Jefferson entered the service of the Lord at a time very different from today: the United States was nearing the conclusion of its expansion westward, its population burgeoning from successive waves of migration. Railways criss-crossed the nation as new towns sprang up in flurries of settlement: in short, the need for God was greater than ever amid toil and adversity. Church membership and attendance was colossal in this time; a fact the author - an Ohio clergyman - was all too aware of. As well as being a primer for young priests hoping to offer guidance to their congregations, this work cautions against a series of mistakes and wrongheaded mentalities. Jefferson is blunt and down to earth; he acknowledges that preachers - being public speakers - carry the potential for vanity. Yet self-importance is a peril; it can lead to petty demands, to insincere guidance, to indolence, to misrepresentations of God's will. Observantly and eloquently, the author urges readers to tread their path with caution and care, mindful of pitfalls but exuding grace and goodwill.