Virtue, Honour, And Mercy.

HONOUR is a manly and dignified sentiment or impulse of the soul which virtue can inspire , and the actions of all good men are regulated by it ; as it renders unnecessary the forms which are requisite to bind those who are destitute of its

refined principle . It is also the highest incentive to the performance of the most heroic and disinterested actors , and implies the united sentiments of truth , faith , and justice , carried by an enlightened mind , far beyond those moral obligations which

the laws of the land require , or can punish the violation of . Honour , though a different principle from religion , produces nearly the same effect ; for the lines of action , though differently drawn , like the

radii of a circle terminate in the same point . Religion embraces virtue as enjoined by the laws of God . Honour as it is—graceful and ornamental

to human nature—the religious man fears ; but the man of honour scorns to do an ill action ; the one considers vice as beneath him , the other as what is offensive to the Deity ; the one is unbecoming , the other is strictly forbidden . Honour may be

justly deemed the noblest branch that can spring from the glorious stock of virtue , for the man of honour is not content with the literal discharo-e of his duty as a man and a citizen , but raiseth them to magnanimosity ; giving' where he might

with propriety refuse , and forgiving where he might with equal justice resent ; the whole of his conduct being marked by the honest dictates of an upright heart , and the approbation of the just is his reward . Virtue and honour united have

been the means , assisted by prudence and fortitude of keeping inviolate our valuable secrets amidst the various vicissitudes the Craft have experienced ; either by ravages of time , the rise and fall of empires , the tyranny and oppression of cruel and

despotic governors , or the base insinuations and illiberal attacks of calumny , superstition , and ignorance . Thus virtue and honour have been , and no doubt will continue to be , the distinguishinocharacteristics of our Order , and the guardian angels of the secrets of our Fraternity .

MERCY is a refined virtue , a tenet sacred in every good mind ; if possessed by the monarch adds a brilliancy to every gem that adorns his crown , gives glory to his ministers , and to the soldier an everlasting freshness to the wreath that decks his

brow . It is the companion of true honour and the ameliorator of justice ; on whose bench when enthroned presents the shield of defence . As

Virtue, Honour, And Mercy.

the vernal showers descend from the liquid circumference of the atmosphere , to invigorate the whole vegetable creation ; so mercy resting on the human heart , when its vital fluids are condensed by rancour or revenge by its exhilirating

warmth turns perverse nature to its original sourcein purer streams . It is the chief attribute of the Deity , on . whom we must all rest our hope and dependence . It is a duty we owe even to our enemies , for to shew mercy and forgiveness

ishighly pleasing to our Creator , who hath told us " blessed are the merciful , for they shall obtain mercy , " not only in this life , but at that great and final day of retribution , when summoned to the bar of His divine justice , and the actions of

our mortal lives are unfolded to our view , though his justice may demand the fiat we hope and trust His mercy will avert the doom .

Gleanings By " Elihoenai."

GLEANINGS BY " ELIHOENAI . "

CHRISTIANITY AND FREEMASONRY . "When we calmly and philosophically review in our own mind , the similarity between Christianity and Freemasonry , keeping in mind that the latter is said to be the handmaiden of the former , we cannot help

wondering why Freemasonry admits as its initiatesmen who do not believe in the most essential part of the Christian doctrine—that is , our Lord Jesus . Moreover , when we know that the initiates ought to be men of strict morals , aud that Freemasonry

professes to he a system of morality , making them better and holier men , this wonder increases . Can it be of sound morality when it admits men who come forward in all the bigotry of their deistical belief . It is easy to argue that Freemasomy is universal , and only

requires belief in God . But Christianity is alsoadapted for the universe , and God is not fully believed in unless the life of Christ be also believed in . What

become of the promises and prophecies of his advent ? Are they entirely ignored by Masonry ? If so , it is not , and never shall be , while so ignoring , the beautiful system , it professes to be—nay , rather will it only be a system professing to raise human nature to a degree never before known , but in effect it will only

amuse the ear , and captivate the fancy with fictions that can never be realised . Masonic authors say that a man ' s religion need only include a belief in God ; . but our belief in God includes belief in him as the Father , Son , and Holy Ghost , the three in one ; and

to our mind , he who believes not in these three , believes not in God , the giver of all good , the benefactor and Providence of mankind . Faith in God is a princijile of our Order , and it implies a belief in his revelations and works . Ever