Excerpt from An Oration Delivered at the Request of Phoenix Lodge, Chester County, December 27, 1827: Proving the Great Light of Masonry to Be From God Masons place not their institution on the same level with the Gospel: for while the Gospel is Di vine, Masonry is human in its origin. Still the tendency of Masonry is to benefit the human race: it cultivates the social virtues; cherishes kind feelings; is a useful handmaid of charity; forms a bond of union between different nations utters the language of tradition in favour of the holy oracles; is calculated to be beneficial in a very high degree. We therefore, brethren, who are invested with its insignia, and enrolled among its members, ought not to be surprised at its being evil spoken of. The character of the human heart is such, that, though it requires Almighty power to correct it, it Opposes every thing which aims at its good. Let us endeavour to fulfil then the vows of our order, and heed not what a benighted world may say of us. Invited by the brethren of Phoenix Lodge to appear among them in my capacity of Grand Chaplain, l cheerfully comply with their request. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.