tihrary of Che theological ^tminary 
 
 PRINXETON . NEW JERSEY 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 A. G. Cameron, Ph.D. 
 5.18.11 
 
 ^:?61 
 
DISCOURSE 
 
 ADDRESSED TO 
 
 THE ALUMNI 
 
 C»j<l. ♦ 
 
 APRIL 30, 1862, 
 
 ON OCCASION OP 
 
 THE COMPLETION OF ITS FIRST HALF CENTURY. 
 
 BY WILLIAM B.4pRAGUE, D. D. 
 
 WITH AN APPENDIX, n%\ 
 
 NOTICES OF THE OTHER COMMRMhr a^.,-,. x.^„„ / 
 
 CONTAINING NOTICES OF THE OTHER COMMEMORATIV 
 
 E EXERCISES. 
 
 ALBANY: 
 
 STEAM PRESS OF VAN BEXTHUYSEN. 
 
 1862. 
 
TO THE 
 
 Rev. CHARLES HODGE, D. D., 
 
 SEXIOR PROFESSOR IN THE 
 
 PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, 
 
 THIS IDISCOXJIISE 
 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED, 
 
 IN TOKEN 
 
 OF GRATITUDE FOR THE EMINENT SERVICES 
 
 HE HAS RENDERED TO THE CHURCH, 
 
 OF FERVENT WISHES FOR THE CONTINUANCE OF HIS 
 
 LIFE AND USEFULNESS, 
 
 AND OF GREAT PERSONAL REGARD AND FRATERNAL GOOD-WILL, 
 
 BY HIS FRIEND AND CLASSMATE, 
 
 W. B. S. 
 
DISCOURSE. 
 
 Fellow Alumni and Dear Brethren: 
 
 It would be an offence against the proprieties 
 of the hour, against the instincts of nature, and 
 even the dictates of religion, to suppose that our 
 hearts were not now moved by a common impulse, 
 and our thoughts flowing in the same channel. In 
 coming back to this endeared spot, to keep this 
 commemorative day, we have, I suppose, by com- 
 mon consent, left all matters of private and indi- 
 vidual interest behind us. We have come to unite 
 in an offering of reverence, and gratitude, and 
 filial devotion to the mother who has cherished 
 and trained us, and then dismissed us with her 
 blessing, and sent us forth to our work. We have 
 come to offer to God thanksgiving, not only for 
 his manifold tokens of kindness to ourselves, in 
 the various fields we have occupied, but for that 
 unbroken stream of bounty and grace, which, 
 during all these years, He has been pouring upon 
 our beloved Seminary. We have come to look on 
 
6 
 
 each other's faces again in the land of the living; 
 to refresh our spirits by the interchange of kind 
 thoughts and grateful remembrances ; and though 
 we shall meet the graves of many of our brethren 
 on the field we are to traverse, and cannot but 
 pause in tenderness and sadness by the side of 
 them, yet the transition to the glorious world 
 beyond is too easy to allow them to cast upon us 
 more than a momentary shadow. It is chiefly a 
 work of the heart then, in the form of communion 
 with each other, and, may I not add, with a por- 
 tion of the General Assembly and Church of the 
 First Born, that we are assembled here to perform. 
 The occasion, you perceive, gives me no choice 
 of a subject. There are numerous topics, bearing 
 more or less directly on the general subject of 
 Theological Education, from which I might per- 
 haps select, without doing any great violence to 
 the occasion ; but I am sure you would regard any 
 abstract discussion as but a poor response to the 
 distinctive claims of the day. In your heart, if 
 not with your lips, you would be quoting Solomon 
 against me, where he says, " To every thing 
 there is a season." You would say, Other themes 
 for other places and other times ; but here, to- 
 day, the only befitting theme is the Princeton 
 
Theological Seminary. I do not complain of the 
 restraint which the occasion imposes upon me — 
 I am rather glad to be shut up in so green a 
 pasture. 
 
 The thought which I propose now to illustrate, 
 is at once the most general and the most obvious 
 that suofo-ests itself in connection with the occa- 
 sion — namely, that this institution is a mighty 
 POWER — mighty in its elements, mighty in its 
 operations. 
 
 The first element of this power is to be found 
 in the spirit in which the Institution originated. The 
 spirit of any age, or of the Church, or any portion 
 of the Church, at any given period, is never a 
 matter of accident, or the product of causes that 
 have had only a brief existence — on the contrary, 
 it has had a long train of antecedents, and is the 
 result of the combined influences of many minds, 
 and perhaps of several generations. The Pres- 
 byterian Church in this country, from her begin- 
 ning, was marked by true Christian nobility : on 
 the very first page of her records are names which 
 will always remain proof against the oblivious 
 influence of time. While she was yet in her 
 minority, unhappily she stood forth before the 
 world as a house divided against itself; but, even 
 
8 
 
 then, she had her noble spirits on each side ; and, 
 though they were not working harmoniously, the 
 Head of the Church was overruling their inde- 
 pendent and even conflicting movements for the 
 correction of her errors, and the ultimate increase 
 of her energies. As the re-union marked a bright 
 period in her history, so it proved a starting point 
 for yet more signal triumphs ; and though, in com- 
 mon Avith ever}^ other Christian denomination, she 
 had a thorny patli to traverse during the War of 
 the Revolution, yet, besides showing herself bap- 
 tized with the fire of Christian patriotism, she 
 was prosecuting her appropriate mission up to the 
 full measure of her ability. And in the genera- 
 tion that came out of that conflict, as well as in 
 the one that immediately succeeded, our Church 
 had many choice spirits, to whose influence in 
 guiding, controlling, elevating, it were not easy 
 to fix a limit. Here we reach the point where 
 the great idea of establishing a Theological Semi- 
 nary, to meet the increasing wants of the Church, 
 was first developed. Three generations at least 
 had performed their work and passed away, leav- 
 ing the results in a widely extended ecclesiastical 
 body, in an elevated tone of public spirit, and in 
 a just appreciation of an enlightened as well as 
 
9 
 
 earnest ministry. And now that the fulness of 
 time for this great work had come, not only was 
 the general state of the public mind, in a good 
 degree, prepared for it, but there were men found 
 suitable to conduct the enterprise; — men who 
 united to a sober, comprehensive, far reaching 
 intellect a heart in which the love of Christ and 
 of his Church Avas the ruling passion. The Pres- 
 bytery of Philadelphia, of which Doctors Green 
 and Janeway were prominent members, had the 
 honour of originating the overture to the General 
 Assembly, in which this noble conception was 
 embodied ; and it was certainly highly creditable 
 to the catholic spirit of the Assembly of 1809, that 
 the Chairman of the Committee, to whom this im- 
 portant subject was referred, was Dr. Dwight, 
 President of Yale College, who was a delegate that 
 year from the General Association of Connecticut. 
 The report of the Committee was marked by great 
 wisdom, and suggested three different ways in 
 which the exigency might be met — namely, the 
 establishment of one Seminary that should be 
 central in the Church; or the establishment of 
 two, — one in the North and one in the South ; or 
 the establishment of one within the bounds of 
 each Synod. Agreeably to the suggestion of the 
 
10 
 
 Committee, these several plans were referred to 
 the consideration of all the Presbyteries, with a 
 request that they would respectively signify their 
 preference at the next meeting of the Assembly ; 
 and, when the returns came to be made in 1810, 
 the question was decided in favour of the one 
 central institution. The next step was the draft- 
 ing of a Plan of the proposed Seminary ; and to 
 this service Doctors Green, Woodhull, Romeyn, 
 Miller, Alexander, Richards and Armstrong — all 
 men of note in the Church, and some of them 
 men of extraordinary power — were designated. 
 Of the instrument which they produced, (said to 
 have been from the pen of Dr. Green,) I will only 
 say that it was worthy of the honoured names 
 affixed to it. Thus it appears that, while this 
 Institution had its origin in a watchful regard to 
 the interests of the Church, its foundations were 
 laid by some of the master-builders in Zion ; and 
 I am sure you will agree with me in recognizing 
 in this fact one of the leading elements of its 
 power. 
 
 I find another in the felicitous selection of the 
 place where the Institution should he located. It 
 might seem, at first, that the prevalent idea of 
 the Presbyteries, which was also sanctioned by 
 
11 
 
 the General Assembly, that there should be one 
 great central institution for the accommodation of 
 the whole Church, was not very rigidly adhered 
 to, inasmuch as the position actually selected had 
 a large majority of Presbyteries, as well as a 
 much more extended territory, South of it. This 
 arrangement doubtless had its origin in the spirit 
 of fraternal conciliation, and in the general desire 
 to accomplish the greatest amount of good. It 
 was perceived at once that this place offered facili- 
 ties for the establishment and growth of such a 
 seminary, that were to be found nowhere else ; 
 and to this weighty consideration our fathers were 
 willing to sacrifice all personal preferences. Be- 
 sides, they were well aware that they were mak- 
 ing provision for the Church as she then was, 
 and not as she would be at some distant day ; and 
 doubtless they foresaw what has actually come to 
 pass, — that, as she extended the bounds of her 
 habitation, she would plant other similar institu- 
 tions to meet her increasing necessities. Nor is 
 it to be supposed that they wholly ignored the 
 ffict that this place is easily accessible from the 
 New England States ; for there was a relationship 
 existing then between our denomination and the 
 Congregationalists of New England, that has since 
 
12 
 
 ceased; and, though the Andover Seminary was 
 at that time in successful operation, it was doubt- 
 less anticipated — and the event justified the anti- 
 cipation — that many young men from among our 
 Northern neighbours would prefer an education 
 here to one in their own well-endowed and hon- 
 oured Institution. These, it may be presumed, 
 were some of the considerations that led the 
 Assembly to that more liberal construction of the 
 expressed will of the Church, that fixed the 
 Seminary so far North of the actual centre of the 
 domain of Presbyterianism. 
 
