here, evidently signifies, Be resolute, Be strong of purpose, that nothing may turn you aside. Similar exhortations will be found in the Book of the Prophet Zechariah; and in the New Testament we find the Apostle Paul exhorting the Corinthian Christians thus: "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong" (1 Cor. xvi. 13).

Fortitude is not to be confounded with mere courage. Courage manifests itself in the face of danger; fortitude rather in those circumstances of trial in which there is no particular appearance of imminent danger, but much, it may be, of sore perplexity and distress-of evil felt and evil apprehended. In such circumstances it is extremely difficult to preserve any degree of calmness of mind, and it needs all the aids of religion to enable a man to pursue unswervingly the right course. Fortitude may be said to include courage, in the best sense of the word, but it includes much more. Courage belongs, in large measure, to the physical constitution; but fortitude is far more noble, and is strictly and entirely moral. Still less is fortitude to be confounded with that reckless daring which is often mistaken for courage. True courage confronts danger when it arises, and shrinks not from the view of it. Fortitude is displayed in such courage, although also in many things with which courage has nothing to do; but reckless daring is generally found in men who have no true fortitude whatever. They rush into danger; they make danger for themselves by their own rash conduct, when there is no need for their encountering it; yet in the real trials of life they may be found helpless and bewildered, destitute of purpose and of resolution, incompetent as children to contend with the troubles in which they find themselves involved, and shrinking in dismay from what, if met with energy, might be easily overcome. The wise man says, "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small" (Prov. xxiv. 10). Fortitude sustains from fainting in the day of adversity, when reckless daring is of no avail, and even true courage is powerless. Fitly and properly do our masonic charges and teachings inculcate fortitude. But mere injunctions or exhortations

will not impart it. Their use is to impress the minds of men with a sense of its importance, and to direct them to the means by which it may be acquired or increased. There are great diversities of temperament, and some men are naturally more capable of attaining high degrees of fortitude than others. But every man who seeks to make such attainments may expect to be in some measure successful, if he uses right means. And what are the means to be used? Meditation is one of them. A man who lives only in the present, and never employs his mind in thoughts concerning the future-contemplating the possibilities of evil as well as of good, of adverse as well as of prosperous fortune, of grief as well as of joy-is ill-prepared to meet trials well when they come. But for a man to accustom himself to think of the vicissitudes of life, is of itself a very insufficient preparation for trials. It is necessary that his thoughts should extend beyond these, to the world of perfect and everlasting peace. It is necessary that he should think of God, the great Disposer of all things, who makes all things work together for good to those who trust in Him, and whose promises can never fail. It is necessary that Faith should be called into exercise, and that the prayer of faith should be offered. The man who is full of faith, and employs himself much in prayer, is not likely to lack fortitude; and if, for a little while, he should be overwhelmed by some unexpected calamity, and carried away in gusts of distressful passion, he will recover his calmness again. If he fall, he shall arise, and be stronger than he was before.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

MASONIC SYMBOLS.-PRUDENCE.

PRUDENCE guides us in the right course in all the circumstances of life. Prudence leads us to act according to the dictates of reason, but it is of reason availing itself of all the light which it can obtain, and therefore above all of the light of revelation, so that our conduct may be regulated in accordance with the divine law, and may be such as to ensure our highest and eternal happiness; for prudence has respect to the interests not only of the present life, but of that which is to come. He is not worthy to be called a prudent man who regards merely temporal prosperity, however skilfully and successfully he may apply himself to the seeking of it, but gives himself no concern about the eternal state into which he may be plunged in a moment. As every Freemason professes his belief in a future state, so the virtue of prudence, as inculcated upon him in the charges, and in all the various modes of masonic teaching, must be understood to imply a regard for his welfare in that state, and not for his temporal welfare alone; although it will always be found that these are not inconsistent, for "Godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life which now is and of that which is to come" (1 Tim. iv. 8). The prudent man considers not only the interests of the present moment, but of the future. Prudence therefore often leads to self-denial, or the renunciation of present gratifications, for the sake of future advantage, and thus it consists well with temperance, which it calls, as it were, into its service, -temperance, indeed, being indispensable to it. "Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge" says Solomon (Prov. xiii. 16), and the more knowledge that a man possesses, the

more capable is he of acting prudently. The possession of the highest and best kind of knowledge-that which revelation communicates-is especially necessary to the highest exercise of prudence, that which enables a man to shape his course towards the gates of glory. "The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way" (Prov. xiv. 8), Solomon says in another place, and an understanding of the way implies an understanding of the end to which it leads. He is not a prudent man who gives himself to those things of which the end is death. Another of Solomon's wise sayings is, "He that regardeth reproof is prudent" (Prov. xv. 5). Folly often resents reproof, but it is true wisdom to receive it thankfully, and to apply it so as to profit by it."Let the righteous smite me, and it shall be a kindness," says the psalmist; "and let him reprove me, it shall be as an excellent oil, which shall not break my head" (Ps. cxli. 5). "A prudent man," says Solomon, "foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on and are punished" (Prov. xxii. 3). The best hiding-place is that in which there is safety from the wrath of God, and the highest prudence is that of the man who flees to it, and is safe.

In things of this life, prudence leads to industry. We are exhorted by the Apostle Paul to be diligent in business, and a due attention to the things of this life is not only consistent with, but promotes an earnest pursuit of those which belong to the life that is to come. That man is best able to give undistracted attention to these things, whose mind is most free from worldly cares and anxieties, and this is a condition in which the industrious or diligent man alone may reasonably hope to live. Industry is enjoined in the masonic charges, at least to the extent necessary for the decent support of a man himself, and of his family. It is often commended in Holy Scripture, and slothfulness is strongly condemned. Thus it is said in the book of Proverbs, "The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns" (Prov. xv. 19). "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger (Prov. xix. 15). "The desire of the slothful killeth him;

for his hands refuse to labour" (Prov. xxi. 25). "Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise; which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man" (Prov. vi. 6-11).

Prudence is the hand-maid of all the other virtues. Prudence preserves a man from dangers of temptation, which are in reality more formidable than other dangers that beset our path in life. Prudence guides a man to such a course that he is not readily involved in the distresses of poverty, and so escapes the dangers already pointed out as arising from them (see chap. xliv.), and this benefit is worthy of being more highly esteemed than even the temporal advantage which accrues, although this is very great.