PERSEVERANCE IN STUDY THE ONLY WAY TO THE ATTAIN- MENT OF KNOWLEDGE. AN ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE Sus(|ucljEitiia ifcmalc €Q\lqt, FEBRUARY 6. 1861. BY REV. D. H. FOCHT, A. M. Pastor gf the Lutherax Church, New Bloomfield, Pa. SELINSGROYE : PRINTED AT THE ''KIRCHENBOTE " OFFICE. 1861. PERSEVERANCE IN STUDY THE ONLY WAY TO THE ATTAIN- / MENT OF KNOWLEDGE. AN ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THES mspelanM Jfmab College, FBBKUARY 6. 1861 BY REV. D. H. FOCHT, A. M. • f Pastor of the Lutherast Church, New Bloojifield, Pa. SELINSGROVE: PRINTED AT THE " KIRGHENBOTE " OFFICE. 1861. ,T4 Published by request. Ill Excl>anii-e Peabody Inst, of Balto* June 14 1927 2liiir£.$s. (^' Ladies and Gentlemen: The beginning of most things is on a low scale. This is true of the vegetable and of the animal kingdom, of the kingdom of mind — true of the whole universe of created things. The parts of things may all be pre- sent in the germ, but all these parts are susceptible of advancement, of growth, of development, or of change. This law pervades the mental as well as the physical world. Some things, as those of the vegetable and brute creation, admit of improvement in a particular sphere and to a particular degree ; but when they have reached the status prescribed by the Creator, they will begin to fall back to their original state. Deterioration begins where progress ceases. This is also the case with the material part of man, bating the resurrection of his body. But it is not so with the immortal mind in its normal state . From its susceptibility of indefinite improvement in time, we may infer that the soul will continue to make advancement in knowledge, and progress in the deve- lopment of all its powers, through all eternity. "For now we see through a glass, darkly ; but then face to face ; now I know in part ; but then shall I know even as also I am known." If the mind, then, is susceptible of such illimitable development, what grandeur and dignity invest it, and what boundless fields of knowl- edge from the cradle onward through eternity lie open to its intelligent inspection ! The universe of worlds, of suns and stars, as well as the mote in the sunbeam, — the display of creative Omnipotence as well as the laws by which worlds are governed, — will all afford material for the exercise of the immortal mind, and fill it with adoring praise and gratitude to God and unboun- ded joy in its own god-like existence. But though the mind is susceptible of such vast and illimitable development in our present state of existence, it is only by close and constant application that its pow- ers are brought into exercise and knowledge is obtained. Hence, on this occasion, our theme is : Perseverance in study the only way to the attainment of knowledge, 1. It matters not what our advantages or circumstan- ces in life may be, if we would know we must study. Knowledge cannot be conferred ; it must be sought and acquired. Let no one think that he can gain knowledge without labor ; knowledge is the reward of labor. Knowledge is not inherited. However much our pa- rents or friends may know, if we would know we must labor as though they knew nothing; To this rule there is no exception. Riches and many other things, for which we labored not, may become ours by inheritance. But knowledge must be acquired by our own industry. Here each one must labor for himself. Here all are on equal footing, and all have an equal chance, by close application, of i.ttaining a respectable position. No one ^'s excluded from gaining possession of this inestimable prize ; but no one, who will not incessantly toil and la- bor, will ever come in posession of it, no matter what his curcumstances in life may be. Knowledge is the re- sult of severe mental labor, and inseparably connected with it. On this subject let no one deceive himself. "He which soweth sj)aringly, shall reap also sparingly ; and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap also boun- tifully." As certainly as "in the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread", so certainly shalt thou in the ex- ercise of thy brain attain knowledge. But mark the distinction : others may labor for your bread, whilst for knowledge you must labor yourself. So far, then, as your mental attainments are concerned, you have by your own exertion made of yourssjf what }■ ou are ; and if you would make still higher attainments it must be by your own efforts. No fortuitous combination of favorable circumstances can serve as a substitute for hard mental labor in the acquisition of knowledge. Good training in the flxmily, plenty of good books, educated society, good schools and competent teachers, are all invaluable aids and cannot be apj)reciated too highly. Still, without mental exer- cise and labor on our part, all these advantages will avail us nothing. Not he who has the best and most oppor- tunities gains most knowledge ; on the contrary, he it is who thinks most, observes closest, and studies hard- est. In fact, the want of advantages seems, in some persons, only to kindle desire into a passion for knowl- edge. This is true of those especially who would be and know something. On the contrary, he who will not apply his mind and think for himself will always remain a dolt, no matter how propitious the circumstan- ces that surround him. But we are happy to say, that no one need drag out a life in ignorance. In an age and a free country like ours, we may congratulate our- selves that the high-way to knowledge, though labori- ous, is open and free to all who would walk in it. Here the most disfavored mav vie with the most favored and outstrip him in the race. Favorable circumstances without studying have never made a scholar ; but close and continued application, though in unfavorable cir- cumstances, must result in a glorious harvest of