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the "children of a larger growth," whom he may afterwards be called to instruct. And the mode of meeting these difficulties by a combination of faithfulness and affection,-of perseverance and prayer will habituate him to the exercise of principles and dispositions of the last importance, in discharging the duties of the christian ministry.

On

To this kind of service my young friend was much attached, as well from choice as from principle and a sense of duty. He was sensible of the benefit which he derived from it himself; and, therefore, wherever he was, though but for a short time, he endeavored to collect a few young persons around him. From the great amiability of his disposition, he never failed to bring them together, and to attach them to him; and, from his happy method of engaging their attention, he was always rewarded, in seeing their love to the exercise, as well as their personal attachment to himself. his return home, at the end of the session, he succeeded in establishing a meeting of a few young men, of his own age, in his father's house, once a week, for conversing about the Scriptures, and prayer; the benefit of which some of them, I hope may yet enjoy. While there, also, during the summer vacation, he taught a Sabbath School, in the neighborhood of Perth; thus evincing his sincerity and diligence in the improvement of every opportunity of usefulness which he could. command.

Having noticed his feelings and views in regard to religion, and to the work of the gospel abroad, and his exertions to promote its interests at home, it will now be proper to advert to his progress in

his literary pursuits, especially in that class in which he made so distinguished a figure. A certain description of persons, who are not altogether opposed to religion, but who feel exceedingly cool in regard to its claims, both upon themselves and others, are much disposed to allege, that if the attention of a young person is much occupied with religious subjects, other things which he ought to pursue, must be neglected. It is admitted that there is some difficulty in perfectly adjusting the relative and proportionate claims of religious and other pursuits, especially during the more active period of human life. Wisdom is necessary to direct in this, and in many other matters, which cannot be determined by the language of the Scriptures. To which the preference is due, no doubt can be entertained. "Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness," is a plain injunction applicable to all circumstances, and at all periods of our existence. True wisdom consists in obeying that injunction, which will never fail to secure the fulfilment of the promise, "and all these things shall be added unto "" you.' Should there be in any instance an excess in devoting what may be considered too large a portion of attention to religion, surely it is a very pardonable offence. If it be an error, it is an error on the safe side. Allowancés are made for individuals following the bent of a powerful genius, when that genius is directed towards some earthly object; but, unhappily, if the bent of the mind is toward religion, the feeling which is manifested is very different. What is an amiable and praiseworthy enthusiasm in the one case, is denounced as miserable and misguided fanaticism in the other. The conduct which raises an artist or a poet to the summit of earthly glory

places a Whitefield and a Martyn in the pillory of the world's scorn.

It is no common thing to find a mind so nicely poized and balanced, as to be capable of giving every subject of examination its proper degree of attention, and every object of pursuit its just measure of importance. It will too generally happen that when one thing, whether of a secular or spiritual nature, obtains firm possession of the mind, other things will, to a certain extent, be dislodged. There is usually, to employ the expressive phraseology of Dr. Chalmers, "a shooting forth of the mind in one direction;" and when this happens, other things must be obscured and left behind. If, according to Spurzeim, the faculty of common sense consists in the harmonious arrangement and operation of all the other senses, it is very evident that the faculty is by no means so common as the phrase imports.

As it regards religion, however, I am inclined to think, this is one of the libels which its enemies are ever disposed to propagate against it. They maintain in the face of all evidence, that the men who are clamorous on the subject of the spiritual wants of others; are usually defective in their generosity to supply their temporal necessities. In vain we appeal to our Howards and Wilberforces, and thousands besides, in refutation of the calumny. It will be re-iterated till the world is regenerated.

I apprehend that it will often be found that our religious men are among the most ardent and devoted students. Few men have distinguished themselves more when at college, than Martyn, and Kirke White; and I am happy that I can add the name of Urquhart to the list of persons, who, under the noblest considerations, devoted their fine talents

and unconquerable ardor to the pursuits of literature and science, that they might lay their crowns as scholars at the foot of the cross.

I hesitated for some time whether I should give a few of his Essays at the moral philosophy class; fearing they might not do full justice to his merits, and that to some readers they might not be sufficiently interesting. But, knowing the opinion entertained by such a man as Dr. Chalmers, of these Essays, and observing the beautiful simplicity of language and felicity of illustration which they discover; by which the most abstruse subjects are rendered not only intelligible, but attractive, I have resolved to present them. The reader will thus see that he who was so much at home in religion, was not a stranger in the walks of philosophy.

The first which I shall give, is the Essay read at the commencement of the class, and which has been repeatedly referred to already. At this time it must be remembered the writer had not enjoyed the benefit of Dr. Chalmers' course. It had only then begun. The subject is difficult, the paper is short; but the statement is most luminous, and the illustration uncommonly beautiful and felicitous.

ESSAY

ON THE

DIVISIONS OF PHILOSOPHY.

In considering this subject, the question has very forcibly presented itself to us, "Why, in the physical department of philosophy, have the divisions and sub-divisions been carried to such a degree of minuteness, while in the moral department, they are comparatively few?" Not, we conceive, because in the latter the field of observation is more limited, or the materials more scanty than in the former; (for quite the reverse of this we believe to be true,) but chiefly because the latter is involved in the darkness of mystery, which entirely obscures many of those lines of demarcation, which even in the former, are not very strongly delineated.

Let us suppose, in illustration of this, that a man wholly unacquainted with the classifications of philosophy, looked around on an ordinary landscape. There are traces of such marked distinction between some of the objects, and such strong points of resemblance between others, that he

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