than to pray fervently that God may dis pose your heart to seriousness and guide you Such will ever be the prayer with his of grace. Your affectionate Father, &c. LETTER II. THE CURATE. I WILL now, my dear boy, suppose you graduated, ordained, and settled, in your curacy. You are no longer the independent, irresponsible collegian, with only your own time to husband, your own errors to answer for, your own salvation to secure. You are now a dependent responsible clergyman— the delegated minister of the church of Christ-a chosen vessel to bear the glad tidings of redemption to a large community, to prepare their hearts for the reception of God's grace, to exert their utmost efforts to make them good here, that they may be happy to all eternity. You are, be it repeated, dependent, responsible; for you are dependent, not only on the will, but on the wants of a whole parish,-you are responsible for the present and everlasting wellbeing of many hundreds of your fellowcreatures;-you have their time to husband -their errors to answer for-and their souls will be solemnly required at your hands. This is, indeed, a momentous consideration. Pause, now that you have attained the summit of your toils-now that your foot is firmly planted in that "city that is set upon an hill." Pause, for one serious momentnot so much to look back on the troubles you have surmounted, or the difficulties you have mastered, as to look forward to the mighty labour, the great work, that is to be done look onward to the end of time, for there eternity begins. The minister of the Gospel has many difficulties to contend with ere he can conciliate the esteem and affection of his parish |