c lam ations Of the multitude and immediate ly ,

tu rning to me bawled i n my ear Wh o is that

, ,
‘

Speaki ng ? Will iam 0 Preston I respond e d

’
.
,
’
.

Who said he louder than before ‘ Wil liam C

’

‘
. .
,

Pr esto n I res ponded again at the top of my voice

’
.
, ,

Split me i f I can hear a word —I m deaf—but don t

‘ ’ ’

,
23 8 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

he do the M OTI ON S sp l endid An d to my a s to nI s

h
ment I found he was p erfectly deaf— u nable to hear
”
a word .

L ucian al so rel ates that “ a prince of P ontus on

, ,

co mi ng to Rome to do hom a ge t o the emperor ,

vi s i ted the theatre and was beyon d meas

,
ure de
l i gh ted with the performances I t u about to .

l eave Ro m e for his own dom i n i on Nero desi red him ,

to request some present as a m ark of his regard .

The prince be g ged h i sprincipal pantomi mic ac tor .

Being asked the reason of thisrequ est h e replie d , ,

that there were di fferent barbarous nati ons around

him speaking d ifferent langu ages and it wasdi ffi cult
, ,

for h i m to proc ure suitable in te rpreters in his inte r

cou rse with them but thi s ac tor would j ust serve his
,
”
purpose . Ada i r i n his Histo ry of the Am eric an
,

In d ians m akes the state ment here quoted se c ond

, , ,

han d from memory that two f ar distant Indi an n a

, ,
“

tions who understood not a word of ea c h other s

,
’

l angu a ge will i ntell i gibly c onverse to gether and cor

,
.

tract eng a gementswithout any interpreters i n suc h ,

a surprising m anner as is s c arcely c re d ible ”

Such .

sta tementsmight h ave seemed i ncredi ble had they

not been more than confirmed by the familiarity
wi th whi ch the deaf and dumb are now able to hold
inter c ourse through the medium of natural and arti
ti r i a l si gn s A few years since an as
. sistan t tea ch e
,
.

i n the Hart ford Asyl um h i m s el f d ea f and dumb hel d

, ,

a long c onversation with a Chine s e youth gathering ,

from hi m much in formati on concern in g himsel f a n d

hi scoun t ry .
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON or K NOW L E D G E . 23 9

From the above facts we learn that a c t ion is a

means of conveyi ng ideasa nd al so of exci ti ng emo
t i on The perfect orator must be no less skilled in
.

ac tio n than i n the use of language a n d both must ,

be employed as vehi c les of thought and e m otion .

How much may their per fect command contribute

to the success of the C h ri sti an orator ? These are
ac c ompli shmentshowever that a r e to be acquired
, , ,

and they mu st be a c qu i r ed a nd m a de h a bi tu a l out of

th e p u h
p it .

I Vewi l l append th e following paragraph quoted ,

rrom Longm a n sE ssay on Publi c Speaking by S

’
.

T Sturtevant
.

Tra nq u i l l i ty appe ars by the composure of the

countenance and of all parts of the body J oy and .

d el igh t i n p roportion to their degree ope n the

, ,

counte nance and el evate the voice Love brighte ns .

the countenance into a sm i le and tu rns the eyes a s ,

toward the Object ; the ton e of the voice is tender

and pers uasive Gr a ti tu de gently elevates the voi c e
.

and the eyes a n d lays the right hand on the heart

,
.

Adm i r a t i on joins with these an ai r of asto nishme n t

'

an d respect cn er a zi on is more grave and serious

‘
.
,

with less su rprise Sha m e ch anges t h e countenance

.

and declines the head ; the spe a ker fa u l t er sin his

utte r anc e or i s silent Rem ors
,
e or a pai n ful sense
.
,

of guilt is fu r ther expressed by the ri gh t h a nd

,

s t riki ng the breast the eyes weeping the body

, ,

trembling ; and i n tru e p eni tenc e the eyes are some

times raised with humble h Op e F ea r Opens wxd e .

the yes and mou t h gives to the countenance an ai r

e
,
240 M E N T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

Of w ildness covers i t with pal eness projects the

, ,

h an d draws back th e trembl i ng body ; the voice is

,

weak the sentences are short c on fused i ncohere n t

, , ,

P i ty which i s a mixture of love and grie f looks

, ,

down upon distress wi th upli fte d hands and tender

eyes ; the accent i s plaintive o ften accompanied wi th ,

tears Gri ef i f sudden and violent expresses itsel f

.
, ,

by beati ng the breas t weeping and by other atti

, ,

tudes approaching to distra c ti on Cou ra ge opens .

the counte nance gives the whole form an erect and

,

grace ful air ; the voice is firm even and ar t iculate , , .

Ang er expresses i tsel f wi th rap i dity harshness noise , , ,

and a t hreateni ng attitude A vers i on or ha tr ed draws

.

back the body turns the face on one si d e asfrom

, ,

the Obj ect and throws out th e hands on the Opposite

,

side Com m enda ti on is expressed by an o pe n plea

.
,

sant and respect ful countenance a mild ton e of

, ,

voice and the arms gently exte n d ed a stoward the

,

person we approve Reproof puts on a stern c ou n

.

t en ance and a solemn voi c e some t imes with a mi x ,

t ure of tenderness and a ffection I n vi ta ti on has a .

m odera t e degree of expression of love and respe c t ,

with the h and beckon ing the person toward us .

Sol i c i t i n g or r equ es
ti ng adds humility to re ve r e ) c c
, .

D is m is s i ng with approbation is done with a kind ,

as pec t and t one of voic e the right hand Open and , ,

gently wave d toward the pe rs on ”

.

N B —He that think s these position s of them

. .
,

sel ves will produce thei r respective emotions greatly

, ,

m istakes The emotion must be fel t at the moment

.

of a ssuming the positi on or gi ving expression to it

,
.
 C OM M UN C A I TI ON OF KN OWL E D GE . 24 1

TI O XM L— Study the bes model s

'

SE C N t l i m ng f del i very
o .

Oratory is an art a nd i t is u nquestionable that ea:

,

a mp l e is a more e fl ect i v e te acher of art th an precept

'

The thousand little arts by whi c h the orator gives

e ffect to his delivery it would be utterly impossible
,

to enumerate in desc ri ption and equall y so to en force ,

them by precept ; but they m a y be readily observed

i n deli very and the i r e ffect upon th e audi ence as
,

well as u pon ou r selves care fully noted In thi s way .

may we learn from the living mod el that which n o

i nstruc tor could teach , and which no precept could
pro duce .

P rofessor Os te r v a l d i nstructs hi spupils that at ,

t endance on good speakers and able ministers is an ,

important advanta ge and the shorte st way to s

,
ue

ce e d . It is a singular privilege to be favored

with models of el oquence F rom li ving models we .

may learn the graces of elocution ”

Mr Sturtevant . .

a lso enjoins upon young pre a chers as fa r as you

“
,

have Opportu nity ta ke the benefit of the best li vi ng

,

ex amples -the best public preachers the best pl e a d ,

ers the most eloquent of ou r sen ato rs

, The effort s
o f C icero to hear and to m ak e himsel f thoroughly
,

acqu ai nted with the oratory of all the maste rs of

eloquence i n his day are well known F or this p u r
, .

pose he traveled abroad and frequented not only the

,

halls of the rhetori c ians but also the pl aces of publ ic

harangue It m ay indeed be questioned whether
.

the highest (l ev el dp m e nt of po we r c an be attained

10
242 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

without the car e ful study of the living models of d o

qu en ce .

This study is as i ndispensable i n the cultivation of

sacred as of secular eloqu ence E rasmus says It .
,

will therefore be use ful for you n g men wh o are d e

signed for the C h ri stian ministr y frequently to r e ,

ort to the discourses Of truly el oquent m e n and by ,

degr ees to be habi tuated to them that they m a y r e ,

member and respect what they hav e heard ?“ Too

close an imitation of any model however excellent , ,

is in ad missible The Object of studying such m odels

.

is to store the mind wi th the principles of eloquence ,

not to make of ourselves m ere imitators F or imi .

t a t i on can rarely consist with n atural ness a n d that ,

whi c h is not n atural cannot be eloquent .

The followin g cauti on of Os t er v a l d is worthy of

attention Those wh o are desirous of forming
themselves on li ving models should be cautious not ,

to imi tate the faults of thei r favori te preachers I f .

they imitate them too closely they will become ridi ,

c ulons We should n ever imitate others but i n

.

thingswhich agree wi th our character and corre ,

sp ond with our ta lents To know thi s e v ery m an

.

must exami n e his own gi fts I f a man of m i ld a d .

d ress affect to Speak like on e who h as a powe rf ul

eloquence he will not suc c eed
,
.

c e nt e s
P r o fu e r i t i gi t ur a do l e s co nc wm d e s t i na t e s fr e q u en t e r L d

e l oqu e nt m m h o m i nu m con c 1 o ne s a dd u ce re a c p a u l a t i m s
con a c ra

c e re , u t m e m m e nnt a c t e dd a nt q 12
3 a u di e nnt .
—D e Ar t e C onci
ona ndi .
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF KN OW L E D G E . 2 43

SE C T IO N XXI II — Do not a tt a ch too m uch i mp m t a ru '

be

a rtifici a l rul esj b r del i very .

Wh t ther the orator is dependent more upon nature

’

than upon art it is useless to inquire B ut it is cer

,
.

ta i n that he can not be m a de by r ul e Ar t may assist . .

But he who is i ncessantly trammeled by rules an d

formulas so as to impede the spontaneous gu s
,
h i n gs
o f thought and emotio n c an neve i be eloquent
,
He .

m a y be exact criti c al m i nute ; h i sthoughts may be

, ,

j ust apposite comprehensive even ; but a ft er all

, , ,

he cannot attain to the character of true eloquence .

In this all rules are forgotten as well a sobserved ; ,

thought answers to emoti on and emotion gives ex ,

press i on to gesture and action so that wh i le no , ,

sound rule is violated the speaker Obtai ns an eleva

,

ti on above all rule You may as well attempt to

.

regulate by rule the i ntonations of the mother s ’

voi ce as she be wails the unti mely death of her only

ch ild— pouri n g out the bitter angu i sh of h e r he a rt
in cries that penetrate a nd sub d ue the soul as t o ,

impose rules a nd formulas upon the impassioned tOi

rent of true eloquence Ar t is indeed to be em.
, ,

pl oye d ; but it must be employed at home ; i t must

also be le ft at home and nature only appear in th e
,

pulp i t .

We wish the idea to be impressed deeply upon

the m i n d s of all who woul d study oratory that there ,

is a wide d i fference between observing the rules of

eloquence and bei n
g el oqu ent Al l your words an d .
24 4 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

gestures may be as r ul ea bl e— a ssystematic and m m

form— as the ra i n -dro ps descendi ng at the moment of
my writing and yet imbod y no more real eloquen c e
,

than is expressed in their patteri ng agains t the case

m ent of my win d ow A me c hanical strained for c e d
.
, ,

deli very will blu nt the edge of even truth itsel f and
, ,

take off the force of the most momentous and i m

pressive thought A m an c annot be i n a more d i
.

rec t way of exposing himsel f to ri dicule than to act ,

u po n the supposi tion that the mechanic al stringi ng

,

together of sen t ences and utteri ng them wi th mea ,

sured intonation and gesture as u n iformly recur ,

ring as the bars i n mus i c constitute the elements ,

of good delivery .

I
SE C T ON XXI V — Let y our chi ef s
. ol i ci t ude ha ve r ference
e
to the ma tter ra ther tha n t he m a nner .

It i s of great importa n c e that the language we em

ploy should be the adequate a n d a ppropriate vehi cle
of thought but the primary Obj e c t of anxi ety should
,

be that we may h ave ideas worthy of conveya nc e .

No labored embellishmentsof style c an compensate

for poverty of thought n or will the act of communi ,

cation be usually d i ffi cult i f the i deas po s sess an i n

,

t r i ns
i c value B ut i f we i ntrodu c e to the attention
.

of the b e a re r no senti ment sor thought worthy of <

his regard or adapted to k eep alive a feeling of i n

,

t er es t i n his mind h e w i ll ine vi ta bly be come weary

,

and l i stless I f we present to him n o m ateri als for

.

t h e Operation of thi nking to which he attac hes a n y

v alue we sh all appe ar to hi m to have for feite d a ll
,
 C OMMU N C A I TI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 245

claim upo n his atte ntion He wi ll c omplain that .

we a fford neither exerci se for his reas on nor enter ,

ta i nm e n t to hi sfancy
’
.

Now in order to gi ve re al value to a discou rse

, ,

a n d a fi tness to accompl i sh the object proposed we ,

should be anxious to secure three poin ts — There

should be a cl ear elucidation or en forc ement of some
Scriptural tru th— there should be i n every part of
the d i scou rse conti nu i ty of thou gh t — an d there
should be i n the stru c ture of the whole an adapta ,

tion to produ c e impression and e ffect ”

.

Also at the moment of delivery the mi nd must be

most oc cupied w i th the matt er as i t is from the ,

ideas asthey ris e in ord er that the mind i sto r e

It i s
, ,

ce i ve impulse and emotion is to be excited

,
.

the thought that constitutes the substratum the foun ,

dati on of all el oip i e n ce “ hen the subj ect is clearly

, .
r

p ercei ve d an d a ppropri ately felt expression will

, ,

most likely be e ffe c tive and grace ful In fac t all .

,

action at the t i me o f delivery that d oes not have at ,

least the appearanc e of be i ng unstudied will always ,

be intolerable ; and i n no pla c e more so than i n the

pulpit Indee d we will go further and i nsist u pon
.
, ,

the practical rule of D r t a te l y u pon th is point ;

.

whi c h is not only to pay no stud i ed at ten tion to

,
“

th e voi c e but stud i ousl y to wi thd r a w the thoughts

,

from it and to dwel l as intently as possible on the

,

sense trusting to nature to suggest s

,
pontaneously
”
the proper emphases and tones This rule we con .

s ider pe rfec tly consistent wi th the most care ful pre

vi ou s training of the individual wi t h reference to the
24 6 MEN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

m anagement of
the v oice and the use of gestu r e .

The t raini ng of the voice and the gesture should b e

general rather than w i th re ference to a sp ec ifi c dis
co urse or occasion and generally upon se e t pieces
,
‘

from other authors rather than upon our own prep a red
sermons which we are expe c t ing soon to d eliver I f .

the extempo raneous preacher exe rcising himsel f Sa

,

t u r d a y night upo n the sermon he is to preach on the

next day en te r i n to al l the mi nu ti ae of gesture the
, ,
“

study of attitudes — saying Here I must start as

,
“

with a fir igh t and there weep w i th emotion ; here I

'

must hold up my forefinger with a si gn i fi c ant moti on ,

and there gi ve to my right hand a grace ful wave ;

h ere I must voci ferate with the en ergy of a B oa n e r
e s and there melt with the lute -lik e to nes of love
g ,

su c h preaching (or a c ti ng ) I tell h im wi ll be too

s
, , ,

a ffec te d for the pulpi t ; it will disgu t hi s he a rers ; it

c an do their soul s no good ; it ca n never wi n s oul sto

A nother reaso n why the matter Of th e di s c ou m e .

rather than the manner in which it isto be deli vered ,

should oc c upy the attention is that all true em oti ox

, ,

must arise from the con templ ation of the subject .

An d when this emotion is exci te d the coun t enanc e , .

like a faith fu l mi rror reflects i t and all the gestu res

, , ,

prompte d a sth ey are by the genuine emoti ons har ,

m oni z e i n the general e ffect The real power of d e

l ivery depends not upon any h istrion i c a r t ific esof
tone and ge s t ur e b u t upon the harmonious blen d ing
,

to gether of sentimen t feeling and expressi on Th is

, ,
.

”
is the caput artis of al l but especially of p ulpi t
, ,
 C OMM UI N C A TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 247

o ratory This at once commands the reason an d

.

sway s the feel i ngsof the audi tory .

In a fe w i f any have these grand elementsof true

, ,

orato r y been so harmoniously blende d and so strong ,

l y exh i bited as i n Robert Hall and the immed i ate

, ,

i mpress i o n u pon his congregati on was such as might

have been expe c ted F rom the commenceme n t
.
“

of his discourse says D r G regory

,
”
an almost .
,
“

br eathless anxiety preva i led deeply impressive and ,

solemniz i ng from its singular i ntenseness ; not a

soun d was heard but that of the preacher s voice ; ’

scarcel y an eye but was fixed upon him ; not a

countenance th a t he di d not wat c h and read and , ,

i nte rpret as he surveyed them again and agai n with

,

his ever excursive glance A she ad vanced and i n .

crease d i a animation five or six of hi saud i tors would

,

be seen to rise and lean forward over the front of

their pews sti ll k eeping their eyes fixed upon hi m
,
.

Some new or striking sentiment or expression wo ul d ,

i n a fe w momen ts c ause others to rise i n l i ke man

,

ner ; and shortly afterward sti ll more ; and s o on ,

until long be fore the close of the sermon it oft en

happened that a c onsiderable porti on of t h e congr e
gati en was seen stand i ng ; every eye di recte d to t h e
preacher yet now and then for a moment glan c ing
, ,

from one to another thus transmitting and reci ,

p r oc a t i n g thought and feeling Mr Hall hi msel f, . .

,

though man if stly absorbed i n his subject c onscious

e
,

of the whole re c eiv i ng new animati on from what he

,

thus witnessed refle c ti ng it back upon those who

,

were already alive to the inspi rati on u ntil all that ,

24 8 M EN TAL DI s
C I P Lu E s .

was su s c eptible of thought and emoti on seemed

wou nd up to the u t most elevation of thought u pon
earth when he wou l u close and they reluc ta ntly and
, ,

sl owl v resume their seats

”
.

SE CT I O N —Aca tstom yourself to the fi equent em

X XV .

ot s f your p owerswhen i t ca n be done wi th s

'

e o ui ta bl e
, p re
p a r a l i on .

Nearly all e m inent public s pe akers have been a o

custo med to the daily exercise of their vocal organs
either i n re ading or d ecl a mation Many have st u d i
.

ou s l y practiced gesture before a mirror These fr e .

~

quent exerc i ses they found essential to the retention

of i m provements a l ready made as well as for th e a t
,

t a i n m e n t of others with i n their power So i n p u bl i c

.

spe aking t h e frequent exercise of it when it can be

, ,

don e w i th suitable preparation a nd interest wi ll be ,

greatly ben efi c ial It has b een observ ed that some

.

of our most eloquent preachers when they had been ,

d i suse d to publi c d i scou rse for a time or pre ached ,

only at intervals wi d el y separated became dry , ,

constrai ne d and tiresome in their d elivery and did

, , ,

n ot re c over from these i mpediments to e ffe c tive

spe aking till aft er they h ad bee n engaged agai n for

,

some time i n the acti ve d uties of the mi n i stry .

We would n ot however recommen d the pra c ti c e

, ,

of t h os t e r swho a re always h arangu ing with

e m i ni s
'

but littl e re ference to ti me or place or prepa r ation

, , .

It can not be that they h ave any just views of the

d i gnity an d importa n ce of the s a c red o ffi ce or a n y ,

just concepti on of the amount of labor a bs ol u t e l v

 CO MMUN I C ATI O N or K N OW L E D G E .

necessary even by the most g ifted minds for the

, ,

production of an able sermon Such persons by the .

,

loosenes s of their logi c the feebleness of the i r rea

,
~

son i ng the empty inflation of their d elivery an d the

, ,

barrenness of their thought pre judi ce the cause ,

of truth and d e ra d e the dign i ty o f the mi nister i al

, g
profession The supply must be inexhaustible that
.

w ill admit of a ste a dy stream without the ciste rn

be ing emptied It matters not how o ften y ou draw
.
,

provi d ed you keep the supply good but this con ,

tinn el draw i ng w i thout ever replen i shing must pro

duce emptiness and d i sgusti ng inanity .

A write r i n a den ominatio n where ministers are

,

generally settled for a longer or shorter time accord ,

ing to the d i sposition of the parties affi rms that , ,

“

thos e minist ers who h ad been settled longest i n the

same ch arge and had longest retai ned their hold
,

upo n the affections of their people a nd their i n flu ,

ence over the publi c mind were generally those who,

had been most sparing in the numbe r of the i r p ubl ic

discou rses a nd (probably the writer might have
adde d) most s t u d ious i n the preparation of those
they d i d deli ver The amount o f a man s use fulness
'

.
,

or even of his labor is not to be me asured by

,

the number of sermons he preaches but by thei r i n ,

fl ue n ce and e ffec t He who is al ways harangui ng

.
,

a nd never preparing either pl ac es a high e s

, tim a t e
u on his own powers or a low one upon the truth s
p ,

he is c all ed to deliver and the intellig ence of t he

peop le who a r e invited to liste n .
£50 M ENI '
A L D I SC I PL I N E .

I
SE C T ON XX V I . l Vr i te out a di sours
ecf reque ntl y , a nd

c
o ca s
iona l ly c mm it m
o e to m em o ry ,
tha t y our s
ty le ma y be
i mp roved , an d y our mem ory i nvigora ted .

