CHAP. XVIII. MR. HOWARD had determined that Edwin should spend a twelvemonth at an excellent seminary, that he might be better qualified for entering the university of Edinburgh. For the first time, for any considerable period, he had now left the parental roof. The parting between himself and his papa was very affecting. A correspondence, however, of a very interesting nature, was immediately commenced. Mr. H. in a very delightful manner, directed his attention to all those topics which are necessary in a good education. The following was the introductory letter to this pleasing espistolary intercourse. "MY DEAR EDWIN, "I EMBRACE the earliest opportunity of writing, as I know you will be longing to hear from me. I have lived for your gratification and welfare; and nothing but the confident expectation that it would be for your real and permanent good, could at all have reconciled me to your departure. "So long as I could discern the coach which bore you from me, I eagerly gazed on it. The idea that you were leaving home for the first time affected my heart, nor could I for some hours resume my accustomed serenity. 66 Among other thoughts, this forcibly occurred to me: that, perhaps, our familiar and frequent intercourse in the present state, might be regarded as almost closed; for, when you have finished your education, you will go out into the world, to acquire the means of honourably procuring the necessaries and comforts of life; so that you may never be long with me again in the same habitation. Letters, however valuable, are but a poor substitute for those affectionate personal communications, to which we have been so long and so happily accustomed. "I thought of Jacob, who, in the bloom of life, left his father's house, and journeyed to the habitation of his uncle Laban. My mind dwelt with delight on his memorable vision, when, at the close of the day, he beheld the ladder whose top reached unto heaven, with the angels ascending and descending on it, whilst his Almighty Father said to him from heaven: 'I am the Lord God of Abraham thy Father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And, behold! I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that of which I have spoken to thee.' O, my dear Edwin, my heart, with a fervour I know not how to describe, could not but breathe the animated prayer, 'O, thou God of Jacob, thou God of all who, like him, put their trust under the shadow of thy wings, be thou my Edwin's God! Let my beloved child be ever the object of thy tender, of thy unremitting care. Influence his heart at all times to cry to Thee as his Fatherthe guide of his youth!' "The vow of this interesting young man (I refer, of course, to the youthful patriarch) was also the subject of my attentive meditation. 'If God will be with me,' said he, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I may come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God.' When yet a youth, in somewhat similar circumstances, wandering amidst the works of God, and no eye on me but His, I well recollect, with emotions of unutterable interest, to have adopted and given utterance to this solemn engagement. It is the wish of my heart that you should do so too. The delicious feelings of that hallowed moment are yet present with me, and I doubt not that they will still be so, till my days on earth are no more. "It is indeed with me a subject of the sincerest joy and gratitude, that, though you are now distant from a father's ever watchful eye and affectionate care, you are nevertheless committed to the superintendence of a gentleman, who, if you conduct yourself with propriety, of which I do not doubt, will be to you another parent. "As I feel that I love you tenderly, for your own and for your mother's sake, I am constantly thinking what I can do for your permanent welfare. And, as life is very uncertain, and I may not long be spared to counsel or admonish you, it is my intention to give utterance to the feelings of my heart, and to leave on record, in my letters, those sentiments which I deem of the utmost importance, in reference to the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come. If you will preserve, and occasionally peruse them, they may not only serve as a lasting memorial of my affection, but they may be of real service to you, even when the hand that penned, and the heart that dictated them, are both mouldering in the silent grave. "You have never been long absent from my thoughts: each morning and evening, and frequently through the day, when in company or alone, I affectionately commend you to the care and keeping of the great and good God, who condescends to manage even our meanest affairs, and without whose notice even a sparrow does not fall to the ground. May his powerful hand be ever around you, and may his beneficent eye be ever upon you for good. Thus earnestly prays "Your ever affectionate father, The correspondence, of which this letter is a specimen, was large and interesting. Edwin grew up admired, beloved, useful, and happy. May this be the case with all who peruse his early history. THE END. Harvey, Darton, and Co. Printers, |