 But what were the particular circumstances 
 which combined to give this place an advantage 
 over any other that could be selected ? First of all, 
 it is a lovely spot ; where nature has been even pro- 
 digal of both her bounties and her beauties ; where 
 there is a healthful atmosphere to breathe, and rich 
 prospects to gaze upon and admire. So, too, it is 
 a retired spot, and therefore favourable to study, to 
 devotion, to the general culture of both the intel- 
 lect and the heart. It cannot be denied that a 
 Theological Seminary, in the midst of a crowded 
 population, has some advantages peculiar to itself; 
 particularly in the opportunities it affords for 
 active usefulness in ministering to the spiritual 
 
13 
 
 wants of the ignorant and depraved ; but is it not 
 at least questionable whether these advantages 
 are not more than counterbalanced by the dis- 
 traction and turmoil, and especially the manifold 
 temptations to a spirit of worldliness, incident to a 
 great city ? But this Institution, though exposed to 
 few disturbing influences, is far from occupying a 
 too secluded position — here and hereabouts are all 
 the advantages for social enjoyment and culture 
 that any student can reasonably desire. And then 
 it is to be borne in mind that this quiet place is 
 about equi-distant from the two largest cities on 
 the Continent ; that as either can now be reached 
 in a couple of hours, so the advantages of both are 
 easily accessible ; and that our students can pro- 
 cure books, or any thing else, from either of these 
 cities just about as readily as if they lived on 
 Broadway or Chestnut Street. But probably the 
 controlling circumstance that led to the selection 
 of this spot, was that here was already established 
 a great literary institution, which had, from its 
 beginning, been identified with the Presbyterian 
 Church ; an institution whose history was, to a 
 great extent, the history of illustrious names ; and 
 whose fame and influence had already penetrated to 
 the extremities of the land. When the Seminary 
 
14 
 
 was born, the College threw a protecting arm 
 around her, as if she had been an adopted child. 
 The College Library was our library. Our recita- 
 tion room was in one of the College buildings. 
 Our place of worship was the College Hall. One- 
 third of the preaching we listened to on Sabbath 
 morning was from the venerable President of the 
 College. Our evening discussions were often en- 
 livened by the wit and genius of one of the Col- 
 lege Professors, — I mean the lamented Lindsly. 
 In short, it is not too much to say that the benign 
 influence of the College was all-pervading. As 
 the Seminary grew in years, she grew also in 
 strength, and, after a while, she went up and took 
 possession of her own noble home ; and, in pro- 
 cess of time, she became independent in respect 
 to all her accommodations. But she has never 
 cut loose from the College in any such sense as to 
 forget her early debt of gratitude, or to decline or 
 undervalue the benefits of an enduring intimacy. 
 The Professors in the Seminary and the Officers 
 of the College have always been fellow-helpers in 
 every good work ; and I venture to say that there 
 are few who cherish a more grateful remembrance 
 of Carnahan, and Dod, and Hope, than our sur- 
 viving Professors who were associated with them. 
 
15 
 
 The truth is that the two institutions have, in 
 various ways, ministered to the advantage of 
 each other ; and each of them holds a higher place 
 to-day, — the one in the world of Letters, the other 
 in the domain of Theology, — than if they had not 
 been w^alking together for half a century in one 
 another's light. 
 
 There is yet another circumstance, w^orthy of 
 being noticed, that designates this place as pecu- 
 liarly fitted to be the seat of a Theological Semi- 
 nary — I refer to the fact that it is the depository 
 of so much venerable dust. Our fathers, in fixing 
 upon this spot, did not forget that the graves of 
 Burr, and Edwards, and Davies, and Witherspoon 
 were here ; and that the illustrious Samuel Stan- 
 hope Smith was lingering in the twilight of life, 
 just ready to be gathered ; and, if they could have 
 thrown themselves forward, fifty years, they would 
 have found that family of honoured graves more 
 than doubled. Those graves are the silent rep- 
 resentatives of some of the brightest spirits which 
 have emigrated from earth to Heaven ; and, to 
 every minister of the Gospel, and every candidate 
 for the ministry, they sj^eak most impressively of 
 being faithful unto the death, and of the crown 
 and the throne, with which fidelity shall be re- 
 
IG 
 
 warded. Is it not a privilege to be living within 
 a few moments' walk of a group of monuments, 
 that have names inscribed upon them, which are 
 as household words all over Evangelical Chris- 
 tendom ? Is it not reasonable to believe that many 
 a young man who comes hither to be trained for 
 his sacred work, while he sits with docility and 
 delight at the feet of the living teacher, some- 
 times gets a fresh baptism of spiritual influence by 
 waiting at the graves of the glorified dead ? Is it 
 too much to suppose that the very atmosphere of 
 this Institution has been rendered more pure from 
 its connection with the memories of these departed 
 sages and saints ? 
 
 Enough, I trust, has been said to show that the 
 power of this Seminary is derived partly from its 
 favourable position. A yet more important ele- 
 ment of this power is the character of the minds that 
 have controlled it. 
 
 The conception, the beginning, even the estab- 
 lishment, of a great institution is nothing more 
 than the opening of a field for gifted and well 
 trained minds to labour in ; and unless the ser- 
 vices of such minds can be put in requisition, the 
 design of the institution can never be accomplish- 
 ed. Great moral enterprises do not work out their 
 
IT 
 
 legitimate results by mere mechanical force : even 
 the Almighty Architect of the Universe, though 
 He has been pleased to subject the Kingdoms of 
 both Nature and Providence to fixed laws, yet 
 never, for a moment, withdraws his eye from the 
 minutest of his works, or leaves a single event to 
 occur without his guiding and controlling agency 
 — surely then it were preposterous to imagine that 
 human wisdom should breathe into any of its 
 plans or its Avorks a principle of life, which, if not 
 absolutely self-sustaining, would require but little 
 care or effort for its j)reservation. After this 
 Seminary had been created, by an Act of the Gen- 
 eral Assembly, and the whole Church had pro- 
 nounced the work very good, the enterprise might 
 have been rendered utterly abortive by being 
 confided to an inadequate supervision and direc- 
 tion. But, instead of that, the same noble sj)irits 
 that had projected and founded it, became its 
 Guardians and Professors ; and, as they passed 
 away, others, upon whom their mantles fell, en- 
 tered into their labours ; and thus the Seminary 
 has passed the perils of youth, and reached a vig- 
 orous and prosperous manhood. Never could this 
 point have been attained but for the large meas- 
 ure of intellectual foresight, and comprehensive- 
 3 
 
18 
 
 ness, and accomplishment, of love to the Church, 
 of reliance on the wisdom, and power, and grace 
 from above, and of harmony of counsel and effort, 
 which have characterized those to whom the des- 
 tinies of the Institution have thus far l^een com- 
 mitted. 
 
 If we glance at the list of the Directors of the 
 Seminary, the first name on which our eye rests, 
 is that of the venerable Ashbel Green, — whose 
 majestic bearing seemed to say that he was born 
 to rule ; and who, during many of his later years, 
 stood as an almost solitary representative of the 
 ministry of a preceding generation. His com- 
 manding presence fitly represented his force of 
 intellect and force of will. He was sternly un- 
 vielding in his regard to what he believed right, 
 and in his opposition to what he considered wrong ; 
 and some of his demonstrations might have indi- 
 cated, especially to those who saw him only at a 
 distance, that there was an excess of iron in his 
 moral constitution; but those who were privi- 
 leged to get nearer to his heart, and to witness 
 the air of graceful kindness which he diffused 
 around his own fireside ; who knew the comfort- 
 ing words that he uttered to the sorrowful, and 
 the encouragin<»; words that he addressed to the 
 
19 
 
 desponding, and the large charities that he dis- 
 pensed to the poor, needed no other evidence that 
 there was strung in his bosom a chord, not only 
 of high generosity but of tender sympathy. Be- 
 sides serving the College in this place, in the rela- 
 tions of both Professor and President, — the latter 
 for a long course of years, he exercised his minis- 
 try, for a quarter of a century, in connection with 
 one of the most influential churches on the Con- 
 tinent, and at a period which identified him with 
 some of the leading events of both our civil and 
 ecclesiastical history. He shone, perhaps, nowhere 
 more brightly than in the pulpit. His discourses 
 were simple and natural in their construction ; 
 of a deeply evangelical and practical tone ; full of 
 appropriate and luminous thought ; and delivered 
 with an air of dignity and impressiveness that 
 scarcely left it at any one's option whether or not 
 to be an attentive hearer. The clouds of old age 
 had settled around him some time before his de- 
 parture ; but I believe they were at no time so 
 dark and heavy but the beams of the Sun of Right- 
 eousness passed through them into his soul. It was 
 an auspicious omen to the Seminary that such a 
 veteran in wisdom and piety should have had such 
 a place assigned to him, and especially that he 
 
20 
 
 should have occupied the chair of the President of 
 the Board of Directors for so long a period. 
 
 The name of Dr. Green, at the head of the list 
 of Directors, is followed by more than a hundred 
 other names, some of which are associated with 
 princely liberality and public spirit, others with 
 the highest order of pulpit eloquence, or execu- 
 tive power, or both combined, while most of them 
 have commanded, in a high degree, the respect 
 and confidence of the Church. In looking over 
 this honoured list, I find not a few, who, for their 
 exalted character as well as faithful services, are 
 well worthy of grateful commemoration ; and, but 
 for the invidiousness of making a selection, and 
 the fear of exhausting your patience, I would 
 gladly pay a passing tribute to a goodly number 
 of them. Indeed, there are two bright names on 
 this catalogue, which have so latel}^ become asso- 
 ciated with the grave, and which, withal, suggest 
 such precious memories, that I am sure you would 
 not be willing that I should pass them without at 
 least a kindly commemorative word. Need I say 
 that I refer to Van Rensselaer and Murray. 
 
 CoRTLANDT Van R-ENSSE^iAER had liis birth and 
 education amidst decidedly Christian influences, 
 and yet amidst those temj)tations to a life of indo- 
 
21 
 
 lent ease, which are always incident, especially in 
 this country, to a condition of great opulence 
 and worldly consideration. Happily, in his case, 
 Christianity early assumed the dominion in his 
 heart, so that he passed safely the ordeal to which 
 Providence subjected him, and came out of the 
 walks of the most elegant refinement into one of 
 the humblest of all the fields of ministerial labour. 
 And that mission of good-will to the j)Oor slaves 
 he Avould gladly have continued, but for the 
 appearance of certain clouds in the distant horizon, 
 that have since covered the whole heavens, and 
 are now discharging their contents in a tempest 
 of fire. We find him next engaged in planting a 
 Presbyterian Church in a beautiful village in this 
 neighbourhood, where none had before existed ; 
 and, after a few years of self-denying and emi- 
 nently useful labour there, he took the responsible 
 position of Secretary of the General Assembly's 
 Board of Education, which he held until the dis- 
 ease of which he died had well-nigh run its course. 
 As he was not only a Director, but an alumnus, 
 of the Seminary, so he was always devoted to its 
 interests ; and the ofiice which he held during the 
 greater part of his professional life, — discharging 
 its duties not only most faithfully but gratuitously, 
 
22 
 
 placed him at the head of one of the great foun- 
 tains of influence by which the Seminary is sus- 
 tained. Who that knew him will ever forget the 
 fertility of his mind in j^rojects of Christian use- 
 fulness, and the exuberance of his charity in carry- 
 ino; them into effect? Who can fororet the kindli- 
 ness of his smile ; the meekness and modesty of his 
 spirit ; the firmness with which he adhered to his 
 own mature convictions, and the graceful facility 
 and generous indulgence with which he met the 
 adverse opinions of others ; his practical oblivious- 
 ness of worldly rank ; his wit, sometimes taking 
 the form of a delicate innuendo, and sometimes 
 doing the work of a two-edged sword ; his zeal 
 and energy, shrinking from no sacrifices, halting 
 at no obstacles, and revealing a heart deeply in 
 communion with Him, who, though He was rich, 
 for our sakes became poor ? His death was the 
 signal for mourning much beyond the limits of his 
 own communion. The marble that marks the place 
 of his grave, might well bear the inscription, — 
 " An exalted specimen of sanctified humanity." 
 
