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