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  • Feb. 1, 1794
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The Freemasons' Magazine, Feb. 1, 1794: Page 14

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    Article THE PRINCIPLES OF FREE MASONRY EXPLAINED. ← Page 4 of 9 →
Page 14

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Principles Of Free Masonry Explained.

its venerable appearance over them . Under this , he is loud for purity of doftrine , severity of discipline , regularity of government ; he laments the groAvth of heresy , the degeneracy of ministers , the inattention of the laity to spiritual concerns ; and from all this he concludes , that the end of the world is at hand , or at least that the besom of destruction is to siveep a- > vay our constitution in church and state . Thus he grows into a saintin the inion of all those Avho have

up , op the good-nature to believe , as truth , Avhatever praises a man is disposed to give himself ; and under that character he goes snugly on , gratifying his malice , by defaming , flattering , and cheating all around him . All suspect him ; all are afraid of him ; all hate him ; yet none dare boldly tear off his mask , and expose the Avretch to the open derision , contempt , and abhorrence of the Avorld .

These two characters , my Brethren , the one most amiable , and the other detestable , inform you , from your OAvn feelings , on what principle Brotherl y Love and hatred are founded . I am now , in the fifth place , to deduce the effects which this love tends to produce . The happiness of our Brethren , so far as it is not hurtful to our own , is the great object of Brotherl y LoA'e . We naturally wish , and are prompted to advance the happiness of those whose character Ave admire and esteem . This affection fills us with p leasure when Ave think of them . Our thoughts are always to their honour ; and , if thoughts

could be beneficial , Avould be always to their advantage . Our con-T versation keeps pace with the inward sentiments of our hearts in their favour . We catch at every opportunity to commend their characters . It makes us happy to enumerate and display their virtues ; to lessen and excuse their Aveaknesses ; to remove the prejudices raised against them by their unguarded actions ; and to stop the tongue of slander from poisoning their merits . In shortBrotherly Love prompts us to lift

, our deserving Brethren of mankind , to that hei g ht of esteem in the minds of others , at which they stand in our OAVti . Nor is it in their absence only that Ave are just to their good qualities ; Ave also give them those praises in their OAVII hearing to which their worth entitles them , and report the good Ave have heard of them from others . We may praise them without flattery ; praise is the just

reAvard , the expected consequence , and the great encourager of honourable and virtuous actions . When , therefore , we chearfully praise our . Brethren , AVO reward their merit in some measure , gratify their expectations , and animate them to still greater advances in every thing that is laudable . There is not a more certain mark of an ungenerous and narrOAv dispositionthan to vieAVwith a coldneglectful silence ,

, , , those actions Avhich call for any degree of applause or approbation . People so disposed may pretend they see nothing in these actions deserving to be distinguished b y their favourable notice ; but all the world will agree , that their want of sight in this case must arise from fheir envy , if it cannot be better accounted for from their stupidity .

As the best of men have spots in their character , which tarnish them , we must not be shocked at the frailties Avhich our Brotherly Love may discover in our Brethren . Our love for them would degenerate into a

