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that is — Why is it that we know God ? Is it because of our intelligence ? 
If so, all intelligent men must know God ; and in accordance with the 
development of our intelligence, so must be our knowledge of God. But 
then comes the question — Is Herbert Spencer a fool or an idiot ? We all 
acknowledge that he is a man of high intelligence, an accepted reasoner and 
philosopher ; and that, therefore, if a knowledge of God depends upon 
intelligence, Herbert Spencer must acknowledge God. The question is 
then— Is he dishonest ? Certainly we cannot come to this conclusion, as we 
have no reason for doing so. Therefore, we must conclude that the know- 
ledge of God does not depend upon our intelligence. Upon what, then, 
does it depend ? The only conclusion we can come to is this — that our 
knowledge must depend on a faculty of the mind, which we all possess, 
which God has given us, and by which we are absolutely bound to 
acknowledge Him. If it depended on intelligence, then Herbert Spencer 
must acknowledge God more than the poor woman who reads her Bible in 
her cottage or garret. This poor woman may not be altogether void of 
intelligence, but she has not the intelligence of Herbert Spencer. 
Nevertheless, she acknowledges God because she possesses a faculty 
which absolutely compels her to worship Him. If we look at human 
nature we shall find that this knowledge is a matter of compulsion, and that 
we cannot get away from it. Let us leave this place, and try to put God out 
of our thoughts, and we shall not be able to do so. If next Sunday, or 
to-night, we should find, on opening our Bibles, every word obliterated, still 
we should have a knowledge of God ; and even if all the teachings of 
Christianity were obliterated, we should still worship Him, because God has 
put into our minds a witness of Himself which is entirely independent of 
reason. Eeason may turn so absolutely idiotic, as to worship everything 
and anything in animate or inanimate nature ; but there is a faculty of 
the mind that will compel us, whether we like it or not, to worship God — 
and because this faculty is possessed by all men, not all the teachings of all 
the philosophers combined can ever eradicate the desire to worship God. 
As well might they try and teach us that it is foolish to eat and drink, as 
teach us it is foolish to worship God, because to do so seems to me, from all 
I know of human nature, to be a matter of absolute necessity. (Applause.) 
Mr. Woods Smith (a Visitor). — I desire to say a word or two, because I 
have been afraid it might be thought the innocent were being slain with 
the guilty. Mr. Lias acknowledges that there are some true things in 
Herbert Spencer’s works, and I do also, although, like Mr. Lias, I am a 
Christian. I learn that I cannot find out God by searching and investi- 
gating and thinking, or by any effort of my mind or heart ; and that if God 
is to be known, He can only be known by His revealing Himself to me. 
If Mr. Spencer were here to-night, I believe he would say : “ I agree with 
you there.” He says, with regard to this power of which we speak, no 
limits must be assigned to it. If I were to say to him : u You do not, 
therefore, limit the possibility of that Power revealing itself to you or to 
me?” I think he would say : “ Certainly not.” Here, then, Herbert 
