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ADDRESS OF HN. J. D. MIWUL, DELIVERED IN THE BAPTIST. CHURCH, ON WEDNESDAY EVENING, DEC. J9t ?888t ON THE DEDICATION OF COLUMBIA LOEE, I. 108, A.'. P.*. M.". The Order of Free Masonry conies to us clothed with thc dignity of antiquity, and it has traveled through the ages of the past down to the present hour, and to its present imposing proportion, wit? nessing in its march the rise and fall of dynasties and empires. It has illuminated its pathway with the effulgence of its own light beaming always from that constellation in God's moral firmament, composed of integrity, truth, charity and religion. The spirit of it has ever been instinct "with these grand moral virtues and energies, whilst its practice has been directed by them to an extent ecpial to thc efforts of any kindred fraternity known to the records of the human family ; and it is in vain for impotent revilers to attempt to detract from its solid claim to the respect and affection of man? kind, by pointing to particular instances of unworthiness in the lives and characters of individual members. The most inveterate opposer (usually the least useful and honorable in society) will find it now, as he has always found it, a task too grcnt alike for his ability and his malice to undermine tho strong foundations on which Free Masonry is reared-ard thus we may most satisfactorily account for the comparative infrequent assaults to which it has been . exposed in thc lapse of centuries of thc history of the human race and of its own progress and triumphs. I would not bc understood as asserting that the Order has not been compelled, now and then, to wage heroic, defensive war ; to repel, with promptitude and con? stancy, the attacks of vulgar ignorance and prejudice. Its armory has ever supplied its friends with abundant and victorious weapons whenever thc exigency demanded the production and use of them. "What I mean to declare in its behalf, is : that the evidences which have uniformly attended it of the mercifulness, charity and humanity ot' its mission to the race of man, have ever been so pre? valent, as to subdue hostility, however rampant, and, by their equal mildness and brightness, to win to its warm and genial bosom, in lowly and repentant love, the fiercest and blindest denouncer and calumniator. It is this capacity, eminently possessed by it, of silencing objection and reconciling opposers by its temper and teachings, which entitles Free Masonry to a very distinguished position amongst thc moral forces of thc world. It is emphatically a poire/- amongst thc moral agencies of society for great good, and not for evil, displaying the amplitude of its resources whenever and wherever good can be effected for mortal man by exerting them not with noisy pomp and gorgeousness of outward exhibition ; not with proclamation in advance of its pious ministrations, but with unpretending modesty and diffidence of approach, and with the sofiiy voice of charity and love. Yes, unquestionably our Order has ever been a power in the world, and a conquering ixwcer-necessarily such by reason of its elemen? tal structure and the nature of the field chosen for its internal operations. The human heart is thc theatre of its activity. It seeks to secure conquests there that it may send forth its votaries and subjects glowing with thc desire to find where suffering and want dwell, that they may replace them with happiness and abun? dance ; animated with the courage to penetrate into the dark prison houses and plague houses of thea- unfortunate fellow-creatures with healing in their voices and hands, undeterred by the dangers of fatal pestilence and premature death. Avoiding the contentions of thc political aren;!, rejecting the proud distinctions of ambitious greatness, unseduced by the allurements of wealth and fashion, Frei; Masonry quietly pursues its high calling of benevolence and human amelioration, struggles silently but earnestly to fulfill its mission of love and mercy to society, and by diligent tenderness and watchfulness over its own brethren, steadily and perseveringly endeavors to hold them to all their noble duties of temperance, industry, justice and truth, not only for their own honor and advancement, but likewise, by the force of example, for the wider and more general dissemination and acceptance of tthe glorious precepts and principles of tin; institution. While, however, the transient honors of political life are not corruptly sought, the prizes of selfish ambition not too much coveted, the fascinations of fortune and the foolishness of fashion not permitted to usurp thc throne of thc mind or heart, yet no better or purer school for the instruction and Inspiration of the patriot, the estimate of the value of public honors, ol' wealth and fashion, eau be entered, than that of Free Masonry. Its teachings ami discipline are intended to prepare the aspirant for public honors ; to discriminate between the triumphs that may be now in political life and the method of achieving them ; to demonstrate to such, that while the prizes of a successful public career of themselves, and in themselves, may