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I INAUGURAL ADDRESS 1 ON rut; NATURK AND ADVANTAIJE.S OK AN ENGLISH AND LIBERAL EDLICATION; DEMVEUKI) jl" THE REV. EGERTON RYEKSON, AT TIIK OI'UNING OF VICTORIA COLLEGE, JUNE 21, ldl2: WITH AN- ACCOINT OF THE OrEMNG HKUVICKS, COlllSE OF 8TUDIES, TERMS, ETC., IN THE COhLEOE. prS&cf 'bj t.^t:L^^ """'' "' ''"-' -^' ''■"' - -"iS;!- - ;- -^ T O R O N T O : BY OKDEIl OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND VISITORS, rrinted at the Guardian Oflice, 9, Wellington Buildin.-., 1842. f THE OPENING or THE COLLEGE. The formal opening of the College took place on the 21st of June, 184-2. In addilion to the Officers and Students present, the Ceremony was attended by the Board of Trustees and Visitors, and a large assemblage of Ladies and Gentlemen. At the appointed hour, the Board of Trustees and Visitors, and the Faculty, accompanied by several Clergymen and Gentlemen, entered the College Chapel ; when the Rev. Anson Grben, President of the Conference, and John P. Roblin, Esq., M. P. P., conducted the Principal to the Chair. The Rev. Richard JoNFS, Chairman of the Bay of Quinte District, commenced tho Service by reading the eighth chapter of Proverbs, and Prayer. The Rev. Mr. Green, in an appropriate and affecting Address, ii.troduced the Principal to the Congregation, and delivered to him the Keys of Office ; after which the Principal proceeded to deliver his Inaugu.al Address. Both Addresses are published at the request of the Board ; the former, for the sentiments and his- torical incidents it contains — the latter, as furnishing an exposition of the System of Education taught in Victoria College. Mr. Green's Introductory Address was substantially as follows: — Ladies and Gentlemen : I rise to congratulate you on the favoured period of our Country'i history in which we live, and the auspicious circumstances under which we are this nrorning assembled. It is our happy privilege to live at a period when the star of prosperity is dawning upon our land, and the light of science is spreading a brilliant lustre over the civilized world. The presefit is, to me, one of the most delightful and important periodt ■connected with the history of science and literature in our Province. It is a ^y the events of which are as replete with iotereet and proralse on the one vi hand, as tlioy are pregnant vvilli ubligiitiona and rui^ponsibilitiea on (he other. The ptocot;(lin<{s of this day will bo recorded in the archives of this College, and be referred to with many grateful feelings and pleasing recollections at long as sound literature »li!ill find any pl.ico in the adinirnlion of men; or this lofly cdilice remain u nionutncnt of your liberality, nsMfdiiily, und enlerprifle. We are aji.sembled here to-day to witness the Inaugiirnt services connected with the formal opening of this College; services which cannot fail, I think, to call up in the minds of many now present veiy pleasing reuiinisccucea of the past, as well a^^ joyous anticipations of iho future. Twelve years have now passed away since the Conference of tho Wesleynii Methodist Church in Canada resolved to erect these buildings, and provide a suitable place for the liberal education of the children aiid youth of our coun- try. Dut to us it was a fearful, if not a hazardous undertaking. That body of Ministers who, ufter tho most serious and prayeiful deliberations, determined on this important enterprise, had no personal means of their own to accomplish it ; nor had they one farthing in any academic or collegiate fund, by which even to lay tho foundation-stone! But they had what they thought an equivalent. They had a seat in the hearts of a pious, devoted, and hberal people. To that people they resolved to appeal — to that people they did appeal; and these spacious apartments und towering wutls can witncas that the appeal icas not viadc in vain ! Six years ago, the 18lh of this present month, an academic course of instruction was commericed in these buildings under the direction and Biipcrvision of the Rev. Matthew Ilichey, A. M., to whom, on that occa- sion, I had the honour to deliver the keys of office. The Rev. Jesse Hurlburt, A. M., Principal for some time, and the various Professors and Teachers who, from time to time, have i. Jtructed our youth in this place, have, generally speaking, done themselves great credit, and the country at large important service. Some of them, I have reason to know, from per- sonal observation, have laboured indefatigably, night and day, to render their lectures interesting and their instructions profitable; and they richly merit the thanks of the Boan" and the warmest gratitude of those whose children have been committed to their care. The influence of the instructions which have been imparted within these walls, begins already to be felt in considerable portions of the community. Some eight or ten young men have gone forth from this seat of learning, and been thrust out into the Lord's vineyard, as