The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-11-16
SERMON TO THE ARCANUM
Pastor Krantz breaches to Jersey
City Council of the Order.

About one hundred members of Jersey
City Council, Royal Arcanum. occupied
pews in Trinity Methodist Church last
night. They were not in regalia.
After the usual preliminary services the
Rev. John Krantz said:-"It surely would
not be expected of me to devote the entire
hour to extolling the merits of one order.
No matter how much my affections might
dictate, must remember that / am
debtor to all men. So before 1 say
anything about the order repre-
sented by this body of good looking men,
before nae, will say am about to preach
sermon on the eclipse of the moon. !"
After mentioning some early eclipses and
the effects which the ancienss supposed
were made by them. he said:-
SPIRITUAL SUN.
"Christ is the sun of the spiritual
world. A SOULS position for time and
eternity depends upon the position of that
soul in regard to Christ. The whole
question Of mans napPness, here and
man sustains to Christ. Christ
always always; % even unto the he, end" There are are
people who do not always feel Cnrist's
presence. They allow the world to come
between Christ and themselves. The
pastor addressed himself directly to the
members of the Royal Arcanum. He
said:-"I salute you on this auspicious
occasion and trust that not only is our
secret embodied in our daily lives, but
that you are in Gods light. As is proven
to the general public, the Royal Arcanu m
is mutual benevolent and social organi-
zation. 1t was organized in 1877 by nine
men in Boston. No benevolent order
imposes as rigid physical and moral con-
ditions for membership.
1.-THE order has distributed over a mill
lion of dollars in benefits. 1t is unselfish in
two ways; in that no member reaps
the reward himself. 1t falls to his heirs.
Secondly. the burden of the benefit falls
upon the members Of the order. to help
others. It unites over one hundred
thousand men in admirable bands.
Their are nineteen grand councils and
1,400 minor councils. We are represented
in thirty-four States and five provinces.
"From our system three thousand per-
sons have received benefits. Our motto
Virtue, Mercy and Charity if lived up
to, would make almost perfect men.
Sympathize with the bereaved. but ask
each other how much you are sorry. Our
charity is not cold giving.
GOD BLESSED CHARITY.
''It is sympathy, generosity and unen-
viousneSs. Charity, God blessed charity.
Virtue is the first part of the motto, but
not the least important.
"The virtuous are brave, strong, gen err
GUS. They have powers others do not
have. Every virtue is an excellence.
May we be manly in thought and deed.
Virtue alone is true nobility. Do not sub
stitute the morality of the councils
creed for the warm religion of the heart.
This is the great objection to
most secret orders. Let no one
say that to belong TO the order is the
same as to belong to church. Such an
order would be impossible without the
principles we have imbibed from Chris
tianity. He who finds his religion in a
lodge room is defective in his ideas of re-
| ligion. believe that good men and true
are found in almost all secret orders.
will set forth the truth that after all
there is no brotherh ood like that found
ed by Christ. Some say why are
| the churches not more practicable!
| Why must man get his material help
| from Just such ordersP 1t is Christianity
| alone that can lay claim to all improve.
ments of civilization The great church
of Christ cannot be charged with indiffer-
epce to mans material needs. 1t is the
| individual churches which distribute
scanty charity from a meagre poor fund,
| that are guilty"
| The pastor concluded with pathetic
story of the way the order benefited some
| needy ones.