TO CIRCUMSTANCES OF PERSONAL CLEANLINESS. I could name more than one minister, who, whenever they wish to make special efforts, wash their hands and faces, put on clean linen, and dress themselves as if for company; and declare that they scarcely ever fail to find sensible aid from this preparation for study. I feel no difficulty in believing that this aid is more than imaginary. That there is a close connexion between the body and the mind we all know. And that he who wishes to study to advantage, will find his object promoted by every thing which removes defilement, obstruction, oppression, or any kind of discomfort from his body, would seem to be one of the most rational conclusions.

27. While I think it proper to throw out these hints, which may possibly promote your comfort, when you are called to make special efforts in study; I consider it as my duty, at the same time, to put you on your guard against one mistake, which, to a minister of the gospel, may be a serious one. I refer to the popular notion among many students, that men of ge nius can work, and ought to attempt to work, only at those seasons which they call seasons of inspiration. That is seasons in which their minds are in a state of peculiar alertness, and aptitude for intellectual labour. I am far from denying that there are such seasons, with mast

men, perhaps with all men; and have no doubt,

much more strongly When they do ocevery one is bound But, what I deny,

that with some, they are marked than with others. cur, there is no question that to make the most of them. is, that theological students, or ministers of the gospel, ought, in ordinary cases, to wait for such seasons. Time is too short, and souls too precious for this. With them, the necessity for intellectual labour occurs, not only statedly, but almost constantly. If their work be done at all, it must be generally done within a given number of hours; and this must be the habit of their lives. It is of the utmost importance to them, therefore, that they be, as much as possible, at all times ready for their appropriate labour. And although it is certain that they will not be, at all times, in a state of feeling equally favourable to either intellectual or bodily effort; yet the effort ought not, in common, to be forborne on that account. And, after all, if you conduct your studies in a judicious manner, as to plans and hours; and, especially, if you practise with wisdom, that occasional, and even habitual abstemiousness, which I recommended in a preceding section, rely upon it, your seasons of inspiration will occur much more frequently than you suppose, or than liberal feeders commonly experience.

28. Make a point of KEEPING EVERY THING

IN YOUR STUDY IN A STATE OF PERFECT NAAT

You can

NESS AND REGULARITY. Whether your books be few or many, keep them in their places, and in perfect order. Let all your manuscripts be so arranged as that you shall be able to lay your hand upon any one of them in a moment. Tie your pamphlets in bundles, in a certain order understood by yourself, and, as soon as possible, get them bound in convenient volumes Fold, label, and deposite in proper drawers, all loose papers, so as to be at no loss to find any one of them whenever called for. And, in general, let every thing in your study bear the marks of order, system, and perfect neatness. have no conception, without having made the experiment, how much time and trouble will be saved by this plan. When you are tempted to think, that you have not time to put a book or paper which you have been using into its proper place, ask yourself, whether you will probably find it convenient a week, or a mouth afterwards, to spend an hour in searching for that, which half a minute would have sufficed for depositing in its appropriate situation? Let me advise you also to preserve and file copies of all your important letters; and, where you cannot find time for this, to keep, at least, a distinct memorandum of the dates, principal contents, conveyance, &c. of all such letters. You will, in the end,

save more time by this regularity than you can now easily imagine.

29. With one more counsel I shall close this letter; and that I am more at a loss to frame in a satisfactory manner than any of the preceding. It is THAT YOU E DEAVOUr to guard AGAINST THOSE INCESSANT INTERRUPTIONS OF STUDY BY

COMPANY, which, unless you take measures to prevent, will not fail to consume a large part of your time, and often to distress you exceedingly I have more than hinted at this subject in a former letter. But it is one of those, the evil of which, I fear, even "line upon line" will not be sufficient to obviate. Whether you consider your comfort or your improvement, you ought, undoubtedly, to take hold of this matter with a firm hand. Some of the students of the Seminary are so extremely modest, that when a number of their fellow-students drop into their rooms, one after another, and divert them from study for four or five hours together, they cannot summon resolution enough to give the least hint of the distress which it occasions them; but perhaps sit several hours, in a state little short of agony, submitting to the encroachments of those reckless intruders, who, instead of interrupting others, ought themselves to be busy. There are various ways of shaking off these marauders on the time of honest people. One is, as I stated in a former Letter, to lock

4

your door, and be deaf to all their knocking. Another is, from the moment they seat themselves, to maintain a rigid silence; or, at least, to answer them only in monosyllables. A third plan, is, as soon as any unseasonable visiter sits down, to begin to converse with him on the study in which you happen to be engaged; to ply him vigorously with questions in relation to it, which shall put to a severe test his own acquaintance with it. I once knew a young man who adopted this method, and who resisted every attempt to change the subject; and he very seldom failed to clear his apartment of loungers. But, even all these, some are thoughtless, or iron-hearted enough not to regard. With such, the only effectual resort seems to be to state, in so many words, the urgency of your engagements, and your wish to be left alone. One advantage of taking strong measures, in the outset, on this subject, will be, that, by such measures, your fellow-students will most speedily learn your cue in reference to the matter in question, and soon cease to give you trouble. The remedy may be painful; but it will be likely to effect the most expeditious and complete cure.