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Article ADDRESS OF BROTHER ALEXANDER GRANT ← Page 2 of 2
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Address Of Brother Alexander Grant
Brethren , in a distant portion of the globe , and who , no doubt , are , like ourselves , gathered together to commemorate the anniversary of this clay—amongst them will be many dear friends of mine , by whom I feel that I shall not only be remembered on St . John ' s Day , but by them shall never be forgotten—No doubt it often occurs to the mind even of those conversant with the mysteries of the Order , what is Masonry ? There the question generally ends ; or , if pursued further , is lost in vague conjecture ; Masonry does not consist in a mere knowledge of the ceremonies of our institution—it is not the actual bestowal of
eleemosynary relief—it is not faith—it is not hope—though these virtues are necessary essentials , but they are virtues that only lead to a perfect development of our glorious ancl hallowed Order ; and that is erecting the human heart into a temple of unbounded love to God and to his creatures —this is charity , or the very essence of that virtue that lights up the empyrean , or heaven of heavens . It is a virtue that will be enjoyed when faitli or hope are no longer required—in fact , it rentiers Masonry ,
as it does Christianity , a pure and inexhaustible stream , flowing from the Throne of Omnipotence , from ivhich the Father of Mercies hath said to his children , " drink ancl be happy . "—Taking this view of Masonry , I feel our members must go forth into the world as missionaries of universal benevolence , with their watch-word '' Charity , " their banner displaying " Peace . " Then surety , brethren , itis our duty to soothe the sigh of the widow ' s heart , to stay the tear of maternal solicitude , to still the throb
that would burst the orphan ' s breast , to throw the mantle of comfort and of peace over the declining form of decrepitude and age—to seek out the wanderer and the friendless , ancl in secret give to the hand that never ivould have been raised to ask , the pittance of the passing Samaritan—to visit the poor man in his cot , ancl lay another comfort on his board , on which is spread the dry morsel of his hard-earned labour—to visit the captive in his cellattune his heart to a new songlay before him a
, , bright chart of futurity , but , above all , to raise his mind to the hope of a fairer world of immortality as a reward for sufferings here . Let us follow out ancl put in practice these duties , ancl Masonry will prove to all and each the rose in the wilderness , the spring in the desert , the shelter from adversity ' s bitter storm , the resting place to the weary—in fact , brethren , it will be fulfilling the most sublime precept that ever gilded the pages of divine command—it will be " doing unto others as
we would they should clo unto us . " You will , I trust , brethren , excuse the tediousness of these observations . One word more ancl I have clone—Let us separate , bearing in mind that if we confidently trust in our Divine Parent he will not suffer his erring but penitent child to go unaided . This is one great precept ivhich Masonry inculcates . VVould then that her votaries were as numerous ancl sincere as her principles are universal and God-like .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Address Of Brother Alexander Grant
Brethren , in a distant portion of the globe , and who , no doubt , are , like ourselves , gathered together to commemorate the anniversary of this clay—amongst them will be many dear friends of mine , by whom I feel that I shall not only be remembered on St . John ' s Day , but by them shall never be forgotten—No doubt it often occurs to the mind even of those conversant with the mysteries of the Order , what is Masonry ? There the question generally ends ; or , if pursued further , is lost in vague conjecture ; Masonry does not consist in a mere knowledge of the ceremonies of our institution—it is not the actual bestowal of
eleemosynary relief—it is not faith—it is not hope—though these virtues are necessary essentials , but they are virtues that only lead to a perfect development of our glorious ancl hallowed Order ; and that is erecting the human heart into a temple of unbounded love to God and to his creatures —this is charity , or the very essence of that virtue that lights up the empyrean , or heaven of heavens . It is a virtue that will be enjoyed when faitli or hope are no longer required—in fact , it rentiers Masonry ,
as it does Christianity , a pure and inexhaustible stream , flowing from the Throne of Omnipotence , from ivhich the Father of Mercies hath said to his children , " drink ancl be happy . "—Taking this view of Masonry , I feel our members must go forth into the world as missionaries of universal benevolence , with their watch-word '' Charity , " their banner displaying " Peace . " Then surety , brethren , itis our duty to soothe the sigh of the widow ' s heart , to stay the tear of maternal solicitude , to still the throb
that would burst the orphan ' s breast , to throw the mantle of comfort and of peace over the declining form of decrepitude and age—to seek out the wanderer and the friendless , ancl in secret give to the hand that never ivould have been raised to ask , the pittance of the passing Samaritan—to visit the poor man in his cot , ancl lay another comfort on his board , on which is spread the dry morsel of his hard-earned labour—to visit the captive in his cellattune his heart to a new songlay before him a
, , bright chart of futurity , but , above all , to raise his mind to the hope of a fairer world of immortality as a reward for sufferings here . Let us follow out ancl put in practice these duties , ancl Masonry will prove to all and each the rose in the wilderness , the spring in the desert , the shelter from adversity ' s bitter storm , the resting place to the weary—in fact , brethren , it will be fulfilling the most sublime precept that ever gilded the pages of divine command—it will be " doing unto others as
we would they should clo unto us . " You will , I trust , brethren , excuse the tediousness of these observations . One word more ancl I have clone—Let us separate , bearing in mind that if we confidently trust in our Divine Parent he will not suffer his erring but penitent child to go unaided . This is one great precept ivhich Masonry inculcates . VVould then that her votaries were as numerous ancl sincere as her principles are universal and God-like .