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Article 1st EPISTLE OF ST. PETER, 17th VERSE. ← Page 3 of 4 →
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1st Epistle Of St. Peter, 17th Verse.
' I begin with the first admonition , " Love the Brotherhood : " . and here truly I may say to you , as Moses said to the discordant Israelites in Egypt , " Sirs , ye are Brethren , " Brethren in the most extensive sense " of the word . All men , it is true , we may say , are Brethren by creation ; as he who made the world , of one blood made he all the nations upon the earth . All men also are Brethren by redemption ; fallen
he who is the . Author of Nature , and the great restorer of nature , ' tasted death for every man , and will in his own times and seasons bring back all things to himself ; for , as the poet says , " all things were made for him , and nothing can be lost . " So far all are Brethren . But ye have still farther obligations ; obligations voluntarily entered into , when your minds were at full maturity to be
consider ; when they had full liberty to have refused ; yea , ye may said , v / ith a full maturity of understanding to have given yourse _ ves wholly to the Brethren , and that with the most serious asseverations of constancy and fraternal affection . If , therefore , you are convicted of failing in the performance of so sacred and so deliberately-engaged obligationsin what instanceI beseech youshall we possibly hope to
, , , find you faithful in the performance of any promise ? _ , Having thus briefly remarked under what additional obligations we , as Masons , are Brethren , permit me faithfully to enforce the ' obligated duty of Brotherly-Love , and which , fir brevity ' s sake , \ w «; wi ! l observe , consists , first , in gentle reproof in error ; secondly , kind instruction and advice in ignorance and difficulties ; and ,
thirdly ; , in tender commiseration and relief in sorrow and distress ; First , Brotherly Love consists in gentle reproof in error ; nor is St , Paul ' s benevolent definition of love , " hi that it hopeth all things , " any kind of check to this particular exercise of Brotherly Love . For should love - b , e exercised to "all the . extent of the sense which , we might put upon this expression , we must be so totally blind to each that both of and of
others errors , one great duty Christianity Masonry , i . e . reproof , would never be exercised . And so far would it be from being * right to exercise such a degree of love , that ultimately it would be attended with the greatest mischief . God , even God , whose name and nature is Love , correcteth , reproveth , and chastiseth , those who are in-errorThe good parenthowever
indulgentcor-. , , recteth and reproveth the faulty child . And it is a strong cement to friendship to give ancl to receive reproof . It is the manner and disposition with which reproof is given , which gives its essence , or takes away its excellency . The propriety of the duty is established by divine and apostolical authority ; the manner of its performance must in some measure depend upon circumstances , and should at all times
be guided by the spirit of our religion , from which we may confidently say , Masonry derives most , if net all , its precepts . In this , therefore , I briefly advise , let love be without partiality ; be not always blind to the errors of your Brother , lest he sin ti ; e sin unto death . And let your zeal be without rancour and fury ; let not the precious balm of salutary reproof break the head of him y < tu would wish to reclaim . Ru ¦
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
1st Epistle Of St. Peter, 17th Verse.
' I begin with the first admonition , " Love the Brotherhood : " . and here truly I may say to you , as Moses said to the discordant Israelites in Egypt , " Sirs , ye are Brethren , " Brethren in the most extensive sense " of the word . All men , it is true , we may say , are Brethren by creation ; as he who made the world , of one blood made he all the nations upon the earth . All men also are Brethren by redemption ; fallen
he who is the . Author of Nature , and the great restorer of nature , ' tasted death for every man , and will in his own times and seasons bring back all things to himself ; for , as the poet says , " all things were made for him , and nothing can be lost . " So far all are Brethren . But ye have still farther obligations ; obligations voluntarily entered into , when your minds were at full maturity to be
consider ; when they had full liberty to have refused ; yea , ye may said , v / ith a full maturity of understanding to have given yourse _ ves wholly to the Brethren , and that with the most serious asseverations of constancy and fraternal affection . If , therefore , you are convicted of failing in the performance of so sacred and so deliberately-engaged obligationsin what instanceI beseech youshall we possibly hope to
, , , find you faithful in the performance of any promise ? _ , Having thus briefly remarked under what additional obligations we , as Masons , are Brethren , permit me faithfully to enforce the ' obligated duty of Brotherly-Love , and which , fir brevity ' s sake , \ w «; wi ! l observe , consists , first , in gentle reproof in error ; secondly , kind instruction and advice in ignorance and difficulties ; and ,
thirdly ; , in tender commiseration and relief in sorrow and distress ; First , Brotherly Love consists in gentle reproof in error ; nor is St , Paul ' s benevolent definition of love , " hi that it hopeth all things , " any kind of check to this particular exercise of Brotherly Love . For should love - b , e exercised to "all the . extent of the sense which , we might put upon this expression , we must be so totally blind to each that both of and of
others errors , one great duty Christianity Masonry , i . e . reproof , would never be exercised . And so far would it be from being * right to exercise such a degree of love , that ultimately it would be attended with the greatest mischief . God , even God , whose name and nature is Love , correcteth , reproveth , and chastiseth , those who are in-errorThe good parenthowever
indulgentcor-. , , recteth and reproveth the faulty child . And it is a strong cement to friendship to give ancl to receive reproof . It is the manner and disposition with which reproof is given , which gives its essence , or takes away its excellency . The propriety of the duty is established by divine and apostolical authority ; the manner of its performance must in some measure depend upon circumstances , and should at all times
be guided by the spirit of our religion , from which we may confidently say , Masonry derives most , if net all , its precepts . In this , therefore , I briefly advise , let love be without partiality ; be not always blind to the errors of your Brother , lest he sin ti ; e sin unto death . And let your zeal be without rancour and fury ; let not the precious balm of salutary reproof break the head of him y < tu would wish to reclaim . Ru ¦