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Article M^SOKBS: 4^ TO ← Page 5 of 8 →
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M^Sokbs: 4^ To
work with a single heart and an unfaltering hand . Qur ancient Brethren re ared a niagnifrcent Temple to the honour of the G . A . 0 . 3 C . IJ . ; but ours is a nobler task . We build with no materia stone , but With the souls of living ^ walls of time , and we raise a temple that shall reach from earth to heaven . We can leave an impress upon the age in which w
hasten that which shall be ; If we will not strive to advance the cause of Masonry and uphold herglory , ohrs ^ We may disgrace the badge w which we were invested at our initiation ; but the spirit of Masonry is far too si ^ sulliedby any neglect or defaced do is to remember the great and good men who in former years have made Masonry their boast , ahd ~ -
Strive to do our work as well , Both the unseen and the seen , Make the house where God should dwell , Beautifixl , entire , ( and clean :. Build to-day then , strong and sure , With a firm and ample base , And ascending still secure , ; Shall to-morrow find its place .
LEGTTJEE II . W . M . and Beethren , —In commencing this second lecture on a Masonic subjeet $ I cannot forbear making a few remarks oh these dissertations and their object . For it might be argued that while there are exta-nt so many lectured , and these bearing the and being in a manner the authoritative teaching of the Order , it is presumptuous for any private Brother to come forward , and adapting the
dogmas and practice of Masonry to his own views , to disseminate those opinions far and wide , to the exclusion of more orthodox doctrine ; or that the sections contain such a comprehensive and well-digested body of instruction , that any farther additions , if not absolutely prejudicial to Masonry , are at least ill-timed and superfluous . These objections , at the first glance seem to have some weight ; but when we examine the object that these lectures of mine , and such as these , have in view , we shall find they are light as vanity itself .
We do not deny the excellence of these lectures , nor do we venture to intrude into their province . Our only end and aim is to bring Masonry more home to the affections and sympathies of Masons ; to speak to them in language which they may recognize as coming fresh from a heart throbbing with the spirit of the age in which it lives , and from- a brain which thinks and toils among men and minds of its own time .
For there must be a greater force and vitality in the thoughts , and impressions formed by actual events of the day and peculiarities of the time , than in the stereotyped formations and generalities of a past generation . We would , therefore , that these humble thoughts of ours should stir up in your bosoms a renewed love—an enthusiasm for Masonry ; that they should induce you to consider her as something more than the amusement
of an idle hour , or even a recreation of the intellect from the sterner duties and exigencies of life—that they should lead you to think upon Masonry . And having thought long ; , well and deeply , you will confess that Masonry is not only a perfect code of morality , teaching our duties and relations to God , our neighbour , and ourselves ; but that she enforces a system of intellectual culture , which should develop all the powers of mind with
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
M^Sokbs: 4^ To
work with a single heart and an unfaltering hand . Qur ancient Brethren re ared a niagnifrcent Temple to the honour of the G . A . 0 . 3 C . IJ . ; but ours is a nobler task . We build with no materia stone , but With the souls of living ^ walls of time , and we raise a temple that shall reach from earth to heaven . We can leave an impress upon the age in which w
hasten that which shall be ; If we will not strive to advance the cause of Masonry and uphold herglory , ohrs ^ We may disgrace the badge w which we were invested at our initiation ; but the spirit of Masonry is far too si ^ sulliedby any neglect or defaced do is to remember the great and good men who in former years have made Masonry their boast , ahd ~ -
Strive to do our work as well , Both the unseen and the seen , Make the house where God should dwell , Beautifixl , entire , ( and clean :. Build to-day then , strong and sure , With a firm and ample base , And ascending still secure , ; Shall to-morrow find its place .
LEGTTJEE II . W . M . and Beethren , —In commencing this second lecture on a Masonic subjeet $ I cannot forbear making a few remarks oh these dissertations and their object . For it might be argued that while there are exta-nt so many lectured , and these bearing the and being in a manner the authoritative teaching of the Order , it is presumptuous for any private Brother to come forward , and adapting the
dogmas and practice of Masonry to his own views , to disseminate those opinions far and wide , to the exclusion of more orthodox doctrine ; or that the sections contain such a comprehensive and well-digested body of instruction , that any farther additions , if not absolutely prejudicial to Masonry , are at least ill-timed and superfluous . These objections , at the first glance seem to have some weight ; but when we examine the object that these lectures of mine , and such as these , have in view , we shall find they are light as vanity itself .
We do not deny the excellence of these lectures , nor do we venture to intrude into their province . Our only end and aim is to bring Masonry more home to the affections and sympathies of Masons ; to speak to them in language which they may recognize as coming fresh from a heart throbbing with the spirit of the age in which it lives , and from- a brain which thinks and toils among men and minds of its own time .
For there must be a greater force and vitality in the thoughts , and impressions formed by actual events of the day and peculiarities of the time , than in the stereotyped formations and generalities of a past generation . We would , therefore , that these humble thoughts of ours should stir up in your bosoms a renewed love—an enthusiasm for Masonry ; that they should induce you to consider her as something more than the amusement
of an idle hour , or even a recreation of the intellect from the sterner duties and exigencies of life—that they should lead you to think upon Masonry . And having thought long ; , well and deeply , you will confess that Masonry is not only a perfect code of morality , teaching our duties and relations to God , our neighbour , and ourselves ; but that she enforces a system of intellectual culture , which should develop all the powers of mind with