heralds of Salvation to a guilty world. Others have turned their attention to the Laws of the land, and are preparing to distinguish themselves and promote their country's interest at the Bar; while alai-ger number have become instructors of youth in primary schools, where they are " teaching the young idea how to shoot;" and not a few are honourably erjgaged it> commercial, agricultural, or mechanical pifr- suits. I iind them in almost every direction as I travel through the Province ; and wherever I have met them, I have found that they cherish many grateful and pleasing recollections of those happy bygone days which tbcy spent on these ddightful premises. vii But <\hile hII these, and many more gratifying and bcriuflcial resiillt accrued from the course of iiif a language will always bear a proportion to the acquisitions in knowledge made by the people. For this reason, I should not hesitate io pronounce that the English is considerably richer than the Latin, and, in the main, fitter for the subtle c'isquisitions both of philosophy and criticism. "t In connexion with the English Language and Literature, may be taught the Mathematics and the Natural Sciences ; such as Natural Philosophy, Chem- istry, Physiology, Geology, and Astronomy; embracing also the Outlines of Mental and Moral Philosophy, Evidences of Christianity, Universal Geogra- phy and General History. I am aware that there are those who rejard science of every description as the exclusive patrimony of Classical scholars, «nd view it as sacrilege or presumption to study the sciences in no other than in the uncircumcised language of Englishtcen. At the time, and long before * Rhetoric and BellesLettres, Lee. 10. f Philosophy of Rhetcric \ \ ^ .'i 13 the revival of letters in the tiftecnlii century — the sciences, as well as tho Sacred Scriptures, were shut up in foreign and dead languages, and the only door of access to them, was through the languages of Greece and Rome — especially and chiefly the latter. The literary treasures of nntiiiuity, which had been for the most part buried during a thousand years of barbarism and superstition, could only be dug up with the implements of the Ancient Lan- guages. But the Science and Literature of the Ancients were soon brought to light, transplanted. Anglicised, and made the common property of the nation. To borrow the appropriate words of the late able President of tho Wesleyan University, " As soon as a spirit of inquiry and thirst for know- ledge were excited, a great proportion of the light of Antiquity burst at onco upon the world. This was the new sun that shone almost in meridian f plendour at his first appearance. It had never been p; ': out, but only obscured by the murky clouds of barbarism from the Scandinavian fo- rests, and eclipsed by the smoke of religious superstition. When this obscuration passed away, the sun of ancient science shone in its full- orbed glory. The attainments of antiquity were soon mastered. The art of Printing, which was invented about this time, gave a ready cir- culation to this knowledge in all countries whore it was sought. Litera- ture and science were no longer foreign plants ; they had become Indigenous in all places where they were cultivated. Neither were the treasures of science long locked up in an ancient and dead language, but were spread out in the vernacular tongue of every enlightened land. Large add'lions were constantly made to the original stock; and vast treasures of wisdom and knowledge have been brought to light, which the eye of antiquity never saw, which the ear of the ancients never heard, and of which, indeed, they had never formed any conception. All that is important in ancient sciences, except what is peculiar to the languages themselves, have not only been clothed in a modern dress, but have been incorporated with, and made parts of, modern text-books."* A late accomplished Nobleman said to his son, — " Modern History is your business." We may enlarge the application of this advice, and say, " Modern literature and science should be accounted the great field of literary enterprise and study." In matters of taste the un- disputed standard of appeal is with ancient Classics; but — as Blair has expressed it — " In natural philosophy, astronomy, chemistry, and other sciences, that depend on an extensive knowledge and observation of facts, raodAn philosophers have an unquestionable superiority over the ancient."t The works of these philosophers have been given to the world in our own language ; they may therefore be studied and mastered without the aid of any foreign tongue. I have remarked at greater length on this Department, because it m- v be viewed as a novelty, and is therefore liable to objection ; and because I wish to evince to those many worthy and promising young men in this Province, * Inaugural Address, p. 15. t Lecture xxxv. B 11. i wlio cannot coimiiand llio time or the means to piirsr.! the entire Collegiate Course, tliat there is still a wide and inviting