164 



COMMEMORATION MEETING. 



assurance to our faith and to the words of Him Who said, 

 " They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them," and 

 added, " If they hear not Moses and the prophets neither will 

 they he persuaded though one rose from the dead." 



Thus the work of this Institute has shown us that a man 

 may be a philosopher and a scientist without ceasing to be 

 a Christian. It has served also to indicate that all the lines 

 of truth converge and centre in Him who for 2,000 years has 

 been giving incontrovertible proof of His Divine claims by the 

 fact that He has been and still is the mightiest moral and 

 spiritual force for the uplifting of mankind which has ever 

 existed through all the ages, and will so remain for ever. 

 Before Him we bow in reverent worship while we exultingly 

 exclaim — 



" Thou art the King of Glory, 0 Christ." 



The Chairman then invited Mr. J. W. Thirtle, LL.D., M.E.A.S., 



to speak as to 



THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE AND ITS SERVICE TO 

 THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. 



The primary and fundamental purpose of the Victoria 

 Institute, as set forth with precision at its formation in 1865, 

 and reiterated from time to time during the past half-century 

 of its history, has been (in one clause) the confirmation of the 

 Christian Faith. Xamed after the noble Queen whose memory 

 the nation will ever delight to honour, the Institute, while 

 meeting the sursdn^s of human thought from whatsoever 

 quarter arising, has done so with a calmness that is born of faith 

 in God, and a conviction that, in the person of the Lord Jesus 

 Christ, the Infinite has been revealed to finite minds. In this 

 spirit the Institute has scrutinized the philosophies of the 

 ancients and examined the latest theories of speculative 

 thought. The atmosphere has been one of fair and full and 

 patient discussion ; and again and again it has been found that, 

 from all manner of material, the fire of criticism has yielded 

 ideas, thoughts, and conclusions worthy of a place in the 

 treasure-house of Truth. 



Two general considerations demand such an organization 

 as the Victoria Institute : (1) There is a tendency for 

 Christianity, like other forms of faith and doctrine, to lose the 



