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Article FBEEMASONRY ILLUSTRATED. ← Page 2 of 16 →
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Fbeemasonry Illustrated.
religion , nor does it tolerate the detestable principles of infidelity It is a teacher of morality , and contributes its powerful aid , in that capacity , to the salvation of souls , by recommending and enforcing the duties of the second table , and by demanding an acquiescence in the doctrines of the first . And this course of discipline is perfectly
consonant with the teaching of Christianity . When the lawyer asked the subtle question ' Which is the great commandment of the law ? Jesus said unto him , ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart , and with all thy soul , and with all thy mind ; and thy neighbour as thyself : V or , in other words , this is all that is required by the Jewish law for the salvation of man . "
AH the plans and ceremonies of Freemasonry are pacific . It breathes nothing but the spirit of love and charity to all mankind . It co-operates with true religion in regulating the tempers ^ in restraining the passions , and harmonising the discordant interests of men . In one hand it holds the olive-branch of peace ; in the other , the liberal offerings of universal charity . The distinguishing characteristic of our institution is charity in its most ample sense— -that charity which has been justly described as the chief of all the social
virtues . Charity has been thus beautifully defined by Preston : — " Thi £ virtue includes a supreme degree of love to the great Creator and Governor of the universe , and an unlimited affection to the beings of his creation , of all characters and of every denomination . This last duty is forcibly inculcated by the example of the Deity himself , who liberally dispenses his beneficence to unnumhered worlds .
"It is not particularly our province to enter into a disquisition of every branch of this amiable virtue ; we shall , therefore , only briefly state the happy effects of a benevolent disposition toward mankind ; and show that charity , exerted on proper objects , is the greatest pleasure man can possibly enjoy . " The bounds of the greatest nation , or the most extensive empire , cannot circumscribe the generosity of a liberal mind . Men , in whatever situation
they are placed , are still , in a great measure , the same . They are exposed to similar dangers and misfortunes ; they have not wisdom to foresee , or power to prevent , the evils incident to human nature ; they hang , as it were , in a perpetual suspense between hope and fear , sickness and health , plenty and want . A mutual chain of dependence subsists throughout the animal creation . All of the human species are , therefore , proper objects for the exercise of charity .
" Beings who partake of one common nature ought to be actuated by the same motives and interests . Hence , to soothe the unhappy by sympathizing with their misfortunes , and to restore peace and tranquillity to agitated spirits , constitute the general and great ends of the Masonic system . This humane , this generous disposition , fires the breast with manly feelings , and enlivens that spirit of compassion which is the glory of the human frame , and which not only rivals , but outshines every other pleasure that the mind is capable of enjoying .
" All human passions , when directed by the superior principle of reason , tend to promote some useful purpose ; but compassion toward proper objects is the most beneficial of all the affections , and excites more lasting degrees of happiness , as it extends to greater numbers , and alleviates the infirmities and evils which are incident to human existence .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Fbeemasonry Illustrated.
religion , nor does it tolerate the detestable principles of infidelity It is a teacher of morality , and contributes its powerful aid , in that capacity , to the salvation of souls , by recommending and enforcing the duties of the second table , and by demanding an acquiescence in the doctrines of the first . And this course of discipline is perfectly
consonant with the teaching of Christianity . When the lawyer asked the subtle question ' Which is the great commandment of the law ? Jesus said unto him , ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart , and with all thy soul , and with all thy mind ; and thy neighbour as thyself : V or , in other words , this is all that is required by the Jewish law for the salvation of man . "
AH the plans and ceremonies of Freemasonry are pacific . It breathes nothing but the spirit of love and charity to all mankind . It co-operates with true religion in regulating the tempers ^ in restraining the passions , and harmonising the discordant interests of men . In one hand it holds the olive-branch of peace ; in the other , the liberal offerings of universal charity . The distinguishing characteristic of our institution is charity in its most ample sense— -that charity which has been justly described as the chief of all the social
virtues . Charity has been thus beautifully defined by Preston : — " Thi £ virtue includes a supreme degree of love to the great Creator and Governor of the universe , and an unlimited affection to the beings of his creation , of all characters and of every denomination . This last duty is forcibly inculcated by the example of the Deity himself , who liberally dispenses his beneficence to unnumhered worlds .
"It is not particularly our province to enter into a disquisition of every branch of this amiable virtue ; we shall , therefore , only briefly state the happy effects of a benevolent disposition toward mankind ; and show that charity , exerted on proper objects , is the greatest pleasure man can possibly enjoy . " The bounds of the greatest nation , or the most extensive empire , cannot circumscribe the generosity of a liberal mind . Men , in whatever situation
they are placed , are still , in a great measure , the same . They are exposed to similar dangers and misfortunes ; they have not wisdom to foresee , or power to prevent , the evils incident to human nature ; they hang , as it were , in a perpetual suspense between hope and fear , sickness and health , plenty and want . A mutual chain of dependence subsists throughout the animal creation . All of the human species are , therefore , proper objects for the exercise of charity .
" Beings who partake of one common nature ought to be actuated by the same motives and interests . Hence , to soothe the unhappy by sympathizing with their misfortunes , and to restore peace and tranquillity to agitated spirits , constitute the general and great ends of the Masonic system . This humane , this generous disposition , fires the breast with manly feelings , and enlivens that spirit of compassion which is the glory of the human frame , and which not only rivals , but outshines every other pleasure that the mind is capable of enjoying .
" All human passions , when directed by the superior principle of reason , tend to promote some useful purpose ; but compassion toward proper objects is the most beneficial of all the affections , and excites more lasting degrees of happiness , as it extends to greater numbers , and alleviates the infirmities and evils which are incident to human existence .