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Article THE PRINCIPLES OF FREEMASONRYTHEIR ORIGIN. Page 1 of 1 Article THE PRINCIPLES OF FREEMASONRYTHEIR ORIGIN. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Principles Of Freemasonrytheir Origin.
THE PRINCIPLES OF FREEMASONRYTHEIR ORIGIN .
FROM THE " CANADIAN MASONIC NEWS . " FREEMASONRY , at this time tho most permanent and widely extended association on the globe , undoubtedly had its origin in a remote antiquity , and embraces among its membership men of all classes and conditions , from the humble artisan to the very king on the throne , and men of every variety of political opinions and of every shade of religion founded upon a belief and adoration of the
great I AM . Although tho origin of Freemasonry has been considered a mystery by the many , its foot . prints are visible in every age , and its records traced through all the distant past . The original basis of Freemasonry -was , doubtless , a compact or solemn agreement entered into between its originators to worship the one living and true God ,
the Creator of all worlds , at a time when the crudest notions prevailed in regard to Deity ; when a multiplicity of Gods were worshipped , and the most degraded observances in the name of religion were practised . This compact may , with a great deal of certainty , be traced to have originated with Joseph and his brethren in Egypt , as at no other period of the world's history does there
appear to have existed a necessity for a mutual agreement of such a nature . The beginning of Freemasonry was the administering an obligation by Joseph to his brethren after the decease of their father , Jacob , binding them to continue stedfast in their belief in the Creator of the Universe and to deal justly with their fellow-men . The diversity of individual character , and the difference in the
moral status of the human family necessitated , however , in time , additional obligations to the original compact , and also additional qualifications , and thus Freemasonry gradually developed , until it matured into a perfect organization at the building of the Temple by Solomon . As the Children of Israel were in constant intercourse with the Egyptians , some fell into their habits and customs , and in a
measure departed from the faith of their fathers , and thus the moral qualifications , as an additional prerequisite to a belief in the Deity , was rendered essential , to be admitted into the covenanted brotherhood . Thus the developments of the moral elements of Freemasonry grew out of the frailty of the human heart and the desire manifested for the " flesh pots of Egypt . " Moses , in early life , entered into the
covenant , and while in the land of Midian , where he lived a life of seclusion for a period of forty years , inspired by divine wisdom , ho elaborated his excellent code of laws , embracing every duty that man owes to God , and to his fellow-man , and every essential to his happiness in this and the future life . The Decalogue , which forms tho basis of the moral law of every people , was , soon after it was
promulgated , adopted as the standard of qualifications of those who sought to be , and were considered worthy of being received into the covenant ; and it was during the sojourn of the Children of Israel in the wilderness that the humanizing principles were adopted , which form the crowning glory of Freemasonry , exalting it for its expansive love and practical sympathy far above all other
institutions . At the building of the Tabernacle , Moses arranged and classified those who were engaged in its construction according to their capacities , and there originated that symbolic instruction which Solomon , some centnries afterwards , adopted at the building of the Temple . It was at this period that the working tools , which form a
peculiar characteristic of Freemasonry , with their monitorial instructions and illustrations , were introduced . These symbols were used for a twofold purpose : one to remind tho Children of Israel of the bondage from which they had just been liberated , and the other for the purpose of imparting moral instruction . Tho working tools with which they had become familiar were thus invested with
an interest which made their labours light , and evoked thought . They were no longer the simple implements of labour , but stern , earnest , solemn teachers , speaking to the heart , and impressing on the mind lessons of the highest import . The duties of life , for the proper development of the physical man , and tho intellectual faculties , were taught by these quiet instructors . They taught the
government of tho passions , the regulation and proper appropriation of time , tho necessary observances for the preservation of health , sympathy for tho poor and unfortunate , practical benevolence , charity in its most extended signification , man ' s duties to his family , his neighbour , bis country and his God . And to render their teachings more imperative and effectual , they were first placed upon an
ALTAK consecrated to Deity ; a simple altar , upon which no metallic tool had been lifted , about which nothing offensive or defensive could appear , around which all in humble positiou bent the knee to one common Father , and there the solemn and all importar ' u lessons were communicated by av thorisec ! teachers . The fundamental principles which n -lstituto tht- i indinarks >;? Freenrisonry , its moral
