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Article A GENERAL CHARGE TO MASONRY. ← Page 2 of 5 →
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A General Charge To Masonry.
other : every man being designed by Providence to promote the good of others , as he tenders his own advantage ; and by that intercourse to secure their good offices , by being , as occasion may offer , serviceable unto them . Christianity in general ( for I now enternotupon the melancholy divisions so rife among us ) never circumscribes our benevolence within the narrow confines of naturefortune , profitor personal
, , obligation . What I would advance is this : That we restrain not our love to our next nei ghbour only , this being merely a point of conveniency , —nor to our acquaintance solely , this being the effect of inclination purely to gratify ourselves—We are not to caress our friends , because gratitude and common justice require even that at our hands—Nor yet those especially from whom we expect to
receive benefit , for this interest and policy will prompt us to—Nor our relations only , for this the ties of blood and mere nature dictate —Nor is our love and charity limited to them particularly who are of the same church or opinion with us : for by the very same reason that we are induced to believe ourselves in the right , they may imagine themselves so too ; and what we may judge to be a perfection
among ourselves , they may condemn as a blemish . Be it so then , that in some points , or rather modes of worship ^ we may differ or dissent from each other , yet still the . LODGE reconciles even these —There we all meet amicably , and converse sociably together—There we harmonize in principles , though we vary in
punctilios—There we join in conversation , and intermingle interests—There we discover no estrangement of behaviour , nor alienation of affection—We serve one another most readily in all the kind offices of a cordial friendship . Thus are we united , though distinguished , united in the same grand Christian fundamentals , though distinguished by some circumstantials ; united in one important band of brotherl y lovethough distinguished by some peculiarities of sentiment .
, Freedom of opinion thus indulged , but its points never discussed , is the happy influence under which the unity of this truly ancient and honourable societ y has been preserved from time immemorial ,, And whoever is an upright Mason , can neither be an Atheist , Deist , or Libertine . For he is under the strictest obligation to be a good man , a true Christian , and to act with honour and honesty ,
however distinguished by different opinions in the circumstantials of religion . Upon which account MASONRY is become the centre of union , and the means of conciliating friendship among men that mi ght have otherwise remained at perpetual distance ; causing them to love as brethren , as heirs of the same hope , partakers of the same promiseschildren of the same Godand candidates for the
, , same heaven . We read , that , when Tertullus pleaded against St . Paul , the chief accusation whereon he founded his plea , was , bis being ring-leader of the Sect opbe Nazarenes—and this sect ( said the Jews ) we knoiv that every where it is spoken against . And wherefore was this sect so spoken against ? Was it from any evil they knew of its profes =
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A General Charge To Masonry.
other : every man being designed by Providence to promote the good of others , as he tenders his own advantage ; and by that intercourse to secure their good offices , by being , as occasion may offer , serviceable unto them . Christianity in general ( for I now enternotupon the melancholy divisions so rife among us ) never circumscribes our benevolence within the narrow confines of naturefortune , profitor personal
, , obligation . What I would advance is this : That we restrain not our love to our next nei ghbour only , this being merely a point of conveniency , —nor to our acquaintance solely , this being the effect of inclination purely to gratify ourselves—We are not to caress our friends , because gratitude and common justice require even that at our hands—Nor yet those especially from whom we expect to
receive benefit , for this interest and policy will prompt us to—Nor our relations only , for this the ties of blood and mere nature dictate —Nor is our love and charity limited to them particularly who are of the same church or opinion with us : for by the very same reason that we are induced to believe ourselves in the right , they may imagine themselves so too ; and what we may judge to be a perfection
among ourselves , they may condemn as a blemish . Be it so then , that in some points , or rather modes of worship ^ we may differ or dissent from each other , yet still the . LODGE reconciles even these —There we all meet amicably , and converse sociably together—There we harmonize in principles , though we vary in
punctilios—There we join in conversation , and intermingle interests—There we discover no estrangement of behaviour , nor alienation of affection—We serve one another most readily in all the kind offices of a cordial friendship . Thus are we united , though distinguished , united in the same grand Christian fundamentals , though distinguished by some circumstantials ; united in one important band of brotherl y lovethough distinguished by some peculiarities of sentiment .
, Freedom of opinion thus indulged , but its points never discussed , is the happy influence under which the unity of this truly ancient and honourable societ y has been preserved from time immemorial ,, And whoever is an upright Mason , can neither be an Atheist , Deist , or Libertine . For he is under the strictest obligation to be a good man , a true Christian , and to act with honour and honesty ,
however distinguished by different opinions in the circumstantials of religion . Upon which account MASONRY is become the centre of union , and the means of conciliating friendship among men that mi ght have otherwise remained at perpetual distance ; causing them to love as brethren , as heirs of the same hope , partakers of the same promiseschildren of the same Godand candidates for the
, , same heaven . We read , that , when Tertullus pleaded against St . Paul , the chief accusation whereon he founded his plea , was , bis being ring-leader of the Sect opbe Nazarenes—and this sect ( said the Jews ) we knoiv that every where it is spoken against . And wherefore was this sect so spoken against ? Was it from any evil they knew of its profes =