field of noble and patriotic exertion accessible to tliem, which, with the aid of one or two years' instruc- tion, they may siiccessfully ami extensively cultivate — thus multiplying bfiyond calculation the resources of their own happiness, and fitting theuw selves for an honourable life of private and public usefulness. Let it not, however, be inferred from what I have said, that I undervalue the study of the ancient Claj^sics. To the study of them I shall presently refer. What I have said is designed to show, that I do not undervalue the l^tiglish Classics, and the philosophical and literary resources of our own language— and that Youth who cannot acquire the mastery of other tongues, ought not to be excluded, nor, negligently or despondingly to exclude them- selves, from those invaluable mines of wisdom and knowledge which are contained in their own tongue. I believe that the study of the English. Language will contribute not a little to the more thorough and general study of the Greek and Roman Classics. A knowledge of the structure, and a perception of the beauties of the English language, cannot fail to c&cite nn^ ardent desire to study the languages to whioh we are so much. indebted, and> to facilitate the acquisition of them. COLLEGIATE DEPARTMENT. I. T/ie Ancient Languages — especially Greek and Latin — with their cognate branches, Greek and Roman Antiquities, have been long and justly considered as forming an essenti.-il part of a liberal education. The objections which have been made to the study of them by some, have, I believe, in almost every instance, been founded in ignorance. No man is a competent judge of a thing of which he has no knowledge. A blind man's denying the beauti- ful and variegated splendours of the rainbow, would prove nothing but hi» own ignorance and piesumption. Yet, much of the indifTerencc to the study of the Classics has doubtless originated in the extravagant estimate of them on the part of their professed admirers, who have, at the same time, affected a sovereign contempt — a contempt very generally the offspring of ignorance — of the study and beauties of the English Language ; and some of whom, thorgh they can read Virgil, and Horace, and Cicero, and Homer, cannot explain the construction and government of the most simple English sen- tence ; and are lamentably deficient in the general and practical knoi|^edge which is essential to the interests and happiness of every-day life. But classi- cal leaiiiing is not responsible for such folly, any more than loyalty and patri- otism, and Christianity itself, are responsiblo for the selfishness and dishonesty of courtiers, demagogues, and hypocrites. The study of the Classics will greatly contribute to a thgrongh and critical knowledge of the Etymology of our own language. Nearly thirty thousand, of the forty thousand words in the English, are said to be of Greek and Latin origin. A sound classical scholar will, therefore, understand the meaning of those words which are derived from the Greek and Latin without having recourse to an English., 15 Lexicon, ami will often perceive nn aptllndo and force in the application of them which is lost when reflected from the imperfect mirror of nti Fiigiish Dictionary. Tiiere is heauty in tiie rejltrlcd raya of the sun at twilight; hut ihey furnish no adequate conception of the glory of hid meridian heauiji. TI>o same remark is true in reading the original, or hesl translations of the Class- ics. To see apoiirait and to see the original— \o read a reported Disconrso or speech, and to hear the living speaker— io read what a writer is said t.» have wrilten, and to read the writer himself— are very dillerent tilings, and produce very diflerent impressions and feeiiHgs. The same remark is €(pially true in respect to reading the Scriptures in the original, and in our excellent translation. We will not make a better translation ; but we will «ce and feel what cannot be imparted by any translation — the scenes, the emotions, the characters, the latent passions and modes of thinking and rea- soning, which no translation can convey. The study of the Classics aids greatly in acquiring that copia vcrboriim — that rich variety of language — which is so iniportant, and gives one man so great an advantage over another, in conversation, in writing, and in public speaking. N«ture, indeed, in lan- guage as in other things, makes large as well as arbitrary distinctions ; bnt art •nnd industry add to the bounties of nature, and marvellously supply its de- ficiencies. Translating elegant writers from one language into another is also a continued exercise in the best kinds of composition. Our best Eng- lish Poets, Orators, and Writers, cannot be fully appreciated without some acquaintance with Grecian and Roman Literature. The whole force and «legance of their finest turns of thought are derived from their classical allu- sions. Apart from the discipline of mind, the phraseology of the learned professions, and of professional