It wasthe saying of C icero than whom perhaps no , , ,

mortal either of past ages or of the present knew

, ,

bette r how eloquen c e was to be acqu i red or how to ,

u se it when acquire d The pe n is the mothe r of

,

eloqu ence A man who is not accustomed to the

di scipli ne of wri tin g on some great and momento us
,

occas ion when great i nterests were at stake and

, ,

strong passions aroused under the ex c i tement an d ,

i nsp i rati on of the occ a s i on mi ght be suc c ess ful as , ,

was Patr i c k Henry i n a few bold strokes of el o

,

quenc o B ut it is exceedingly doub tful whether a

.

pu blic speaker c an mainta i n a uni form character of

eloquence without the con stant use of the pen By .

this the power of thought and the style of expression

are both i mproved “7 hen our thoughts are retai ned
.

till they c an be sketched on paper the m i nd b e ,

comes accusto med to take hold of them with a ten a

c i ou sgras p and to turn them over and o er without
,
v

ever losi ng i tshold and thus i t not only disc overs

,
.

and retrenches their s u er flu i t i e sand de for m i ti es

p ,

but acquires a mastery over them that c an be a o

q u ired i n no other way .

Mr B urder says that composition i s desir able

.
“
,

not onl y with a v i ew to improvement in style bu t ,

also to i mproveme nt i n the power of though t Such

- .

a connecti on exists between t h i nk i n and expressing fr

thought that to attempt the latter i sone of the mos

,
t
 C OMM UN C A I TI ON or K N OW L E D G E . 25 )

ef
fe c tual methods to excel in the former requent . F
compos i tion h a sa powerful tendency to se c ure cle a r
ness i n our c onceptions aswell as pre c i sion i n our ,

langu a ge and at once to promote fullnessof illustra

,
'

tion and compress i on of style It w i ll be the most .

e ffective preservative from that loose and tedi ou s

style of expression by which some speakers employ
,

a profus i on of words to convey very few thoughts ,

and exhaust the patience of their hearers by a dull

prolixity whi ch ex c ludes all point vivacity and corn , ,

d ensati on .

“
I f however composition for the pulpit b e a t
, ,

tempted it should be the result of energetic thought

,

and the strenuous appli c ati on of the min d to the s ub

jec t Le t i t not be im gined that because a sermon

a
.

i s written i t must there fore be superior to other di s

c ourses by the sam e prea cher whi c h have not been
, ,

reduced to writing A careless hurried composi tion

.
, ,

w i ll i n all probab i li ty be vapid dull and sp i ritless

, , , , ,

and dec i dedly in ferior both in thought and language

, ,

to a sermon of which the outline only waswritte n ,

but Of which the material s for i l l ustrat ion were se
. ec t e d wi th c are though not commi tted to writi ng
, .

The latter method of studyin g for the pulpit may

indeed be pra c ticed with great advanta ge conjointly
, ,

with the plan of care ful composition And w h ile .

this combi nation of pl ans of study might with pro

p r i e ty be re c o m mended as eligible it is i n fac t the ,

plan to which m i nisters must often have recourse ,

from n ecess i ty i f a demand be made upon them b y

,

thei n congregations of se veral discourses e very week .

252 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

By carrying on both me t h ods and by writ i ng out a t

,

l east one sermon wi th care every w eek the young ,

preacher may be making progress i n the excellence s

o f a style best adapte d fo r the pulpit ; wh i le i n c on ,

ju ncti on wi th this e ffect he may be acquiring a ddi

,

ti on a l fa ci l i ties in expressing hi s thoughts with fl uen

c y and unpremedi tated langua g e
”
.
,

The exte mporaneous preacher should n ot fail to

wri te out skeleto ns of hi sd i sc ou rses weekly ; and h e
will oft en fi nd i t gre atly to his ad vantage to write
out i n ful l some of the para g raphs that o cc ur to him ,

c ontai ning choi c e gems of thought or apposi te ill us

,

t r a ti on sand reasonings . But in addition to all this

,
.

he should frequently— say on c e a month — wri te out

a se rmon i n full wi th due re ference to style and ex
,

pression These sermons shoul d be upon his choi c e

.

themes and imbody his choice though t s

,
.

That commi tted sermons may be deli vere d with

all the pathosand effect of spontaneous thou ght the ,

F rench pulpit— some of the great maste rs of whi c h

uni formly wrote committe d and studied the d elivery
, ,

of their sermons — will be ar wi tne s s ; nay the sta ge , ,

where the freshne s s and v i gor of original li fe are

given to committed thoughts a nd words gives abun ,

dan t proo f Inabil i ty thus to c ommit a written di s

.

c ou rse and to en ter in to the spiri t of the su bj ec t a t

, ,

th e moment of delive ry indi c ates a want of menta l

,

dis c iplin e that can be a c quired i n no othe r way tha n

by a close applic ati on to the subje c t and a ri gid ,

ra c tice of what is here recommended

p .

Nor wil l t he a d v ant a g esresulti ng from the p ra c

 C OMMU N C A I TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E . 25 3

lice recommended in this section terminate with the

mere exer c ise ; it wi l l r e-ac t u pon the whole in tel
lec tual chara cter ; it will contribute wonde r fully to
the mental energy sharpen the acumen gi ve r efine
, ,

ment t o the taste and sti r up the whole intellectual

,

m a n to renewed ac ti vity ; it wi ll enl arge the views

of the wi d e field of pulpit excellence give intensity ,

to the desire for improvement and confidence i n ,

effor t for i ts acquisition .

I
SE C T ON XX V II — K eep s
. tea di ly i n vi ew the grea t Obj ects
a nd end c the Chri s t ia n m z nzs
' '

f i ry .

We have see n that unity Of purpose is essential to

su c cess in any department Of human ex c ellence .

But wi th re ference to no subj ect i s this more strictly

true than with re ference to the C hristian m i nistry .

“
The true end Of the m i nistry is e di fica t i on and
holi ness and he who keeps this end steadily in
v iew and concentrates all his powers u pon i ts attain
,

ment will n ot only serve his God better but wi l l

, ,

find that the direct te ndency of this c oncentration

Of his energ i es is to enl arge and perfect his powers

as a pulp i t orator .

NO man c an be penetrated with sublime emotions .

giving rise to eloquent thoughts u nless there be a ,

forgetfulness of sel f Obl i v i on of sel f says a m o

.
”
,

dern professor is On e of the most important quali

“
,

fica t l on sfor success i n the sa c red o ffi c e The man .

wh o is always consulting his own claims to public

favor or balancing the probabil i ties Of loss or gain
,

to his own reputation allows too many considerati on s

,
25 4 ME NTA L D I SC I P L I N E .

to intervene between himsel f and the end p rop osed ,

and is too irresolute and divided in his purposes to

turn even the powers he has to the be st ac c ount .

Unity of purpose simplicity of aim purity of i nt e n

, ,

tion and earnestness of spiri t are fa r more favorable

, ,

to the prod u c tion of able pre ac hing th an those multi

form considerat i ons whi c h arise from any vi ews of
sel f-advantage These attribu tes give concentration
.

to his e fforts Setting be fore him the obj ect to be

.

”
attained he marches dI r ect l y up to i t
,
.

This unity Of ai m c an exist only i n connection

with a sound piety whi c h i s the basis Of all evangeli
,

cal prea ching and th e grand sour c e of the true

,

el oquence Of the pulpit He who desires ac c ord.

“
,
”
ing to St P aul says Erasmus to be dz da m m g
.
, ,
“
o

that is a properly qual ified teacher Of the doctri ne

,

of God must take heed th at he be fi r st H

,
ewdt dn m og
,

taught of God himsel f He who keeps the Obje c t s

.

and e nd of the min i stry ste adily in v iew w i ll feel the ,

n ecessity Of this divine teac hing a nd seek to pos ,

sess it .

A C hristi an minister j ustly i nspired with the great

obj e c ts and end Of h i svocation w ill have n o o c ca ,

sion to seek for any extraneous stimulus for the full

employment of his powers Ah "what more can .
“

be necessary excla ims the p i ous abbe Maury i n

,
”
,
“

order to qu i c ken our ardor ? Is there a vi rtuous

a nd feeling mi nd that can despise such a del i gh t f ul

reward
l ve shall have ful filled the end Of our voc a ti on
when we render ourselves use ful to men ; i n their
 CO MMU N I C A TI ON OF K N OW L E D G E .

c ity we shal l receive an indemn ificati on f

fe li or al l

our sa c rifi c es ; the pleas i ng remembrance Of our

youth ful labors will serve to del i ght the solitude
and to console the i nactivity of our advanced years ;
and when death shall lay his heavy han d upon our
eyeli d s we shal l each be able to say to the gre a t
,

G od whose laws we have published

, O my F ather " ,

thou hast gi ven me thy ch i l d ren to instruct I r e .

s t ore them to thee better R emember all the bless

.

ings wh i ch thou hast poured upon thy people through

the instrumentality of thy min i stering serv an t Le t .

the t ears wh i ch I have dried up the tears which I ,

have excited when pleadi ng i n thy name plead with ,

t hee on my behal f I have been the instrum ent of

.

thy c lemency make me hereaft er the Objec t Of t h v

,

te nder merey .
’

Worl dly and pro fessional consi derations are not

wanting to excite the Ch ristian mi nister to the a t
tai nm e n t of superior excellence ; but to the p i ous
mind look i ng forward to the resul ts and end Of his
,
.

course all other consi d er a t ions shrink into i ns

, ign i fi
ca n cc when compared w i th the fi nal approbation and

fa v or of h is God Le t u s
. l ook s
“
a s
y B ens on,
“
only ,

to that awfu l world where as the strong eloquence

, ,

Of C hi l li ng wor t h has uttere d the thought z we s

f hi ne ,

not bea u /{ fu l l y a sthe s ta rsof G od sgl ory we s ha l l

’

a re f ea rf u l l y a s e fir ebr a n dsf h iswr a th for ever

”
g l ( b o .

”
I had a v i s i on sai d the venerable C hrysostom ;
,

I thought I saw the communion rails crow d ed

wi th angels l i stening to the sermon “T hen a man .

speaks as i f i n the si ght Of God with an Open hea ,

£56 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

v en with Ch ri st and angels be fore hi m he c atches

, ,

the true p r Op h e t i c fire ; he pre a ches a present salv a

tion from a present Saviour ; the Spi ri t Of gl ory a nd
grace descends and the flame c om m u m ca t esto his
,

a udi to r v a n d accompanies them to their home s

”
,

SE C T IO N XX V III — E ver p res

erve . a mo ra l u s
p ri ghtnes
a nd i ndep endence fs
o
p i r it a nd a ct ion .

The an c ient rhetori c ians uni formly claimed virtu e

as an essenti al ingredient i n the cha racter Of the
orato r Q uin tili an spends the fi rst chapter of his
.

twel ft h book i n proving the necessi ty Of the orator s ’

being a good man I f this be necessary at the bar .

,

i n the forum and be fore popular ass , emblies how ,

mu c h more necessary to the produc tion Of genu i ne

oratory in the pulpit Mr Ro binson well remarks .
,

that the conclusion of Q uintili an is en ough to m ake “

the C hristi an ministe r blush Me n had better be .

” “

born dumb and even destitu te of reason than per

, ,

v ert those
gifisOf P rovidenc e to pe rn icious pur
poses “ .

Thi s moral uprightness is in dispe nsable for two

considerations F irst without it a m a n cannot ex
.
,
'

p eet to receive mental illu m i nati on through the

Holy G host Secondly without it hi sdi scourses
.
, ,
.

however logi c al in argument just and true i n senti ,

ment wanting that weight and force that a pure li fe

,

would give would fall powerless to the ground

,
.

Mul t oseni m s
n a c i , e t e g ere o m n i ra t i ne sa t i sf i sset qu a m
o u u ,

Pr o v nd e nu aa m u ne r e In m u t ua m pe rm ei e m c n t er eo— m ve r .

ti h a n , b xn.
. c . l .
 I
C OMM UN C A TI ON OF K N OW L ED G E . 257

The min i st e r Of Jesus C h rI s t will ofie n h a ve occa

s ion to bri ng i nto e x ercise all th e moral i ndepe nd
e n ce he may p ossess E rr or is to be boldly attack
.

ed xi ee rebuke d and the sel f-denials Of reli gion to

, ,

be en force d upon al l class es Thi s mo ral vi rtu e and

.

indepen d e n c e w ill n ot only give t h e m i niste r favor

in the eyes of the people but will re-act upon his ,

intellectual characte r an d endow him wi th a bold

,

ness a power of spe ech that could not otherwi se be

, ,

Obta ined .

In order to the full possession of these qu al ities ,

he must have a full conv i ction Of the truth and liv i ng

e ffi cacy Of that gospel he prea c hes He is called to
de fend and propagate n ot a mere hypo thesi s—not
.

a m e re spe c ula t ive notion but absolute truth — truth

,

that has the sancti on Of Omnipotence— truth whose ,

l i v i ng e ffi c acy has been attested by unnumbered

thousands — truth that i sfor ever susceptible Of ex
,

e r i m en t a l demonstration — tr uth that is iden tified

p ,

wi th human weal on earth — and truth that involves ,

the everlasti ng destin i es Of al l our race This truth .

must have la i d i tsfou n da ti on sdeep i n the co m i c

’

ti ons of his own understan di ng The gospel to hi m .

,

that would successfully min i ster at i tsholy al tars must ,

not be a mere matter Of speculation a c reature ,

Of the imagi nat i on a baseless sent i mentali sm

,
B ut .

it must be a li ving pri nc i ple i n the soul Its vi ta l .

Energy mus t be d iffuse d through the whole Intellect

ual and mora l frame— claimin g the fu ll assent Of the
reason swaying all the passions of the heart— i m
,

p r egn a ti ng and puri fying al l the moral emoti ons s o ,

17
25 8 ME N T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

th at he may preac h C hrist Jesus not with enticing

wo r ds Of man s wi sdom but in d emon str ation Of th e
’

,
”
Spi r it and w i th power . He must b e able to say ,

Tha t wh i ch wa sf rom the beg i nni ng wh i c h we h a ve

,

h ea rd wh i ch we h a ve s
,
een wit h ou r ey es wh ich we
,

ha ve l ooked up on a nd ou r ha ndsh a ve h a nd l ed of the

,

wor d of l ife tha t d ec l a r e we u nt o y ou

,
. Wi thout this
'

divi ne ard or of convi ction and the ac companying

,

influence of the Holy Ghost the most eloquent pul pit

,

per formanc e is but as soundi ng bras s or a ti nkl i n g

”
cymbal .
 D I V E R SITI E S OF M E N T AL C H ARA C T E R . 21 9

P A RT I I I .

fl l V E R Sl TI ES OF MENTA L C HA RA C TE R C ON
S l D E RE D W I TH F
R E E REN C E TO MENTA L
D l S C l P LI N E AN D E D UC A TI ON G EN E RA LL Y .

I
SE C T ON I .
—D i ver s
i t i esof i ntell ectua l cha ra ct er .

DIV R ITI
E S E S of intellectual characte r are every
where observable am ong m e n and the varieties ,

seem to be almost en d less Whether there be any

.

ori gi nal dispari ties Of intelle c t or whether the ,

existi n g diversities have resulted wholly from i n

c i d e n t a l c i r c umstan c es and habit is a question that
,

has been long and mu c h discussed A de fi n i te

.

c on c lusion u pon i t is perhaps not attainable and ,

this may i n part account for the unsati s factory

, ,

results Of the d i s c ussions that have been had It .

may however be received as an u nquestionable

pr i nc i ple that not a small portion Of the existi ng
,

d i vers ity may be referred to the d i fferent circum

st a nces a nd a c c i dents by whi c h the chara c ters Of i n
d i vi d u a l sre c e i ve special te ndencies i n ear l i er l ife ,

a n d are ever a fterward more or less a ffecte d .

On the other hand i t is also unq u estionable that

,

fa c tsas well as the analogy Of th i ngs would i nd i c a te

, ,

that there may be natur a l disparities more or less

marked in the mental c haracter of men Wh at .

are the orig in a l d i spari t ies i n thei r capac i ti es says ,

D ug ald Stewart it is impossible for us to asc ert ai n ;

,
26 0 M E N T A L D I SC I PL IN E .

but from the an alogy of the body it is pre sumable ,

that such dispa ri ties exist That the d ifferent situ .

a t ion s i nto which men are th r own by the a cc idents

o f l i fe would produ c e great diversities i n the i r

talents even on the supposition that their origi nal

,

capac i ti es were the same is u ndoubtedly tru e ; bu t ,

i t is surel y pushing th e c on c lusion too fa r to a ffi rm ,

that n o origi nal i nequali ties exist when n o proo f of ,

the fa c t c an be prod u c ed of such an assertion a nd ,

when so str ong an analogy as that of natural dispari

ti e s among men i a point of bodily advanta ges lea d s
, ,

to an opposite Opinion At the same ti me it must be .

acknowledged that supposing the minds to be equal

, ,

i n all respec ts the most tri fli ng extern al c i rcum

,

stances may create between them th e m os t i m po r t a n t

d i fferen c es i n the result
"
The circumsta nces that
.

may thus affect and gi ve v ariety to mental character

are absolute ly in numerable E ven the bod ily form .

o fte n affec t s the character and style of ou r thoughts ,

and eve ntually the whole men ta l ch aracter C icero .

says Ip s, i a n i m i ma g ni r ef er t q i i n c orp or e l oc a t i
, ,

s i nt : Mul ta em m é corp or e exis

'

t a nt qu a: c on a nt m en ,

t em ; m ul ta gut sobt u ndent

, Pe rsonal beauty some .

times tu rn s the hea ds of men as well as women ; and

bo dily i nfi rmity is oft en a spur to mental acti vity .

Whosoever hath an ything fixed in his person says

'

Lord B ac on ,
th at doth induce contempt hath also ,

a perpetu al spu r in h i msel f to re s ue and deliver ,

c

hi msel f from scorn The e ffect of s

.
”
t a t u re upon

men t al character led an accurate a n d pro found oh

server to remark that litt l e men are commonl y
,
“
 D I V E R SITI E S or M E NT AL H ARA C T E R 2 6 1
C .

decisive and ora o c ular i n their opi n i ns and D ugald

Stewart asserts that he h asl i ttl e doubt of the r e
,

al i ty of the fac t .

But our present obj ect d oes n ot requi re o f us ,

e i ther an examin ation of the or ig i na l di sparities of

men or an i nvestigatio n of the c aus
, es of the existi ng
d i fferences of character We sh all there fore avoi d .

a field so measureless ; an d d i rect our i nqui ri es to

these di fferenc es as they exi st ,
.

SE C TI O I I — l l
N .
’

s
'

e houl d ca reful ly not e these di vers

i t i es
,
d
a n

sc t i th
a er a n e cl a ssof i nt ell ect to whi ch we bel ong .

The varieties of mental charac ter from whatever ,

cause s they may re sult o ft en require d ifferent ,

m odes of t r aining and d i s c i p l i ne Hence t h e i m .

portance to him who wo uld have h i spowers proper

l y balanced and re gulate d of c a re fully di scrimina ,

ti ng the various grad es of i ntellectual character and ,

especially of dete rm i ning the c la ss to wh i ch his own

mi nd belongs that he may choose and pursue an
,

appropriate system of mental di sc pline i “

There .

i sno sta nd or imp e di ment says Lord Bacon

”
in
, ,
“

the wit but may be wrought out by fit studies and

, , ,

lik e as d i seases of the bod y may have appropriate ,

exerci ses ; bowl i ng is good for the stone and reins ;

sh ooti ng for the lungs a nd breast ; gentle walking
fo r the stomach ; riding for the head and the l ik e ;
so i f a man s wit be wandering let h i m study the
’
,

mat hemati c s for in demonstrations i f his wi t be

, ,

: a l l ed away never so li ttle he must begi n again ; if ,

ni s wit be not apt to di sti ngu is h or fi nd di fferen c es ,

2 62 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

let hi m study the school men ; if he be not apt to

beat over matt ers and to c all upon o ne thi ng to
,

prove and i l lustra t e another let hi m study the law ,

y er scases : so every defect of the m i nd may have a

’

spe c ial receipt ”

.

It is unquestionably the c ase that important d i f

fe r e n c esare discernible i n the m i nds of children ,

e ven i n very early in fancy An d not un frequently

.

strong i ntellectual tendencies exist long be fore the

period at which it is generally suppose d i n tellectual
, ,

education commences Sometimes al so a certai n

.

c ast of intellectual charac te r may seem hered i tary .