 But scarcely had the mind of the Church been 
 withdrawn from the heavy calamity sustained in 
 his death, before the tidings were flying over the 
 land that Nicholas Murray, a kindred spirit, had. 
 
23 
 
 by a single step, passed from the fulness of health 
 and usefulness to his reward. Murray was born 
 with extraordinary qualities of both mind and 
 heart ; but he was born, and had his early train- 
 ing, amidst the cold shadows of Romanism. By a 
 train of circumstances which were little of his own 
 devising, he was separated from his earliest reli- 
 gious associations, and was brought across the 
 ocean, first to cast away his inherited errors, and 
 then to be baptized with the Holy Ghost. In due 
 time, he went forth from this School of the Pro- 
 phets, and, like the great Apostle, whose spirit he 
 so largely shared, became an earnest and powerful 
 defender of the faith Avhich he had seemed born 
 to oppose. For upwards of thirty years, and until 
 his Master called him home, he was always in the 
 high places of Zion, and always had his armour 
 on, ready to obey any summons. He had strongly 
 marked national characteristics, but they were so 
 many irresistible attractions. His face reflected 
 not only his clear and comprehensive intellect, 
 but his genial, loving and sympathetic spirit. No 
 child of sorrow, no victim of temptation, no sub- 
 ject of poverty, could ever be brought to his notice, 
 but his heart, his lips, his hand, involuntarily 
 opened to administer the needed consolation, coun- 
 
24 
 
 sel, or relief. In the pulpit he spake words of 
 wisdom and of weight, and with an air of autho- 
 rity that continually pointed upward to his Divine 
 commission. In the deliberative assembly his 
 presence was always recognized as a power. 
 Through the press his intellect delivered itself of 
 much profound practical wisdom, and the elements 
 of conviction were lodged even in the corruscations 
 of his wit. When his work was done, his hands 
 were still nerved to do more. The Church gazed 
 wishfully after him, and felt that one of her strong 
 rods was broken. 
 
 In connection with the Board of Directors, I 
 may mention the Board of Trustees also, — on 
 whom devolves the chief management of the 
 financial interests of the Seminary. And here 
 we find another noble body of men, — some of 
 whom have been conspicuous in the difterent 
 professions, some in the field of judicial honour, 
 some in the circles of commercial enterprise, some 
 in the walks of general philanthropy, while all 
 have been skilfully, watchfully, earnestl}^ engaged 
 in placing the institution on higher and firmer 
 ground, by the successful disposition and gradual 
 enlargement of its pecuniary resources. At the 
 head of this list, and as a fitting representation of 
 
25 
 
 it, stand the justly cherished names of Andreav 
 KiRKPATRiCK and Samuel Bayard, — both synonymes 
 for wisdom and purity, benevolence and honour. 
 
 Such, then, are the minds by which this Insti- 
 tution, in respect to its outward and more general 
 concerns, has been controlled ; and, surely, under 
 a conduct so wise and energetic, it were reason- 
 able to suppose that, by this time, it should have 
 reached a vigorous maturity. But it is the cha- 
 racter, not of its Directors and Trustees merely, 
 but especially of its Professors, to which we are to 
 look for the secret of its rapid and healthful 
 development. I cannot speak of them all in 
 detail, as my feelings would incline me, because — 
 thanks to a Gracious Providence — a portion of them 
 are yet alive to hear the testimony I should ren- 
 der ; but I may say of them, in general, that, 
 though they have exhibited a diversity of gifts, 
 yet all have had the same sjDirit; — a spirit of 
 singular devotedness to the interests of the Insti- 
 tution — all have been men who have well estab- 
 lished their claim upon the gratitude of the Church, 
 and whose memory the Church will treasure, as a 
 sacred deposit, in her own bosom. The day will 
 come — though I would fain hope it may be dis- 
 tant — when the characters of those who now 
 
26 
 
 occupy these chairs of honourable usefulness, will 
 become legitimate subjects for delineation ; and I 
 have no fear that those on whom the office shall 
 devolve, will find it other than a grateful and 
 easy one ; but, meanwhile, we may be allow^ed to 
 linger for a little among the graves of the departed, 
 and refresh both our memories and our hearts by 
 calling up some of their admirable characteristics. 
 First on the starred list appears the venerable 
 name of Archibald Alexander ; — a circumstance 
 that reflects double honour upon the Church at 
 that period ; for it was alike creditable to her that 
 she had such a man within her limits, and that 
 she had the wdsdom to place him where his influ- 
 ence would operate with the greatest pow er. He 
 came hither with the benefit of a large experience, 
 both academic and pastoral ; and the event more 
 than justified the high expectations which had 
 been founded upon his reputation, both in Virginia 
 and in Philadelphia. The feature of his character, 
 which was perhaps more obvious and all-pervading 
 than any other, was a well-nigh matchless simpli- 
 city. You saw this, first, in all that pertained to 
 his exterior — the movements of his body, the 
 utterances of his lij)s, the very exj)ression of his 
 countenance, you felt were in perfect harmony 
 
27 
 
 with the laws of his OAvn individual constitution. 
 And the same characteristic impressed itself upon 
 the workings of his mind. Though the best pro- 
 ductions of many of the best writers, in every 
 part and every period of the Church, lay in his 
 memory as so much well arranged material, and 
 though he knew how to appropriate it to the best 
 advantage, and it had even become essentially 
 incorporated with his own thoughts, yet it never 
 interfered in the least with the perfect individu- 
 ality of his intellectual operations. Whatever he 
 produced, whether orally or with his pen, had his 
 own image and superscription so deeply wrought 
 into it that its genuineness could hardly become 
 a matter of question. And his simplicity was 
 perfected in the movements of his moral nature — 
 and here it discovered itself in a frankness that 
 never dissembled ; in an independence that never 
 faltered ; in an integrity that would have main- 
 tained itself even in the face of martyr fires. In 
 all the appropriate duties of his Professorship, he 
 was alike able and faithful. Not only his lectures, 
 but his less formal communications to the stu- 
 dents, — his criticisms upon their performances, 
 his solution of their difficulties, and, above all, those 
 never to be forgotten Sunday afternoon talks on 
 
28 
 
 practical and experimental religion, all showed a 
 richness and promptness of thought, and a depth 
 of piety, which, I am sure, none of us can recall 
 without admiration. What he was as a Preacher 
 you who have heard him can never forget ; and 
 you who have not heard him can never know. I 
 will only say that here, as every-where else, he 
 was the very personification of naturalness ; and 
 when his inventive and richly stored mind was 
 set vigorously to work in the pulpit, under the 
 combined action of physical health and strong 
 moral forces, he sometimes held his audience by 
 a power absolutely irresistible. The great and 
 good Dr. John H. Hice told me that he once heard 
 him preach to a few people assembled in a private 
 dwelling in Virginia, when he became perfectly 
 transfigured, and his audience as perfectly electri- 
 fied ; and he did not hesitate to pronounce it the 
 highest effort of pulpit eloquence to which he had 
 ever listened. In his descent to the grave, there 
 was a beautiful demonstration of his humility, his 
 faith, his love to God and man, — of all those qual- 
 ities Avhicli had constituted the strength of his 
 character and the glory of his life. 
 
 Dr. Alexander was sole Professor but a single 
 year. In 1813, the revered and beloved name of 
 
29 
 
 Samuel Miller became associated with his ; and 
 the relation, thus established, continued a source 
 of mutual blessing, and a field for cordial co- 
 operation, for nearly forty years. I will venture 
 to speak of some of the different phases of Dr. 
 Miller's character somewhat in the order in which 
 they presented themselves to me. In the summer 
 of 1813, and a few weeks only before he entered 
 on his Professorship, I passed a Sabbath in New 
 York, and the excellent report of him which I 
 had often heard in New England, took me to the 
 then new church in Wall street, one part of the 
 day. I saw before me in the pulpit a man of a 
 perfectly symmetrical form, of a countenance ex- 
 pressive at once of mildness, dignity and intelli- 
 gence, and altogether, as it seemed to me, of rare 
 personal attractions. Though his voice was not 
 powerful, or susceptible of any great variety of 
 inflection, his utterance was j^erfectly distinct, and 
 his whole manner evinced thoughtfulness and cul- 
 ture. His discourse (I speak of it with the more 
 confidence, for I heard it again after I became a 
 student here) was distinguished for lucid arrange- 
 ment, for impressive scriptural thought, for great 
 propriety and elegance of diction, for being thor- 
 oughly exhaustive of its subject, and in some parts 
 
30 
 
 for the very sublimity of pathos. It is due to 
 candour to say that I always regarded this as one 
 of his most felicitous efforts ; and yet, in its gen- 
 eral character, it was but a fair specimen of his 
 preaching. The next time I saw him was three 
 years later, in his own study, when I presented 
 to him a letter designed to procure m}^ introduc- 
 tion to the Seminary. His kindly and almost 
 paternal spirit, breathing through his polished 
 and dignified manner, awakened in me a feeling 
 at once of reverence and affection ; and this min- 
 gled feeling never forsook me in all my subsequent 
 intercourse with him ; and it is the offering which 
 I love to make to his memory to this day. Those 
 fine qualities of mind and heart which were so 
 beautifully reflected in his manners, constituting 
 him the highest type of a Christian gentleman, 
 rendered his presence any-where a benediction. 
 There was a singular grace and fitness in all his 
 w^ords and actions. He had much of the spirit of 
 generous conciliation and forbearance, but it was 
 qualified by an unwavering fidelity to his own 
 well considered and conscientious judgments. His 
 character, as it came out in his daily life, was, to 
 his students, one unbroken lesson of love and 
 wisdom. And his meetings with us in the reci- 
 
31 
 
 tation room were as creditable to his intellect as 
 to his heart : for, while the influence of his bland 
 and considerate manner, there as every-where, 
 operated as a charm, we always had presented 
 to us a luminous, well digested and highly satis- 
 factory view of the subject which engaged our 
 attention. Dr. Miller lived to feel the infirmities 
 of age, but not to be the subject of a paralyzed 
 intellect, or to witness any waning of the interest 
 of the Church in respect to him. I was one of 
 those who were privileged to see him, when he 
 was standing almost in the presence of death. I 
 never heard such sublime words, expressive at 
 once of trust and victory, as then fell from his 
 lips. The chariot was already there ; and it was 
 but a few days after that I heard he had ascended. 
 There is yet another Professor, who has died 
 while in connection with the Seminary, and so 
 recently that the numerous tributes which his 
 death called forth are still fresh in the memories 
 of all of us— I refer, as you know, to the gifted 
 and accomplished Addison Alexander. I suppose 
 I may say, without the fear of contradiction, that 
 a nobler specimen of the Divine workmanship has 
 rarely appeared, in the form of a human mind, 
 than he exhibited. To have possessed any one 
 