intercourse, and the vast accessions of beauti- ful imagery, I will merely add, that familiarity with the Classics has the same ed'ect upon the taste and feelings that intimncy with polished society ha«i wpon the manners. But the study of the Classics ought, surely, to be taught nnd pursued practically, as well as every other branch of learning. If tiie Classics be so taught and studied as to render the English language and the active industry of comnton life contemptible in the estimation and feelings of the student, will not the practical injury more than counterbalance the liter- ary accomplishment? The student ought to be impressed and taught, that the end of every part of his education is practice; and that the chief object of his attainments in the Greek and Latin languages, is their subserviency to a more thorough knowledge and efficient use of his own — its origin, its analo- gies, its excellencies. The most illustrious examples of classical antiqin'ty, — as well as of sacred, — may and ought also to be employed, to impress both the mind and heart of the pupil with the conviction of the dignity and duty of uniting personal industry and enterprise with genius and learning in nil the private and public relations of life ; and that his acquirements are only valu- able a9 they make him diligent and virtuous, useful and happy. II. Tlie Matlicmalics and PhysiMl Sciences. — The knowledge of Mathe- tHutics being essential to the most lucrative pursuits, the study of that science 16 lias never been neglected or midervalued. The Arts of Nuvigation and Sur- veying, of Civil and Military Engineering, in all their various relations, — the two great national interests of Commerce and Internal Improvements, and tlie various departments of human industry, — are intimately identified with the knowledge of Mathematical principles, and arc indebted for their present degree of perfection to the labours and researches of men profoundly skilled in Mathematical science. The influence of Mathematical studies, in disci- plining and invigorating the rnind, is not less important than the application of them to practical pursuits is advantageous and useful. The reasoning faculties are exercised and improved by the exactness of the science — its accutate, distinct, and infallible conclusions — and by the unlimited and cer- tain discoveries of analysis; the former tending so essentially to strengthen the intellectual powers, the latter furnishing a most potent instrument for houudless research. Though the student, in after life, may seldom or never have occasion to refer to many of the Mathematical branches which he has studied, the habits of mind which they have contributed to form, will be advan- tageous to htm in all subjects and pursuits which may engage his attention. Lord Bacon has remarked, that "men do not sufficiently understand the ex- cellent use of the pure Mathematics, in that they do remedy and cure many defects in the wit and faculties intellectual. For, if the wit be dull, they sharpen it; if too wandering, they fix it; if too inherent in the sense, they abstract it : so that use which is collateral and intervenient, is no less worthy than that which vva? principal and intended."* It was the opinion of Plato, that the youth thoroughly grounded in the Mathematics, would be quick and apt at all other sciences. But the Physical Sciences — included in the mixed INfathematics — have, aa yet, received little attention in our higher schools in this Province. Instruc- tion has been chieSy confined to the Classics; and students have acquired little or no knowledge of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, Mineralogy, Geo- logy, Astronomy, &c , except what they have obtained in another Province, or in a foreign country. If one branch of education must be omitted, surely the knowledge of the laws of the universe, and of the works of God, is of more practical advantage, socially and morally, than a knowledge of Greek and Latin. How u.seful, how instructive, how delightful, to be made acquainted with the wonders and glories of the visible creation — the invaria- ble laws by which the heavenly bodies are directed in their complicated and unceasing evolutions through the amplitudes of space — the structure of the earth on which we move, the materials of which it is cotnposed, the arrange- ment of its component parts, the revolutions and changes to which its masses have been subjected, the law.i which govern their ever-varying compositions and decompositions — the mechanical powers of air and wafer- the properties of light, heat, electricity, magnetism, «fec. — and the application of these various branches of physical science to the p.ria of increasing the means of support, • Advancement of Learning, Book II. 17 the comroit3, rofiiiements, and ctijoyiiiPiits of lili', of fMcilitatiiig the intpr- coirse ofnatioii^, and of promoliiig tlic genonl linppitiess of onr race ! On tlidie too-inucli ncglocied parts of a priiclical as woM as