knowl- edge. The 230ssession of great natural talents, without diligent study, will not avail us so far as knowledge is concerned. It is admitted of course, that the possession of such talents is a great blessing and that, other things being equal, the possessor of them has a great advantage over others not so highly gifted. Still, men said to have been bless- ed with great minds, were invariably, if not always, di- ligent and persevering students. Read, for instance, the life of Luther, of Isaac Newton, of Chalmers, of Webster, and you will at once see that these men, and other great men, were untiring students all their life time. They did not gain knov/ledge intuitively. It was only by dint of severe mental labor that they were enabled to shine as stars of the first magnitude in the intellectual firmament. Were you to apply j'ourself to study as persistingly as they did, you might perhaps one day shine as brightly as they did. Or, if you should not be able to soar as high as they did, you may by being near the earth serve so much the better as guid- ing-star to others. Let no one be discouraged. As the mind l)y exercise may be improved and developed in- definitely, a man of mediocrity of talents may by perse- verance in study become distinguished for his knowl- edge. There is unquestionably^a difference between the capacity of mind in different individuals ; but whilst this is admitted, it is equally true that this difference is vastly more increased by the difference of application to study by different persons than is generally supposed. A mind in its normal state, though^of middling capaci- ty only, may by industry become great and leave its impress on the world of mankind. Hence, whilst he who fancies himself possessed of a more than ordinary mind, and foolishly reclines on this conceit^in indolence, another one with less talents, and of course with less self-conceit, diligently improves the"^little he has, and unexpectedly, but most surely, eclipses the lazy giant. No block of marble is so refractory but that the free ap- plication of the chisel will give it shape and make it an- swer some good pur230se. But the chisel must be ap- plied no matter what the quality of the marble may be. In like manner, every one, whether he possesses great talents or not, must apply himself unreservedly to study if he would gain knowledge and become useful to others. A man may be a genius in a particular thing and yet be very deficient in general knowledge. Like the boy Ferguson, he may mark the position of the stars accu- rately with a thread and beads, and with his knife con- st^Hict a watch from wood, and yet his attainments in other'respects be very limited. Hence, whilst such instan- ces of genius^are very rare, they at the same time prove the absolute necessity of severe study in order to gene- ral knowledge. The genius must apply himself closely 8 if he would know anything that lies beyond the peculiar range of his mind; for while he excels in one thing, he is almost always deficient in other things. Besides, we must not forget, that as he has a natural bent of mind for one particular subject, it is to this, also, that he de- votes all his time and study to the almost total exclu- sion of every other subject ; and because he so concen- trates all the powers of his mind on his favorite study he excels in that study. The genius studies too, and that most intensely; and it may be that he is a genius, because he studies only one subject thoroughly. See, with what unremitting patience and untiring persever- ance he pursues his darling subject! What constant solicitude knits his brow, and the very mention of the subject he has in hand kindles enthusiasm in his eye. In his estimation no subject is worthy of attention, but the one that engrosses his mind, and this one he there- fore studies until it assumes, in his view, a prominence and importance before which every thing else dwindles into insignificance. The genius is a close, but one-sided student. From his untiring application to the study of one subject, we may learn how necessay it is that we study if we would know. For if the mastering of one subject requires such intense and persistent effort on the part of a genius, how much greater must our efforts be, who are no geniuses, to master not only one subject, but to gain a general knowledge of things in general ! Knowledge is not gained by transient or spasmodic ef- forts. It is a common thing to find persons, who, on hearing or reading something, instantly lay hold of it with great eagerness ; but when the novelty of their 9 pet subject has passed away, they as instantly dismiss it and catch at something else. Sometimes by a single lecture on phrenology or mesmerism, a whole communi- ty is started from its slumbers ; for a short time every body will then study phrenology, and everywhere they will be engaged in feeling each other's heads, just as if i^hey had now for the first time found out that they had heads. But as the excitement about their heads gradu- ally subsides, the subject — j)hrenology — is dismissed from the mind, and no one is the wiser for having thought on it. Some there are who to day study theo- logy, to morrow law, and probably the next day me- dicine ; others for a few days study mathematics, and next week, tired of figures, they study geology, but as this requires more thought than they are willing to exer- cise, they study astronomy the week following. In this way men may study many things, and w^ith all know very little, and that little will be superficial and de- tached. Thus, much money is often spent for books, much precious time is wasted, and still no progress in knowledge is made. A certain professional character, on being told that a knowledge of the Latin language was indispensable to a finished education, at once con- cluded to study that language, glorying