and strengthen the faith and to make your boy fit to earnestly contend for the faith, no matter in what line of battle the Lord may choose to place him? The question gives the answer. Therefore send us your boy, and thus foster our institutions!

Furthermore; with the students in our institutions our next care must be to give them the proper course of learning, to secure the ablest corps of professors, to furnish to the best of our ability all that is necessary for, and conducive to, thorough instruction, to keep our institutions in an up-to-date condition, second to none. As to the college course, would you cut out the study of ancient and foreign languages, as of little consequence for a minister? Or would you ask, Why should the prospective minister waste so much time and money and energy in learning the intricacies of natural sciences, mathematics, physics, history, and the like? I answer: The very nature of his life work in which he must deal with men in every walk of life peremptorily demands the broadest education in a minister. And as to the languages, we cannot possibly dispense with them, if our colleges would fulfill their mission. As long as it will be necessary to preach the Gospel unto salvation, so long will it be necessary to heed the exhortation of our Luther: "As dearly as we love the Gospel, so firmly let us hold on to the languages." I dare say, a ministry not conversant with the original languages of the Bible is at best but a makeshift, to be supplanted as speedily as time and the properly directed zeal of the Christians will permit. Therefore let us foster our colleges to the best of our ability, advancing them on every line, as professors, as pastors, and as laymen.

A word to you, beloved lay-Christians. Foster our institutions also with this world's goods, according as the Lord has blessed you, with your money, with your influence, with all that is helpful to maintain and upbuild them, ever mindful that serving them you are serving your own highest interests. Your charity can find no worthier object, be it in aiding indigent students, the number of whom is limited only by the aid proffered; be it in founding scholarships; be it in supplying some

42 ORATION AT THE DEDICATION OF NEW COLLEGE BUILDING.

other of the manifold wants. Regarding these wants I would here mention, with a sense of deepest gratitude, what, e. g., this college owes to our good people of Fort Wayne. Ever since this institution has come among them, they have looked upon it and its inmates as their own, going so far as to welcome, year upon year, the stranger-youths into their homes and to their boards, and very materially reducing their expenses by caring for their laundries. I, for my part, up to this day gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness for the warm hearts and the helping hands which so generously assisted me during my sojourn in this my Alma Mater. May the blessings of God continue to abound exceedingly over our beloved Fort Wayne Christians for this their noble work.

Yet, one more, and that above all else, is our bounden duty as regards our institutions. This is, to prayerfully watch that they remain true to their purpose, viz., to uphold and propagate "God's Word and Luther's doctrine pure." It is true even here, as in all of our Christian life and work: "With might of ours naught can be done." The Lord of His Church is the Valiant One under whose guidance and fostering care alone our institutions can prosper. And they will prosper, for they are His, and shall ever redound to His glory alone. To Him we look for the blessings over them; to His hands do we commend them. But ours is the blessed privilege to be the agents of the Lord in this great work. And to watch and pray, and to pray and watch, that our institutions remain true, this is a duty from which nothing but death will release us. Therefore I charge you, venerable members of the Faculty, the honorable Board of Directors, officers of Synod, all here present, and in you our whole Synod, to prayerfully watch, so that each and every student of our institutions learn "to keep that which is committed to his trust" (1 Tim. 6, 20). Then, by the grace of our dear Savior Jesus Christ our Synod will remain a bulwark against the prince of darkness and his hosts, ever "contending for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Amen. Pittsburgh, Pa. W. BROECKer.

BROADCHURCHISM AND THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

On this topic Prof. W. Brenton Greene, Jr., D. D., on October 10, 1904, delivered an address at the religious conference in Princeton Theological Seminary. His remarks deserve more than passing notice, in the first place, because of the concise and forceful statement of truths that cannot be set forth too often, and secondly, because the address was delivered on the eve of the first convention of the Inter-church Conference on Federation in New York City, which represents an effort in behalf of Broadchurchism such as was never before attempted. We quote from an extensive extract of Dr. Greene's address in The Presbyterian of November 1, 1905.-ED.

