THE BUILDER FEBRUARY 1916

THE SECRET OF WASHINGTON'S POWER
BY BRO. GILBERT PATTEN BROWN, MASS.

WASHINGTON is a man for the present need of the nation and its
individual citizens. And this is the reason: He saw through the
superficial things of his time into the profound truth of all time.
His character and work were controlled and shaped by that truth,
and he sought to make it the controlling force in the new-born
nation. Acknowledgment of the wisdom and power of God, trust in His
providence, obedience to His law, formed the foundation upon which
Washington began to build this republic.

The "Father of his Country" knew that the great achievements of his
life were not his own. "If such talents as I possess," he said,
"have been called into action by great events, and those events
terminated happily for our country, the glory should be ascribed to
the manifest interposition of an over-ruling Providence. I was but
the humble agent of favoring heaven, whose benign influence was so
often manifested in our behalf, and to whom alone the praise of
victory is due."

He had more religion than he had creed. He was a mighty man of
prayer. One of the most interesting Washington relics is a Book of
Prayers written out by hand, as a man would sit down and write
intimate letters to a dear friend. All those prayers begin with a
revelent address to the Almighty, and have characteristic endings:
"Let Thy favor be extended to all my relations, friends, and all
others whom I ought to remember in my prayers." Paine wrote and
talked. Washington prayed and fought. The name of Jesus appears
often in these prayers, which were evidently intended for daily
use, morning and evening, and were called by Washington his "Daily
Sacrifice." A few extracts reveal their spirit:

Sunday Morning:--"I yield Thee humble and hearty thanks that Thou
hast preserved me from the night past, and brought me to the light
of this day, and the comforts thereof, a day which is consecrated
to Thine own service and honor."

Monday:--"More and more direct me in Thy truth, and defend me from
my enemies--especially my spiritual ones. Pity the sick, the poor,
the weak, the needy, the widows and fatherless, and all that mourn
or are broken of spirit."

Tuesday:--"I beseech Thee to help me to render Thee deserved thanks
and praise--for food, raiment, health, peace, liberty and a better
life through the merit of Thy dear Son's bitter passion--prosper
all my lawful undertakings--let me have my directions from Thy Holy
Spirit, and success from Thy bountiful hand."

Wednesday:--"Let my bed put me in mind of my grave, and my rising
from there of my last resurrection."

The prayerfulness of Washington is well established by the evidence
of his personal and official papers. Frequently, in his public
addresses and private letters, we find ejaculatory prayers. He was
often in attendance at meetings of Divine worship conducted by
Chaplain Evans and others amid the hills of Valley Forge, and at
those fraternal gatherings in the Temple of Virtue.

Lord Brougham said that Washington was "the greatest man of our or
any age." Gladstone placed him in "the highest group of statesmen";
Everett declared his genius was "the genius of patriotism"; Webster
admired him for a "symmetry where mind and heart, conscience and
will were equal"; Choate spoke of his "moderation and immense
reserve"; Curtis finely affirms that "Hamilton was the head,
Jefferson was the heart, John Jay the conscience, but each of these
separate qualities may truthfully be said to have even more signal
expression when they were all united in the single character of
Washington."

Citizens of this generation must do as Washington did--reach up by
the power of prayer and take hold of God's almighty power. The
government of this nation, the conduct of public and private
business, the molding and exalting of national character, the
preservation of our dearly bought and deeply cherished
institutions, are things we cannot delegate to others. They belong
in very distinct manner to each of us.

WASHINGTON'S BELIEF IN DIVINE PROVIDENCE

A contemplation of the complete attainment, at a period earlier
than could have been expected, of the object for which we contended
against so formidable a power, cannot but inspire us with
astonishment and gratitude. The disadvantageous circumstances on
our part, under which the war was undertaken, can never be
forgotten. The singular interpositions of Providence in our feeble
condition, were such as could scarcely escape the attention of the
most unobserving--while the unparalleled perseverance of the armies
of the United States, through almost every possible suffering and
discouragement, for the space of eight long years, was little short
of a standing miracle.--Farewell Address of General Washington to
the Armies of the United States, Rocky-Hill, Near Princeton, New
Jersey, November 2, 1783.


WHAT MASONRY IS
The end, the moral, and purpose of Masonry is, to subdue our
passions, not to do our own will; to make a daily progress is a
laudable art, and to promote morality, charity, good fellowship,
good nature, and humanity.
--James Anderson, Golden Remains.