in the idea of becoming a finished scholar in a short time. He was all in excitement on the subject ; he must be a latinist at once. At considerable expense he bought a gram- mar, dictionary, and a number of the Latin classics. So far all was right and went easy enough. But as the grammar was the smallest volume in the lot, he laid that aside as of smallest value to him; and as the die- 10 tionarj was the largest of the books, he concluded to commence studying that, fully determined to commit every word it contained ; but as he knew uothing about the inflection of nouns and verbs, you may imagine his mortification, when, in attempting to read Latin, he could not find the words sought. He laid all the blame on the dioitionary, declaring that it was a bad one. When he was told what course to pursue, in quick despair he laid all his Latin books on the shelf, and the money he so much needed was buried in the dust. Ah. how many would like to be learned, but how few lil^e to labor for knowledge ! Knowledge comes not by way of fits and starts. Nor is knowledge gained by forced measures or in iuiste. Some things admit of being forced on us, but knowledge is none of these. The mind must by its own energy develop from within outward, going forth in search of that which it would understand. The student must seek and pursue the subject, and not be j)ursued by the subject. There must be growth from within. Knowledge cannot be imposed as so many layers from without. If it could be so imposed it would be the easiest thing in the world to become learned, and the difference of aptitude to learn, observable in different minds, would not exist. But, . on the contrary, there must be ment^il labor and activity in order to mental improvement. Hence, the teacher always seeks to have Ills pupil exercise his mind, and where this cannot l>e af- fected there can ]je no progress in kno-wledge, It is by exercise that the mind gains strength and aquires knowledge. Thip. is, however^ not the result oa ^ dnv'w M labor, but of close and constant application for years ; or, as Ca3Har in fewer words would have expressed it, Festina lente, that is, study thoroughly as you proceed, and though your progress may seem to be slow, you will in the end find it to be the fastest and best way to get knowledge. The student, who is thorough in his preparation, forms habits of mind that will characte-rizc him through life, and lays a foundation deep and broad for a glorious superstructure. The true student is his own teacher far more and in a far higher sense than his instructor can ever be. He has no disposition to walk with crutches under his arms when he has limbs of his own to support him. With him haste consists in tho- roughness, and his thoroughness is the result of his pa- tience and indomitable perseverance in study. He needs no stimulus to urge him forward, or hot-bed to hasten his growth upward. Aids he will use, not that they should raise him up, but that by them he may raise him- self. And every round he makes upward will fill him with satisfaction and joy inexpressibly great. That foi' which he labored he may call his own, and he will xffhio it as he cannot the labor of another. As the field of knowledge is open to one, so it is open to all, and all are invited to enter it and reap for et-ernity. 2. Having looked at the negative side of this subject, w^e will now consider its positive side. For whilst we have no hope of gaining knowledge by relying on any- thing that does not imply severe mental labor, we have at the same time the full and glorious assurance that proper efforts on our part will secure for us the much desired prize. The course to be pursued is a plain one, and one which lies open to all. 12 There must be perseverance. As in every thing else, so here if we would succeed w^ must press forward and upward. If there are difficulties in our way, we must have courage to labor, till they are removed or over^- come. As by continued use the weak arm will become strong and things difficult easj^, so it is with the mind. Go slowly if you cannot run, and you will gather strength until you can run. Only yield to no difficulty. The day of small things is not to be des23ised. Let the an- cient proverb be your motto : Nulla dies sine linea. Let not a day pass without acquiring some knowledge. The 13rocess may seem to be a slow one, but it is all the bet- ter and surer for that. Great results are generally the offspring of slow, hard and long-continued effi^rts. In composing The Analogy of Religion, a comparatively small book, Joseph Butler was engaged during a period of twenty years, writing and re-writing different parts of it, studying every word and phrase, until it express- ed precisely his meaning and no more. Here was per- severance. As the result of this labor for so many years, few books, if any in our language, contain more in less space and few are to be read with greater j^rofit than Butler's Analogy. That which costs us little is usually worth little. This is true especially of knowl- edge. Some minds move and act slowly at first ; but by perseverance in study, they may gradually move promptly and display great energy. The apparently weak intellect may become strong, and the dull may become bright. The unwrought diamond may be dim^ but when polished it is transparent as water. The slow- er and harder it is to polish the mind, the more solid 13 and clear it may become. Let no one be discouraged after having made one, tAvo, or even a score of unsuc- cessful efforts. In translating the Bible into German, Luther and his learned coadjutors sometimes spent two, three, and even four weeks, in ascertaining the true meaning and giving a correct rendering of a single word. * Than this, perhaps, no better example of pa- tient perseverance can be given to encourage those who .meet with difficulties in their path-way to