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Masonic Didactics; Or, Short Moral Essays Of Universal Adaptaton.
nature , and make us tender in judging others . For , if we expect to be forgiven , we must forgive . And , if , in this fugitive state , we desire to be happy , we must be contented in our station and condition , and not envy the lot of others .
No . VIII . —WISDOM OF CONDUCT AND PURPOSE ALWAYS NECESSARY TO ENSURE SUCCESS . Nullum numen abest si eit prudentia . —Juvenal . Where Folly is—the Deity is not . —Author . PROVIDENCE is uniformly propitious to the labors of the " wise and prudent , "—the industrious and contented ; whilst his goodness displays
itself in all their undertakings . Because , in the first place , he ever favors those who walk after his ways ; and they are the wise . And he is also with them who diligently employ in the service of their fellow-creatures those talents with which they are endowed by Him ; and these are the prudent . For virtue of every kind is rewarded either here or hereafter . Now , if a man wishes to be successful in life , he must chiefly rely on
the providential aid of the Deity ; because nothing less than infinite wisdom and power can have absolute control over fortune , or the accidents of events . It is prudent to attain success in any thing . For men esteem each other according to their good fortune , in a moral , or financial sense . The latter is a common and every-day observation . The former deserves a more ancient and venerable illustration . Cicero " recommended
Pompey to the Romans for their general upon three accounts , viz : as a man of courage , conduct , and good fortune . " Meaning by good fortune , that he was successful in his undertakings , which was ahvays a recommendation to a great commander among the old Romans . Good
fortune , it is too true , has , sometimes , among the moderns a meaner signification , implying that so and so has made a plumb , and so and so is a bankrupt . Yet , even such an expression of good fortune is confined only to a certain class . The sentiment that Juvenal conveys in the thesis is confirmed b y some brother poet of more recent date . " The prudent still have fortune on their side . "
Prudence is therefore very distinct from Folly . For , Folly leads men into all sorts of errors , and brings ruin and disgrace in her train . If a general takes the field ivith only ten thousand men against his enemy who commands twice or thrice that number , he cannot very well depend upon being victorious . He is , therefore , not a prudent man . To fight against such odds is putting the probability of success beyond the bounds of possibility . And , to undertake any thing
without a probability of success is—folly . Wherefore , since man is a finite and frail being , he should not act contrary to the dictates of Prudence , nor rashly rest on his own weak contrivances to stop up the gaps which Folly makes ; but he should look to a First Cause which created , and governs all things . For , that is Prudence , possessing which , we are armed to combat good , or evil fortune . Seneca was accustomed to say : " Qui prudens est , et temperans est : Qui temperans est , et constans : Qui constans est , et imperturbatus etiam . Qui imperturbatus , sine tristitiit : Qui sine tristitia est , beatus est ; ergo—prudens beatus est . "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Didactics; Or, Short Moral Essays Of Universal Adaptaton.
nature , and make us tender in judging others . For , if we expect to be forgiven , we must forgive . And , if , in this fugitive state , we desire to be happy , we must be contented in our station and condition , and not envy the lot of others .
No . VIII . —WISDOM OF CONDUCT AND PURPOSE ALWAYS NECESSARY TO ENSURE SUCCESS . Nullum numen abest si eit prudentia . —Juvenal . Where Folly is—the Deity is not . —Author . PROVIDENCE is uniformly propitious to the labors of the " wise and prudent , "—the industrious and contented ; whilst his goodness displays
itself in all their undertakings . Because , in the first place , he ever favors those who walk after his ways ; and they are the wise . And he is also with them who diligently employ in the service of their fellow-creatures those talents with which they are endowed by Him ; and these are the prudent . For virtue of every kind is rewarded either here or hereafter . Now , if a man wishes to be successful in life , he must chiefly rely on
the providential aid of the Deity ; because nothing less than infinite wisdom and power can have absolute control over fortune , or the accidents of events . It is prudent to attain success in any thing . For men esteem each other according to their good fortune , in a moral , or financial sense . The latter is a common and every-day observation . The former deserves a more ancient and venerable illustration . Cicero " recommended
Pompey to the Romans for their general upon three accounts , viz : as a man of courage , conduct , and good fortune . " Meaning by good fortune , that he was successful in his undertakings , which was ahvays a recommendation to a great commander among the old Romans . Good
fortune , it is too true , has , sometimes , among the moderns a meaner signification , implying that so and so has made a plumb , and so and so is a bankrupt . Yet , even such an expression of good fortune is confined only to a certain class . The sentiment that Juvenal conveys in the thesis is confirmed b y some brother poet of more recent date . " The prudent still have fortune on their side . "
Prudence is therefore very distinct from Folly . For , Folly leads men into all sorts of errors , and brings ruin and disgrace in her train . If a general takes the field ivith only ten thousand men against his enemy who commands twice or thrice that number , he cannot very well depend upon being victorious . He is , therefore , not a prudent man . To fight against such odds is putting the probability of success beyond the bounds of possibility . And , to undertake any thing
without a probability of success is—folly . Wherefore , since man is a finite and frail being , he should not act contrary to the dictates of Prudence , nor rashly rest on his own weak contrivances to stop up the gaps which Folly makes ; but he should look to a First Cause which created , and governs all things . For , that is Prudence , possessing which , we are armed to combat good , or evil fortune . Seneca was accustomed to say : " Qui prudens est , et temperans est : Qui temperans est , et constans : Qui constans est , et imperturbatus etiam . Qui imperturbatus , sine tristitiit : Qui sine tristitia est , beatus est ; ergo—prudens beatus est . "