32 
 
 fliculty in the measure in which he possessed all, 
 would have been enough to constitute a man of 
 mark. His fticility at acquiring knowledge of 
 every kind, and especially language, was "perhaps 
 without a known parallel ; and this, in connection 
 with an untiring industry, gives us the clew to 
 his vast acquisitions. His genius was alike bril- 
 liant and powerful — it was equally at home in the 
 heights and in the depths — it could breathe in the 
 zephyr ; it could flash in the lightning ; it could 
 ride in the storm. The effect of his preaching 
 is thought to have been lessened by the rapidity 
 of his utterance ; but his published discourses 
 are a model in respect to both beauty and 
 strength. As a teacher, he not only commu- 
 nicated from stores that seemed inexhaustible, 
 and with a fluency that never hesitated, and a 
 perspicuity that forbade misapprehension, but, by 
 an almost magical influence, he quickened the 
 minds of his pupils into a fervid enthusiasm, 
 which was at once a stimulus to their faculties, 
 and a pledge of their success. He was shy and 
 distant in common intercourse ; but those who 
 knew him Avell, testify that he had not only a 
 large and generous heart, but a strong suscepti- 
 bility to social enjoyment. For more than twenty 
 
years, he .shone here, a star of the first mag- 
 nitude ; and the day that saw that star sink be- 
 neath the horizon, was a day of deep and wide- 
 spread mourning. 
 
 There have been two other Professors in the 
 Seminary, who have finished their earthly course, 
 though neither of them died until some time after 
 his connection with the Seminary ceased — I refer 
 to John Breckenridge and James W. Alexander. 
 Both of them performed good service here ; but, 
 as each resigned his Professorship after two years, 
 we must doubtless look elsewhere for the monu- 
 ments of their highest usefulness. Dr. Brecken- 
 ridge was a man of brilliant and attractive quali- 
 ties, of commanding presence, of an earnest, heroic 
 and generous spirit, and of great control of the 
 popular mind. For several years he held the pas- 
 toral office in a large city, discharging its duties 
 with great acceptance and success ; but perhaps 
 the years in which he accomplished most for the 
 Church, were those in Avhich he was employed in 
 aid of two of our most prominent objects of 
 Christian benevolence. Some of his discourses, 
 and especially of his anniversary speeches, in 
 behalf of these objects, have rarely been exceeded 
 as specimens of manly and effective eloquence. 
 
34 
 
 Dr. Alexander inherited many of the fine qualities, 
 not only of his father, but, it is believed, of his ma- 
 ternal grandfather also, — the far-famed Dr. James 
 Waddel. Like his father, he Avas a model of simpli- 
 city in every thing; while he had probably more of 
 graceful culture than his father could claim. He 
 had a mind of great richness, great delicacy, and 
 exquisite susceptibility to every form of beauty. 
 His thoughts always seemed fresh and glowing. 
 His pen rarely moved but it tlew ; and yet in the 
 record which it made, we sometimes recognize 
 the ingenious speculations of the philosopher, and 
 sometimes the gorgeous creations of the poet. He 
 was distinguished for habits of sanctity and devo- 
 tion ; but there was born with him, and there 
 always remained with him, a vein of playful 
 humour, that he knew better how to control than 
 others knew how to resist. His preaching was 
 at once attractive and instructive. Multitudes 
 thronged to hear him, and not a few met in his 
 ministrations the converting and sanctifying power 
 of God. Both these eminent ministers, though 
 the period of their actual connection with the 
 Seminary w^as brief, were yet always on the alert 
 to promote its interests, and carried a strong affec- 
 tion for it to their graves. 
 
35 
 
 Estimate noAV the evidence which has been pre- 
 sented that the character of the Professors of this 
 Seminary forms a mighty element of power. Can 
 any one believe that men of so much intellectual 
 and moral force can have been here, — some of 
 them for so long a period, — in the vigorous and 
 diligent use of their faculties, without making 
 this Institution one of the strongholds of Zion ? 
 Especially can any one believe this, when the 
 influence of the Directors and Trustees is taken 
 in connection with that of the Professors, thus 
 securing the wisest management, as well as the 
 most faithful guidance and the ablest instruction ? 
 
 Yet another element of strength in this Insti- 
 tution is the bounty by which it has been sustained. 
 We all know that such an institution as this could 
 never be established and maintained but at a vast 
 expense. Here is a capacious and commodious 
 building devoted to the use of the students. Here 
 are dwellings for the occupancy of the Professors. 
 Here is a fine, tasteful edifice for the accommoda- 
 tion of the Library ; to say nothing of the choice and 
 extensive Library which it accommodates. Then 
 again, here are five well endowed Professorships ; 
 and probably about thirty Scholarships, (though 
 the number is nominally considerably greater,) 
 
36 
 
 which meet, in a great measure, the exigencies of 
 an equal number of indigent students. Surely, 
 all this could never have been done, if the bounty 
 of the Church had not flowed hither as a river. 
 The Seminary has had, still has, individual bene- 
 factors, whose donations are not only honourable 
 but princely ; and though delicacy forbids me here 
 to pronounce their names, gratitude has already 
 inscribed them on an imperishable record. And 
 I cannot forbear to refer to the fact, the announce- 
 ment of which, a few moments since, has filled us 
 with admiration and gratitude, that two of these 
 benefactors have impressed their own bright mark 
 upon this day, by making it the occasion of an 
 offering that is itself grand enough to form an 
 epoch in the history of the Institution.* And the 
 Church, as a body, or at least no inconsiderable 
 portion of it, has, with a Avilling mind, sent hither 
 large offerings, sanctified by fjiith and prayer. 
 
 * It may not be improper here to state that the donation referred to 
 was fifty thousand dollars, from Messrs. Robert L. and Alexander 
 Stuart, to be applied, in several different ways, for the benefit of the 
 Seminary. Another donation, of thirty-five thousand dollars, has been 
 recently made by Mr. John C. Green, for the endowment of a new 
 Professorship. Each of these gentlemen had so signalized himself by 
 liis i)revious benefactions to the Seminary, that these generous and 
 graceful gifts were less a matter of surjirise than of thankfulness and 
 rejoicing. It is well known that tlie beautiful building, containing the 
 Library, is but a magnificent item in the sum of the contributions of 
 Mr. J.vMEs Lenox, 
 
37 
 
 Is it too iiiiich, then, to nay that the iniohty power 
 in whose presence we stand, has its being, at least 
 in a subordinate sense, in the spirit of Christian 
 Charity ? 
 
 The hist element of this power which I will 
 ask you to consider, is the influence of the great 
 numbers who have been educated here, reacting upon 
 the Institution itself. I do not say that every indi- 
 vidual who has had his training on this ground, has 
 gone away satisfied; for I well know that there 
 are some, who, if there was nothing on earth to 
 find fault with, would vent their spleen against 
 the sun, moon and stars : but I do say with confi- 
 dence that our students have, with ver}' few ex- 
 ceptions, carried away w4tli them a grateful sense 
 of the benefits received here, wdiich has manifested 
 itself, as opportunity has presented, in substantial 
 acts of good-will. You do not expect a child, of 
 even ordinary sensibility, to forget his early 
 home, — no matter how great may be the distance 
 that separates him from it. You do not expect 
 even the alien, if he has the heart of a man, to 
 ignore the hand that has been stretched out for 
 his guidance, or opened for his relief, as soon as 
 he has passed the range of its movements — and 
 not more reasonable were it to expect that those 
 
38 
 
 who have been theologically nurtured here, should 
 forget the helping, forming influence, as soon as 
 they have passed from under it. I tell you, again, 
 they do not forget it — and, more than that, it 
 weighs upon them as an ever present, cherished 
 obligation, keeping their hearts strong, and their 
 hands nerved, for any good service it may be in 
 their power to render. Indeed, they are always 
 serving the Seminary just in proportion to the 
 measure of their fidelity and usefulness in the 
 Church ; for they are its epistle, known and read 
 of all men. "Wherever you meet one of its alumni, 
 you have a right to assume, until it is proved 
 to the contrary, that you have found one who 
 always bears it on his heart, and is ready, accord- 
 ing to his ability, to lend a helping hand for the 
 promotion of its interests. Well may an Insti- 
 tution, with such an army of auxiliaries scattered 
 all over the land, repose securely in a sense of its 
 own stability. 
 
 I have endeavoured to show that this Seminary 
 is a power mighty in its elements — let us see now 
 whether it is not equall}^ mighty in its operations. 
 
 I say, then, the influence which this Institution 
 has exerted, still exerts, is diversified, and yet har- 
 monious. Its records show that there is scarcely a 
 
39 
 
 department of ministerial or Christian usefulness 
 in which it has not been largely and most credit- 
 ably represented. Of course its grand object is 
 to make able and faithful ministers of the Gospel ; 
 and the great business of the ministry is to fulfil 
 the Divine ordinance in the preaching of the 
 Gospel. Nevertheless, the sacred office, in respect 
 to its particular duties, is somewhat modified by a 
 variety of circumstances ; and, in some instances, 
 it becomes incorporated with other kindred voca- 
 tions. While the individuals concerned appear 
 occasionally, perhaps frequently, in the pulpit, 
 they are entrusted with the supervision and direc- 
 tion of the different branches of the machinery 
 by which the Church is doing her great work ; 
 and it may be that, while the literal preacher 
 may seem to be almost lost, — perhaps in the quiet 
 round of a teacher's duties, perhaps in the con- 
 duct of some grand evangelical enterprise, he may 
 really be accomplishing more for the Church than 
 if he could multiply himself into half a dozen 
 stated preachers. I know not whether the office 
 of a Christian minister ever combines more of 
 privation and self-sacrifice with more of efficiency 
 and glory, than when held by the faithful Foreign 
 Missionary; — the man who goes forth, in the 
 