knowledge, and especially those who encounter difficulties in the study of the languages. Having before us such an ex- ample of perseverance on the part of men so eminently gifted, who of us need now despair? I say, then, cling to your subject, pursue it on every line, view it on every side, until you can look all around it, see through it, master it, triumph over it, and reap the bliss your vic- tory yields. What others did you may do. There is no height to which you may not ascend, and there is no depth to which you may not dive. What at first was dark will gradually melt into light, what was hard will become easy, and what was intricate will become simple. To presevere is to bear away the crown. Study one thing at a time, and dismiss it not until you are master of it. Study things, not books. One subject well understood is a great attainment. Bring all the powers of the mind to bear on one point, until you have a clear view of all its surroundings, and then you may congratulate yourself that you know at least one thing. Be exact and careful in all your studies, al- ways doing your utmost. Attend to small things, and >■ Lutlvi-'s Gernum Works: Eriangcn Eel, Vol G5, ;; 109- 14 continuallj seek for errors and correct them. Criticise j^our own performances or productions severely. Be negligent in nothing — be on your guard in every thing. Spare no labor to attain the highest degree of excellence. Demosthenes is said to have transcribed the literary productions of Thucydides eight times over with his own hand, so diligently did he persevere to form an intimate acquaintance with his style, and habituate himself to his quick manner of conception, and to his close and rapid delivery. Here was perseverance to attain a great degree of excellence. I need not tell you who and what Demosthenes was, except this, that it was by hard labor and unbending perseverance that he was made a great orator. All his efforts were directed to the gain- ing of one thing, and he succeeded pre-eminently. If we cannot excel in every thing, we may by close ap- plication and perseverance excel at least in one thing. If you cannot master many subjects, then be Homo unius lihri, and thus, by knowing one subject thoroughly, you will have gained a prominent position. But by mastering one subject, we prepare the way to success- fully master other subjects. One step gives us motive force enough to take another, until we find pleasure and not labor, in the act of walking. Thus, by diligent- ly improving the little we have, we shall receive more, and in this way our store of knowledge will gradually accumulate, and instead of knowing little we shall know a great deal. Let the man of one book take courage. By studying one subject at a time, we shall be able more fully to Hx and concentrate our minds, and our investigation of an}- given subject will be so much the 15 liiore thorough. But to study slowly and thoroughly, a large share of patience is required. If a man can not take time to study a subject well, he lacks one of the chief elements of a good student, and will accomplish nothing that is of any value to others, or that will live after he is dead. Patient perseverance is absolutely necessary to the acquisition of knowledge. On his Bridge water Treatise, on Geology and Mineralogy , Dr. Buckland is said to have bestowed unusual pains. He re-wrote it repeatedly, and re-copied it as many as seven- teen times. What patience was required here ! What labor, intense labor, continued through many years, was bestowed on one subject ! And what was the result ? — So fully, accurately, and thoroughly did he study his subject, that his Treatise has always been the most po- pular of the incomparable Bridge water series. With such an example of indefatigable labor, patience and perseverance, before us, no one should complain if he fails after having made only a few attempts. Let him concentrate all the powers of his mind on one subject for a score of years, exercise his thoughts and patience to the utmost, seek for light in every direction and fol- low every opening avenue for information, and if he does not succeed in gaining- knowledge, then he may justly complain and despair too. His mind is of a peculiar cast. As long as we live we should seek to add something, every day, to our store of knowledge. There is scarcely an object or circumstance, not a person or book, from which we may not learn sometliing we did not know before. The world is a great book, spreading out to u our iiispeci ion its ample folds, and without cost teaching us wisdom on every page. He that has eyes may here read, and he that has understanding may here learn. Close observation united w^ith reflection will furnish us with many useful lessons, not to be learned in any other way. Thus, that invaluable little book, The improve- ment of the mind, contains the substance of what Mr. Watts saw, heard, read, and observed among mankind, during a period of twenty years. We all enjoy the same facilities for observation he did, and all may gather for themselves an abundant harvest of useful knowledge. When the habit of close observation is once formed, the mind will be constantly uj)on the alert, anxiously scan- ning every passing object or event, every person, action or expression, seeking to gain knowledge, enjoyment, or warning from all. If a man will but think, he can by observation learn more that is truly valuable than many books can teach him. He is his own teacher, original in his ideas, and always alive to the beauties of nature. Every day will furnish him with new subjects for thought, and if his is an inquiring mind a thousand questions will suggest themselves for solution. All na- ture, spread at his feet, invites his attention and challen- ges his inspection and admiration. The leaflet that trembles in the breeze, the insect that floats in the sun- beam, — from