The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-05-16
ELOQUENT SERMON BY THE REV. HENDRIX Words of Life" is the Theme
 for Discourse CHRIST NOT UNDERSTOOD Twelve Disciples Seemed to be Wa ,verins and Ready to Follow the Multitude When Jesus Spoke
 to Them in callilee.
CHRIST NOT UNDERSTOOD

The Rev. w. R. Hendrix, pastor or St. Johns Methodist church, preached an able sermon at the morning service yes terday. taking as his theme, Words of Life" The text was from John. 9th chapter and sSth verse. Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life"
 MT. Hendrix said in part
 The first few months which Jesus spent in Gallilee gave Him a large following. His popularity reached its culmination in the attempt of the multitude, fed with the few loaves and fishes to crown Him king. Of course, this merely carnal at tachment could not satisfy Jesus and since it was. the result of gross mis- understanding of His work among men He at once announced to the crowd in Copernaum that His mission in this world was not to confer political privilege, and feed hungry men. but that He was here to help men to a holy life and to heavenly home.
 The effect of this announcement was as revolutionary as the miraculous feast or a few days before had been. From that hour many departed to follow Him no more. They claimed that they could not understand Him: a statement partly true' But they did understand very soon that He was not the character of leader that they wanted to follow This sitting pro- cess threatened to reveal to Jesus the fact that there was nothing but chaH in all that He had gathered. Even the twelve whose motives it must be confess ed had not been wholly spiritual, seemed wavering and ready to return with the multitude to their forsaken occupations Then Jesus said, to themI twill ye also go away?"
 Peter Makes Reply.
 Whether a consultation was held and Peter instructed to speak for the body, or whether as is more probable he spoke the words which were born in the depths of his large, warm heart, he replied, Lord, to whom shall we go?" If no political preferment awaits Thy followers; if no earthly gains are in store for Thy servants; if poverty and affiction and death come to us in Thy company we can not go away. It is heaven to us to hear Thy words. While the music of Thy voice falls upon our ears we have that larger vision and such swellings 'of the heart as kings might we'll surrender their crowns to obtain. If Thou hast nothing else Thou hast a speech dearer to cur hearts than the gold of Ophir, or Caesars crown. Though all things else we might obtain by going away we should feel that marching away from Thee is march ing into the jaws of eternal death. Thy words have turned water to wine in our presence, but better still they have clensed our defiled affections and kin died in our hearts the flame of heavenly love. Our inner life has been so changed by Thy words that now earthly gain and pleasure tempt us not like the prospect of pure hearts and eternal joys"
 Did Peter make too much of these words, or are they still to us the words of life?
 Christ's Miracles.
 Eighteen years before His miracles drew upon Him world wide attention, His words astonshed the doctors of the law. St. Luke after giving a synopsis of His first home sermon tells us that the people wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth And from this time until His words on the cross IL. 4t- sion of His divinity, the words of Jesus had authority peculiar and potent among friends and foes.
 Shall Not Pass Away.
 Of His words Jesus said .'heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away" The words which I speak they are spirit and they are life. He professed to have received them from God and declared that those words which the disciples had received were the Fath- CTS abiding words
 Linnameus, the father of botany, is now no longer authority in that science Thel authorities in science expect subsequent research to relegate their theories to the rear, and they only hope to live in the memory of a grateful posterity as those who feled the timbers and cast up the highways of knowledge over which the host of people march on to higher achievements. But Christ no after age shall eer outgow."
 It follows them as an inevitable duty, and as an unequaled privilege that these words of life should be pulished wherever men dwell in sin and death.
 How silly the question of the scientist, falsely so-called, can Christianity so adapt itself to the spirit of this age of scientific thought as to continue its place among men? So long as sincere hearts hear these words so long will men follow their divine author, though they have to part company with every earthly throng.
 Appeals to Congregation.
 I plead with you. my congregation. Give these words an honest attentive hearing. While Jesus was among men as their teacher, twice the furnished, blazing chariot of God the Father halted above the heads of His Disciples, and God bore testimony to the SonshIp or Jesus, and then exhorted men, not that they should serve Him; not that they should love Him, but that they should hear Him.
 Today 1t is with us as the disciples. The world with It's allurements calls us to self-seeking. Religion erects a cross upon which we must hang all selfishness