was preached for the "[Benefit
of the POOR] by appointment of and before | The General Communication |
of | Free and Accepted | MASONS | of the | State of PENNSYLVANIA, | on
Monday, December 28, 1788, | Celebrated, agreeable to their
Constitution, | as the Anniversary of | ST. JOHN the Evangelist, | by
William Smith, D.D., | Provost of the College and Academy of
Philadelphia." |

This Sermon was printed and dedicated to Brother WASHINGTON and a copy
sent to him, which was bound with other pamphlets in a volume lettered
"Masonic Sermons," and is so mentioned in the inventory of his estate
and now in the Boston Athenaeum.[8] At this service over four hundred
pounds were collected for the relief of the poor.

Rev. Brother William Smith, D.D., preached a number of Masonic Sermons
in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland; three of which delivered at the
request of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania were printed, viz.:

_Sermon 1._--On Brotherly Love, &c. Preached on the Anniversary of St.
John the Baptist, June 24, 1755,

_Sermon 2._--Preached on Monday, December 28, 1778, celebrated as the
Anniversary of St. John the Evangelist. With an Appendix on the
Character of Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus,

_Sermon 3._--Preached before the Grand Lodge of Communication, on St.
John the Baptist's day, June 24, 1795.

Original copies of the above are in the Library of the Grand Lodge of
Pennsylvania.

Rev. Brother Smith reprinted the above in a Volume of Sermons with the
following note:[9]

"N. B. The above three Sermons were preached at the request of the
Grand Lodge of Communication, for Pennsylvania, and contains in
substance all that the Author thinks it necessary to bequeath to the
Brotherhood, by way of Sermons, preached at different times and in
sundry of the neighboring States, during 48 Years past."

By referring to the following letters and Documents it is shown that
WASHINGTON's interest in Freemasonry and the Fraternity continued until
the time of his death.

These documents cover the period from 1782 to 1798.

As these copies in our possession are photostat fac-similes of the
original documents in the Library of Congress, there can never be any
question of correctness or of their authenticity.

The finding and collating of this material will settle for all time to
come the question of WASHINGTON's connection with the Ancient
Fraternity, and his opinion and esteem of Freemasonry.

The earliest