the smallest to the greatest, above and around him — everywhere and in every thing, he sees or hears something from which he may gain knowledge. Study, then, the book of nature, — study always, and you will not be without knowledge. I do not say book- knowledge ; for if you truly seek knowledge, you will 17 use every aid in your reach, comparing your observa- tion with what you read, or verifying and enlarging on that which others studied before you. HapjDy is he who can make every thing subservient to his mental improve- ment. The more he knows the more he wants to know, and the more he will know. If we would advance in knowledge there must, on our part, be independent exercise of mind. By this we do not mean that the advice, opinion, or instruction of our superiors is to be set aside. This would be arrogant and ]3resumptuous, and would cut off one of the very means by which we are to attain knowledge. Our meaning is, that whilst we avail ourselves of every aid in our reach, we must try to aid ourselves by our own efforts. He who always depends on others, and has no mind of his own, will never make a scholar ; he will always falter and limjD, and can never stand erect. He has no confidence in himself and never can have. He knows and retails only what others know, and knows nothing that they did not know before. Popular opin- ion is the rule according to which he forms his opinion. In short, he is at best only an imitator or a cojDyist. By pursuing such a course a man does injustice to himself; he does injury to his mind, as its energies are not brought into action. Slavish dependence on others must there- fore be avoided as the deadliest enemy to mental im- provement. It is the duty of every man to think, and so to think as to be able intelligently to adopt or reject whatever may be taught or propounded by others. We must study to understand a subject before we presume to pronounce an opinion respecting it. Hence, in all 18 the affairs of life, if we would not fall into gross errors^ we must think. And we are often placed in such cir- cumstances where no one can think for us. In all we read or hear, do or see done, we must think if we would make progress in knowledge.. In our studies, in our intercourse with men, everywhere and at all times, let the mind be busy, reason out if possible every difiiculty, account if it can for every phenomenon in nature, trace effects to their causes and seek the causes for effects, study the principles on which things are done and on which results depend, search out the reason for things, and in every way seek to improve the mind and store it with knowledge both by the failings and successes of others. Work your own mental powers, and depend not too much on others to do the work for you ; for if they do your thinking they will be the gainers and you the loser. Every question the teacher solves for the pupil, or every sentence he translates for him, is so much of a loss to the mental improvement of the pupil. As much as lies in you do your own thinking, and by so doing you will gain vigor, strength and independence of mind, and reap a glorious harvest in the great jDrogress you will make in the acquisition of knowledge. But whilst we would urge you to think for yourself, we would not have you forget that on your part great self-denial and humility must be exercised . To study hard is to labor hard. And without the exercise of self-de- nial no one need hope to make much progress in his studies. If we would know much, we must be willing to endure severe toil as long as we live. The flesh and vanities of the world must all be denied ; the roving 19 mind must be collected and brought under the discipline of an all-controlling will ; and all the powers of the soul must bend to our subject, clinch it, and grapple with it, until we are master of it. This may all seem to be hard ; and so it is ; but there is ''not a bitter that has not its sweet," Delight and satisfaction at our suc- cess in labor will out- weigh by far all the pain this la- bor gives. The harder and the more compact the rock the smoother and brighter the polish. To gain knowl- edge, who would not labor for it ? And laboring for it, who is there that does not gain it ? And gaining it, who would part with it for all the world can give ? Part with it ! no, knowledge gained' in time is gained for eternity ! It is inalienable ; it is an element of the soul, and lives immortal with the immortal soul. But whilst knowledge wings the soul, it also clothes it with humili- tij. And herein consists the real beauty of knowing much. Though Sir Isaac Newton was the discoverer of the nature of light and color, of fluxions, of the laws of gravitation, and unfolded to the world the theory of the universe, yet with deep humility he said, "I seem to myself to be like a child, picking up a shell here and there, on the shore of the great ocean of truth." The more we know, the more clearly will we see that we know so little, and this will humble us ; but to know how little we know is a great attainment, and the sure mark of a truly great mind. Few are so ignorant but might tell even a great scholar some things he did not know before. Hence, in all your studies be humble, lest an unpretending chimney-sweeper humble you in a way and under circumstances you would very much dislike. 