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noblest sons of science, again, ashas been shown in former Annual 
Addresses before this Institute, have almost always, perhaps 
always, been men of reverent faith. They are so to this day. 
Criticism, also, has nowaud again seemed to threaten precious 
portions of our Christian inheritance of Holy Scripture ; but 
up to the present time it has really done us little but good. 
It has been far more our friend than our foe. It has furnished 
marvellous historical confirmation to the Scriptures, both of 
the Old and New Testaments. It may possibly hereafter re- 
move some difficulties from our faith, but it will never impair its 
integrity, nor the integrity of the record of God’s revelations 
to man. The Acts, tiie Fourth Gospel, as well as the great 
Epistles of St. Paul, will come forth, are coming forth, from 
the crucible of criticism brighter than ever; they stand im- 
movably firm, the impregnable pillars of our historical faith in 
Christ. Tho Gospel by St. Luke stands unassailable by the side 
of the vindicated Acts. Tho other Gospels are abundantly 
safe when St. John and St. Luke are safe. The Old Testa- 
ment is better established by far as historically true and 
authentic, taking it in all its length and breadth, than it was 
fifty years ago, when modern criticism had only just begun its 
course. Let us, as believers in divine revelation, be content 
to wait in steadfast, patient faith. Let us not be cramped by 
a priori notions. Wo do not understand tho meaning of all 
the sacred words which have been handed down to us. “ He 
that believeth shall not make haste ” and shall “ not be con- 
founded.” Let us precipitate no controversies, above all no 
controversies with science. When texts seem to contradict 
each other, we are content to leave tho apparent contradiction 
unsolved, and yet we retain our faith. Christianity does not 
depend for its evidence on particular texts, nor on tho inter- 
pretation of any special passage or paragraph ; its evidence 
lies in grand historical lines of ai’guinent, and in broad 
illustrations of fact and truth. By these its principal books 
and its main outlines of fact and doctrine are conclusively 
established, and the faith which may have needed first to 
learn to stand on these, and which has thus been enabled to 
embrace the spiritual truths which they establish, is thereby 
afterwards strengthened and enlarged spiritually to appreciate 
and to receive with a sympathetic and growing assurance other 
points of divine truth, the harmony and beauty of which shino 
forth moro and more to the believing soul. Butwhon dealing 
with unbelievers, as one of our own number, Prebendary llow, 
has so ably shown in his f< Bampton Lectures,” it is with tho 
citadel we have to do. If we hold that, we, in effect, hold all ; 
that commands all the rest, both enceinte and precinct ; while 
