The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-11-11

WHO Is MY NEIGHBOR
The Rev. J. Francis Nor
CANS Sermon to the
Odd Fellows.
BELIEVES IN THE DEVIL
Greenville Lodge Goes to Churcb
on It's Fifteenth Birthday
Other Sermons Yes
terday.
IN THE DEVIL

SNa%5 cINO 49,
Park Reformed Church, last night preached
a sermon to the members of the various
lodges of Oddfellows in this city.
The Oddfellows met in the rooms of Jer-
sey City Lodge and marched to the church.
They were accompanied by a number of
ladies from the Rebekah Lodge. Pastor
Morgan took his text from Luke 10: 20,
"Who is my neighbour" and Luke 10; 81,
SEQ thou and do likewise.r
THAT question:" said the pastor, s'was
asked of Jesus Christ when he was on earth
by a young lawyer. Not a lawyer as we
know them today, but one supposed to be
versed in the law of God. He was a young
man of promise, but he came to the Lord
with a captious spirit. He was not anxious
to serve the Lord. The term neighbor did
not mean to him what it meant to Christ. If
a school teacher was asked the meaning of
the word she would doubtless reply that it
was one who lives near by. That would be
true, but it would only be a segment of the
true meaning. A neighbor is not only one
who lives by you but it is your brother.
your friend. More than that, it means your
suffering brother, one that may be in dis
tress.
A NEIGHBOR ONE OF OURSELVES.
tThe Lord thus puts an entirely different
construction on the word. That young
Pharisee's eyes were opened for once. Others
have believed with that Pharisee. Possibly
some do today. They believe a neighbor to
be one of ourselves, one of their sect, a sort
of 400, as it were. That definition is as far
away from the truth as the other one is. God
doesn't know any 400. Money couldn't bride
God. say in all ea~rnestness, brethren, that
it is good that it is so, for | believe that there
are those who would, if they could, shut the
doors of Heaven against many an unfor-
tunate man if he did not nave at least $780,
900. God has opened the gates, however,
and will allow us to enter on one condition
that we leave our sins behind.
'You, brethren, owe to each other a
special obligation which you undertake to
pay. There is no OddfelIow but who under
stands that word-neighbor. 1t is our suf-
fering brother. The Good Samaritan min
istered unto the stranger. therefore Go thou
and do likewise.'n
BESET WITH ROBBERS.
Mr.. Morgan spoke Of the road leading
from Jerusalem to Jericho that was
infested by robbers. 1t was a dam
gerous road. He compared that road
to the Road of Life. The way
of life is more or less steep and precipitious.
You encounter jungles and dark spots where
Turk wild beasts, robbers and enemies of
God. We must expect to meet them. They
are robbers of life. One of these robbers is
evil habits. He strips us of our clothing of
righteousness and leaves us cold and weary
by the wayside, where we lie until our
bones bleach.
.sEvil habits, when once ~engrooved in our
systems, are hard to get rid of. Into4ica-
ton, love for strong drink, the gambling
habit, and other evils of a like nature. We
may feel that We can overcome them when
ever we want to, but if we take fire to our
body we may be sure hat it will burn us.
BELIEVES IN THE DEVIL.
SIN passing, | want to say something of
that great prompter of evil, the Devil. l am
one Of those who believe in the Devil. There
may be some in the audience who will say
that | am not up to the times, but | am
willing to stand firmly on the Bible. If
there is not a personal Devil, then there is
not a personal God"
Mr.. Morgan then told of the man who lay
i'll on the road to Jerusalem. A priest came
along and passed him by. Then came a
young Levite. He also passed by. Finally
along came a Samaritan. He dressed the
mans Wounds and cared for him. Theothers
merely expressed sympathy their for him.
sit is the same nowadays. When we hear OF
someone in distress or Ill we say, It's too
bad but don't assist them any. Iwonder
how much such sympathy is worth a tone
It was this Samaritan that the Lord referred
to when he told that young lawyer to go
tho and do likewise You, as brothers,
who are bound together by common ties to
help each other, should always remember
this Injunction and sgo and do hkewise.'n