duty; and while he failed not to preach the whole counsel of God plainly and earnestly, his discourses were framed with so much symmetry and good taste that the most fastidious hearer rarely, if ever, went away unsatisfied. It is difficult, especially at this late period, to estimate correctly the measure of good influence which his ministry exerted; but we cannot doubt that the Gospel preached with such admirable simplicity and impressiveness, and to such a congregation, and for so long a time, must have produced the grandest results. Though he was, by no means, what, in modern phrase, would be called, a sensational preacher, yet he had a reputation in the country at large, that attracted many strangers to his church; and all who went with open ears and hearts were sure to be edified as well as gratified by his ministrations. Even in New England, where he was known much less than in some other parts of the country, his fine qualities as a preacher were often spoken of, and well do we remember that when it was announced, in the prospect of the retirement of Dr. Griffin in the Park Street Church, Boston, in 1811, that Dr. Miller was expected to preach on the occasion, a strong desire to hear him was expressed by many persons, and his ultimately failure to preach occasioned much disappointment.

But it was not merely as a preacher, but as a pastor, that Dr. Miller exhibited his rare qualities in connection with the ministry. His intercourse with his people was always genial and affectionate, and yet always marked by that dignity which constitutes a leading element of a minister's usefulness. His congregation were bound to him by the strongest of all cords-those of love; and they welcomed him to their houses with an intensity of good-will and affection, that could hardly have been exceeded if he had been a member of their respective families. He was at home especially amidst scenes of domestic sadness, his tender heart responded quickly to every expression of grief, and, from a richly-stored and deeply-sanctified mind, he poured forth the wisest counsel and the richest consolation. He was always forward to enlist his people for the relief of human woe, or for the prevention of folly and crime, or for the encouragement of any enterprise designed to act auspiciously on the well-being of society. While he recog

nized his own congregation as forming the immediate field of his labors, much of what he did in connection with them had a wider influence, and was instrumental in originating or sustaining large plans of public usefulness.

were generally Sometimes he was

That would be a very inadequate view of Dr. Miller's ministry, that should not include the great amount of timely and judicious labor that he performed in connection with the judicatories of the church. His influence in the presbytery, and the synod, and on the floor of the General Assembly, was scarcely exceeded by that of any other man. His plans were always the result of mature thought, and marked by great wisdom and moderation. thrown amidst scenes of excitement and collision, that ill became those who were legislating for the interests of the church; but his presence was generally found to be an element of quietude. Not that he desired peace at the expense of principle, or that he was not ready to stand up for the right against any opposition that could be arrayed against him; but he was always tolerant of men's mistakes and infirmities, and never imputed wrong motives when the necessity was not imposed upon him. Nearly all who were associated with him, even in the later period of his active ministry, have now passed away. But we greatly mistake if the recollections of the few who survive, are not in full harmony with our estimate of his influence in this department of his official duty.

After a twenty-years' ministry in New York, Dr. Miller entered on a professorship of nearly forty years at Princeton; and this was undoubtedly the crowning glory of his life. He had had an important agency in establishing the Theological Seminary, and had not only given his vote for Dr. Alexander as the first professor, but had publicly urged his acceptance of the appointment. The very next year he was himself appointed to the chair of Ecclesiastical History and Church Government; and though he shrank from the responsibility of the office, and would, on some accounts, have preferred to continue in pastoral life, yet, as a matter of duty, he yielded to the general wishes of the church, and was inaugurated as professor on the 29th of September, 1813. The discourse which he delivered on the occasion, on the characters and

opinions of some of the more conspicuous witnesses for the Truth during the dark ages, he declined to publish, on the ground that it was hastily written, and that some of its statements would require to be fortified by numerous references and quotations, which would make too large a draft upon his time.

Though the number of students that he found in the seminary did not much exceed a dozen, he lived to see it increased many fold; and all the successive classes that enjoyed the benefit of his instruction were witnesses at once to his ability and fidelity. His professorship was one for which his natural tastes and previous studies had eminently qualified him; and he entered upon it with great zeal and under the influence of a ruling passion. Not only was he perfectly familiar with the text-books used by his classes, but he had read and digested kindred works in other languages, so that the whole range of ecclesiastical history and church government seemed perfectly familiar to him. His questions were always simple and intelligible, and suggestive, never designed to embarrass or bewilder. His lectures were luminous exhibitions of his subject, full of well-digested thought, arranged with such graceful naturalness as to leave a vivid impression on the memory. There may have been some who thought they were sometimes deficient in vigorous earnestness; but we are sure that we speak for much the larger number when we say that, in respect to both thought and expression, they were admirably adapted to the purpose they were designed to answer.

