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AMERICAN MASONIC REGISTER,

AND

Ladies' and Gentlemen's Magazine.

BY LUTHER PRATT.

He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet bath great riches.

[No. XI.]

FOR JULY, A. D. 1821. A. L. 5821.

MASONIC.

The following excellent discourse, was delivered on the 24th of June, A. L. 5818, to the brethren of Washington Lodge No. 17, at Hamilton, Ohio, and a number of brethren from Cincinnati, Lebanon, and Brookville, on the festival of St. John the Baptist, by Brother WILLIAM BURKE.

DISCOURSE.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 1 John, iv, 11.

SOLOMON.

[VOL. I.]

tures, for his sake. We, as his children, ought to imitate the infinitely amiable example of our common Father, and sincerely, and affectionately love one another; for this is the best proof we can give of our love to him, and the prevalence of his grace in our hearts.

I. God so loved us, antecedently, with a love of pity, or benevolence:

For we certainly know but little of the pristine state of man; only, that he was the workmanship of the great,

He who planted the principle of attraction in the material world, plants the principle of benevolence in intelli-wise, good, and perfect Architect of

gent creatures; and has in particular enjoined Christians to love one another. He, therefore, who through grace possesses and cultivates this disposition, manifests that he is a Christian, and one of the family of God; resembling his heavenly Father; for God is love! God is the most benevolent of all beings, full of love to his dependent creatures; so that in Him there is nothing wanting to the highest perfec-ed himself of that innocence, regulari

heaven and earth; who, when he had finished the great work, this earthly temple, and made man the key-stone and governor of the same, he pronounced all to be very good. Man, when he came out of the hands of his Maker, was pure and happy; but we are informed by the sacred Word of God, that in consequence of the abuse of what he was invested with, he divestty, and union, which he had with his Maker; and having strayed from the

tion of love: he is the great fountain, and exemplar of love: he recommends it by his law, and produces and cher-path of rectitude, involved himself and

ishes it by his influence; and the due contemplation of him will of course inflame our hearts with love to his divine majesty, and to our fellow crea

all his posterity in the vortex of sin, subjecting himself, and all the human family to condemnation: from which God in mercy, and for the great love

wherewith he loved us, sent his only begotten Son, who made provision for our redemption.

II. God manifested his love to us by way of promise; which was the foundation on which the ruined temple should hereafter be built. This promise darted the first ray of divine light into the benighted understanding, and called forth the exercise and energies of the soul.

The

Faith was now possessed of an object. Hope was called into action. God's love manifested, begat in man that reciprocal affection; for we love him, because he first loved us. Patriarchal, and Prophetic dispensations; the giving of the law; and the rights, and ceremonies practised under those dispensations; all were designed to point to the great Saviour of mankind, and to direct the attention to that light which "lighteth every man that cometh into the world."

The near approach of the Sun of Righteousness is announced by John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Saviour, the harbinger of that gospel which brought life and immortality to light, and directed a lost and perishing world to the Saviour and Redeemer, who he declares is " the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world." And it is said by the Apostle, that Christ "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son to redeem us; and hath promised, with him, freely to give us all things: the pardon of our sins, if we truly and sincerely repent; the necessary support under all the trials and afflictions of life. His promise verified; "My grace is sufficient for you." All the necessaries of life, your bread and water, shall be sure; and finally triumph over the grave, and a free, and full admittance into his heavenly kingdom, where we shall be safely lodged in the mansions of eternal rest.

III. Having such an example be

fore us, ought we not to love one another?

But before we can have the proper exercise of this love, we must divest ourselves of the love of this world; we must renounce its pride, pomp, and vanity; we must have an assurance that we love God, and that we are approved before him. If we love God, our words, actions, tempers, and dispositions will evidence the truth of the same. We shall always speak of him with reverence; we shall not take his name in vain; we will defend his character, and admire his attributes.

Our actions will be squared by the Word of God; we shall not love in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

As good and honest Masons, we will defend each other's characters; we will use our best endeavours to promote each other's welfare and prosperity in this world; reprove, advise, and admonish each other, to walk uprightly before God, and man; remembering that we are all travelling upon the level of time to that " undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveller returns."

ment over

If we love God, and love one another, our love will not be confined within the narrow limits of our own fraternity; we shall be like our divine Master; we shall go about doing good, administering counsel to the ignorant, food to the hungry, and spread a garthe naked and destitute; disseminating peace and good will among our fellow creatures; doing good unto all men, but especially to the household of faith; always preferring a good and worthy brother, and such of his household, who deport themselves worthy of our patronage. Finally, our tempers and dispositions we are bound to govern, keeping them within due bounds with all men, but more especially with each other; living as children of the same parent, and members of the same great family; that, being trained up in that kind of discipline, we may stand accepted ben

fore our Grand Master, in the Grand Lodge, in mansions of eternal day.

