Difference between revisions of "MAGLJSabine"

From MasonicGenealogy
Jump to: navigation, search
Line 18: Line 18:
 
In Masonry, Bro. Sabine took a deep interest, which in no degree abated during his life. He was initiated in [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=Columbian Columbian] Lodge, August 3, 1820; was admitted to honorary membership, April 4, 1822; and served as Chaplain in 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829 and 1830. He was made a member of St. Andrew's R.A. Chapter, March 19, 1823, of which body he was Scribe in 1823 and 1824, and King in 1825. He was a member of the British Charitable Society. In whatever sphere he acted, he was earnest and sincere; and there are many in this community who remember him as a true friend and faithful Christian teacher.<br>
 
In Masonry, Bro. Sabine took a deep interest, which in no degree abated during his life. He was initiated in [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=Columbian Columbian] Lodge, August 3, 1820; was admitted to honorary membership, April 4, 1822; and served as Chaplain in 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829 and 1830. He was made a member of St. Andrew's R.A. Chapter, March 19, 1823, of which body he was Scribe in 1823 and 1824, and King in 1825. He was a member of the British Charitable Society. In whatever sphere he acted, he was earnest and sincere; and there are many in this community who remember him as a true friend and faithful Christian teacher.<br>
 
''— History of Columbian Lodge, 1856.''
 
