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Article GLEANINGS FROM MASONRY. Page 1 of 3 →
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Gleanings From Masonry.
GLEANINGS FROM MASONRY .
• { Ci'lltinucd film , rage -, 011 , vol . 11 . ) IF the kind look , the sympathising heart , ancl the generous hand may thus become the humble instruments by which the blessings of charity are dispensed to the afflicted and broken in spirit ofthe human family ; equally worthy of our attention , ancl equally imperative , is the call of Masonry upon us , to exercise tbe cardinal virtues . Indeed , society has as great a riht to demand that a man clothe himself with the private
g virtues , as with the public . For though it may appear at the first glance a man ' s own private concern whether he practice sobriety ov intemperance , & c , yet upon a closer view , it will be found to affect the community at large equally with himself ; for as example is the very spirit of teaching in morality , so a man has no right to infect the healthy feelings of his neighbours , by the filthy contagion of his own immorality and excess .
Masonry—blessed Masonry!—ever watchful , ever studious of the welfare of mankind , intimatel y acquainted with the secret springs of action which propel us to good or evil , knows that the man who would regenerate others , must first erase the foul spot from his oivn soul ; she would therefore begin the good work in the hearts of her oivn disci ples , ancl cries , " Come , my children , and listen to the words of my mouth ; learn to rule ancl subdue your passions , ancl keep yourselves unspotted
from the world , " Such is the invitation we receive fiom that moral instructor , who would wish us to be as the first man , ere sin came into the world , ancl death by sin . Every "Mason , deserving of the name , must have the prosperity of the institution at heart , ancl would not willingly give a retrograde movement to its course of usefulness , by an open ancl avowed profligacy of conduct . This outward show of decency may be well—ancl is indeed required—but it is at best but as the fig tree which promised much , but in vain was the fruit thereof looked for ; all was barrenness , with the show of plenty , and tbe hopes of those Masons will wither as that tree .
Let us not content ourselves with such a course of conduct ! let it not be sufficient for us that the institution maintain its present position ; but let us strive in the glorious work of extending tlie sphere of its action , and thus pour upon the darkened soul of man a flood of li ght , in lustre secondary only , to the day-spring of Christianity . Of what utility is Masonry to us if we clothe not our souls with its virtues : ancl in what manner are ive of use to the institution , if we do
not demonstrate to the world , both by precept and example , that Masonry is indeed a beautiful system of morality ? It is much to be wished that our Order be revered ancl respected at our domestic hearth . To render it so we have only to follow its precepts and obey its injunctions . Vain are the honours and emoluments of public life , if we quaff the cup of bitterness at home ; and how often does a man sow the seed of misery upon his own hearthby a neglect of those duties required of him as a
, father , a husband , or a son ! And until a man has acquired a certain mastery over his passions , he can never rely with any degree of certainty on the continuance of domestic bliss . The passions are given to us as yielding instruments , which by a skilful arrangement may be made to yield a vast amount of legitimate enjoyment . We are , however , so constituted that the abuse of these very passions is attended with the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Gleanings From Masonry.
GLEANINGS FROM MASONRY .
• { Ci'lltinucd film , rage -, 011 , vol . 11 . ) IF the kind look , the sympathising heart , ancl the generous hand may thus become the humble instruments by which the blessings of charity are dispensed to the afflicted and broken in spirit ofthe human family ; equally worthy of our attention , ancl equally imperative , is the call of Masonry upon us , to exercise tbe cardinal virtues . Indeed , society has as great a riht to demand that a man clothe himself with the private
g virtues , as with the public . For though it may appear at the first glance a man ' s own private concern whether he practice sobriety ov intemperance , & c , yet upon a closer view , it will be found to affect the community at large equally with himself ; for as example is the very spirit of teaching in morality , so a man has no right to infect the healthy feelings of his neighbours , by the filthy contagion of his own immorality and excess .
Masonry—blessed Masonry!—ever watchful , ever studious of the welfare of mankind , intimatel y acquainted with the secret springs of action which propel us to good or evil , knows that the man who would regenerate others , must first erase the foul spot from his oivn soul ; she would therefore begin the good work in the hearts of her oivn disci ples , ancl cries , " Come , my children , and listen to the words of my mouth ; learn to rule ancl subdue your passions , ancl keep yourselves unspotted
from the world , " Such is the invitation we receive fiom that moral instructor , who would wish us to be as the first man , ere sin came into the world , ancl death by sin . Every "Mason , deserving of the name , must have the prosperity of the institution at heart , ancl would not willingly give a retrograde movement to its course of usefulness , by an open ancl avowed profligacy of conduct . This outward show of decency may be well—ancl is indeed required—but it is at best but as the fig tree which promised much , but in vain was the fruit thereof looked for ; all was barrenness , with the show of plenty , and tbe hopes of those Masons will wither as that tree .
Let us not content ourselves with such a course of conduct ! let it not be sufficient for us that the institution maintain its present position ; but let us strive in the glorious work of extending tlie sphere of its action , and thus pour upon the darkened soul of man a flood of li ght , in lustre secondary only , to the day-spring of Christianity . Of what utility is Masonry to us if we clothe not our souls with its virtues : ancl in what manner are ive of use to the institution , if we do
not demonstrate to the world , both by precept and example , that Masonry is indeed a beautiful system of morality ? It is much to be wished that our Order be revered ancl respected at our domestic hearth . To render it so we have only to follow its precepts and obey its injunctions . Vain are the honours and emoluments of public life , if we quaff the cup of bitterness at home ; and how often does a man sow the seed of misery upon his own hearthby a neglect of those duties required of him as a
, father , a husband , or a son ! And until a man has acquired a certain mastery over his passions , he can never rely with any degree of certainty on the continuance of domestic bliss . The passions are given to us as yielding instruments , which by a skilful arrangement may be made to yield a vast amount of legitimate enjoyment . We are , however , so constituted that the abuse of these very passions is attended with the