DISCOURSE XI.

1 PETER, 11. 15, 16.

"WITH WELL DOING YE MAY PUT TO SILENCE THE IGNORANCE OF FOOLISH MEN. AS FREE, AND NOT USING YOUR LIBERTY FOR A CLOAK OF MALICIOUSNESS, BUT AS THE SERVANTS OF GOD."

I SHALL use these words, my brethren, as the motto to a difcourfe, wherein I propofe, after adverting to the injuftice of those imputations which are brought forward against Free Masonry, briefly to confider the way in which we can best preserve it from mifrepresentations, and beft defend it against

cenfures.

WHILST we feel our minds enlarged by its discoveries, our hearts expanded by its charities, and our fatisfactions increased by

its influence, we cannot grow indifferent to its interefts, nor hear the reproaches repeated against it with the coldness of unconcerned auditors, without emotion and without reply. With honeft zeal we come forward; not to contest the subject in "a war of words;" not to discuss, but to demonftrate; not to defend opinions against those whom no reasons will fatisfy and no arguments convince; but to vindicate our principles by referring to their effects on our temper and our conduct.

MODESTY, which retires from obfervation; diffidence, which always entertains an humble opinion of its own merit, and avoids oftentation as it does cenfure; have hitherto reftrained us from fuch a plea: but our enemies impel us to this iffue.

1. FREE MASONRY, you know, is, at the present day, viewed in an unfavorable light : and we are considered by some as covenanting on principles and associated for purposes deftructive of civil fubordination, and tending to diffoluteness and infidelity; to the

difavowal of all that is venerable in virtue or facred in religion. In vain have we repeatedly unfolded our fentiments to public examination, in the most honeft, ingenuous, and explicit manner. Our protestations are disregarded: and while every paltry pamphlet or paragraph written in opposition to us is eagerly read and implicitly believed; what we publish, particularly the BOOK OF CONSTITUTIONS, which contains our laws and ceremonies, is never inquired after, never confulted.

My brethren, our inexorable accufers arraign us at the tribunal of the public, to defend ourselves, not against what they know, but what they suspect; to answer, not for what they have experienced, but what they fear. This is taking us at great difadvantage: and the unfairness, as well as injuftice, of fuch an allegation, will excufe our paffing it by in filent contempt. We challenge them to point out the inftances in which we have appeared the advocates or the abettors of immorality or rebellion! We submit our actions to their prying investigation; hoping,

befure, fome allowance for the frailties and imperfections incident to humanity; arrogating to ourselves no immaculate purity nor indefectible virtue; but neither needing nor afking apology for any thing that is peculiar

to us as MASONS.

ASSURED that whatever follies or imprudencies may have injured our credit as men, and that whatever vices have wounded our character as chriftians, it never justified the former nor allowed the latter, let us exculpate our inftitution; and frankly declare that our errors and crimes are from another fource, the weakness and depravity of human nature, the incitements to evil and the corruptions of the world, to which all alike are expofed.

A DISTINCTION muft be made between what is attributive to Free Masonry, and what is not; between what is within its influence, and what is beyond its fphere. For though we may fafely declare that it is impracticable to afcend into these regions without improvement of the heart and enlargement of the understanding, and without carrying along with

us into the world we are obliged to act in, fomething to purify our conduct and meliorate our condition: yet we do not pretend that Free Masonry was inftituted for the express purposes of teaching morals. And though all its rites, ceremonies and charges, imply the neceffity and express the importance of piety and virtue, and with impreffive folemnity inculcate their obfervance; yet it never profeffed to be a substitute for natural or revealed religion, nor to prescribe the faith, regulate the conscience, or control the judgment of any. It has enough liberality to allow each man to be "free," but fo much restraint as to prevent him from ufing his liberty for "a cloak of licentioufnefs."

We are the more particular in making this discrimination, because fome late writers have fuggefted that Mafonry profeffes to fuperfede all religions, and to introduce a moral code of its own in their stead.

2. MANY are fo uncharitable as to lay the blame of every thing erroneous in the