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Article FREEMASONRY AND CHRISTIANITY. ← Page 2 of 2 Article CHURCH SERVICE. Page 1 of 1 Article CHURCH SERVICE. Page 1 of 1
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Freemasonry And Christianity.
who exercise faith in a crucified Saviour . " The White Stone " was the ballot cast by Him alone , whose prerogative it was to cast it , assuring justification , and eternal life by His own will . If this is not enough , I refer to another section of the burial service , as follows : — " In the beautiful spirit of the Christian Theology , we dare say that He , the same benevolent Saviour ,
who wept on earth , will fold his arms of love and protection around those that put their trust in Him . " If one reply that this section is not used in case the deceased was a Jew , we answer that the Christian believer does not throw overboard the old Testament , nor fail to find Christ Jesus set forth in its references , because the Jew will not see Christ there . Both use
the same scriptures , though not with the same light and fulness . Every antagonist of Masonry should be so . well informed , and then so fair , as to know and admit that the earlier decrees of this science " antedate the Incarnation , " but have hints and prophecies of it , which are fully revealed and fulfilled , in the
Divine Christ , in One of the higher degrees . Why then , should false statements be made so recklessly ? The doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the Christ runs through Masonry , from the very beginning , in the Blue Lodge . In the name of simple justice , and in the interests of truth , let us know whereof we speak , or else possess our souls in the grace of silence .
As to Freemasonry in France . At whatever period it was introduced it assumed there a remarkable form . The attachment of the people to innovations and external finery produced the most unwarrantable alterations upon the principles and ceremonies of the Order . A number of new degrees were created , the office-bearers of the Craft were arrayed in the most splendid
and costly attire ; and the Lodges were transformed into lecture rooms , where the wiser Brethren supported the most extravagant opinions , discussed the most difficult questions in theology and political economy , and broached opinions hostile to the iuterests of true religion and sound government . Such dangerous innovations have not the smallest connection with the principles of
Freemasonry . They are unnatural excrescences , formed by a warm imagination , and fostered by the interference of designing men . Those who reprehend Freemasonry , therefore , for the changes which it underwent in the hands of foreigners , may throw equal blame upon religion , because it has been a cloak of licentiousness and hyprocisy ; or upon science , because it has
been converted into an instrument of iniquity . The changes of which we have been speaking arose altogether from the political conditions of the countries where they were made . In France and other kingdoms where absolute power was in the hands of their monarchs , the most lavish restraints were imposed upon the conduct and conversation of the people . For these reasons the
Lodges were frequented by men of philosophical habits , who eagerly embraced an opportunity of publishing their sentiments and discussing the favourite objects of their study without dreading the threats of Government or the tortu » es of the Inquisition . But these corruptions introduced into the Lodges had by no means a necessary connection with Freemasonry .
They arose wholly from the political condition Of the continental kingdoms . In Britain , where the order subsisted much longer than in any other country , its history is stained by no glaring corruptions or offensive innovations ; more attention was paid to the intrinsic value of the Order than to its external observances . And the British Lodges had a greater resemblance to charitable
meetings than to pompous and splendid assemblies . Blessed with a free constitution , and the enjoyment of every liberty which does not approach to licentiousness , the British Masons were under no temptation to introduce into their Lodges religious and political discussions . The liberty of the press enabled them to give the widest circulation to their views
however new and extravagant , and they are liable to no punishment by publicly attacking anything they think wrong in the Government of their country . The British Lodges , therefore , have retained their primitive purity . They have been employed in no sinister cause . They have harboured in their bosom neither
traitors , nor atheists , nor French philosophers . Freemasonry as practised in Protestant Christian nations is within the base of Christianity , and we trust that it will become more and more a Christian institution for the advancement of righteousness on the earth . — " Hawick Express . "
Church Service.
CHURCH SERVICE .
IN connection with the consecration of the beautiful Church of St . George ' s , Stockport , the Freemasons in the town and district joined together in a Masonic service on Saturday , 27 th ult . The service was held to commemorate the laying of the
foundation stone with full Masonic honours on 17 th June 1893 , and the completion of the work then begun . The entire offertory was devoted to the Indian Famine Fund . The Brethren assembled in the St . George ' s School at 2 . 30 p . m ., and clothed
Church Service.
themselves in Craft Clothing with the Badges and Jewels of their respective Offices , for which a dispensation had been obtained . A procession was then formed under the direction of Bro . W . Booth P . P . G . D . C . and assistants , and marched via Bramhall Lane and Buxton Eoad , and entered the church by the west door .