On e race for a succe s

, sion of generati ons is di s ,

h e d by a geniusfor t h e abstrac t s c iences while

t i ng u i s ,

i t is de fi cient i n v ivac ity i n imaginati on and i n

, ,

taste : another is no less distinguished for wit and ,

gayety and fancy while it appears incapable of p a

, ,

tient attention or of profound research

,
D ugald .
”

Stewart contends t hat “

,
the system of education
which i s proper to be adopted i n particul ar cases ,

ought to have some re ference to these circumstances ,

and to be cal culated as much as possible to develop

, ,

and to cherish those intellectual and acti ve princi

ples in which a n atural deficiency is most to be a p
”
prehended He further asserts that there is a ,
“

foundation in philosophy and good sense for aecom

m od a t i ng at a very early period of li fe the educa
, ,

ti on of i ndivi duals to those parti cul ar turns of m i nd ,

to whi ch from heredita ry propensities or from m or l l

, ,

situation it may be presumed they have a natural

,
”
tendency . Now this is an important feature in
 D I V E R SITI E S or M E N T AL C HAR ACTE R . 2 63

which the syste ms of educati on i n vogue i n the

present age are remarkably deficient P arents on .

whom th i s work necessar i ly devolves are for the , ,

most part from their own de fective education or

, ,

from want of hab i ts of c lose a ttention and d i s cr i

m i n a t i ng observation i ncompete nt to its execution

,
.

Hen c e i n the i ntellectual edu c ation of children and

youth t h ey ar e almost universally subjected to a
,

general i ntellec tual regi men without the sl i ghtest ,

re ference to t heir n atural aptitudes and tendencies .

This de fect every one who i s emulous of i ntel

, ,

lectual excellence must remedy as best he m ay

, ,

after he has become capable of observation and r e

fl e ct i on upon himsel f B ut no one who wishes his
.

plans for the attainment of excellence or eminence

to be se c urely laid can excuse himse l f fr om the
,

most determined e ffort for the admeasurement of

h ispowers and the di scovery of his n atural aptitudes
and pred i lec t ions .

SE C TI O N Il l — C la s
sifica t ion of t he va r i et iesof i ntel l ect ua l
ch a ra cter a m ong men .

It mi ght seem to the c asual observer that the v al i a ,

ties of mental charac ter were so n umerous and s o

c ompli c a ted that a ny ph i losophical class i fication of

,

t hem would be i mpra c ticable An d perhaps the .

only method by wh i ch such classi fication is attain ~

a ble is by noti n g the prevail i ng character of our i a

,

t oll ect i on sa nd t h e manner i n which our thoughts

,

a r e assoc iated together .

V iewed in this l ight all the v arieties of intel lectual

,
264 M ENT AL D I SC I PL I N E .

charac te r may be com prehend ed i n th ree genera l

cla ss es namely the phil osoph i cal the matter of
, , ,
“

fact or c i r c um s
”
tanti al and the ima ginati ve In the
, .

fir s,t refl e cti o n p re d ominate s ; i n the se c ond obs er ,

va t ion ; and i n t h e third t h e imagi nati on The

, .

same co urse of menta l di scipl i ne would evid e ntl y , ,

n ot be hest ad apt e d to each of these sepa rat e and

d i st i n c t classes of intellect .

Thes e three clas se s are to be found i n ever y sta te

of soc i ety ; as clea rly d efine d a nd as strongly mark ed ,

perhaps in rude a n d savage nations as among the

, ,

c iv i lized and refined .

SE C T ON I V I .
— The p hi l os
op h ical m i nd .

Minds this cl a m del ight i n trac ing out the a n al o

of

gi es c auses a n d e ffec ts of thi ngs and the knowled g e

, , ,

they ac quire is a knowle dg e of p r i n c ip l esrather

than thi ngs Of i solate d fac ts such as dates nam es
.
, , ,

and pe rson s they reta in but faint recollecti ons while

, ,

the assoc i ating pri nc i pl es of their memory are con

trast a nd re s emblan c e c ause and e ffe c t But w h ile
,
.

the m emory is s luggi sh in i ts m ovement a nd u ncon ,

ne c tc d fac ts eas i ly e s c ape from i t and while exte r ,

na l obj ec ts slightly impress the i m agi nation the ,

ide as a c t ua l l v retain ed are comprehensi ve and or

gre at val ue Such a mi nd will thread the most Oh
.

scure analo gies and isc a pable of ma t ure an d sound

,

j udgm en t but it la c ks viv a city It c an an alyze but

,
.
,

not descr i be It c an develop princ i ples and syste

.

mi z e the g ene ra l for mul a s of a scien ce but is i a ,

~
 D I V E R SI TI E S o r M E N T AL C H ARA C T E R . 265

ex pe rt i n their appl ication In a wor d it i s adapted

.
,

t o th oug h rather than a c t i on .

Habits of attention and grea t powers of a bs

,
tr a c
ti on are strongl y m arked i n such an intellectual
,

charac ter . Its almost irresistible propension is to

retirement a nd m e ditation and it o ften p r e dom i
,

n ates to such an extent asto al most unfit i tssubj ec t

f or the ord i n ary duti es of l ife He nce it is oft e n
.

seen that pe rsons of more mi nd an d also of more

, ,

j ust and comprehensive views are less successful i n ,

the a ffairs of li fe a nd move with less e ffect throu gh

,

the world than their mo re ac t ive ri val s Such it is

,
.
,

true is the c l ass of mi nd out of whi c h philoso phe rs

,

are m ade ; but then comparatively fe w can bec ome

,

philosophers by pro fession Its menta l di scipline .

should be such aswould give prac tic al a c tivity to

,

the current of i ts abstract speculation .

B ut the question very natural ly arises i n thi s con

n ec t i o n whether when an i n d ivi d ual discovers i n
, ,

early li fe some strong intelle c tual bias he shou l d ,

not follow the direc tion of such bi as We will n on .

say that when su c h te nden c y se ems t o denote gr e at

, ,

apti tud e for any particula r ca l ling or profess i on the ,

person should not fol l ow such c all i ng B ut it is t o .

be observed that t hese extraordinary gi fts or pro

pensions of mind are al most al ways accompani e d by
,

a correspon d ent de fic ien c y i n some other of the i n

t e l l e c t u a l fa c ulti es A we l l -di sciplined mind impl ies

.

t he proporti onate development and d i scipli ne of al l

th e faculti es . Hence to give a propo r tio nate de
,
o

ve10 m e n t to those that are weak

p not only mu s t ,
 26 6 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

they be nurtured bu t the strong must o ften be r e

,
o

pressed A sound and well -regul a t ed understand

.

i ng can be formed in n o other way and without ,

m ch an unders tandi ng to control them the most de ,

"

sirable characteristi cs may degenerate i nto mere ex

cr e sc e n ce supon the i nte l lec t ual charac t er The for .

m ation of t h is u nderstand i ng is atte nded wi th so

much di ffi cul ty and doubt i n fe w other c ases as i n ,

those who are said in ord i nary parlance to have a

, ,
“

Says D ugald Stewart : I have long been

”
gen ius .
“

d isposed to consider any violent and exclusive b i as

of this sort when mani fested i n very early l ife as a
, ,

most un favorable ome n of th e future vigor and com

”
prehens i on of the u nderstandi ng and th i s rem ark ,

i s fully verified i n the histo ry of Z erah C olburn and

other cases of a similar desc rip t ion .

I
SE C T ON V .
— T/ze “
ma tt er f fa ct
o ,
”
or ci rcums
ta nt ia l
m i nd

Thi s class of mi nd is wi dely di sti nct from the former .

It is conversant mainly with matte rs of fact and i ts ,

‘

a ssoc iati ng pri nciple or the method by which i t s

,

ideas a nd trains of thought aswell as events and ,

objec ts are connected together i n its mi nd i sb v

, ,

t heir accidental nearness in time or place to some

other obj ect or event Thus such a person i n d e .

sc ribing an even t that happened to themselves or

family w ill o ften tell you that it w asthe year afte r
,

such an e c lipse or fami ne or war Touching m atte rs

, ,
.

of fact i t s memory i sremarkably qu ick an d decisi ve

, .
 D I V E R S ITI E S or M E NT A L C H ARA C TER . 2 67

Bu t for the i nvestigation of remote analogies and th e

i ntricate relations of cause and e ffe c t i t has but little ,

taste and as l i ttle adaptation It i smi nute and cr i

,
.

ti cal i n n arration detai li ng i nci d ental parti culars

,

uncon nected w i th the c ase only a sthey h a ppened ,

to be a sso c iated by some contigui t y of time or place .

Sh a k sp e a r e a ffor d s a fi ne il l ustra ti on of this i n the

c haracter o f Mr s Q ui c kly . In reminding F alstaff
.

of his marria g e engagement with her she specifies a ,

great variety of circumstances i ncidenta l to the eu

ga gem e nt only by ne a rness of time and place .

Thus
“
F a ls tafil —What is the gross sum that I owe

t hee ?
“
Hos t es s—Marry if thou wert an honest man
.
, ,

thysel f and thy mon ey too Thou didst swear to

,
.

me on a parcel-gilt goblet sitting i n my dolphi n ,

chamber at the round table by a sea-c oal fire on

, , ,

We d nesday in VVh i t -sun week when the pri nce ,_

broke thy head for likening him to a singing man of

Windsor thou didst swear to me then as I was
, ,

washi ng thy wound to marry me and to m ake me

, ,

my lady thy wi fe C anst thou deny i t ? D id not

,
.

G oodwi fe K uch the butc her s wi fe come i n then

’

, , ,

and call me Goss i p Q uickly ? co m ing in to borrow a

mess of vinegar ; telling us she had a good dish of
prawns ; whereby thou di dst desire to eat some ;
whereby I told thee they were i ll for a green wound .

And dids t not thou when she was gone dow

,
n stai rs,

desi r e me to be no more so fam ili ar with such p oor

2 68 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

peopl e sayi ng that ere long they sh oul d c al l m e,

. ,

m adam And didst thou n ot kiss me and bid me ,

fetc h the thirty shi llings ? I p u t thee now to thy

” —
book oath deny it I f thou canst See Ska ksp ea r e s
’
.
, ,

Hen ry I V .

Lord K a mes i n connection wi th th e above illus

,

t r a t i on
,
In the minds of some persons ,

though ts and ci rcumstances crowd upon eac h other

by the slightest conn ections I ascribe this to a
.

blu ntness i n the dis c erning faculty ; for a person who

cannot accurately distinguish between a slight con
n ec t i on and on e that is more intimate is e q u ally ,

a ffec ted by each ; su ch a person must necessarily

have a great fl o w of ideas because they are intro
,

d u ce d by any rela t io n indi fferen tly ; and the sli ghter

r lat ions being without number furnish ideas wi th
e
,

out end Ou the other hand a man o f accurate

.
,

j u dgment c annot have a g reat flow of i deas; because

t he sl ighter relati ons maki ng no fi gure i n hi smind ,

h ave n o power to i ntroduc e ideas And hence i t is .

,

that accurate j udgment i s not frien dly to declam a

tion or c0p iou seloquence This reasoning is con
.

fi rmed by ex p e rience ; for i t is a noted observati on

_ ,

that a great or c omprehensive memory is se ldom

”
co nnecte d with a go od judgmen t .

Mr Upham speaks of this peculiarity as bei ng th e

.

chara c te ri stic of the uneducated ”

This h owever.
, ,

is by no means the c ase Many who are educated

.
”
,

so fa r as the s chool s of learning and a pu rsuit of the

c o ur ses of study comprised in a li beral education ,

could educate them , retai n thi s characteristi c still

 D I V E R SITI E S or M EN T AL C H ARA C T E R . 209

wh ile , on t he other hand , men uned u cated I n th e

s omools possess every characteristic of t h e p h il os
,
o h ic
p
mind This of itsel f i s proo f that educ ation is often
.

so con d ucted asto nurture instead of recti fying t h e

, ,

pe c ul i arities of min d In this class evi d ently t h e

.
, ,

re fle c t i ve powers are d isproportioned i n strength

and d evelopment to the ac tive powers This d i s .

propor ti on may be maintained or even incre ased , ,

through the most exte nded cou rse of educ ation .

The proper d i s c i pline of such a mi nd then should , ,

h ave a direct re fere nc e to the development of the

r eflective powers and for that pu rpose it should be
, ,

applie d early to such studies as will requi re the ex

e r c ise of reason and reflection till its habitsare well
,
.

formed
The mental traits characteristic of this class of
mi nd are often u ndervalued a nd especially by stu,

den ts and those devoted to scientific pursuits The .

general impress ion seems to be that while the ,

matter of fact — we use the ter m for wan t of a

- -
”

better— mi nd is adapted to the ordinary manu al oc

cu p a t i on sof li fe the p h i l os
0p h i c only is becoming
“
,

the man of letters Under this impression m any

.
, ,

a ft er spending years in the vigorous cul ti vation of

their i ntellectual powers have departe d from the
,

s c h ools of learning as little adapte d to the acti v e

,

d uties of the i r profession as the in fant c hild They .

are for ever quarryi ng their m arble but the edi fice ,

— e u a c ti ve and use ful li fe — never go es up The .

tr ue development of mind— that which should b e

most desi red and that which every sound system
,
27 0 M E N T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

of mental di scipli ne seeks to produce — embrac es

both the ph ilosophic and the ci rcumsta nti al a n d that ,

mental capac ity which combines the tw o i n suitable

proportions i smost to be coveted and sought after .

SE C T ON V I I — T/ze
. i ma g i na ti ve m i nd .

We have chosen thi s term to designate th at cl ass of

mind i n whi ch the imaginat i on predomin ates Mr . .

”
Stewart des i gnates it by the term poet in t ending , ,

as he says to “ comprehend all those who devote

,

themselves to the culture of the arts whi c h are ad

dressed to the im agi nation ; and i n whose mi nds it ,

m av be presumed imagi n ation has a c quired a more

,

than o r d i nary swa y over the other powers of the u n

”
de rsta nd i n g . B ut this by no means i ncludes a ll
, ,

who properly belong to th i s c lass There are thou .

,

sands who are cons t an tly engaged i n the pract i c al

,

call i ngs of l ife whose most str i k i ng men ta l ch arac

,
~

t eris t i c is the pre d omi nancy of thei r imaginat i on .

They are neither poets pai nters nor sculptors— they

, ,

know the fine arts asthey are technically c a lled

, ,

hard ly by name ; but yet their imagi natio n gil d s ,

w i th colori ngs of its own all their observati ons and

, ,

a lso overtops reason and reflection .

The i ntellectual character i n which i magi nation ,

pre d ominates is so str i kingly di sti nct from the phi

,
”
IOSOp h i c al and the matte r-o f-fact mi nd that it r e ,

qu i res n o Spe c ial del i neation The culture of the

i ma gi nati on says Ste wart does not d i minish our
,
”
,

interest i n human li fe but is extremely apt to i n

,

s pire the mi nd wi t h fal se concept i ons of it It h as .

”
 D I V E R SITI E S or T AL C H ARA C T E R
ME N . 27 1

a tendency to unduly exalt our expe c tations

and ,

produce enthusiastic hope while it is re a lly stirring ,

up for the future disappointment and d i sgust

, ,
.

Hence perhaps results that thoughtlessne s

, ,
s and i m
prov i dence w i th respect to the future and that ,

general i mpru d enc e in the conduc t of li fe wh i ch are ,

so characteristi c of poets Horace i n h i sEpistle .

,

to Augustus represe nts them as too m uch engrossed

,

with the i r favori te pursu itsto thin k of anything else .

V a t l sa v a r u s
Non t e m e r e est a ni m u s us
; ver s amat ; hoc st ude t un u m ;
D e t ri m e nt a , fu ga ss e r v or u m i nc e nd i a
, ri d e t .
”

The observations made by the imag i n ative mind

are extremely l i able to be inaccurate a nd fallacious .

Such persons dwell i n an i dea l rather than r ea l , ,

wori d .Hen c e the i r judgment i n re feren ce to what ,

have been termed the a ct u a l i ti esof l i fe is not to ”

,

be d epended upon be i ng formed more with re fer

,

enc e to the ideal creat i ons of the imagi nation than ,

to the real n ature of exis ti ng fac ts Mr Ste wart .

very happ i ly illustrates th i s point Vt n a man ,

u nder the habitual i nfluence of a warm irna gi na t i on ,

is obliged to mingle occasionally i n the s c enes of real

business he is perpetual ly in danger of be i ng misled
,

by his own enthus i asm External c i rcumstances .

only serve as h i n t s to ex c ite his ow n thoughts and ,

the c onduc t he purs ues h as in general far le s

, s re , ,

fe r ence to hi sreal situation than to some ima g i ,

n ary one i n whi c h he co nceives h imsel f to be

,

place d : i n consequence of whi c h while he appears ,

to hi msel f to be ac ting wi th the most perfect w i s d om

272 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

and c onsistency he may freq uently exhi bit to ot h e r s

,

all the appearan c e of folly This seems to hav e

.
”

been the intellectual pe c uliarity i n the charac ter of

Rousseau asd rawn i n the R eflec tions of Mad ame
,

de Stael His faculties were slow i n their ope ra

ti on but h is heart was ardent : i t was i n couse
,

q u e n ce of hi sown meditation s that he be cam e i m

pa ss i oned : he discovered no sudden emotions but ,

all his feel i ngs grew upo n reflec tion Sometimes .

he would part with you with all his former affection

bu t i f an expression had escaped you wh i ch m i ght ,

be ar an u n favorable construction he would rec ollect ,

it exami ne it exaggerate it perhaps dwell upo n it

, . ,

for a month a n d conclude by a total breach wi th

,

you A word or gesture furnished him with matter

.

o f profound meditation : b e connected the most tri

fl i ng ci r cumstances li ke so many mathematic al pro

positions and conce i ved his c onclusi ons to be su p
,

ported by the evide nc e of d emonstration I be lieve .

that i m a gi na ti on wa sth e s t r ong es f a c ul t i esa n d

t of hi s ,

t a bs
t h a t i t h a d a l m os orbed a l l th e r est He dre am ed .

rather than existe d and the even ts of h i sli fe migh t

,

be sa i d more properly to have pas

, sed i n hism i nd
, ,

than without him : a mode of bei ng one should ha ve ,

though t that ought to have secured him from di s

,

trust as it p re ven ted him from observati on but the

,

truth was it did not h i nder h i m from attempting to

,

observe ; i t only rendered his obse rvations er r cne

ous .
”
Who can doubt but that a proper mental di s
ci p l i n e m i ght have gi ven a truer and better develop

ment to such a m ind "

 D I V E R SITI ES or M EN T AL C H AR A C T E R . 27 3

I
SE C T ON V I I .
—I l l str
u a t ionsof t hi ssul ect
y
'

fr om D uya l d
Stewa r t .

To the prece d ing remarks we subjoi n the following ,

Illustrations from D ugal d Stewart as they forc i bly ,

,

express some of the d i stinctions we have atte mpte d

to del i neate and withal a fford many practical and
,

use ful suggestions A man destitute of genius

may with a l i ttl e e ffort treasure up i n his memory
‘

, ,

a number of particulars i n chem i stry or n atural ,

h i story which he re fers to n o principle and from

, ,

which he dedu c es n o conclusion ; and from his fa ci

'

l i t y i n acquiring this s t ock of i n formation may fl a t ,

ter himsel f with the belie f that he possesses a natu

ral tast e for these bran c hes of knowledge But they .

wh o are really desti ned to extend the bou n d aries

of s c ience when they fi rst enter on n ew pursuits
, ,

feel their attention di stracted and thei r memory ,

overloaded with fac ts among whi c h they can trace n o

relat i on and are someti mes apt to despa i r enti rely of
.

the i r future progress In due t i me however their

.
, ,

su peri ority appears and arises i n part fro m that very

,

d issati s facti on whi c h they at fi rst experienced and ,

wh i ch does not cease to stimul ate their inquiries til l ,

they are enabled to trace am i d a chaos of appa ,

r e n t l y u nconne c ted m ateri als that simplicity and ,

beauty which a l vva y scharact erize the Operati ons of

‘

nature .

“
There are besides other circumstances which
, ,

retard the progress of a man of geni us when be e n ,

ters on a new pursuit and which sometimes render

,
274 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

hi m apparentl y i n ferior to those who are possessed

of o r dinary capacity A want of c u ri osi ty ( that is
.
.

a bout tru th D r B utler says There are man y men

. .
,

who have a strong cu ri osi ty to kn ow what 1 5 sai d .

who h ave littl e or no curiosity to know wh a t 1 3

true ) and of invention facil i tates greatly the s

’
e

q uis i t ion of knowledge It renders th e mind p as

.

si ve i n receiving the i deas of others an d saves a l l ,

the time whi ch might be empl oyed i n ex a mining their

foundati on or i n tracing thei r consequen ces
, They .

who are possessed of much acuteness and original i t y

en te r with diffi culty i nto th e views of ot hers ; n ot
from any de fect i n their power of a pprehension but ,

because t h ey ca nnot ad opt opi nions which t hey have

'

not examined ; and because thei r attention is o ften

seduced by their own sp ecul ations .

“
It I snot merely I n the acquis i tion of k nowl ed e or

that a man of geni ti sis likely to fi nd h i m sel f sur

p assed by ot h er s He h asc ommonly hi sin fo rm ation
.

much le s s at com ma nd th an th ose who are possessed

,

of an i nfe r i or degree of orig i nality ; and what is ,

somew h at remark able he has i t l east of al l at com

,

mand on those subjects on wh ich he has found his

inventi on m os t fertile Si r Isaac Newton was often
.

a t a l oss when t he convers ation turne d u pon his own

,

dis c over ies It is probabl e that they made bu t a

.

sligh t impression on his mi nd a nd that a con sc iou s ,

ness of his i nven ti ve powe r s p r evented him from

taking such pains to treasu re them t i p i n hi sIn e
mory Men of little ingenuity seldom forget th e
.

ideas th ey acquire ; bec ause they know that when

 D IV E R SITI E S OF ME NTA L C HA R A C T E R . 2 75

an occ as i on occurs for their apply i ng their know

le dge to use they must trust to their memory and
, ,

not to i nvention .

