Behold how good and how pleasant it is
for brethren to dwell together in unity.
THROUGH all the material creation two designs seem evident, beauty and usefulness; the pleasant and the good: a slight survey of the spacious universe would make us imagine that the principal intention of the great creator was the first of these, but a deeper acquaintance with the great whole, and its several parts, would convince us that the latter was the principal design. The beauty, order, harmony grandeur and infinite variety of the creation, are wonderfully calculated to strike the minds of the rational beholders with ideas of pleasure; but the more we read the great book of nature, the more we shall feel that everything is designed and adapted to real usefulness, and that beauty is an agreeable veil under which nature hides her great design: as the most beautiful flowers in the garden, though they seem only to bloom to delight the eye, yet the seeds produced to propagate their kind, show that not only pleasure but profit is intended.
As the case is thus with the material world, and such the designs of the great creator therein; so by a parity of reasoning we might conclude the same respecting the moral world; but the world of truth prevents all conjectures, by informing us that it is both good and pleasant "for brethren to dwell together in unity." God created man-kind to enjoy this felicity, by dwelling together in unity and their departure from this state makes them miserable, and every approach towards a return thereto increases their happiness in proportion.
Mankind are all brethren in a variety of respects. First, by creation; "Have we not all one Father" hath not one God created us? Is he God of the Jews only? "Is he not of the Gentiles also; yes, of the Gentiles also." And in this view of the matter we may all address the Deity and say, "Doubtless thou art our Father, our redeemer; thy name is everlasting." We have all a right as the creatures of God, to claim kindred with the skies; and say, "Our Father, who art in heaven:" and consequently, we are all brethren: for God "hath made of one blood, all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in him we live and move and have our being, for we also are his offspring:" and thus being the children of one Father, we ought to love as brethren and dwell together in unity.
Secondly, We are all brethren as we are the care and charge of our kind creator; we all share in the bounties of his providence: the light of the sun that we enjoy, the air in which we all partake of. "The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." He is who giveth us being, life and breath, liberty, health, and strength, food/drink and raiment, the use of our reason, limbs, powers, faculties, and senses of body and mind. "O Lord, how manifold are thy works in wisdom halt thou made them all; the earth is full of tiny riches." Thy creatures "all wait upon thee, that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather, thou openest thy hand, they are filled with good. The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever; the Lord shall rejoice in his works.
We are all brethren as we are sharers in the protection of the God who made us, and therefore as god does good to all, it highly becomes us to endeavor as much as lies in us to imitate his example, and it is possible, to live peaceable with all men.
Thirdly, The whole human race are brethren, as all are the objects of the divine benevolence and compassion, and Christ died for all without exception. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. This glorious doctrine that Christ died for all men, without exception, is not contradicted in any one passage of scripture, but is expressly asserted in the following places.
II Cor. v. 14, 15. "For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, That it one died for all then we're all dead. And that he died for all, that they who live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them, and rose again."
I Tim v. 5 " For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."
Heb. v. 9 "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, (or, for a little time lower than the angels) for the suffering or death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."
1 John v. 2 "And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
Since Christ our Savior has died for all we ought to consider all mankind as our brethren, bought with the same price as ourselves, and to love them accordingly.
[Published originally as "A DISCOURSE DELIVERED BEFORE THE ANCIENT AND HONOURABLE SOCIETY OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS, Convened at NORWICH, for the Celebration of the Festival of St John the Baptist, and the Installation of the Officers of Somerset LODGE, on the 24th of June, in the Year of LIGHT, 5795."]