40 
 
 strength of God's grace, to battle with the prince 
 of darkness in the very heart of his earthly 
 dominion. It devolves upon him to strike the first 
 blow for the deliverance perhaps of a vast empire 
 from the deepest intellectual and moral degrada- 
 tion ; to supply the first material for the mind to 
 act upon, as it is waking out of the slumber of 
 ages ; to commence the re-construction of the 
 whole fabric of society, by substituting a Christian 
 for a Heathen basis — but no less than one hundred 
 and twenty-seven of our students have become 
 Foreign Missionaries ; besides seven more who' 
 have already been designated to the same office — 
 that is, they have gone, or are going, to carry the 
 Gospel either to the savages on our borders, or the 
 far ofi" Pagans, — both sitting alike within the 
 shadoAV of death. No man occupies a place of 
 higher responsibility than he who superintends 
 the education of young men for the sacred office ; 
 for the influence of his instructions, and counsels, 
 and spirit, instead of terminating upon them, dif- 
 fuses itself all over the Church — but this Semi- 
 nary has supplied twenty-eight Professors to 
 different Theological Institutions, some of whom, 
 I need not say, have attained to great eminence 
 in their respective departments. What vast im- 
 
41 
 
 portance attaches to our Colleges, — those nurse- 
 ries of the very flower of the country's intellect ; 
 and how directly is the hand of those who conduct 
 them upon the springs of our national prosperity — 
 but of those who have had their training here, 
 thirty-six have occupied the Presidential chair, 
 and ninety-four have held Professorships, in these 
 higher seminaries, — most of them, at the same 
 time, being, either statedly or occasionally, en- 
 gaged in preaching the Gospel. Who can measure 
 the amount of service which they perform for the 
 Church, who have a primary agency in directing 
 our great Benevolent Institutions — but twenty- 
 nine of our alumni have held the Secretaryship of 
 some or other of these Societies, thus directly 
 identifying themselves with the progress of the 
 Gospel at home or abroad. The influence of an 
 Editor of a widely circulated religious newspaper 
 or other periodical is exerted so quietly that per- 
 haps the multitude take little note of it ; and yet 
 that same Editor may have a sort of ubiquity in 
 the Church, — even in the Nation — he may be in 
 contact with men's minds as a guiding, irresistible 
 power, where his name has never been heard — he 
 may sit by his desk, and change the current of 
 
 public opinion, or forestall the decisions of eccle- 
 6 
 
42 
 
 siastical judicatories, without opening his lips ; and, 
 when the Sabbath comes, he may be in his own 
 or some other pulpit, proclaiming the Glad Tidings, 
 like any other minister of Christ — but here again, 
 no less than twenty-nine whose names are enrolled 
 on our catalogue, have held this responsible posi- 
 tion ; and among them are several of our most 
 highly endoAved and cultivated minds, — some of 
 whom weekly, and others quarterly, strike chords 
 that vibrate, not now indeed to the extremities 
 of the land, but up to a certain dark, revolting, 
 bloody boundary. And I must not forget to add 
 that the Seminary, especially through its Pro- 
 fessors, has contributed largel}^, in other wa^^s, to 
 our theological and historical literature. If all 
 the books, which have been written on this ground, 
 were gathered, they would not only go far towards 
 forming a library, but among them would be found 
 some of the best productions, in their respective 
 departments, that any language can furnish. 
 
 But in all this variety there is perfect harmony; — 
 not only no interference, but cordial co-operation. 
 The end aimed at in each of these several depart- 
 ments of active usefulness is the same — all have 
 in view the intellectual and moral renovation of 
 the race, in connection with the progress of a pure 
 
43 
 
 Christianity. It is like some grccat piece of ma- 
 chinery, each part of which not only performs its 
 own appropriate work, but helps to maintain the 
 harmonious and efficient action of the whole. The 
 Stated Pastor, the Foreign Missionary, the Theo- 
 logical Professor, the President of a College, the 
 Secretary and leading spirit of a great Benevolent 
 Institution, the Editor of a religious newspaper 
 or other periodical, — each has his distinct office, 
 while each becomes, in some sense, an auxiliary 
 to the rest ; — sometimes directly, — by supplying 
 the requisite material for others to work upon, or 
 becoming identified with some important effort 
 out of his own immediate range ; and sometimes 
 indirectly, — by an example of vigorous appli- 
 cation, or perhaps brilliant success. 
 
 The influence of this Seminary, I remark again, 
 has been a conservative, and yet not an unduly restric- 
 tive, influence — it has been adverse to a reckless 
 spirit of innovation, but favourable to healthful 
 progress. The tendency to extremes is one of the 
 qualities that mark the imperfection, not to say 
 perverseness, of our common humanity ; but never, 
 perhaps, has this tendency manifested itself so 
 palpably, or in so great a variety of forms, as since 
 this Seminary has been in existence ; and hence, 
 
44 
 
 to meet the exigency hereby created, we have the 
 new and expressive word, Ultraism. It is worthy 
 of remark that this spirit always contemplates, 
 originally, a good object — it always has its basis 
 in truth and right ; but, from being exclusively 
 or disproportionately contemplated by an ill-bal- 
 anced mind, the object either acquires an undue 
 relative importance, or else it suggests the use of 
 unjustifiable means for its accomplishment. I will 
 instance only a single case — that of Revivals of 
 Religion. A genuine Revival we all recognize as 
 the richest blessing that God bestows upon his 
 Church ; and, in the multiplication of these scenes, 
 we get a foretaste of millennial, even of heavenly, 
 glory. But who needs be told that, in what has 
 been called a Hevival, Fanaticism has sometimes 
 performed some of her wildest and most revolting 
 feats ; and all the solemnities, even the decencies, 
 of religious worship have been sacrificed; and 
 Satan has counted almost as many self-deceivers 
 as the conductor of the work has counted converts. 
 With this spirit, in none of its various manifesta- 
 tions, has this Seminary ever had any sympathy — • 
 its sound, scriptural teachings have been a perpe- 
 tual rebuke to it ; and the impress of sobriety, which 
 its students have received here, has, with compara- 
 
45 
 
 tively few exceptions, been decisive of their future 
 course. But then, on the other hand, the Semi- 
 nary has never been alarmed because the world 
 does not stand still — it has never suggested the 
 expediency of stopping short of the point of duty, 
 lest there should be found some temptation there 
 to pass on into the region of extravagance — it has 
 never been slow to admit new thoughts, or to 
 encourage new projects, where they have seemed 
 to originate in wisdom or tend to usefulness. In 
 short, it has sought not to stay the advancing 
 spirit of the age, but to direct it ; and sure I am 
 that the verdict of the whole Church is that it 
 has been eminently successful. 
 
 It is only an extension, or rather a specific 
 application, of this thought, to say that this 
 Seminary, while it has been true to the interests 
 of the Presbyterian Church, which it represents, 
 has yet been catholic i?i its beaming towards other 
 denominations. That it has always been the faith- 
 ful supporter and defender of the Presbyterian 
 faith and order, every one, who has been a student 
 here, knows from the character of its teachings ; 
 and the whole Church has evidence of it in the 
 general character of those of her ministers who 
 have been educated here ; in the manner in w^iich 
 
46 
 
 the Seminary has been represented, in her highest 
 judicatory, on questions touching vitally her 
 prosperity ; in the fact that the first Professor of 
 Church History and Church Government, while 
 he was yet a Pastor, as well as during the period 
 of his Professorship, published several elaborate 
 and highly popular works, vindicating the claims 
 of Presbyterianism ; and, finally, in the many 
 luminous and forcible articles, bearing more or 
 less directly on this subject, which have appeared, 
 from time to time, in the Biblical Repertory. 
 But, while the Seminary has shown itself thor- 
 oughly Presbyterian, in character as well as in 
 name, it has never assumed that Presbyterianism 
 is the only divinely accredited form of Chris- 
 tianity — while it has maintained that it is the 
 most perfect embodiment of Scripture truth, in 
 respect to both doctrine and order, it has never 
 set up any exclusive banner ; never made its own 
 Shibboleth a term, either of fraternal communion, 
 or of admission to its privileges. Even in the 
 fierce controversy, connected with the second 
 great disruption of the Presbyterian Church, it 
 never placed itself in any needlessly offensive 
 attitude, or counselled to any rash or uncharitable 
 measures ; and I venture to say that those of its 
 
47 
 
 alumni, who, by that act, were thrown into another 
 body, never lost their filial regard for this their 
 Alma Mater ; and that those of them who are with 
 us here to-day, are just as earnest in their devo- 
 tion, and just as cordial in their congratulations, 
 as if the Assembly of 1837 had confined itself to 
 its ordinary routine of business. But the most 
 decisive testimony on this subject is to be gath- 
 ered from our General Catalogue ; and, if you will 
 glance over it, you will find a large number of 
 names, whose only connection with Presbyte- 
 rianism is in having a place there. For instance, 
 in the very first class, there was a man who came 
 hither an Episcopalian, and subsequently became 
 a Baptist — the same man has been, and, for aught 
 I know, still is, one of the lights of the Baptist 
 denomination in the South. No less than forty- 
 two, who have been educated here, have found 
 their home, and their field of labour, in the 
 Episcopal Church — and, of these, three have 
 become Bishops; — men, known and honoured by 
 the wise and good of every name ; and I doubt 
 not that their large hearts would respond grate- 
 fully to our kind remembrances of them. Ninety- 
 two have become ministers in the Congregational 
 Church ; fifty-six in the Reformed Dutch Church ; 
 
48 
 
 thirty-two in the Baptist Church ; eleven in the 
 Associate Reformed and United Presbyterian 
 Church ; seven in the German Reformed Church ; 
 and five in the Lutheran, and an equal number in 
 the Methodist, Church. A portion of these, indeed, 
 changed their ecclesiastical relations after leaving 
 the Seminary ; but many of them did not ; and 
 the fact that they could, without embarrassment, 
 pursue their studies here preparatory to the min- 
 istry, proves, beyond all question, that they found 
 here an atmosphere, tempered, in a high degree, 
 by the spirit of Christian Catholicism. Their dis- 
 tinctive peculiarities they did not indeed hear 
 vindicated — they may have even heard laboured 
 arguments to disprove them ; but there has always 
 been a measure of decorum, and dignity, and gen- 
 erous indulgence, pertaining to the spirit of the 
 place, that has made it a happy home even for 
 those whose denominational views are at the 
 greatest remove from those which are here incul- 
 cated. 
 
