MASONRY A LAMP OF KNOWLEDGE.

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This Lodge is in possession of the maul used by Wren in his capacity of architect of the glorious structure he raised.

The system organized or revived by Wren was speedily transplanted into other lands-into France about 1720, in which country it made rapid progress, and all from warrants of the Grand Master of England; the Loge l'Anglaise at Bordeaux has been working, it is said, from that authority, granted 1732. The rapid strides that the Order was making caused the Papal Court to make a stir about it, and a learned civilian of Florence was by the Inquisitor arrested in May, 1739. The Grand Lodge in London took the matter up, and by means of the Grand Duke (afterwards Francis I. of Austria), who had been initiated a few years before, he was set at liberty in the December following.

In taking a retrospect of other institutions, whether founded for the purposes of government, science, mutual security, or any other purpose, we find they have mostly been unstable in their duration, and generally failing in the accomplishment of the design for which they were framed. Kingdoms, with their mighty founders, have had their rise, their meridian, and their decline. In vain we ask who were the founders of Palmyra's boasted temples, of Baalbec's gorgeous domes, or the gigantic works of Egypt-the wrecks of their mouldering grandeur only seeming to frown contempt on their founders'

schemes.

Masonry has witnessed the rise, revolutions, and wane of empires, withstood the inroads of war, and the still more desolating ravages of barbarous ignorance and the gloomy superstition of ancient and modern times. Through the dark ages, from the sixth to the sixteenth century, Masonry was one of the chief lamps of knowledge that illumined the gloom of the then degraded human mind; it was the nurse that fostered, the guardian that watched over, and the ark that preserved, amidst the deluge of Gothic gloom that overspread the earth, all the science

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VITALITY OF FREEMASONRY.

that had survived the wrecks of the Grecian and Roman empires.

'Hence, 'midst the ruin of three thousand years,
Unhurt, unchanged, Freemasonry appears :
Her towers and monuments may fade away,
Her truth and social love shall ne'er decay.'

CHAPTER III.

FREEMASONRY IN ITS GENERAL APPLICATION.

THE EXCELLENCY OF MASONRY DISPLAYED.

'Like every other blessing,

Derives its value from its use alone:

Not for itself, but for a nobler end

The Eternal gave it, and that end is Virtue.'

GENERAL PRINCIPLES.

JOHNSON.

WHOEVER attentively observes the objects which surround him, will find reason to admire the works of nature, and to adore the Being who directs such astonishing operations; he will be convinced that Infinite Wisdom could alone design, and Infinite Power complete, such amazing works.

Were a man placed in a beautiful garden, would not his mind be affected with exquisite delight on a calm survey of its rich collections? Would not the groves, the grottoes, the artful wilds, the flowery parterres, the opening vistas, the lofty cascades, the winding streams, the whole variegated scene, awaken his sensibility and inspire his soul with the most exalted ideas? When he observed the delicate order, the nice symmetry, and beautiful disposition of every part, seemingly complete in itself, yet reflecting new beauties on the other, and all contributing to make one perfect whole-would not his mind be agitated with the most agreeable sensations, and would not the view of the delightful scene naturally lead him to admire and venerate the happy genius who contrived it?

If the productions of Art so forcibly impress the mind

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CEMENTS OF THE RATIONAL WORLD.

with admiration, with how much greater astonishment and reverence must we behold the operations of Nature, which present to view unbounded scenes of utility and delight, in which Divine Wisdom is most strikingly conspicuous! These scenes are, indeed, too expanded for the narrow capacity of man to comprehend. Yet, whoever contemplates the general system, must naturally, from the uniformity of the plan, be directed to the original source, the Supreme Governor of the world, the one perfect and unsullied beauty!

Beside all the pleasing prospects that everywhere surround us, and with which our senses are every moment gratified; beside the symmetry, good order, and proportion which appear in all the works of creation; something further attracts the reflecting mind, and draws its attention nearer to the Divinity; that is, the universal harmony and affection among the different species of beings of every rank and denomination. These are the cements of the rational world, and by these alone it subsists. When they cease, Nature must be dissolved, and man, the image of his Maker, and the chief of His works, be overwhelmed in the general chaos.

In the whole order of beings, from the seraph which adores and burns, down to the meanest insect--all, according to their rank in the scale of existence, have more or less, implanted in them the principle of association with others of the same species. Even the most inconsiderable animals are formed into different ranks and societies for mutual benefit and protection. Need we name the careful ant or the industrious bee-insects which the wisest of all mankind has recommended as patterns of unwearied industry and prudent foresight? When we extend our ideas, we shall find that the innate principle of friendship increases in proportion to the extension of our intellectual faculties; and the only criterion by which a judgment can be formed respecting the superiority of one part of the animal creation above the other, is by observing the degrees of kindness and good-nature in which it excels.

ADVANTAGES OF FRIENDSHIP.

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Such are the general principles which pervade the whole system of creation; how forcibly, then, must such lessons predominate in our assemblies, where civilization and virtue are most zealously cherished under the sanction of science and the arts!

THE ADVANTAGES RESULTING FROM FRIENDSHIP.

No subject can more properly engage the attention than the benevolent dispositions which indulgent Nature has bestowed upon the rational species. These are replete with the happiest effects, and afford to the mind the most agreeable reflections. The breast which is inspired with tender feelings is naturally prompted to a reciprocal intercourse of kind and generous actions. As human nature rises in the scale of beings, the social affections likewise arise. Where friendship is unknown, jealousy and suspicion prevail; but where that virtue is the cement, true happiness subsists. In every breast there is a propensity to friendly acts, which, being exerted to effect, sweetens every temporal enjoyment; and although it does not remove the disquietudes, it tends at least to allay the calamities of life.

Friendship is traced through the circle of private connexions to the grand system of universal benevolence, which no limits can circumscribe, as its influence extends to every branch of the human race. Actuated by this sentiment, each individual connects his happiness with the happiness of his neighbour, and a fixed and permanent union is established among men.

But, though friendship, considered as the source of universal benevolence, be unlimited, it exerts its influence more or less powerfully, as the objects it favours are nearer or more remote. Hence the love of friends and of country takes the lead in our affections, and gives rise to that true patriotism which fires the soul with the most generous flame, creates the best and most disinterested virtue, and inspires that public spirit and that heroic ardour which enable us to support a good cause, and risk our lives in its defence.