The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-12-01
SUNDAY AT
THE CHURCHES.
Rev. Baker P. Lees Ser
mon at
ST. PETERS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Inclement Weather, and Only Small
Crowds In Attendance at the
Churches.
From Mondays DAILY HERALD.l

Rev. Baker P. Lee preached most
interesting and instructive discourse at
st. Peters Episcopal Church Sunday
morning from Deuteronomy -. 2.3l-"For
their rock is not as our Rock, even our
enemies themselves being just"
Mr.. Lee entered upon his subject with
much earnestness, and held the rapt at
tention of his audience during his entire
discourse. In the first part of his SER
mon he set forth the difference between
the two rocks referred to in his text.
The former rock of the world-he
said, could give fame and temporal hon
ors and gains, but it could not bestow
the peace and rest and happiness afford
ed by the latter.
The worldly rock could give wealth,
but those who held to it could not obtain
eternal life thereby. There are thous-
ands of men in the world to-day, who,
ike the children of Israel, when they
wandered from the teachings of God and
worshipped the golden calf, are worship
ping the almighty dollar and devoting
their whole time and talents towards
gaining wealth. They call themselves
business men, yet they cannot realize
that, though they are laying up great
riches here upon earth, they are losing
something that is far more valuable; "for
what is man profited, if he shall gain
the whole world, and lose his own soulY''
AS an example of the fickleness of hu-
man fame and honors, the speaker re-
ferred to the hero of Manila Bay, who
had been paid the greatest homage ever
accorded any hero, the Caesars not ex-
cepted; volumes had been written in his
commentator, and his name and deed
had been heralded with honor in every
hamlet throughout the nation; yet, in a
day, his fame vanished and he fell from
the high place that had been given him
in the hearts of his countrymen. What,
then, are all the wealth and fame and
honors that the rock of the world can
give, compared to the peace and happi-
ness of the Christians Rock?
The speaker commented at length
upon the latter part of the text-''even
our enemies themselves being judges.
The infidel may hold to his theories
during life, yet in the hour of death he
forsakes the rock to which he has
clung and pleads for mercy from God
the Rock of our salvation. The man OF
the world bears testimony himself that
his rock is unable to bring comfort and
life to the dying sinner
And what is this Rock to which the
man of God clings for life and happi-
ness? In another portion of the scrip
lures reference is made to the "shadow
of great rock in a weary land The
traveller, journeying across the arid de
sert, his body racked with pain and al
most exhausted from the scorching
heat, beholds great rock before him
He rushed forward in his eagerness and
finds rest and refuge and refreshing
sleep beneath its cooling shade. So is
the religion of God to the wandering
sinner in a desert of sin. 1mmovable as
the mountains, the great Rock stands
as refuge and resting place to the
sin-sick soul.
When the children of Israel were suf
fering and dying from thirst in the
wilderness, Moses was commanded tC
strike upon the rock with his rod, and
the life-giving waters gushed forth. So
on the cross of Calvary the Son of God
the Christians Rock, shed his life
/ blood, that sinful, dying world might
be saved; and that crimson flood which
gushed from his pierced side, flowing
down through the centuries, has giver
life and hope to thousands upon thou
sands of souls.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Lees ser
mon. the Holy Communion was oh
! served.
Mr. Lee preached at o'clock in the
evening to the congregation of the Ad
vent Chapel.