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  • Jan. 16, 1864
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  • MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES.
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The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, Jan. 16, 1864: Page 5

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Freemasonry, Considered In Its Relations To Moral Sciencl.

of mere doctrinal subtleties , but as the rule and guide of all our actions ; if still , under the guidance of the princip les of moral truth , she directs the minds of her votaries to the cultivation of the liberal arts and sciences , to the improvement of those wondrous faculties with which God has endowed the beings formed after His own image , that they may thereby be the better enabled to

show forth His glory , and promote the good of their fellow-creatures ; if the objects of Freemasonry are to purify the mind of man from every malignant passion , and to prepare it for the reception of truth and virtue , and all this only as a means of instruction how to meet that last awful change of his inevitable destiny ; and if , by these gradationshis eyes are eventuallfixed on the

, y sublime truths of revealed religion—if all these things be so , and well-instructed brethren who read this , know that they are true , then has Freemasonry , in all ages , been a boon to man , and is still a means of blessing him . Its origin , Divine , because founded on Divine precepts ; its practice benevolent , because its principles are those of universal charity ; it aids ancl cherishes religion

where it meets her , and imitates her actions whore she is not . " " Vivat ! vivat ! et in a _ ternum vivat . " —Melbourne Masonic Journal .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

GRAND PJITRON 01 ' ROYAL ARCH MASONRY . Iii au old newspaper of 1794 , I met with a paragraph , which says : — " The society of Grand and Royal Arch Masons , held their anniversary at Freemason ' s Tavern . The meeting was respectable , at ivhich his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence , patron of the Order , presided . The day passed with the utmost conviviality and

harmony . " I , in my ignorance , thought that a prince of the Royal Family was only a Grand Patron of the Craft , but it appears he could also be Grand Patron of the Royal Arch . Are any other instances known ? One piece of information derived from the above is , that thc late King William IV . was a Royal Arch Mason . In what chapter was he exalted ?—TRIPLE TJIIJ .

A FEW OLD SCRAPS . In looking over my Masonic cuttings , scraps , and miscellaneas , gathered from various sources , I thought the accompanying would prove acceptable to some of my brother Freemasons , through your columns . —Ex . Ex . A Discourse delivered before St . John ' s Lodge , " No . II . of Newborn , in America , on the Festival of St . John the Baptist , June 2 Uh , 1789 . —BY FRJVNCOIS XAVIER MARTIN .

" Sermo oritur , non de villis , domibusve alienis ; sed quod magis ad nos Pertinent , et nescire malum est . HORACE . "Masonry is a select association of men , professing to live in brotherly-love , to smooth to each other the rugged paths of adversity , and to keep a most inviolable secrecy on certain parts of their Institution .

" I have said ' A select Association . ' " In any auditory , but the one I address , the epithet might excite a smile . It behoves to inquire , whether this ridicule would be grounded ? That , if any deficiency ou our own part authorize it , the effect may be more easily prevented from a better knowledge of tbe cause . " If this selection be not perfect , as the purity of the Institution

requires , the imperfections can only proceed from two causes : the admission of unworthy persons , and the degeneracy of the members . Each has been foreseen , and guarded against , by the framers of our constitution . " With regard to admission . A strict inquiry into tbe moral character of the candidate is an indispensable prelude ; the opinion of every member is appealed to ; and sheir . unanimous approbation being the condition

without which none can obtain admission , measures have been adopted to prevent the suffrages from being controied , biassed , or embarrassed ; and lastly , the trials ivhich precede the initiation are to evince that the future member is possessed of that courage and fortitude of mind , which aro necessary to keep a secret , and practice the characteristic virtues of this Divine Institution .

In examining how careful our predecessors have been in framing and handing down to us this mode of admission , let us be filled with a salutary anxiety to prevent any unjustifiable neglect on our part from overturning the work of their prudence . Finally , it may bo a consoling reflection , that if the selection be not as perfect as the purity of the Institution would demand , it will be

found as much so as the universality of its plan can admit of ; if the necessary allowance be made for the imperfection of all mundane establishments . "With regard to the degeneracy of the members , tbey are men , and , as such , liable to err . But a more intimate intercourse with persons of virtuous principles—their being constantly employed in the same work with such

—frequent lessons of morality—the anxiety of preserving their reputation—which they must feel in a more exquisite degree , as on it depends that of a societj' of worthy persons—will retain them within the bounds of their duty—and proper admonitions , from their brothers or superiors , bring them back , should they happen to recede . When those lenient means prove ineffectualsuitable

