The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-07
BREACHES ON IMMORTALITY Rev. w. R. Hendrix Delivers a Strong Sermon at St. Johns THE TIMES OF TIMOTHY An Age of skeptleism and EvII-Man Cannot Locate Ills Own
 Sphere In the
 World.
THE TIMES OF TIMOTHY

The Rev. W. R. Hendrix, pastor of St. Johns Methodist church, preached yes- terday on Immortality" taking his theme from Timothy 1:l0. "And hath brought life and immortality through the gospel"
 MT. Hendrix said in part:
 In the Second Epistle to Timothy there is strange mingling of light and shade; a striking exhibition of the union of the divine and human nature in a noble Christian character. If we could realize the circumstances under which these words were written. we would most cer- tainly enjoy larger measure of that in- spiration to Christian fidelity, which Timothy drew from this affectionate epistle.
 Pathetic Picture.
 No more pathetic picture could be inc agined than that which portrays the last days on earth of this gentle, courageous, tender-hearted, loving apostle. An old man worn out with excessive labors, for saken by many who had been freinds in better days. and separated from those
 
 peated Illness and shameful maltreat- ment. he stands patiently waiting the cruel death, which he knows inevita- be. In the dark recesses of that Roman prison we see the bent figure and care- worn face of this champion of Christi anity, who had klndled gospel fires in three continents taking hls pen in hand to commit to his favorite disciple his last will and testament. He realizes that his course Is finished and the time of his depature is at hand.
 Twilight Shadows. | The twilight shadows of '1lfe's little day. gather about him like evening clouds around the setting sun. But Just as the twilight deepens into darkness great deluge of that light which over whelmed the Bethlehem shepherds as l they kept watch over their 1ocks by night, fills his prison house as the Holy Ghost filled the upper room on the day of pentecost. From dungeon cell to pin- nacle the building Is resplendent with those glorious garments which Mt. Her. mon wore on the Savior's transhguration day. We no longer see the trembling form
 
 the approaching footsteps of his execu- tioner, but the stalwart form of a grad uate who has finished It's course in times school room, and is now ready to bid ar affectonate farewell to the confninG walls and move out upon the stage oi eternal activities to play his part in that drama, whose opening act was ushered in by the strains of angels song, and whose major parts will not have been reached
 ''Till the stars grow old,
 And the sun grows cold
 And the leaves of the judgement book
 unfold"
 In the face of this Prince there glows "a light which never was on land nor sea-" as he beholds his jeweled crown in the once pierced hands of the Son of God.
 From such a state of intellectual and spiritual elevation we might expect some masterly utterance. which should shine as a star of the first magnitude in the Armament of religious truth. Where else have we such an estimate of the results of Christ's stay among men; conprehen- sive, yet concise; simple, yet unfathom- ably deep.
 Life Brought to Light.
 Paradoxical as the statement seems, q man can locate the sphere of every other creature in the universe easier than ht can find his own place in the world which was made for him. Philosophers in al ages have endeavored to place chart fl the hands of their fellow men that would enable each man to find his part in th' universal anthem but narrowing discord on every hand tell us that either the or ders were wrong, or they have been mis read. From the closed gates of the gar den of Eden till now men have felt tha they were wrong, and many have bee looking for the right way. Until the be ginning of the Christian era compars lively few were satisfied in themselve that they had fulfilled the purpose } their existence. And sadder still, nor ! seemed able to tell what was lnckini } Now and then a prophet would come the people and declare Gods messag and institute a reform, but the true COT ception of life when Jesus opened scho in Judea was hedged about with cloud } and darkness. The teachers of religio , were for the most part whited sepulchre while the rank and file of Jews an heathens were pronounced skeptics.
 The few true men like Simeon were s burdened on account of the sins of tn . people that doubtless many thought tha integrity of character meant anguish o spirit. The rich were unhappy becaus of the insecurity of their possessions an' the poor, like sheep without shepherd were drifting from one leader to another with but little confidence in any. Such state of affairs confronted Jesus when H appeared among men. He lived abou thirty years a retired life spent thre years as a public teachers, and was cru cihed In Jerusalem as a malefactor. Thir ty-three years after, St. Paul in sight O A. martyrs crown declares that the char acteristic result of the appearance o Jesus among men was the bringing t light of life and immortality. kind o existence men were leading and the. were dimly conscious that life was nor : than living. but the path leading to | happy life led through a tangled fores l fhofr To-