The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-29
ELOQUENT SERMON
 BY DR. M'FERR|N
Speaks to Birmingham Col
 lege Graduates
LORD, OPEN HIS EYES"
The Limitations of Human Vision Should Not Deter Man From
 Having Faith in the
 Indiscernible

At the Fi:st Methodist church yes- terday morning Rev Dr. John P. MFerrin delivered the commencement sermon to the graduating class of Bir- intngham college. On account of the former pastorate of Dr. M'Ferrin over the church he appeared in and the interest in the college, his auditors were counted by the hundreds. Stand ins room was at premium and even the aisles held their quota of those who were interested in hearing the former Birmingham divine.
 The text of pr. MFerrn was taken from the 17th chapter and sixth verse of the Second Book of Kings and was: And Elisha prayed and said. Lord, I pray thee open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and, be- hold, the mountains were full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha"
 Hhe revend speaker began bys saying that the lesson was relative to the old philosopher and the young man. The one could see the things unseen while the younger man possessed no vision to see those things of the beyond and his eyes were opened by the prayers of the old philosopher.
 The younger man perhaps knew a great many things that the old man did not know" said Dr. M'Ferrin, while l doubt not the old man had forgot ten many things the young man never knew. When the young fellow, unable to see beyond, saw the hosts of the enemy drawn up he was filled with fear and trembling. He was faulty of vision and could not see those that were the hosts of the living God ready to defend them. The power of seeing the things unseen is possible only through faith in the things that are not what they seem."
 Dr. M'Ferrin continued to dwell upon the shortness of vision in the world and gave technical and scientific illus trations of the power of seeing and the impossibility of observation. He con- tlnued with the simplest effort to show the young men before him the grace of being able to view the things unseen ana to take faith in those undiscernible facts. His hearers were manifestly captured by the eloquence of his sermon, and he concluded by addressing to them most wonderful word picture of the differences of stations in life
 Stations in Life
 He said: "The street sweeper, the hod carrier and those who are chosen to lead the humber walks of life are just as necessary as those who occupy more dig nified positions. The captain of a great ship or the pilot that directs it's cours. through the troubled seas are not one whit more necessary for the journey across the seas than the stoker at the bottom, blackend with soot and grime. Thank God, the bod carrier will not be that always. Soon he will be relieved by death and even into the countless mil lions of years he will rest with those who are kings, bankers and fnanciers of fame.
 "They say that man should in reaching for the better life forego the usefulness of this. Has the luscious fruit or the gorgeous blossom whose brillinacy smites the vision with rapture and whose per fume is waited into the evening breezes any right to despise the black earth from which it sprang? Has man any right to despise this life, even temporary, when reaching forward to the one to come?
 The usefulness here is a part of cre- ation and no man should forget that"
 Itroduced By Simpson
 Dr. McFerrin was introduced to the con- gregation yesterday by President J. D. Simpson in most glowing eulogy. Dr. Simpson said when Dr. McFerrin was formerly in Birmingham he had come to love him as brother and it was with great satisfaction and pleasure that he had secured the eminent divine to deliver the first commencement sermon for the Birmingham college during his adminis- tration.
 The sermon of Dr. McFerrin yesterday was the opening of the commencement at the local institution. The following few days will be devoted to exercises of the most interesting kind Diplomas will be awarded Wednesday when Congressman Burnett delivers the baccalaureate ad- dress, bringing to a conclusion the com mencement.