The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-12-15
A SUDDEN CONVERSION.
A Startling Sermon from the Fourth
Chapter Of Collisions"
PARsoN LEE,s PREAcHING.


PARSON LEES PREACHING.
AMProN-How A STRANGE WOMAN BROKE
Up CHURCH AND coNvERTED A MINIS
TER.
The Southampton, l.. l., correspondent OF
the New York Sun says; Within distance of
two miles from this interesting hamlet, one
of the oldest, II not the oldest, English settle
hills, overlooking the ocean. and stretching
from the outer limits ofthe village down to
where the isthmus on which Canoe Place
stands, divides the great Peconic from Shin
necock bay. On those hills dwell the nae sger
remnant OF the once proud tribe OF Shinne-
cocks. They are now Indians only In name,
and number but 200 souls. About thirty
years ago there came among them fugitive
slave from South Carolina, who was
not long in making himself popular with
them, and, in course OF time, he became
their minister. In the past third OF a GEN.
fury be filled large space in the unwritten
page of the history of the tribe. He WAS
remarkable character and has just departed
for better land. James K. Lee, better
known a. "Priest Lee" ran away from
South Carolina in slave days, leaving q wife
and children behind him. he hoped that
in the eyer changing course of events he
might some day be enabled to return to his
pass the remainder OF his lie with them, I'M
swed by fear of overseer's whip. aud secure
in the feeling that no trader would ever sell
him from the block. Years rolled on and,
little by little, his dim hopes faded and then
they died out altogether, when one day he
long separated, and that she had been dead
for two or three years.
BEGINNING A NEW LIFE.
l. III II I'D dr.,
ally from the depths of gloom into which
his crushing grief had cast him, and aided
by the rude sympathy of his new-found
friends, he entered with fresh vigor upon the
labor of lite. First he taught himself TO
read, and became the best scholar on the
reservation. Then he took to himself a wife,
the sister Of Luther and David Bum, the
two chiefs OF the Shiunecocks; and while
industriously engaged in providing by msn-
usl labor tor the support Of his household,
found time to make close study ofthe
Bible. He saw its truths by the dim, I'M
certain light of ignorant enthusiasm, but
to him they were all as plain as day; aud
the mysteries of prophecy he thought he
read with eyes streng' hened by inspira-
ton. He began 20 preach, and IS spirit
ual guide waxed stronger and stronger in
the affections of his people, who by
unanimous consent had by this
time made him az honored member
of the tribe. IL must not be inferred that
Priest Lee had developed into prodigy of
learning. He had not attempted TO master
the sbstruse philosophy of the schools; he
had never heard Of the Fathers of the
Church; and bis kno Wedge of systems was
confined TO a vague notion OF difference be-
tween the CalviDistlc doctrine I'D that OF
Theodore Parker. But his people believed
him to be paragon OF learning, and his
questioned. he was kindly old man, and
nike another preacher whom the poet has
/ smmortslizsd:
When religious sects ran mad,
He hello, In spite of all bis learning,
That when mans belief Is bad,
1t will not be improved by burning;
but sought by prayer to bring the hereto to
| a saving kno wledge of the truth as he saw It,
STRANGE WOMAN APPEARS.
Ten or twelve years ago the serenity Of
the ShinnecOck atmosphere was disturbed
saved to convert the people to belief in
| the doctrines of the Millerites. Her pres
ence annoyed the good priest Lee; but unit
she began to hold meetings Just outside the
| church in which he wss preaching, he made
no attempt 10 com bat her arguments. Be-
lore long he found his congregation grow.
ing small by degree 8, until one Sunday be
scathiRg sermon against iaise prophets.
This, to his dismay, did not have the de-
sired effect, for on the following Sunday
there was not soul in the house save him.
sslf, his wife, and his son. Slowly and sadly
he put away his Bible, ana walked out
into tie tield where the strange woman wa:
preaching to the open mOuthed Shinnecocks
He listened, and became a convert. WbeI
the next Sunday came the church ssats
were filed, for it had been no:ssd abroad
In the reservation that Priest Lse had be.
come Millerite. He announced his text liz
this wise: "Brutheren and sisters, have
experienced change In my belief. Thint
not hard of ms, my hearers, for him wba
don't change some of his opinions dom
kreck none Of his Mistakes. Listen now
whilst talk unto you from the 10Th verse
OF the third chapter OF Collisions: wher
Christ who air our life shell appear, thel
shell We also appear with him in glory
, He preached from this a sermon bristlin,
all over with points of logic and fragIau
/ throughout with such flowers Of rhetoric a
could have grown only on the storm-swep
hills of Shinnecock. OF course not all tn
people on the reservation were church
goers. Many OF them, indeed, were scot
fers, and 10 these the sudden conversion O
Priest Lee to what they considered q ridicu
lous faith was
} sURJEcr FOR MUCH SPORT.
There was about an equal division anon
the people. The believers chung to tn
priest; the unbelieveis stayed away fror
church, cracked their Jokes, and no NOR
thought Of a n illennium near at hand thsl
of midnight raid upon the hills by a schoo
of right whales from the North Pacific
''Never mind, my brutneren," said Prizes
; Les, 1.-THE tOotin' of rams horns broke dow
the walls Of Jericho, an L calc'lsIe as no,
our pTa'rs III bring these sinners to Go
a'ore the Angel Gabriel blows his'n." So
went on with his preaching. One day tn
strange woman paid another visit to the In
! tigious peace" but there were heart
burnings here, and ill-ieelings there
and state ri unplesssntness every
where. Wife va against husband, so
against father, daughter against mother
all on the second advent questlon-an
an open war seemed imminent. But whe
the Millerlte woman gave notice that tn
world Was to end in fifteen days, Priest LIE