te ; ehi'ig , its symbolic illustrations , were all engrafted by Moses upon the organization formed by those admitted into the covenant ; and in all the course of time , the ages through which the institution has passed , no principle of moral ethics has been added to the original code ; it culminate , in its highest , under the Grand Mastership of Moses . The Temple of Freemasonry rests upon
solemn covenants obligatory on all who have voluntarily assumed its obligations . The original covenant of a belief in Deity , imposed by Joseph upon his brethren in Egypt , forms tho first requirement of Freemasonry , at this time , and ever has been a primary and necessary qualification . It is not possible to conceive of a purer , or nobler , or more stable foundation than that upon which the Temple of
Freemasonry is constructed . No other institution can claim an origin so exalted . There are some writers who absurdly claim that Freemasonry originated with the Adam of Moses , the first man ; others that it originated with the priests of Egypt ; some find a resemblance in the religious rites of the worship of the heathen deities ; aud others ,
The Principles Of Freemasonrytheir Origin.
again , ascribe its origin to a body of operative masons , who , for their mutual protection , established signs and symbols , by which they could recognise each other . Freemasonry had no other origin than the assuming of a covenant to continue stedfast in the belief of tho only one living and true God , the Creator of Heaven and earth ; and the Masonic institution could not have originated in any other
way than as we have stated , as its requirements , symbolism , teachings , and ceremonials plainly prove . As the Children of Israel had been held in a state of bondage by the Egyptians , they being originally freemen , freeborn , after their exodus from Egypt , the principle was adopted as a fundamental law of the covenanted brotherhood , that no Bondmen , only those who
were freeborn , freemen , should be received into the covenant ; and through all the intervening ages down to tho present time , this has constituted a landmark of Freemasonry . The physical qualifications which in later times have been regarded as relating solely to the limbs and physical senses of the outward man , had a more extended application wheu they were
first considered necessary as prerequisites to admission into the covenant . The object was to admit those only who had not violated the laws of their own natures , those only who had lived regularly , were temperate in all things , had not indulged vitiated or depraved appetites , had not impaired their mental or physical organisms , so that the soul or spirit could act with perfect freedom in the
fulfilment of its mission , in its progress onward and upward , developing fully its strength and majesty through all the eternal ages of its immortality . Thus the qualification hale and sound , not deformed or dismembered , perfect and upright , are not only based upon the soundest philosophy , but their object was the perfection of the being created in the image and likeness of God .
It may reasonably be inferred that in the early ages , when our institution first had birth , that the time devoted for the assemblies of the brotherhood was wholly taken up with solemn and serious instruction , with the labours necessary to receive tho neophyte into the covenant , with teaching the fundamental principles of the association , its symbolism , & c , and for these reasons the gentler sex
were excluded , as the natural endearments of husband and wife , of brother and sister , of affianced loved ones , would in a great degree attract the attention away from the high and holy purposes in which they were engaged . The elective franchise , which is the charter of liberty , was instituted in the early organization of the covenanted brotherhood ,
and through all the dark ages , in all despotic governments , the brethren in their mystic associations , as well as in all the Masonic Lodges at the present time , in all countries , monarchial or otherwise , preserved and maintained the veiy principles of free Democratic institutions , and not only was the elective franchise exercised in the voluntary choice of officers to preside , rule , and govern , but also as
to the reception of those desiring to be admitted into tho fraternity . The landmarks of Freemasonry , recognised as such at the present day , were established at the remote periods referred to , and the system , as regards its principles , philosophy , and morality , embrace the whole of man's duties to God , his neighbour , his family ,
himself , and his country . The relations which Freemasons sustain toward each other render necessary that the duties illustrated in the points of fellowship , should bo the rule and standard to govern the fraternity in their intercourse with each other . These duties bind in the closest friendship the members of the Masonic Society , aud its obligations
unite them in the chain of brotherhood . Within the mystic sanctums , brother meets brother in fond embrace , and vows of fidelity are registered on the heart which neither flint nor steel can erase . The pulse of affection beats strong , as , hand grasped in hand , the mystery is communicated which binds in au adamantine chain the members of the mystic tie . A Mason ' s feet will not grow weary
in a brother s cause , although the way be long and rough ; the voico of a brother iu distress , a brother ' s cry for assistance , finds a responsive echo iu a Freemason ' s breast , and with alacrity he will fly to his relief , and cheerfully perform those duties which sympathy aud humanity require .
