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Article THE FREEMASONS' REPOSITORY. ← Page 2 of 3 →
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The Freemasons' Repository.
blessing , meet with a friend who is as virtuous as himsejf . Change not a friend for any good , neither a faithful brother for the gold of Ophir . ' ¦ t > Our blessed Saviour , throughout his whole doctrine , seems to recommend to us this virtue in the strongest terms . ' If a man , ' says he , ' love not his brother whom he hath seen , how can he love God whom he hath not seen . ' 'A new commandment I ive unto
g you , that ye love one another , as I have loved you . '—If then God , the King of glory , who is clothed in majesty and honour , condescends to express his love and regard for us , vile earth and miserable sinners , should not we , whose every happiness in this world depends on it , love each other—live in unity , harmony , and benevolence , one with another ? As the rivers which roll over the surface of the earth meet in the
ocean , so do all the virtues that embellish human life center in Charit y . Charity suffereth long , and is kind ; Charity envieth . not ; Charity yaunteth not itself , is not puffed up , doth not behave itself unseeml y , seeketh not her own , is not easily provoked , tbinketh no evil , rejoiceth not in iniquity , but rejoiceth in the truth ; beareth all thingsbelieveth all thingshopeth all thingsendureth
, , , all things ; and he who conducts himself by these rules , must be a good Christian , a good member of societ }' , and a good , benevolent , tender-hearted friend and brother . The apostle St . Paul direas us to relieve the wants of our poor brethren ; he bids us to do good , and to distribute , for that with such sacrifices God is well pleased . God
himself commands us to open wide our hands to the poor and need y in our land . ' I well know , my brethren , how far this most admirable virtue , Charity , operates on your hearts . It is unnecessary for me to recommend the practice of it to an assembly of men , universall y framed for disinterested liberality . I need only inform you , that this day ' s contribution will be applied to the relief of some distressed and confined persons . Menwho from unforeseen disasters and
, misfortune are reduced to want ; some confined for small debts , with large arid helpless families . " And how severe is the pang of affliction , when perhaps a tender and industrious father , the only support of a wife and numerous train of little ones , is hurried into the gloomy recess of a filthy prison ; a calamity , not brought on by vanity and foll y , by extravagance or dissipation , but by that arrow of adverwhich
sity often indiscriminatel y falls on the head of the just and unjust ! Now , to be able to relieve persons of this description , how exquisite is the thought I When a brother is in distress , what heart does not ache ?—who ; if hungry , would not bring him food ? naked and would not clothe him ?—sick and in prison , and would not succour and relieve him ? Such actions add to our mirth , in our festive momentsandin coolerhours
; , our - of retirement , cause a sensation mthe bosom not to be described . The widow that shall give her mite to the treasury , the poor man , who shall bring to the thirsty a cup of cold water , shall not lose their reward . What srronger incitement can any man have to a due consideiation ofthe poor ami need y than that 'the Lord will deliver him in the day of trouble ; in that day , when the shadow of death shall compass him about , and all the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Freemasons' Repository.
blessing , meet with a friend who is as virtuous as himsejf . Change not a friend for any good , neither a faithful brother for the gold of Ophir . ' ¦ t > Our blessed Saviour , throughout his whole doctrine , seems to recommend to us this virtue in the strongest terms . ' If a man , ' says he , ' love not his brother whom he hath seen , how can he love God whom he hath not seen . ' 'A new commandment I ive unto
g you , that ye love one another , as I have loved you . '—If then God , the King of glory , who is clothed in majesty and honour , condescends to express his love and regard for us , vile earth and miserable sinners , should not we , whose every happiness in this world depends on it , love each other—live in unity , harmony , and benevolence , one with another ? As the rivers which roll over the surface of the earth meet in the
ocean , so do all the virtues that embellish human life center in Charit y . Charity suffereth long , and is kind ; Charity envieth . not ; Charity yaunteth not itself , is not puffed up , doth not behave itself unseeml y , seeketh not her own , is not easily provoked , tbinketh no evil , rejoiceth not in iniquity , but rejoiceth in the truth ; beareth all thingsbelieveth all thingshopeth all thingsendureth
, , , all things ; and he who conducts himself by these rules , must be a good Christian , a good member of societ }' , and a good , benevolent , tender-hearted friend and brother . The apostle St . Paul direas us to relieve the wants of our poor brethren ; he bids us to do good , and to distribute , for that with such sacrifices God is well pleased . God
himself commands us to open wide our hands to the poor and need y in our land . ' I well know , my brethren , how far this most admirable virtue , Charity , operates on your hearts . It is unnecessary for me to recommend the practice of it to an assembly of men , universall y framed for disinterested liberality . I need only inform you , that this day ' s contribution will be applied to the relief of some distressed and confined persons . Menwho from unforeseen disasters and
, misfortune are reduced to want ; some confined for small debts , with large arid helpless families . " And how severe is the pang of affliction , when perhaps a tender and industrious father , the only support of a wife and numerous train of little ones , is hurried into the gloomy recess of a filthy prison ; a calamity , not brought on by vanity and foll y , by extravagance or dissipation , but by that arrow of adverwhich
sity often indiscriminatel y falls on the head of the just and unjust ! Now , to be able to relieve persons of this description , how exquisite is the thought I When a brother is in distress , what heart does not ache ?—who ; if hungry , would not bring him food ? naked and would not clothe him ?—sick and in prison , and would not succour and relieve him ? Such actions add to our mirth , in our festive momentsandin coolerhours
; , our - of retirement , cause a sensation mthe bosom not to be described . The widow that shall give her mite to the treasury , the poor man , who shall bring to the thirsty a cup of cold water , shall not lose their reward . What srronger incitement can any man have to a due consideiation ofthe poor ami need y than that 'the Lord will deliver him in the day of trouble ; in that day , when the shadow of death shall compass him about , and all the