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Extracts From Two Sermons, Preached Before The Ancient And Honourable Society Of Freemasons,
Diligently search the Scriptures for the secrets of 3 'our art ; and while you toil to pry into the covenant , the signs , and tokens , that subsisted and were communicated between the kings of Judali and of Tyre , O may the spirit of the Widow ' s Son be in you ! filling you with a knowledge of the points ' on which all the above turned , even wisdom to design , strength to execute , and the beauties of holiness to adorn .
Remember that the same pages contain an inestimable pearl of great price , and that those individuals are the only wise and good who make that pearl their own . " Numberless are the encouragements to do this . Ask , and ye shall receive ; seek , arid ye shall find '; knock , and it shall be opened to you . In that case you lay-hold oh the ri g ht pillar in the templeboth of solid fame " and spiritual wealthwhereby
, , you shall be established ; and then you may safely rest upon the left , a still higher column in your scientific line , since in thatyoti will find strength . Another motive to this flows from the examples before you . In the various periods of society , the greatest—the most learned—and'the very best of characters , have belonged to . your Fraternity . Whatever be your rank in life , on close observation you will
find those in a similar station who have dignified themselves , and been useful to mankind . The widow that threw in her mite was the most generous and compassionate of all who then entered the temple . Verbal love is but painted fire ; therefore , let his example who went about doing good , be the pillar so elegantly adorned with lily-work , kindly directing and inflaming your humanity towards the Brethren . Meet the very lowest of them on the level of condescension , nor
venture to despise the mam for whom-perhaps a Saviour died ; that so you may be able to hold up your heads when justice is laid to the line , and righteousness to the plummet . Let your pure benevolence spread every way , like the-more than gem-studded arch of heaven , expanding even over your enemies when in distress , that you may prove yourselves to be the children of the Most Hi gh , Who is benign to the uhr
thankful , and to the evil . Philanthropy is not confined to name or sect , to climate or language . Like the power of attraction , which reaches from the largest to the smallest bodies in the universe , it unites men from the throne to the" cottage . Whether your Lodge meets on the high mountains of worldly grandeur , and is beheld from afar ; or in the lowest vales of obscurityand noticed but bfew
, y ; whether under Adoniram you hew on the tops of Lebanon , or with Aholiab and Bezaleel , are in distinguished offices near the Sanctum Sanctorum , or with the sons of Levi serve at the altar , O sit not at a Brother ' s call ; if he be in danger fly to his relief ; if he be deceived tell him the truth ; if he be calumniated , justify his character—bear his burdens—allay his sorrows—and . espouse his cause ; nay , if in
many things he hath erred , still recollect , that indiscretion in him ought not to destroy humanity in you . As the Eastern Magi opened their treasures , which , doubtless , were various , to the Redeemer of souls , so every Brother should be g iven to hospitality ; ready to distribute , willing to communicate , and eager to employ , his gift or power , whatever it mav be , for the mutual VOL . HI . I ; *
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Extracts From Two Sermons, Preached Before The Ancient And Honourable Society Of Freemasons,
Diligently search the Scriptures for the secrets of 3 'our art ; and while you toil to pry into the covenant , the signs , and tokens , that subsisted and were communicated between the kings of Judali and of Tyre , O may the spirit of the Widow ' s Son be in you ! filling you with a knowledge of the points ' on which all the above turned , even wisdom to design , strength to execute , and the beauties of holiness to adorn .
Remember that the same pages contain an inestimable pearl of great price , and that those individuals are the only wise and good who make that pearl their own . " Numberless are the encouragements to do this . Ask , and ye shall receive ; seek , arid ye shall find '; knock , and it shall be opened to you . In that case you lay-hold oh the ri g ht pillar in the templeboth of solid fame " and spiritual wealthwhereby
, , you shall be established ; and then you may safely rest upon the left , a still higher column in your scientific line , since in thatyoti will find strength . Another motive to this flows from the examples before you . In the various periods of society , the greatest—the most learned—and'the very best of characters , have belonged to . your Fraternity . Whatever be your rank in life , on close observation you will
find those in a similar station who have dignified themselves , and been useful to mankind . The widow that threw in her mite was the most generous and compassionate of all who then entered the temple . Verbal love is but painted fire ; therefore , let his example who went about doing good , be the pillar so elegantly adorned with lily-work , kindly directing and inflaming your humanity towards the Brethren . Meet the very lowest of them on the level of condescension , nor
venture to despise the mam for whom-perhaps a Saviour died ; that so you may be able to hold up your heads when justice is laid to the line , and righteousness to the plummet . Let your pure benevolence spread every way , like the-more than gem-studded arch of heaven , expanding even over your enemies when in distress , that you may prove yourselves to be the children of the Most Hi gh , Who is benign to the uhr
thankful , and to the evil . Philanthropy is not confined to name or sect , to climate or language . Like the power of attraction , which reaches from the largest to the smallest bodies in the universe , it unites men from the throne to the" cottage . Whether your Lodge meets on the high mountains of worldly grandeur , and is beheld from afar ; or in the lowest vales of obscurityand noticed but bfew
, y ; whether under Adoniram you hew on the tops of Lebanon , or with Aholiab and Bezaleel , are in distinguished offices near the Sanctum Sanctorum , or with the sons of Levi serve at the altar , O sit not at a Brother ' s call ; if he be in danger fly to his relief ; if he be deceived tell him the truth ; if he be calumniated , justify his character—bear his burdens—allay his sorrows—and . espouse his cause ; nay , if in
many things he hath erred , still recollect , that indiscretion in him ought not to destroy humanity in you . As the Eastern Magi opened their treasures , which , doubtless , were various , to the Redeemer of souls , so every Brother should be g iven to hospitality ; ready to distribute , willing to communicate , and eager to employ , his gift or power , whatever it mav be , for the mutual VOL . HI . I ; *