Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-04-28
ANNUAL SERMON
To ODD FELLOWS

tended worship in Pine Street Luther
= an church. The sermon preached on
the occasion by the Rev. j. II. Mussel.
man, pastor of the church, was an able
and eloquent effort, ,abounding i'll orig.
inal conceptions, which aptly illustr-
ated the subject, adding to the dis
course charm and impressiveness that
will cause it to linger in the memory
of those who heard it interminably
We regret that we are unable to give
more than a synopsis of the discourse,
which here follows:
Members of the l. O. 0. +. of Dan
vile, and Christian Friends:
| assure you that it affords me no
little pleasure to welcome you to this
house of God today. For your Order
| certainly entertain the kindliest of
feelings and the highest respect The
work which you are endeavoring to do
while not exactly one with the church
yet certainly is a part of that great
work which the church of Jesus Christ
has been, is now and will ever be busy
| trying to accomplish. Your order, like
the church, believes in the Fatherhood
of God and the Brotherhood of man.
Consequently your mission as l under.
stand it is to extend the helping hand
to every needy brother whom you may
chance to meet on life's pathway and
thus help him the better to bear his
sorrows and fight his battles and event
ually win the crown of blessed, hap
py and successful life. This mission
surely all will grant is both noble and
praiseworthy, hence 1 do not hesitate
as minister of the church to con-
gEatulate you on your noble purpose
and bid you God speed in your blessed
work.
Had l the gift and sufficient days l
assure you that the highest ambition
of my life would be but to paint. six
great pictures, which were it possible,
l should hang in every home, factory,
place of business. The first would be
a picture of the parable of the Prodigal
Son, that all might therein see Gods
true relation to man and mans to God.
The second would be of Calvary that
all might read of the way of reconcile
alton, the third would be the parable
OF the talents, that all might read of
mans mission in the world. The
fourth would be of the Judgment that
all might read of their accountability
to God. The fifth would be the Resur-
rected Christ that all might be taught
OF the life immortal and last but not
least | should like to paint in all it's
vlvldness that wonderful picture pre-.
sented to us in the parable of the Good
samaritan, that all might read there.
IN their duty to their unfortunate fell
low man.
3 70 this great picture | desire to turn
this morning and study with YOU the
great and precious truth so forcefullv
taught. Christ possibly meant to do
no more by this story than to teach a
sneering lawyer what constituted true
brotherhood, but 1 desire to look at
the story step by step and if possible
learn lesson relative to a great fact
of life.
The first object to catch our atten.
tion is the man lying PROSTATE by the
way, beaten, robbed, bleeding and DIV.
ing. This traveller has not had a square
deal 1t was his right to travel this
way from Jerusalem to Jericho mn
molested and unharmed but instead he
is beaten, robbed and grievouslv
wounded. This man is but the repre-.
sentative of great class which have
been, are now, and perhaps will be for
time to come in the world Legion is
the number of those who, like him,
have fallen by the way for some rea.
son or other deprived of the right
which should have been theirs. The
harmony of earth's music and the
beauty of earth's fair scenes, is mar
red by the cry of the suffering and the
wounds of the unfortunate.
Mortal mans suffering and misfor-
tune may justly be attributed to three
sources. First, those terrible and mvs-
terious workings of natures laws
which are said to be of God, when the
elements seem to go on the ramnape
and we see earthquakes, tidal waves.
and cyclones, pestilence and famine
devastate whole cities and lands. But
no such thing had befallen this travail.
er nor do they befall most travellers
Second, sthat daring which has induc-
ed man to break the laws of God has
reaped as it's harvest an abundance of
sorrow and suffering. Thousands there
are who have been beaten, robbed and
brought low on life 5 pathway by none
other things than their own sins. But
this man was not so, brought low.
Third, the poet says, "Tis Mans in
humanity to man that makes the
countless thousands MOURN Thieves
and robbers at that time ever skulked
by the way which led from Jerusalem
to Jericho. The most of the fallen
ones who lie by life's pathway TODAY
were brought down not by some mvs.
terlOus providence of Goa 49,. ....