347 
ORDINARY MEETING, January 1 5th, 1877. 
The Rev. R. Thornton, D.D., Vice-President, in the Chair. 
The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed, and the 
presentation of the following Works for the Library was announced : — 
“ On a Eecent Discovery of Carboniferous Batrachians in Nova Scotia.” By 
Dr. J. W. Dawson, F.R.S. From the Author. 
“ The International Review.” From Dr. J. W. Dawson, F.R.S. 
“ The Charing Cross Magazine.” From T. W. Greenwell, Esq. 
The following paper was then read by the author : — 
CHRISTIANITY CONSIDERED AS A MORAL 
POWER. By the Rev. J. J. Lias, M.A., Professor of 
Modern Literature, St. David’s College, Lampeter. 
1. mHE never-ceasing conflict between Christianity and her 
JL assailants is continually assuming new forms. At one 
time it rages round the evidences, at another it busies itself 
with the doctrines of Christianity. One set of opponents 
desires to attack it through its connection with Judaism, another 
seeks to undermine it by disparaging the credit of the writings 
in which its system is embodied. Most of these attacks, how- 
ever, are directed against the outworks of Christianity : the 
question to which I propose to ask your attention to-day is the 
citadel itself. If it can be shown that since the introduction 
of Christianity into the world a new principle has been at work 
which has proved itself capable of transforming the character 
and regenerating the nature of mankind to an extent utterly 
out of proportion with the effects of any other influence that 
has been brought to bear upon man, the position of Chris- 
tianity is impregnable. For, after all, the true criterion by 
which a religion should be estimated is the influence it exerts 
upon conduct. That man, somehow or other, does not fulfil 
the law of his being to the same extent as other creatures, 
animate or inanimate, is a fact acknowledged on all sides. 
Whatever has an obvious tendency to produce conformity to 
that law must be in harmony with the purposes of the God 
who brought him into being, and therefore a part of the Divine 
scheme for the moral and spiritual education of man. 
2. A part of the Divine scheme, I have said. It may be 
answered, that so is every other religion or doctrine which has 
contributed its share to man’s training. And this is un- 
doubtedly the fact. The earnest and vigorous defender of our 