''— History of Columbian Lodge, 1856.''
 +
 +
== SPEECHES ==
 +
 +
=== SERMON AT HALL DEDICATION, JUNE 1811 ===
 +
 +
<p align=center>
 +
'''SERMON Delivered in Wrentham,'''<br>
 +
'''Before [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=StAlban St. Alban's] Lodge,'''<br>
 +
'''On the Dedication of their Hall,'''<br>
 +
'''St. John Baptist's Day, A. L. 5821.'''<br>
 +
</p>
 +
 +
''I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you? - Nehemiah VI:3.''
 +
 +
There is something peculiar in the method al­most invariably adopted by the sacred writers in their delineation and display of character. They do not take up their pens to eulogize their heroes; they give sim­ply a history of the facts and circumstances which trans­pire in a man's life, and furnish the materials of his memoir; but leave the reader to the exercise of his own judgment, in conclusions and inferences on the merit, or demerit of the actions, and of the motives which may have inspired them. These remarks are particularly applicable to the four gospels. The writers of these books give a full and distinct view of the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus, with scarcely note or com­ment: though they record the most astonishing examples of virtue, they lay a restraint upon their own pas­sion, and never suffer their pen to run out in strains of eulogy and panegyric, The circumstances may be ex­pected to be somewhat different when' a man is writing the history of his own times, and of transactions in which he h:is himself had a share. But even here, the sacred writers manage the matter with peculiar humili­ty: for the most part they write in the third person, and so speak of themselves either in blame or in praise, as if speaking of some other man. Nehemiah is rather an exception from this rule; he writes in the first person, and speaks of himself as the principal actor in the scenes he describes: but the narrative is simple, and the language in which it is told is humble and modest. The work allotted to Nehemiah, and the spirit with which he persevered in the performance of it confer the highest praises, and establish his character as an exam­ple of decision and firmness. – This example, brethren, 1 have chosen for our consideration to-day, In turning over the sacred pages, I could not see any other example, all circumstances taken together, so likely to meet the demands of this day's service and ceremony. Nehemiah was a workman of no ordinary standing, a wise master-builder, whose praise is known throughout the
 +
whole fraternity.
 +
 +
The more moral improvement intended in this dis­course must be preceded by a glance at Nehemiah's history.
 +
 +
Upon the expiration of seventy years' captivity in Babylon, the Jews had liberty to return to their own land. The proclamation of Cyrus, and the decrees of
 +
succeeding princes, gave the House of Israel an oppor­tunity of establishing themselves again in Judea; of re­building their temple and of restoring Jerusalem. Of these edicts many of the captive Jews availed them­selves, gathered all their substance together, and what­ever the decree granted beside, and returned and set­tled again in the land of their fathers. During a captivity of seventy years almost every individual, who was of mature age at the commencement of the captivity, must have died: so that the persons who were called upon to return and replenish the old inheritance of their progenitors were the second and third generation of the original captives. These had never seen the good land; all to them was by tradition, and as seventy years rolled on they sought to make the best of their exilement, and some of them had so far succeeded in the land of the enemy, as to gain wealth, settlement and connexion.– Many of these it was difficult, nay impos­sible to persuade to remove and go again to the land of Israel; they had outlived their patriotism, and had be­come the lovers of a strange land, and, of a strange peo­ple. Some of these families had established themselves in the Babylonian and Persian courts, of such was Ne­hemiah. It seems that there was some intercourse kept up between the Israelites who had returned and those who had remained. Hanani, the brother of Nehemiah, was of the number of them who had sought again to dwell in the holy land: he with "certain men of Ju­dah" came from Jerusalem to the Persian court, and stated to Nehemiah the wretched condition of the Jews and of their city. Upon the return of the Jews after the captivity their first object was to re-edify the temple; to this the chief men, such as Zerubbabel and Zechari­ah and Haggai bent all their force: and after hard la­bour and "' ff!'eat obstructions the sacred house was reared.
 +
 +
But here the work stayed, the city for the most part laid waste, and the whole country was a mere de­solation. This is Hanani's account. "The remnant that are left of the captivity there, in the province, are in great affliction and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and the gates thereof arc burned with fire." This dismal detail awakened the patriotic sympathies of Nehemiah.
 +
 +
Ninety years had now elapsed since the foundation of the temple had been laid, and during that long space little had been done towards re­establishing Israel in his own land. Those great men, who had conducted the return from the captivity, and who had by much exertion reared the temple, were gone to their rest, and no others were raised up to carry on the great design. Nehemiah, hearing of all this, is grieved; "he sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." Nehemiah humbled himself on account of his own sinful neglect, and bewailed the misconduct of others, who with him had sat down in the land of their enemies ; and prayed God to forgive, and to stir up to a laudable zeal for the land of their fathers lying waste.
 +
 +
Nehemiah was an officer in the Persian court, he was cup-bearer to Artaxerxes the king. He accordingly availed himself of all the interest he had with his royal master, and obtained a commission to Jerusalem as go­vernor of the province. Having surveyed, in the most secret manner, the desolations of Zion, he called together the elders of the people, and laid before them his commission and the resolutions he had formed, with the means he possessed of building the walls and the gates of Jerusalem. In these plans and measures the people concurred, and all that were able and willing had every man an appointment of labour on some section of the wall nearest or most convenient to his dwelling.
 +
 +
These arrangements of labour and developements of plan greatly alarmed the enemies of the Jews. Sanbal­lat and his associates took counsel together how they might hinder and defeat the work. At first they ridi­culed Nehemiah and his workmen, but this failing they attempted to surprise the craftsmen by an armed force; this also, through the prudence and skill of Nehemiah, becoming unsuccessful, they proceeded to fraud and stratagem: they pretended great friendship to the god­ly master-builder, and advised him to consider :the probable consequences, and for his credit sake to desist. They sent messengers and letters of parley, but Nehemiah saw through all the plots, and avoided the snare.
 +
 +
They appointed a meeting with him in a village near at hand: they said "Come, let us meet together in  some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought (says he) to do me mischief.- And I sent a messenger unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you."
 +
 +
The resolution and perseverance of Nehemiah were still to be opposed. Stratagem failing, slander is to be tried next, and then the timid friends of Nehemiah are
 +
to be wrought upon and some of the less friendly and the more time-serving are to be hired to tie his hands and to entangle his work, and if possible, by any means, to cause the work to cease: but all in vain. Nehemiah and his fellow-crafts went on building, and the wall was "finished in fifty and two days." Astonishing success in the performance of such a work in so short a time,
 +
and under such embarrassment! but Nehemiah was a man of decision and of perseverance. Let us proceed to consider those circumstances under which these traits of character appear. ''The work to which Nehemiah's attention was directed was great and important. – His commission to the performance of it was explicit and obligatory. – The means with which he was furnished were ample and suited to the enterprise.'' Let us devote a few moments' attention to each of these articles.
 +
 +
''First'', Nehemiah's work was ''great'' and ''important''. I am doing, said he, a great work, A work may be considered to be great or small, according to
 +
