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Article ON THE BEAUTIES OF MASONRY. ← Page 5 of 5
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On The Beauties Of Masonry.
bounty . It is this which , in a measure , marks the genuine spirit of this noble virtue . When suffering humanity claims our aid , Let the hand and heart unite to yield relief-Assuage the widow ' s bitter pangs , ancl soothe the orphan ' s grief . But , my Brethren , charity stops not here ; it is a duty which ought to be dictated ban ardent love to Godand of our fellow-creatures
y , . [ ' The charity or love of a Mason , " observes Dr . Oliver , " must be pure in principle and in practice , unwarped by prejudice or passion , unalterable in persecution , unabated amidst calumny , slander , and detraction . Filling the heart with pious fervour and with holy resolutions—from a perishable mortality to a celestial intercourse with the very source and essence of Love ; ennobling the nature of man , and raising him to that sublime pitch of excellence which alone can impart true satisfaction
under every species of adversity and pain . " As Masons , we stand ( or ought to stand ) in an exalted position ; let us , therefore , endeavour to maintain it . Let us carry with us , in every pursuit of life , the true spirit of Masonry . Delightful , indeed , would be the fond endearments of home ; ecstatic , beyond description , would be all the tender sympathies , emotions , and passions of our nature , were sincerity and truth united . Love ivould be without dissimulation—¦
friendship without guile . Truth and Justice , unspotted and pure , would dignify , elevate , and ennoble . Innocence , shielded by Virtue , would appal the recreant who would dastardly assail the one , or basely attempt to tarnish the lustre of the other .
Let us proudly stand forth to uphold the character of the Mason . We can fearlessly and conscientiously tell those who would laugh at our Order , that the Mason ' s secrecy is the test of his sincerity—his Faith is the touchstone of his confidence—his Hope , the foretaste of his anticipation—his Charity , the rapture of his consummation . If I can , by my feeble efforts , be instrumental in awakening you to that sense of our position as Masons—if I can lead you to heihts from
g which you may , by Faith , gaze on Heaven in perspective—if I can induce you to measure the length of that anticipation in Hope which is life ' s guiding star—if I can urge you to grasp that width which knows no bounds in Love , or if I can urge you to survey the ample pages of Masonic history , in all the depths of its mysterious emblems—if I can kindle in your breasts that fervour and sincerity which animated the
ancient Masons—when God was worshipped—when , whenever you met a Brother , you met a man , a friend , sincere ancl true , his kind looks foretold a heart as kind within , when his promises were his vows , and his vows were registered in Heaven—if I can do this , then , as a Mason , I shall not have lived in vain . AVhen my last sun is set , when my last expiring moment arrives , like the sun , gilding the surrounding scenery , feeblyyet beautifully darting its lastlong and tiing each cloud
, , gaze , pp with its golden beams , I will close my short career in peace , harmony , and brotherly love ; ancl , when around the " Banquet of Love , " some of you think of " days long vanished , " memory , memory will treasure , with all a Brother ' s rhapsody , the rich , the glowing , the eloquent picture of A TRUE MASON ' LIFE .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Beauties Of Masonry.
bounty . It is this which , in a measure , marks the genuine spirit of this noble virtue . When suffering humanity claims our aid , Let the hand and heart unite to yield relief-Assuage the widow ' s bitter pangs , ancl soothe the orphan ' s grief . But , my Brethren , charity stops not here ; it is a duty which ought to be dictated ban ardent love to Godand of our fellow-creatures
y , . [ ' The charity or love of a Mason , " observes Dr . Oliver , " must be pure in principle and in practice , unwarped by prejudice or passion , unalterable in persecution , unabated amidst calumny , slander , and detraction . Filling the heart with pious fervour and with holy resolutions—from a perishable mortality to a celestial intercourse with the very source and essence of Love ; ennobling the nature of man , and raising him to that sublime pitch of excellence which alone can impart true satisfaction
under every species of adversity and pain . " As Masons , we stand ( or ought to stand ) in an exalted position ; let us , therefore , endeavour to maintain it . Let us carry with us , in every pursuit of life , the true spirit of Masonry . Delightful , indeed , would be the fond endearments of home ; ecstatic , beyond description , would be all the tender sympathies , emotions , and passions of our nature , were sincerity and truth united . Love ivould be without dissimulation—¦
friendship without guile . Truth and Justice , unspotted and pure , would dignify , elevate , and ennoble . Innocence , shielded by Virtue , would appal the recreant who would dastardly assail the one , or basely attempt to tarnish the lustre of the other .
Let us proudly stand forth to uphold the character of the Mason . We can fearlessly and conscientiously tell those who would laugh at our Order , that the Mason ' s secrecy is the test of his sincerity—his Faith is the touchstone of his confidence—his Hope , the foretaste of his anticipation—his Charity , the rapture of his consummation . If I can , by my feeble efforts , be instrumental in awakening you to that sense of our position as Masons—if I can lead you to heihts from
g which you may , by Faith , gaze on Heaven in perspective—if I can induce you to measure the length of that anticipation in Hope which is life ' s guiding star—if I can urge you to grasp that width which knows no bounds in Love , or if I can urge you to survey the ample pages of Masonic history , in all the depths of its mysterious emblems—if I can kindle in your breasts that fervour and sincerity which animated the
ancient Masons—when God was worshipped—when , whenever you met a Brother , you met a man , a friend , sincere ancl true , his kind looks foretold a heart as kind within , when his promises were his vows , and his vows were registered in Heaven—if I can do this , then , as a Mason , I shall not have lived in vain . AVhen my last sun is set , when my last expiring moment arrives , like the sun , gilding the surrounding scenery , feeblyyet beautifully darting its lastlong and tiing each cloud
, , gaze , pp with its golden beams , I will close my short career in peace , harmony , and brotherly love ; ancl , when around the " Banquet of Love , " some of you think of " days long vanished , " memory , memory will treasure , with all a Brother ' s rhapsody , the rich , the glowing , the eloquent picture of A TRUE MASON ' LIFE .