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A Sermon Preached At Greenwich, On The Festival Of St. John The Baptist, June 24, 1774,
I have only now to add , that all these qualities must likewise be attended with a sameness of temper and pursuit . The aims and intentions most suitable to the best interests of man " , and the most worthy of a rational and immortal spirit , are those which lead us to promote the supreme honour of heaven , and to do good upon earth . In these noble pursuits all well-disposed minds will chearftilly unite . There can be no schismno contest among
, persons animated by such exalted and generous views , and who are jointly engaged in the same excellent work , of tracing the amiable perfections of our universal Creator , and consulting the private and public happiness of all around them ; but that most honourable of all contests , who shall do the most good . Men of such a divine characterwho thus pursue the interests of piety and benevolence with
, an ardent and vigorous zeal , must naturally form the closest and most agreeable society ; ivill gladly receive and assist one another , as their kind Redeemer hath adopted them , and with one mind , and one mouth , g lorify God , the patron of every good work , whose spirit g ivetb them understanding , and whose bounty supplies them with the means of action .
Thus have I considered , that unity among MEN , among CHRISTIANS , and among FREEMASONS , which our text recommends , and which , as I have shewn , includes an entire harmony of mind , in judgment , in affection , in language , and pursuit : So ' that I proceed now to set forth those powerful motives , by which that great and
important virtue of unity and concord may be enforce'd upon us . And , with this view , let us first of all consider that native beauty and excellence of character which most adorns the man who strives to live in peace and friendship with his neighbour . A sense of the divine inspection , and a spirit of fervent charity , presides over all his thoughts , and directs every movement of his soul . His love of unity is not the result of indolenceor a passive
, weakness of mind , but the noble effect of a judicious and manly choice , a willing exertion of his best powers , and an happy fruit of that Divine Spirit who is the source of every good work in man . Let his conduct be tried by the standard of ri ght reason , or by the purer maxims of the gospel , and it will' be found every way consistent and right . He . is cautious in giving any offence to tbe Jew ,
or to the Gentile , or to the church of God . As the first care of a man is the care of himself , lie studies to keep his heart with all diligence , by suppressing the earliest emotions of rage and anger , which stir up strife ; and to regulate his actions in a conformity to the dictates of wisdom , by being not only quiet , and doing his own business , but also rendering to all their just claims , tribute to whom
tribute , and honour to whom honour , is due . Superior to the ways and maxims of this world , he is slow to take ofience , and not forward to resent . His charity , which thinketli no evil , prompts birr , to overlook a thousand indiscretions , and leads him to forget ns well . as forgive the manifold injuries of men . He sli ghts the voice of prejudice , and , puts . the fairest construction upon every incident that it
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Sermon Preached At Greenwich, On The Festival Of St. John The Baptist, June 24, 1774,
I have only now to add , that all these qualities must likewise be attended with a sameness of temper and pursuit . The aims and intentions most suitable to the best interests of man " , and the most worthy of a rational and immortal spirit , are those which lead us to promote the supreme honour of heaven , and to do good upon earth . In these noble pursuits all well-disposed minds will chearftilly unite . There can be no schismno contest among
, persons animated by such exalted and generous views , and who are jointly engaged in the same excellent work , of tracing the amiable perfections of our universal Creator , and consulting the private and public happiness of all around them ; but that most honourable of all contests , who shall do the most good . Men of such a divine characterwho thus pursue the interests of piety and benevolence with
, an ardent and vigorous zeal , must naturally form the closest and most agreeable society ; ivill gladly receive and assist one another , as their kind Redeemer hath adopted them , and with one mind , and one mouth , g lorify God , the patron of every good work , whose spirit g ivetb them understanding , and whose bounty supplies them with the means of action .
Thus have I considered , that unity among MEN , among CHRISTIANS , and among FREEMASONS , which our text recommends , and which , as I have shewn , includes an entire harmony of mind , in judgment , in affection , in language , and pursuit : So ' that I proceed now to set forth those powerful motives , by which that great and
important virtue of unity and concord may be enforce'd upon us . And , with this view , let us first of all consider that native beauty and excellence of character which most adorns the man who strives to live in peace and friendship with his neighbour . A sense of the divine inspection , and a spirit of fervent charity , presides over all his thoughts , and directs every movement of his soul . His love of unity is not the result of indolenceor a passive
, weakness of mind , but the noble effect of a judicious and manly choice , a willing exertion of his best powers , and an happy fruit of that Divine Spirit who is the source of every good work in man . Let his conduct be tried by the standard of ri ght reason , or by the purer maxims of the gospel , and it will' be found every way consistent and right . He . is cautious in giving any offence to tbe Jew ,
or to the Gentile , or to the church of God . As the first care of a man is the care of himself , lie studies to keep his heart with all diligence , by suppressing the earliest emotions of rage and anger , which stir up strife ; and to regulate his actions in a conformity to the dictates of wisdom , by being not only quiet , and doing his own business , but also rendering to all their just claims , tribute to whom
tribute , and honour to whom honour , is due . Superior to the ways and maxims of this world , he is slow to take ofience , and not forward to resent . His charity , which thinketli no evil , prompts birr , to overlook a thousand indiscretions , and leads him to forget ns well . as forgive the manifold injuries of men . He sli ghts the voice of prejudice , and , puts . the fairest construction upon every incident that it