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Article THE FREEMASONS' REPOSITORY. Page 1 of 5 →
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The Freemasons' Repository.
THE FREEMASONS' REPOSITORY .
. ON THE MASONIC CHARACTER .
ESSAY IV . 'Far from me am ! from my friends be such frigid philosophy as may conduct us ,, indifferent and unmoved , over any ground which has been dignified by wisdom , bra-Very , or virtue . That man is little to be envied , whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plain of Marathon , or whose piety would not grow v / arra amcng- the ruins of Una . ' JOHNSON .
INDEPENDENTLY of the interferenceof animal emotions or per-- * - turbations by meahsof the senses , which mark the passions , man appears to be peculiarly characterized by two distinct internal powers : — The faculty of reasoning , relative to the mind , or , as sometimes expressed , to the bead j and the faculty of feeling , referable to the soul or to the heart . The oneengaged in considering the conformities
be-, tween man and his wants , becomes too often solicitous for gratification in rendering every thing contributory to self : the other , zealous to promote and to extend universal harmony and unanimity , expands and receives enjoyment only when the general interests-and the good of all are consulted . The former is continually influencing man from the impression of his wants and his weakness : the latter inspiring him
with courage , and . the frequent recollection of his excellence . Hence the constant conflicts of these two powers , at variance with each other ; and hence the exquisite enjoyment resulting from their unanimity .
How inferior are the mere discriminative pleasures of the mind , excited by its most favourite productions of wit , humour , or of satire , when set in competition with the fine and turbulent emotions which recognize the exquisite touches and grand master-strokes of Milton , Newton , or of Shakspeare ! What is it that renders even the historical details of a Iiutne dry and uninteresting , in comparison to the animated descriptions even of war which abound in the Sacred Writings ? Not
the defeatof one host or the victory of another , but the contemplation of human weakness peculiarly contrasted with the powers of the Great Architect of the universe . It was God that directed the coun « cils of bis favoured people , it was the Deity that fought their battles , it was Jehovah that gave them the victory . ' An excellent and well informed French writer , St . Pierre , has justly
noticed , that when we begin to feel , we cease to reason ; and that the result of all reasoning , when properly directed , terminates invariably in that species of sentiment denominated evidence , which receives its attendant gratification from the soul . The inferiority and subordination of reason most evidently appear the moment we attempt to ex ,-VOL . IX . 0
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Freemasons' Repository.
THE FREEMASONS' REPOSITORY .
. ON THE MASONIC CHARACTER .
ESSAY IV . 'Far from me am ! from my friends be such frigid philosophy as may conduct us ,, indifferent and unmoved , over any ground which has been dignified by wisdom , bra-Very , or virtue . That man is little to be envied , whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plain of Marathon , or whose piety would not grow v / arra amcng- the ruins of Una . ' JOHNSON .
INDEPENDENTLY of the interferenceof animal emotions or per-- * - turbations by meahsof the senses , which mark the passions , man appears to be peculiarly characterized by two distinct internal powers : — The faculty of reasoning , relative to the mind , or , as sometimes expressed , to the bead j and the faculty of feeling , referable to the soul or to the heart . The oneengaged in considering the conformities
be-, tween man and his wants , becomes too often solicitous for gratification in rendering every thing contributory to self : the other , zealous to promote and to extend universal harmony and unanimity , expands and receives enjoyment only when the general interests-and the good of all are consulted . The former is continually influencing man from the impression of his wants and his weakness : the latter inspiring him
with courage , and . the frequent recollection of his excellence . Hence the constant conflicts of these two powers , at variance with each other ; and hence the exquisite enjoyment resulting from their unanimity .
How inferior are the mere discriminative pleasures of the mind , excited by its most favourite productions of wit , humour , or of satire , when set in competition with the fine and turbulent emotions which recognize the exquisite touches and grand master-strokes of Milton , Newton , or of Shakspeare ! What is it that renders even the historical details of a Iiutne dry and uninteresting , in comparison to the animated descriptions even of war which abound in the Sacred Writings ? Not
the defeatof one host or the victory of another , but the contemplation of human weakness peculiarly contrasted with the powers of the Great Architect of the universe . It was God that directed the coun « cils of bis favoured people , it was the Deity that fought their battles , it was Jehovah that gave them the victory . ' An excellent and well informed French writer , St . Pierre , has justly
noticed , that when we begin to feel , we cease to reason ; and that the result of all reasoning , when properly directed , terminates invariably in that species of sentiment denominated evidence , which receives its attendant gratification from the soul . The inferiority and subordination of reason most evidently appear the moment we attempt to ex ,-VOL . IX . 0