“The Freemasons' Magazine: 1794-02-01, Page 14” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 10 June 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fmm/issues/fmm_01021794/page/14/.
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Title Category Page
Untitled Article 1
LONDON: Article 1
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 2
THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE. OR GENERAL AND COMPLETE LIBRARY. Article 3
THE PRINCIPLES OF FREE MASONRY EXPLAINED. Article 11
JOHN COUSTOS, FOR FREEMASONRY, Article 19
A VIEW OF THE PROGRESS OF NAVIGATION. Article 22
ON THE PROPRIETY OF MAKING A WILL. Article 24
ANECDOTES OF THE LATE HUGH KELLY. Article 29
EXTRACT FROM AN ESSAY ON INSTINCT. Article 33
THE ORIGIN OF LITERARY JOURNALS. Article 35
LETTER Article 37
LETTER Article 38
ON MAN. Article 38
ON JEALOUSY. Article 40
ON YOUTHFUL COURAGE AND RESOLUTION. Article 41
INVASION. Article 42
ANECDOTES OF JAMES NORTHCOTE, ESQ. Article 48
SURPRIZING INGENUITY. Article 51
CURIOUS ACCOUNT OF THE PHYSICIANS OF ANCIENT EGYPT. Article 52
INSTANCE OF THE POWER OF MUSIC OVER ANIMALS. Article 53
PLAN OF EDUCATION. Article 53
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE. Article 56
REMARKS ON THE MUTABILITY OF FORTUNE. Article 57
LONDON CHARACTERIZED. Article 59
LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. Article 59
PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. Article 60
STRICTURES ON PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS. Article 69
A CURIOUS FACT. Article 72
POETRY. Article 73
FREEMASON PROLOGUE. Article 74
PROLOGUE WRITTEN FOR THE YOUNG GENTLEMEN, Article 75
RURAL FELICITY: A POEM. Article 76
TO FRIENDSHIP. Article 77
IMPROMPTU Article 77
ON CONTENT. Article 78
ON AN INFANT Article 79
EPITAPH. Article 79
EPITAPH ON A NOBLE LADY. Article 79
FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. Article 80
Untitled Article 83
Untitled Article 83
Untitled Article 83
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Principles Of Free Masonry Explained.

its venerable appearance over them . Under this , he is loud for purity of doftrine , severity of discipline , regularity of government ; he laments the groAvth of heresy , the degeneracy of ministers , the inattention of the laity to spiritual concerns ; and from all this he concludes , that the end of the world is at hand , or at least that the besom of destruction is to siveep a- > vay our constitution in church and state . Thus he grows into a saintin the inion of all those Avho have

up , op the good-nature to believe , as truth , Avhatever praises a man is disposed to give himself ; and under that character he goes snugly on , gratifying his malice , by defaming , flattering , and cheating all around him . All suspect him ; all are afraid of him ; all hate him ; yet none dare boldly tear off his mask , and expose the Avretch to the open derision , contempt , and abhorrence of the Avorld .

These two characters , my Brethren , the one most amiable , and the other detestable , inform you , from your OAvn feelings , on what principle Brotherl y Love and hatred are founded . I am now , in the fifth place , to deduce the effects which this love tends to produce . The happiness of our Brethren , so far as it is not hurtful to our own , is the great object of Brotherl y LoA'e . We naturally wish , and are prompted to advance the happiness of those whose character Ave admire and esteem . This affection fills us with p leasure when Ave think of them . Our thoughts are always to their honour ; and , if thoughts

could be beneficial , Avould be always to their advantage . Our con-T versation keeps pace with the inward sentiments of our hearts in their favour . We catch at every opportunity to commend their characters . It makes us happy to enumerate and display their virtues ; to lessen and excuse their Aveaknesses ; to remove the prejudices raised against them by their unguarded actions ; and to stop the tongue of slander from poisoning their merits . In shortBrotherly Love prompts us to lift

, our deserving Brethren of mankind , to that hei g ht of esteem in the minds of others , at which they stand in our OAVti . Nor is it in their absence only that Ave are just to their good qualities ; Ave also give them those praises in their OAVII hearing to which their worth entitles them , and report the good Ave have heard of them from others . We may praise them without flattery ; praise is the just

reAvard , the expected consequence , and the great encourager of honourable and virtuous actions . When , therefore , we chearfully praise our . Brethren , AVO reward their merit in some measure , gratify their expectations , and animate them to still greater advances in every thing that is laudable . There is not a more certain mark of an ungenerous and narrOAv dispositionthan to vieAVwith a coldneglectful silence ,

, , , those actions Avhich call for any degree of applause or approbation . People so disposed may pretend they see nothing in these actions deserving to be distinguished b y their favourable notice ; but all the world will agree , that their want of sight in this case must arise from fheir envy , if it cannot be better accounted for from their stupidity .

As the best of men have spots in their character , which tarnish them , we must not be shocked at the frailties Avhich our Brotherly Love may discover in our Brethren . Our love for them would degenerate into a

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