be altogether worth struggling for, the paths which conduct to them maybe stained with blood and darkened by crime ; to instruct the possessor of wealth that he is endowed with it by Providence as a sacred trust, to bc fulfilled under a r?sriousibility of Divine impo? sition for the blessing and not for the cursing of humanity, and to enable rational men and women te distinguish between the follies and extravagance of fashion and that refinement and elegance of life and manners Avhich are at the same timi' the intelligent plea? sures and graceful adornments of civilized society. It is thus perceived, that in the discharge of the important func? tions of a teacher and instructor, Fret- Masonry enters the domain of thc affections, and endeavors to rule the heart-the seat of sen? sibility-rather than the brain-the scat of intellect; that it elects to reign in the moral rather than in the intellectual nature of man; not at all doubting but that its supremacy over the affections and sensibilities once established, it would speedily lead captive the proud powers of tho mind, and bc ablo to direct and appropriate a large part of its energies in the cause of virtue, purity, charity and truth. Nor docs this mode of action furnish any evidence of weak? ness or timidity in tho constitution of the Order. If it addresses its cfforts'at first to the conquest of the moral nature, to the affec? tions and imagination, rather than to the subjugation of thc intellect, it is because experience has taught it that thu heart is stronger than the mind in controlling the trill. The mind reasons, the judgment determines or concludes, while the will-the groat master faculty-decides all questions in practical life. The effort, then, of Free Masonry to secure the alliance of tho moral powers of our nature, in its enterprises of philanthropy and charity, of virhie and truth; above all, to secure the co-operation of the imagi? nation-itself a great power, sometimes lifting the soul, as it were, into a new existence, and re-bathing it at the fountain of immortal? ity-is not the dictate of cowardice, but of a wise and honorable policy. Whatever, then, of formal pageantry may characterize thc external workings of Free Masonry, if its occasional celebrations and festi? vals are marked before the public with gorgeous ensignia and resplendent paraphernalia; if it practices in signs and secrets; adopts types and symbols; deals in emblems, enigmas and hierogly? phics; the whole great purpose of all its machinery is to reinforce the capabilities for good of the Order, by-wooing to its support in the noble task it has undertaken, of blessing and comforting tho miserable of the race, the almost divine aid of the imagination. The mastery of the moral nature of man is essential to thc advancement of Free Masonry, and the high purpose of its labors. Brotherly love, hope, charity, sobriety, honor, truth and fidelity, are plants of the soul, whose golden fruits can best mature in its rich and resplendent gardens, where sun-light and streams forever rejoice; and while the majestic powers of the intellect may sweep ?round thc circle of all knowledge, explaining and expotmding its profoundest mysteries, and adding to its glorious stores new and more exalted ideas, the cause of virtue and human civilization, of human improvement and amelioration, philanthropy and truth must languish and decay, unless it be warmed and energized by the sympathies of t he heart and the approval of the conscience, "among the faculties, the king upon the throne." This is the view which enlightened Free Masonry takes of the relative influence of '.'moral and intellectual causes noon human progress;" and it has been very forcibly and truly said, that "ploughing the head is easy culture enough; but ploughing the heart-here we encounter stone. He re is needed the power of dod. li is not what a man accomplishes, that is material, but. what, ho becomes; not his learning, but his training; not his accumulations, but himselt." And again: "Intel? lectual truth is complete when understood, moral when practiced. The former is something to be known, the latter something tobe done." This great truth the discriminating intelligence and moral sense of Free Masonry most thoroughly conjprehend, accept and act upon; well knowing that while the brilliant theoretic triumphs of the intellect beget in it ostentation, and till it with pride, the practical labors of our Craft, regarding what is to be done, rather than what may be thought and known, in silent and effective streams pour upon the human family charities and gifts both for its physical and moral purification. The. fallen passions and appetites of man are the great obstruc? tion to their moral improvement, and these require the most watch? ful restraint and rebuke, lest in their reckless and licentious vehe? mence of indulgence, they may usurp power over the conscience itself, and over-ride justice, honor and truth. This, therefore, is a field in which Free Masonry <. rcerts its disciplinary fp.ee with most signal efficacy. Here its conservative vigilance is never permitted to relax. It anticipates the rising storm, and