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Article BROTHER SHARP'S JUBILEE ORATION. ← Page 4 of 5 →
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Brother Sharp's Jubilee Oration.
After proceeding to state that with the Jews alone the worship of the true God was preserved , from the permanent effects , though not from the errors of idolatary , by miraculous revelations , and the divine superintendence ; and how the light shone in dark places , till the perfect day , when "the Sun of Righteousness rose with healing in his wings ; and the day-star of true religion brought in its lucid train the pure intellectual light of the Masonic Order" the Worshiful Master continued
, p as follows : — " Embracing within its sphere of boundless intelligence , all the liberal arts and sciences , Masonry , fearlessly advances its pretensions to the character of the Alma Mater of Literature ; aud , in support of its irresistible claims to that distinction , I need only refer to the vast stores of knowledge which she gleaned , when the barbarism of the ruder ages , having disappeared before
The Sun of Learning rose That round us now a noon-tide splendour throws , gave unlimited scope to the genius of man , and the skill of the artist , being nurtured b y the followers of the Craft , gave to our Order , its fund of rich and inexhaustible intellectual attractions . There is no science that Masonry cannot embellish , —no art which she has not dignified by her moral grandeur—no literary themtoo elevated for her
, e illustration , or too vast for her comprehension . " Even within a few paces of the spot in which we are now assembled we have two rare monuments of what Masonry has achieved in bygone times . ( Jn the one hand the castellated towers of an edifice—unsurpassed in strength , majesty , and beauty , and reared in the middle ages;—on the other , the beautiful Collegiate Church of St . Mary raised by the pious munificence of our forefathers The latter
. a ' silent messenger of the past , '—how sublime ! ' It was planned , ' ( says a learned Brother of the Craft ) 'by Masonic wisdom ; it was executed with strength and beauty b y Masonic hands . ' It was only by thus devoting the noblest gift to the highest purposes , by the union of art with religion , which formed the spirit of Masonry , that such wonderful works could be produced . " Thus has Masonry ever been distinguished in this proud isle of
benevolence ancl freedom . Knowing this , and deeply reverencing the sound and unexceptionable princi ples which have imparted perpetuity to our institution , and extended its benign operations far and widehow deeply gratifying is the reflection , that , within the more immediate limits of this province , in the year 1792 , there did exist a band of men , since called from their earthly pilgrimage to
' The iong-extended realms , and rueful wastes . Where nought but silence reigns , and night ; Dark as was Chaos ere tile infant Sun Was rolled together , or had tried his beams Athwart the gloom profound V These men , of humble rank , but elevated minds , who had spent years in acquiring Masonic knowled and the deeper they drank of its
ge , refreshing waters , the oftener they returned to its consecrated stream , — who had eagerly sought for opportunities of exercising that divine attribute of charity , which is the richly-ornamented capital that completes the fabric of speculative Masonry , —who had witnessed in its hallowed glory ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Brother Sharp's Jubilee Oration.
After proceeding to state that with the Jews alone the worship of the true God was preserved , from the permanent effects , though not from the errors of idolatary , by miraculous revelations , and the divine superintendence ; and how the light shone in dark places , till the perfect day , when "the Sun of Righteousness rose with healing in his wings ; and the day-star of true religion brought in its lucid train the pure intellectual light of the Masonic Order" the Worshiful Master continued
, p as follows : — " Embracing within its sphere of boundless intelligence , all the liberal arts and sciences , Masonry , fearlessly advances its pretensions to the character of the Alma Mater of Literature ; aud , in support of its irresistible claims to that distinction , I need only refer to the vast stores of knowledge which she gleaned , when the barbarism of the ruder ages , having disappeared before
The Sun of Learning rose That round us now a noon-tide splendour throws , gave unlimited scope to the genius of man , and the skill of the artist , being nurtured b y the followers of the Craft , gave to our Order , its fund of rich and inexhaustible intellectual attractions . There is no science that Masonry cannot embellish , —no art which she has not dignified by her moral grandeur—no literary themtoo elevated for her
, e illustration , or too vast for her comprehension . " Even within a few paces of the spot in which we are now assembled we have two rare monuments of what Masonry has achieved in bygone times . ( Jn the one hand the castellated towers of an edifice—unsurpassed in strength , majesty , and beauty , and reared in the middle ages;—on the other , the beautiful Collegiate Church of St . Mary raised by the pious munificence of our forefathers The latter
. a ' silent messenger of the past , '—how sublime ! ' It was planned , ' ( says a learned Brother of the Craft ) 'by Masonic wisdom ; it was executed with strength and beauty b y Masonic hands . ' It was only by thus devoting the noblest gift to the highest purposes , by the union of art with religion , which formed the spirit of Masonry , that such wonderful works could be produced . " Thus has Masonry ever been distinguished in this proud isle of
benevolence ancl freedom . Knowing this , and deeply reverencing the sound and unexceptionable princi ples which have imparted perpetuity to our institution , and extended its benign operations far and widehow deeply gratifying is the reflection , that , within the more immediate limits of this province , in the year 1792 , there did exist a band of men , since called from their earthly pilgrimage to
' The iong-extended realms , and rueful wastes . Where nought but silence reigns , and night ; Dark as was Chaos ere tile infant Sun Was rolled together , or had tried his beams Athwart the gloom profound V These men , of humble rank , but elevated minds , who had spent years in acquiring Masonic knowled and the deeper they drank of its
ge , refreshing waters , the oftener they returned to its consecrated stream , — who had eagerly sought for opportunities of exercising that divine attribute of charity , which is the richly-ornamented capital that completes the fabric of speculative Masonry , —who had witnessed in its hallowed glory ,