, correction is recurred to . Then if the delinquent prove refractory , expulsion puts it out of his power to injure any longer the character of the Craft . " Masons profess ' To live in brotherly love , and to smooth to each other tbe rugged paths of adversity . ' "' To live in brotherly love . ' In this Masonry only requires stricter observance of what natural and revealed

religion proscribes . " ' To smooth to each other the rugged paths of adversity , ' is but a natural consequence of brotherly love . If there be a period in man's life wherein he is more entitled than in any other to demand from his fellowcreatnres tbe observance of that command of God , ' Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself , ' it is in the

hour of distress . Our predecessors at first united principally the better to afford to the distressed that relief which aggregate bodies can procure more amply than individuals . Seldom ( perhaps I ought to say , never ) was the assistance of a lodge unsuccessfully implored , when the applicant had not rendered himself unworthy of it . "Lastly . Masons profess ' To keep the most inviolable

secresy on certain parts of their institution . ' Taciturnity has always been their characteristic virtue . In the early ages of the world , the professors of all sciences required it from their disciples , and Solomon forbade the workman he employed to impart the secrets of their art to their apprentices , until , hy a long probation , they had proved themselves worthy of being further advanced .

"The ignorant , whose jealously generally reviles what they do not understand , have vainly endeavoured to make this fraternity the object of their ridicule . But malice and envy must be silent , when , on the list of the votaries of Masonry , appear the names of the greatest and best of men in all countries . "In Europe , over tho Masons in that part of the world ,

presided a Frederick . * "In Ameria , iu the hour of trial , when God afflicted us with tho scourge of war , there appeared in the East , a Warren ! f the Grand Master of the Masons of Massachusetts . He fought , and nobly fell , the first martyr to Columbian freedom ! In Pennsylvania , the enlightened sagej , of whom it has been said , ' Eripuit ccelo fulmen , sccptrwmqtte tyrannis . " § His services in the cabinet , and

“The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine: 1864-01-16, Page 5” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 21 March 2023, masonicperiodicals.org/periodicals/mmr/issues/mmr_16011864/page/5/.
  • List
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Title Category Page
GRAND LODGE FOR AUSTRALIA. Article 1
FREEMASONRY, CONSIDERED IN ITS RELATIONS TO MORAL SCIENCL. Article 3
MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES. Article 5
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 7
THE GLAMORGAN LODGE AND ITS REINITIATION. Article 7
THE GRAND LODGE, ALPINA. Article 8
THE MASONIC MIRROR. Article 8
PROVINCIAL. Article 11
ROYAL ARCH. Article 16
KNIGHTS TEMPLAR. Article 16
CHANNEL ISLANDS. Article 16
CHINA. Article 17
Obituary. Article 17
Poetry. Article 18
THE WEEK. Article 18
TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 20
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Freemasonry, Considered In Its Relations To Moral Sciencl.

of mere doctrinal subtleties , but as the rule and guide of all our actions ; if still , under the guidance of the princip les of moral truth , she directs the minds of her votaries to the cultivation of the liberal arts and sciences , to the improvement of those wondrous faculties with which God has endowed the beings formed after His own image , that they may thereby be the better enabled to

show forth His glory , and promote the good of their fellow-creatures ; if the objects of Freemasonry are to purify the mind of man from every malignant passion , and to prepare it for the reception of truth and virtue , and all this only as a means of instruction how to meet that last awful change of his inevitable destiny ; and if , by these gradationshis eyes are eventuallfixed on the

, y sublime truths of revealed religion—if all these things be so , and well-instructed brethren who read this , know that they are true , then has Freemasonry , in all ages , been a boon to man , and is still a means of blessing him . Its origin , Divine , because founded on Divine precepts ; its practice benevolent , because its principles are those of universal charity ; it aids ancl cherishes religion

where it meets her , and imitates her actions whore she is not . " " Vivat ! vivat ! et in a _ ternum vivat . " —Melbourne Masonic Journal .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

GRAND PJITRON 01 ' ROYAL ARCH MASONRY . Iii au old newspaper of 1794 , I met with a paragraph , which says : — " The society of Grand and Royal Arch Masons , held their anniversary at Freemason ' s Tavern . The meeting was respectable , at ivhich his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence , patron of the Order , presided . The day passed with the utmost conviviality and

harmony . " I , in my ignorance , thought that a prince of the Royal Family was only a Grand Patron of the Craft , but it appears he could also be Grand Patron of the Royal Arch . Are any other instances known ? One piece of information derived from the above is , that thc late King William IV . was a Royal Arch Mason . In what chapter was he exalted ?—TRIPLE TJIIJ .

