Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1879-02-06

fatherless and motherless child with in-
difference. That heart is barren of all beau
ty which is not touched with sympathy ior
the orphan. That life is a perfect moral
blank which is not adorned with the flow
ers of benificence. Will not the Masons i'm
the old North State give the Orphan Asy-
llm at Oxford the support which its wants
demand. and which they are most SOL
EMMY obligated to doF Will not the
Churches see to it, that it shall not Ian
guish! Will not every christian in the
State, and every generous person, show
their gratitude to their Great Benefactor
by annually remembering in substan.
tial way the Orphan Asylum at Oxford 2
And who willing to ill his hand this
day unto the Lord" HE that hath pity
upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord"
'Ie that giveth unto the poor shall not
lack" Who is willing to lend his SUBJ
stance to the Lord? Is there any mrre
solvent bank in the world, Who is will
ing to have tile pledge of the Almighty
for the future? Can any one give safer
mortgage?
Let us notice briefly two bright char
acters. of later date than the builders of
the Temple, which are alike precious to
Masonry and to Christianity; |; ard which
also blend and harmon onize in illustrating
our order. They were equally diStiu-
guished by the Redeemer OF mankind
! the one as burning and shining light,
and the other was called the beloved dis
ciple and the divine :" and they. Masoui-
cally personify Faith and Practice. Saint
John the Baptist was the forerunner OF
the Messiah, the harbinger of the Living
Truth. He was the last of the prophets.
and the first to proclaim the kingdom OF
81 "a n nj
| commingled the departing rays of the
Old dispensation and the first dawnings
of the New. He performed the funeral
rites OF the former, and announced the
birth of the latter. His teaching Vas
eminently practical; and he exemplitied
in his life what he tauTht. His entirl
life was syrnmetrically beautified. He
zeaioUsly preached repentance and good
works. teaching that men must show the
genuineness of their repentance by cor
responding fruits-frrlits of good and
charitable deeds. Hence he most beau,
tifu1ly personities Practice.
Saint John tile Evangelist was perfect
| personification of Faith. His faith kept
him near his Master; led him up on tile
mount of TRANSPORTATION, where he be-
held the Outbeaming of the Divine glory;
and sustained him in his lonely exile
| Love was the great theme of his teach
Glove in Deed and in TRUTH ''IIe com
pleted by his learning what the other
Saint John accomplished by his zeal, and
thus drew what the old records term, 4
| line-parallel,' and formed the personi-
! fication OF Greatness and Goodness com
bined and united in Charity.
In every regular and well furnished
| Lodge there is represented a point with
! in a circle, embraced in two parallel lines
| Soin m IF
| Saint John the Evangelist" Upon the
top of the circle rests the Holy Bible. al
sometimes the book of Masonic ConSti
tutionS. The point within the circle rep
resents an individual brother, and the
/ circle is the boundary line of his duty to
God and man. beyond which he should
meyer suffer his passions, his prejudiees
his interests. nor his pleasures to betray
him. The Holy Bible which rests upoI
the top of the circle is the light OF hi,
faith and the guide of his practice. 1t i:
also the foundation upon whc rests tht
Theological or Maspncal ladder whicl
Jacob saw reaching from earth to Heav
en-, the three principal rounds of whici
are Faith, Hope, and Charity, teaching
faith in God, hope in immortality, anC
charity to all man kind. The creates
of these is charity" Every moral ex.
cellence, every christian virtue begins
and ends in charity. Charity is the burn
! ing light which eminates from the eter
nal Throne, filling the universe of Goo
with the splendors OF His glory, chasing
| the death-slladows from our world, shed
ding its effulgence upon the path of the
good. illuminiag the mind with divine
truth, cncirc;ing the brow with the dia-
dem of beauty, sustaining hope amid the
tolls and sutferings of earth. and crown
| ing life. beyond the clouds of time, will
| the ineffaLle bliss of Immortality.