 I cannot forbear to say that this Seminary is 
 exerting a loyal and patriotic, but not an intemperate 
 or indiscriminately condemnatory, influence. It seems 
 to be the order of Providence that every thing on 
 earth that hath life, whether physical, intellectual, 
 
49 
 
 or moral, should have its times for going to sleep. 
 Thus it has been with American Patriotism — the 
 spirit, which worked as fire in the bosoms of our 
 Revolutionary Fathers, had not only lost much of 
 the glow in which it then manifested itself, but 
 had so long been exposed to the wild storms of 
 party, that it seemed threatened with absolute 
 extinction. Wise and thoughtful men were not 
 without fears that Patriotism, in respect to a 
 large part of our population at least, was sink- 
 ing into her last iron slumber, if she had not actu- 
 ally been arrayed in her death-robes. But the 
 memorable 13th of April, 1861, put to flight that 
 delusion. The balls that struck upon Sumter did 
 a much more potent work than they had bargained 
 for ; for, besides achieving an inglorious triumph 
 over a handful of brave but defenceless men, who 
 were on the eve of starvation, they turned the 
 heart of the whole loyal part of the nation into 
 steel. Patriotism had now no longer a dubious 
 existence. Quick as the lightning, she multiplied 
 herself into a host of bright angels, who were 
 going to and fro, delivering lessons upon our perils 
 and duties, and inspiring courage and hope. I do 
 not mean to intimate that this Seminary had ever 
 been indifferent to the interests of the country — 
 
50 
 
 she stands too near the spot where Washington 
 commanded, and Mercer fell,* to be readily sus- 
 pected of that — but until now there has never 
 been any great occasion to put her to the test : 
 and, since the occasion has come, — thanks to a 
 Gracious Providence, — she does her work nobly ; — 
 not by stepping out of her sphere, but by being a 
 unit for the country's unity ; especially by send- 
 ing forth mature thoughts, well considered and 
 weighty arguments, bearing upon the crisis, for 
 the nation to digest and appl}^ Patriotism, bold, 
 earnest, effective, but yet thoughtful and for- 
 bearing, has inscribed her name on the walls, 
 even the very door-posts, of this Seminary ; and, 
 in her light, well may the whole country see light 
 and rejoice. 
 
 But a painful question here forces itself upon 
 me — How is it that so large a number who have 
 been educated here, with whom many of us have 
 taken sweet counsel, and some of whom we have 
 all delighted to honour, — have identified them- 
 selves with an enterprise, designed to lay waste 
 this goodly inheritance which our fathers be- 
 queathed to us ? I know many of them so well, 
 
 * Tlie memorable battle of Princeton was fought within a few liundred 
 yards of the site of the Seminary. 
 
51 
 
 and they have had a place in my heart so long, 
 that I could not, if I would, answer this question 
 in any other spirit than that of the most enlarged 
 charity. The thought, which I am sure it is most 
 grateful for us to indulge, is, that many of them 
 have just silently bowed to influences which they 
 could not control; and that, when the external 
 pressure comes to be withdrawn, we shall find that, 
 though they have been in the Rebellion, they have 
 not been of it. And then again, in respect to the 
 large numbers, who, we know, have assumed an 
 attitude of declared hostility to the Government, 
 who needs be told of the blinding influence of 
 circumstances ; of the mighty power of hereditary 
 prejudices, of social and domestic relationships, of 
 long established associations, of the eloquence of 
 statesmen, of the general current of example, of 
 the pleas of imagined self-interest, to render both 
 the intellectual and moral vision so confused that 
 good and evil shall seem to have changed places ? 
 Who of us can be certain that an influence, which 
 has been so universal, would not have included 
 himself among its victims, if he had come within 
 its range ? I am not attempting to make out a 
 justification of our brethren for having fallen into 
 this mad and desolating current; — for that my 
 
52 
 
 conscience would not allow me to do — but I sub- 
 mit it to you whether there is not that in their 
 circumstances, which should at least qualify our 
 censure. As for those who have not only been 
 educated here, but have been born and had their 
 home in the North, and are perfectly conversant 
 with Northern manners, and institutions, and 
 influences, and yet have pronounced anathemas 
 upon us in their pulpits, — strengthening the popu- 
 lar delusion that the heart of the whole North 
 never rests from breathing out threatenings and 
 slaughter against the South, — it would be too 
 much to ask for them any large measure of indul- 
 gence ; and yet is it not better to study them as 
 an anomalous specimen of the workings of human 
 nature, than to reciprocate their abuse and crimi- 
 nation ? I confess there is not a fact in the whole 
 history of the Church, that confounds me more, 
 than that our Southern brethren should, with such 
 apparent cordiality and unanimity, have lent them- 
 selves to this unnatural Rebellion ; and yet, I say 
 again, if we obey the dictates of wisdom, we 
 shall forbear all bitter and hostile demonstrations, 
 and shall hold ourselves ready to resume fraternal 
 relations with them, whenever Providence shall 
 open the way for it. Or if that day should never 
 
53 
 
 come, we shall go down to our graves in a brighter 
 light, and leave a better example to those who 
 come after us, if, while we have been true to our 
 country, we have never cast needless reproaches 
 upon our mistaken brethren. 
 
 I only add that this Seminary exerts a widely 
 extended and constantly extending influence. It has 
 drawn its students, not only from nearly every 
 State in the Union, but from several European 
 countries ; and from almost every College, from 
 venerable old Harvard down to those compara- 
 tively new lights, which the spirit of Christian 
 enterprise has kindled up in the Far West. Here, 
 too, there has been a gathering from all the dif- 
 ferent classes of society — the sons of the rich and 
 the great have been here — those who have had 
 their birth and training in the middle walks of 
 life, where there is least of temptation and most 
 of comfort, have been here in crowds — those 
 whose education has been little else than a con- 
 stant battle with adverse circumstances, have been 
 here ; and, last of all, the descendants of Ham 
 have not been without an honourable represen- 
 tation here, — a fact to which we appeal with 
 confidence as proof that this Seminary has never 
 endorsed the doctrine that, because, unhappily, a 
 
54 
 
 dark skin has become with us an emblem of ser- 
 vitude, it therefore necessarily involves the curse 
 of ignorance and degradation. Now, between 
 each District, each College, each Class in society, 
 that is thus represented in the Seminary, and the 
 Seminary itself, there is opened, in proportion to 
 the extent of the representation, a channel of 
 reciprocal influence. And then trace the influence 
 which this great body of students, gathered from 
 the four winds, and from such a variety of social 
 positions, exert, as they go forth to their several 
 fields of labour. There is not a city of any extent 
 in the land, where the Gospel has not been sounded 
 forth by some voice or voices that hail from this 
 Seminary. Travel in whatever direction you will, 
 you cannot go far, but that its influence will meet 
 you, either in the form of the living preacher, or 
 in the auspicious results of some ministry upon 
 which the grave has closed. If it were not for 
 the iron gate which the spirit of Rebellion has 
 set up, you might go to the extreme Southern or 
 Southwestern boundary of the country, and find 
 churches not a few, which were supplied, the very 
 last Sabbath, by men whose names appear on our 
 catalogue. If you make your way into the wil- 
 derness, the native home of savages, where, half 
 
55 
 
 a century ago, the first sign of civilization had not 
 appeared, but where now Christianity holds her 
 well-established dominion, there, again, you will 
 find that this Seminary has had her full share in 
 accomplishing these blessed results. And, finally, 
 if you cross the ocean, and explore the dark 
 domain of Foreign Paganism or Spurious Chris- 
 tianity, you can scarcely pause in any country, 
 and look around you, without finding yourselves in 
 contact with an evangelizing influence that has 
 emanated from Princeton : and if, before you return, 
 you visit the land of our fathers, and put your- 
 selves into communion with the great and good 
 spirits there, you will quickly discover that they 
 are scarcely less familiar with the masterly bib- 
 lical, theological, historical, and practical works, 
 that our Professors have sent forth, than we are 
 with the choicest of their productions. Verily the 
 influence of this Seminary has diffused itself every 
 where, and mingles with every thing ! If there 
 is no part of our own country too distant or inac- 
 cessible to be reached by it ; if it moves upon the 
 great deep of ignorance and superstition in China 
 and India, in France and Italy; if it penetrates 
 into the very darkest part of the heart of Africa ; 
 and, finally, if it brings us into close fellowship 
 
56 
 
 of thought and feeling with the wise and good all 
 over the world, who will venture, even now, to 
 fix its boundary ? 
 
 And yet this has been, still is, a constantly 
 increasing influence. Some of us remember the 
 time when this great tree, some of whose branches 
 now overshadow other countries, was a mere sap- 
 ling. We knew then, however, that its seed was 
 good, having been deposited here by the ftiith and 
 prayers of the Church — we knew that the most 
 skilful hands were employed for its culture, and 
 that the enriching dews of Heavenly grace were 
 not withheld from it ; and we had a right to anti- 
 cipate for it a vigorous and substantial growth ; 
 but I doubt not that its history has far more than 
 realized the most sanguine expectations of the 
 most hopeful of its friends. At the time of my 
 own admission to the Seminary, in the fall of 
 1816, the number of students, if my memory 
 serves me, was about twenty-five; whereas the 
 present number is one hundred and sixty-eight ; 
 and I hazard nothing in saying that this numerical 
 increase is a fjiir index to its general progressive 
 prosperity. I do not say that each successive year 
 has been, in all respects, more properous than the 
 one immediately preceding ; but I do say that, on 
 
57 
 
 the whole, it has been constantly growing, not 
 only in numbers, but in resources, in usefulness, 
 in favour with God and man. 
 
 And noAV, in view of the ground we have so 
 rapidly passed over, are we not brought irresis- 
 tibly to the conclusion that the Princeton Theo- 
 logical Seminary is a mighty power, — well worthy 
 to have attracted us hither on this grateful, com- 
 memorative errand ? Is there not essentially 
 inherent in it an energy that must necessarily 
 work out grand results ? And have not those 
 results already become matter of history, to a 
 sufficient extent to fill us with gratitude for the 
 past, with hope for the future ? 
 
 My friends, could we have a more impressive 
 lesson of the vanity of this life of ours, than is 
 found in the fact that, in speaking of this Semi- 
 nary at the close of the first half century of its 
 existence, Ave have seemed to be holding converse 
 much more with the dead than with the living ? 
 Does not the vast accumulation of stars on our 
 catalogue, diffusing over it an air of funereal 
 gloom, invite us to pause, not more in tender 
 remembrance than solemn reflection ? If we 
 glance at the list of our Directors, we find that 
 
 sixty-three out of a hundred and thirteen have 
 8 
 
finished their course ; and of the twenty, who con- 
 stituted the original Board in 1812, one venerated 
 name* only remains, unassociated with the grave. 
 On the list of the Board of Trustees, twenty- 
 seven out of fifty-two are starred ; and, of the 
 sixteen who composed it in 1825, the name of 
 only one stands Avithout the significant prefix, — 
 and he the solitary survivor of the other Board. 
 Of the ten, who have held Professorships here, 
 only half survive. Of the twenty-four hundred 
 and twenty-two, who have received their theo- 
 logical education here, either partly or wholly, no 
 less than four hundred and eighty-five have gone 
 to give an account of their stewardship. And 
 we, my brethren, are all in the current, which 
 is thus sweeping onward to eternity. When the 
 Centennial Celebration comes round, who of us all, 
 think you, Avill be here to welcome it ? There 
 will be a joyful meeting of kindred spirits then, 
 but they will belong to another generation. May 
 our Gracious Master pour upon us the spirit of 
 wisdom, and strength, and earnest devotion to our 
 
 * Rev. John McDowell, D. D., whose untiring devotion to the interests 
 of the Seminary, as well as of the Presbyterian Church at large, is already 
 a mattter of history. It was a subject of general regret that ho was 
 prevented, by the infirmities of age, from being present to share in the 
 services and enjoyments of the Semi-centennial Jubilee. 
 