A FEW OLD SCRAPS . In looking over my Masonic cuttings , scraps , and miscellaneas , gathered from various sources , I thought the accompanying would prove acceptable to some of my brother Freemasons , through your columns . —Ex . Ex . A Discourse delivered before St . John ' s Lodge , " No . II . of Newborn , in America , on the Festival of St . John the Baptist , June 2 Uh , 1789 . —BY FRJVNCOIS XAVIER MARTIN .

" Sermo oritur , non de villis , domibusve alienis ; sed quod magis ad nos Pertinent , et nescire malum est . HORACE . "Masonry is a select association of men , professing to live in brotherly-love , to smooth to each other the rugged paths of adversity , and to keep a most inviolable secrecy on certain parts of their Institution .

" I have said ' A select Association . ' " In any auditory , but the one I address , the epithet might excite a smile . It behoves to inquire , whether this ridicule would be grounded ? That , if any deficiency ou our own part authorize it , the effect may be more easily prevented from a better knowledge of tbe cause . " If this selection be not perfect , as the purity of the Institution

requires , the imperfections can only proceed from two causes : the admission of unworthy persons , and the degeneracy of the members . Each has been foreseen , and guarded against , by the framers of our constitution . " With regard to admission . A strict inquiry into tbe moral character of the candidate is an indispensable prelude ; the opinion of every member is appealed to ; and sheir . unanimous approbation being the condition

without which none can obtain admission , measures have been adopted to prevent the suffrages from being controied , biassed , or embarrassed ; and lastly , the trials ivhich precede the initiation are to evince that the future member is possessed of that courage and fortitude of mind , which aro necessary to keep a secret , and practice the characteristic virtues of this Divine Institution .

In examining how careful our predecessors have been in framing and handing down to us this mode of admission , let us be filled with a salutary anxiety to prevent any unjustifiable neglect on our part from overturning the work of their prudence . Finally , it may bo a consoling reflection , that if the selection be not as perfect as the purity of the Institution would demand , it will be

found as much so as the universality of its plan can admit of ; if the necessary allowance be made for the imperfection of all mundane establishments . "With regard to the degeneracy of the members , tbey are men , and , as such , liable to err . But a more intimate intercourse with persons of virtuous principles—their being constantly employed in the same work with such

—frequent lessons of morality—the anxiety of preserving their reputation—which they must feel in a more exquisite degree , as on it depends that of a societj' of worthy persons—will retain them within the bounds of their duty—and proper admonitions , from their brothers or superiors , bring them back , should they happen to recede . When those lenient means prove ineffectualsuitable

, correction is recurred to . Then if the delinquent prove refractory , expulsion puts it out of his power to injure any longer the character of the Craft . " Masons profess ' To live in brotherly love , and to smooth to each other tbe rugged paths of adversity . ' "' To live in brotherly love . ' In this Masonry only requires stricter observance of what natural and revealed

religion proscribes . " ' To smooth to each other the rugged paths of adversity , ' is but a natural consequence of brotherly love . If there be a period in man's life wherein he is more entitled than in any other to demand from his fellowcreatnres tbe observance of that command of God , ' Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself , ' it is in the

hour of distress . Our predecessors at first united principally the better to afford to the distressed that relief which aggregate bodies can procure more amply than individuals . Seldom ( perhaps I ought to say , never ) was the assistance of a lodge unsuccessfully implored , when the applicant had not rendered himself unworthy of it . "Lastly . Masons profess ' To keep the most inviolable

secresy on certain parts of their institution . ' Taciturnity has always been their characteristic virtue . In the early ages of the world , the professors of all sciences required it from their disciples , and Solomon forbade the workman he employed to impart the secrets of their art to their apprentices , until , hy a long probation , they had proved themselves worthy of being further advanced .

"The ignorant , whose jealously generally reviles what they do not understand , have vainly endeavoured to make this fraternity the object of their ridicule . But malice and envy must be silent , when , on the list of the votaries of Masonry , appear the names of the greatest and best of men in all countries . "In Europe , over tho Masons in that part of the world ,

presided a Frederick . * "In Ameria , iu the hour of trial , when God afflicted us with tho scourge of war , there appeared in the East , a Warren ! f the Grand Master of the Masons of Massachusetts . He fought , and nobly fell , the first martyr to Columbian freedom ! In Pennsylvania , the enlightened sagej , of whom it has been said , ' Eripuit ccelo fulmen , sccptrwmqtte tyrannis . " § His services in the cabinet , and

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