A Freemason ' s duties toward his brethren do not cease with rendering those services which our common humanity demandsnay , there are others equally binding , of the most sacred nature . In the silent hour of the night , in the secret chamber , in his devotions to the Merciful Father , on bended knees , he will always remember his brethren of the mystic tie .
St . John ' s Lodge , Montreal , held the first meeting in its rooms on St . Catherine-street , on Monday evening , 6 th June , for the purpose of formal organization and preliminary arrangements . The dues to to tho Lodge were fixed as follows : initiation 50 dols . ; joining fee , 25 dols . ; annual subscription , 12 dols . No expense has been spared bv
the founders in decorating and furnishing tho rooms , the expense of which , with the Lodge regalia and a year ' s rent , we understand will cost about 3 , 000 dols . The floor under the Lodge Rooms will be appropriated as a chiU for the members , and a billiard table is proposed to be furnish ¦ ! A Janitor resides on the premises , and the arrangements are complete in every respect .
The corner stone of the new Masonic Hall in Halifax , was recently laid by J . W . Laurie , Esq ., G . M ., with considerable eclat . Grand Chaplain Townscnd delivered tho oration . About a thousand bnthren formed the procession , and nearly sire hundred ladies occupied jeats vvluch hud been erected for their accommodation .
A Masonic Lodge in any community , if the Fraternity be true to its code of morals , and perform with fidelity the moral duties as enjoined in the Lodge , cannot fail to prove a blessing to that comtnuuity . —Freemason ' s Repository .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Principles Of Freemasonrytheir Origin.
THE PRINCIPLES OF FREEMASONRYTHEIR ORIGIN .
FROM THE " CANADIAN MASONIC NEWS . " FREEMASONRY , at this time tho most permanent and widely extended association on the globe , undoubtedly had its origin in a remote antiquity , and embraces among its membership men of all classes and conditions , from the humble artisan to the very king on the throne , and men of every variety of political opinions and of every shade of religion founded upon a belief and adoration of the
great I AM . Although tho origin of Freemasonry has been considered a mystery by the many , its foot . prints are visible in every age , and its records traced through all the distant past . The original basis of Freemasonry -was , doubtless , a compact or solemn agreement entered into between its originators to worship the one living and true God ,
the Creator of all worlds , at a time when the crudest notions prevailed in regard to Deity ; when a multiplicity of Gods were worshipped , and the most degraded observances in the name of religion were practised . This compact may , with a great deal of certainty , be traced to have originated with Joseph and his brethren in Egypt , as at no other period of the world's history does there
appear to have existed a necessity for a mutual agreement of such a nature . The beginning of Freemasonry was the administering an obligation by Joseph to his brethren after the decease of their father , Jacob , binding them to continue stedfast in their belief in the Creator of the Universe and to deal justly with their fellow-men . The diversity of individual character , and the difference in the
moral status of the human family necessitated , however , in time , additional obligations to the original compact , and also additional qualifications , and thus Freemasonry gradually developed , until it matured into a perfect organization at the building of the Temple by Solomon . As the Children of Israel were in constant intercourse with the Egyptians , some fell into their habits and customs , and in a
measure departed from the faith of their fathers , and thus the moral qualifications , as an additional prerequisite to a belief in the Deity , was rendered essential , to be admitted into the covenanted brotherhood . Thus the developments of the moral elements of Freemasonry grew out of the frailty of the human heart and the desire manifested for the " flesh pots of Egypt . " Moses , in early life , entered into the
covenant , and while in the land of Midian , where he lived a life of seclusion for a period of forty years , inspired by divine wisdom , ho elaborated his excellent code of laws , embracing every duty that man owes to God , and to his fellow-man , and every essential to his happiness in this and the future life . The Decalogue , which forms tho basis of the moral law of every people , was , soon after it was
promulgated , adopted as the standard of qualifications of those who sought to be , and were considered worthy of being received into the covenant ; and it was during the sojourn of the Children of Israel in the wilderness that the humanizing principles were adopted , which form the crowning glory of Freemasonry , exalting it for its expansive love and practical sympathy far above all other