subdues it before it has gathered its wrathful maturity of strength. Its incipient thun? ders, with its occasional lightning flashes, are perceived in thc dis? tance, when the reason, judgment, the heart and conscience are immediately invoked to drive it back to its noisy caverns, there to expend its impotent and baffled force. Nothing caii more grievously afflict the faithful votary of Freo Masonry than the exhibitions of the ascendancy in the heart, espe? cially in that of a Brother, of vicious tastes and desires, as from their continued influence, moral profligacy and debauchery are sure to follow. Oh! what fearful ravages have been wrought in the moral universe of God, by first yielding to and then with fatal eagerness cultivating the corrupt tendencies and proclivities of the poor human heart! What an aw tul wreck of all that is beautiful und true, that is elevated and chaste, grand and commanding in the moral and intellectual faculties of men, do, we too often behold ns the result of even a single vicious sentiment or appetite, when once it has achieved the mastery in the moi'tal breast! Therefore, to fence about the heart with every practicable barrier against thc encroach? ment of sinful and debasing passions, and to plant upon the out? posts faithful sentinels, courageous to sound the alarm, is one of the gravest duties of our Order, which cannot be remitted without exposure to the imputation of disregarding one of the highest obli? gations of Masonic imposition. To succor the stricken bodily frame, to protect it against the as? saults of disease and famine, whether the objects of its ministra? tions be Brethren or strangers, are offices inseparably pertaining to the Masonic Brotherhood. But what are the necessities of that perishing structure of evanescent and decaying flesh and blood, bone and muscle, howevir wonderful ?ind beyond mortal skill to organize, when contrasted with the wants of the immortal soul which animates it-of chat never dying, imperishable, spiritual and moral fabric, the heart, with all its affections and sensibilities ; the conscience, Avith its .vast responsibilities, so enlarged and comprehen? sive as to project into eternity itself? It is thc health of these moral faculties, their discipline and full development, which should always engage the attention and efforts of our Fraternity. If it bt indeed the design of physical training to perfect the development oi the bones and sinews and muscles, to endow them with growth, strength and activity, with power of endurance, in order to mala men successful wrestlers with the manifold toils and hardships oi life, it is certainly a most imposing and urgent part of the Masonic obligation to train the faculties of the soul-to drill them witt every good word and work, to meet heroically and triumphantly tin inward and spiritual conflicts, which they must engage, so thal finally men may be made invincible, moral, athletic, conquering every temptation and allurement towards profligacy of sentiment o: manner. There is one thought in the mind of atrae Mason which is always attended with lively emotional pleasure, and it is this: however his labors may sometimes fail in emancipating the victim of evil pas? sions and appetites from his moral bondage, hi; is conscious of hav- ^ ing done no harm to the subject of his solicitude in doing his duty; and although ht: may find himself compelled reluctantly to admit that he has failed in a particular instance or individual, there ever remains itt his breast a calm and delicious joy, emanating from a consciousness of pure integrity of purpose and the hope that thc odor of a good motive, with corresponding fidelity of action, must sweetly smell to Heaven. According to my opinion of thc ordina? tions of Providence for the government of the moral world, no truly good or benevolent action eau be performed, especially if its spring be puro and unpolluted, without being attended with some valuable rc?i?t, although it may not be realized within the knowledge of tho actor or of those immediately surrounding him. The Divine Mas? ter above, omnipotent, omniscient, supremely good and merciful, will not permit the desire even of one of his creatures to do good and be useful to society to be cultivated, without receiving tho crown of his blessing, whether it be displayed to mortal sight or hidden away from human observation. What peculiar happiness wells up in tho heart of a good ami faithful Mason when he reflects upon this great and consoling truth ! And how powerful indeed in thc encourage? ment which it begets to persevere in his resolution to alleviate the sufferings, animate the sinking hopes, and improve the moral con? dition of such members of thc human family as are embraced within thc allotted sphere of his influence and efforts! And just here hes one of tlic principal sources of that invincible faith and confidence which, ever abide with the true disciple of Free Masonry, upholding him amidst the painful mortification he sometimes endures for hopes of doing good disappointed and enterprises of human ameli? oration defeated. His reliance upon and faith in the superintend? ing providence of (lod, project a glorious light along his path, so that his feet shall not stumble nor his heart grow faint in running the race set before him-of pious benevolence, philanthropy ami charity. He knows that in every sigh he bi t allies and in every tear he sheds for the sorrowing pilgrims ot' earth, lhere is a prayer that shall not be made in vain-that shall reach to yonder brigid, and blissful world where (rod dwells, from which ii will be mercifully answered, according io His infinit*3 goodness and truth. This faith of the Mason in the faith <>r belied' of lite heart, as contradistin? guished from the judgment, or belief of the mind, which is formed by the purely intellectual process of reasoning upon subjective or objective facts, for there are as certainly facts within it as there are facts external to it, with which the intellect dc als and from which its conclusions are readied. Being the faith of the heart rather than the judgment of the mind (but by no means in opposition to it) which invigorates and reinforces his resolution to continue his toils for the good of mankind, it is characterized by ;i warmth of enthu? siasm distinguishing rarely the operations of the intellect, which most commonly are cold and stern in proportion to their (dearness and decision. Unrprcstionably there is a faith of the intellect won? derfully effective in producing action in practical life ; a faith the sume with belief or judgment which has not unfretpiently startled the world with its mighty achievements within the spheres of its exercise ; in philosophy, in geometry, in chemistry, in astronomy, in all the arts and sciences. The illuminations of this faith of the rnind are brilliant indeed, shining as the light of clustered diamonds, and as cold also, producing no more warmth in the heart than the ' rays of thc sun do heat in the icicle, beautifid to the mental vision, but to the touch 'drill and freezing as treachery in friendship. No one ever heard of a man or woman being reasoned into sighs or tears by the power of the logician, because the heart is not addressed but the intellect merely. Appeal, however, to the sensibilities and affections of the soul ; paint pictures before it of human suffering and destitution ; speak of the widow's sorrows and the orphan's exposure to hunger and nakedness, and to the still more terrible ravages of vice and immorality ; of the victims of political domina? tion and despotism; of war, pestilence and famine ravaging whole empires and continents-the heart then leaps out in the proportions of a giant into the fields of charitable and benevolent enterprise, and fully armed, joins the struggle against these powers of moral and physical evil, that their progress might be arrested and their victims rescued. In the heart of the female sex is found the source of their transcendant influence and control in thc world. By their sweet affections and purity of sentiment , followed ever by purity of life and conversation ; hythe teeming sensibilities and virtuous pas? sions ; by tiie great soul-courage which the gloomy and adverse exigencies of humanity never fail to inspire, they reign absolutely without rivalry or envy over the proud principalities and powers of the intellect, making them willing vassals of the grander and more enduring dominion of the moral nature of man. It is not at all surprising, therefore, that Free Masonry should address its energies to the conquest of the heart first, then through it to the mastery of the intellect, and through the heart and intellect combined, to secure the supremacy of virtue over vice, of mercy over cruelty, of temper? ance over inordinate indulgence, of sobriety over every species of licentiousness ; in lino, to accomplish the restoration of the degraded and abandoned sons and daughters of men to the' respect and con? fidence of society and to thc favor of thc Great Creator. It is not extravagant to say that it is universally admitted that in order to capture the head and engage its stupendous powers in behalt of any cause, the great depths of thc heart must be first moved towards its support. Having done that, the resources of the mind Will readily be commanded as allies. Common observation and experi? ence corroborate this fact, as they do another most interesting one that the very grandest conceptions of the intellect are attributable to the glorious stimulations of the social and moral powers. Hie heart, the seat of the affections and passions, is also the seal of thc understanding and the will, and, therefore, it is not. difficult for us to comprehend the true cause of its predominating influence over thc cold and unsympathizing fatalities of the mind. The imagina? tion, heretofore in this address, denominated as a "[/rad power of itself," has its dwelling-place in thc heart likewise, and, ministered to through thc senses and through them impressed by every external object, it carries the intellect with it round the circle of tire earth, to the depths of the seas and along the tracks of stars and comets and suns innumerably far into boundless space, thus opening for it unexplored fields of discovery in which it may acquire greater