Manuductio ad ministerium. Directions for a candidate of the ministry

Because of its being somewhat Akin to This, and because we are just now entering upon the Study of DIVINITY, I will, tho' there may seem almost some Anticipation in it, here Transcribe a Passage from the PATERNA, of One whom it may be, you are not wholly a Stranger to; and who was himself but a very Young Man, when he was engaged in the Projection referred unto.

Because of its being somewhat Akin to This, and because we are just now entring upon the Study of DIVINITY, I will, tho' there may seem almost some Anticipation in it, here Transcribe a Passage from the PATERNA, of One whom it may be, you are not wholly a Stranger to; and who was himself but a very Young Man, when he was engaged in the Projection referr'd unto.

I singled out a Number of Students, who had passed through' their Cursus, in Philosophical and Academical Studies, and were just entering into the World. These Young Gentlemen met once a Week at my Study; where we carried on a Course of Disputation upon the Body of Divinity. In the several Common Place Heads of Divinity, where any notable Controversy had been managed in the Church of GOD, we had a Solemn Disputation on the Controverted Question. In this Disputation, I was always the Moderator, and still concluded with a Discourse, which by Argument established the Truth, defended by the Respondent. But, because upon every Head of Divinity there were Multitudes of Questions, not so worthy of a Solemn Disputation, These I laboriously gathered up, and giving them to the ⟨p. 75⟩Society, at some• our Meetings, we came all prepared, with Brief, but Strong and Proved Answers to them; which we accordingly delivered in our Order. The Benefit of these Exercises, we found Unspeakable!

I singled out a Number of Students, who had passed thro' their Cursus, in Philosophical and Academical Studies, and were just entring into the World. These Young Gentlemen met once a Week at my Study; where we carried on a Course of Disputation upon the Body of Divinity. In the several Common Place Heads of Divinity, where any notable Controversy had been managed in the Church of GOD, we had a Solemn Disputation on the Controverted Question. In this Disputation, I was always the Moderator, and still concluded with a Discourse, which by Argument established the Truth, defended by the Respondent. But, because upon every Head of Divinity there were Multitudes of Questions, not so worthy of a Solemn Disputation, These I laboriously gathered up, and giving them to the