. the relation it stands in to other things. And we are rather to judge of the magnitude of a work by this rela­tion, than by the seeming greatness of the thing itself or by the quantity of materials of which it may be composed. A vast mass of means and material may be :,shed upon an object not worth attaining, or of such •. ,,nor importance and of such easy access, as to demand nothing n1orc than a :;ingll! effort. 1􀇉hc grcatnC'ss, then, of any work is to be reckoned upon its relation and re­sult. The commandment "to restore and to build Jerusa­lem" had, through the degeneracy anclinConstancy of the J,ows lain ncg·lcctcd for more than half a century. The 􀉸cmpk was in great rnc􀊊i'surc provided with courts and s􀊣rnctuarics and ofiiccs, but the city was no r\Sylu1n for - t!1e people ; it was " a city without walls and gates," It was assailable at any hour; the wandering plunderc,·s,· and even the wild beast of the desert could come in up­on them at any time. Jerusalem was therefore a re­proach and a FCY, The enemy of the Jews was not under any fearful apprehensions, while the holy city was without walls and towers, without munitions. It was when the wall began to rise from the " rubbish, and the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth." That is a great work which gives efficiency and completeness to what has been don_e before, an<l that gives a centre and a foundation to what may come after. This was Nebemiah's wall.
 +
 +
That work is great that is needed, an<l when clone answers a noble encl. He that sits down to teach a peasant or a savage child to read, ·is doing a great work. He who ptits the plough-share and the pruning-hook into the hand of the wandering barbarian, and teaches the use of them, is doing a work, the benefits of which will enrich mankind to the encl of time. He who rears a cottage over the heads of a cast-out, houselcss family, and gives them the means of supporting themsc!ves, is a benefactor. He who is building a house for Goel in which souls may be raised to heaven, ancl made meet for eternal bl:ss-he is doing a work, tiic goodness and the greatness of which can only be calculated by the number of everlasting :1ges. But what is he doing with all his learning, who teaches nobody? He who invents or improves a steam engine to crush a moth? He who builds a house for himself ten times as large as he needs, but builds one for nobody besides ?-that rears a tem­ple perhaps only that he himself may be god therein, and be worshipped by sycophant votaries? The em­press of Russia, at great expense and labour, under an inclement sky, hewed out and reared a palace of. ice ; at great expense too it was furnished, but it could not warm one shivering soul ; to sleep beneath its glassy roof was death ; a cold collation to a freezing inmate was the warmest welcome it ever gave. The sun look­ed upon this imperial'' plaything,"''([https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3698/3698-h/3698-h.htm Cowper])'' and blushed to sec the wealth and power of a monarch thus thrown away upon a bauble-a frozen bubble melting at the touch. Simple queen, with all thy vast domains! Give me
 +
,that woman for the companion of my clays, who "Seek-· eth wool and flax an<l worketh willingly with her hands.
 +
She considereth a field and buyeth it; with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor ; yea, she reacheth forth her hands ,c, the needy. Her children arise up ancl call her bless­ed, lier husband also anrl he praiscth her." " It is good ,o be zealously affected always in a coo D thin1;:" but I-::.:, who wastc0 his time ancl hi:-; taknts upon things that cannot profit, shall be accounted a madman or a fool.
 +
 +
SECONDLY. Nehemiah's coMMrssroN to this great work was explicit and of high obligation. It is not enough that there is \vork to do, an<l that a man has au inc::::ation to undertake it: but he must have some
 +
warrant, some_ call and appointment of providence. This should be considered especially by all such ·as
 +
would undertake a public enterprise, some great work, in the discharge of which a man will be accountable to an associate body of men or to a nation. A 'man may teach an individual or any number of individuals all he knows, if they will commit themselves to his instruc. tion; but the same inclination and means of instrnction would not justify that man in taking upon himself pro­fessional duties in .a public seminary. 1 may have the means of raising a mound of defence around the estate of my friend or neighbour, and my benevolent inten­tions and his need of my services may be a suflicicnt • warrant : but I must have more explicit commission if I proceed to execute a plan of defence for a city. D.i­vid had it in his heart to build a temple to the Lo Rn, ,rncl he had great means too, but for want of authority so to do he declined it. , Our Nehemiah was a prudent man in this particular. He was not only satisfied that . his motives were good, in wishing to attempt this work, us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work." I am the more partic1ilar in this article of discourse, because of the importance of the print:iplc I am inculcating. Au­thority and commission must lie at the foundation of all
 +
 +
success iri :my important and ·widely extended system of enterprise. Nnpolean, once the terror of Europe, failed at last in his bold designs for want of a legitimate authority: his overthrow and banishment w_ere not so much the: effect of <lcf<.:at in battle, as of his hollow ti. tles ,1n<l spurious claims to government. Thus the go­vernment set up by Cromwell foiled, and so it has been with most usurpations. If a man of enterprise be a workman, he will examine before he advances and sec from whence a right to act proceeds ; this right will be found somewhere ; in transactions between . men this right is generally at the suffrage of the people : upon this principle went forward the great men who erected the lNDEPE:-iDENCE ofthese UNITED STATES, and but for this, the assumed inclepcndence had become the ;iCOrn of nations. Even the great Redeemer of mankind with all his divine personal qualifications, had failed in
 +
delivering his people, but for the commission he brought frmn heaven. "I do nothing of myself," said ,;c:;us, but" as th<: Father gave m.c conH11andmcnt, so I do."
 +
ORDER, my brethren, in every economy human a􀁥:d. clivinl'; order is every thing : without it there can be neither strcng·th nor beauty. In every building t:'lcrc is order in the cksign, and order in the execution. ::::1 govcrnmt.:nt there must be the order of authority, ,md the order of obedience. In every great wo:k he who would be an active agent must consider his own qualifications, and -the adaptation of his talents to the several parts of it, or the work will be marred in his hands. Nehemiah was aware of all this; he knew the measure of talent he possessed, and he knew as well the importance of an unqucstion"blc authority in the man­agement of the work he would undertake: without thi􀀖, his resolution had been something besides decision, and his progressive attempts a very diflercnt thing from perseverance.
 +
 +
THIRDLY, we are to consider the MEANS with which Nehemiah was furnished. \.Y c have said that they were "mple and s11ited; and so they were, because they were sufficient to answer the encl and adapted to the work. But these means, after all, were not such as won!d have been crowned with success in the hands of
 +
any man, but such as Nehemiah.· His prndence and wisdom, his decision and perseverance gave them adaptation and efficiency. Great means in the hands of a small man will do nothing to purpose ; while small means in the hands of a great man will accomplish cv.' cry thing. Had not vV As II ING T_O N been :1 man of prudence, decision and npplication, though he ha<l been furnished with twice the number of troops anc.l all with double the collrage and double the material, he had never raised the AMERICAN EAGLE to the STARS.
 +
 +
'\Vhat had Nehemiah to cncourarrc him in this enterprise, saving the goodness of his cause-the favour of the. ,Gotl of heaven-and the love he bore the land of his fathers? It is true, he had the king's authority in written letters for what he woulc.l do, but this commis­sion his enemies '' laughed to scorn,,, and cb;􀇯rge<l him with usurpation and rebellion. The people were suffi.
 +
cicntly numerous, 􀈍ncl well enough skilled in mechanic labours to !.mild the wall; but then they were poor, and bnrdcncc1 with debt and bondage, and they had hardly any common bond of union. The rulers .were jealous of Nehemiah, and symbolized with the enemy, and ma­ny of them "put not their neck to the work of their Lord.,, It was diflicult to nrousc such a mass of stag- 11::int matter to action, and more ?ifficult still to arrange the workmen in due order and appoint them a portion of labour in which each one should feel an interest. To find wages and sustcn:mcc for poor labourers and bear­ers of burdens w:1s no easy tnsk. Ancl when this body of craftsmen was so far arranged, and the work was ad­vancing, Nc:hemiah was compelled to divide his host of
 +
