JOURNAL OR THE TRANSACTIONS 
OF TUB 
VICTORIA INSTITUTE, 
OB 
PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN - . 
ORDINARY MEETING, February 1, 1869. 
The Rev. Walter Mitchell, M.A., Vice-President, in 
the Chair. 
The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed. 
The Secretary announced the election of the following : — 
Member : — J. Lindsay, Esq., Merchant, Whitefield, Belfast. 
Associate 2nd Class : — F. Brotherton, Esq., 4, Royal Exchange Avenue, 
and Tulse Hill, Surrey. 
The Chairman then called upon the Rev. Dr. Irons to read the paper that 
follows. 
Dr. Irons. — A word of apology is due for bringing before you a subject so 
abstruse, and so different from the ordinary subjects considered in this place ; 
but whoever knows anything of the state of things in London, and also in 
the country, among the more energetic of the slightly educated classes, 
will quite understand that the time has come when it is impossible to go 
on with a sort of assumed truce between Christianity and morals ; because, 
undoubtedly, at the present time there is a prevailing notion among the 
classes to which I have referred, that there is a difference between the 
morality of religion and that which belongs to human nature as such. And 
this is doing us far more harm than any of the attacks on the externals of 
Christianity. Our historical position, and the theory of religion at large, are 
indeed assailed, but the harm done by that assault is as nothing compared 
with that internal disbelief which I know to be prevalent as to the moral 
essence of our faith. (Hear, hear.) That must be my apology for bringing 
VOL IV. B 
