hose brave men who advocated an intelligent
religion forty years ago, were denounced, from almost every pulpit in our
country, as a set of "whitewashed infidels," having no religion, and
"without God in the world."

But that day is past, and we are in a period in which mind generally
predominates. The language of the emotional is seldom heard. In that
period it was common to hear men ask: "How did you get religion?" "where
did you get religion?" "where did you get religion?" "describe it;" "O I
can't, it is better felt than expressed." Such language was in keeping
with a very common idea which was held sacred in those days. It was this,
the Lord made general provision for the salvation of men, but He makes a
special application to the sinner. Of course, all to whom salvation was
not especially applied, were, in the estimation of those people, _lost_.
There are a few communities yet that are away back in the emotional
period. There are men and women in every community who are yet governed by
their emotional nature in matters of religion. Those persons have no use
for an intelligent, argumentative preacher. They want a preacher who will
say smoothe things; and there is now and then a preacher who has no
strength outside of the emotional.

We have an emotional nature. I am glad that we have. I would not be an
intellectual wooden-man if I could. But if you say, the Almighty Father
intended that we should be intellectually subordinated to our emotional
nature, and therefore governed by our passions, or feelings, I shall deny
it. He never intended that we should be governed by our passions. To-day
there are strong intellects in unbelief flooding our country with their
literature. How shall they be met? Mr. Moody says, "Show them that you are
full of Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost." Very well. Can you do that
without the truth? can you do that without word or wisdom? can you do it
without "contending earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the
saints?" In the days of Christ and His apostles the men who were full of
the Holy Spirit had a mouth and wisdom which none of their adversaries
were able to resist or gainsay. The antichrists of our day can not be met
successfully without reason, without argument, without meeting the
intellectual demands of the times.

There are intellectual men and women in almost every community throughout
our country--men and women with whom intelligence governs--who want the whys
and wherefore