labourers into_ two parts, the one to hold the spear and :·,":c the enemy, while the other did the work. Many of the Jews also, instead of putting a hand to the \Vork,. • ,r􀀮nt about' listening to all manner of fooli::;h 􀁐torics in circulation concerning- Nchcr.1i.:1h and his work : these stories were again circulated upon the wall, ,vith rnany r,n exaggeration, to put the people in fear. Sanballat a;icl Tobiah and other su btlc enemies plied the godly
 +
men with many a wily pen and wily message, begging an<l intreating him to consider consequences; and wait a little to see how matters would go. Prophets and prophetesses too were hired to predict his downfall and defeat, and to allure him into some shameful retreat for S?,foty.
 +
 +
Now what was to be done amid all these seeming dis­couragements? \Vhy, nothing; had the master of this work been, like many of us, "a silly dove without heart," fluttering to this broken reed and that, and sink­
 +
ing in despondency. But Nehemiah had a resource in the grace which his God had given him, He was strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. His duty was to proccccl in his work and leave contingent conse­quences to conti11gent remedies. His duty was abso­lute, and with application and economy his means were su:ffi.cit.:nt. I~Ic had 1ncn enough, with perseverance, to build the wall, and enough of courage to defend the wor!Gncn. Provision was scarce; but he would forego
 +
his own allowance of bread, that t)1erc might be the more to feed the labourers. As to the silly stories afloat, he wm1ld not hear them. Sanballat>s letters and messa­
 +
ges he answered by saying', "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot" leave it. His prcclictccl death alar.m­cd him not. Pompey when embarking in a storm for· Home, in order to be there on an important occasion, being dissuaded by his fiends replied, ' It is necessary for 1..TJ.C to go to Rome, it is not ncccssJry for me to live.' So Nehemiah with intrepidity worthy a better cause scicl, "Should such a n,an as I Bee? ,me! who is there,
 +
that, being as I am, would go into th􀄷 temple to save his life? I WILL l<OT co IN." Some people, no doubt, thought that he was a rash, inconsiclcratc man ; a man
 +
that would by his love of novelty and wild enterprise . involve himself and all his associates in a great <lea! of unncessary trouble, and sink into contempt and be de­
 +
feated at last. '\Vhat will the people say?' \Vhat will they think?• arc awful appalling questions to fickle tim­id souls, creatures of the wind tossed to and fro. But Nehemiah is not this creature ; his soul was macle of "sterner stuff:" he was desirous of deserving the good opiniori of all good men, and then he was indifferent whether he possessed it or not; his duty was the object
 +
of his ambition, and upon the fate of this he was resolv­ed to rest all his credit and all his satisfaction. He
 +
went on building, and he had the delight to sec the
 +
walls of Jcn:salcm stretch their munitions from tower to tower, and from gate to gate, till the circle of defence had encompassed the holy ground, and secured the family of the Lo RD from the wrath and scorn of foes.
 +
A man that will undertake nothing till he can sec ,i foll adequacy of means, and even an overplus qu􀍌ntity, in case of contingency, will accomplish nothing; he is :1 c:·.:::,:turc of n1crc instinct, as a bird or a beast cr:in prc­)::·:e her nest or her lair m1ly with the same materials :i:stincti1·c nature provides. There is nothing· left for the invention and the nrdonr o[thc mind to accompli􀀉h. L:vcry example set for our imitation in the Scrip􀀎urc 􀄖;fiOrds a specimen of mental cxcrcisC', of mental re ..
 +
soc.rec. Loo!, nt i\foscs. " Dy foith Moses forsook 2gypt, not fearing: the wrath of the king;, for he :.;ndur­
 +
cd as scdng him \\'.ho is invisible." Look at J ..:ihn the It1pi.lst, whose nntivity we this day cekbratc, and to whose virtues we clcclicatc our I-Lill, sec him with" rai­􀈂;.1cn'i: of camel's hair, and leather girdle ,1bout his loins;" see him, as he looks m:1jcsty in the face, and charges it with un]a\vful cll:'eds. ·" It is not lawfol for thee to h,1ve thy brothtT's wife. .And Herod frarcd John, knowing· th.1.t l:c w􀊥􀊦.s aju􀊫t man and an holy, and observed him, and when he heard him he clicl mauy things and heard him gbdly." Look at St. Paul when dissuaded from his work by tender intrcaty of fearful fri, nds. " vVhat mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ,·cady not to be bound only, bat also to die at Jerusa­lem for the n􀍿m1e of the Lord Jesus-None of these things rnovc 1nc, neither count I my life: cleat: Ulito my­self, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the minist,·y which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to ,cstify the gospel of the graced Goel. Looking unto Jesus the aut_ho􀐹· and finbhcr of our foith; wl10 for the joy that was set before him rndurcd the cross, despising the shame, and is set clown at the rice ht hand of the throne of Go,:. For consider him that endured such
 +
 +
co:1trc1diction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wea­ry and faint in your 1nind::i.,,
 +
 +
Do any who work not in ot::- temple, or any who only il:!c therein ask, '\Vhat such a <li::;cotu-sc :1s this has to do with the duties of the craft ?' I answer, " Much every wJy.''
 +
 +
l3:-crhrcn; The man whose example we have been considering was a man of no ordinary spirit ; his clecis-·
 +
ion and per.severance h::ve few equals, no supc1􀇳iors: he was in every sense of the tcrn1s A FREE AND AGCEPT­E D :M: .\so ;,r. But what was at the foundation of this so fair and so lofty a 􀈼upcrslructurc? \Va:::; it not rclif􀀘ion? 'fhc fear of tlw Lo Rn, which is· the.; beginning- of wis .. do:11? And whc1t was the fii·st livi;i􀊚· sronc laid upon the chief corner.stone, elect 􀊾md precious ? \Vas it not J3ROTHERLY LOVE? DiJ not this settle his soul clown into a habit of the most devoted exercise􀌔 for the good of hi;> brethren, and attune his spirit to th<.: high enjoy­ment of doing good? A religious regard to all the mo­ral principles of masonry i􀍾 necessary to a· good m􀀪ison. .A mason, rn·orc than any other n1an, except he be a christian, is boqncl by solemn sanctions to be a good man :· he must, as he has opportunity, do good unto all men, nor does the cspcciality of his obligation to those who ,u-c of the household of his faith release him from a stronger tic to the whole human race. l\Jasonry as­serts not the peculiar doctrines of the New Testam􀒆nt, nor of the Old, but it takes its moral principles and choicest models ,from both, It reveres Revelation, and holds the inspired saints in high esteem. It does not,
 +
 +
we ac1m.!t1 enter into any of the speculative points ofre .. lif;ion, • nor docs it show favour to any one of the sects, to th;:! cE:.iCOuntcnancc of nnothcr; hence it is averse to persecution. A m:1son persecute! ! a mason revile and
 +
render uncomfort:,Llc a n-.cmbcr of. his family, or a friend in '􀄹he circle of his acquaintance, on ::i.ccount of a di!Tcre::nce: in religion! Yes, such a mason who has for­goltcn, o: never knew, that the untempered mortar of malice ,md wickedness may do in building a synagogue for s:1tan, but •is not the cement o[ those joints an<l bands, by which a temple is reared sacred to brotherly love!
 +
 +
nfasonry cultivates the virtues of purity ancl tempe­rance. A lodge is not erected for festivity nnd eonviv­.ialit)'. If you would feed the ln,ngry and clothe the nc:kcd, you must be" temperate in all things." Noth­ing-, perhaps, has more lowered the pnblic opinion in regard to the fraternity than where a love of wine has been in<lulg·ed, and excess and gluttony have been sue. cecdcd by prof.mcncss, rcvcllin􀌼s, mischief: fr'onl. such turn away; such abuses, if they exist, reform. A brother's widow and his orphan children call aloud for
 +
"temj,erance, brot/,erly kindness, c/,arity." Be sober,
 +
therefore, that ye me1y be g·ivcn to hospitality.
 +
 +
Now, to accomplish these and many other great and noble objects, you must be decided in the principles you m;er, "-nothing wavcring-foi- he th:lt waYcrcth is like c: wave of the 'sea, dril'cn with the wind and tossed."
 +
'f ou n1ust be diligent too, for activity 􀑱qHl pcrscver􀁝 ancc arc necessary to recommend your stability.-Yonr
 +
 +
iixcdncss nncl sta!)ility n1ust not be that of a pol)t, but 􀁋􀁌:::t of a tree, its roots ckc1), its bra􀁪1chc.s ,\'idc, and its /S:arly :'ruit abundant. And then J\.:rncmbcr, that noas• 􀂞;:.:..::iation Of char.i'ctc.1\ or influence, and of obligation, :,:c:,olvcs the individurility oi' your relation an<l aceount­:.:l)ility to Goel. 0 seek, every man, the fin•our of our Ecrivcnly P.;rcnt, through the precious death of his Dear. Son : and with hands wa::J1ccl in innoccncy and hearts
 +
l\􀀁llC\VCd by the grace of the Spirit, corac and work in this tcrnplc the \vorks of Goel.-'' Let us hi.::ar the con­ck.sion of the whole 1nattcr, Brethren, whatsoever things arc true, whatsoever things arc honest, whatsoev­er things arc just, whatsoever thin3;s arc pure, whatso .. ever things are lovely, ·whatsoever things are of good rcpm-t; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things."
 +
 +
 +
 +
 +
 +
 +
 +
 +
  
