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Masonic Didactics; Or, Short Moral Essays Of Universal Adaptation.
good and perfect gift cometh from above , where is the Father of LMit with whom there is no variableness , nor shadow of turning . " Man is himself , by reason of his Fall from that great and first estate wherein he walked the hol y image of bis Maker , the author of every evil wretchedness , and misfortune that happens to every son of Adam . ' But the moral strength of mind requisite perfectly to eudure ' those calamities to " which flesh is heir" must emanate from Divine Centre
a , in the circle of events , inwardly working a conviction of the beauty of that holiness , and wisdom , and justice , by which the Grand Architect of the Universe is governed in the disposal of those lines of his providential care , that gloriously make all things redound to his own honour , and the good of his creatures . David his servant was assured in the midst of terrifying sorrows , that " He never forsook the righteous nor suffered their seed to beg their bread . " And it is a devout and abiding belief in that onl
power y which can animate man to hear misfortune well , or redeem him from sinking into the dark gulf of despair by the sometimes almost overwhelming accumulation of human misery . A perverse and repining disposition , under whatever amount of affliction we suffer , is but the petulant consolation of " the foolish body . " Indeed to indulge the grief of the heart by fretfulness against the dispensations of the Lord , is a positively sinful act . For how can vain repining amend the condition of
present disastrous circumstances?—or what benefit can be expected , by a rational mind , to result from "kicking against the pricks" of human destiny ? Surely , common sense tells us that an obstinate will of rebellion against the permitted operations of second causes b y the Supreme Arbiter of our fate , is not the policy which will improve misfortune ; nor railing against our Maker very creditable to our piety , much less likely to call down his propitious help m promoting our future honest endeavours after success in life ' s schemes .
Mankind , having their several interests at heart , ( which are all bent by universal order into the good of a whole community ) , instead of resorting to frantic suicide , or moping melancholy , or croaking despondency under temporal trials , should consider the words of the immortal bard , who
exclaimstor who would boar the whips and scorns of time . The oppressors wronfr , the pvoun man ' s contumely ; The pangs of despised love , the law ' s delay . The insolence of office . and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes , When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin ? Who would fardels bear , To grunt and sweat under a weary life ; But that the dread of xtiinething after death , — The undiseover'd country , from whose bourne No traveller returns , —puzzles the will ; And makes us rather bear those ills we have , Than iiy to others we know not of . "—SHAKSPEAUB
No . XXII . —THE SOVEREIGNTY OF VIRTUE . Nunciuam potest non esse virtuti ioeus—SESJSCA . If we translate the prosopeian fi gure of the great Latin moralist into person , we shall find the accuracy of the sentiment happily testified by some of the bri ghtest examples both in ancient and modern history .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Didactics; Or, Short Moral Essays Of Universal Adaptation.
good and perfect gift cometh from above , where is the Father of LMit with whom there is no variableness , nor shadow of turning . " Man is himself , by reason of his Fall from that great and first estate wherein he walked the hol y image of bis Maker , the author of every evil wretchedness , and misfortune that happens to every son of Adam . ' But the moral strength of mind requisite perfectly to eudure ' those calamities to " which flesh is heir" must emanate from Divine Centre
a , in the circle of events , inwardly working a conviction of the beauty of that holiness , and wisdom , and justice , by which the Grand Architect of the Universe is governed in the disposal of those lines of his providential care , that gloriously make all things redound to his own honour , and the good of his creatures . David his servant was assured in the midst of terrifying sorrows , that " He never forsook the righteous nor suffered their seed to beg their bread . " And it is a devout and abiding belief in that onl
power y which can animate man to hear misfortune well , or redeem him from sinking into the dark gulf of despair by the sometimes almost overwhelming accumulation of human misery . A perverse and repining disposition , under whatever amount of affliction we suffer , is but the petulant consolation of " the foolish body . " Indeed to indulge the grief of the heart by fretfulness against the dispensations of the Lord , is a positively sinful act . For how can vain repining amend the condition of
present disastrous circumstances?—or what benefit can be expected , by a rational mind , to result from "kicking against the pricks" of human destiny ? Surely , common sense tells us that an obstinate will of rebellion against the permitted operations of second causes b y the Supreme Arbiter of our fate , is not the policy which will improve misfortune ; nor railing against our Maker very creditable to our piety , much less likely to call down his propitious help m promoting our future honest endeavours after success in life ' s schemes .
Mankind , having their several interests at heart , ( which are all bent by universal order into the good of a whole community ) , instead of resorting to frantic suicide , or moping melancholy , or croaking despondency under temporal trials , should consider the words of the immortal bard , who
exclaimstor who would boar the whips and scorns of time . The oppressors wronfr , the pvoun man ' s contumely ; The pangs of despised love , the law ' s delay . The insolence of office . and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes , When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin ? Who would fardels bear , To grunt and sweat under a weary life ; But that the dread of xtiinething after death , — The undiseover'd country , from whose bourne No traveller returns , —puzzles the will ; And makes us rather bear those ills we have , Than iiy to others we know not of . "—SHAKSPEAUB
No . XXII . —THE SOVEREIGNTY OF VIRTUE . Nunciuam potest non esse virtuti ioeus—SESJSCA . If we translate the prosopeian fi gure of the great Latin moralist into person , we shall find the accuracy of the sentiment happily testified by some of the bri ghtest examples both in ancient and modern history .