The clergy present were the Revs . J . Grant Bird P . G . C ., T . Williams , Clarenden , Herbert J . Dawson , and the Eev . J . H . Thorpe . The collection after the sermon amounted to the handsome total of £ 70 , which was handed over to the Mayor ' s Fund for the relief of the Indian famine , by Bro . James Cookson Treasurer .
The processional hymn , with which the service opened , was " The Church ' s one foundation , " and the special Psalms were , Psalm lxxxiv . and cxlviii . The lessons were respectively taken from I Kings vii ., 13 to 22 , and I Peter ii ., 7 to 18 , and between them was rendered the " Magnificat , " of Colonel Wilkinson ' s in
B Flat . Barnby ' s " Nunc Dimittis " was next sung , and it was followed by Mendelssohn ' s beautiful anthem , " How lovely are the messengers . " Prior to the sermon the hymn " All people that on earth do dwell " was sung very heartily to the tune of " Old " Hundred . "
The sermon was preached by . Bro . Eev . E . Bigoe-Bagot , rector of the Bishop Lee Memorial Church , Manchester , P . M . P . Z . P . P . G . Chaplain of East Lancashire and Cheshire . He took his text from Psalm 122 : " I was glad when they said unto me , we will go into the House of the Lord . " In the course of his remarks he said that in the " Arabian Nights" we read of a
fairy tent which a young Prince brought hidden in a walnut shell to his father . Placed in the Council Chamber , it ecanopied the king and his ministers . Taken into the courtyard it filled the space till all the household stood beneath its shade . Brought into the great plain outside the city it spread its mighty awning all round until it gave shelter to a host . It had infinite
flexibility , infinite expansiveness and power of development . So it was with Masonry . It had covered Europe with its shadow . It had found acceptance with East and West , with African and American tribes , and it was still spreading in the world and operating unspent by its own divine and earnest vitality . Among the many aspects and varied hues in which Masonry occurred ,
there were three to which a brief reference might be made , viz ., its universality , its unity , and its large-heartedness . Freemasonry addressed itself to universal wants , to rudimentary universally diffused characteristics of human nature . It committed itself to no transcient human opinions . It addressed itself to no sectional divisions of mankind . It crushed aside the surface
distinctions which separated us one from another and went down to the depths of the central identities in which we were all alike . Secondly , there was the unity of Freemasonry . We were living in times when all over the world there was a manifest longing for more visible unity . Conventions , congresses , and assemblies were held , in which representatives from all countries met to
exchange ideas and commodities . In a Masonic Lodge men met together in that kindly spirit of friendly intercourse which did not require the compromise of one sincere conviction , or sanction the intrusion of one uncharitable thought . We did not set up a tabernacle for sect or party , but united vavious grades and sections of mankind , diverse elements of conflicting society in
one reasonable and harmonious whole , and on one broad and comprehensive basis . Then again , there was the largeheartedness of Freemasonry . We read in the volume of the Sacred Law that the great Architect of the Universe gave to King Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding great , and largeness of heart , as the sand upon the sea shore . The need
of this largeness of heart was evident when we remembered the hurtful influence of the power of selfishness in the world around us . Masonry exhibited beauteous contrasts by the bestowment of this largeness of heart . It was taught and inculcated by the magnanimous and noble sentiments of the Order , and when the mind and heart were exercised' to understand the great and stupendous ideas connected with the works and acts of the great
Creator , strength and power and vigour were bestowed upon them by the thought and grasp of view necessary to embrace those great and majestic fields of contemplatiou . The Craft was becoming day by day more and more recognised as one of the most important and valuable bodies in the community , embracing a large share of the nobility , rank , intellect , culture , and goodness of the land , and Freemasons could well afford to smile at hostile and ignorant criticism .