 
<hr>
 
<hr>
  
 
[http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=MassachusettsPeople#DISTINGUISHED_BROTHERS Distinguished Brothers]
 
[http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=MassachusettsPeople#DISTINGUISHED_BROTHERS Distinguished Brothers]

Revision as of 15:31, 28 June 2022

JAMES SABINE 1774-1845

JamesSabine.png

  • MM 1820, Columbian
  • Grand Chaplain 1827-1830

BIOGRAPHY

From Proceedings, Page 1873-265:

REV. JAMES SABINE, BOSTON, Episcopal. 1827-1830.

REV. BRO. JAMES SABINE was born in Fareham, Hants, Eng., May 26, 1774. He lost his mother at the early age of five years, and was subsequently in the charge of an aunt, whose severity induced him to leave her while yet a boy, and repair to London, where he found employment in the establishment of a bookbinder. The information which he here obtained came to be of much service to him in after life, when he sought exercise from the duties of study and composition by connecting his numerous pamphlets, gathered during many years, into a series of well-bound volumes, with which his library was stocked. His family are not advised at what period he became pious, as there is no record to show; but as early as his seventeenth year he must have entered the classical and theological schooj of Hoxton, near London, belonging to the dissenters, then under the presidency of Dr. Simpson; for he was in the ministry when he was at the age of twenty-one, i.e., 1795.

After officiating in England in different places, he left his native land with his family in 1816, and became the pastor of the Independent Chapel in St. John's, Newfoundland, until 1818, when, in consequence of the great conflagration that had consumed two-thirds of the city, he sailed with his family for Boston, where he arrived in the summer of that year. After serving as a Congregational clergyman, and being instrumental in building two churches in Boston, he was induced, in 1828, to join the Episcopal Church, and was ordained by Bishop Griswold in 1830. Soon after, he removed to Bethel, in Vermont, and became rector of Christ Church, over which he officiated fifteen years, until his death, which took place at his son-in-law's, Dr. John Smith's, at Randolph, on the second day of October, 1845. Ann Davenport, his wife, died in Bethel, October 2, 1837. Their remains lie in one grave in the churchyard belonging to Christ Church, Bethel, over which their sorrowing and affectionate children have placed a suitable headstone, as a memorial of departed worth.

In Masonry, Bro. Sabine took a deep interest, which in no degree abated during his life. He was initiated in Columbian Lodge, August 3, 1820; was admitted to honorary membership, April 4, 1822; and served as Chaplain in 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829 and 1830. He was made a member of St. Andrew's R.A. Chapter, March 19, 1823, of which body he was Scribe in 1823 and 1824, and King in 1825. He was a member of the British Charitable Society. In whatever sphere he acted, he was earnest and sincere; and there are many in this community who remember him as a true friend and faithful Christian teacher.
— History of Columbian Lodge, 1856.

SPEECHES

SERMON AT HALL DEDICATION, JUNE 1811

SERMON Delivered in Wrentham,
Before St. Alban's Lodge,
On the Dedication of their Hall,
St. John Baptist's Day, A. L. 5821.

I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you? - Nehemiah VI:3.

There is something peculiar in the method al­most invariably adopted by the sacred writers in their delineation and display of character. They do not take up their pens to eulogize their heroes; they give sim­ply a history of the facts and circumstances which trans­pire in a man's life, and furnish the materials of his memoir; but leave the reader to the exercise of his own judgment, in conclusions and inferences on the merit, or demerit of the actions, and of the motives which may have inspired them. These remarks are particularly applicable to the four gospels. The writers of these books give a full and distinct view of the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus, with scarcely note or com­ment: though they record the most astonishing examples of virtue, they lay a restraint upon their own pas­sion, and never suffer their pen to run out in strains of eulogy and panegyric, The circumstances may be ex­pected to be somewhat different when' a man is writing the history of his own times, and of transactions in which he h:is himself had a share. But even here, the sacred writers manage the matter with peculiar humili­ty: for the most part they write in the third person, and so speak of themselves either in blame or in praise, as if speaking of some other man. Nehemiah is rather an exception from this rule; he writes in the first person, and speaks of himself as the principal actor in the scenes he describes: but the narrative is simple, and the language in which it is told is humble and modest. The work allotted to Nehemiah, and the spirit with which he persevered in the performance of it confer the highest praises, and establish his character as an exam­ple of decision and firmness. – This example, brethren, 1 have chosen for our consideration to-day, In turning over the sacred pages, I could not see any other example, all circumstances taken together, so likely to meet the demands of this day's service and ceremony. Nehemiah was a workman of no ordinary standing, a wise master-builder, whose praise is known throughout the whole fraternity.

The more moral improvement intended in this dis­course must be preceded by a glance at Nehemiah's history.

Upon the expiration of seventy years' captivity in Babylon, the Jews had liberty to return to their own land. The proclamation of Cyrus, and the decrees of succeeding princes, gave the House of Israel an oppor­tunity of establishing themselves again in Judea; of re­building their temple and of restoring Jerusalem. Of these edicts many of the captive Jews availed them­selves, gathered all their substance together, and what­ever the decree granted beside, and returned and set­tled again in the land of their fathers. During a captivity of seventy years almost every individual, who was of mature age at the commencement of the captivity, must have died: so that the persons who were called upon to return and replenish the old inheritance of their progenitors were the second and third generation of the original captives. These had never seen the good land; all to them was by tradition, and as seventy years rolled on they sought to make the best of their exilement, and some of them had so far succeeded in the land of the enemy, as to gain wealth, settlement and connexion.– Many of these it was difficult, nay impos­sible to persuade to remove and go again to the land of Israel; they had outlived their patriotism, and had be­come the lovers of a strange land, and, of a strange peo­ple. Some of these families had established themselves in the Babylonian and Persian courts, of such was Ne­hemiah. It seems that there was some intercourse kept up between the Israelites who had returned and those who had remained. Hanani, the brother of Nehemiah, was of the number of them who had sought again to dwell in the holy land: he with "certain men of Ju­dah" came from Jerusalem to the Persian court, and stated to Nehemiah the wretched condition of the Jews and of their city. Upon the return of the Jews after the captivity their first object was to re-edify the temple; to this the chief men, such as Zerubbabel and Zechari­ah and Haggai bent all their force: and after hard la­bour and "' ff!'eat obstructions the sacred house was reared.

But here the work stayed, the city for the most part laid waste, and the whole country was a mere de­solation. This is Hanani's account. "The remnant that are left of the captivity there, in the province, are in great affliction and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and the gates thereof arc burned with fire." This dismal detail awakened the patriotic sympathies of Nehemiah.

