8 



AN^s'UAL MEETING. 



exerc'is3 hsre for several years past now, but I do not know that I 

 have anything particular to say to-day. 



With regard to the Report, it is short, but it 2:)oints to much 

 that is very good. I fully associate myself with the Council in 

 regretting the loss of Dr. Tristram and Professor Beale, both of 

 whom as scientists and good Christian men I held in very high 

 esteem. 



The paper that has been specially referred to after the Gunning 

 Prize Essays is one by Miss Eleanor Hull, on the early history of the 

 Celtic Churches in Bi-itain and Ireland. It was a most important 

 subject; because until recent years very little has been generally 

 known among Chiu^ch-people of the enormous value to the founda- 

 tion of the English Church laid by the early British Church, 

 and the enormous share that the Celtic Churches of Scotland 

 and Ireland took in founding the Church of our Anglo-Saxon 

 forefathers. They did perhaps a great deal more than Augustine 

 and his followers, and I therefore endorse the strong approval 

 which the Council has expressed of the value of Miss Hull's 

 wo]^k. 



AVith regard to the general working of the Institute, I may again 

 remind you — speaking especially of my experience during the last 

 year — that these great questions wdiich the Institute discusses from 

 time to time, Ijeing broad questions, are not questions that can 

 always be dealt with most satisfactorily by specialists. They 

 require great thoughts to l:)e laid on from more than one side ; from 

 several sides. AVe want to try and walk round them, and see the 

 thing from the point of view at least of revelation and science and 

 history ; because there we have represented the three great factors 

 through Avhich God educates mankind — revelation, history and 

 science, representing the three great departments of spirit, of 

 providence and of nature : God's three instruments — so that I think 

 we ought to encourage as much as possible papers that deal with 

 broad and general questions, as I conceive that the highest function 

 of this Institute is to try and hold the balance between different 

 lines of thought and correlate the thoughts and ]-ese;u'clies carried 

 out by scientists in different branches of history; l)ecause I hold 

 very strongly that if a Christian man has the central conviction of 

 the he;u't which enables him to hold on to the Divine revelation as 

 it has come through Jesus Christ, his mind may be absolutely free 



