The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-28
ELOQUENT SERMON ON "SOUL W|NN|NC'' The Rev. W. R. Hendrix 6reets
 Large Congregation LARGE CROWD AT ST. JOHNS "Let Him Know That He Which Con verteth Sinner from the Error
 of His Way Shall Have
 Soul from Death"
LARGE CROWD AT ST. JOHNS

service yesterday. His theme was, Soul Winning" The text was taken from James 5:9O. Let him know that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way, shall save soul from death"
 MT. Hendrix said In part:
 While salvation Is from the Lord, it has pleased Him to employ human instru- mentality in affecting this glorious work The comprehensive view of the plan of salvation, given In the concise utterance "They went everywhere preaching the word. God working with them" Every true Christian, like his Lord, Is sent to seek and 10 save that which Is lost. It Is the highest privilege of the individual and the ultimate purpose of the organized church to win souls; and the most glow Ing chapters of Christian history have of this heaven-inspired purpose. An analysis of the text reveals fin the first place the fact too frequently overlooked that the work of winning souls Is
 Not Confined to the Ministry.
 The humbIest Christian wnose associate is estranged from God, is commissioned by the Lord of the harvest to bring this lost sheep back to the Savior's fold. Among us there moves a multitude whose steps are hastening to perdition. They touch elbows with you in business and social life They have not yet become reprobates but as sure as Gods word is true they are on their way to utter ruin. Being nearer to you than anyone else. they are dependent upon you for that as- sistance which you can give, and without which they cannot recover themselves from the snare of the devil
 An Individual Work.
 While Jesus has ordered the church to use the net In fishing for men, He left many instances on record of seeking individuals, and He never deemed con gregation of one an unpromlsing field for evangefistic effort. By virtue of signal success in net-flshing many of our people walt for great meeting In order to see sinners converted. They overlook the sig nificant fact that faithful personal work has been the forerunner of every genuine revival of religion. Wherever the members oR the church are busy seeking indi- sidua1s who are not converted, there the pastor may feel sure he can cast the net for the multitude.
 Soul Saving Momentous Work.
 St. James exhorts the readers of his epistle to diligence In this work because of the unspeakable values involved. What words car, even suggest to us the mean ing of saving a soul from death. Minis ters of the gospel as well as church members fall far short in their estimate of the value of converting one soul from the error of his way. A pastor once said to a local preacher whom he had known many years, I think you ought to quit preaching. In fifteen years you have only led one sinner to repentance. The local preacher spoke with emotion and said I have often felt discouraged and thought of giving up all efforts to preach because I did not know that one soul had been converted through my instru- mentality. But if one has been led to re- pentence here's for another fifteen years Such appreciation of this work we all need. How strange that every other in- telligent and responsible creature of God should know more the real meaning and value of the conversion of soul than we ourselves May the Holy Spirit roll upon the Christian men and women of this city the weight of the value Of immortal souls.
 The Peril of the Sinner.
 Our zeal in soul-winning ls in direct proportion to the vividness of our per- ception of the sinners peril. The main- spring of the most fervent and fruitful ministry on record is found in these words: Knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men" Every great soul winner has felt the fearfulness of the sinners condition. and in tears warned him of the danger to which he was ex- posed. Methodism was born among a company of men, who seeing the wrath of God continually hanging over their heads. banded themselves together for prayer and mutual assistance in work little of our lethargy today Is due to the fact that men in the pulpit and out of it have lost or never had the realization of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and It's eternally ruinous consequences upon the human soul. Some there are who deride sinners of the judgment. while others pity their ignorant zeal But we cannot deny the fact that the number of sin ners who are impenitent is appalling; and when we remember who 1t was who said. Except ye repent ye shall likewise what the teacher sent from God at first announced. It was to the lost that Jesus came. and the inspiration of his life's work was the salvation which he alone could give to a lost world. Mans fall sprang from doubt of the runous consequences of transgression, and men continue in sin today because they do not believe that it's results are such as represented in the scripture
 Experience Qualities.
 The common impulse of those who re- pent is to lead others to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. This desire for the conversion of our friends is not all extra ordinary condition, but the normal state of the true Christian. And he who has never felt his soul yesrnng for the sal vation of the lost may well doubt his own conversion. Those who have lost this solicitude for the salvation of others will find that with 1t they have lost we'll nigh all interest in their own immortal interests.