59 
 
 high calling, so that, before our places on earth 
 are vacated, we may build some new monuments 
 of fidelity in his service, which will at once reflect 
 fresh honour upon the Institution at which we 
 have been trained, and encourage and animate 
 those who shall come after us. 
 
 I am quite aware that I have passed the legiti- 
 mate limit of this exercise, and yet I find other 
 topics crowding upon my mind, upon which, under 
 other circumstances, I would gladly speak, and to 
 which I have no doubt you would heartily and 
 warmly respond. For instance, I should love to 
 present to you the Seminary in her relation to 
 other similar institutions, showing you how nearly 
 she stands at the head of the list in the order of 
 time, and tracing her influence in the healthful 
 growth of some of her younger sisters. I should 
 love to call your attention to the signs of promise 
 in respect to the future ; to show you that it is 
 scarcely more certain that the order of Providence 
 will proceed, than that this Seminary will develope 
 new powers, and gather increasing glory, in her 
 onward course. I should love, especially, to try to 
 re-produce, to those of my own classmates and con- 
 temporaries in the Seminary who are present, 
 some of the cherished scenes of those early days ; 
 
60 
 
 to remind them of the splendour of Larned's elo- 
 quence ; of the charm of Nevins' wit ; of the apos- 
 tolic simplicity of Newbold; of the thoughtful, 
 earnest and intensely devout spirit of Armstrong. 
 But into neither of these fields, attractive as they 
 are, do I feel at liberty to enter. Nothing remains, 
 then, but that we leave our united benediction 
 upon the Seminary, and bid her adieu. We thank 
 the Directors and Trustees for the wisdom, vigi- 
 lance, energy, with which they have ordered her 
 movements, husbanded her resources, and minis- 
 tered, in various ways, to her efficiency and 
 strength. We thank the Professors for the ability, 
 fidelity, constancy, which have ever characterized 
 their labours, as well as for the cordial welcome with 
 which they have now greeted us. We congratu- 
 late the present generation of students on their 
 advantages, their attainments, their prospects, 
 and we counsel them to gird themselves with 
 strength from on high, that they may be pre- 
 pared to meet the high demands of the age. 
 We give and record our pledge to the Seminary 
 that her interests shall be our interests, and 
 that, when we forget our obligation to her, our 
 right hand may forget her cunning. We tender 
 our acknowledgments to the inhabitants of this 
 
Gl 
 
 ancient and honoured town for the cordial and 
 graceful hospitality which we have found in their 
 dwellings, and in which some of us recognize 
 only a re-production of what we used to witness 
 in their fathers and mothers, who have fallen 
 asleep. We ratify afresh our vows of fraternal 
 fellowship with each other, thanking God for this 
 happy meeting, and sending our thoughts and 
 hopes forward to a glorious renewal of our inter- 
 course, where the meeting shall be, not for a day, 
 but for eternity. The hallowed scenes through 
 which we are now passing shall never fade from 
 our memories, — no, never. We will dwell ujion 
 them — we will cherish them — we will embalm 
 them — they shall make all our thoughts of this 
 beloved spot more precious ; and we will gather 
 from them a fresh stimulus to the prosecution of 
 our onward, upward journey. 
 
APPENDIX.^ 
 
 The Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the 
 establishment of the Theological Seminary of the Pres- 
 byterian Church in Princeton, took place on the 30th 
 of April, 1862, agreeably to a plan, of which notice had 
 been extensively given. The day was one of the most 
 beautiful and balmy of the whole year. Many hun- 
 dreds of the Alumni of the Seminary were present, and 
 with them many brethren of other denominations, who 
 joined heartily in all the exercises of the occasion. 
 There were many clergymen from the Congregational, 
 the Episcopal, the Reformed Dutch, the Baptist 
 Churches, and the several families of Presbyterians, 
 who seemed as much at home on that delightful spot 
 and in that goodly company, as if they had not only 
 been born and nurtured, but always dwelt, in the same 
 ecclesiastical household. 
 
 The Alumni met at eleven o'clock in the First Pres- 
 byterian Church. The Rev. Dr. Magie, of Elizabeth, 
 N. J., was chosen to preside, and the Rev. Dr. Paxton, 
 of the Allegheny Theological Seminary, was appointed 
 Secretary. Dr. Magie. on taking the chair, made a few 
 pertinent remarks, expressive of the great pleasure it 
 afforded him to mingle in the exercises of the day, and 
 of his deep sense of obligation to the Seminary, which 
 he should carry with him to his grave. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Yeomans, being called upon, led in 
 prayer. 
 
 • This account of the proceedings of the day is taken, substantially, from 
 the New \ork Ob&erver. 
 
G4 
 
 The Committee, who had arranged the meeting, 
 stated that no order of exercises had been agreed upon, 
 but that they had prepared a Report, leaving it to 
 those who should speak on the Resolutions to select 
 their own topics. The following is the Report sub- 
 mitted, and subsequently adopted : — 
 
 1. The Alumni of the Princeton Theological Seminary, 
 assembled to celebrate its Fiftieth Anniversary, record with 
 devout g-ratitude their sense of the great goodness of God to 
 this Institution. We especially recognize his beneficent 
 Providence in raising up those two venerated men, Archibald 
 Alexander and Samuel Miller, to become its first Professors, 
 and in sparing them to conduct its affairs Avith pre-eminent 
 wisdom and fidelity for forty years. 
 
 2. In the General Catalogue of the Seminary just issued, 
 we find the following summary of its History :, — 
 
 Whole number of Students 2422 
 
 Dead 485 
 
 Connected with the Seminary tlie present year - - 168 
 
 Foreign Missionaries ------- 127 
 
 Appointed Foreign Missionaries . - - - 7 
 
 Professors in Theological Seminaries - - - - 28 
 
 Presidents of Colleges ------ 30 
 
 Professors in Colleges 94 
 
 Directors of this Seminary ----- 17 
 
 Moderators of the General Assembly - - - - 8 
 
 We refrain from any attempt to gather up the weighty re- 
 sults which a half century must have accumulated in the 
 train of an army of faithful labourers like this. A glance at 
 the table will show that the healthful influences, emanating 
 from this source, have radiated far and wide in every direc- 
 tion; that, apart from the spiritual benefits conferred on some 
 thousands of churches, this Seminary has had an important 
 agency in moulding our systems of popular education, and 
 in training the public men of the country, and that many a 
 Pagan hind has reason to bless God that it lias been estab- 
 lished. AVe rejoice in all the good whieh has been eflected 
 
65 
 
 through these various channels; and we re-assnre our brethren, 
 especially those in Heathen countries, that they are not for- 
 gotten as we gather around our Alma Mater to-day. 
 
 3. It is a matter of sincere gratitude with us, that our 
 Seminary has never faltered in its maintenance of the ancient 
 faith of the Apostolic Church, and that, through the writings 
 of its Professors and Alnmni, it has made large and valuable 
 contributions to Biblical Criticism and Theological Science; 
 achieving for itself a reputation in these departments which 
 has commanded the respect of the best scholars of Europe 
 and of our own country. 
 
 4. In view of the distrust so often expressed respecting 
 Theological Seminaries, we deem it proper to re-affirm our 
 hearty approval of the principles embodied in the plan of this 
 Institution and illustrated in its history : the system adopted 
 here commends itself to us, at the close of a half century, as 
 eminently wise, scriptural and efficient : and the Seminary 
 was never more worthy of the confidence of the Church than 
 it is at this moment. In accounting for this result, we may 
 refer not only, under Providence, to the eminent learning and 
 ability of the Professors who have filled its various chairs, 
 but to the spirit of genuine piety which has uniformly per- 
 vailed and controlled its entire administration. While keep- 
 ing well abreast with the age in the general progress of 
 Biblical science and polite literature, it has been the para- 
 mount law of this School of the Prophets to subordinate the 
 intellectual to the spiritual, and never to exalt speculative 
 theology at the expense of personal religious experience. 
 This is the true glory of our Seminary, and herein, under 
 God, lies the secret of its power and success. 
 
 5. In the pervading spirit of our venerable Seminary we 
 recognize that true catholicity of feeling, combined with an 
 inflexible adherence to sound doctrine, by which our Church 
 has always been distinguished. And in this characteristic 
 we find an explanation of the grateful fact, that our sister 
 churches are so often represented on its catalogues; as they 
 
 9 
 
GG 
 
 have also sent some of their most honoured sons to take part 
 in this commemoration. 
 
 6. We record with reverence and submission the ravages 
 which death has made among the Directors, the Faculty, and 
 the Alumni of our Seminary. May we pay the best of all 
 tributes to their memory, by following them in so far as they 
 followed Christ. 
 
 1. We oifer our united and hearty thanks to the numerous 
 benefactors of our beloved Seminary. We respectfully re- 
 mind the Church it has so long adorned and blessed, that its 
 funds are still very inadequate to its needs. And we pro- 
 pose to our fellow-alumni, whenever the dark cloud which 
 now overshadows the land shall have passed away, that a 
 united effort be made to complete its endowment, and estab- 
 lish its financial interests upon a broad and generous founda- 
 tion. 
 
