Section. 8 - Charity the distinguishing characteristic of Masons.
Charity is the chief of every social virtue, and the distinguishing
characteristic of the Order. This virtue includes a supreme degree of live
to the great Creator and Governor of the universe, and an unlimited affection
to the beings of his creation, of all charcters and of every denomination.
This last duty is forcibly inculcated by the example of the Deity himself,
who liberally dispenses his beneficence to unnumbered worlds.
It is is not particularly our province to enter into disquisition of every
branch of the amiable virtue; we shall only briefly state the happy effects
of a benevolent disposition toward mankind, and shew that charity, exerted
on proper objects, is the greatest pleasure man can possibly enjoy.
The bounds of the greatest nation, or the most extensive empire, cannot
circumscribe the generosity of a liberal mind. Men, in whatever situation
they are placed, are still, in a great measure, the same. They are exposed
to similar dangers and misfortunes. They have not wisdom to foresee, or power
to prevent, the evils incident to human nature. They hang as it were, in
perpetual suspense between hope and fear, sickness and health, plenty and
want. A mutual chain of dependence subsists throughout the animal creation.
The whole human species are therefore proper objects for the exercise of
charity.
Beings who partake of one common nature, ought to be actuated by the same
motives and interests. Hence, to soothe the unhappy, by sympathizing with
their misfortunes, and to restore peace and tranquility to agitated spirits,
constitute the general and great ends of the Masonic institution. This humane,
this generous disposition fires the breath with manly feelings, and enlivens
that spirit of compassion, which is the glory of the human frame, and not
only rivals, but outshines, every other pleasure the mind is capable of enjoying.
All human passions, when directed by the superior principle of reason, promote
some useful purpose; but compassion towards proper objects is the most beneficial
of all the affections, as it extends to greater numbers, and tends to alleviate
the infirmities and evils which are incident to human existence.
Possessed of this amiable, this godlike disposition, Masons are shocked at
misery under every form and appearance. When we behold an object pining under
the miseries of a distressed body or mind, the healing accents which flow
from the tongue, mitigate the pain of the unhappy sufferer, and make even
adversity, in its dismal state, look gay. When our pity is excited, we assuage
grief, and cheerfully relieve distress. If a brother be in want, every heart
is moved; when he is hungry, we feed him; when he is naked, we clothe him;
when he is in trouble, we fly to his relief. Thus we confirm the propriety
of the title we bear, and convince the world at large, that BROTHER among
Masons is something more than a name.