Ninety years had now elapsed since the foundation of the temple had been laid, and during that long space little had been done towards re­establishing Israel in his own land. Those great men, who had conducted the return from the captivity, and who had by much exertion reared the temple, were gone to their rest, and no others were raised up to carry on the great design. Nehemiah, hearing of all this, is grieved; "he sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." Nehemiah humbled himself on account of his own sinful neglect, and bewailed the misconduct of others, who with him had sat down in the land of their enemies ; and prayed God to forgive, and to stir up to a laudable zeal for the land of their fathers lying waste.

Nehemiah was an officer in the Persian court, he was cup-bearer to Artaxerxes the king. He accordingly availed himself of all the interest he had with his royal master, and obtained a commission to Jerusalem as go­vernor of the province. Having surveyed, in the most secret manner, the desolations of Zion, he called together the elders of the people, and laid before them his commission and the resolutions he had formed, with the means he possessed of building the walls and the gates of Jerusalem. In these plans and measures the people concurred, and all that were able and willing had every man an appointment of labour on some section of the wall nearest or most convenient to his dwelling.

These arrangements of labour and developements of plan greatly alarmed the enemies of the Jews. Sanbal­lat and his associates took counsel together how they might hinder and defeat the work. At first they ridi­culed Nehemiah and his workmen, but this failing they attempted to surprise the craftsmen by an armed force; this also, through the prudence and skill of Nehemiah, becoming unsuccessful, they proceeded to fraud and stratagem: they pretended great friendship to the god­ly master-builder, and advised him to consider :the probable consequences, and for his credit sake to desist. They sent messengers and letters of parley, but Nehemiah saw through all the plots, and avoided the snare.

They appointed a meeting with him in a village near at hand: they said "Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought (says he) to do me mischief.- And I sent a messenger unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you."

The resolution and perseverance of Nehemiah were still to be opposed. Stratagem failing, slander is to be tried next, and then the timid friends of Nehemiah are to be wrought upon and some of the less friendly and the more time-serving are to be hired to tie his hands and to entangle his work, and if possible, by any means, to cause the work to cease: but all in vain. Nehemiah and his fellow-crafts went on building, and the wall was "finished in fifty and two days." Astonishing success in the performance of such a work in so short a time, and under such embarrassment! but Nehemiah was a man of decision and of perseverance. Let us proceed to consider those circumstances under which these traits of character appear. The work to which Nehemiah's attention was directed was great and important. – His commission to the performance of it was explicit and obligatory. – The means with which he was furnished were ample and suited to the enterprise. Let us devote a few moments' attention to each of these articles.

First, Nehemiah's work was great and important. I am doing, said he, a great work, A work may be considered to be great or small, according to . the relation it stands in to other things. And we are rather to judge of the magnitude of a work by this rela­tion, than by the seeming greatness of the thing itself or by the quantity of materials of which it may be composed. A vast mass of means and material may be :,shed upon an object not worth attaining, or of such •. ,,nor importance and of such easy access, as to demand nothing n1orc than a :;ingll! effort. 1􀇉hc grcatnC'ss, then, of any work is to be reckoned upon its relation and re­sult. The commandment "to restore and to build Jerusa­lem" had, through the degeneracy anclinConstancy of the J,ows lain ncg·lcctcd for more than half a century. The 􀉸cmpk was in great rnc􀊊i'surc provided with courts and s􀊣rnctuarics and ofiiccs, but the city was no r\Sylu1n for - t!1e people ; it was " a city without walls and gates," It was assailable at any hour; the wandering plunderc,·s,· and even the wild beast of the desert could come in up­on them at any time. Jerusalem was therefore a re­proach and a FCY, The enemy of the Jews was not under any fearful apprehensions, while the holy city was without walls and towers, without munitions. It was when the wall began to rise from the " rubbish, and the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth." That is a great work which gives efficiency and completeness to what has been don_e before, an<l that gives a centre and a foundation to what may come after. This was Nebemiah's wall.

That work is great that is needed, an<l when clone answers a noble encl. He that sits down to teach a peasant or a savage child to read, ·is doing a great work. He who ptits the plough-share and the pruning-hook into the hand of the wandering barbarian, and teaches the use of them, is doing a work, the benefits of which will enrich mankind to the encl of time. He who rears a cottage over the heads of a cast-out, houselcss family, and gives them the means of supporting themsc!ves, is a benefactor. He who is building a house for Goel in which souls may be raised to heaven, ancl made meet for eternal bl:ss-he is doing a work, tiic goodness and the greatness of which can only be calculated by the number of everlasting :1ges. But what is he doing with all his learning, who teaches nobody? He who invents or improves a steam engine to crush a moth? He who builds a house for himself ten times as large as he needs, but builds one for nobody besides ?-that rears a tem­ple perhaps only that he himself may be god therein, and be worshipped by sycophant votaries? The em­press of Russia, at great expense and labour, under an inclement sky, hewed out and reared a palace of. ice ; at great expense too it was furnished, but it could not warm one shivering soul ; to sleep beneath its glassy roof was death ; a cold collation to a freezing inmate was the warmest welcome it ever gave. The sun look­ed upon this imperial plaything,"(Cowper) and blushed to sec the wealth and power of a monarch thus thrown away upon a bauble-a frozen bubble melting at the touch. Simple queen, with all thy vast domains! Give me ,that woman for the companion of my clays, who "Seek-· eth wool and flax an<l worketh willingly with her hands. She considereth a field and buyeth it; with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor ; yea, she reacheth forth her hands ,c, the needy. Her children arise up ancl call her bless­ed, lier husband also anrl he praiscth her." " It is good ,o be zealously affected always in a coo D thin1;:" but I-::.:, who wastc0 his time ancl hi:-; taknts upon things that cannot profit, shall be accounted a madman or a fool.