I n general I believe it may be l aid down as a

, ,

rule that those who car r y about with them a gr ea t

,

degree of acqui red in formation whi c h they have al ,

ways a t comman d or who have rendere d their own

,

d iscove ri es so fami liar to them as always to be i n a

c ond i tion to explai n them w i thout recollection are , ,

very seldom possessed of much in vention or even ,

of mu c h qui c kness o f a pprehension A man of ori .

gi n a l gen i us who is fond of exercising his reasoning

,

powers anew on every po i nt as it occ urs to hi m

, ,

and who cannot submi t to rehearse the i d eas of

others or to repeat by ro t e the concl usions he has
,

d e d u c e d fro m previous reflections o ften appears to , ,

superfi c i al observers to fall below the level of ordi

,

nary un d erstand i ngs ; wh i le anothe r desti tute both ,

of qu i c k ness and i nvention is adm i re d for that ,

prompti tude i n his d e c isions whi c h arises from the

in fer i ority o f his intellectu al abil i ties .

“
It must i n d eed be acknowle dge d in favor of the
last set of me n that they form the most agreeabl e
,

and perhaps the most i nstructive companions The .

c onversation of men of genius is sometimes ex

tr e m e l y l im i ted and is i nteresting to the fe w alone ,

wh o k now the value a n d who c an d i stingu i sh the

,

marks of origi nality — Abr idg ed f r om Stewa r t s

”
.
’

E l em entsof the P hi l os op hy of th e Mi nd See vol i , . .

ch . 6, 8 .
 27 6 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I NE .

SE C T ON V I I L—Thes
I e f s co-op era te
a crdti e togethe r a nd

m ut ua l ly a s
sis
t ea ch Ot he r .

I t will not we presume be questioned but that the

, ,

a b i l i ty to treas ure up in the m i n d and also to make

a read y use of such parti c ulars su c h matters of ,
“

”
fact as the ci rc umsta ntial min d is conversant w i th ,

woul d be of essential use even i n ph i losophic p ur

suits I f we have need of proof the consta nt com
.
,

pla i nt of men of specul ative mi n d s of the i r d e fici e nc v

i n this respect woul d be abundant eviden c e The .

m athematician the natural philosopher the meta

, ,

physic ian and the moralist have all felt them

, ,

sel ves obstru c ted in the prosecution of the i r r e

s p ec t i v e stud i es and have gi ven utterance to the i r
,

complai nts Mon taigne the p h iIOSOp hi c and c uri

.
,

ous author of various speculative essays wh i le ,

mak i ng c omplai nt of th i s men tal d efe c t questions ,

whether if he lived long he should be able to r e

,

c oll ec t his o wn name A vivid and re ady r ec oll ec

.
”

t i on which is ever a sso c iate d with close observation

, ,

i s of i ncalculable importan c e to him who would

‘

reason efié cl i vel y Such a re colle c tion is not onl y

.

i n di spensable i n marshaling the d eta il s of arg u ~

ment but an exhaustless ma gazine from which il

,

lus t rati ons and arguments are d rawn .

D r Beasley in his Sear c h of Truth offers the fol

.
, ,

lowi ng suggesti ons upon the co— operati on of even

mechanical memory wi th the re a son and t h e per ,

feet compati bil ity of these two powers wi th ea c h

other The reason there fore why these powers
, ,
 D I V E R SITI E S or M E N T AL C HA a A C I E
'
R . 21 7

of reason and memory are seldom found i n thei r

highest perfection united i n the same person is tha t , ,

men are prone to exert them separately and d i s

t i n ctl y from each other and i n undue proport i ons
,

By t his means the one is apt to be c ulti vated to the

,

total exclus i on or but parti al exerc i se of the other

, , .

I do not mean to assert indeed that there may not

, , ,

i n our origi nal stru c ture be c ommun i cated to us

,

one of these fa c u lti es i n great v igor wh il e we are ,

le ft entirely destitute or but i n a sl ight degree pos

,

sessed of the other B ut a great deal also d epends

,
.
, ,

upon the proper culture of the mind whether the ,

one shall gai n the pre -eminen c e or all shall be al ike ,

nurt ured and i nvigorated Noth i ng can be more .

false tha n that sentiment so frequently recurre d to

,

i n society that d eep eru di t ion a nd the study of the

, ,

most fin ishe d models are calculate d to repress ge

,

nius a nd shackle the inventive powers

,
Little .

minds only are encumbered with the weight of

learn i ng but to really good ones i t becomes thei r
,

sus t entation .

Sc ie n c e and learn i ng furnish the l i terary a r t i fi

cer w i th more C opious mater i als out of whi c h to form ,

h i sstructures and h i ssk i ll will be d i splayed i n the

,

s e lection of h i smater i als a n d the executi on of his

,

work C a n i t ever be of d isad vantage to any one

.

to have a large sto c k of pre c ious materi als on hand ,

save to those who have not a d dress and i ngenu i t y

enou g h to apply them to pra c ti cal purposes a n d on ,

this ac c ou nt allow them to rot and per ish i n the i r

p os s ession To the man of true geni us ever y ,
278 M EN T A L D I SC I PL IN E .

scrap of i nformation he obtains is of real service a nd ,

the l argest acc umul ations remai n entir ely at hi sdi s ~

The great a r t i n e d ucation as I conceive con , ,

sis ts in the con temporaneous c ulti vati on of all the

powers of the m i nd and that too in a just pr Opor
, , ,
‘

ti on to their impo rta nce and d ignity Asreason is .

,

in d i sputably the noblest prerogative of our natu re

, ,

the earliest and most sol i c i to us attention should be

devoted to its improvement Aft erward i n d u e or .
,
b

der shoul d be cultivated the memo r y and im agi na

,

tion wh i c h may be regard ed as the hand-ma id s of

,

reason The one supplies it with the lessons of past

.

ex peri ence and observation and the other gives its

,

embell ishments to the struc tures it h asreare d Mr ”

s
. .

Rauch also i n his P sycholog y u r e that the me

, , g
“

c h a n i ca l memory ought to b e mu c h exerc i sed fo r by

i t the j ud g ment w i ll ga i n materials fo r i t sreason
ing — j u dgm e n a n d memory— the s pon taneous an d
‘

receptive a c t i vz t i es — ought there fore to be exercised

, ,

i n an equal degree ; and neither at the expense of

”
the other .

The prominent marks of a go od memory says ,

P ro fe s sor Upham are two namely : ( 1 ) Tena c ity

, ,

i n reta i n i ng ideas ; ( 2 ) Read i ness i n bri ngi ng them

forward on n eces sa r v o c cas i ons
”
The same auth or .

in tima t es that in respe c t to th i s s i

e co nd ni ar k 1 n e n ,

of h l l OSO t nl l n d S are m ore l i kel y to be d efi c i ent

p p
’

a s they
p a y no attent i on to part i c ular fa c ts ex
“
,

c ept fo r the purpose of d edu c i n g from them general

pri nciples ”
. B ut he also a ffi rms that when this ,
“
 D I V E R SITI E S or M EN T AL C H ARA C T E R . 27 9

want of read iness is such as to cause a considerable .

degree of perplex i ty i t must be regard ed as a g rea t

,

m en ta l d ef ec t
”
How di fferent is thi s from the i d ea
.

that the h igh road to men tal excellen c e is the exclu

sive cultivation of the spec ulati ve powers ; and that
that mi nd has atta i n ed the highest su m mit of men tal
d i s c ipl i ne whose treas ury is ri chest in general a b ~

st r acti ons and freest from parti cular or isolated

,

fac ts " A greate r error can hardl y be imag i ned ;

and yet it is an error with which those who are j ust
entering upon the studi es of a li beral e d ucation are
exceedi ngly l i able to be captiva t ed D r Beasley . .
,

a fter re ferri ng to the statement of Locke that the ,

celebrate d P ascal unti l the decay of his he al th had

,

i mpaired h i smemory forgot nothing of what he h a d

,

done read or thought i n any part of h i srat i onal

, , ,

age excla ims : Suc h a memory as f ar as i t is to

"
, ,

be acquired i sworthy of our most assiduous exerti ons

,

to acquire it By means of this it is that the p hil os

. o ,

pher treasures up those maxims of s c i ence that lead

him on from investigati on to i nvesti gat ion and from ,

one d i scovery to another that the poet retai n s

for the del ight of mank i nd .

l Vi t h regard to the imagi nati on we are too ,

ap t to c ons i der i t a sm erely a source of pleasure,

and not of ut il i ty Mr Stewart says . . Thi s
faculty i sth e great spring of human act i vity and ,

the prin c i pal sourc e of human i mprovement .

D estroy th is fa c ulty and the c ondi ti on of man wi l l

,

be c ome as stati onary as that of the brutes B ut .

”

th is is not all Asan intellec tu al facul ty the i ma

.
,
28 0 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

gi n a ti on co o perates with our other faculti es i n en

l a r gi ng the sphere of hum an knowle dge To what .

are we i ndebte d for the origi n and use of language ,

that wonderful vehi c le and instrum ent of thou ght ,

but to the imagin ation In fact there is not a s

, i ngl e
process of thought th at may not be quickened by i ts
impul se : perception is sti mulated ; a n d even s ci e n

t i fic research is whet to a keen er edge by it Th e .

field of poesy and of th e fi ne arts by no means sets

limits to the utility of the i magi n ati on D Al em b er t
.
’

has i nti mated that the imagination is c alled in to us e

even i n the study of mathematics and lend s ess e n
,

ti al aid even i n the processes of geometry It is an .

i ndispensable auxili ary to the re asoning power ; it

st i mulates the other i ntel lectu a l powers employed ;
it quickens the associ ating pri nciple so th at thoughts
,

and trains of though t s are pl aced within its control

that would not otherwise have been reached A fe w .

remarks from P rofessor Upham must sati sfy u supon

thi s point There i s one impo rta n t poin t of view ,

in which the utility of the imagi nati on i scapable of

bei ng considered that of the relati on of the imagi
n ation to the other i ntellectual powers An d .
,

among other things there i sobviously ground for

,

th e r emark that a v igorous and well-dis c i pl ined

,

im agi nation may be ma d e subservien t to prompt

ness and clearness and success in reaso ning
, , ,
.

We may go further a n d even ven ture to assert that

, ,

there is n o form of l i t erature wh atever wh i ch d oes

not r equire the aid of the i m a gination It is an e r
r o n eou snoti on t hat would l i m i t its exercise to t h e
,
 D I V E R SITI E S o r M E N T AL C H ARA C T E R . 28 1

fine a r ts ; i t is essential to the reasoner and orat or ;

”
and we may add it is essenti al to the histori an al so
, ,
.

SE C TI O N I X —Te mp era ments

.
— T7zei r i nfl uen c
e u on
p i nt el
l ect ua l ch ct r—R m
a ra e e a rkscf Ra uch .

The term temp e ra m ent i s used to express a perma

nen t pre disposition to some particular passion or ,

kind of sen ti mental ex c itement whi c h may com ,

m onl y be discovered i n every i ndividual D r Ra nch . .

supposes the temperament to result from the pe en “

liar conn ection of soul and body i n an i ndividu al .

This connect i on con ti nu es he becomes pe c ul i ar

,
”
,
“

by the prevail i ng flu ids of the b ody their lymphatic , ,

sanguine choleric and bilious n ature ; by the pre

, ,

va il i ng elements aswater air fire or earth ; by the

, , , ,

n ature of the blood which i s either cold or warm, ,

light or heavy ; by that of the fibres whi c h are ,

e i ther lax or firm soft or hard Al l these must affec t

,
.

ou r f eel i ng th i s our t h i nki ng and this a g ain our

‘

, ,
”
wi l l
We h ave fou r di fferent temperament-s the s an .

g u i ne stands conn ected w i th the system of sensi b ility ;

the m el a n c h ol i c with that of reproducti veness ; wh i le
t h e syste m of i r ri ta bi l ity by i ts twofold rel at ion to
,

th e arte ri al and venous bl ood produces the ch ol ei i c ,

temperament when the arterial and the p hl eg ma t i c ,

when the venous blood prevails The temperaments

, .

d o not directly origi nate i n the i n d ivi d ual ; but in

circumstanc es precedi ng its existence i n c limate , ,

loc ali ty in the se ason of its birth &c Hence many

, , .

feel i ncl i ned to consider them as accidental E very .

28 2 M EN T A L D I SC I PL IN E .

ma n, say they must have a te mpe rament but whi c h

, ,

of the four seems to be wholly accidental So every .

man must have eyes but whether they are blue or ,

bla c k is accidental Though it m a y be acc i dental

.
,

whether a man is born with the choleri c or mela n e

c holic temperament he will reta i n it through li fe ;

,

and though the phlegmatic may mod ify his tempera

ment by change of climate by food and drink he , , ,

can not change i t i n to the sanguine Yet while .

,

n one can change his temperament he may subdue ,

it a n d exercise it as he pleases
, .

The sangui ne temperament i s the te mperament

of enj oy m ent and p l eas u re It partakes of the n ature .

of th e air which , by i ts great el asticity yields to

, ,

every pressure and directly a ft erwar d rega ins its

,

former stat e P ersons who possess it i ncline strongly

. .

to Belles Lettres but pre fer the brill i ant the plea
, ,

sant and the ce piou s to the more sol i d the truly

, , ,

beautiful and s i mple The choler i c m a y be c alled

.

the temperament of a c ti on Its ben t is to pra c tical .

pursuits ; i t is quick of understan d ing a c u t e i n j u dg ,

ment clear and precise i n its expressions a nd its

, ,

pro d uctions i n the arts are man ifold and expressive .

The m el a n ch ol i c temperament is character i zed by a

c onstan t l ongi ng and des i re and an inclination to r e ,

tire or withdra w i tsel f It del ights to l ive i n the .

regions of truth of beauty of the sublime a nd of the

, , ,

rom a nti c In scienc e i t is d eep and i nclined to

.
,

skepti c al resear c hes ; i n art i t a ims at expression ,

.

In the phlegmati c temperament s lf p s

e - os essi e n pre ,
~

v ails which d oes not su ffer itself to be carried away

,
 DI VERS ITI E S or M EN T AL C H ARA C T ER . 28 3

by ex t ernal impressions nor does it permit any of ,

the one —si d ed chara c teristics of the previous tempera

ment to rei g n but retai ns its full d omi nion over a ll
,

the influences exerted upon it and over a ll its r e ,

actions .

“
The phlegmat i c temperament h as frequen tly
been wronge d and looked on as i nferior to the
,

others be c ause its features a r e not so striking ; and

,

yet thi s alone ren d ers it e a sy to man to preserve to

himself h i sl i berty and to move without prej ud i c e
, ,

and predeterm ination i n whatever d i rect i on of ,

s c i ence or art he chooses Its seem i ng inactivity and .

rest is not w i thout a c t i vi ty and de ep i nterest ; but .

l i ke the lake the waters of wh i ch seem moti onless

,

o n the sur face wh i le rivulets a n d fresh waters are

,

constantly flowing in a nd thou gh u nseen keep up , , ,

a gentle but l i vely a n d healthy a c tivity so this i s ,

always d evoted to some a c tion w i thout mu c h d i s ,

play Its talents are h ighly respectable its ideas

.
,

d eep and clear i tsstyle rather dry but profound

, ,

and ac c urate .

Aristotle a sserted that the melancholy tempera

ment wasmost fa vorable to s c i en c e and art He .

quotes amon g the rest Socrates of whom Plato

, , ,

s a ys that i n the mi d st of the noise of an en c am p

,

ment he fe ll into a deep medita t ion a nd stood i m

, ,

movabl e i n one place from one morn i ng to another , ,

unti l the ri si ng sun aroused h i m t o o ffer hispraye r ,

.

Empe d o c les Plato Ho m er P h i d i as D ante R aphael

, , , , , ,

Handel and other d i sti n g u i shed s c holars h a d the

, ,

s a me temperament Yet i t i sth e wi l l th a t r eignsi n

.
2 84 M E NT AL D I SC I PL I N E .

ma n; a n d n ot t he t emp e a m ent
r ; th e fon ner a nd n t ,
o

t he l a t ter f or m sth e c ha ra ct er ; nor d oesta l ent a nd

,

g e ni usd ep end on i t M oses and Paul were c holeric

.
,

Oberl i n was sanguine and the celebrated Re m ,

brandt phlegm at i c One temperament w il l make i t

.

more easy than another to le a d a l ife a cc ord ing to

de t erm i ned pri n c i ples or to ente r on some s c ient i fic
,

or prac ti c al pursu i t The choleric for i nstan c e i s

.
, ,

favorable to pra c tical bus i ness for it i s the tempera ,

men t of a c ti on ; the sangu i ne to B elles Lett res for ,

i t is that of enjoymen t ; the melancholy to d eep

spe c ulations for it is that of desi re and the p h l eg
,

mati c to thorough and universal le a rning for it is ,

”
th at of sel f possession and pati enc e
- .

The above observations wi l l suggest to him who is

a m b i t i onsof mental excellence th at the care ful study

of his own temperament a n d i ts natur a l tenden c y , ,

will not be w i thout i ts pra c tical use An d at the .

,

same ti me i f the views here subm i tted be sound

, ,

they assure us that temperamen t s contrary to wha t ,

m any have supposed fu rn i sh n o gaug for the a d

,
e

measuremen t of the i ntell ec tua l ca p a c it y a n d i n d eed ,

set n o bound to l i m i t the a c qu i sitions of mind D e .

c

term i nation in th e wi ll w i ll overcome the impe di ,

men ts thrown i n our way by the most un favorable

temperament ; and without th i s the r i chest en d ow
, ,

ments wh i ch the temperam ent c an besto w c a n n ever

produce the well -d is c iplined m i n d es senti al to t h e ,

ripe sc holar the profou n d philosopher the sagacious

, ,

statesman the a c compl i shed orator or e ven the

, ,

energeti c and successful man of business

 D I V ER S ITI E S or M E NT AL C H ARA C T E R . 2 85

SE C T ON X —Nom om nesom nz a pos

I su m us
’

. .

”
NV e are not all able to accomplish all things .

F ew men possess the character of un i versal gen i us .

And perhaps the number is e qu a l l y s

'

m a l l that m i ght
not excel in some one sphere of action C lavius .
,

when a boy was note d for nothing but his stupi d ity
, .

His te a c hers coul d do noth i ng with him till at lengt h ,

one of them tri ed him i n geometry ; this kindled

the late nt spark awoke his sleeping genius and the
, ,

almost hopelessly stupid boy bec ame one of the most

d i st i ngu i she d mathemati c ian s of the a ge The cele .

b r a t e d B oyle a fter giving cre d i t to hi stutor for hi s

,

ins tructi ons i n the Roman tongue con fesses that ,

d uring h i stravels through neglect he forgot mu c h

, ,

that he had acquire d and never afterward could

,

fi nd time to redeem his losses F rom this we in fer

.

that the natu ral bent o f his min d was not stro ngly
inclined to classi c al stu d i es else he who found time
,

to a c hieve all he attempted would have found time

for th i s also .

Where there i sa consti tutional u n fit nes sfor any

sphe r e of a c tion it were worse than useless for the
,

i ndivi d ual to enter upon it He may s t rive to over

.

come his imped iment to r ise in h i spro fession to

, ,

develop the requisi te energy bu t even the earnest ,

ness and perseveran c e of his exerti on cannot save

him from failure and disappointment When the .

Vi s c ount of D undee the famous C laverhouse of Ol d

,

Mort al ity whose n ame Scott has rendered immort al

, ,

com m a n i ed the Scotch insurgents the s o n of one of

,
 28 6 M EN T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

his intimate friends joined them A s lu r m is

h shortl y
'

aft er ensued and the n ew re c ruit fled D u ndee

, .

sa v ed hi m from d i sgrace by prete nding that he h ad

sent him w i th o r d ers i nto the rear He then told .

h im i n private th a t he had en t ered a servic e for

which it was his mi s fo r tune to be consti tutionally
u nfit He a dv i se d him to leave the army o ffering
.
,

to furnish an honorable excu se for so doing The .

young man wi th a sen se of the d eepest shame

, ,

threw himsel f at the feet of the general and pro ,

tested that his failure i n duty was only the e ffe c t o f

a momentary weakness the re c olle c tion of whi c h
,

should be e fl a ce d by his future good condu c t and

'

entreate d D undee by the love h e bore his father to

, ,

give him a chance at le ast of regaining his repu ta

tion The general still endeavored to dissuade h i m
.

fr om remaining with the army ; but as he con ti nued

urgent to be ad m i tted to a second tri al he relu e ,
”
tau tly gave way to his request B ut remember
.
“
,

said the ol d gene ral if y ou r heart fail y ou a se c ond

,

t i m e you m u st d i e The c a use I am engaged i n is

,
.

a despe rate one and I can expe c t no man to serve

,

under me who is not prepared to fight it out to the

l a s t My own li fe and all those who serve under
.
,

me are unsparingly d evote d to the cause of K ing

,

James ; a nd death must be his lot who shows an ex

a mple of c oward i c e
”
The young man embr ac ed
.

the ste rn p r o po sa l wi th ea g erness But i n the very

.

next ski rmish i n which he wa senga ged his cons tit u ,

ti ona l timidi ty overc ame him ; he t urned his horse

to fly when D u ndee coming up to him only s a id ,
, , ,
 D I V E R SI TI E sOF M E N T AL C H AR A C T E R . 28

“ The son of your father is too good a man to be

”
consigned to the provost marshall and without a n
-
, ,

other word shot h i m through the h ea d with his

,

pistol wi th a sternness a nd i nflex ibility resembl i n g

,

the stoici sm d the ol d Romans

"

. .