To the Citizens.

There are many things respecting Free Masonry, of which we cannot speak, particularly in public; yet we are at liberty to illustrate those things, so far as it may interest those who are not members of the Society.

The first inquiry that would probably present itself to the mind, would be, What can Masonry be? Can it possibly be any thing more than a shadow, or a trap, in which some have been taken, and having been themselves deceived, deceive others, rather than expose their own weakness? or something that may be said to possess no reality?

We answer, Masonry is not only real, but ancient, mysterious and secret; the object is, to bind men by the strongest ties, to be what every good man ought to be. A moment's serious reflection must convince every one that Masonry abounds with realities. Nor need we look further than the present assembly, to establish this truth: for it is not possible that such an assemblage of intellect, as is here presented, could have become so completely infatuated, as to continue, year after year, in the active promotion of an institution founded only in idea, and calculated only to deceive. But Free Masonry being extended to the remotest parts of the habitable globe, proves not only its reality, but its ancient origin. Persons from countries we seldom visit, from the nations of the south, and the east, whose predecessors have had no communication with each other for centuries past, who speak not our common language, are enabled to speak to us in the language of Masons, approach under the mystic tie, and pour out their complaints and distresses before us.

These things could not be, if they had not received their knowledge from the same source; which source must be ancient.

40.3

When we attempt to trace Masonry to its foundation, we find it did not originate with Solomon, as some have supposed. But to him, and his associates, we are indebted for those wise regulations which have preserved it from decay. Nor did it originate with Moses, or in the Egyptian mysteries, with which he was conversant: yet by these it was expanded, and greatly strengthened in its first stages.

It began, when order was first established among the descendants of fallen man.

To the Ladies.

They may reasonably enquire, if the object of Masonry be, to bind men by stronger ties to be what every good man ought to be, "why the worthy of our sex are not admitted among them?"

Masonry was originally mechanical, or an operative science; and from the operations performed, various moral reflections were deduced and established. Originally it must have been inconsistent for you to share in those labours: the construction of your effeminate limbs were not intended for such hardships; nor were your feeble arms calculated to wield the glittering

sword.

When the mechanical or operative system became more diffused among those not of the fraternity, and those of a moral nature more highly cultivated, still there were objections to your admission: and indeed, nature itself seems to have rendered it unnecessary for you to have this additional stimulus to the practice of virtue: formed with a peculiar quickness, as well as tenderness and sensibility, woman flies to relieve, while man pauses and deliberates: she finds objects of charity, while he looks on with cold indifference; her feelings open as melting day, prompt her to offer balsam to the wounded spirit; by which means her own heart becomes the Lodge where virtue presides.

It is sometimes, unfortunately, the

case, that the most worthy of your that was made;" and which is at this sex are connected in bonds of wed-time duly represented and explained lock with the most unworthy men.Were it admissible, and should such

an one apply to us for admission, on what grounds could she be refused? While the man must for ever be debarred, would it not produce schisms in families? Would it not produce greater evil than good? Would the husband or father suffer the wife or daughter to frequent a society where he could gain no admittance? Would not the monster, jealousy, be roused, whose poison would destroy the fairest flowers of the land?-whose rage would cease only with death. It cannot be: you must remain without the pale, notwithstanding, could we be allowed to speak more particularly of the sacred ties by which we are bound to protect you; could we but communicate to you the mode by which your rights, and your virtues, are guarded and secured; you would rejoice; you would count it a privilege to be the wives and daughters of Masons.

To the Members of Religious Denominations.

Permit us, by a hort course of reasoning, to show that some of the opinions you may entertain of us, are founded in error. To effect this, we will in the first place, call you to notice what we exhibit before you.Your attention must first be attracted by the holy writings; which you as well as ourselves, cannot but admire and revere. You likewise see a re

presentation of the working tools, which were employed at the building of the temple, of which those writings speak. You, with ourselves, may be able to draw moral deductions from those implements: for we profess to exhibit nothing for vain show: : we profess to have meaning in all we do. This admitted, you can trace through all our public acts, marks of our having existed as a society at the time of that building; which was in conformity with the plans of the "tabernacle

to us. Should you admit, that the society was originally established in conformity with the Mosaic dispensation, and combines with it many of the traditions of the Jews, you may be led to doubt the propriety of it at the present day. But you will recollect, that as Christians, we admit the Old, as well as the New Testament; and that they are only as so many links in the indissoluble chain of the glorious gospel of our Redeemer.

