You are now admitted, by the unanimous
consent of this lodge, a fellow of our Most Ancient and Honorable
Fraternity
Ancient, as having subsisted from time immemorial – and Honorable, as tending
in every particular to do honor to those
who conform to its noble
precepts. The
greatest monarchs and
most exalted heroes and patriots, of all ages and countries
throughout
the
known world, have been encouragers of Freemasonry; and many of them
have
presided as Grand Masters
of Masons in their respective jurisdictions,
not
thinking it any lessening of their highest dignities to level
themselves with
their Brethren in Freemasonry and to act upon the same Square as they
did.
The
world’s Great Architect is our Supreme
Grand Master and the unerring rule He has given us is that by which we
work.
Religious
disputes are never
suffered within the lodge; for, as Freemasons, we worship God as our
consciences require,
and thus we are united as in one sacred band.
There are three
general heads of duty which
Freemasons ought always to inculcate, namely; to God, our neighbor and
ourselves; to God, is never mentioning His Name but with that
reverential awe
which a creature ought to bear to his Creator,
and in looking upon Him
always
as the God over all; to our neighbor, in acting upon the Square, or
doing as we
would be done by;
and to ourselves, in avoiding all intemperance and
excesses
whereby we may be rendered incapable of following our work
or led into
behavior
unbecoming our laudable profession, and in always keeping within due
bounds and
free from all guilt.
In the State, a
Freemason is to behave as a
peaceable and dutiful citizen, conforming cheerfully to the government
under
which he lives.
He is to be a
man of benevolence and charity;
not sitting down contented while his fellows, much more his Brethren,
are in
want when it is in his power, without prejudicing himself or his
family, to
relieve them.
In the lodge, he
is to behave with all due
decorum, lest the beauty of harmony of its workings should be disturbed
or
broken;
he is to be obedient to the Master and the other officers set
in
authority over him, and is to apply himself closely to the business
of
Freemasonry, that he may be the sooner become skilled therein, both for
his own
credit and that of the lodge, and thereby
earn advancement as the wages
of his
labors.
He is not to
neglect his own necessary
avocations for the sake of Freemasonry, nor to involve himself in
quarrels with
those who through ignorance may speak evilly or despitefully of it.
He
is to be a lover of the arts and sciences and is to take all
opportunities to
improve himself therein.
If he recommends
a friend to be made a
Freemason, he must vouch him to be such as he really believe will
conform to these
duties,
lest by the misconduct of that friend at any time the lodge
should pass
under evil imputations.
Nothing can be
more shocking to all
faithful Freemasons than to see any of their Brethren profane the
sacred
Rules
of Freemasons; and such as do, they wish had never been admitted into
the
Fraternity.