Freemasonry And Religion.

We'll try to find the golden mean , And thaa may eafely pass between The rooks on either hand ; As Scylla and Charybdis frown , Truth ' s placid watora fjlide down ,

Aud roach the qaiefc land . Let us define Freemasonry and Religion . What is Freemasonry ? "A science of morality , veilsd in allegory and illustrated by symbols . " This is an old definition . It was deduced from the system by wise and well cultured

brothers , who understood whereof they affirmed . We never weary of it . It will boar repeating as often as we reheirse our beautiful ceremonies and lectures . It comprehends the whole system , and , heart-like , throws its life-blood into all its parts . When fully exemplified and illustrated , it is

the voice of the Omnipotent , whispering in hallowed utterances to our souls . Discharge every obligation growing out of your relationship to your fellow beings in this world . Do justly , love mercy , visit the widow and the fatherless in their affliction . Have a heart as large as the world , and one that is always

Ready to prompt the cheerful hand , To strew God ' s blessing o ' er the land . This is Freemasonry ; yet it ia not religion . To attain to that we must advance one step farther—only one , as we think .

What is religion ? In answering we first adopt the definition already quoted as applying to Freemasonry , and add what constitutes the one additional step . Aud secondly , with the highest veneration we ask you to a ( tend , wbik God speaks in the clear and explicit language of the Great

Light of Masonry . Answer . First : Religion is " A science of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols , " and a system of spiritual communication existing between God , the Great Teacher , and man the attentive and obedient pupil , whereby God teaches , in His own way and

by His own means , and man receives the knowledge and power to practise his whole duty to his Great Creator and to his fellow beings . Secondly : Listen to and treasure up the Divine Word . " Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this : To visit the fatherless and

widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world . " My brethren , this is what I mean by saying that religion is one step beyond Freemasonry . In our beautiful and grand system of morals and duties , we are taught > to reverence , to acknowledge , and to admire

God in the works of His creation . In the wonderful system of pure religion we are taught and commanded to love God , and to obey Him in all things . In fine , to perform by an active aud constant faith all the duties which grow out of that relationship which we as erring children sustain

to our Infinite and Holy Creator , and to do all this , not in our own strength and wisdom alone , but by walking and talking with Him continually ; by keeping the two great commandments ; by loving God with all our hearts , and our neighbour as ourselves . Note the forcible illustration

of this position , in that close personal conversation of Christ with the man who approached Him asking what he must do to inherit eternal life . The man candidly told the Master what he had done , and he was not condemned for that . So far he was religious . He had discharged his

obligations to man . But the Master said , " One thing thou lackest . " What could that be ? Fulfil your obligation to God . Obey Him . That was the decisive point , and the man went away sorrowful . He failed to reach that standard which measures up to a discharge of all our

obligations to God and man . Let me just add , that with an honest effort and a pure intention to do all this , yet through frailties and errors we may fail to attain to the required standard , unless we ask our Heavenly Fa'ther to cover our faults and imperfections with the broad mantle of His pardoning favour and forgiving love .

Please understand that Avhenover religion is referred to in this article , the term is used in its broadest sense , in no manner based upon or connected with the creeds or dogmas of men , only so far as they recognise God as our common Father , and that in His utterances , He declares that " In

every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him . " With these , as we trust well and clearly defined definitions , let us consider some leading thoughts , as to the unity and diversity of

these grand and time-honoured institutions . First , in what are they united ? First : They are of ancient ori gin . Relig ion , is coeval with the creation of man . At the fiat of the Great I Am not only stars and suns sent forth their

rays with royal splendour , but a greater light flashed from the eternal throne of God , to illumine the soul and guide the newly added race of immortal beings in their pathway in this life , and in their devotions to Deity . This religion that we writo of is the same now as it was at the first . It

consists in obeying God aud keeping His commandments , [ t is , and will be the same , " yesterday , to-day , and for ever . " Freemasonry was borrowed from and founded upon the pure moral principles of religion , and erected its noble system upon it . Viewed , then , from an ethical

standpoint , it is a science and system of ethics , or moral philosophy , as old as the human race . And seen thus , wo may endorse Bacon in tho sentiment , " True ethics are a handmaid to divinity and religion . " So far , then , wo cannot resist the conclusion that they are not only of

ancient origin , but equally so . The very first generation sought to ignore this position , as seon when the first fratricide answered God by saying , " Am I my brother ' s keeper ? " but only to have the question thundered to his conscience , by a justly incensed Creator , " Where is thy brother ?"

Second : They are both based upon the Word of God . This they receive as the sure rule and guide for human conduct . Whether that word comes in the light of tradition , or by vision or voice to the soul , or on the written

and tangible page of Inspiration—in the first breaking of the morning , or in tho full blaze of that Word at tho sun ' s meridian height—once seen or heard they mutually clint ? to ifc as " The "uide of faith . "

It is a wonder to many that Freemasonry has withstood the opposition of its enemies in the past centuries , and comes forth , to-day , practically unharmed , and stronger than ever . Yon can cease to marvel at this when yon remember that it is founded upon the Word of God as its

first great light . The first discovery that the neophyte makes as he opens hia eyes upon the beauties of Freemasonry is , that this Word is the rule and guide of faith . And if you follow a worthy Masonic brother to his burial

you will ob 3 crve some aged Mason bearing that Word in the funeral cortege and reverently standing with its open pages at the head of the grave , upon which is written , " Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was , and the spirit shall return to God who gave it . "

Third : As a consequence they unite in those leading and fundamental doctrines which affect man ' s well being in this world and the world that is to come : namely , belief and trust in God ; the immortality of man ; the resurrec tion of the dead , and a future state of recompense for our conduct in the present life .

Fourth : They are in accord as to their teachings . They both teach that every rational and sentient being should do all things possible to make every other similar being wise and good , and to add as far as in him lies to their

moral , intellectual and spiritual enjoyment . They also both teach the duty and obligation of prayer to God , and that to keep His commandments constitutes the whole duty of man .

Fifth : They each have a body and a spirit . In Freemasonry the body is the ritual , lectures , symbols and outward forms . The spirit is that which ia signified , without which the body ia but " A sounding brass and a

tinkling cymbal . " In religion the body ia termed the " form of Godlinoss . " Tho spirit is that which bears testimony to our spirits that we are in communication with God , without which , we may also add , the form is dead , being aloue .

Sixth : Finally , Freemasonry and religion , when conducted according to their true principles , have but one mission , and that is a common one , noble in its character and world-wide in its influence , which is , to mako had men good and good men better .

Secondly : Wc call attention to a few of the leading points in which these institutions differ . First : They differ in their appointments . God is the Author of all true religion and of all pure morality . He , immediately after the creation , instituted and endorsed a system of pure

worship by outward forms , aud He also held men accountable for their conduct toward each other on lines of pure morality . There is no more highly approved act of devotion to Deity than that exhibited by righteous Abel ,

and by it " He being dead yet speakoth . " Thero is no brea-. h of the moral Jaw more severely condemned and punished than that of Cain , who for his awful crime went out upon the face of the earth a marked , branded fugitive and vagabond . Worship and morality were instituted in