20 In truth, a man of education cannot but be humble in view of his ignorance of so many things. And when- ever you meet a man who prides himself in his supposed great knowledge, you need not fear him, for he has not yet learned to know that he knows so little. Never think yourself so wise that you would not stoop to learn of a beggar by the way-side, and never vaunt over ig- norance, for the simple reason that you will always be ignorant enough to learn of the ignorant. The more you know, the more will you see that is to be known. The higher you rise, the more extended will the area of your mental vision become, until the heavens above you are all tremulous with roseate glory, shedding their sweet influences down ; but beyond all conception deep and far shine the bright stars, and their solemn depths speak forth the awe and lesson of their mystery, only too vast and sublime for the finite mind to comprehend. In deep humility we must close our eyes and bow our head, crying out, "Great is the Lord God Almighty, and his works by searching who can understand !" "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." An eye to God must both quicken and direct all our pursuits of knowledge. Without the fear and love of God in the heart, a man may know much, and yet be very ignorant of himself and' the glories of which the earth is full. If piety is necessary to make an orator, much more is it necessary to him who would gain and appreciate knowledge. In all your studies, seek to know yourself, your frailty and ignorance, your sins of omission and commission, the depravity and wickedness of your heart, and. the blindness of your reason and the 21 perversity of your judgment. He only is a real student who seeks in the blood of Jesus a cure for his heart and in the teachings of the Bible a cure for his head. Hearti- ly study with a sincere desire to glorify God with your knowledge and to benefit your fellow-men. As you have many obstacles to encounter in the pursuit of knowledge, look to God in fervent, believing prayer for assistance. The Holy Scriptures encourage you to do so. Says James, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and up- braideth not; and it shall be given him." Here is your warrant for prayer to God for light and wisdom. The experience of LuTPiER on this point was not limited, and he says : ''Bene orasse est bene studuisse.^' Religion exalts the mind and moves the affections, brings us in communion with the great God, the fountain of all wis- dom, and sheds a halo of unsullied glory on our pathway through life. Prayer is a help to study. Pious Dodd- ridge says, "that he never advanced well in human learning without prayer, and that he always made the most proficiency in his studies when he prayed with the greatest fervency." This is the testimony of all good and great men. Daily study your Bibles and daily pray to God for guidance, light and wisdom, and you will find study a pleasure and knowledge a crown of glory. 3. Although great self-denial and incessant toil for years are required to gain knowledge, still we would have no one shrink or be discouraged from entering the arena and do his utmost to win the crown . And there is a crown in reserve for every one who \^all make the 22 proper exertion. There are weighty reasons why each one should resolve by the aid of God to rise as high as possible in the scale of intellectual being. The soul im- mortal, possessed of unbounded aspirations, cannot be chained down or be satisfied with knowing little or no- thing when there is so much to be known. By giving us these aspirations, we may be sure that our Creator designed that they should be gratified in the use of the proper means. Knowledge may he ours, and therefore we should seek it at every sacrifice. Say not that you labor under in- seperable difficulties, — that you are without means and possess only an ordinary mind. If you have but one talent, improve that faithfully and you shall have more. Think not of your disadvantages or of the advantages of others, but think of your own great advantages. Think of the many good books you may obtain to aid you, of the many precious hours you may save for study of the many opportunities you have in untokl ways to gain information, and of the many calls and incentives to study and imj)rove your mind. Rise above your dis- advantages by causing them to turn to your advantage, — by making them serve as so many incentives to study. Be sure to make everything subservient to your mental improvement. And though your efibrts should not at once be crowned with the highest results, be not dis- heartened, — only persevere, you may yet succeed far beyond your most sanguine expectations. Advance- ment in knowledge is usually so gradual as to be per- ceived least by him who makes it. Hence, if you have to slowly remove stone after stone in your way climbing 23 upward; be it so. You need not regret this. Yo« know that you are gaining at least some ground, and this ought to be enough to stimulate you to contmue to labor with so much greater zeal. And if you do so, your path will gradually shift its course in your favor, and labor will become easier as you become stronger. The hi-her you ascend, the brighter your sky will be- come and the further you will be able to see. You are surely gaining ground. One difficulty after another vanishes like fog before the rising sun, and you begm to breathe more freely and to taste the first fruits of your toil in the satisfaction your success affords you. it tbe little progress you have made gives you such exqmsite delight, what unspeakable rapture must fill your soul, when, after many years' labor, you shall stand high up and gather into your bosom streams of light and knowl- edge • The harder you toil and the higher you ascend, the more glorious will your prospect become and the sweeter and more abundant your reward. If you are feeble now and cannot do much, then do a little every day. For a little gold, if it is not as heavy, is as bright as much, and a little flower may be more beautiful and redolent than a large one. Variety is one of Gods wavs. As one star differs from another in glory, and their various rays melt and blend in sweet harmony m the field of space to light up the heavens ; so each mind differing from each, may in the field of know edge shed its influence in unison with all others to swel the glori- ous orchestra of