 All the exercises of the morning, with the exception 
 of the above resolutions, though highly felicitous, 
 Avere evidently unpremeditated ; and, as no provision 
 was made to secure the speeches at the time of their 
 delivery, all that can be done is to barely hint at them. 
 Dr. Hodge was called upon to speak, as having been 
 the associate of Dr. Miller and Dr. Alexander ; and, 
 though he responded reluctantly, from being impressed 
 with the idea that it was unsuitable that his voice 
 should be heard on the occasion, his remarks were 
 characterized by great appropriateness, and by a 
 pathos that was quite irresistible. He remarked that 
 when the two venerable men, who had been named, 
 were made Professors, he was but a mere youth, and 
 that when he was elected to be associated with them, 
 he felt like sitting on a stool at their feet. Dr. Alex- 
 ander took him by the hand as if he were a child, and 
 in that relation he had always loved to regard him- 
 
67 
 
 self; and for him to speak on this occasion was like 
 making remarks at the funeral of one's own father. 
 He paid a touching tribute to the memory of both 
 these admirable men. He had seen them under various 
 forms of trial, but had never heard a word from either 
 which the purest angel would have stopped on their 
 lips, nor any manifestation of feeling toward each 
 other, which God Himself would not approve. It was 
 a pleasure to him to bear such a testimony concerning 
 these holy men in the presence of such an audience, 
 before he died. The Seminary had now a history, 
 world-wide, that could not be altered — and who had 
 given it such a history ? Dr. Alexander and Dr. Miller, 
 whose shoes' latchet he was not worthy to unloose. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Charles Beatty, of Steubenville, 0., 
 said he was one of the earliest of the alumni, and 
 reared almost in sight of the Seminary ; and, when he 
 was licensed to preach. Dr. Alexander came to him, 
 and, taking him by the hand, said " God bless you, my 
 son;" "and I feel that grasp," said he, " as though it 
 had been but yesterday." 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Howard Malcom, of the Baptist Church, 
 said there were two features in the character of the 
 Seminary and its Professors, to which he wished to 
 bear testimony ; and his testimony Avas as follows : — 
 " It is an eminently catholic institution. I am a Bap- 
 tist. I came hither a Baptist, and went away a Bap- 
 tist. I never heard any thing here that injured my 
 feelings. The subject of Infant Baptism was discussed, 
 but never in an unkind spirit. I have two sons who 
 are Baptists, and both of them were educated here. 
 2d. I have never known an institution where personal 
 piety was more studiously cultivated. The whole sur- 
 
68 
 
 rounding atmosphere seemed impregnated with the 
 spirit of devotion." 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Chickering, of Portland, Me., being 
 called upon as a minister of another denomination, 
 (Congregational), said that some who had preceded 
 him apologized for not having expected to speak, "but 
 if any have come thus," said he, " I more " — and besides 
 he had come almost out of breath, for he had travelled 
 three hundred and fifty miles in twenty-four hours, 
 stopping four hours in Boston, and one in Jersey City. 
 He counted it a joy to be there. He had not come as 
 a denominational representative. New England had 
 heard of Dr. Miller and Dr. Alexander, and he had 
 found himself so much at home that he had quite for- 
 gotten that he was not an alumnus, and had detected 
 himself in voting on the Resolutions. "And," said he, 
 " I like the name of your great annual assemblage, — 
 the General Assembly — it is both scriptural and impres- 
 sive." 
 
 The Rev, Dr. Plumer repeated the names of many 
 of the early alumni, who, with the venerated Profes- 
 sors, had gone to the Heavenly mansions ; among 
 whom were the beloved Nevins, and Douglass, and 
 Graham — but it was not of those of whom he wished 
 then to speak — it was of his Elder Brotker, the Lord 
 Jesus Christ — to Him belonged the glory of all the 
 influence and success of the Institution. It was on 
 his head that he wished to place the crown. 
 
 Interesting and impressive remarks were made by 
 Professor Fisher, of Yale College, who paid a beauti- 
 ful tribute to the memory of Dr. James W. Alexander ; 
 by the Rev. Dr. Baird, who related a conversation that 
 he had with Dr. Chalmers, in which the great Scotch 
 
69 
 
 divine spoke in most glowing terms of both Dr. Alex- 
 ander and Dr. Miller ; and by some others. 
 
 The following interesting letter was received from 
 the Rev. Dr. Swift, of Allegheny City : — 
 
 Allegheny, April 18, 1862. 
 
 The contemplated meeting of the Alumni of the Theological 
 Seminary at Princeton : 
 
 Honoured and Dear Brethren: I feel it a privation to be 
 unable to mingle my fraternal congratulations with yours, 
 and share with you in the sacred and congenial pleasures of 
 this fiftieth anniversary of our venerated Seminary. Surely 
 you will find it intellectually and spiritually " good to be 
 there," and may our blessed Lord be with you and refresh 
 your hearts. When I recur to the fact that I became a mem- 
 ber of the Seminary in 1814, about (eighteen months after its 
 opening, and when Dr. Miller had just arrived to assume the 
 duties of his office, and our entire roll of students numbered 
 but little over twenty, I am reminded solemnly that, if I were 
 present with j^ou to-day, I should find few of my cotempo- 
 raries to greet. If I asked for Blain, and Blatchford, and 
 Huntington, and McDowell, and Stanton, and Wood, and 
 Cruikshanks, and Edgar, and Green, and Searle, and Smith, 
 and Talmage, and Wilbur and Chamberlain, and Crow, and 
 Gilbert, and Henry, and Mills, and Judd, and Larned, and 
 others, this side the grave and of Heaven, I should ask in 
 vain. The dwelling I might perha])S find, where our class, for 
 a time, met for recitation in Dr. Miller's parlor, and the other 
 humble dwelling where Dr. Alexander lived, and where one 
 of our number instructed his sons, James and Addison, then 
 but sprightly lads. Without an edifice and without a library, 
 we borrowed our common recitation room and our books from 
 the College of New Jersey' : and the life of our infant Semi- 
 nary was a life of faith and of hope, having indeed a pledge 
 of a continued and . growing life in the possession of two of 
 the ablest and best instructors which Protestant Christendom 
 then contained. 
 
 It was on a spring morning, during the period of our resi- 
 dence in the Seminary, that the village population beheld the 
 
70 
 
 novel yet noble spectacle of our little band, without pomp or 
 music, emerging from the College Campus, and marching out, 
 headed by Drs. Green, Alexander and Miller, and a few Direc- 
 tors, to an adjacent field, where, with devout supplication, 
 the first named was to lay the corner-stone of the Seminary 
 edifice. 
 
 In the comparative destitution of funds to erect this single 
 building ; in the fewness of the spectators and the simplicity 
 of our little, feeble host of students, there was, in that scene, 
 to the eye of mere worldly aspiration, perhaps an almost 
 ridiculous absurdity in the act of beginning to build with 
 such a prospect. But when these venerable men uncovered 
 their heads, and the words of faith, and prayer, and conse- 
 cration of all to Christ, broke upon the air of that culm and 
 tranquil morning ; when it was asked, in tones of mellowed 
 and holy earnestness, that this intended edifice (itself as yet 
 but the object of faith) might be reared up as a lasting 
 monument of God's goodness to the Presbyterian Church, 
 and that, for Christ's glory, it might be the educational 
 home of many generations of his ministers who should 
 carry the everlasting gospel to all nations, there was in 
 those utterances of humble confidence in Christ, and 
 lofty expansive expectation, a sublimity and power which 
 every heart must have felt. That morning the Media- 
 tor of the new covenant was there, and ever since He 
 has been fulfilling the petitions of that hour. The years 
 which we have since seen, have, many of them, been years 
 of disaster and trial to our Zion; and large portions of it, 
 then represented there, have been sundered from its pale; 
 and these noble devoted fathers, and almost all the brethren 
 tlien present, have passed away; but the venerable Semi- 
 nary has moved on with unfaltering prosperity, and expand- 
 ing usefulness : and it is a source of gratitude to God that, 
 for these fifty years, no one of her Professors has, either by 
 defection in doctrine or inconsistency of practice, brought the 
 slightest stain upon her honoured name. Her pupils, also, 
 have, to a remarkable extent, been free from cases of apos- 
 tacy, and have faithfully served the Church at home and in 
 distant lands. 
 
71 
 
 Some fifteen or twenty years ago, in a casual conversa- 
 tion, the present senior Professor, with his characteristic 
 humility and self-distrust, said to me, " When these well- 
 known and eminent Fathers shall be gone, Princeton, away 
 from the geographical centre of the Church, will no longer 
 have the attractions and the central influence which she once 
 had." I did not tell him what I thought of this. I did not tell 
 him that I had been present on that morning when its corner 
 stone was laid, and felt assured that, as to Princeton, her 
 onward career was then written in Heaven. 
 
 In the progress of events, I have been called to co-operate 
 in founding and sustaining another Seminary of our Church; 
 and have, with my brethren, rejoiced and given thanks to 
 Christ for its success hitherto; but I have, in doing this, lost 
 nothing of my earliest love to Princeton. My faith would 
 not permit me to think, nor my heart permit me to desire, 
 that any thing should impair the influence, or impede the 
 growth, of this our first and model Institution. Much we 
 may, my beloved Brethren, yet do for it, in our various 
 spheres of duty, and we who are old, by our fervent prayers. 
 
 The close of another fifty years none of us will be here to 
 witness; but if we are faithful, what a glorious epoch may 
 it be amidst the long hallowed scenes of Princeton ! How 
 many distant lands will have pronounced its name I How 
 many additional venerated dead will have bound the sacred 
 memories of the Church to the cemetery which slumbers at 
 its side ! 
 
 Beloved Brethren, may our Gracious Lord bless your happy 
 and sacred convocation with his especial presence, and make 
 your communion sweet. May your rejoicings for what He 
 has already done for Princeton be as the gladness of a morn- 
 ing, whose light shall shine more and more unto the perfect 
 day. 
 
 With Christian love and fraternal salutations, 
 
 Yours, truly, 
 
 E. P. SWIFT. 
 
 At the close of the meeting, the Alumni of the Semi- 
 nary, together with all the strangers present, were 
 
72 
 
 invited to the Seminary grounds, where a bountiful 
 and even splendid dinner had been provided, of which 
 several hundred partook, the occasion being one of rare 
 social enjoyment. An hour or more was here spent in 
 reviving old associations, the ladies, in the mean time, 
 having been invited to the houses of the Professors 
 and other citizens, which had been thrown open to all 
 who were disposed to share their hospitalities. 
 
 The interesting scene at the Seminary grounds was 
 very agreeably varied by an announcement, coming 
 from the Board of Trustees, that Messrs. Robert L. 
 and Alexander Stuart, of New York, had just contri- 
 buted fifty thousand dollars to the funds of the Semi- 
 nary, in honour of its Fiftieth Anniversary. It was 
 received with shouts of applause, and added not a 
 little to the enjoyment of the occasion. 
 
 At three o'clock in the afternoon, the Alumni, accord- 
 ing to previous arrangement, re-assembled in the 
 church, and with them a large number of the inhabi- 
 tants of the town, and of strangers from various parts 
 of the country, — filling the edifice to its utmost capa- 
 city. The Commemorative Discourse was preceded by 
 a prayer from the Rev. Dr. Jacobus, Professor in the 
 Allegheny Theological Seminary, and followed by 
 another, from the Rev. Dr. Potts, of Ncav York ; after 
 which, the Rev. Dr. Backus, of Baltimore, offered a 
 resolution for the printing of the Discourse which had 
 been delivered, which was unanimously adopted. The 
 exercises were concluded by the singing of the Dox- 
 ology, by the immense congregation, and the pronoun- 
 cing of the Benediction, by Dr. Potts. The multitude 
 of brethren then dispersed, with their hearts filled 
 with gratitude and gladness by the hallowed exercises 
 of the day. 
 
DATE DUE 
 
 '- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 GAYLORD 
 
 
 
 PRINTED IN U S A.