consolations can so sustain the soul, when earthly comforts fail, yea, when flesh and heart themselves fail! Happy, indeed, is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.* The Doctor, though deeply sensible of the loss of these objects of his tender affection, and though often indisposed by reason of the increasing infirmities of age, was enabled to continue, without interruption of any consequence, the discharge of his professoral duties. The Board of Superintendents, in their report of this year, in speaking of him, thus expressed themselves :-"With gratitude to the Great Head of the Church, the Board inform Synod, that the health und usefulness of their venerable professor Livingston, are still continued; and that at his advanced age, he is, with his usual devotedness and ability, blessing the Church, by communicating to her successive ministers that theological information, for which he is so eminently distinguished." They further stated, that they had "respectfully requested the Rev. Dr. Livingston to publish his Lectures, as a measure calculated to be of vast advantage to * Psalms, 146-5. the students, to the Institution, and to the Church at large." This was bestowing a very high encomium upon his system of divinity; and it will not be supposed that gentlemen of respectable theological attainments themselves, who had the oversight of the Institution, and attended the regular examinations of the students, were not competent judges of the peculiar merits of that system;-but the request was not complied with, and this is much to be regretted.* The desire of seeing this school suitably endowed, and established before he should be taken from the Church, prompted him the following year, to make one more effort to awaken some zeal in its favour. In a late letter to his friend, who has been so often mentioned, he observed-" It is said the night is darkest just before daylight. With the open * At the close of their Report, the Board expressed a wish that the vacant professorships might be filled as soon as possible, The Synod accordingly proceeded forthwith to fill one of them, and elected the Rev. (now Dr.) John Ludlow, the Professor of Biblical Literature, and Ecclesiastical History. This gentleman discharged the duties of his office with distinguished ability, and with the full confidence of all the churches in his growing usefulness, until 1823, when, to the great regret of the Synod, he considered it his duty to accept a call which he had received from the North Dutch Church of Albany. The Rev. (now Dr.) John De ing dawn, the gloom and shades will be dispersed. I hope against hope, and am assured that I shall not be confounded or ashamed with the result. Why some withdraw their subscription, and the most appear discouraged or lukewarm, I do not know. I leave it in his hand, and to his holy disposal, who will finish his own work, and do all things well." Under the influence of this confidence, that the work was of the Lord, and would not be suffered to fail, he again wrote to the same person, some time after, in a letter bearing date Dec. 21, 1820. "It certainly can answer no purpose to waste our time and strength in lamentations, or to expect that mere talking and forming plans, without putting them in execution, will ever produce the great end in view. It was a wise measure in the Synod to form a Board, in whose wisdom and energy the great concerns of the Theological Institution should be vested; and better men could not be found, than those who constitute that corporation. But what have these good men effected? The dispute and contest with the Trustees of Queen's College have, indeed, been carried on, and it is not yet decided. But, after all, what is the amount of this whole dispute? What is the paltry sum the Trustees assert to be liquidated? And, indeed, what is their whole fund, and even the Van Bunschooten legacy, which is out upon bonds that are not paid ?-The whole, all that is in the hands of the Trustees, if it was all put into your hands, would be but a drop of the bucket; it would not be sufficient to support one professorship. Would it not be better, instead of spending your time and energy in prosecuting this dispute, to form some enlarged plans for creating and enlarging a substantial fund ?" "The only foundation upon which a public institution can safely rest, is a fixed fund whose interest will be equal to the support. To depend upon cent societies, and occasional contributions, is futile and uncertain. The plan to be adopted is to raise that fund; but how to raise it is, indeed, the question. Our brethren, the Presbyterians, raise it, and we might raise it in the same way. They employ agents. Their Synods resolve to raise a professorship, which requires $25,000, and they have raised it. And we can do the same; if our corporation will exert their influence and energy, employ agents, and recommend each Synod to raise one professorship, it will be done. We have sufficient strength of members and of wealth to accomplish every thing that is necessary; but they must be directed, and efficacious plans formed and executed, to bring their strength and wealth to. their proper point. But, surely, in the city of New-York, on Long Island, and here, in the Jerseys, within the bounds of the Synod of NewYork, we might find twenty men who would give or loan $250 to the Synod, and one hundred more who would give $100, and so down to lower sums, by which we might form an aggregate of $25,000: at any rate, we ought vigorously to make the trial. * Unless more energetic measures are taken, than have been during the present year, a dissolution of the Institution must inevitably follow." * * This was the last measure, it is believed, the pious father suggested to save from ruin, and place upon a firm foundation, an institution which had been so long the object of his constant and prayerful solicitude, and the prosperity of which he viewed as intimately connected with the prosperity of the Church, and the glory of the Redeemer's kingdom;-and this last measure he had the pleasure to see adopted, and crowned, under the Divine blessing, with the desired success. In 1822, it was represented to the General Synod, that certain individuals, members of the Church, were persuaded "that one hundred subscribers might be obtained for $250 each, for the purpose of endowing a professorship in the Theo |