" O , Lord of Heaven , and earth , and sea , " was sung as the offertory hymn , and after the pronunciation of the Benediction , Stainer ' s grand "Amen" was given . The hymn , " Through the night of doubt and sorrow " was sung as the recessional hymn , and the service concluded . — " Macclesfield Advertiser . "
The advance bookings for " Bly friend the Prince , " at the Garrick Theatre , are so heavy , that notwithstanding there are fifteen rows of stalls in this pretty Theatre , the staff are quite unable to cope with the demand .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry And Christianity.
who exercise faith in a crucified Saviour . " The White Stone " was the ballot cast by Him alone , whose prerogative it was to cast it , assuring justification , and eternal life by His own will . If this is not enough , I refer to another section of the burial service , as follows : — " In the beautiful spirit of the Christian Theology , we dare say that He , the same benevolent Saviour ,
who wept on earth , will fold his arms of love and protection around those that put their trust in Him . " If one reply that this section is not used in case the deceased was a Jew , we answer that the Christian believer does not throw overboard the old Testament , nor fail to find Christ Jesus set forth in its references , because the Jew will not see Christ there . Both use
the same scriptures , though not with the same light and fulness . Every antagonist of Masonry should be so . well informed , and then so fair , as to know and admit that the earlier decrees of this science " antedate the Incarnation , " but have hints and prophecies of it , which are fully revealed and fulfilled , in the
Divine Christ , in One of the higher degrees . Why then , should false statements be made so recklessly ? The doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the Christ runs through Masonry , from the very beginning , in the Blue Lodge . In the name of simple justice , and in the interests of truth , let us know whereof we speak , or else possess our souls in the grace of silence .
As to Freemasonry in France . At whatever period it was introduced it assumed there a remarkable form . The attachment of the people to innovations and external finery produced the most unwarrantable alterations upon the principles and ceremonies of the Order . A number of new degrees were created , the office-bearers of the Craft were arrayed in the most splendid
and costly attire ; and the Lodges were transformed into lecture rooms , where the wiser Brethren supported the most extravagant opinions , discussed the most difficult questions in theology and political economy , and broached opinions hostile to the iuterests of true religion and sound government . Such dangerous innovations have not the smallest connection with the principles of
Freemasonry . They are unnatural excrescences , formed by a warm imagination , and fostered by the interference of designing men . Those who reprehend Freemasonry , therefore , for the changes which it underwent in the hands of foreigners , may throw equal blame upon religion , because it has been a cloak of licentiousness and hyprocisy ; or upon science , because it has
been converted into an instrument of iniquity . The changes of which we have been speaking arose altogether from the political conditions of the countries where they were made . In France and other kingdoms where absolute power was in the hands of their monarchs , the most lavish restraints were imposed upon the conduct and conversation of the people . For these reasons the
Lodges were frequented by men of philosophical habits , who eagerly embraced an opportunity of publishing their sentiments and discussing the favourite objects of their study without dreading the threats of Government or the tortu » es of the Inquisition . But these corruptions introduced into the Lodges had by no means a necessary connection with Freemasonry .
They arose wholly from the political condition Of the continental kingdoms . In Britain , where the order subsisted much longer than in any other country , its history is stained by no glaring corruptions or offensive innovations ; more attention was paid to the intrinsic value of the Order than to its external observances . And the British Lodges had a greater resemblance to charitable
meetings than to pompous and splendid assemblies . Blessed with a free constitution , and the enjoyment of every liberty which does not approach to licentiousness , the British Masons were under no temptation to introduce into their Lodges religious and political discussions . The liberty of the press enabled them to give the widest circulation to their views
however new and extravagant , and they are liable to no punishment by publicly attacking anything they think wrong in the Government of their country . The British Lodges , therefore , have retained their primitive purity . They have been employed in no sinister cause . They have harboured in their bosom neither
traitors , nor atheists , nor French philosophers . Freemasonry as practised in Protestant Christian nations is within the base of Christianity , and we trust that it will become more and more a Christian institution for the advancement of righteousness on the earth . — " Hawick Express . "
Church Service.
CHURCH SERVICE .
IN connection with the consecration of the beautiful Church of St . George ' s , Stockport , the Freemasons in the town and district joined together in a Masonic service on Saturday , 27 th ult . The service was held to commemorate the laying of the
foundation stone with full Masonic honours on 17 th June 1893 , and the completion of the work then begun . The entire offertory was devoted to the Indian Famine Fund . The Brethren assembled in the St . George ' s School at 2 . 30 p . m ., and clothed
Church Service.
themselves in Craft Clothing with the Badges and Jewels of their respective Offices , for which a dispensation had been obtained . A procession was then formed under the direction of Bro . W . Booth P . P . G . D . C . and assistants , and marched via Bramhall Lane and Buxton Eoad , and entered the church by the west door .