But it was not merely as a teacher and lecturer that Dr. Miller reflected high honor upon his professorship, but in his oft-recurring labors in the pulpit, and in all his more private intercourse with his pupils. His preaching was singularly adapted to profit theological students; it was clear, direct, logical, and full of evangelical truth,-in short, each of his sermons seemed to have the force of a lecture on the art of preaching, while yet it dealt fairly and honestly with each individual's heart and conscience. In his meetings with the students on the afternoon of the Sabbath, he delivered himself with perfect freedom, and yet with great impressiveness; and never more than then were they brought to realize the dignity

and solemnity of the work to which they were destined. In his occasional meetings with them in private-in his own house or elsewhere he always made them feel that they were in the presence of a friend, and often, by some wise counsel or some timely suggestion, left an enduring impression in favor of truth or right.

Such in general was the character of Dr. Miller's professorship. And now when we consider the length of the period through which it extended, and the great number-amounting to more than seventeen hundred--who were brought under its direct influence, and when we bear in mind that they have been scattered through every portion of our land as representatives of the seminary at which they have been trained, can we doubt that Dr. Miller lived pre-eminently for the benefit of his country and the world. Are there not multitudes now engaged in the ministry, and not a few even in heathen lands, who think reverently and gratefully of him, as one of the honored instruments by which they were formed for their high vocation? Do not the pulsations of his noble spirit vibrate to this hour in many a proclamation, from other lips, of the words of eternal life? And as the world grows old from the passing away of the ages, who can doubt that the good work that he performed will continue to develop itself in fresh accessions of light and strength and glory to that blessed cause to which he was so earnestly devoted.

There is one more relation in which Dr. Miller must be considered, or we shall fail to do justice to his eminently useful life-we mean that of an author. The productions of his pen began to appear very shortly after he became a settled pastor; and they came at brief intervals almost till the close of his life. The versatility of his mind, and the variety and extent of his knowledge, made him at home in almost every field, whether literary or theological.

Dr. Miller's occasional sermons and addresses that were given to the public, through the press, were not far from forty-the first having been delivered the very next month. after he was ordained, and the last a few years before his death. These discourses are generally of a high order, being especially remarkable for their adaptation to the various oc

casions that called them forth. They are all so good, that it would be difficult to determine which are the best; and yet, in casting our eye over them, the sermons on suicide, the sermon at the inauguration of Dr. Alexander, the sermon at the ordination and installation of the Rev. William Nevins, and the sermon on the danger of education in Roman Catholic seminaries, seem to us to have done, perhaps, the most ample justice to their respective themes. We exceedingly doubt whether any other minister of the Presbyterian Church in this country has published so large a number of occasional discourses, all of which have been so worthy of enduring preser

vation.

The number of volumes for which we are indebted to Dr. Miller's pen, if our estimate be correct, is thirteen. The first two are his "Brief Retrospect of the Eighteenth Century," published in 1803. This work discovered an amount of laborious research, and of familiarity with the various departments of learning, that surprised even Dr. Miller's most intimate friends; and the marvel was, that the same man who could preach regularly on the Sabbath in so instructive and acceptable a manner, and who was so constant and faithful in the discharge of pastoral duty, could yet redeem time from his manifold professional engagements, to produce so elaborate and attractive a work as this. It was dedicated to the celebrated John Dickinson, President of the State of Delaware, who acknowledged the honor in very fitting and grateful terms. It was received with great favor by the more intelligent class of readers in this country, and was also published in Great Britain, where also it was met by many warm expressions of commendation. Though many years have passed since it was to be found in any of our bookstores, it may reasonably be doubted whether there is any work, treating of the same subjects, and covering the same period, that can be read with more advantage than this " Retrospect of the Eighteenth Century."

Two of Dr. Miller's larger works were memoirs; the one published in 1813, the other in 1840; and both were worthy alike of his head and of his heart. The former was the memoir of his venerable colleague, Dr. Rodgers, with whom he