ANNUAL MEETING. 



7 



Mr. Arthur W. Sutton, in moving the resolution, " That the 

 Report of the Council now read be received and adopted and circu- 

 lated amongst the members and associates," said — My lord, ladies 

 and gentlemen, I need hardly say that I rise with great pleasure to 

 propose the adoption of the Report which we have listened to with 

 much pleasure and interest. 



The Report itself is singularly brief ; but the list of subjects 

 that were dealt with during the year by members, and the papers 

 that have been read, show that the work of the Institute has been 

 as valuable as ever ; and those who have not been able to attend 

 all the meetings will, I am sure, read the Reports of the Meetings 

 in the Tmmoxtions of the Institute with the greatest interest. 



It is gratifying to know that we close the year with a substantial 

 balance in hand, and, if I might make a suggestion to the Council, it 

 is, that when the funds admit of it, some special effort might be 

 made to secure greater publicity in the daily journals, if possible, of 

 the very valuable papers that are read at our meetings. The 

 papers on subjects of general science have all been most valuable ; 

 and especially so as we know they have been contributed by members 

 who are at one with us in their desire to promote the primary 

 object of the Institute, which is investigation of scientific questions 

 bearing on the truths of the Holy Scriptures. I trust that will 

 always be the chief object of the Institute. 



There was certainly never a time when research and investi- 

 gation were so needed, or more helpful, than at the present 

 day. The movement of modern thought is so rapid that we need 

 to constantly bring tests to bear upon it. AVe may have in 

 some instances, as have our forefathers, also, formed a misconcep- 

 tion as to the meaning of certain portions of Holy Scripture ; but 

 we still feel, whatever meaning they are intended to convey, they 

 are as absolutely trustworthy as ever. There is one danger which 

 I think has to be guarded against in the present day, viz., the idea 

 that because the agency employed in the compilation of Holy 

 Scripture was human it is therefore fallible, and may be erroneous so 

 far as it may not be in accordance with the science of to-day. It is 

 often advanced that the spiritual truths of Scripture which cannot so 

 readily be put to external test are alone those to which we can give 

 our allegiance, and that the extent to which they can be held is 

 according to how they square with modern thought. This might 



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