NO system of e d u c ati on or of training can supply

the want of c onstitutional abili ty or adaptati on .

Q uinti li an was accustomed to say that “ the remed y ,

for luxu riance was easy ; but barren soils are over
come by no labor ” E ven the best system of edu
.

c ation when employed upon such persons wi l l only

, ,

serv e to render their natural deficiency more a p

parent Ar t can n ever supply nature s lack ; mu c h
.
’

l ess can i t be successful when employed i n Opposition

to n ature An ancient fable teaches a s ign i ficant
.

moral : “ A mol e ha vi ng consulted m any oculists

,

for the bene fi t of his s ight was at l a st provided w i th

,

a good pair of spe c tacles but upon h ise nd e a v or i n ,

n

to make u s e of them his mother told him that thou h

, g ,

they might help the eye of a m a n they could be of ,

no us e to a m ol e
”
Innumerable c ases occur tha t
.

cannot fail to remind us of the mole wi th hi t

spectacles .

I
SE C T ON XI .
-
Ap p l ica t ion o c
f p re edi ng p r i n ip l esto ih c
c
disip l i ne o
f m i nd .

Th e above p ri nciples we think fully demonstrate , ,

the importance of a care ful d is c rim i nation of our

menta l susceptibiliti es and a well -dire c ted energeti c
, ,

trai n i ng of them in order to the full development of

,

Fa ci l m di m st nh t t i s st e k n l l l b r incu nt t
e re e u e er a ri a u o a o e v u .
288 M EN T AL D I SC I P L l N E .

our in te llectu al character They show th a t man .

must be ed u ca ted i n the legitimate sense of th a t word

,
,

or the fu l l development of hi s powers will not be

re al i z ed .

The sphere of instinct is uni form and invari abl e ,

i ts devel opment is spon t aneous and perfe c t so fa r as ,

we can obse rve Hence the animal creation req u ire

.

no tutelage ; whate ver powers of insti n c t are posse ss

ed by any indi vidual of a spec i es a re posse ss ed by ,

every i n d i vi d ual of that species and i n nearly equal ,

degrees This power requires no culti vation to

.

bring it to matu ri ty nor will any culti vati on c arry

,

it i n anything essenti al to any higher sta te of per

, ,

fe ct io n
. The croc odile true to the mysteriously i m
,

planted instinc ts of his n ature seeks the wate r as ,

soon as he bu rsts from his shell ; the new-born li z “

a r d or worm or fly is pre sently investe d with the

, , ,

an c ient habitsof his race the bird s of passage ,

w i thout instruction commence at the appo i nted time

,

their migratory fl i ght ; the m i litary tac ti cs of the “

”
baboon so surprisi ngly well adapted and so wonder
,

f ul l v exa c t are nature s untutored impulses n or

’

, ,

would the prospect of either li fe or d eath te mpt him

to devi ate i n the least from the beate n trac k ; t h e
b ee born to—
, d a y is just a sskill ful an archi te ct and
,

just as profound a geometri c ian as he wi ll be after

the longest po ss i ble age and expe rience nor are the ,

presen t generati on of his race w i ser than were th ose

of a thousand genera ti ons preceding Al l these r e .

q u i re no traini ng because the i nsti nct that leads

,

them alo n g is susceptible of no improvement .

 D I V E R SITI E S or M EN T A L C H ARA C T E R . 289

Widely di fferent from this i s mi nd as contra-di s ,

ti ngui s h e d from i nstinct It is developed only by

.

c ultivation and multitudinous are the degrees of i ts

,

development i n d i fferent i ndividuals as well as the ,

pec uli ariti es of i tsmanifestation E very bee is an .

archi tect but few me n c an acquire architectural

,

skill ; every insect possesses the phi losophy of i n

st i ne t but compar ati vely few men the philosophy of
,

reason P rovidenc e has indeed ord ained a primary

.
, ,

trai ning for the chi ldren of men We see thi s i n the .

development of the powers of sensation and percep

tion al most n ecessa r ily resul ting from our relations
to the mate ri al world and with comparatively little
,

volunta ry exertion on our par t .

Le t us re fer to i ntel l igent sight as an i nstance of ,

thi s p ri mary tr ai ning to whi ch ma n issubjected by

the benign Provi denc e which watc hes over us How .

unmind fu l are many of the fact that the power of ,

i n tell igent sight that i sof being able to jud ge of the

, ,

dimensions form distances & c of obj ec ts is an a c

, , ,
.
, ,

quired facul ty the result of educati on and not an

, ,

origin al power " It is said that C asper Hauser when ,

first delivered from the dark dungeon i n which he

h a d been immured from earliest childhood had the ,

most con fused and i ndisti nct notions of objects of

eight . The beauti ful prospect seen from his window ,

to his untutored sense seemed only pain t d aub,

i ngs upon the wi ndow E xperience however s

. obn , ,

disco vered to him the true relati ons of thing s So .

does every one by insensible degrees acquire the

, ,

p ower of i nte lli gen t sight The same i strue of our

.

19
2 90 M E N T AL D I SC I PL I N E .

o ther sen ses How wonderful those all otments so

.
,

well calculated i n thei r every a spe c t to br i ng abou t t

, ,

t h e inc i p i ent de velopment of our i ntellectual n o less

t h an our physi c al n ature "

But we h ave had more speci al reference to that

l i gh er or more advanced in tellectual traini ng which ,

is al most exclusi vely volu ntary th at i spreme d ita ted

, , ,

determi ne d and prosecute d not so m uch from any

, ,

ne c essity of our natu re or the consti tution of things

i n the n atural a n d moral world as from the dete r ,

m i nati on of the reason and j udgment It is here i n .

th e more i ntellectual parts of our educ ati on or di s

c i p l i n e that our select i on of subj ects of contempla

tion and stu d y is more enti rely volu ntary Hen c e .

the d i versity of sel ec t subje c t s each giving pecul i

,

a r i t y to the development of intellect ; or rather ,

perhaps we should say eac h selected from some pe

, ,

c ul i a r i t y of in c l i nati on adaptati on or power an d i n

, , ,

its tu rn tend i ng to render t hat parti cula rity more

particular .

“7 e are fa r from asserting however that al l mi nd

, ,

is susceptibl e of the same d egree and kind of de

v el o m e n t ; or even that such a result would be d e
p
sirable i f it lay wi thi n the range of possibility
l ve shoul d as soon thi nk of reducing the fa t e of n a
ture to one dull and tiresome u ni formity ; of meti ng
Ou t th e ocean with the same meas ure ; of gra duating
the mou n ta i ns to the sam e height and slope ; of
m aking the flower et bloom with uniform beauty and
fra g rance and the forest stand with uniform growt h
,
.

We should as soon thi nk of bri nging al l men to the

 D I VE R SITI E S OF M E N T AL C H ARA C T E R . 29 1

s a me bodily stature the same cran iologic al con for

,

mation the same development of parts equal per

, ,

fec t i on Of limb flexibility Of j o i nt suppleness Of

, ,

mus c le or strength and agility Of fram e “ e should

,
.
r

a ssoon think Of obt a i ning u ni form development Of

t h e organ s Of sense as Of the powers Of intell ect , .

D i versity n o less than u n iformi ty comes withi n the

, ,

s c op e of nature s plan of Opera t ions W e can not

’
.

avo i d i t if we would i n the d evelopment Of mind

, ,

an
y more than i n a nv t h i ng else : nor would i t be de
sirable to avoid it i f we could , .

Has God bestowed upon an indi vidual some par

ti c u l a r genius ? it is one Of the plainest dictates of
reaso n that that geni us should have special c ul tiva
tion To thwart that bent Of genius is to Oppose
.

both providence and nature To gi ve to it sole a t .

te ntion would be equal ly injurious ; for He who has

given natural ta ste and gen i us has also ord a i ne d a p ,

p r Op r i a t e checks by whi c h they are to be res t rained

with i n due bo u nds Q uint il i an remarks : It i s de
.
“

s e r v e dl
y c onsidered merito rious in a precepto r to ,

m ark the di fler e n cesOf genius i n those whom he ,

nas u ndertaken to edu c ate and to ascertain i n what ,

.

d ire c tion nature would carry each Of them F or i n .

this respect there is an i ncred i ble variety the forms ,

of minds bei ng almost as mult i fari ous as those of

bod ies “ We will add that it is equal l y important

.
,

sp rze c e pt or l sl i a be r i s
V i rtu o l e t , n e c i m m er i t o d i l l i g e nt e r i n us ,

q uos e r ud i e nd o ssus c e p e r i t not a r e d i s , c r i m i na m g e m or u m e t q uo ,

qu e m q ue n a tu r a m a xi m e t e ra t , s c i re Na m e s t i n h oc i nc r e d i bl
.

" q
i s u md a m v a r i e t a s ne c p a nc i or e sa m m o r u m p e ne
, u a m c on ,
q
por u m { M in a — Q ui nt d e I ns . t i t Or a l P r oaem , l l b i i 8
. . . .
, .
29 2 M E N T A L D I SC I PL INE .

t h at the check s to u ndue or disproporti oned de

v el O m e n t shoul d al so be obse rved and their i n ti
p
~
,

mations sacredly regarded .

Al l ou r facul ti es are d esign ed to be exerte d i n

harmon y with e ach other ; henc e n o one of them can
receive its full and most perfect developmen t with ,

out the coin c iden t development Of the rest The .

wh ol e m a n must be e d ucated Th e pe rc eptive fa cul

.

ties mu st be developed and actively employed ;

habits Of atte ntion— the art of being a whol e m a n to
on e thing at a time — must be formed ; the power
Of memory n ot only in its rel ation to general prin
,

c i l esbu t al so i n i ts relation to particular facts is

p , ,

to be assi duously cultivated ; reflection embracin g ,

the exercise of the reasoning faculty so i ndi s p en sa ,

ble to o ri ginal j udgment must be exercised til l i ts

,

exerc ise becomes habitu a l and pleasing ; and the im

a i n a ti on includi ng fancy and wit whi ch sheds over
g , ,

e v ery Obj ect Of perc eption or thought an ideal radi

ance i s not to be le ft uncul tivated Wh ere all these
,
.

fac ul ti es are developed— d eveloped in their due pro

portion and exerc i sed harmoniously and with pro
,

per subordin ati on— you h ave the discipl ined mind ;
the mi nd it may be that i s not calcula t ed to soar
, ,

a nd shine in any on e departmen t of thought or a o

tion bu t able to employ i ts powers use ful ly and hon
,
~

Or a bl y i n any appropriate sphere .

These ch arac teristics howe v er we will pr e s

, ent ,

m ore fu l ly in another section .

 D I V E R SITI E S OF M EN T AL C H A RA C T E R . 29 3

I
SE C T ON XH . t icso
Cha ra cteri s f the dis
ci l i ned mi nd
p .

Our treatise would be i ncomplete ( lid we not poin t ,

out some of the characteristics Of the well-disciplined

mind In attempting this we h av e used freely the
.
,

“
review Of those quali ties which constitute a well
”
regulated mind appended to Aberc rombie s Philo
,
’

Sophy of the Mi nd .

Th is re capitu lation embraces the following par

‘

t i cu l a r s
. 1 Th e wel l -di s s
c ip l i ned m i nd wi l l p oses
sa com
ma nd over t h e a ttent i on .

This is necess a ry for the exercise of every other

mental process C are ful Observation consecutive
.
,

thinking and correct j udging and reasoning are not

, ,

to be had wi thout it ; and nothing more clearly indi

c ates the asc endency Of th e higher over the lower
principles of our nature Hence the power of atten .

tion while i t is also a result Of menta l training and

,

dis c ipline lies at the foundation Of all improvement

,

of cha racte r both intellectual and moral

,
There is .
,
i
ndeed every reason to belie ve that t h e diversities
,

n the power of judging i n di fferent i ndividuals are

, ,

much less than we are apt to imagi ne ; and that the

remarkable di ffere nces Observed i n the a t of j udg c

i i zg are rather to be ascribed to the manner in whi c h

the mi nd ispre vi ously di rec t ed to the factson which
t h e j udgm ent is afterward to be exer c ised The .

command Of the attention then is a first and i ndis , ,

pensable requ isite to a well -d i sciplined mi nd The .

com mand O f atten tion im m i es al so th at endurance

29 4 M E NT AL D I S C I PL I N E .

of i nte l lec t ual e ffort whi ch is so esse ntial i n th e i n

ve s ti ga ti on of knotty and di ffic ul t subj ec ts as well ,

a sto the establishment Of e nl ighte ned and correct

j udgments .

.2 The well -dis c ip l i ned m i n d wil l h a ve

p ower t )
r eg ul a t e a nd c on t rol th e s u c c es
s i on of i tsth ough ts .

Thi s power is ve ry much the result of c ultivation,

and with it is closely connected the habit of re gular
and consecutive thi nking It is pri marily a vol u n
.

ta ry act and the ac t o fte n repeated becomes h a

, , ,

bi t u a l ; then the habit ga i ns strength with exerc i se ,

ti l l the indi vi dual s control Over the succession Of

’

h isthoughts becomes firmly esta bli shed F e w habits .

have greater i nfluence than thi s i n giving tone and

consiste ncy to the whole character Where the .

thoughts are permitted to wander at large and to ,

ta ke any d ire c ti on that fa ncy or external ci rc um

s t ances may dictate they will generally be devoted
,

to fri volous and transient Obj ec ts and be occupied

, ,

not a smal l porti on of th e time with vague a nd ,

dreamy re veries The control which an indi vidual

.

m ay exerc i se over the succ ession Of his thoughts wil l

affec t his position i n the sc al e of moral aswel l as
in tell ec tual excell ence A nd when th i s control i s
.

ti I m l y establ ished one of the great ends of menta l

,

d i sc i pli n e i ssec u red .

.3 The dis cip l i ne d m i nd wil l p os ses sth e ha bit of

c m ect a s soci a ti on
.

By correct associ ati on we mean that factsand

,

p rinciples w i ll be as soc iated i n the mi nd ac cordi ng

to their t rue and m ost i mportant rel a ti ons Our

.
 D I V E R SITI E S OF M E N T AL C HAR A C T ER .

ss
L oc i a ti on of thoughts i sn ot only a ffected by our
ci rcumstan c es situat i ons and o cc upat i ons but also
, , ,

by the disc i pl i ne Of m i nd we may have ac q uired .

Th i s habit is essenti al to a good memory espe c ially to ,

that kind Of memory whi c h is chara c ter i sti c of a cu l t i e

v a te d min d ; namely that wh i ch is founded not upon

,

inc i dental connect i ons but on true a nd important

,

relati ons It is also nearly allied to the use ful ex or

cise of refle c t i on espe c ially when employe d i n e v ol v
,

ing the general princ i ples or c on c lus ions that are

reac hed through a care ful Observat i on of the rela
tions Of parti c ular facts It is thus that the we l l-di s
.

c i l i ned mi nd Often traces remarkable relations and

p
de d u c es important conclusions from fa c ts whi c h to ,

the common un d erstand i ng appeared to have no ,

c onnection or only a remote a nd incidental one

,
.

4 The wel l -dis

. c ip l i ned m i nd wil l p ossessa p rop er
con t rol o ve r th e i m a g i na t i on .

Th i s control Of the imag i nati on implies that it be

restrained from wan d er i ng at large i n the ai ry r e
gi ons Of fan c y ; but that its range be r es m c t e d to
objec t s whi c h harmoni ze with truth objects that .

pos sess a real interest a n d impo rtan c e The util i ty .

of the ima inati on and its general i nfluence upo n

g ,

the whole i ntellectual character we have alread ,

seen It is an impulsi ve fac ulty that may be t urned

.
,

to purposes of the greatest moment both i n i nte l l ec ,

tual pursui ts a nd i n the cul t ivat i on of benevol enc e

and virtue B ut on the other hand it may be so
.
, ,
.

employed as to d ebase both t h e inte l lectu al and

moral characte r .
29 6 M EN T A L D I SC I PL I NE .

5 . A wel l -dis
ci l i n ed m i n d i m l i es
p p ha bi tsof ca r e ul
f
sr
ob e va t i on .

The improv abili ty Of the power Of Observ ati on i s

m fli ci e nt l y seen i n those remark able habits of sensa
tion and perception which have ever attrac ted the
atte nti on Of phi losophers aswell as in Our daily Oh
,

ser v ation upon d i fferent indi viduals The wel l .

known tale —J Eyes and no Eyes or the Ar t Of ,

Seei ng — wh ich representst wo lads as taking the

s a me walk i n succession the one seei ng nothing and
, ,
”
havi ng a d ull an d ti resome walk the other per
“
,

fec t l y enraptured with the pleas ing Obj ects seen i n

his walk as well as wi th i tsvari ed incidents — sketc hed
,

as i t is so true to li fe a nd reality presents a striking

,

I llustration Of th e advantage Of a n Observing eye ,

'

and Of the blank occ asioned by its absence This .

habi t Of Observation is a fruitful source Of know

ledge ; i t en ables us to glean wisdom from every
passing event and from every Object Of sense
, .

6 Th e wel l -d i s
. c ip l i n ed m i nd wil l p oss
essa memory
a t on c e comp r eh ens i ve a nd tena c i ous .

We admit th at the recollec tion of th i ngsis more

portant than the recollecti on Of words; and that
memory th at comprehends p r i ncip l esmore important
t han that which i s limited to f acts but the p er fec
tion Of memory as we h ave already seen is to com
, ,

bin e the two Thi s may not al ways be done i n

.

equ al degrees of perfe c tion by di fferent i ndi vidual s ;

it is cle arly evident that much depends on culti va
ti on—habi t and discipl in e .

The following narration isi n point — “

I onc e
 o I V E R SI TI E sOF M EN T A L C H ARA C T E R . 29 7

k new an aged prel ate , remark able for a l ively an d

unclouded mi nd whose stores bf literature appeared
,

to be always at his comm and With the u t most .

facility as oc c asion required it an d yet without any

, ,

appearance Of ped an try did he quote h i sfavorite ,

passages from Sophocles or Pi ndar from Horace or ,

Taci tus from the best E nglish poets from Milton s

, ,
’

prose works or even from such authors as E rasmus

,

a n d G r ot i u s It was easy and perh a ps not u n fair ,

v .
,

to ascribe to thi s individual a structure Of brai n p e

c ul i a r l y fi tted for memory ; yet his friends were

instructed by k nowing that he owed the treasures

Of his a g e mainly to the ha bi tsof his youth When .

he was a boy at Wi nchester school he undertook to ,

commit to memory withi n no very long period of

,

time twelve books Of Homer s Iliad six books Of

,
’
,

V irgil s JEnei d and several of C icero s p h i l OSOp hi

’ ’
,

c al treatises SO completely did he succeed i n the

.

attempt that at the expiration Of the appointed

, ,

ti me no dodgi ng could puzzle him On the repeti

,
.

tion Of any one line or sentenc e i n any of these

writi ngs h e could immediately repeat th e n ex t
, .

Who c an doubt that he triumphed over his prodi

gi ou stas k by the resolute and habitual applicatio n
of his u nd i vi ded powers
”
Z
7 A wel l -dis cip l i ned m i nd i m l i esa lso the p o wer
'

.
p
f
o c a l m a n d c or r ect u d m ent
j g .

Some Of t h e prerequisites to the formation of a

sou nd j udgment we h av e al ready noticed It i m .

plies that close attention which will en able the i ndi

vidual to examine the subject i n all its parts — not
29 8 M E N T AL D I S C I PL I N E .

only i n its general outlines bu t in i ts minute deta il s ,

.

embra c ing a l l those minute particulars and the r: ,

relations which are essent i al to a c orre c t j udgm ent

, .

It impl i es also an elevati on o f th e intelle c t abo ve

, ,

the i nfluence of passion a nd prej udi c e The gr e a .

t

”
e nemies to a sound j udgme nt says a care ful oh ,

server are p rej u d i c e and p a s

,
“
si on ; and un ti l we
are rid of these foes our i ntelle c t will never bear ,

u po n the obj e c ts of i t satte nti on w ith i t sproper ef

”
feet . To digest the ideas that may have found
a c ess t o the mi nd through t h e various avenues of
~

knowledge so asto reta i n and clas

, s ify that which is
really v al uable and mak e it thus our own i sesse n
, ,

tial to the full development of the i ntel l ect u a l m a n .

