Masonry's Grandeur And Goodness.

potent advent Him who is the Life and Light of men , who shall change this world to a world in which the human shall be more grandly human , and the divine in evory soul reflect in rig hteousness , tho image of the Creator . Aud until this work is well begun and advanced to its hig hest

issues , yours it will be to cry with herald voice that yearning cry which shall echo through the nations for that lig ht which shall vanquish darkness ; and to ring in with bolls of sweeter music and harmony unbroken that now era of man ' s regeneration and moral peace :

Ring out the old , ring in fche new , Ring out the false , ring in the true . Ring ont a slowly dying caase , And ancient forms of party strife ; Ring in the nobler modes of life

With sweeter manners , pnrer laws . Ring out the old shapes of fonl dispase , Ring ont the narrowing Inst of gold , , Ring ont tho thousand wars of old ;

Ring in tbe thousand years of peace . Ring in the valiant man and free , Tho larger , heart , tbe kindlier hand ; Ring out the darkness of tbe land , Ring in the Light that ia to be . —Voice of Masonry .

An Old Sermon.

AN OLD SERMON .

[ There is a pleasant suggestivene ^ s the thought that the brethren who organised the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island , 27 th June 1791 , attended church in a body and listened to a discourse specially prepared for them , and for

the occasion . The preacher was the Rev . William Smith , Rector of Trinity Church , Newport , and his sermon , designated as " entertaining and very suitable for the

occasion . in the vote of thanks passed by Grand Lodge , was afterwards published in pamphlet form . Wo take pleasure in presenting herewith certain portions of this old sermon . —Freemason ' s Repository . )

I Cor . viii , latter part of the 1 st verse— " CHARITY EDIFIBTH . " BEFORE a fraternity whose leading characteristic is Love , Charity is a theme no less suitable than profitable and pleasant . To every son of humanity and peace ,

the tidings "Charity edifietb , " must needs be hi ghly grateful , and awaken in his ear the nngnlic hymn , " peace on earth , good will towards men , glory to God iu the highest . "

Charity hath been continually employed in doing tho will of Him from whom she proccedetb , aud her voice has always been heard in His councils . What Solomon hath said of Wisdom may with equal propriety be said of Charity : —

and the language of tho former is highly befitting the lips of the latter : — " The Lord possessed me in tbe beginning of His way , before His works of old ; I was seb up from everlasting , from the beginning , or ever the earth wa ? .

When there wns no depths I was brought forth ; when there was no fountains abounding with water . Before tbe mountains were settled ; before the hills were brought forth ; while as yet He had not made the earth , nor the

fields , nor the highest part of the dust of the world . When He prepared the heavens , I was there ; when ho set a compass upon the face of the deep ; when He established the clouds above ; when He strengthened the foundations of

the deep ; when He gave to the sea His decree that the waters should not pass His commandment ; when He appointed the foundations of the earth ; then I was by

Him , as one brought up with" Him ; and I was dail y Hia delight , rejoicing always before llim ; rejoicing in the habitable parts of His earth , and my delights were with the sons of men . "

With the sons of men Charity always took delight to dwell . She first prepared the grand dome of the world , and then appointed the image and representative of his Maker the subordinate master of all things .

If we desire to form adequate ideas of the ori ginal dignity and glory of man , hear what the prophets ° have spoken conceminghim : " Man vvas made in his Maker ' s

likeness , to be an image of hia own eternity ; " " overy precious stone was his covering ; the aardins , tho topaz , and the diamond ; the beryl , the onyx , and tho jasper ; the sapphire , the emerald , and the carbuncle , and fine gold . " But all this magnificence , great , as it was , was nothing more than a shadow or representation of that most

An Old Sermon.

excellent majesty and glory prepared for him in the heavenly mansions , had he continued mindful of the precepts of Charity . Forsaking these , the goodly fabric of his nature fell under the power of the destroyer ; and

henceforth it became necessary that his earthly tabernacle should be taken down and reduced to its original state , in order to be rebuilt a glorious fabric , in the day of Hia tremendous and final manifestation ; who , by the power of

his God-head triumphing over the destroyer , rebuilt tho temple of His own body , as an earnest and pledge that He will not suffer our bodies to continue forever in ruins 5 bufc

that His Charity will finally call them forth . from the enclosing tomb , as stones are dug from the pit , and build them up , temples of glory everlasting .

" The Lord loveththe gates of Zion ; " therefore doth Ho " all things for the edification " of Zion ' s children ; and so He taught the builders of the sacred temple to erect that divine fabric " according to the pattern shown to Mosea in the mount . "

With this pattern or model before his eyes , and Chanty enthroned in his heart , the sapient King of Israel undertook to build a Temple for the God of Jacob : — " Jehovah having made him understand in writing by His hand upon him , all the works of the pattern . "

And not less remarkable was the method of copying after the model itself ; for in building the temple according to the proportions of the tabernacle , there was neither the sound of hammer or saw or axe to be heard . Prepared iu

the mountains by the hand of honest labour , measured out by the never-failing proportions of Geometry and Arcbi « tecture , as also polished by the skill which wisdom in « spireth , every part was taught in religious silence to take

its appointed place among the fellow-members of that spacious and mystical edifice—thereby teaching us thafc all societies are most strongly compacted and best built np in

one grand unity , when each member hath cast away all hia roughness , irregularities , and surd disproportions , beforia he presume to offer himself to become a pjirfc of the

building- # * * * # # * And as upon a well cinctured and consequently perfected base of human architecture , any of the Orders may stand with becoming dignity and grace , — s > tho several

orders and grades of mankind shall not fail to riao up an orderly and acceptable building , fit for the Greifc Master ' s use , when once they have taken their station and remain firm upon the well squared and perfectly levelled bate of Charity .

Moreover , Solomon ' s temple was not only well batoJ , but tho arch of its glory was strongly supported as well as beautified by tho two pillars—Jachin nnd Boaz—the one the pillar of beauty , the other the pillar of strength . In

like manner , the fabric which hath Charity for its base is strengthened and beautified by the two pillars , Faith and Hope . These aro the continual attendants of Charity , and without these she never undertakes to build .

Deriving instruction from the various works of God , man hath acquired the knowledge of building himself " goodly cities and places of defence " from the hand of tho enemy and against the inclemency of seasons ; nor hath tho

Sovereign Giver been sparing in granting him materials ; the great abundance nnd variety of which loudly proclaim thafc they were not given merely for man ' s necessity , bufc even for tho purpose of adding convenience and elegance to human existence .

Thus sanctioned by Heaven and sacred to Charity , the Edifior , long may the art be held venerable , whioh , by erecting spacious temples to God , and joyous dwellings for men , daily admonisheth tbe world of the gracious designs

of " Charity , which never faileth , nor is weary in well doing ;"—but which , in spite of every discouragement and opposition , will go on building and to build , ivith timber from the forest of the Jewish and Gentile world , —with

stones and other materials from Judea and the remotest isles of the earth ; sending her messengers day by day to request the King of the Jews and the King of the Gentiles again to unite in building up the families of their respective

people , into one Holy Temple of Jehovah , that the Lord God may dwell among them in glory everlasting . Finally , with lamps burning bright , kindled ,, by a coal from the altar of Charity , and beautiful for order as the gates and pillars of Zion ' s Temple , go ye on , brethren ,