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Article ORATION ON MASONRY, Page 1 of 7 →
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Oration On Masonry,
ORATION ON MASONRY ,
DELIVERED BY THE LATE REV . DR . WILLIAM DODD > AT THE DEDICATION OF FREEMASONS * HALL ;
IN GREAT QUEEN-STREET , MOST Worshipful Grand Master , and Brethren all ! there never was a stranger paradox advanced , than that , which the gloomy philosopher of Malmesbury hath laboured to support , against the sociabilitof
y man . Every feeling of the human heart , — every trait in the human character , —every line in the history of civilized nature , serves to . explode the idea ; and to convince us , " that man is a being formed for society , and deriving from thence his highest felicity and glory . " Nay , indeed , the history of manfond might well be considered as " the history of social life ; perpetualland invariabl
" y y tending more , and more to perfection . " It is not to be doubted , that the mighty master-hand , which with so much facility created from the dust of the earth the two first inhabitants of it , could , with equal ease , have created thousands of the same species , and have given them all the means and advantages of perfect civilization . But He thought good to create two onl
y , Vfithan evident purpose to a gradual population of the earth which he nadrormed ; and to a gradual advancement of those improvements , for which He wisely fitted the human mind ; and in which He as ' wisely determined to keep that mind continuall y occupied .
Hence , we perceive , that from this fertile and unexhausted storehouse of human intelligence and invention , arts " , sciences , and culture of every kind have proceeded with gradual progress ; and MAN , —peculiarly distinguished as he is from the whole animal creation , by his boundless capability of invention and improvement—MAN hath still gone on to cultivate and adorn social life : and to beautify and bless that life with all which Utilitcould askwhich
y ; Reason could approve ; nay , or even the luxuriance of Fancy itself , with charmed eyes , could deli ght in and admire ! _ Immortality and glory crown the men—those truly great and distinguished worthies , who have nobly added to the advancement of human ^ happiness , by the advancement of civilization !—who , by the invention or improvement of arts and sciences—of reliion and
g Jaws , by human or civil , culture , —have been instrumental to exalt the dignity , and to enlarge the comforts of their species ! Kings of the earth !—who have furled with exulting triumph your standards , crimsoned in fellow-creatures blood \—mighty conquerors !
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Oration On Masonry,
ORATION ON MASONRY ,
DELIVERED BY THE LATE REV . DR . WILLIAM DODD > AT THE DEDICATION OF FREEMASONS * HALL ;
IN GREAT QUEEN-STREET , MOST Worshipful Grand Master , and Brethren all ! there never was a stranger paradox advanced , than that , which the gloomy philosopher of Malmesbury hath laboured to support , against the sociabilitof
y man . Every feeling of the human heart , — every trait in the human character , —every line in the history of civilized nature , serves to . explode the idea ; and to convince us , " that man is a being formed for society , and deriving from thence his highest felicity and glory . " Nay , indeed , the history of manfond might well be considered as " the history of social life ; perpetualland invariabl
" y y tending more , and more to perfection . " It is not to be doubted , that the mighty master-hand , which with so much facility created from the dust of the earth the two first inhabitants of it , could , with equal ease , have created thousands of the same species , and have given them all the means and advantages of perfect civilization . But He thought good to create two onl
y , Vfithan evident purpose to a gradual population of the earth which he nadrormed ; and to a gradual advancement of those improvements , for which He wisely fitted the human mind ; and in which He as ' wisely determined to keep that mind continuall y occupied .
Hence , we perceive , that from this fertile and unexhausted storehouse of human intelligence and invention , arts " , sciences , and culture of every kind have proceeded with gradual progress ; and MAN , —peculiarly distinguished as he is from the whole animal creation , by his boundless capability of invention and improvement—MAN hath still gone on to cultivate and adorn social life : and to beautify and bless that life with all which Utilitcould askwhich
y ; Reason could approve ; nay , or even the luxuriance of Fancy itself , with charmed eyes , could deli ght in and admire ! _ Immortality and glory crown the men—those truly great and distinguished worthies , who have nobly added to the advancement of human ^ happiness , by the advancement of civilization !—who , by the invention or improvement of arts and sciences—of reliion and
g Jaws , by human or civil , culture , —have been instrumental to exalt the dignity , and to enlarge the comforts of their species ! Kings of the earth !—who have furled with exulting triumph your standards , crimsoned in fellow-creatures blood \—mighty conquerors !