libera! education, « vigilant attention slioiild be bentowud, as piiystical .science generally i:i nothing but the knowledge of nature applied •" practical and iisefid pnrpofies. !I[. Another most important and extensive department of a liberal cdncn- tion is Moral Science, ombracing Mental Pliilosopliy, Natural Theology, Moral P!"o.sopliy, and Logic. The phiiosopiiy of mind inrpiircs into the nature of those spirits of wiiich wo have any certain knowledge, or which it concerns us to know— the Deity and the soul of man. The former brunch of the inquiry is termed Natural Theology ; the latter has sometimes been termed Psychology, or the philosophy of the human mind. The latter pr •- pares the way for the former. From the knowledge of ourselves and our Creator arises our duty to both. This is the province of Moral Philosophy — to explain our obligations and duties to ourselves, to our fellow-men, and to our Maker — to elucidate and apply the cardinal principles of the Scripture:* to the various relations and circumstances of human life. The manner in which we are to exercise our minds in all our inquiries and duties is taught by Lagic, which treats of the improvement and right use of our intellectual powers. To know our Maker and ourselves — to understand and discharge our duties towards both — to employ our intellectual and moral powers according to the principles of reason and truth, is the great end of our exist- ence. It should, therefore, constitute a leading feature in every system of gound education. The youth rhould be furnished with right principles, an well as with right knowledge, for action. To teach the righf principles of acquiring knowledge, without teaching him the right principles of employing it, is like teaching the science of Music and not the practice of it — is to over- look the practical purposes of education. Our moral interests and relations are the most important and lasting; education is only valuable as it promotes and elevates these. The accomplished Bishop llorne has well observed, that "if all who are engaged in the superintendence of our public seminaries could only bestow as much attention to the morals as on the learning of those under their care, so that they might go forth o'oo'^? men as well a3 good scholars, the dispute between the patrons of public and private education would be, perhaps, in a great measure, at an end."* The science of ourselves ; the science of our duty; the science of our present and future well-being, ought not to be omitted, or made even a secondary object, in the science of educa- tion. " Whether we provide for action or conversation, (says Dr. Johnson,) whether we wish to be useful or pleasing, the first requisite is the religious and moral knowledge of right and wrong: the next is an acquaintance with the history of mankind, and with those examples which may be sf'id to embody and prove by events the reasonableness of opinions. Prudence and justice are virtues of all times and of all places: we are perpetually moraliste, • Discourse on the Character of True Wisdom. 18 liiit we are geometricians only by chance. Our intercourse with intelkclnnl tmtnro knccessary; our speculations upon mn^cr arc volnntary and at leisure. Those aiithora, therefore, are to bo read at schools wliicli supply most axioms of prudence, most principles of moral truth, and most materials for conver- •alion."* IV. lihctoric and Bellcs-Ldtres The art of speaking nnd writing with purity, propriety, and elegance, n of tho lii'^liest importance to the mere English, as well as to the classical and general sscliolar. It invests the talentfl nnd knowledge of its possessor with more than n double value. Rhetoric may be considered ns relating to discourse; Bdlcs-Lctircs, to writing. Both are founded in nature; the principles of good taste arc common to both; and both are eminently subservient to individual and public interests. Rhetoric is, as duintilian has expressed it, scienlia bene dicendi — the art of speaking well. Speech is the great instrument of intercourse between man and man ; and he who can speak well, both in public and in private, on all subjects in which he may be concerned, possesses a power more enviable and formidable than that of the sword; he possesses an empire over mind, tho more admira- ble as it is entirely voluntary, — the more elevated as it is the force of reason in man's immortal nature, — the more formidable as it controls the very springs of human action. Knowledge itself cainiot properly bo said to be power, without the appropriate power lo communicate it. Thucydides reports Pericles to have remarked — "One who forms a judgment on any point, but cannot explain himself clearly to the people, might as well have never thought on the subject."t Not to be able to communicate our knowledge, is but little better than to be without knowledge. To be nseful to others, and to be in the fullest sense advantageous to ourselves, our knowledge must be commu- nicated; how to communicate it to the best