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Article THE USE AND ABUSE OF FREEMASONRY. ← Page 2 of 4 →
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The Use And Abuse Of Freemasonry.
insufficient to justify the dissension they produce ; and this arises , in some part , from the mind being so liable to be led by sectarian impressions , and consequently few , if any , societies of ancient or modern date , have been found that have not been based on a political or exclusive doctrine , or instituted for the cultivation of some one particular philosophical or scientific study . There are , it must be admitted , many having for their object" BrotherlLoveReliefand Truth" but they arefor the most
, y , , , , part , connected with , or patronized by , some distinct sect , shutting out those not possessing a particular religious creed , or following some particular worldly pursuit ; but , in the noble Order of Freemasonry , all those lessons of morality and virtue embodied in the Mosaic laws , which were endeavoured in our education to be implanted theoretically on our minds , are brought into immediate and active practical use , unassisted
by any sectarian zest , unaided by any distinctive religious creed ; having its sole support on the book of " Divine Laws , " its followers are taught " to believe in the dispensations of Divine Providence , which belief strengthens their Faith , and naturally creates a Hope of being made partakers of the promises contained in those dispensations . But he who is possessed of ' Charity , in its ample sense , ' may be justly said to have arrived at the summit of his profession—to an eternal mansion veiled from the human eye bthe starry firmament . "
y The principles of Masonry are so formed that all room for political or religious dissension is excluded , thus annihilating from its barriers the possibility of sectarian differences , and those principles have been so matured by antiquity , that their beauty and excellence offer no scope for aught but praise ; thus uniting parties of all sects and opinions in one
common bond of unity and concord , it cultivates " Virtue as the highest exercise of the mind , Honor as the primeval standard of every moral , religious , and obligatory act , and Mercy as the chief attribute of the Deity- ; " teaches "the tongue , the instrument ofthe mind , never to utter but what the breast truly dictates , " and thereby totally denies the entrance of malevolence within its pale ; and the practical adoption of these laws to the Mason ' s dailconduct" will teach himnot onlhow
y , , y to live , but after having in their exercise spent a life in acts of piety and virtue , will finally teach him how to leave this world in peace and charity with all . " Unlike all other societies , in the requisites necessary for a candidate to possess for admission , it opens its gate to all whose belief is firm in the Divine existence , and whose moral conduct fits him
for society ; it permits no religious creed to disqualify him , or to be advanced as a qualification for admission ; the simplicity in which its tenets are * clothed , gives it its greatest power ; and the honesty of its original purpose shields it from the jealous attacks of ignorance and disappointment , by perpetuating a bond of " wisdom , strength , ancl beauty , " which has hitherto defied all attempts at its destruction . The practical use of Freemasonry opens to a religious mind a wide field for
contemplation and meditation , and by not permitting the judgment to be baffled by technicalities or ambiguous tenets , it needs not the forms of state worship to support or aid it ; nor does it permit the various changes of fashion , or the fastidiousness of worldly society , to effect any breach in its original object , but by inculcating the pure and simple theory of cosmogony taught by the Mosaic laws , it has never failed in producing those happy results which form its sole aim . To the historical antiquarian its traditions must prove highly interesting , and its rise and progress afford him ample matter for research ; at the same time , he will
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Use And Abuse Of Freemasonry.
insufficient to justify the dissension they produce ; and this arises , in some part , from the mind being so liable to be led by sectarian impressions , and consequently few , if any , societies of ancient or modern date , have been found that have not been based on a political or exclusive doctrine , or instituted for the cultivation of some one particular philosophical or scientific study . There are , it must be admitted , many having for their object" BrotherlLoveReliefand Truth" but they arefor the most
, y , , , , part , connected with , or patronized by , some distinct sect , shutting out those not possessing a particular religious creed , or following some particular worldly pursuit ; but , in the noble Order of Freemasonry , all those lessons of morality and virtue embodied in the Mosaic laws , which were endeavoured in our education to be implanted theoretically on our minds , are brought into immediate and active practical use , unassisted
by any sectarian zest , unaided by any distinctive religious creed ; having its sole support on the book of " Divine Laws , " its followers are taught " to believe in the dispensations of Divine Providence , which belief strengthens their Faith , and naturally creates a Hope of being made partakers of the promises contained in those dispensations . But he who is possessed of ' Charity , in its ample sense , ' may be justly said to have arrived at the summit of his profession—to an eternal mansion veiled from the human eye bthe starry firmament . "
y The principles of Masonry are so formed that all room for political or religious dissension is excluded , thus annihilating from its barriers the possibility of sectarian differences , and those principles have been so matured by antiquity , that their beauty and excellence offer no scope for aught but praise ; thus uniting parties of all sects and opinions in one
common bond of unity and concord , it cultivates " Virtue as the highest exercise of the mind , Honor as the primeval standard of every moral , religious , and obligatory act , and Mercy as the chief attribute of the Deity- ; " teaches "the tongue , the instrument ofthe mind , never to utter but what the breast truly dictates , " and thereby totally denies the entrance of malevolence within its pale ; and the practical adoption of these laws to the Mason ' s dailconduct" will teach himnot onlhow
y , , y to live , but after having in their exercise spent a life in acts of piety and virtue , will finally teach him how to leave this world in peace and charity with all . " Unlike all other societies , in the requisites necessary for a candidate to possess for admission , it opens its gate to all whose belief is firm in the Divine existence , and whose moral conduct fits him
for society ; it permits no religious creed to disqualify him , or to be advanced as a qualification for admission ; the simplicity in which its tenets are * clothed , gives it its greatest power ; and the honesty of its original purpose shields it from the jealous attacks of ignorance and disappointment , by perpetuating a bond of " wisdom , strength , ancl beauty , " which has hitherto defied all attempts at its destruction . The practical use of Freemasonry opens to a religious mind a wide field for
contemplation and meditation , and by not permitting the judgment to be baffled by technicalities or ambiguous tenets , it needs not the forms of state worship to support or aid it ; nor does it permit the various changes of fashion , or the fastidiousness of worldly society , to effect any breach in its original object , but by inculcating the pure and simple theory of cosmogony taught by the Mosaic laws , it has never failed in producing those happy results which form its sole aim . To the historical antiquarian its traditions must prove highly interesting , and its rise and progress afford him ample matter for research ; at the same time , he will