The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-23
ANACONDA NEWS.
Love yE ONE ANOTHER
Eloquent Sermon Preached by
Presiding Elder Van Orsdel.
THE TRUE WAY TO HEAVEN
Help Those Whom You Find in Need OF
Help and the Joys of Peace
VIII Come to
M You.

A unique service was held in the NJ.
E. church yesterday morning by Rev.
w. w. Van Orsdel. All know the pre-
siding elder who have been in Montana
any length of time. He came to the
state ~ years ago, landing at Fort BeE-
ton, where no services had ever been
held, except by the mission Of the Cath
ole fathers. He has Travelled the
length and breadth of the state ever
since, never leaving Montana for any
length Of time. He has passed through
many scenes of frontier life, which he
sometimes weaves into his sermons. His
circuits were hundreds of miles long in
the early days, stretching from Ban
mack City to Fort Benton, and from the
Yellowstone river to the extreme west
ern part of the state.
Mr.. Van Orsdel preached yesterday on
the subject of How To Know the True
John xiii, IS: by this shall all men
know that we are my disciples, If We
have love one for the other" He di-
vided his sermon into three parasitic
evidence of discipleship to Jesus Christ;
to the household Of faith, and to the
world. The occasion of the text was
that Jesus, knowing that He was about
to leave the world. in answer to the
question how the people would know
that they We're His disciples, instructed
them in the true and enlightened belief
in God. The answer holds good to-day
as we'll as 1t did then. I'VE get
strength only by exercise and 1t is by
exercising love that we get into the
possession of 1t. We are to love one
another. How necessary it is that we
have love one for the other in the house
hold of faith, in order that the church,
the world and God may know that we
are truly the disciples of Christ. Our
Master gives us a very plain account
of what true religion is by the account
of the good Samaritan. That man had
fallen among robbers, who stripped him
not only of his money, but of his cloth
ing, leaving him half dead from wounds.
BY chance a priest came along and he
passed by on the other side; a Levite
came along. he looked upon him and
passed by; then came a Samaritan,
whom the Jews supposed had no religion
whatever, and he went to him and gave
the injured man that relief which he
could and started him along the way of
recovery, paying out OF his own pocket
for this purpose.
"Christ tells us that this despised Sa-
fell among thieves, and He would have
us know that this act and like acts
means obeying God. If we are to be-
long to God we must love our enemies,
and by so doing heap Goals of fire upon
their heads. We must have love in our
hearts The ocean has shores, but the
love of God knows no shores. 1t is
boundless and infinite. For God SO loved
the world that He gave His only begot-
ten Son in order that whatsoever be-
lieveth in Him might not perish, but
have everlasting life. The foundation
OF it all is doing the will Of God. We
are to build up the financial, the men
tai and the educational work as well
as the spiritual.
II am SO glad that you have organized
tithing band here in this church with
SO goodly membership. We are to do
the best we can for God in all things
and thus show where we are. Reading
the Bible. pray in secret. having family
prayer attending on the means of grace
and all these active things of the Chris
tan life mean the foundation of being
Christian. The love of Christ is
disinterested love. With man this is not
always trne. Man loves those who love
him. but how hard it is to love those
who hate us! If we do as Christ did,
we shall love all mankind, doing good
to all and living in love. Abraham
showed this unselfish love when he al
lowed Lot to choose his own place in
the new land, The love of Christ ce-
ments all true believers. No matter
what church one belongs to, If he loves
Christ he will love all who are His. This
is the only bond that will unite all the
denominations of the church universal.
We are beginning to lay stress upon the
fundamental principles in religion and
are letting go the technical. The love of
Christ is sympathetic. We go to the
house of poverty and mourning, giving
our sympathy and our help there. This
truly n1anifests Christian spirit
Only by sympathizing with those in
sorrow and in want can we show our
religion to the world. This is appreciat-
ed by all who are in sorrow and in pow
erty Persons carrying these messages
of good will are doing deeds and speak,
Ing words such as spoke the wise man
when he said there are apples of gold in
pictures of silver, and bring more of
heaven to us here and give everyone
that will do this foretaste of heaven.
Illustrative of this an eloquent preacher
preached sermon on heaven. A man
Of means, and one of the members of
his church and one of influence, meet
ing him the next morning, said: That
was a beautiful sermon, but you did not
exactly locate heaven; please tell where
1t is, for would like to know In an
swer the preacher said: I can soon tell
you. Over yonder on the hill lives a
widow woman with large family of
children. She is out Of coal and almost
out of provisions. Can you assist hero