institutions . At the building of the Tabernacle , Moses arranged and classified those who were engaged in its construction according to their capacities , and there originated that symbolic instruction which Solomon , some centnries afterwards , adopted at the building of the Temple . It was at this period that the working tools , which form a
peculiar characteristic of Freemasonry , with their monitorial instructions and illustrations , were introduced . These symbols were used for a twofold purpose : one to remind tho Children of Israel of the bondage from which they had just been liberated , and the other for the purpose of imparting moral instruction . Tho working tools with which they had become familiar were thus invested with
an interest which made their labours light , and evoked thought . They were no longer the simple implements of labour , but stern , earnest , solemn teachers , speaking to the heart , and impressing on the mind lessons of the highest import . The duties of life , for the proper development of the physical man , and tho intellectual faculties , were taught by these quiet instructors . They taught the
government of tho passions , the regulation and proper appropriation of time , tho necessary observances for the preservation of health , sympathy for tho poor and unfortunate , practical benevolence , charity in its most extended signification , man ' s duties to his family , his neighbour , bis country and his God . And to render their teachings more imperative and effectual , they were first placed upon an
ALTAK consecrated to Deity ; a simple altar , upon which no metallic tool had been lifted , about which nothing offensive or defensive could appear , around which all in humble positiou bent the knee to one common Father , and there the solemn and all importar ' u lessons were communicated by av thorisec ! teachers . The fundamental principles which n -lstituto tht- i indinarks >;? Freenrisonry , its moral
te ; ehi'ig , its symbolic illustrations , were all engrafted by Moses upon the organization formed by those admitted into the covenant ; and in all the course of time , the ages through which the institution has passed , no principle of moral ethics has been added to the original code ; it culminate , in its highest , under the Grand Mastership of Moses . The Temple of Freemasonry rests upon
solemn covenants obligatory on all who have voluntarily assumed its obligations . The original covenant of a belief in Deity , imposed by Joseph upon his brethren in Egypt , forms tho first requirement of Freemasonry , at this time , and ever has been a primary and necessary qualification . It is not possible to conceive of a purer , or nobler , or more stable foundation than that upon which the Temple of
Freemasonry is constructed . No other institution can claim an origin so exalted . There are some writers who absurdly claim that Freemasonry originated with the Adam of Moses , the first man ; others that it originated with the priests of Egypt ; some find a resemblance in the religious rites of the worship of the heathen deities ; aud others ,
The Principles Of Freemasonrytheir Origin.
again , ascribe its origin to a body of operative masons , who , for their mutual protection , established signs and symbols , by which they could recognise each other . Freemasonry had no other origin than the assuming of a covenant to continue stedfast in the belief of tho only one living and true God , the Creator of Heaven and earth ; and the Masonic institution could not have originated in any other
way than as we have stated , as its requirements , symbolism , teachings , and ceremonials plainly prove . As the Children of Israel had been held in a state of bondage by the Egyptians , they being originally freemen , freeborn , after their exodus from Egypt , the principle was adopted as a fundamental law of the covenanted brotherhood , that no Bondmen , only those who
were freeborn , freemen , should be received into the covenant ; and through all the intervening ages down to tho present time , this has constituted a landmark of Freemasonry . The physical qualifications which in later times have been regarded as relating solely to the limbs and physical senses of the outward man , had a more extended application wheu they were
first considered necessary as prerequisites to admission into the covenant . The object was to admit those only who had not violated the laws of their own natures , those only who had lived regularly , were temperate in all things , had not indulged vitiated or depraved appetites , had not impaired their mental or physical organisms , so that the soul or spirit could act with perfect freedom in the
fulfilment of its mission , in its progress onward and upward , developing fully its strength and majesty through all the eternal ages of its immortality . Thus the qualification hale and sound , not deformed or dismembered , perfect and upright , are not only based upon the soundest philosophy , but their object was the perfection of the being created in the image and likeness of God .