This constitutes the di fference between k nowledg e

”
and wi sdom ; which so fa r from being one as the ,
“
,

poet tell s us ,

H v ft t i m e sn con ne t i n K nowl e dge dwe l l s

a e o o c o .

I n h a ds e pl et W i t h th
e r g h t s f th r m e n
e ou o o e

W i sd m i n m nd s t t nt iv t t h i w n
o i a e e o e r o .
”

When Sir James Ma c k intosh was vi s i ting the

school for the deaf and d um b at P aris the n under ,

the c are of Ah b é Si c ard he is sai d to have a d d resse d,

th i s question i n writing to one of his pup ils D oth ,

”
God reason 9 The pupil for a short tim e appe ared , ,

to be d istressed and con fu sed but soon recovered ,

himself,and wrote on a slate an answer worthy of

the profoundest p h iIOSOph e r : To reason is t o he s i
ta te to doubt to inquire— i t i s the highest attribute
, ,

o f a l i m i t ed intelligence God sees a l l things fore .

,

a l l things knows a ll thi ngs ; there fore God doth

,
 D I V E R SITI E S o r M E N T AL C H AR A CT ER . 29 9

not reason .To reach his proper pla c e i n the scale

’

of intelligence truth must not only be ta ken u pon

,

trust but man must h es

,
i ta te d o u bt a nd i n qu i re
, , .

.8 A wel l -d is c ip l i ned m i nd imp l iesa l so tha t the i n

tel l ect ua l p o wersh a ve bee n t r a i ned to a c t i vi ty .

It is not su fficient that intellec t ual power h asbe e n

generated ; that power must be ac ti vely employed .

The vi si ner ti ce of our nature must be overcome .

A foreigner who had traveled exte nsi vely through

,

many po rtions of the globe was asked whether he ,

observed that any one qual i ty more than another , ,

could be regarded as a common or uni versal chara c

t e ri st ic of our spe c ies He answered i n broken
.
,

E nglish ,
Me ti nk dat all me n l ove l a z y A .
’

steady ac ti vi ty of m i nd— honest perseve rance i n

menta l appl i c ati on— h asalways efiec te d more than
'

br illiant talents alone ; but when the two are u nited

—when the force of in d ustr y is joi ned to superior
abil i ties— what wonders may be a c h i eved 1
.9 A wel l -d i s c ip l i ned m i nd a l so i mp l i esa sou n d
cond i t i on of the m ora l feel i ngs .

I n order to the fullest d evelopment of mind th re , e

must be a harmonious development a nd ac tion of a l l

i t spowe rs The moral feeli ngs hold an i mportan t
.

rela ti on to this general harmony of the mental fune "

t i ons Al ong then w i th the cultivat i on of t he

.
, ,

in tellectual powers there must be a culti vation of

,

the benevolent a ffe c t i ons and moral feel i ngs ; the

passions emotions and desires must al l receive due
, ,

regulation ; and the supreme authority of conscience

over the whole i ntellec tual and moral syste m must
5 00 M E N T A L D I SC I PL I N E .

be fully acknowledged No sys t em of i ntell ectual

.

education even c an be othe r wi s e than de fecti ve

, , ,

u nless it comprehend i n its wide scope the due regu

la ti on of the moral feelings And n ever does in tel

.

lect become so clear i n i ts percepti ons so pen e ,

t r a t i ng i n its research and so wide i n i tsrange as

, ,

when al l ied with a pure and holy heart Th e cor .

ruption of the heart reaches up to the intellec t ,

mars its symm e t ry clouds i tshorizon and di strac ts

, ,

i ts ac tion P urity and truth— the heart and the

.

i ntell ec t —hav e been uni ted by God and m an may

,

not put them asunder The highest state of in tel

.

lectual greatness is attai nable only i n conn ectio n

wi th the highest s tate of moral excell en c e Th e .

mind isnot disciplined asit should be u nless it be ,

di s cip l i ned t o p u ri ty aswel l a sto tr u th.

 AP P E N D I X .

TO PICAL CO URSE OF THEO LO GI CAL STUDY .

TH E following C ourse Theological St udy of

embraces most of the topi c s in a complete body of

d ivinity The li st of books re ferred to has bee n
.

l i mi ted to the lowest practicable number Refer .

e n c e has in some i nstances bee n made to authors

, ,

of Opposi t e sentim e nts A complete system of divi .

n i ty is yet a desideratu m i n the Metho dist E C hurc h . .

I .

I N TR ODU T ORY VI E W C or T H E OL OG Y .

I . P rel i m i na ry 0bser va ti ons ;

— i n cl udi ng d efinit i ons
of th eol ogy , its s
ou rces , ob ec ts
j , di vis
ions
, a nd
st udy .

D ick sTh ’
l gy vol eo o , . i, l e c l ; . Wi l son sEvi denz z s
’

o f C hri s
tia nity v ol i , .
, l ec l , 2 . .

II . Na tu ra l Th eol ogy —i tsus e, extent, a nd l i m i ta tion .

Wa ts on s T h eol o ic a l In s
t itut e s p a rt i c h a p 1 ]
’

g , , .

D ick s Th eol , vol i l e c 2 ; Wa tson s Et pc s,

’
. .
, .
’
.

pp 4 6 8 , 48 2
. .

III . Sup er na t u ra l or Re vea l ed Th eol ogy — i ts p os sibi

i ra bl enes
l ity , d es s c s
, ne e
si ty , a nd p roba bl e cha r a cter .

D ick sTh ’
eo l .
, v ol . i , l ec 3 . on sT h e ol I ns
VV a t s
’
t s, . .

p rt i c h p
a , a . 1 -8 Wi ls on s ’
c
Ev iden e s of C hri st ia ni ty,
vol . i l ec 3
. . .
3 02 APP E N D I X .

‘
I
Evi DENC E LA TI ON so r D IVI N E R E V E .

I Gen u i nenes
. sof th e Hol y Scr ip t ur es .

W a tson sT h e ol I ust s p a rt i c h a p 1 2 1 3 ; D ic k s
’
. . , , .
,
’

T h e ol v o l i l e c 4 5 6 Sa nd ford sH el p t o F a i th
.
,
.
,
. . ,
’

p a rt i c h a
p 1 2 3 ;, W i l s
on s E v v l .i l ec 4 , ,
‘

.
, o .
,
.
,

K e i t h s De m C l a rke s C h T h e ol ’
of C on ;
’
,
. . .

c ha p i G e nu inene ssof t h e Wor d o f G od by Ed

.
'

Ba gs t e r s C ompre h e n s i v e B i bl e ch i pp 2 1 — 23 ,
.
, .
,

47

II Au th enti ci ty of th e Hol y Scr ip tu res

. .

P a l e y sEv i de nc e sp a rt i i c h a p 9 W a tson sTh e ol

'
’
, , . .

I ns t s part i c ha p 9 1 0 ; Wi l s on s Ev
’
.
, , ol i .
, .
,
v . .

l c c 4 5 ; D i c k s T h e ol vol i l e c 7 ; F a ndford s
’ ’
, , ,
. .

H e l p ; K e i t h ; Au t h e nt i c i ty o f t h e W ord o f G od by
c h a p i ii pp 2 4—3 1 69 -1 6 6
,

Ed B a g C om p. . . .
, .
, .

II I His . t or i c a l E vi d e n c e of C h ri sti a ni ty g ener a l l y

c on s
i der ed .

P a l ey ’
sEv .

p a rt i ; T ownl e y sB i b Li t
,
’
. Sa nd for d s
’

H elp , p a rt c
i , ha p 1 , 2 , 3 W i l s on s Ev , .
’
. v ol i , l ec 6 . . .

IV . P roof f r om Jl l i r a cl esg en era l l y c ons

i dered .

P a l ey sE v , p r 0p i i , h a p 2 ;
’
. . c Wa ts on sTh e ol l nst s . .

p a rt i , ’h a p c . v ol . i, l ec 7 ; .

Sa nd for d sH e l p , p a i t i i , c h 2 ,
Wi l son sEv v ol 1 , l 7
’
,
. . . . .

V P r oof f rom P r op h ecy g enera l l y cons ider ed .

Pa l e y sEv p a rt i i c h 1 ; VV a t s ts
o n sT h e ol I u s
’ ’
, ,
. . .

pa rt i c h 1 7 1 8 ; D i c k sTh eol vol i l e c 8 ; Sa nd

, .
,
’
. .

ford s H e l p p i i c h 4-9 ; W i l s on s E v vol i

’
,
.
, . .
,

l ec 8 9 K e i t h on Prop h e c i e s
.
,
.

VI La ng ua gesi n whi c h the or igi na l Sc r ip tu reswere

.

wr i t t en .

VI I Sta te of the Sa cred Text

. .

D i ck s T he ol vol i l ec 1 2 ; Townl ey sB ib Li t
’
.
, .
’
.
,
G eri & c Of t h e Word of G od c h I i pp 2 3 24 68 6 9
. .
,
.
, .
, , ,
 APP E N D I X . 3 03

V II I L . ter n a l E vi den e c o f th e H ol y Scr ip tu res .

l . Th e s ub e t
j g e ner a ll y ons
i de r e d c c .

VV a t s
on s Th e ol lu sts p a r t i’
.

p’ 1 9 , 2 0
. ch a .

D i ck
’
sT h e ol
i , l ee .
,
vo l . . 9 ; Sa ndfor d s H e l p t o
F a it h
pa r t i, h a p 4 , c .

2 . C h ara t er of t h e s c
a r e d w r i t er s e n e r a lly
g c .

VVa t s on sT h e ol I u s
’
t s, p a rt i , h a p 1 4 ; Wi l s . o n ’
s . c .

E v i de n e s v o l i , l e c 6 c , . . .

3 . C h a r a ter o f C h r is c
t a nd h i sa p os tl es .

P a l e y sEv id e nc e s
’
, p a rt i i , h a
p 3 -6
; Wil s on a c .

Ev i de nc e s , v l
o i i l ec 1 7 . . .

4 . c
C h a r a t er a nd in fl u e n e o f C hri s t i a n it y c .

P a l e y s E v i de n e s
’
, p a rt I i , h a p 2 ; Me t h odi s c t c .

Ep i s co a l
p Pul p i t , s er 1 7 ; Wi l s on s Ev i d e n e s
’
,
. c
v ol i , l ee 1 0, 1 1
. i b , v ol . i i , l e c 1 8 ; Me th odi s t . . .

Q r Re v , v ol xxi i i , No i a rt 3
. . .
, . .

5 . c c
C o i n i de n e b e tw e e n t h e 01d a nd Ne w T e st a m e nt s .

6 . C OI Ii c i de nc e sb e tw e e n t h e A t s a nd t h e Ep i s
‘

tl e s c .

P a l e y sH orasP a u l i nae
’
.

7 . Pro p a g a t ion o f C h r i s t ia ni ty .

P a l e y sE v i de n e s
’
, p a rt i i , ha p 9 ; c
i k sTh e ol , c . Dc '

i , l e c 9 ; Wi ls c
.

on sE v i de n e s , v ol
’
v ol . . i , l ec 1 0 . . .

1X . Obj ecti onsc ons i dered .

Pa l e y s Ev i de nc e s p a rt iii ; D ick s T he ol v ol i,
’ ’
, , .
.

l ec .Wil son sEv i de nc e s v o l i i l e c 2 1

10
’
, .
, . .

X .
p i ra ti on of th e Sa c r ed Sc r ip t u r es
I ns .

I nsp i r a t i on o f t h e W ord o f G od by E d B a g C om p
Bi b ch iv p p 3 1 —
, . .

.
,
4 6 1 6 6 -3 3 7 ; M E Pul p i t s
.
, e r ii .
, . .
,
.
,

Di ck sT h e ol v ol i l e c 1 1 P a l ey s E v p a r t i i
’ ’ '

, ,
.
,
. .

ch 1 W il son sE v v ol i l ee 1 2 1 3 Wa tson sEx

.
’
.
, .
, .
,
'

XI . The Sa cred Scr ip tu r esou r D i vi ne Ru l e of F a i tn

a nd P ra t i c e c .

I ’
sRul e of F a i t h
e ck
’
.
— The ubje c t i sh ere full y
s a nd

ably di sc u ssed .

XII Of th St dy . e u a nd I nterp reta ti on of th e Scr ip tu r es .

D ick sTh l ’
eo .
, v ol . i , l ec . 13 ; Wi l son sE v i denc e s ’
,
3 04 AP P E N D J X .

vol . I , l ec 1 , 2 ; i h , vol I i , l ec 2 3 , 24 ;
. . . . Wa tson s ’

Expos, p p 1 1 2 , 1 8 6 , 2 1 1 , 272 ; Erri e s

.
ti on Inter
p re t a t i on .

p ens
XI I I The two D i s
. a tions .

Meth odi s
t Q r Rev vol x xi x No . .
, .
, . 1, ar t . 7; Di k s
c
’

Th e ol vol .
, . i , l ec 1 4 , 1 5 . .

III .

TH E E X I S T E NC E OF G OD .

I D i rect P roofs
. .

Pa l ey ’ sNa tura l Th e ol ogy, h a p i — xxi i ; Wa t son s’

c .

Th eol I nst s, pa rt i i, h a p 1 ; w igh t’ sTh eol ogy,

. . c . D
v ol i, ser
. 1 ; i k s Th e ol , v ol i , l ec 1 6 , 1 7
’
. Dc . . .

C l a rke s C hri stia n Th eol , h a p i i , (s

’

ubje t gen e . c . c
ra lly ) .

II . Hyp oth es
es a nd Arg u m ents of Atheis tscons id ered .

D m gh t sT h eol vol i , s
e r 2 ; G od wi n on A th e i s
’
m . . .
,

l ec 1 —
4 . .

HI . Comp a ra ti ve I nfl u ence of Ath eism a nd Chr i s

ti a ni ty .

D w gh t sT h eol
i ’
.
, vol . i, s
et . 3 G odw i n on A th e ism .

l ec 6 . .

T HE A TTRI B U T E S OF G OD .

I P er s
. ona l i ty a nd Uni ty of God .

P a l ey sNa t T heol , vol i i , h a p 2 3 , 2 5 ; W a ts

’
. on 3 . . c .

s
Th e ol Iu t s, a r t i i , h a p 2 ;
. wi gh t s T h eol ,
’
c . D .

i , l ee 1 8 ; We s
.

i, s c k sT h eol , vol
’
v ol .er 4 ; i . . . .

l ey ’ s Serm ons, v ol ii , ser 1 1 9 We sl ey a na , h a p ii i, . . c .

( a ttr ibute sge nera lly C l ar ke sC hri sti a n Th eol ogy,

’

c h a p 3 , (s ubje t gen era lly )

. c .

11 . E ter ni ty f a nd Sp i ri tua l i ty o God .

Wa t soii sTh e ol Iu sts p a rt I i

’
. .
, ,
ch a
p , 2 , 3 ; Pa l ey
’
l
 APP EN D I X . 3 05

Na t . T h e ol .
, vol . ii, ch a
p 24 ; wi gh t
. D ’
sTh e ol .
, v ol . t,

s
er . 5 ; D i ck sTh ’
eo l .
, v ol i , l ee 1 7 . . .

III . Om nip res

en ce or I mme ns
i ty o
f God .

V a ts
V
on sT h eol ; I u s ts , p a rt
’
h p 3 P a l ey s
’
Na t . ii , c a . .

T h e ol , vo l I i , h a p 2 4 ;
. wi g h t s Th eol , vol i ,
. c . D ’
. .

set 6 ;
. i k s T h e ol , v ol Dc I , l ee 1 9 ; Wes
’
l ey s
’
. . .

Serm on s , vol I i, s
er 1 16 . . .

I V Omnis
c i en c e
. or K nowl edge of God .

Wa ts on s Th eol Iu s ts p a rt ii
’
. .
, , ch p 4 ; P la a ey
’
s
Na t T h eol vo l i i c h a p 2 4 ;
. .
, .
, . D w gh t s Th i
’
e ol .
,

v ol i s 6 ; D i c k sT h e ol v ol i , l ee 2 1
’
et
.
, . .
, . . .

V . Wisdom of God .

V V
s on s T h eol
at Iu sts , pa rt 1 1 ch a p 5 ; D wi gh t s
’
. .
, .
’

Th e ol v ol i se t 1 3 ; D i c k sTh eol , vol i , l ee 2 2

.
, .
, .
’
. . . .

VI . Om nip otence of God .

Wa tson s Th eol Iu s ts part I I

’
. .
, , ch p 3 ; P l a . a e
y
’
s
Na t T h eol vol i i c h a p 2 4 ;
. .
, .
, . D wight s Th ’
eo l .
,

v ol er 7 ; D i c k sT h e ol
i s vol i l ec 2 3
’
.
, . .
, .
, . .

V II . I mm ut a bil i ty o
f God .

Wat son s Th eol I nst s par t’

. .
, Ii, ch ap . 5 ; D wight s ’

T h e ol ser 5 D i c k sTh eol

.
, .
’
.
, vol . i , l ec 2 0 . .

V I II . J us
f God
ti ce o .

Wa t s
on sT h eo l t s part 1 1 c h a p 7 ; D w i gh t s
I ns
’ ’
. .
, , .

Th eol v ol i ser 1 0 ; D i c k s T heol vol i l ec 25

.
, .
, .
’
.
, .
, . .

IX Tr uth or Vera ci ty of
. God .

D wigh t s Th eol vol ’

.
, . i, s cr . 11 ; Di c k s T h e ol ,
’

vol . 1, l ee 2 6 . .

X sor B enevol ence

Goodnes f God o .

Watson s Th e ol I nst s part i i c h ap 6 ; Pa l ey a

’
. .
, , .
’

Na t Th eol vol i i c h a p 2 6 ; D wigh t s Th e ol

. .
, .
, .
’
,
.

er 8 9 1 2 ; D c k sT h eol
vol i s
’
.
, vol i l e e 2 4
.
, ,
i .
, .
, . .

20
3 06 APP E N D I X .

XI Hol i nes
. sof God .

Wat son s T h eol Iust s part ’

. .
, II chap
, . 7; Dick l
'

Th eol .
, vol . i , l ee 2 7 . .

XII . I ncomp r ehens sof God

i bl en es .

V .

T HE TRI N ITY IN TH E G O DH EAD .

I The D octr i ne of the Tr i ni ty

. .

1 Th e doc trin e e xpl a ined

. 2 T e sti mony o f t h e . .

Scri p ture s 3 C oll a t era l proof fr o m t h e Scri ptu re s

. .

4 Te s timony o f anc i ent Jews a nd h e a th en 5 Te s

. .

t i m ony Of t h e e ar ly C hr i st i a n c h urc h 6 Obje c ti ons . .

t o t h e doc trin e c on s ide re d—in c on c e i v a bl e — i ncons ist

e nt w i th t h e di v in e un i ty—fe w t e xt st o s p or t i t
t s pa rt i i c h a p 8 9 Bwi gh t s
u .

Wats on sT h e l Iu s
’
o . .
, , .
,
’

Th e ol vol ii s er 7 1 D ic k sThe ol v ol i l ec 2 8
.
, .
, .
’
.
, .
, .
,

29 ; We s l ey sSermon s v ol i i ser 6 0 ; F l etc h er s ’

, .
, .
’

Works vol i ii pa r t 6 -8 C l a rke sC hri sti a n Th eol

, .
,
’
.
,

c h ap i v (subj e c t genera lly )

.
,
.

II . Di vi n i ty o f C h ris
t; or , Chr i s
t th e tr ue a nd

p rf ect God e .

1 Pr e— ex i s t en c e of C hri st
W
. .

Wa ts on sT h e ol Iust s p a rt ii cha 1 0; D i ck s
’
. .
, ,
’

Th eol vol i l ec 3 0 ; F l etc h er s or it s vol i i

.
, .
, .
’ '

, .
,

pa rt v ii se c 2 3 , .
, .

2 . I n c a rn a ti on o f C hri s t .

Watson s T h eol Iu sts p a rt 1 1 c h a p 1 6 D w i gh t s

’
. .
, , .
’

Th eol vol i i s e r 4 2 ; Wa t s on sS ermons vol i ’

.
, .
, .
, .
,

s er 22
. F l etc h er s Works vol iii p a rt vi ’
, , ,
ch a p 1 2 . .

3 D ire c t Scripture t esti m ony t o t h e divinity of

C hri s t .

F letch er sWorks vol ii i pa rt v i chap 3 4 5 ;

’

, .
, ,
.
, ,

i b part v ii i ; Wes
.
. l e y a na c h a p 4 (s u bj e c t gr e , .
, e

rally ) .

4 . C hri s t t h e Jehovah of t h e Ol d T e s t a m ent .

Wa tson sTh eol I nst s par t ii ch a p 1 1 ;

’
. .
, , .
 APP E N D I X . 3 07 .

Theol .
, vol . i , l ec . 31 F l tc he . t a
’
Worksw l , . i i i,
pa rt v i c h a p 6 . . .

