The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-10-26
Hk PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR.. JAMES w. LEE.
Subject: How We Know God.

! Rev DR.. James w. Lee. rastor of
! Trinity VI. +. Church, South Atlanta.
! Ga, acted as pastor OF three Brook
! lyn churches, Bethany Dutch Re-
| formed, Simpson NJ T.. and Central
! baptist. These churches united their
! congregations into one, and invited
| Dr. Lee TO serve them. The sermon
| last Sunday was at Simpson Church
/ The subject was How 10 Knou,
| Goa, and the text Hosea vi:3: "Thon
shall We know, If we follow on to
know the Lord" DR.. Lee said
FOR all our knowledge we are in
debted 10 three forms Of mental ac-
tvlty which are known as intuition
| rcllect!On and recollection, or TO usa
different forms for the same things
we can call them perception. by
+, means OF which we recognize single
things; conception, by which we de-
duce general terms from singla
things; and recollection, by which
we recall previous perceptions and
recolIectiOns. That IS. the human
mind can know the natural world
the human world and the spiritual
world, by the activity Of the intultive
cOnceptive and recOllectiye pownrs
FROM intuitiOns man generalizes CON
ceptlons or ideas Of greater comDre-
henslYeness, and he can call back
past perceptions and conceptions
through his powers of recollection
Man has three great intellectual en-
dowments: he can perceive, he can
conceive, he can remember.
Our intuitions, our perceptions
may be divided into three classes
We have intuitions Of the world:
theSe are sense perceptions: we have
intuitiOns Of ourselves: these are
ShIi-perceptiOns; and we have intui-
tlons OF the spiritual world; these
are religious perceptions.
1t must be understood. hovever
that we can have no cognitions or
perceptions OF either nature. man or
Goa, unless nature, man and God
come before the mind In every per-
ception there must be a perceiyer
something perceived, and an act Of
perception. No world can be seen
unless there is a world before the
nina; no man can be seen unless
there is man before the mind. No
man can create perceptions either OF
nature, man or God. out of nOthing
For all his perCaUtiOns Of nature
man or God, he is shut uD to the OH
Jects which produce them. He could
no more have religious nerceptiOns
without God than he could have self
perceptions without man, or sense
perceptions without a world SDirit-
uaI lntuitlons are as indubitable evil
denceS OF the presence Of God. rs
sense intujtionS are Of the presence
or the material world. or rs sclf-iu-
tullons are Of the presence Of man.
II religions intuitions do not implv
COD, as sens"-perceptiOus imDN ma
lure, and self-cognitiOns implv man.
then civilization is an unsubstantial
dream. When person o6ioctifes
hlhlS'll into some one else and comes
az length 10 believe himself a ruler
OF nation when every ono of his
friends knows d" is only John Smith
q jury is called 10 pass on his sanity.
ii a man continues TO talk into one
end OF a telephone and 20 get an
sWerS back when there is no one at
the other end Of II. a jury is called TO
inquire into the state of his mind.
Now, II for thousands Of wears tho
human race has been percciying God
IN nature, in conscience. in history.
and answering back through PRAYER
ana reverence and song and liturgy
and doctrine and temple. when in
iact no GOD has been perceived. then
II Is e'loeht that human nature is
CohS''lu'ionaljy deranged. It is re-
inaTkaoI'' n however, that man should
ma hllNSeli led astray at none of tho
SaIe"a|S through which he holds
commerce with outside reality except
'he reIlElouS. The gateway of vision
opens out directly into the kingdom
OIL ilSht' Inc gateway of sound et-
aCtIE auJolns the kingdom OF melody.
Inc intellect borders on the realm
OF truth. The universe fits closely
ABOUT and meets and matches every
human sense except the religious. If
man would breathe, there is the air:
II ne would satisfy his hunger, there
Is tood; II he would slake his thirst,
there Is water; II he would talk there
are vibrations to carry his words.
Every door OF the soul and body is
an open port through which there is
constant exchange OF inside and out
side merchandise, except the one