NEW YORK, January 20, 1892.
_THE ELY LECTURES_--1891.
The lectures contained in this volume were delivered to the students of
Union Theological Seminary in the year 1891, as one of the courses
established in the Seminary by Mr. Zebulon Stiles Ely, in the following
terms:
"The undersigned gives the sum of ten thousand dollars to the Union
Theological Seminary of the city of New York, to found a
lectureship in the same, the title of which shall be 'The Elias P.
Ely Lectures on the Evidences of Christianity.'
"The course of lectures given on this foundation is to comprise any
topics that serve to establish the proposition that Christianity is
a religion from God, or that it is the perfect and final form of
religion for man.
"Among the subjects discussed may be:
"The Nature and Need of a Revelation;
"The Character and Influence of Christ and his Apostles;
"The Authenticity and Credibility of the Scriptures, Miracles, and
Prophecy;
"The Diffusion and Benefits of Christianity; and
"The Philosophy of Religion in its Relation to the Christian
System.
"Upon one or more of such subjects a course of ten public lectures
shall be given, at least once in two or three years. The
appointment of the lecturer is to be by the concurrent action of
the directors and faculty of said Seminary and the undersigned; and
it shall ordinarily be made two years in advance."