SECONDLY. Nehemiah's coMMrssroN to this great work was explicit and of high obligation. It is not enough that there is \vork to do, an<l that a man has au inc::::ation to undertake it: but he must have some warrant, some_ call and appointment of providence. This should be considered especially by all such ·as would undertake a public enterprise, some great work, in the discharge of which a man will be accountable to an associate body of men or to a nation. A 'man may teach an individual or any number of individuals all he knows, if they will commit themselves to his instruc. tion; but the same inclination and means of instrnction would not justify that man in taking upon himself pro­fessional duties in .a public seminary. 1 may have the means of raising a mound of defence around the estate of my friend or neighbour, and my benevolent inten­tions and his need of my services may be a suflicicnt • warrant : but I must have more explicit commission if I proceed to execute a plan of defence for a city. D.i­vid had it in his heart to build a temple to the Lo Rn, ,rncl he had great means too, but for want of authority so to do he declined it. , Our Nehemiah was a prudent man in this particular. He was not only satisfied that . his motives were good, in wishing to attempt this work, us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work." I am the more partic1ilar in this article of discourse, because of the importance of the print:iplc I am inculcating. Au­thority and commission must lie at the foundation of all

success iri :my important and ·widely extended system of enterprise. Nnpolean, once the terror of Europe, failed at last in his bold designs for want of a legitimate authority: his overthrow and banishment w_ere not so much the: effect of <lcf<.:at in battle, as of his hollow ti. tles ,1n<l spurious claims to government. Thus the go­vernment set up by Cromwell foiled, and so it has been with most usurpations. If a man of enterprise be a workman, he will examine before he advances and sec from whence a right to act proceeds ; this right will be found somewhere ; in transactions between . men this right is generally at the suffrage of the people : upon this principle went forward the great men who erected the lNDEPE:-iDENCE ofthese UNITED STATES, and but for this, the assumed inclepcndence had become the ;iCOrn of nations. Even the great Redeemer of mankind with all his divine personal qualifications, had failed in delivering his people, but for the commission he brought frmn heaven. "I do nothing of myself," said ,;c:;us, but" as th<: Father gave m.c conH11andmcnt, so I do." ORDER, my brethren, in every economy human a􀁥:d. clivinl'; order is every thing : without it there can be neither strcng·th nor beauty. In every building t:'lcrc is order in the cksign, and order in the execution. ::::1 govcrnmt.:nt there must be the order of authority, ,md the order of obedience. In every great wo:k he who would be an active agent must consider his own qualifications, and -the adaptation of his talents to the several parts of it, or the work will be marred in his hands. Nehemiah was aware of all this; he knew the measure of talent he possessed, and he knew as well the importance of an unqucstion"blc authority in the man­agement of the work he would undertake: without thi􀀖, his resolution had been something besides decision, and his progressive attempts a very diflercnt thing from perseverance.

THIRDLY, we are to consider the MEANS with which Nehemiah was furnished. \.Y c have said that they were "mple and s11ited; and so they were, because they were sufficient to answer the encl and adapted to the work. But these means, after all, were not such as won!d have been crowned with success in the hands of any man, but such as Nehemiah.· His prndence and wisdom, his decision and perseverance gave them adaptation and efficiency. Great means in the hands of a small man will do nothing to purpose ; while small means in the hands of a great man will accomplish cv.' cry thing. Had not vV As II ING T_O N been :1 man of prudence, decision and npplication, though he ha<l been furnished with twice the number of troops anc.l all with double the collrage and double the material, he had never raised the AMERICAN EAGLE to the STARS.

'\Vhat had Nehemiah to cncourarrc him in this enterprise, saving the goodness of his cause-the favour of the. ,Gotl of heaven-and the love he bore the land of his fathers? It is true, he had the king's authority in written letters for what he woulc.l do, but this commis­sion his enemies laughed to scorn,,, and cb;􀇯rge<l him with usurpation and rebellion. The people were suffi. cicntly numerous, 􀈍ncl well enough skilled in mechanic labours to !.mild the wall; but then they were poor, and bnrdcncc1 with debt and bondage, and they had hardly any common bond of union. The rulers .were jealous of Nehemiah, and symbolized with the enemy, and ma­ny of them "put not their neck to the work of their Lord.,, It was diflicult to nrousc such a mass of stag- 11::int matter to action, and more ?ifficult still to arrange the workmen in due order and appoint them a portion of labour in which each one should feel an interest. To find wages and sustcn:mcc for poor labourers and bear­ers of burdens w:1s no easy tnsk. Ancl when this body of craftsmen was so far arranged, and the work was ad­vancing, Nc:hemiah was compelled to divide his host of labourers into_ two parts, the one to hold the spear and :·,":c the enemy, while the other did the work. Many of the Jews also, instead of putting a hand to the \Vork,. • ,r􀀮nt about' listening to all manner of fooli::;h 􀁐torics in circulation concerning- Nchcr.1i.:1h and his work : these stories were again circulated upon the wall, ,vith rnany r,n exaggeration, to put the people in fear. Sanballat a;icl Tobiah and other su btlc enemies plied the godly men with many a wily pen and wily message, begging an<l intreating him to consider consequences; and wait a little to see how matters would go. Prophets and prophetesses too were hired to predict his downfall and defeat, and to allure him into some shameful retreat for S?,foty.

