A
LESSON FOR FREEMASONS OR, A SERIES OF MORAL
OBSERVATIONS ON THE
INSTRUMENTS OF MASONRY.
From "The Spirit of Masonry" - 1843
The various instruments which we of this
profession make use of,
are all emblematical or picturesque of the
conduct of life we ought
to persevere in.
The
RULE
directs us to observe punctually
every gospel duty; to
press forward in the right path, neither
inclining to the right nor left
hand, for the sake of any transient
amusement or gratification
whatsoever; it forbids us to give into the
least inclination or
propensity into the curve of life, and
reminds us to beware of the
least tendency to a circle, either in
religion or morals! - not to mind
(because they have seldom any other than
selfish views) neither
outs, or ins in politics; and to have in
all our conduct eternity in
view.
The
LINE should make us pay the strictest
attention to that line of
duty which has been given us, or rather
which was marked out to
us, by our great Benefactor and Redeemer.
It teaches us to avoid
all kinds of double-dealing, both in
conversation and actions; it
points out the direct but narrow path that
leads to a glorious
immortality; and that sincerity in our
profession will be our only
passport thither. This line, like Jacob's
ladder, connects heaven and
earth together; and, by laying hold of it,
we climb up to that place
where we shall change this short line of
time for the never-ending
circle of eternity.
The
PLUME-LINE admonishes us to walk erect
and upright in our
Christian vocation; not to lean to a side,
but to hold the scale of
justice in equal poise; to observe the just
medium between
temperance and voluptuousness; to fathom
the depth of our limited
capacities, and to make our several
passions and prejudices of
education fall plumb in, or coincide with,
our line of duty.
The
SQUARE will teach us to square all our
actions by this gospel
rule and line, and to make our whole
conduct harmonize with this
most salutary scheme. Our behavior will be
regular and uniform,
not aspiring at things above our reach, nor
pretending to things
above our finite capacities, nor to affect
things above what our
circumstances can possibly bear. In our
expenses, therefore, we
shall neither ape those that are placed in
a more exalted sphere, nor
attend so much to the glitter of gold as to
sink beneath our proper
station; but we shall observe the golden
mean,
"And always to our acres join our sense,
Because 'tis use that sanctifies expense."
The
COMPASSES will inform us that we should
in every station
learn to live within proper bounds, that we
may, therefore, be
enabled to contribute freely and cheerfully
to the relief of the
necessities and indigences of our
fellow-creatures. Hence we shall
rise to notice, live with honor, and make
our exit in humble hopes
of compassing what ought to be the main
pursuit of the most
aspiring genius, a crown of glory.
The
LEVEL should advise us that, since we
are all descended from
the same common stock, partake of the like
nature, have the same
faith and the same hope through the
redemption, which render us
naturally upon a level with one another,
that we ought not to divest
ourselves of the feelings of humanity; and
though distinctions
necessarily make a subordination among
mankind, yet eminence of
station should not make us forget that we
are men, nor cause us to
treat our brethren, because placed on the
lowest spoke of the wheel
of fortune, with contempt; because a time
will come, and the
wisest of men know not how soon, when all
distinctions, except in
goodness, will cease, and when death - that
grand leveler of all
human greatness - will bring us to a level
at the last. From hence,
too, the skeptic, the shallow reasoner, and
babbling disputer of this
world, may learn to forbear the measuring
of infinity by the dull
level of his own groveling capacity, and
endeavor, by way of
atonement for his insults upon every thing
that tends to mankind,
either good or great, to vindicate the ways
of God to man.
From your
MALLET
and CHISEL,
you may likewise know what
advantages accrue from a proper education.
The human and
unpolished mind, like a diamond surrounded
with a dense crust,
discovers neither its sparkling nor
different powers, till the rough
external is smoothed off, and beauties,
till then unknown, rise full
to our view. Education gives, what a chisel
does to the stone, not
only an external polish and smoothness, but
discovers all the
inward beauties latent under the roughest
surfaces. By education
our minds are enlarged, and they not only
range through the large
fields of matter and space, but also learn
with greater perspicuity -
what is above all other knowledge - our
real duty to God and man.
Your
TROWEL will teach you that nothing is
united together
without proper cement: no strict union, nor
external polish can be
made without it. And, as the Trowel
connects each stone together
by a proper disposition of the cement, so
charity, that bond of
perfection and of all social union (which I
earnestly recommend to
you all), links separate minds and various
interests together; and,
like the radii of a circle, that extend
from the centre to every part of
the circumference, makes each member have a
tender regard for
the real welfare of the whole community.
But as some members
will be refractory in every society, your
Hammer will likewise
teach you how to use becoming discipline
and correction towards
such like offenders. If they will not
submit to rule, you may strike
off the excrescences of their swelling
pride, till they sink into a
modest deportment. Are they irregular in
their practices? Your
Hammer will instruct you to strike off each
irregularity, and fit
them to act a decent part on the stage of
life. Do any affect things
above their stations? Your Hammer will
teach you to press them
down to their proper level, that they may
learn, in the school of
discipline, that necessary knowledge - to
be courteous.
What the
HAMMER is to the workman, that
enlightened reason is
to the passions in the human mind: it curbs
ambition, that aspires
to its own and neighbor's hurt: it
depresses envy, moderates
anger, checks every rising frailty, and
encourages every good
disposition of the soul; from whence must
arise that comely order,
that delightful self complacency,
"Which nothing earthly gives or can
destroy,
The soul's calm sunshine, and the
heart-felt joy."
Thus, from our instruments may we all be
instructed to raise a
stately fabric of good works, upon the
strong foundation of faith,
that we may be fitted at last to inhabit
that glorious house, not
made with hands, eternal in the Heavens!