the universe of mind. The little mind can twinkle and shine as well as the little star. Who would be blind in mid-day, when God has given him 24 ^yee to gee ? Study, then, and seek knowledge, gee, rejoice, and shine forever. Not only does knowledge yield its possessor inexpres- sible satisfaction, but it also elevates and ennobles the mind. And who would not wish and labor hard to rise in the intellectual world, and thus i3rove, maintain and vindicate, his superiority of excellence over the lower orders of creation ? God made man in his own image> and crowned him with glory and honor. He stands onlj^ a little lower than the angels ; and I am not sure but he may through Jesus Christ stand beside or even above angels. And shall a being so exquisitely formed, and formed for ends so high, ignore his exalted charac- ter and bury his crown in the dust ? No ; surely every one will instinctively spring to his feet and lay claim to the dignity and exalted position he holds as man. Noble creature ! compound of spirit immortal and of the dust of earth. God has endowed him with a memory te- nacious and a niind inquisitive, ever active, ever seek- ing and never finding its bound, ever storing and never stored with knowledge, ever desiring and never satis- fied, ever flying on wings of light from world to world and yet never from home, always toiling and always weary and yet always striving to mount higher and high- er to reach the center of bliss and rest in God. Possessed of such inherent powers and asj)irations so lofty, does the mind not deserve to be winged with knowledge to aid it in its upward flight ? and does not our position as lords of this sublunary world, and our intimate relation to God as the Father of our spirits, imperatively demand that we rise high above the low level of fogs and clouds 25 and darkness ? Goodness and knowledge are the ele- ments of man's true greatness. Be the possessor of both, and you will be noble in your humility and humble in your nobility of soul. Knowledge enables us to do good and glorify God, and therefore we should seek it. Knowledge is power. Hence the influence which the educated man exerts on the uneducated. As certainly as the planets are drawn by the sun, and the moons by their planets, so certainly do men of great knowledge draw those who are less in- formed. A man may be pious, but if he is ignorant, he can do little good; but if he is both pious and educated he will have influence and may be the honored instrument of doing much good to many, and thus he glorifies God with his knowledge. As we can do good and glorify God by our knowledge, it is clearly our duty to strive to know as much as lies in our power. Not only is it the duty of the minister of the gospel to study in order to increase his usefulness, but it is every Christian's sa- cred duty to improve his mind for the sake of doing oth- ers good. It is a sin of omission for any one to hide or neglect the talent or talents his Master has given him. The obligation to do our utmost to gain knowledge is bin- ding on all. To study in order to increase our useful- ness, is a duty we owe our God, ourselves and our fel- low-men, and no one, who willfully or for the sake of ease neglects or refuses to discharge this duty, will be held guiltless at the great day of account. The slothful servant will be bound and ^'cast into outer darkness." No one can excuse himself. If you have not ten talents, you may have five; and if you have not five, you have 26 at least one, — improve that one faithfully, and you shall have more. But if you will not improve the little you have, you prove yourself unworthy of more, and what you have shall be taken from you, because you are a '^wicked and imjDrofitable servant." To study is a duty as imperative as any other, and neglect to perform it in- volves the glory of God and perils our souls and the souls of others. I would have every one warned and take warning on this subject. There are some, yea many, of whom better things ought to be reasonably expected, who consider themselves absolved from attending to this duty. They seem to think it well enough that cer- tain classes should know something ; but as for them- selves, they consider it unnecessary, that they should condescend to such drudgery. Very well ; if you will not labor to increase the number of your talents — if you will not study to bless yom* fellow-men and glorify God — you must not think that the Lord is a cruel Master, if he disinherits you and commands you to be bound and cast into outer darkness. Jesus Christ says: "He that is not with me, is against me ; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad." Finally, what we learn in time we learn for eternity, and therefore we should now study to increase our knowledge to the utmost of our power. It is the opinion of many metaphysicians that nothing of what we here know will be wholly forgotten in the eternal world, and that every idea we have ever had, though forgotten now, is so impressed upon the soul and locked U23 in its inner recesses, as to survive time, and will in the day of eternity stand in full view before us. This opinion 27 seems to be sustained by the holy Scriptures and well au- thenticated facts. How careful we should be to study and read nothing that is impure, and to entertain no thought that we would not wish to revive on our sick bed, or in our dying hour, or confront us at the judgment-bar ! *) But think we must; the soul cannot be wholly inactive; it is a living principle. Only let us be careful to think aright on right subjects, and then we will lay up treas- ures in Heaven. Your labor to gain knowledge is not * If not a thought or idea we have ever had be ever wholly lost, with what care should parents and others act and speak in the presence of chil- dren, whose minds, like an open soil, are so susceptible of deep and