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Provincial
heartily supported their several Masters , and the elastic return to their former feelings shows / how indelible are true Masonic principles , great as may be the temporary pressure employed to repress them . There is now but one spirit animating each Lodge ; the contest is , which shall outvie the other in warmth of renewed recognition and brotherly affection , —the true , the only basis of Masonic success and sound prosperity . Long— -long may it please the G . A . O . T . U .
to support , to strengthen , and render lasting ( may I not reverently say everlasting ) this happy reunion . To celebrate , then , this re-union of the Bath Lodges in the strong bonds of Masonic amity , is the object of our present meeting . If , previously , it has been made known to the province of Somerset , and to the Craft generally , that the Bath Brethren were disunited , they have determined that their reconciliation shall be as widely known , that their rejoicings shall re-echo throughout the Masonic world by means of an assembly which shall
rank high among the most celebrated gatherings that the Craft has known for many years—which shall be spoken of in generations to come , even as the great meeting of the Craft in this city , when it was visited by the Grand Master of England , the late duke of Sussex . But while we rejoice in the assembly of this day , let us not fail to * draw from the past the wise lesson which it affords for the future . It should teach every Master of a Lodge carefully , and with single eye , to watch over not only the welfare of his Lodge as a whole , but of its members individually ;
to see that no one be adlowed to enter within the precincts of a Lodge , as a candidate , who is not of good report , and does not come well and worthily recommended ; that the good report be not merely of a hearsay character ; and that the recommenders be fully impressed with the vast importance of the sponsorial duties they undertake . Let them remember that , " if character and circumstances were cautiously weighed in the qualification of candidates—though the society might not be quite so numerous—the members of it would , in
proportion , be more respectable both as men and as Masons . " It is at the door of the Lodge that the cowan in heart finds entrance , as well as the cowan " who would , by false means , endeavour to penetrate into our hidden mysteries . Let the newly-initiated Brethren learn to " read , mark , and inwardly digest" what they find or hear spoken in the Lodge , that they may become well informed of its duties before they hazard a voice as to its government . Let them remember that they have to study the principles of universal beneficence arid charity , and to learn
obedience and resignation , bearing in mind that "the end and moral purport of Masonry is to subdue our passions , not to do our own will ; to make a daily progress in a laudable art ; to promote morality ., charity , good fellowship , good nature , and humanity . " Let them not be led away by the radiance of the mere metal of the jewels , however noble , or by the multitude which decorate the chest of many an experienced Mason ; but let them steadily seek to impress upon their hearts those pure principles of virtue and morality which alone give radiance
to the square , the level , or the plumb-rule—or strength and authorit } ' to the hand which holds the gavel . It is by attention to these points that the Lodge becomes what it ever ought to be—the region of peace , good temper , and unmixed enjoyment ; the varied interests which there meet together are nicely balanced by the laws to which they all yield submission . It is well to refresh ourselves , sometimes , by recurring to the source of our Masonic greatness ; and , therefore , let us remember that , among the many symbols which meet the eye of the
speculative Mason , by means of which he may improve himself in the study and practice of the moral virtues , there is one which , perhaps , more than the rest , claims notice on this occasion . I refer to that ladder , the lower part of which rests upon the volume of the Sacred La ? v , while its upper part reaches to the celestial canopy above . This ladder , you well remember , has three principal staves or rounds , known as Faith , Hope , and Charity . By means
of thia ladder , gaining" in turn these three rounds , Brethren hope to reach the Grand Lodge above . Let us briefly consider them . Faith , the first , is the foundation of justice . By faith , that is to say , by trust in , or reliance on those whose lives and principles have won our love and esteem , the bonds of friendship and goodwill are formed . By a like reliance on a large number of individuals constituting civil society , support is freely given to and received from
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial
heartily supported their several Masters , and the elastic return to their former feelings shows / how indelible are true Masonic principles , great as may be the temporary pressure employed to repress them . There is now but one spirit animating each Lodge ; the contest is , which shall outvie the other in warmth of renewed recognition and brotherly affection , —the true , the only basis of Masonic success and sound prosperity . Long— -long may it please the G . A . O . T . U .
to support , to strengthen , and render lasting ( may I not reverently say everlasting ) this happy reunion . To celebrate , then , this re-union of the Bath Lodges in the strong bonds of Masonic amity , is the object of our present meeting . If , previously , it has been made known to the province of Somerset , and to the Craft generally , that the Bath Brethren were disunited , they have determined that their reconciliation shall be as widely known , that their rejoicings shall re-echo throughout the Masonic world by means of an assembly which shall
rank high among the most celebrated gatherings that the Craft has known for many years—which shall be spoken of in generations to come , even as the great meeting of the Craft in this city , when it was visited by the Grand Master of England , the late duke of Sussex . But while we rejoice in the assembly of this day , let us not fail to * draw from the past the wise lesson which it affords for the future . It should teach every Master of a Lodge carefully , and with single eye , to watch over not only the welfare of his Lodge as a whole , but of its members individually ;
to see that no one be adlowed to enter within the precincts of a Lodge , as a candidate , who is not of good report , and does not come well and worthily recommended ; that the good report be not merely of a hearsay character ; and that the recommenders be fully impressed with the vast importance of the sponsorial duties they undertake . Let them remember that , " if character and circumstances were cautiously weighed in the qualification of candidates—though the society might not be quite so numerous—the members of it would , in
proportion , be more respectable both as men and as Masons . " It is at the door of the Lodge that the cowan in heart finds entrance , as well as the cowan " who would , by false means , endeavour to penetrate into our hidden mysteries . Let the newly-initiated Brethren learn to " read , mark , and inwardly digest" what they find or hear spoken in the Lodge , that they may become well informed of its duties before they hazard a voice as to its government . Let them remember that they have to study the principles of universal beneficence arid charity , and to learn
obedience and resignation , bearing in mind that "the end and moral purport of Masonry is to subdue our passions , not to do our own will ; to make a daily progress in a laudable art ; to promote morality ., charity , good fellowship , good nature , and humanity . " Let them not be led away by the radiance of the mere metal of the jewels , however noble , or by the multitude which decorate the chest of many an experienced Mason ; but let them steadily seek to impress upon their hearts those pure principles of virtue and morality which alone give radiance
to the square , the level , or the plumb-rule—or strength and authorit } ' to the hand which holds the gavel . It is by attention to these points that the Lodge becomes what it ever ought to be—the region of peace , good temper , and unmixed enjoyment ; the varied interests which there meet together are nicely balanced by the laws to which they all yield submission . It is well to refresh ourselves , sometimes , by recurring to the source of our Masonic greatness ; and , therefore , let us remember that , among the many symbols which meet the eye of the
speculative Mason , by means of which he may improve himself in the study and practice of the moral virtues , there is one which , perhaps , more than the rest , claims notice on this occasion . I refer to that ladder , the lower part of which rests upon the volume of the Sacred La ? v , while its upper part reaches to the celestial canopy above . This ladder , you well remember , has three principal staves or rounds , known as Faith , Hope , and Charity . By means
of thia ladder , gaining" in turn these three rounds , Brethren hope to reach the Grand Lodge above . Let us briefly consider them . Faith , the first , is the foundation of justice . By faith , that is to say , by trust in , or reliance on those whose lives and principles have won our love and esteem , the bonds of friendship and goodwill are formed . By a like reliance on a large number of individuals constituting civil society , support is freely given to and received from