advantage, it is the province of Rhetoric to teach. To be eloquent, either in conversation or public speaking, that is, to exercise the power of persuasion, three things are essential ; — cor- rect language, sound leasoning, appropriate manner of expression. The first is taught by Grammar; tho second, by Logic; the last, by Rhetoric. — Rhetoric is therefore the offshoot of Grammar and Logic ; and is the applica- tion of them to the intercourse of life. TIfe primary qualifications of the science must be furnished by nature ; and to its high and most successful exercise, goodness of heart, soundness of judgment, and an acquaintance with the rest of the liberal arts, arc essential. Rhetoric is not the art of making the " worse appear the better reason," or of dressing up falsehood in tho guise of truth, or fiction in the form of reality; it is, rightly understood and applied, the language of nature and truth — and is designed to exhibit both in their native power and splendour. Closely allied to Rhetoric, and forming indeed a branch of it, is Belles- Lcttres—\he art of writing tccll — of writing with propriety, beauty, and force. In an age o( printing and icriting— in all its varieties — to write well is of the ♦ Life of Milton. t Thucydides, b ii. 19 KiHt imporlnncc. Tlic power which uii cloqtieiil orator exerts over nn asseirt' bhj, nil utile writer exerts over a country. The " pen of a ready writer" ha* frequently proved an instrument of more potent power, than the sword of the Boldicr, or the sceptro of the monurcli. The '• heavens are iiis tinunding board," and a nation, if not the world, his andience; and his productions will be listened to with edification and delight, by ihoiisands and millions whom the liumun voice coidd never reach. But in writing, as in clo(jucncc, nature must furnish the ground-work of art. God has not given to every man the pen, any more than the tongue, of the eloquent. Art cannot crca/c,r it can only dcvdopc, combine, and apply, the resources of nature. But, while nature has furnished mankind with " diversities of gifts," and bestowed them upon one man in a greater variety and in a higher degree, than upon another; it has furnished the most useful intellectual powers, as also the most useful animal and vegetable productions, to the mass of mankind. Cul- tivation '^ essential to the fruitfulncss of both the intellectual and natural soil ; and I believe there are, in our country, comparatively few specimens of soil of either kind so barren and sterile, as not to yield under [he hand of in- dustry and art. The noble prize and the enviable power of elegant and forcible writing are within the grasp of ordinary minds, and may, in general, be viewed as the certain reward of patient industry. The value of such an acquirement cannot be estimated, as its resources of enjoyment and influence are unmeasured. It is true, that neither the art of writing nor speaking well can be acquired by a mere attention to rules; the oral and critical instructions of a competent judge of good speaking and composition must be superadded to rules, and will furnish the student with the most efficient aid in correcting the defects, remedying the blemishes, and cultivating the beauties of oratory and writing V. The last department of a liberal education on which I shall remark, relates to Theology. It appertains, strictly speaking, to but one class of students. The fundamental principles of the christian faith and of christian morality belong, indeed, to all who are educated in a christian land. With the" evidences of the former and the outlines of the latter, every student, whether Classical or merely English, should be made acquainted. The Bible is the common inheritance of Christendom ; audits principles — unconnected with the dogmas or bias of sectarisinism — should form a part of the education of all christians. But, while the fundamental principles of Christian Theology should be taught to all studeuts, it is to those who have consecrated them- selves to the work of the Christian Ministry that the study of Theology, r.a-a science, belongs. To educate young men/or the sacred ministry — irrespective' of their talents or spiritual attainments and character — has filled some sectionar of the Christian Church with wwconverted Ministers of God's Holy Word ; and, in instances not a few, vvith " sculls that could not teach, and would not learn." But, to educate young men to and in the Ministry— such young men, and such alone, as have been truly converted, and moved by the Holy Ghost, and commended by the Church,— has furnished the Church with it* «0 bciglilcat ligliU and ul)lost clufeiidcrH. NVIiuii a young tiiaii whu hiiii been •' born from above," feel i in his lieart tlint cimslrainin^ desire, that perpetual and ff;>(C((i^ kindling within to Muvo soiilti, .and, us Cltioijhul expresHcd it, " tu live, to labour, and posHt'Sii notliing, but for Jenii.s Christ and liiH Church," which indicate the " being inwardly moved by the Holy Ciiiost to