Now what was to be done amid all these seeming dis­couragements? \Vhy, nothing; had the master of this work been, like many of us, "a silly dove without heart," fluttering to this broken reed and that, and sink­ ing in despondency. But Nehemiah had a resource in the grace which his God had given him, He was strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. His duty was to proccccl in his work and leave contingent conse­quences to conti11gent remedies. His duty was abso­lute, and with application and economy his means were su:ffi.cit.:nt. I~Ic had 1ncn enough, with perseverance, to build the wall, and enough of courage to defend the wor!Gncn. Provision was scarce; but he would forego his own allowance of bread, that t)1erc might be the more to feed the labourers. As to the silly stories afloat, he wm1ld not hear them. Sanballat>s letters and messa­ ges he answered by saying', "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot" leave it. His prcclictccl death alar.m­cd him not. Pompey when embarking in a storm for· Home, in order to be there on an important occasion, being dissuaded by his fiends replied, ' It is necessary for 1..TJ.C to go to Rome, it is not ncccssJry for me to live.' So Nehemiah with intrepidity worthy a better cause scicl, "Should such a n,an as I Bee? ,me! who is there, that, being as I am, would go into th􀄷 temple to save his life? I WILL l<OT co IN." Some people, no doubt, thought that he was a rash, inconsiclcratc man ; a man that would by his love of novelty and wild enterprise . involve himself and all his associates in a great <lea! of unncessary trouble, and sink into contempt and be de­ feated at last. '\Vhat will the people say?' \Vhat will they think?• arc awful appalling questions to fickle tim­id souls, creatures of the wind tossed to and fro. But Nehemiah is not this creature ; his soul was macle of "sterner stuff:" he was desirous of deserving the good opiniori of all good men, and then he was indifferent whether he possessed it or not; his duty was the object of his ambition, and upon the fate of this he was resolv­ed to rest all his credit and all his satisfaction. He went on building, and he had the delight to sec the walls of Jcn:salcm stretch their munitions from tower to tower, and from gate to gate, till the circle of defence had encompassed the holy ground, and secured the family of the Lo RD from the wrath and scorn of foes. A man that will undertake nothing till he can sec ,i foll adequacy of means, and even an overplus qu􀍌ntity, in case of contingency, will accomplish nothing; he is :1 c:·.:::,:turc of n1crc instinct, as a bird or a beast cr:in prc­)::·:e her nest or her lair m1ly with the same materials :i:stincti1·c nature provides. There is nothing· left for the invention and the nrdonr o[thc mind to accompli􀀉h. L:vcry example set for our imitation in the Scrip􀀎urc 􀄖;fiOrds a specimen of mental cxcrcisC', of mental re .. soc.rec. Loo!, nt i\foscs. " Dy foith Moses forsook 2gypt, not fearing: the wrath of the king;, for he :.;ndur­ cd as scdng him \\'.ho is invisible." Look at J ..:ihn the It1pi.lst, whose nntivity we this day cekbratc, and to whose virtues we clcclicatc our I-Lill, sec him with" rai­􀈂;.1cn'i: of camel's hair, and leather girdle ,1bout his loins;" see him, as he looks m:1jcsty in the face, and charges it with un]a\vful cll:'eds. ·" It is not lawfol for thee to h,1ve thy brothtT's wife. .And Herod frarcd John, knowing· th.1.t l:c w􀊥􀊦.s aju􀊫t man and an holy, and observed him, and when he heard him he clicl mauy things and heard him gbdly." Look at St. Paul when dissuaded from his work by tender intrcaty of fearful fri, nds. " vVhat mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ,·cady not to be bound only, bat also to die at Jerusa­lem for the n􀍿m1e of the Lord Jesus-None of these things rnovc 1nc, neither count I my life: cleat: Ulito my­self, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the minist,·y which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to ,cstify the gospel of the graced Goel. Looking unto Jesus the aut_ho􀐹· and finbhcr of our foith; wl10 for the joy that was set before him rndurcd the cross, despising the shame, and is set clown at the rice ht hand of the throne of Go,:. For consider him that endured such

co:1trc1diction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wea­ry and faint in your 1nind::i.,,

Do any who work not in ot::- temple, or any who only il:!c therein ask, '\Vhat such a <li::;cotu-sc :1s this has to do with the duties of the craft ?' I answer, " Much every wJy.

l3:-crhrcn; The man whose example we have been considering was a man of no ordinary spirit ; his clecis-· ion and per.severance h::ve few equals, no supc1􀇳iors: he was in every sense of the tcrn1s A FREE AND AGCEPT­E D :M: .\so ;,r. But what was at the foundation of this so fair and so lofty a 􀈼upcrslructurc? \Va:::; it not rclif􀀘ion? 'fhc fear of tlw Lo Rn, which is· the.; beginning- of wis .. do:11? And whc1t was the fii·st livi;i􀊚· sronc laid upon the chief corner.stone, elect 􀊾md precious ? \Vas it not J3ROTHERLY LOVE? DiJ not this settle his soul clown into a habit of the most devoted exercise􀌔 for the good of hi;> brethren, and attune his spirit to th<.: high enjoy­ment of doing good? A religious regard to all the mo­ral principles of masonry i􀍾 necessary to a· good m􀀪ison. .A mason, rn·orc than any other n1an, except he be a christian, is boqncl by solemn sanctions to be a good man :· he must, as he has opportunity, do good unto all men, nor does the cspcciality of his obligation to those who ,u-c of the household of his faith release him from a stronger tic to the whole human race. l\Jasonry as­serts not the peculiar doctrines of the New Testam􀒆nt, nor of the Old, but it takes its moral principles and choicest models ,from both, It reveres Revelation, and holds the inspired saints in high esteem. It does not,

we ac1m.!t1 enter into any of the speculative points ofre .. lif;ion, • nor docs it show favour to any one of the sects, to th;:! cE:.iCOuntcnancc of nnothcr; hence it is averse to persecution. A m:1son persecute! ! a mason revile and render uncomfort:,Llc a n-.cmbcr of. his family, or a friend in '􀄹he circle of his acquaintance, on ::i.ccount of a di!Tcre::nce: in religion! Yes, such a mason who has for­goltcn, o: never knew, that the untempered mortar of malice ,md wickedness may do in building a synagogue for s:1tan, but •is not the cement o[ those joints an<l bands, by which a temple is reared sacred to brotherly love!

nfasonry cultivates the virtues of purity ancl tempe­rance. A lodge is not erected for festivity nnd eonviv­.ialit)'. If you would feed the ln,ngry and clothe the nc:kcd, you must be" temperate in all things." Noth­ing-, perhaps, has more lowered the pnblic opinion in regard to the fraternity than where a love of wine has been in<lulg·ed, and excess and gluttony have been sue. cecdcd by prof.mcncss, rcvcllin􀌼s, mischief: fr'onl. such turn away; such abuses, if they exist, reform. A brother's widow and his orphan children call aloud for "temj,erance, brot/,erly kindness, c/,arity." Be sober, therefore, that ye me1y be g·ivcn to hospitality.

Now, to accomplish these and many other great and noble objects, you must be decided in the principles you m;er, "-nothing wavcring-foi- he th:lt waYcrcth is like c: wave of the 'sea, dril'cn with the wind and tossed." 'f ou n1ust be diligent too, for activity 􀑱qHl pcrscver􀁝 ancc arc necessary to recommend your stability.-Yonr

iixcdncss nncl sta!)ility n1ust not be that of a pol)t, but 􀁋􀁌:::t of a tree, its roots ckc1), its bra􀁪1chc.s ,\'idc, and its /S:arly :'ruit abundant. And then J\.:rncmbcr, that noas• 􀂞;:.:..::iation Of char.i'ctc.1\ or influence, and of obligation, :,:c:,olvcs the individurility oi' your relation an<l aceount­:.:l)ility to Goel. 0 seek, every man, the fin•our of our Ecrivcnly P.;rcnt, through the precious death of his Dear. Son : and with hands wa::J1ccl in innoccncy and hearts l\􀀁llC\VCd by the grace of the Spirit, corac and work in this tcrnplc the \vorks of Goel.- Let us hi.::ar the con­ck.sion of the whole 1nattcr, Brethren, whatsoever things arc true, whatsoever things arc honest, whatsoev­er things arc just, whatsoever thin3;s arc pure, whatso .. ever things are lovely, ·whatsoever things are of good rcpm-t; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things."







Distinguished Brothers