abi- ding impressions ! and what constant diligence should they exercise that children neither hear nor see, read or in company learn any thing that may vitiate their minds by corrupt ideas ! The tree is in the bud. A handful of sand will turn the course of a rivulet, whilst a rushing stream will sweep all away before it. So one unfortunate idea may turn the whole of life into a course of iniquity, which, unarrested in time, will rush on in the soul's be- ing through all eternity. Is this not one reason, not to mention others, why God so solemnly and repeatedly charges parents to continually teach and keep the minds of their children occupied and engaged in the study of the pure lofty, holy, and eternal truths of the Bible? See Deut. 6: 1-9. The forming process is still going on and the impressions the mind receives will characterize it, and determine its condition in the eternal world. No pa- rent can be indifferent as to who instructs his child at school, or as to what mental food it receives. Far better no ideas than bad ones. Adults, also, receive these impressions and their minds are yielding to them. To be convinced of this, we need but observe how readily members of a congre- gation will imitate in their prayers the phraseology the pastor uses in his prayers, so that it is not difficult, in some cases, to tell under whose min- istry a man received his training or to what denomination he belongs. Hence, it cannot be a matter of indifference who our spiritual teacher is or to what denomination we belong-that teaching and mode of worship which are more consonant to heaven, and are therefore eternal, must be preferred. If then, as we suppose, ideas or thoughts are indestructible, how great is the responsibility of ministers of the gospel, of parents and teachers, of editors and writers of books, &c., and with what prayerful diligence should they seek to say or do, teach or publish, nothing that they would not wish 28 lost, and Avill not be buried with your body in the dust. Every correct idea you gain and every progress you make in true knowledge in time, is so much progress made and knowledge gained for eternity. This thought, how appalling to the wicked ! how encouraging to the righteous ! If you are a child of God, take courage and study on. You are climbing heaven-ward. Exhaust your time and improve your mind so as to stand on vantage-ground in eternity. Your progress here is so much progress there. So much correct information gained on earth, is so much gained for heaven. It can- not be that all knowledge gained here should be oblite- rated there. Shall we know Jesus here, and shall we not know him there ? Yes, thank God, we shall know him, and see him too ! Shall we know our friends on earth, and shall we cease to know them in heaven, or shall we know less there than here ? We shall know them. And so of all correct knowledge acquired in time. Truth is eternal, and the same in heaven and on earth ; hence what of truth we know here we will know there, except only that, in the transition, the imperfect will give place to the perfect and the incorrect to the correct. Further : we shall not only know there what we know here, but as the soul is susceptible of indefinite and constant progress in knowledge here, may it not to reappear in their own minds or in tlio minds of others at the bar of God and live on for ever in themselves or others a worm that never dies. In this note our object is to merely suggest some few obvious inferences de- ducible from the proposition we lay down, viz., that w^hat we learn in time we learn for eternity. It does not comport with our design at present to discuss that proposition. The intelligent hearer can himself easily enlarge on it. It is a f;u"tfu1 nr.d a v. full}' important .^^nhj-ct. 29 progress from eternity to eternity in gaining knowledge there ? Does an infant in glory always remain an in- fant in knowledge ? If there is a limit beyond which the soul can gain knowledge no more, there its aspira- tions must cease and its flow of hapj^iness is arrested. But such a limit cannot be in heaven. Hence, the soul in glory will rise higher in bliss in proportion as its laiowledge increases. We on earth can rejoice alone in what we know, and not in wlmt we know not. Now, if amid all our infirmities of body, of imperfections and obstructions, the immortal soul struggles upward and soars aloft as on eagles' wings to gather rich treasures of knowledge, and is happy in proportion to the amount of that knowledge, how inexpressibly great must its progress in knowledge and happiness be, when released from this cumbrous clay and removed from all imper- fection, it has gained its native heaven, and' in the full blaze of eternal day, hard by the throne of God, looks deep into the mysteries of divine grace, surveys the wonders of redeeming love, exults in the displays of God's power and the manifestations of his wis- dom, adores as scene after scene passes in the re- volving ages of eternity — passes not so fast as to confuse nor so slow as to tire, always new and always varied, profound and vast and yet simple and easily understood — all understood by the soul, which is not a spectator merely, but a receiver and a reflector of the glory of God and of heaven, infinitely blessed and always bles- sing and praising the great God, of whose kingdom there is no end, with the host of heaven crying, Halle- lujah, the Lord reigne^h ! The great progress which 30 the soul makes forever in knowledge in the world of glory must be one of the chief sources of its happiness ; and as that j)rogress has no limits, so its happiness has none. With these high motives before him, let each one persevere in study and thus gain for himself a high position on earth and a bright crown in heaven, through Jesus Christ our Lord. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 019 847 413 7 I