The clergy present were the Revs . J . Grant Bird P . G . C ., T . Williams , Clarenden , Herbert J . Dawson , and the Eev . J . H . Thorpe . The collection after the sermon amounted to the handsome total of £ 70 , which was handed over to the Mayor ' s Fund for the relief of the Indian famine , by Bro . James Cookson Treasurer .
The processional hymn , with which the service opened , was " The Church ' s one foundation , " and the special Psalms were , Psalm lxxxiv . and cxlviii . The lessons were respectively taken from I Kings vii ., 13 to 22 , and I Peter ii ., 7 to 18 , and between them was rendered the " Magnificat , " of Colonel Wilkinson ' s in
B Flat . Barnby ' s " Nunc Dimittis " was next sung , and it was followed by Mendelssohn ' s beautiful anthem , " How lovely are the messengers . " Prior to the sermon the hymn " All people that on earth do dwell " was sung very heartily to the tune of " Old " Hundred . "
The sermon was preached by . Bro . Eev . E . Bigoe-Bagot , rector of the Bishop Lee Memorial Church , Manchester , P . M . P . Z . P . P . G . Chaplain of East Lancashire and Cheshire . He took his text from Psalm 122 : " I was glad when they said unto me , we will go into the House of the Lord . " In the course of his remarks he said that in the " Arabian Nights" we read of a
fairy tent which a young Prince brought hidden in a walnut shell to his father . Placed in the Council Chamber , it ecanopied the king and his ministers . Taken into the courtyard it filled the space till all the household stood beneath its shade . Brought into the great plain outside the city it spread its mighty awning all round until it gave shelter to a host . It had infinite
flexibility , infinite expansiveness and power of development . So it was with Masonry . It had covered Europe with its shadow . It had found acceptance with East and West , with African and American tribes , and it was still spreading in the world and operating unspent by its own divine and earnest vitality . Among the many aspects and varied hues in which Masonry occurred ,
there were three to which a brief reference might be made , viz ., its universality , its unity , and its large-heartedness . Freemasonry addressed itself to universal wants , to rudimentary universally diffused characteristics of human nature . It committed itself to no transcient human opinions . It addressed itself to no sectional divisions of mankind . It crushed aside the surface
distinctions which separated us one from another and went down to the depths of the central identities in which we were all alike . Secondly , there was the unity of Freemasonry . We were living in times when all over the world there was a manifest longing for more visible unity . Conventions , congresses , and assemblies were held , in which representatives from all countries met to
exchange ideas and commodities . In a Masonic Lodge men met together in that kindly spirit of friendly intercourse which did not require the compromise of one sincere conviction , or sanction the intrusion of one uncharitable thought . We did not set up a tabernacle for sect or party , but united vavious grades and sections of mankind , diverse elements of conflicting society in
one reasonable and harmonious whole , and on one broad and comprehensive basis . Then again , there was the largeheartedness of Freemasonry . We read in the volume of the Sacred Law that the great Architect of the Universe gave to King Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding great , and largeness of heart , as the sand upon the sea shore . The need
of this largeness of heart was evident when we remembered the hurtful influence of the power of selfishness in the world around us . Masonry exhibited beauteous contrasts by the bestowment of this largeness of heart . It was taught and inculcated by the magnanimous and noble sentiments of the Order , and when the mind and heart were exercised' to understand the great and stupendous ideas connected with the works and acts of the great
Creator , strength and power and vigour were bestowed upon them by the thought and grasp of view necessary to embrace those great and majestic fields of contemplatiou . The Craft was becoming day by day more and more recognised as one of the most important and valuable bodies in the community , embracing a large share of the nobility , rank , intellect , culture , and goodness of the land , and Freemasons could well afford to smile at hostile and ignorant criticism .
" O , Lord of Heaven , and earth , and sea , " was sung as the offertory hymn , and after the pronunciation of the Benediction , Stainer ' s grand "Amen" was given . The hymn , " Through the night of doubt and sorrow " was sung as the recessional hymn , and the service concluded . — " Macclesfield Advertiser . "
The advance bookings for " Bly friend the Prince , " at the Garrick Theatre , are so heavy , that notwithstanding there are fifteen rows of stalls in this pretty Theatre , the staff are quite unable to cope with the demand .