The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1867-05-10
PRICE FIVE CENTS.

SHIP say your FFiiyiON-nOt your de-
nominatiOn-and it will make you pow
erful to carry forward your plans. You
have a powerful means of appealing to
men of your number to accept religion.
The rules of your Order require you to
approach your members Immediately
upon learning that they are sick. You
go to smooth the pillow of the weak
and make the bed of the dying. You
are present as Odd-Fcllows when man
feels most his need of religion. The
kindness you show him and his familyin-
troduce you to his affections. He is dis
posed to accept the food for the soul us
well as themedicinc for the body. Andas
you lift the dark veil of care from the
widows brow and wipe the tear from
her eye in this world, I'VE believe it to be
in accordance with your principles to
brighten her prospects for a future
world. Hence may you labor for the
salvation of your members.
Nor would this be foreign to the eX-
ample of the Savior himself. For his
miracles wroughtupOn the body, were to
be but Introductory to the comforting of
blessings upon the soul. He raised the
widows son to make the widow and her
friends believers in himself, as we'll as
real wOrshippers of the true and living
God. lie awoke the daughter of Jairus
to show to her father and his nation that
the power of life and death resided in
himself and to open up theway for their
asking still more blessing. He called
forth Lazarus from his grave to show
to his sisters and their friends that he
had the power of resurrection and was
the source of all blessing in death as
well rs life. And there was not one in
stance of Il miracle performed upon the
body, by which some one was not led
to believe, and open the way for receiv-
ing blessing for the soul.
Thus when you 90 to watch by the
bedside of a sinking brother, to soften
his couch while he lingers--to lift his
trembling form and touch his fevered
lips with the cooling draught, it is your
privilege in peculiar sense to instil
the gentle teachings of the meek and
loWly Jesus. And when you close his
sightlesS eyes in death, and straighten
out his body and dress it for the grave,
it is yours to point the widow and the
orphan to that God who tempers the
wind to the shorn lamb and will not suf-
fer Us to be tried above that we are able
to bear.
/. But in conclusion-the church lives
upon piety-thc government lives upon
the intelligence of her people and their
obedience to laW-and associations live
upon Principle. What the food is to the
body-what thoughts to othesoul-what
piety is to the church-what law is to
the governmcnt-such is principle to an
association like your own. Let not that
principle, as those of the politician too
often are, be but a pack-horse to carry
you into power, and to be discarded
whenever you have accomplished that
journey. But once the principles are
chosen, let the association stand or fall
by the principles. Wehave shown you
that the principle of charity is immor-
tai. 1t will not only be operative in
time. 1t will abide throughout all eter-
nifty,
Men may change; generations may
| pass away thrones may totter and fall
and dynaSties cease upon the earth; gov
ernments may be reVOlutioniZed en-
! pircs cease their light and go out in the
darkness of anarchy or the jarring world
be bound in the bonds of peace by the
coming Savior-yet will principle re-
main the same. Right will be right
and wrong will be wrong. While God
remains God, the one will be approved
tho other condemned. Having chOs-
| en- right principles we only need adj
| here to them and we will be safe. Hav-
ing chosen your main principle stand
| by itand you will stand. The tooth of
time marks all things but principle
with age and decay, will leave you still
unscathed. Charity will preserve you
while age follows in the track of age.
For now dbidcth faith, hope and char
ity---these three, butthegreatest of these
IS charity" Go on then, Brethren of the
mystic tie; ''and giving all diligence,
add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue,
knowledge; to knowledge temperance;
and TO temperance patience and to pa
tlence godliness; andtO godliness broth
~ kindness; and to brotherly kindness
charity. For if these things be in you,
and abound, they shall make you that
ye shall neither be barren nor unfruit-
iul in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
CHRIST. But II" that lacketh these things
Is bllnda and cannot see afar off, and hath
forgotten that he was purged from his
OLD sins.' IF ye do these things ye
snail never fall" ,, Peter, |, 7-l0. Study
to know the will of God toward a
sinful, but redeemed world. AS you
discern Gods plans for the regeneration
, and elevation of the human race, fall in
with those plans, as the genius of youl
institution qualities you to do. Then
, when God comes to sum up the result:
, of human life in the world, and to re
! ward those who have assisted in the ell
/ ovation of man, he will find for YOU
!, some niche in the great celestial palace
y where YOU may observe in the Societ,
u of heaven the result of the operations o
your darling principle-charity through
=, out all eternity.
! Then will you be able to thank Go,
u, for his preservation in time-for hi
3. approval in eternity, YOU have beer
u prp~prVpd Cpnturips alopo cnn1Drphpnt