Our assembling this day, to commemorate the birth of John the Baptist, is evidence that we are not regardless of this new dispensation.The many blessings that we are in possession of, and the instructions we have on record, from the apostles themselves, must be disregarded by us, if we do not conform to Christianity.Yet, it does not follow, that we must abandon our traditions on that account: for the Apostle Paul commands us, as brethren, to withdraw ourselves from every " brother who walketh disorderly, and not after the traditions we had received of them." Not only this passage, but many others of the New Testament, appear to have been directed in a special manner, to the Masonic family of that day; and particularly Paul's epistle to the Hebrews. Also, in many of the parables spoken by our Saviour, we find general expressions, such as, " a grain of mustard seed," "a little leaven," &c. But when speaking of a certain Scripture, the language is changed, by saying, " The Stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner:" unquestionably alluding to some par ticular building, and under some pecu liar circumstances; which beautifully typifies the Lord Jesus Christ rejected by men.

Time will by no means admit us, on the present occasion, to recite those numerous passages of the holy writings designed for the Masonic family.

It has been sufficiently shown, that

our institution has been sanctioned and || ously preserved as a secret, it could supported by the most pious men of all ages; and to whom we must look up for the best examples.

From whence could arise that spirit of persecution which has followed us down to the present day? Why are Free Masons arraigned before the bar of religious societies, for no other real cause than that of their being secret ?

We must be permitted to answer, that nothing but a degree of superstition, ignorance, or a want of the knowledge of the true principles of Masonry, has kept them in blindness.

We should show our real standing as a society:

No sectarian, religious, local, or political opinions are interfered with by Free Masons. At our admission, and on the very threshold, we are solemnly informed, that Free Masonry will not interfere with our duty to God, our opinions of religion, or our allegiance to our country, further than this: we must believe in the eternal and living God. Here the Jew, and the Gentile, as well as the Christian, can be received.

A Society thus founded, the first corner stone whereof is a belief in the eternal God, cannot be presumed to be irreligious, immoral, or disorganizing. To square our actions by the rule of uprightness; to persevere in the line of our duty; to restrain our passions and keep them within the compass of propriety; these are among the benign principles of our order.

Many ask, if such are the beneficial effects of Free Masonry, why keep it a secret? We answer: In a pecuniary point of view, Charity, one of the main pillars of our order, begins at home: we provide for our own, especially those of our family: we have all made such advances as entitle us to assistance, wherever we may go, if in distress: we must possess such secrets as will enable us to know each other, in a way that cannot be counterfeited. Still Masonry embraces other important objects; and had it not been strenu

never have been handed down to us, unimpaired by length of time, and uninfluenced by the various changes which have convulsed this troublesome world: it would not have withstood the rise and fall of empires, the ruthless hand of war, and the still more barbarous persecutions of ignorance and superstition. The blood of sacrificed thousands, under the Papal law, attest the importance of the principles of our order, whilst it defied every stretch of human ingenuity to suppress and destroy it. Free Masonry lived through blood; it sustained those terrifying conflagrations; it rode triumphant on the floods; and we enjoy its salutary influence, under the protection of God and our country.

One of the great duties of the preachers of the gospel, is, to seek out those to whom they may do good. If, in this, their great work, some of them should turn their attention to a Society, which, though secret, has in it many souls to be saved, why should they incur censure, when, by becoming connected with it, they may have access to, and form an acquaintance with, so large a portion of the human family, to whom they might otherwise for ever have remained strangers? Their ef forts are laudable, and will, no doubt, be acknowledged as such by the Grand Overseer, where we shall all meet in that rest designed for the righteous. Brethren of the Masonic family,

We have this day, by travelling the circle of another year, been brought to a point, which must induce us to pause, and contemplate the merits of our ancient and venerable patron, St. John the Baptist. His mission was, to prepare the way and make the path straight for the ushering in of the glorious dispensation under which we live. No great or important undertaking or change can be properly commenced in the religious or moral world, without due preparation. The husbandman prepares the earth for the reception of

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