5 . T i tl e sa ppl i e d t o C hrist expre ss i v e of hisdiv in ity .

F letcher sWorksv ol ii i pa rt v i c h a p 7 ; Wa t
’
, .
, , .

son sT h e ol
’
Iust s p a rt i i c h a p 1 2 ; D wi gh t s
. .
, , .
’

Th eol vol i ser 3 5 ; D i c k s Th e ol v o l 1

.
, .
, .
’
.
, .
,

l ee 3 0 . .

6 Attri bu t e s
. ty a scribed t o C hrist of D ei .

W a t son sTh e ol Iu sts pa rt i i c h a p 1 3 D wi gh t s

’
. .
, , .
’

Th eol vol i s 3 6 ; D i c k s T heol vol i ’

. er, .
,
. .
, .
,

l ec 3 1
. .

7 Works o f C hrist proof of hi sdiv inity

. C re
at ion ; Prov id e n c e ; Mira c l e s; Sa l
v a ti on .

Watson sTh eol I nst s p a r t i i c h a p 1 4 ; D wig ht s

’
. .
, , .
’

Th eol vol i se t 3 6 ; D i c k s Th eol vol I

.
, .
, .
’
.
, .
,

l ec 3 1 . F l etc h e r s Works vol iii p a rt vi ’

, .
, ,

Chap 8 9 1 0 .
, ,
.

8 Wors
. h i p t o b e p a id to C hri s t .

Wa ts on s T h eol I u s ts p a rt i i c h a p 1 5 ; D w igh t s
’
. .
, ,
.
’

T h e ol v ol i ser 3 7 ; D i c k s T he ol v ol i
.
, .
, .
’
.
, .
,

l ee 3 2 ; F l e tc h er s Work svol i ii p a rt v i ch a p 1 1
’
.
,
.
, , . .

9 Pra c t i c a l i m por ta n c e o f t h e doc tr i ne o f C hri s ts ’

.

di v in ity .

D wigh t sThe ol v ol i ser 3 8 ; D ick s The ol

’
.
, .
, .
’
.
,

v ol i l ee 3 0 ; i h l ee 3 2 ; F l e t c h er sWor ks
’
.
, . .
, . .

vol i ii p a rt v i c h a p 1 4
.
, , . .

1 0 Obje c t i on st o t h e div i ni ty o f C hris

. t c onsidere d .

F l etc h er sWorks v ol i ii pa rt vi c h a p 2 1 3 ;
’
, .
, , .
,

D wight sTh eol vol i i ser 3 9 ; D ick s Th eol

’
.
,
.
, .
'
.
,

vol i l ee 3 2
.
, . .

I I Obje c t io nst o t h e Un i ta ri a n d oc trin e of C hris

. t .

D w ig h t sT h eol v ol i i s
’
e t 40 4 1 D ick sTheol .
, .
, .
,
’
.
,

vol i , l ee 3 0
. . .

1 2 Son s
. h i p o f C hr i s
t .

Wa tson sI u sts, p a rt
’
. Ii, ch a
p 1 2, 1 6 ;
. Treflry
'

on
t h e Et er na l Sons h i p .

II I . The D i vi ni ty of th e Hol y Sp i r i t .

1 . P er s
on a l it
y o f t h e H oly Spiri t .

I Vat son sT h eol I u s t s p a rt ii c h a p

’
. .
, , . 17 ; D w ig ht s ’
8 08 Ap p E N D I x .

Th eol .
, vol . i ii , s
er . 7 0; D ick s Th ’
e ol .
, vo l . i,
l ee 3 3 . .

2 e i ty D of the H oly Sp iri t .

Wa ts on s Th eol ’
c h a p 1 7 ; Dwi gh t s . I nst s, p a rt ii , . .
'

T h eol vol i i i ser 7 1 ; D i c k s T h e ol vol i

, .
,
.
'
.
, .
,

l ec 3 3 ; W es l ey s Ser m ons vo l i i se t 1 3 8 ’
.
, .
, . .

3 . Intell igibl en e ss a nd pra c t i c a l us e so f t h e doc tri ne

o f t h e di v in i ty o f t h e H oly Sp II t ‘
.

VI .

D OC TRI N E OF MA N S AP OS TA SY ’
.

I Cha ra c ter a nd Sta te of JlI a n bef ore th e F a l l

. .

W a t son sT h eol I nst s p a rt i i c h a p 1 8 D w i gh t s

’
. .
, , .
’

T h eol v ol i se r 2 6 ; D ic k sT he ol vo l i l ee 40;
, .
, .
’
.
, .
, .

Meth odi st E p i sc o pa l Pu l p it ser 3 ; We s

.

l e y a na , .
,

c h a p 7 (subj e c t genera lly

.
,

II Scr ip t u r e D oct r i ne of the F a l l

. .

W a t son s T he ol I nst s p a rt i i c h a p 1 8 ; D wi gh t s
’
. .
, ,
’

T he ol v ol i se t 2 7 ; D i c k s T h e ol v ol i l ec 3 4
.
, .
, .
’
.
, .
, .
,

3 5 3 6 ; W e sl e y s Serm on s v ol i i s
,
er 6 2 F l e tc h ’
, .
, .

er sW ork s vo l i i i p a rt 5
’

, ,
. .

III Of th e Sentence p ronou nc ed up on Ma n

. .

Wa t son sT h e ol Iu sts pa rt ii c h a p 1 8 ; D wight s

’
. .
, ,
.
’

T h e ol vo l i ser 2 8 .
,
.
, . .

I V The D oc tr i ne of Hu m a n D ep ra vi ty p r oved
. .

W a tson sT he ol I u st s p a rt ii c h a p 1 8 ; D w igh t s
’
. .
, , .
’

T h e ol v ol i ser 2 9 3 0 .
, .
, .
,
.

V The E xt ent a nd D eg r ee of Hu ma n D ep ra vity

. .

W at son sT h e ol Iu st s pa rt i i c h a p 1 8 ; D w igh t s
’
. .
, , .
’

Th eol vol i ser 3 1 .

, .
, . .

V I The D eri va t ion of D ep ra vi ty f rom Ada m

. .

Watson s T heol Iu s t s p a rt i c h a p 1 8 ; D wi ght s

’
. .
, , .
’

Th eol v ol i ser 3 2 ; D i ck s Th e ol vol i l ee 4 7

.
, .
, .
’
.
, .
, . .

V I I Obj ec ti onsto the D octri ne cons

. ider ed .

1 Supp os e d i nc on s
. i st ency w ith t h e go odne s s at
 APP E N D I X . 3 09

G od ; 2 w i t h t h e m ora l a g en y of m a n ; 3 , w ith
. c
t h e d i v i ne c
om m a nd sa nd i nv i ta t i ons ; 4 , w i t h c er
t a i n t extsw h i h a r e su pposed t o i ndi a te th a t uri c c
re new e d m a n h a ss s
om e d e r e e o f h ol i n e s
g .

Wa tson’ sTh e ol Iu st s, p a rt ii , ha p 1 8 ; . . c .

V II I . P r a ct i c al es
Us a nd I m or ta nce o th e D octr i ne
p f
f
o D ep ra vity .

D wuz ht sT h e ol i, s s
er 34
'

.
, v ol . et . 33 ; ih .
, . .

VII .

TH E R E ME D I AL D I SP E N S A PI ON
'
.

I
. Redemp ti on, or th e D o t c ri ne o
f Atonement .

1 . Subje c t d sc u ssd g i e e ne r a lly .

W a t son s T h e ol Iu sts p a rt ii c h a p 1 9 22
’
. .
, ,
.
7

D wight sTh e ol v ol i i se r 5 0—58 D ic k sTh e ol

’
.
, .
, .
’
.
,

v ol ii l ec 5 6 —5 8 ; Wa tson s Serm on s vo l i
’
.
, .
,
.
,

s
er . 37 .

2 . Ne c e ssity o f t h e a tone m e nt .

D wig ht sThe o l vol i i se t 5 5 ; W a tson sEx

’
.
, .
, .
’

p os 1 t i on
p p 28 1 4 9 3 ; Met h odi s
, t Q r Re v .
, . .
,

v o l xx i i No i i a r t
. 2 , .
, . .

3 . Na t u re of t h e a tone m ent .

Dw i ght sT he ol vol ii ser 5 5 5 6 ; Watson s

’
.
, .
, .
,
’

E xpos ui o n pp 2 1 3 , 2 1 4 , . .

4 Uni v e r s
. ali
y o f t h e a t o ne m ent
'
.

Wa tson sTh e ol I nst s, p a rt i i , h a p 2 5 —2 8

’
. . c . .

. c
5 Un o nd i t i o na l be ne fit so f t h e a t one m e nt .

Wa tson sT h eol I nst s, p a rt i i , h a p 2 3

’
wi ght s
’
. . c . D
Th e ol , vol i i , s et. 58 . . .

6 Sa lv a t i on o f t h os
. e w h o di e i n i nfa n y c .

Wa t so n sT h e ol I nst s, p a rt i i , h a p 1 8 ; VV a t
’
. . c .

son sEx os,

’
p pp 1 9 1 , 1 9 9 . .

c
7 Obj e t io ns t o t h e d o tri ne o f aton eme nt
. on c c
Si de r e d .

D
wig h t sT he ol , vol i i s
’
e r 5 7 ; Wa t son sEx o
p . . . .
’

si t io n, p 4 9 3 . .

B T he or i e sr e s
.
p e t ing t h e at on e me nt c .

Wa t son s Th e ol Iu sts, p a rt i i , h a p 2 3 ; Me tho

’
. . c .
310 APP E N D I X .

d ist Q t Re v , vol xxv i ii , NO iii , . . . . a rt . 4; b

n .

v ol xx ix No iii , ar t s 4 and 6
.
,
. . .

II . J us
tifi c a ti o n, Na t u r e a nd Cond i ti on f
o .

Wa t son sTh e ol I nst s p a rt i i p 2 3 ; D wi ght s

’ ’
. .
, , e na .

T h eol v ol i i sc r 6 4 6 9 ; D i c k sT he ol v ol i i , ,
’
.
, .
,

e r 5 ; Wa t
,
. . .

l e e 6 9 -7 2 ; We sl ey sSermons v ol i s
’
,
. .
.
,

s on s Ex p os
’
it ion p p 4 6 6 4 6 7 ; Me t h odist Q r Re v ,
.
,
. .
,

vol xxv i No i a r t
. 1 i h vol xxv ii No 1 a r t 1
, .
, . .
, .
, .
, .

W e sl e y a na c h a p 1 0 ; C l a rke s C hri sti a n T h eol ,

.
’
.
,

ch a
p 9 . .

II I . Regen era ti on .

1 . Ne c
ss ity o f r e gener a t i on
e .

D wi ght s Th eol v ol i i ser 73 ; D ick sTh eol ’

.
, .
, .
’
.
,

vo l ii l e e 6 6 ; Wats on s Exp os it ion p 1 8 6 ;

’
,
. . .
,

C l a rk e s C hri s t i a n T h e ol c h a p 1 0
’
.
, . .

2 . Na ture o f re gene r a t ion ge ne r a lly c onsidere d .

Wa t son sT h e ol I nst s p a rt i i c h a p 2 4 ; D wigh t s

’
. .
, , .
’

T h e ol se r 74 ; We sl ey s Serm ons v ol i se r 4 5
.
,
.
’
, .
, .

Wa t son s Se r m on s v ol ii se r 1 1 3 ; W a ts on s ’
, .
, .
’

Ex p os it i on pp 1 44 1 86 2 04 ; We sl e y a na
, .
, ,
’
,

ch p 1 1a . .

3 . M n sby w h c h ff c t d— ( L ) In dir c t ;
ea Di i e e e e

r cte .

D wight s Th l l s 72 ; W s l y sS ’
eo .
, vo . ii, er . e e
’
er

m ns o l i s 1 ,
vo .
, er . .

1
< G r l v id n c s f t h r n w d st t
e ne a e e e o e e e e a e
D wigh s T h l l i s 7 5 —8 1 h s 88
. .

’
t eo .
, vo . i, cr . i .
, er .
,

8 9 90 ; W s l y sS rm s l i s 18 ; W s
’
, e e e on , vo .
, er . e

l y e ch p 1 1
a na , a . .

5 . Fru i s f t h Spirit s v id nc d i t h r g r t
t o e a e e e n e e ene a e .

D w g h t sT h l l i i s 7 9 8 1 h 8 4 8 6 ;
i
'

eo .
, vo .
, er .
- i .
,
-

We sl ey sSermons v ol ’
, . i, s
er . 8 .

V . Adop ti on of th e B el i ever .

W a tson sT he ol I nst s p a rt ’
. .
,
I I. ch ap . 24 ; Dw ight s ’

Th e ol v o l i i s 8 2 D i c k s Th e ol v ol i i l ee 73 ;
.
, .
, er .
’
.
, .
, .

We s l e y sSerm onsv ol i scr 9 ; W a t son sSermons

’
, .
,
’
,

v ol ii s er
. 1 04 ; Walton sWi tn es
, s o f t h e Spiri t .
’
,

chap 2 . .
 APP E N D I X . 311

V . Wi tnessof th e Sp i r i t — ( L ) or witnes s D irect ,

ofs Sp i ri t
God ( 2 ) Indirect or witness of ou r
’
.
,

own Sp i rit .

Wa tson s T h e ol I u sts p a rt 1 1 c h ap 2 4 ; We sl ey s
’
. .
, , .
’

Serm on s v ol i s 1 0 1 1 1 2 ; W a lt n s Tr e a t i s
’
er e o
,
.
, .
, ,

on t h e Wi t ne s s of t h e Sp iri t ; C l a rke s C hri s ti a n ’

Th e ol c h a p 1 2 .
,
. .

V I Hol i nes
. s i n c l u di ng Sa nct ifica ti on a nd C hr is
,

t i a n P erfec ti on .

Dr Pe ck sSc r ip t u r e D oc t r i ne of C hristi a n Perte e

.
’

t ion ; Wa t son s T h e ol I nst s p a rt i i c h a p 2 9 ;

\
’
.
, ,
.

D wigh t sTh eol v ol i i ser 8 3 8 6 D i ck sTheol

’
.
, , .
, ,
’
.
,

v ol i i l e e 74 75 .
, W e sl ey sSerm onsv ol i se r 4 0 ;
.
, ,
’

, .
,
.

We sl ey sPl a i n A cc ou nt ; Me t h odi st E p i sc opa l P ul

’

pi t s 9 ; Wa ts on s Ex os
p p 1 8 6 2 27 4 1 7 ;
’
er ,
p .
, ,

Meth odi st Q 1 Re v v o l xx i i i No i art 6 ; i h . . . .

, ,
. .
,

No i i a r t 7 ; W e s.
, l ey a na c h a p 1 2
.
, . .

V II . P os
sibil ity f
o F a l l i ng f r om Gr a ce .

c
D o t ri n a l Tra c s F l tc h r sW
t e e
’
or ks v ol , . ii , p a rt i i i ;
i h ,
p a rt v i i ;
. D w ght sTh l i
’

eo .
, v ol i i i , s
er . 87 .

V I II Th e La w a nd th e Gos
.
p el .

Wa t son s Th e ol I ust s p a rt i i i h a p 1
’
wi gh t s .
, ,
c .
°
D ’

T h eol v ol i ii ser 9 1 ; We sl ey sSerm ons v o l I ,

.
, , .
’
,

ser 3 4—3 6 ; Me t hodi s

. t Q r R e v v 01 xxix No 1 .
, .
, .
,

a rt 7 ; . F c
l e t h er sWork s vol i i i p a rt i VVc sl ey ’
, .
, , ,

c
ari a , h a p 6 ; C l a rke sC hri sti a n Th e ol , h a p 1 3
.
’
. c . .

V II I .

S Y ST
M o r C H RI S TIA N DU TI E S E .

I Gr ou nd of Mor a l Obl iga tion

. .

W a t son sThe ol I usts p a rt i ii chap 1 ; Meth odis

’
t . .
, , .

Ep i sc opa l Pulpit ser 5 ,

. .

I I R ep enta nc e
. .

1 Re p e nt a nc e c on s
. i der e d g enera lly .

C l a rke sC hris t i a n T h e ol c h a p 7 ; We s
l ey sSer
’ ’
,
. .

mons vol i ser 7 ; We sl ey a na c h a p 8

, .
, .
,
. .
3 12 APP E N D I X .

2 R epent a n e o f t h e unre ne w ed
. c .

\V e s
l e y sSe rmons , vol i, s
’
er 7 . . .

3 Re p e nt a n e o f be l i ev ers
. c .

We sle y s Sermon s, v ol i , se r 1 3 , 1 4
’
. . .

I II . F a it h i n God .

W a t son s Exposit i on pp 1 8 3 22 0 3 5 9 4 6 1 ;
’
, .
, , ,

D w i ght s Th eol v ol ii se r ’
D ick s Th e ol .
, .
, .
’
.
,

v ol l ee 6 8 ; We s l ey s Serm ons v ol i ser 6 ; ’

ii , .
, , .

v ol i i ser 1 1 1
. 1 1 5 1 1 8 1 2 6 ; We s
, l ey a na c h a p 9 ;
.
, , , ,

C l a rke sC hri s ti a n Th eol c h a p 8

’
,
. . .

IV . Love to God .

W a tson sTh e ol Iu sts pa rt iii c h ap 2 ; D wight s

’
.
, .
’

T he ol v ol i i i se r 9 2 ; Wa ts on s Expos pp 2 01
.
, .
,
.
’
, .
,

2 3 3 , 2 4 1 , 3 6 0, 4 2 3 , 43 6 .

V . s ti a n Vi r tues
C h ri .

l Rev erenc e o f G od
. .

D w i gh t ss Th e ol vol ii i se t 9 3 .
, .
, . .

2 Subm i s
. si on t o G od .

W a ts on sT he ol Iusts p a rt iii c h ap 2 ; Meth o c

’
. .
, , .

t E p i sc op a l Pul pi t se r 7
di s , . .

3 Tru s . t i n G od .

Wa t son s Th eol Iusts part iii c h ap 2 ’

. .
, , . .

4 F e a r o f G od
. .

W a t son sTh e ol I nst s p a rt iii chap 2 ’

. .
, , . .

5 H um il i t y
. .

D wi gh t s Th e ol v ol i ii ser 9 4 ; Watson sEx

’
.
, .
, .
’

p s pp 1 86
o .
,
.
, 1 9 1 , 2 3 7 -2 3 9 .

6 . Re s
ig n a t i on .

D w ig h t
’
s T h e ol .
, vol . iii , s
er . 95 .

7 . Pa t i e n c e .

W e sl ey sSermons v ol ’
,
. i i, s
et . 88 .

8 . Se l f-d e ni a l .

W esl ey s Sermons v o ’
, i . i, s
er . 48 ; Watson sEb ’

p s o .
, p p 1 7 5 , 2 02 , 2 06
. .

9 . C on t e nt m e nt .

D w igh t sT h e ol ’
.
, vol . ii i , s
er . 1 29 .

VI . Rel ig i ousMedit a t io n .

W a tson sSerm ons, v ol i , se t 1 1’

. . D wight s Th ’
eo l .
,

v ol . i v, s
er . 1 46 .
 APP E N D I X . 313

VII . Obed ience to th e La w of C hr is

t .

Wil son sE v idenc e s vol i i l ee 25 Me t h odi st E} is

’
, .
,
.

c o pa l Pul pi t ser 1 4 ; Wats on sExpos p 6 1 , .

’
, . .

V I I I P 7 a y er .

1 G en era l s ubje c t rt sn a ture obl igat ion e ffi ca c y dt c , , , , .

Watson sThe ol 1 nst s pa r t i i i c h a p 2 D w igh t s

’
.
, .
,
’

Theol vol i v se r 1 3 9 1 4 2 D ick s Na t Theol

.
, .
,
.
, ,
’
. .
,

vo l i i l e e 9 3
. Method ist E pi s
,
c opa l Pul pit se r l l ,
.

W a t son s Ex po s pp 7 4 8 5 4 6 3 C l a rke s C hri s

’
,
.
, ,
’

t i a n The ol c h a p 1 5 .
, . .

Priv a t e Pra y e r .

W a ts on sTh eol Iu s t s p a rt ii i c h ap 2 D w igh t s

’
.
, .
’

Th e ol v ol i v se n 1 4 0 ; D i c k s Th eol v ol i i
-
’
, , .
, .
,

e r 73 ; Wa t
. .

l e e 94 ; Wa ts on sSe rm on sv o l i i s
’
.
, .
, .

s on sEx p o s p 7 2
’
, . .

Fam i ly Pr a y er .

Wa t son sT h eol Iu sts p a r t i ii c h ap 2 D wigh t s

’
. .
, , .
’

Th eol v ol i v ser 1 4 1 ; D i c k s Th eol vol i i

.
, .
, .
’
.
, ,

l ee 94 . .

4 P u bl i Pra y e r
. c .

Wa ts on s Th e ol Iusts , par t i i i , h a p 2 ; w i ght s

’
. . c . D ’

T he ol , v ol i v, ser 1 4 7 ; i k sTh eol vol ii ,

.
’
. . Dc . .

l ee 9 4 . .