"Broadchurchism is the tendency to regard Church union as more important than Church distinction. In every one of its degrees it differs from the tendency toward federation. The latter is animated by love of the truth. For the sake of the truths which the Churches agree in holding it would have them cooperate in work, while for the sake of the truths distinctive of them it would have them retain their individuality. Broadchurchism, on the contrary, is always characterized by more or less of indifference to truth. It would sacrifice even truth for the greater efficiency which it supposes would result from the organic union of denominations. In a word, Broadchurchism is ecclesiastical utilitarianism. Broadchurchism prevails widely and is increasing. This appears in the passion for denominational union, and it is rendered significant by the simultaneous movement for federation. It must, indeed, be strong to exist alongside of a tendency so opposed. That it does is explained when we consider the soil in which Broadchurchism is growing. Indifference to religious truth is well-nigh universal and is spreading. This is so even in our own church. Of our 8681 Sabbath schools, in only 3326 was the Catechism taught last year. Ten years ago, however, though our schools were 812 fewer, those in which instruction in the Catechism was given were 490 more numerous. Is it strange that Broadchurchism flourishes? Is Broadchurchism favorable to the Christian life? It might be presumed to be. It aims to be. It is indifferent to the truth, not because hostile to it, but because it regards Christian life as more important. Its sincere endeavor is to bring in Christ's kingdom. This it might be argued that it is doing.

Never was the Church so organized or so aggressive as now. In spite of corruption in high places, individual life also and character attest more generally than, perhaps, in any age the prevalence of Christian principles. Must not, then, Broadchurchism favor the Christian life? I believe not, and for the following reasons:

"First, It tends to mental suicide. It would secure the organic union of churches by ignoring the differences between them. It is, however, through the recognition of differences that the mind is developed. Even generalization, the highest exercise of the mind, depends on such recognition. The Broadchurch attitude must, consequently, be opposed to mental clearness and vigor. If unchecked, it would issue in mental suicide. It must, therefore, in itself be sinful. Could it, then, foster the spirit of holiness? Not unless evil can produce good.

"Secondly, It expresses indifference to God. As we have seen, it is rooted in indifference to truth in general and to religious truth in particular. A lower value is put on it than on intention and conduct. Truth, however, is the real conception of reality. Of such conception God is always the author. Consequently, indifference to it must be disrespect to Him, and so cannot be favorable to the life hid with Christ in Him.' Especially is this so in the sphere of religious truth. Here God is not only the author of truth; He is Himself 'the truth.' He is Himself the object of our perception and conception. The various doctrines are just so many different views of God Himself. They are God as we see Him. Hence, to be indifferent to them is to be indifferent to Him.

"Thirdly, We see at once how this is when we inquire into the nature of truth and its relation to moral character and so to Christian life. There is a prevalent theory, that truth may be of the feelings as well as of the intellect; that what is true to the feelings may be false to the intellect, and vice versa; and that Christian life, because rooted in the feelings, would better be developed without reference to such intellectual conceptions as doctrinal statements. This theory is radically false. There

is no knowledge of the heart. 'Feeling is a state of mind consequent on the reception of some idea.' So far from giving knowledge, it presupposes it. Hence, the religion of the heart is impossible without the theology of the head. Genuine religion can no more be creedless than pleasure or pain can be unconscious. Again, the head and the heart are not opposed. They are not even different faculties. They are only differing modes of the one and indivisible activity of man. For this reason, too, the religion of the heart and the theology of the head cannot be divorced. Unless the heart be disposed toward Christ, the head cannot, because it will not, discern the truth of Christ; and, on the other hand, zeal in His cause will be strong and abiding in proportion as the faith from which it springs and by which it is nourished is intelligent. Hence, the destructive tendency of Broadchurchism is explained. It inclines to ignore the intellect, which is one of the two indispensable factors in all right action and life.

"Fourthly, The argument is only strengthened by the objection, that, while truth is the primary element in right conduct, it is not all truth that has reference to conduct, and that the truth to which Broadchurchism is indifferent is not truth of this particular kind. The truth that it would ignore is too abstract to have any practical application. Even mathematical truth, however, has practical relations. Though it neither prompts nor indicates any special course of conduct, its comprehension will depend, in part, on the disposition, and will affect the character. But this is not the main consideration. The doctrines of Christianity are never mere abstract propositions. Every one of them both indicates duty and inspires to its performance. As every truth concerning God's will has direct application to our lives, and as His will is the expression of His nature, so every truth regarding the latter must bear on the obedience due from us. Hence, our Lord teaches that life eternal is to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.' "Fifthly, The argument is further confirmed by the history of the Church. It shows, that Christian life has been according