It may reasonably be inferred that in the early ages , when our institution first had birth , that the time devoted for the assemblies of the brotherhood was wholly taken up with solemn and serious instruction , with the labours necessary to receive tho neophyte into the covenant , with teaching the fundamental principles of the association , its symbolism , & c , and for these reasons the gentler sex
were excluded , as the natural endearments of husband and wife , of brother and sister , of affianced loved ones , would in a great degree attract the attention away from the high and holy purposes in which they were engaged . The elective franchise , which is the charter of liberty , was instituted in the early organization of the covenanted brotherhood ,
and through all the dark ages , in all despotic governments , the brethren in their mystic associations , as well as in all the Masonic Lodges at the present time , in all countries , monarchial or otherwise , preserved and maintained the veiy principles of free Democratic institutions , and not only was the elective franchise exercised in the voluntary choice of officers to preside , rule , and govern , but also as
to the reception of those desiring to be admitted into tho fraternity . The landmarks of Freemasonry , recognised as such at the present day , were established at the remote periods referred to , and the system , as regards its principles , philosophy , and morality , embrace the whole of man's duties to God , his neighbour , his family ,
himself , and his country . The relations which Freemasons sustain toward each other render necessary that the duties illustrated in the points of fellowship , should bo the rule and standard to govern the fraternity in their intercourse with each other . These duties bind in the closest friendship the members of the Masonic Society , aud its obligations
unite them in the chain of brotherhood . Within the mystic sanctums , brother meets brother in fond embrace , and vows of fidelity are registered on the heart which neither flint nor steel can erase . The pulse of affection beats strong , as , hand grasped in hand , the mystery is communicated which binds in au adamantine chain the members of the mystic tie . A Mason ' s feet will not grow weary
in a brother s cause , although the way be long and rough ; the voico of a brother iu distress , a brother ' s cry for assistance , finds a responsive echo iu a Freemason ' s breast , and with alacrity he will fly to his relief , and cheerfully perform those duties which sympathy aud humanity require .
A Freemason ' s duties toward his brethren do not cease with rendering those services which our common humanity demandsnay , there are others equally binding , of the most sacred nature . In the silent hour of the night , in the secret chamber , in his devotions to the Merciful Father , on bended knees , he will always remember his brethren of the mystic tie .
St . John ' s Lodge , Montreal , held the first meeting in its rooms on St . Catherine-street , on Monday evening , 6 th June , for the purpose of formal organization and preliminary arrangements . The dues to to tho Lodge were fixed as follows : initiation 50 dols . ; joining fee , 25 dols . ; annual subscription , 12 dols . No expense has been spared bv
the founders in decorating and furnishing tho rooms , the expense of which , with the Lodge regalia and a year ' s rent , we understand will cost about 3 , 000 dols . The floor under the Lodge Rooms will be appropriated as a chiU for the members , and a billiard table is proposed to be furnish ¦ ! A Janitor resides on the premises , and the arrangements are complete in every respect .
The corner stone of the new Masonic Hall in Halifax , was recently laid by J . W . Laurie , Esq ., G . M ., with considerable eclat . Grand Chaplain Townscnd delivered tho oration . About a thousand bnthren formed the procession , and nearly sire hundred ladies occupied jeats vvluch hud been erected for their accommodation .
A Masonic Lodge in any community , if the Fraternity be true to its code of morals , and perform with fidelity the moral duties as enjoined in the Lodge , cannot fail to prove a blessing to that comtnuuity . —Freemason ' s Repository .