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Article LONG LIVERS: ← Page 2 of 14 →
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Long Livers:
see what you are ; act accordingly , and shew yourselves ( what you are ) MEN , and walk worthy the high Profession to which you are called . But while I say this , do not imagine I set up for a Rabbi , Master , or Instructor , who am one of the least of you ,
a mere Novice , a Catechumen , and know nothing . However , do not despise my Mite , which I throw into your Treasury , since 'tis all I have ; others may do more in Quantity , but not in Proportion . Remember then what the great end we
all aim at is : Is it not to be happy here and hereafter ? For they both depend on each other : The Seeds of that eternal Peace and Tranquility and everlasting Repose must he sown in this Life ; and he that would glorify and enjoy the Sovereign
Good then , must learn to do it now , and from contemplating the Creature gradually ascend to adore the Creator . Yon know , no one is worthy to be of you that does not know , or at least love , one or more of the seven Liberal Arts
, which in some sort depend on each other ; Music , Harmony , and Proportion run thro' all ; hut the grandest and most sublime of all is Astronomy , by which it has been given to Men from above to do such Wondersand has so amply displayed the
, Glories of the most Hi gh . The Heavens speak forth the Glory of God , and the Firmament announceth the Works of his Hands .
This Earth which we inhabit is indeed a wonderful Piece of Structure , replenished with infinite Variety of rich Productions of Vegetables and Minerals , which all discover a Divine Origin , as much as the Animal Kingdom ; where a little Fl y is as
much the Wonder of the most penetrating Philosopher , as proud haughty Man , who plumes himself up with being Rational , and yet makes so bad use of his being so ; styles himself the Lord of the Creation , and like a true Tyrant devours one third ( and
that the most innocent part ) of it , to keep up his Royalty . This little despicable Animal has all its proper Organs as regularly posited as the other ; its Members as justly proportioned and adapted ; its little Eye has its UveaRetinaand crystalline
, , Humour ; and its Body its proper Vessels , its Blood and Lymphaa . 0 Lord our God , how wonderful is thy Name in all the Earth !
But alas ! my Brethren , what are wo and our little Globe bolow , to that stupendous Celestial Masonry above ! where the Almighty Architect has stretch'd out the Heavens as a Curtain , which ho has richly embroidered with Stars , and with his immortal compassesas from a Punctum
, , circumscribed the mighty ALL ; is himself the Centre of all Things , yet knows no Circumference ? who lets down his golden Balance , and weig hs all Things according to eternal incorruptible Justice , and where the Actions of the best of Men are
frequently found too light ; who has created infinite Worlds , for what wo know , above us ; and those vast Luminaries within om Ken , to which he has given Laws , and allotted them their peculiar Influences , Intelligences and Djeinons . In these Contemplations the Royal Psalmist was lost in Wonder and
Amazement ; these humble the proudest Spirits , and make the most haughty Philosopher own , that all he knows is , that he knows nothing . Can any then , who thinks after this manner , be an Atheist ? No , my clearest Brethren , there never was such an hideous Monster in the World . Be not
therefore carried away with every Blast of Doctrine , or fondly imagine anyone who is so unhappy as to be branded with this odious Appellation , to be what the detestable Term imports . The best and most learned men have not escaped the
opprobrious Names of Atheists and Heretics ; it has ever been the Practice of poor narrow-foul'd Animals , when they meet with an elevated Genius , who Eagle like , soars to the Sun , and contemplates that briht Luminary in all his Glorieswhich
g , dazzle and confound their weak Sig ht , when they are at a Loss in Argument , vainly to persuade their Audience ( as wise as themselves ) by Noise and senseless Clamour , and the everlasting Din of Heresy and Atheism . This I hint to you
as a Caution not to run on with the unthinking Herd , or give into rash Judgment , whereby good Men have been too often injured ; and the Slanderer , if ever he is so happy as to reflect and look upwardsfinds nothing but a troubled
Con-, science , and a perpetual Incapacity of making Restitution for his Crime . I hope none of the Brethren will ever lie under these Aspersions ; hut no one