lake upon him the ollice of the Mini.ttry in tlio Church of Christ,"* and when snch a young man in uUo, in the judgment of the Chnrcli, endowed with gifls at well as blest with grace, what can bu more rational and Hcriplural than for him to " study to become a workman that necduth not to be aithanied ?" The Procidenccof Cod docs not supersede, but blesses human labour in cultivat- ing and developing the resources of the earlh The Spirit of Cod does not supersede, but blesses, the efforts of the mind to collect the treasures of Theological knowledge. It is true, as the llev. Joiui Newton has forcibly expressed it, that, " None but lie who made the world, can make alSIinister of the Gospel. If a young man has capacity, culture and application may make him a scholar, a philosopher, or an orator; but a true Minister must have certain principles, motives, feelings and aims, which no industry or endeavours of tuen can either acquire or communicate. They must be given from above, or they cannot be received. "t It is also true, as the venerable Bishop Sanderson has remarked, that, " You may rise up early, and go to bed late, and study hard, and read much, and devour the marrow of the best authors; and when you have done all, unless God gicc a blessing to your en- deavours, be as lean and as meagre in regard to true and useful learning us Pharaoh's lean kine were after they had devoured the fat ones. It is God that both ministereth seed to the sower, and miiltiplieth the seed sown : the principal and the increase arc both his."t But it is likewise equally true, that, as there will be no harvestWhere no seed has been sown, so there will be no knowledge without the seed-sowing and tillage of study. Christian Theology forms no exception to this general rule. Even the inspired Paul and the Evangelist Timothy were as diligent students as they were devout Christians and laborious Ministers. So obvious and important is this prin- ciple, that the Discipline of the Wesleyan-Methodist Church enjoins each of its Ministers to study, at least, five hours out of every twenty-four. But, if study be so essential to the character and success of an able Minister, in the labours of his vocation, how important must it be to qualify him for them ! There are various branches of knowledge which are requisite to an able and accomplished Minister of the Gospel, but which are not immediately connected with his pulpit and pastoral duties. The reading of the Scriptures and other works in the original languages will furnish most valuable knowledge for the preacher and the pastor, and may form a part of his daily studies; but those languages must be learned before they can be read with facility— and the study of them is a preliminary work, not connected with the sacred office, any I "i I * Ordination of Deacons in the Church of England, t Works, vol. V. p. 62. J Scrnjons. . 21 mortj than it U coiiiicctcJ with law or medicine. Much of what in (aught by natural, mental, and moral Bcinnce, enters into the every-day duties of tha able Minister and Pastor ; but a science must bu studied before its principles, and facts, and phenomena, run be understood. And how mucii more oppro- priately, successfully, and comfortably, can this whole course of preparatory study be pursued in a Collegiate Institution, with the aid of instructors and other facilities, than amid the duties, and labours, and ttiuls, and afllictions, incident to the life of a Christian Pastor. It is to be hoped that the time is not distant, when the advantages of the four yean' comprehonsivo course of study which our Church enjoins upon candidates /or the ministry during the four years of their probation, may be conferred upon them previously to their entering upon their pastoral labours—rendering them, from the moment of their first appointments to circuits, men of one work, as well as of" onebook," instead of occupying a considerable portion of four of the most active years of their lives with preliminary, though essential, studios. Such a consum- mation will add as much valuable ministerial labour to the Church, as it will add to the efficiency of that labour. I refer not hero to a smattering acquaintance with Greek and Latin, such as has often been absurdly required as the only qualification for the sacred ofHcc ; I refer, in addition to previous acquisitions in literature, to the study of the Science of Theology and its teveral branches — embracing Diblical Criticism, the Evidences, Doctrines, Morals, Institutions, and History of Christianity ; that each Minister in our Church may be such as is described by our Lord, — " A Scribe instructed into the kingdom of Heaven, who can, like a provident householder, bring out of his treasure new things and old." I believe, with the learned Dr. Chalmers, that the doctrines and morals of Christianity are so fully and so variously taught in the Holy Scriptures, that a clear and comprehensive knowledge of them may be acquired through the medium of the English language alone. It