5 Li turg i e svs Extem pora n eou s Pra ye r

. . .

Wa ts on sTh e ol Iust s, p a rt i i i , h a p 2 ; D w i gl i t s
’ ’
. . c .

T h eol , v ol i v , ser 1 4 5 ; i k s Th e ol , vol i i,

.
’
. . Dc . .

l e e 95 . .

c
6 Obje t i onst o pra y er ons idere d
. c .

D
wi g h t s T h eol , v o l i v , s
’
e r 1 43 ; i k sT h eol
’
. . . Dc . .

vol i i , l ee 9 3 ; Wa ts on sEx os , pp 7 4 , 44 0
’
.
p . . .

IX .
fs
Confes
s
ini on o .

Wa tson sExpos p 3 8 ’

, . .

X F a sti ng
. .

Wa ts on s Expo s pp 1 02 1 03 ’
, .
, .

XI I’Va t chf ul ness

. .

Wa t son sExpos pp 2 5 2 2 6 2’

,
.
, , 2 79 , 28 8, 4 5 2 .

XI I Rea di ng of th e Scr ip tu res

. .
3 14 APP E N D I X .

XIII Att enda nce up on P u bl i c Wor s

. hip .

Wat son sExp os, p 4 06 C larke sC hri s

’
t i a n Th e ol .
’
.
,

ch a
p . 14 ; D w igh t s Th ’
eol vol i i i set 1 3 8
.
, .
, . .

XI V . Obs
er va nc e of th e Or d i na ncesof Rel igi on .

We sl ey s Ser m ons
, v ol i, s 16
’
. et . .

XV Rel a ti ve C h r i s
. ti a n D u ties .

1 . Lov e our ne i ghbor

to .

We sl ey s Se rm ons v ol 11 ser 9 9 ; D wig i i t s

’
, .
, .
’

T h eol v ol i i i ser 9 6-9 9 ; Wa ts on sSerm ons

.
,
.
, .
’
,

v ol . ii , s
er . 111 .

2 . D uty of pa rents t o c hi l dren .

W e sl ey 9 9 1 00 ; D wigh t s
s Serm ons v ol i i se t
’ ’
,
.
, .
,

T h eol v ol i i i s er 1 1 1
.
, 1 1 2 ; ib s er 1 4 7
. 1 48 , .
,
.
, .
, .

3 D uty o f c hil dren t o p a re nts

. .

We sley s Sermons v o l ii ser 1 01 D w igh t s

’
, .
, .
’

T he ol v ol i i i ser 1 1 0 .
, .
,
. .

4 D uty o f C i v il rul ers

. .

D wigh t s Th e ol v ol i i i ser 1 1 3 ’
.
, .
, . .

5 Duty o f s u b e c t so f C l V l l
j g ov e rnment .

D wig ht sTh eol v ol i i i ser 1 1 4 ’

.
, .
, . .

6 C ha s
. ti t y .

D wigh t s T he ol v ol i i i ser 1 1 9 -1 2 1
’
.
, .
,
. .

7 T e m p era nc e
. .

D w i g ht sT he ol v ol i i i ser 1 1 8 ’
.
, . .

8 Trut h fuln e s
. s o r inte gri t y .

D wight sTh e ol v ol i i i ser 1 2 5 ’

.
, .
, . .

9 Indu sry
.
t .

D w igh t sTheol v ol ii i se r 1 22 ’
.
, .
, . .

1 0 C h a ri ty t o t h e po or or b e n e v ol en c e
.
, .

W e sl e y s Sermons v ol i i se r 1 3 6 ; D wi gh t s
’
, .
, .
’

T h e ol v ol i i i se r 1 3 0; Watson s Expos
.
, .
, .
’
,

p p 6 8 4 3 6 ; Me th odi s
. t Ep i s
, c opa l Pulp it scr 20 ,
. .

XV I I mp roveme nt of Ti me
. .

W e sl e y s Serm ons v ol i i ser 9 8 ; Watson sSer

’

, .
,
.
’
o

m on s v ol i i se r 9 8 , .
, . .

XV II Avoid i ng the App ea ra nce ov i l

. .

Me th odi st Ep is c opa l Pulpit ser 3 1 , . .

 PP E N D I X
A . 315

XV I I I The D eca l ogue . .

D wi g ht s Th eol vol 1 1 ser ’

.
, .
, . 1 00-1 3 2 ; Dick ’
l
Th e o l vol i i l ee 1 02-1 05 .
, .
, . .

1X .

D OC T R I NE S OF R L I G I ON
E .

I .
f the Sou l
I mm or ta l i ty o .

Wa ts on s Ex pos pp 1 1 6 1 57 1 8 1 23 2 45 0
’

, .
, , , , .

II The F ree Ag ency a nd Res

.
p onsibi l i ty of Ma n
Wa tson s T he ol Iust s pa rt i c h a p 1 ; Method ist
’
. .
, , .

Q r R e v vol xxv i i No i v art 6

. .
, .
, .
, . .

III Of Crea ti on
. .

D wigh t s The ol vol i ser 2 1 D ick sTheol vol I

’
.
, .
, .
’
.
, .
,

l ee 3 7 . .

IV O An el s
— hol
.
f g y a nd f a l l en .

C l a rke sC h ri s t i a n T h e ol , h a
'

p 26 ; w igh t s T h e ol , . c . D ’
.

v ol i s e r 1 8 20;
.
-
, i k sT h e ol
’
. v ol i , l ee 3 8 , 3 9 Dc . .

We sl e y s Sermons, v o l i i , ser 76 7 7 ; Wa t son s

’ ’
. .
,

Ex p os i t i on, p p 7 6 , 1 4 8 , 1 5 0, 1 8 9 , 45 0 . .

V O H ve n— Th ree fol d Hea ven

.
f ea th e .

D wi g h t s T h e ol ,
’
. v ol i s . on sExp os
e r 1 7 ; W a ts , ,
.
’

p p 4 3 , 9 4 , 2 3 1 43 3 43 4 .

VI . O
f th e Na t ur e f
o tl I a n .

D w gh t sTh i
’
eo l .
, v ol i, s
. er . 2 2-2 4 We sl ey sSer
;
’

m ons v ol i i ser , .
, . 1 08 , 1 1 4 ; Meth odi st Ep is c opal
P ul p i t s
er 3 , . .

V I I I n terces .si on of Ch ris

t .

D wight s T heol ’
.
, vo l . i i, s
er . 58 ; D ick s Th ’
ol ,
e .

vo l i i, l e e 5 9
. . .

VII I . D i vi n e P rovidence .

Me th odi st E p isc op a l Pul pit s

e r 1 3 ; D ic k sTh eol ,
’
.
,

v ol i l e e 4 1 —
.

. 43 , sSe r m ons vol ii s

. er 7 2 ,
.
, .
,

W a t son 8 Expos pp 8 0 8 1 83 1 1 7 44 7 ; C l a rke s . .

, , , ,
’

C hri sti an Th e ol c h a p 2 9 . . .
316 APP E ND I X .

I X K i ngdom
.

f C hr is
t o .

Watson s Exp os pp 3 5 ’
, .
,
53 , 8 2 , 1 7 7 ; D i ck s Th ’
eo l .
,
vol . i , l ee 64 . .

X Genera l Sp rea d of the Gos p el .

We sl ey s Sermon s vo l i i ser ’
, .
, . 68 ; Wats on sSerc ’

m ons , v ol ii , s
e r 95 . .

XI . c
D o t r i nesof Unc ondi t i ona l E l ect i on a nd Rep r o
ba ti on s
p eci a l l y cons
i d er ed .

F l tc h r s Works part i v—vi D t na l

’
e e , vol . ii , ; oc r i

Trac t s .

X .

TH E F U T U R E S T A T E .

I D ea th Temp o
. r a l a sa R es ul t of Si n .

W a tson sT h e ol Iu sts pa rt ii c h a p 1 8 ; Me th odi st

’
. .
, , .

Ep i s c opal Pul p i s 4 ; D w i gh t sTh e ol v ol i v

’
er t
, . .
, .
,

s er 1 63 C l a rke sC hri s
. tia n T h e ol c h a p 3 1 ’
.
, . .

II Th e I nterm edia te St a te of th e D ea d
. .

Wa tson sT he ol Iusts p a rt ii c h ap 2 9 ; D w i h t s
’ ’

Th e ol v ol i v ser 1 6 4 ; D i c k s Th eol v 0g i i
, ,
. . .

’
, , , .
,
. . . .

l ee 8 0 8 1 . W a tson s Ex p os pp 1 1 6 1 8 1
,
'

. .
,
.

I II Th e Res
. u r r ec ti on o th e B od
f y .

\V e s l e y s Se r m ons v ol
’
ii ser 134 ; D wigh t s , .
, .
’

T he ol v o l i v se t 1 65 K ingsl ey on t he R e surrec
. . .

t i on ; D ic k sT h e ol v ol i i l e e 8 2 Wa tson sSe r
’
.
, .
,
.
’

m onsv o l i s er 1 9
, W atson s Ex po s p p 1 8 1 2 3 1
.
, .
’
.
, ,

2 3 2 448 ; Met hod i s

, t Ep i s c op a l Pul pi t ser 3 0 ,
. .

IV Th e F i na l J udgm e nt .

We sl ey sSermon sv ol i ser 1 5 D wight s Th eol

’
, .
, .
’

v ol s 1 66 ; D i c k s T h e ol v ol i i l e e 63 ;
’
iv . et ,
. .
, .
,
.

W a t son s Expos p p 8 9 9 0 1 7 6 2 5 4 2 55 2 64
’
, .
, , , , , ,

2 6 7 ; C l a rk e sC hri st i a n Th e ol c h a p 3 2
’
, .
. .

V . The F u t u re B l es sed nes sof the R ighteou s .

W e sl ey sSermo nsvol ii se r 1 40 D w i ght sTh eol

’
, .
, .
’
.
,

vol i v s .er 1 6 9 —1 7 1
, D i ck s The ol v ol ii , l ee E3
.
’
.
, . .

C l ar ke sC hri sti a n Th e ol , c h a p 3 4
’
. . .
 APP E N D I X . 3 17

The F f th e I Vi clced P unis

’
VI . u tu e r hme nt o .

Merri t t a nd F i sk s D i sc u ssi on on Univ ersa l Sa lv a ’

t i on ; D wight sT he ol v ol i v se r 1 6 7 1 6 8 ; Me t h o
’
.
, .
, .
,

di s t E i scop a l Pul pit ser 2 3 ; Un iv ersa l i sm Exa m , .

i ne d e n ou nc e d & e ; Wa ts on s E x
’
, pp 4 2 1 1 7 , . .
, .
, ,

1 5 1 2 69 3 5 2 4 79 ; C larke sC h Th eol c h a p 3 3
’
.
, , ,
. . .

XI .

I N TIT U TI ON S
S OF RE L I G I ON .

I The C hr is
. ti a n C hu r ch .

Watson sT h e ol Iu st s p a rt iv c h a p 1 ; D wight s
’
. .
, , .
’

T h eol vol i v set 1 4 9 ; C l a rke sC hri sti a n Th eol

.
,
.
, .
’
.
,

cha
p l 7. .

II The I ll
. i n is
tr y .

\V e sl ey sSerm ons ii, s D wi h t sT h eol ,

’
, v ol et 1 3 9
’

I
. . .

v ol i v, s
er.
—
1 5 0 1 54 ; i k s T h e ol , v o
’
. ii , l e e 84 , Dc . . .

8 5 ; Wa t s o n s Se rm ons , v ol e r 3 5 , 3 7 ; Me t h od
i, s
’
. .

ist E pi sop a l P ul p i t , ser c

2 4 ; C l a rke s C hri s
’
tia n .

T h eol , h a p 2 5 . c . .

I II . Th e C h ris
ti a n Sa bba th .

Wa t son sTh ol Iu sts p a rt i i i c h a p 3 ; D wi ght s

’ e
. .
, , .
’

Theol v ol i ii se r 1 05-1 09 .
, .
, . .

IV O f the Sa c ra m entsi n Genera l

. .

Wa tson s The ol I usts p a rt i v chap 2 ; D ick s

’
. .
, , .
’

T h eol vol i i l ee 8 6 8 7 .
, .
, .
, .

V The Lord sSup p er

’
. .

Wa ts on s T h e ol I ust s p a rt i v c h a p 4 ; D wi ht s
’ '

T he ol v ol i v set 1 6 0 1 6 1 ; D ick sTh eol voI i i

.
.
,
’
.
, .
, .
,
.
, .
,

l ee 9 0-9 2 ; D r C l a rk e s Ser m on on ; Wa t s on s
’ ’
. .

Exp os pp 2 74 2 78—28 3 44 7 ; C larke s C hri s tia n ’

, , ,
.

T h e ol c h a p 1 9 .
, . .

VI . B ap tis
m .

1 . On wh at t h e obl iga ti on to i t sobs ervan e re sts c .

H i bba rd on a pti sm , chap 9 ; B

i ck s The ol . D ’

vol . ii , l ee 88 . .
31 8 APP E N D I X .

2 . Nature o f t h e s a cra ment .

Watso n sTh eol I nst s pa rt iv ch a p 3 D wi gh t s

’
.
, ,
’

T he ol v ol i v se r 1 5 6 ; D i c k sT h e ol v ol i
.
, .
, .
’
.
, .
,

l e e 88 89 ; H ibbard on B apt i sm c h a p 1 0; W a t
'

.
, , .

s on sExp os
’

p 3 18 , . .

3 . Th e m ode o f i t sad m in i s trat ion .

Wat son s T h e ol Iusts part i v c h ap 3 ; Me th od

’
.
, .

is t Ep i s c opa l Pul pit se r H ibba rd on , .

B apt i sm ; D wi gh t s Th eol v ol i v se r 1 5 9 ; ’
. .
, .

D ic k s Th e ol vol ii l e e 8 8 ; Meth od ist Q r Rem

’
.
, .
, . .
,

vol xxv i No i ii a r t 1
.
, .
, . .

4 . Th e t im e or orde r o f bapt i sm .

H i bb a rd on B a pt i sm c h a p 1 1 ; C l a rke s C hr i st i a n , .
’

T heol c h a p 1 8 (genera l subje c t )

.
,
.
, .

5 . Subje c ts o f b a pt i sm .

W a ts on 3 T h e ol I ns t s p a rt i v c h a p 3 ; D w i gh t s
’ '
.
, ,
. .

Th e ol vol i v se r 1 5 7 1 5 8 ; Di c k s T h e ol
.
, ,
’

ii l e e 88 ; H ibba rd s Tre a ti s
. .

vol e on In fa nt B a
’
.
, .
p
t is m ; W a ts on s Expos pp 1 99 2 00
’
, .
, .

XI I .

M I S C E LLA N E OU S S U B J E C T S .

I . Ch u rch P ol ity .

Me th od i st D isc ipl in e ; Hedd in g on D is c ipl ine ; De

fe ns e of our F a t h e rs ; E cc l e s i a s
t ic a l Pol ity by A N , . .

F illmore ; E s say on C hurc h Pol i t y by A Stev e ns ; , .

Po well on t h e A p os t ol i c al Succ e ssi on ; Or igi na l

C hurc h o f C hri st by Dr B an g s , . .

I I C h u rc h His
. tory .

Mos h e im sE cc l H i st ory Eus eb i u ss E cc l H i story ;

’
. .

B a ng ssH i s t M E Oh ; D A ubi ne sH i st Re f ;
’
. . . .
’
o . .

Mi lm a n s H i st C hr i sti a ni ty ; Waddin gton sC hurc h .

’

H i story .

II I B ibl e His
. tory .

Turn er sSa c re d H i st ory of t h e B ibl e ; G l oi g sH is

’
t ’
.

o f t h e B i bl e H u nter s Sac red B i ogra phy Robins on s

’ ’

C hri s ti a n C h a ra c ters .
 APP E N D I X 319

I V Bi bl i ca l Li tera tu re
. .

Essayson B ib Lit . .
, 1 vol . 8v o ; . Hu rdc r sH ebr e w ’

P oe try ; Townl ey sIllu s

tra t i onsof B i b Li t ’
. . Jhn s
a
’

c
B i b Ar h e ol ogy ; Lowt l i s Le ture s on
.
’
c H e bre w
Poe try .

V . P h il os f
op hy o L a ng u a g e— Rh etor i c .

B l a ir s Rhe toric ; Wh a t e l ey s Rh etoric ; B oyd s

’ ’ ’

E l em ents o f Rhe t ori c a nd Lit era ry C ri ti c i sm ;

Johns on sTre a t ise on La ngu a ge ; Mi ll s Rhetoric
’ ’
.

VI Logi c
‘

. .

H edge sLogi c ’
Mi ll sdo ’
. Wh a t el ey sdo ’
.

VI I . Sa c red Rh etor i c, or P u lp i t E l oqu en ce .

Ma ury on El oqu enc e ; Porter s Le c ture s; B l a ir s ’ ’

Le c ture s; C a m pbe ll s Le c tu re s ; Ru s s e ll s Pulp i t

’ ’

El oc ut i on C al dw e ll s Ma nu a l o f El oc ut i on
’
.

V II I P h i l os
.op hy of th e Mi nd .

Uph a m s Ment al Ph i l os ophy ; Abercrombi e s do ;

’ ’
.

R e id s do ; Ste w a rt s do ; B rown sdo ; Loc ke s

’ ’ ’ ’
. . .

C ondu c t o f t h e Unde rst a ndi ng .

Re i d W ill ; Ta ppa n do Uph a m do

on t h e . .

X l ll or a l P hi losop hy
. .

Wa yland s Mora l Sc ien c e ; Dy m ond sEs’

says; Pa ’

l ey s Mora l Phil o sophy Abercrom bi e sdo

’ ’
.

XI Genera l History
. .

Ty t l e r s Univ ers al H i story ; A l i s

’
on s H i s t 01 ’
.

Europ e ; H a ll a m s Mi ddl e Ag es; B a nc roft sHi s

,

’
t ’
.

of t h e Uni t e d Stat e s .

x11 Gener a l Li ter a tu re .

Montgomery s Le e on Li t Poetry & c ; Ha ll a m s '

. .
, , .
’

I nt t o t h e Li t of Europ e ; A l i s on s E ssa y s; C h a m ’
. .

ber sC ycl op edi a o f E ng Li t ; S i s m ond i sLi t o f

’ ’
. . .

South Euro pe ; An t h on sC l a s si c a l D ie t wold s

Gri s ’ ’

A m eri c a n Lit era ture .

3 20 APP E N D I X .

X I I I His
. t or y of P h i l os
op hy .

l l e nry sE p i tome o f H i st Ph il ; St ew a rt sDis s

’ ’
er . .

i c a l Sc i enc e
t a t ion so n t h e Progre s so f Me t a phy s .

XI V Hi s
tory of the Ar ts
. .

B ra nde
’
n c
s C y l p d a o f S i e e a nd Ar t Lo ssm g s
i o
’
e c c
.
’
F
H ist o f t h e i ne Art s; H a z en s Popul ar T ee n
n ol ogy ; ig e l o w o n t h e UsB
e ful A rts .

XV I Va tur a l Sc i en c e
. .

c
Ph y s i al C ondi ti on o f t h e Ea rth , ( H a r pe r s, 1
845
’

Mudi e sG u ide t o t h e Ob servat i on o f Na ure , (i h

’ ‘

c
Sa re d Ph i l o soph y o f t h e Se a s on s; rou gh a m s B ’

Pl e a s ure s a nd Adv nt ge s o f S i e n e ; Potter s

a a
’
c c
c c
S i e n e appl i e d t o t he ome s t i A rts, & c ; G ri s D c .

e om sAn i m a l Me h a n i s
’
m a nd Phys c
iol o gy A rc hi t ec
tu r e , & e , of irds; N a tura l H i s
. B
t o f Inse ts; . c
P h i l osoph y o f Na t H ist , Sme ll ie . . .

X VI . Gene ra l E d u ca tion .

A m eri an Edu a t i on ;c c
i k on Im prov em ent of So Dc
e ie y ; Pursu it o f Knowl e dg e under
‘

iffi ultie s ; D c
P otter a nd Em erson s S h oo l a nd S h oolm a s
’
t er c c .

XV H Bl edica l . S ie nc e— Jll e nta l

c a nd Rel ig i ous
B ea r i ngs .

T ic knor s Ph il osophy o f Liv ing Uph am sD i sordere d

’ ’

Me nt a l A c t io n ; Pa l sy s N a tura l The ology ’

.

X VI II P ol it ic al E c onom y
. .

P ott er sPol i t i c a l E c o nomy V a y l a nd sPol Ec on

’ V ’
. .

B a ya rd s C onst itut ion o f t h e Uni ted State s

’
.

XI X Sta t is
. tica l é e ,
‘
.

M C u l l oc h sUn i versa l G az e t te er Enc yc loped ia 01

’ ’

Re l i g ious K nowl edge ; B i ograp hi c a l D ic ti ona ry

Ru pp a H i st of Re l ig D en omi na t i on sin U S
’
. . . .

TH E E ND .