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Long Livers:
see what you are ; act accordingly , and shew yourselves ( what you are ) MEN , and walk worthy the high Profession to which you are called . But while I say this , do not imagine I set up for a Rabbi , Master , or Instructor , who am one of the least of you ,
a mere Novice , a Catechumen , and know nothing . However , do not despise my Mite , which I throw into your Treasury , since 'tis all I have ; others may do more in Quantity , but not in Proportion . Remember then what the great end we
all aim at is : Is it not to be happy here and hereafter ? For they both depend on each other : The Seeds of that eternal Peace and Tranquility and everlasting Repose must he sown in this Life ; and he that would glorify and enjoy the Sovereign
Good then , must learn to do it now , and from contemplating the Creature gradually ascend to adore the Creator . Yon know , no one is worthy to be of you that does not know , or at least love , one or more of the seven Liberal Arts
, which in some sort depend on each other ; Music , Harmony , and Proportion run thro' all ; hut the grandest and most sublime of all is Astronomy , by which it has been given to Men from above to do such Wondersand has so amply displayed the
, Glories of the most Hi gh . The Heavens speak forth the Glory of God , and the Firmament announceth the Works of his Hands .
This Earth which we inhabit is indeed a wonderful Piece of Structure , replenished with infinite Variety of rich Productions of Vegetables and Minerals , which all discover a Divine Origin , as much as the Animal Kingdom ; where a little Fl y is as
much the Wonder of the most penetrating Philosopher , as proud haughty Man , who plumes himself up with being Rational , and yet makes so bad use of his being so ; styles himself the Lord of the Creation , and like a true Tyrant devours one third ( and
that the most innocent part ) of it , to keep up his Royalty . This little despicable Animal has all its proper Organs as regularly posited as the other ; its Members as justly proportioned and adapted ; its little Eye has its UveaRetinaand crystalline
, , Humour ; and its Body its proper Vessels , its Blood and Lymphaa . 0 Lord our God , how wonderful is thy Name in all the Earth !
But alas ! my Brethren , what are wo and our little Globe bolow , to that stupendous Celestial Masonry above ! where the Almighty Architect has stretch'd out the Heavens as a Curtain , which ho has richly embroidered with Stars , and with his immortal compassesas from a Punctum
, , circumscribed the mighty ALL ; is himself the Centre of all Things , yet knows no Circumference ? who lets down his golden Balance , and weig hs all Things according to eternal incorruptible Justice , and where the Actions of the best of Men are
frequently found too light ; who has created infinite Worlds , for what wo know , above us ; and those vast Luminaries within om Ken , to which he has given Laws , and allotted them their peculiar Influences , Intelligences and Djeinons . In these Contemplations the Royal Psalmist was lost in Wonder and
Amazement ; these humble the proudest Spirits , and make the most haughty Philosopher own , that all he knows is , that he knows nothing . Can any then , who thinks after this manner , be an Atheist ? No , my clearest Brethren , there never was such an hideous Monster in the World . Be not
therefore carried away with every Blast of Doctrine , or fondly imagine anyone who is so unhappy as to be branded with this odious Appellation , to be what the detestable Term imports . The best and most learned men have not escaped the
opprobrious Names of Atheists and Heretics ; it has ever been the Practice of poor narrow-foul'd Animals , when they meet with an elevated Genius , who Eagle like , soars to the Sun , and contemplates that briht Luminary in all his Glorieswhich
g , dazzle and confound their weak Sig ht , when they are at a Loss in Argument , vainly to persuade their Audience ( as wise as themselves ) by Noise and senseless Clamour , and the everlasting Din of Heresy and Atheism . This I hint to you
as a Caution not to run on with the unthinking Herd , or give into rash Judgment , whereby good Men have been too often injured ; and the Slanderer , if ever he is so happy as to reflect and look upwardsfinds nothing but a troubled
Con-, science , and a perpetual Incapacity of making Restitution for his Crime . I hope none of the Brethren will ever lie under these Aspersions ; hut no one