seldom occurs that a reference to any other than the authorised excellent English translation of the Scriptures is requisite, or is made to advantage, in illustiating any of the practical doc- trines or duties of the christian religion. If they may be thus studied and learned, they may also be taught ; and it happens that some of the most successful preachers of Christ crucified — the great theme of the Christian Ministry — are acquainted with no othor than their native tongue. Such is the case, for instance, with the Rev. Robert Newton, — of the Wesleyan Connexion in England— one of the most able, popular, and successful Min- isters of the present age. Many similar examples might be adduced. Such men, however, have acquainted themselves with general science and history, as well as with the doctrines, institutions, and genius of our holy religion. But, however able a preacher a mere English scholar may be, he cannot stand upon the walls of Zion as a defender of some of her vital doctrines, and of several most precious portions of sacred writ, against the criticisms and sophistry of the learned Unitarian, Socinian, and Sceptic ; he cannot drink in critical Scriptural knowledge at the fountain, but must be content to receive C S3 itteconJ-liaiKl ; liu c.iiitiot enjoy tlio liallowi'il [ilermiiro of rending nitil iirlicrf* luting thu wardd uF inM|iiratiun in llio laiigiia^uH clioflun hy (lod liiniMelf to rcvuul liii will to niunUind. And i\n inl'idulity lias endcavoiired tu preM inta iU ■ervico alniortl uvury di>[>artni(!nt of nutnral and mental »ciiinvu, how iin« portaiit lit it that the appdinted defcnderi of the citadfl of ttutii niiould be ubio, like Uutler, and Paley, and Cain[il)e!l, to wn;st from the adversary his own choaen weapons, restoro them to tho christian armory, and umploy thonl with unerring prvcitiion and deadly elFect against tho (joliuth of .scepticiHUi und infidelity ! The God of grace is also the God oC iiatnro ; how delightful to trace his footsteps in the works and laws of tho material universe, us well as in the pages of Revelation! The one displays His power, wisdoMi, and beneficence; the other proclaims His holiness, justice, and mercy. What God has made, ns well as what Ho has revealed, demands our attention, and cannot full to excite, in tho mind of tho diligent and devout student, feelings of veneration, gratitude, and praise. It is ti gross mistake to suppose that extensive learning in a minister is unfriendly to christian zeal and enterprise. Among tho most learned Divines of which tho Church can boast, will be found a Wicklifie — Luther — Mclancthon — Calvin— Cranmer — Taylor— Lcighton — Owen — Howe — Henry — Wesley — Fletcher — Doddridge — Watts — Scott, nnd Clarke; und who, since the days of the Apostles, have excelled them in holiness, zeal, and memorable deeds for tho diil'usion of pure and undefilcd religion 7 It has been said, that somo men have risen to great distinction nnd useful- ness without the aid of a liberal and theological training, and therefore none is necessary. As well might wo deny tho utility of books in Geometrical and Astronomical studies, because Euclid studied Geometry, and Ferguson, As- tronomy, without the aid of books. As well might we deny the utility of mercantile and mechanical education because some untaught, or, rather, self- taught men, have become eminent merchants and mechanics. These men have succeeded, not because of their deficiencies, but, in spite of them. De- prived of the preliminary help of a regular ttaining, they have remedied the defect by untiring industry and indomitable energy in their self-direc- ted private studies. But even these noble examples of unaided intellectual achievement are among the first to lanTont the want of early opportunities of mental improvement, and to encourage, by ;\ll neans in their power, an ear- ly, systematic, and liberal education. With tho intellectual improvements of society, an efHcient Christian Ministry must also keep pace. The provision of a libend education for the members of our Church, wilt, ere long, involve its indispensable necessity for their Ministry. It is wise to anticipate what is inevitable. Such is a synopsis of the Liberal Education contemplated by the establish- ment of Victoria College, with such remarks on its several departments as circumstances seem to tender necessary. Of its importance and advantages to the several learned professions, no doubt can be entertained. In the most extensive and impottant science iu the world— the science of Theology— the Bi1vMntn;jPs of a lil)Pnil rjitcalion nro pnramotiiit Ijryond qiiomloii. All th« «livirio Iciiriiiri;^ in thn world n cnnlniiUMliii tli« hnnUt of the Old nrid New Te»tniuiMif, wliicli w(m« wrillon hy llio inilliorily of Clod liiiiifoir in i|>« ]ffl. brew nnd (irofk lariffingororn Ir to .- ; i. ;■ Guardian Offick, J. H. Lawrenck, Printer. '? » : ;t', ' urnish but to , to be e kept noting idemic f each exhibit by the lencies dmoni- bill of nquent ng the