Freemasonry Versus Christianity.

brotherly love and help , and advocates a study of one or more of the sciences ; to advance these it uses words , signs , and symbols . The opening part of the Introductory Address to the third lecture is very explicit , herein , viz . : "In the First Degree we are taught the duties we owe to God , to our

neighbour , and ourselves . In the Second Degree we are admitted to participate in the mysteries of human science , and to trace the goodness and majesty of the Creator by

minutely analysing His works . But the Third Degree is the cement of the whole ; it is calculated to bind men together by mystic points of fellowship , as in a bond of fraternal affection and brotherly love , " & c .

Concerning the words and signs used , we do not consider it necessary to say anything ; and the symbols are good and suggestive , but we do not conceive that Freemasonry has any right to the exclusive use of these , and it is a pity that they are not more largely used in the education of the young . For

instance , the Square , the Plummet , and the Level are things in daily use , and capable of conveying many a good moral lesson , and we know one song of Freemasonry that has been turned to good account , as the following specimen of one verse will show : —

Mark Master Masons' Song . School Song . . ( M . M . Mason . As adapted and sung in public Page 103—last verse . ) elementary schools .

Life is fleeting as a shade , Life is fleeting as a shade , Make your mark . Make your mark . Marks of some kind must be made Marks of some kind must be made Make your mark . Make your mark .

Make it while the arm is strong , Make it while the arm is strong , Never , never make it wrong ; In the golden hours of youth . Make it with the stamp of truth ; Never , never make it wrong , Make your mark . Make it with the stamp of truth Make your mark 1

It must , however , be very humiliating for a Freemason who has passed through the First and Second Degree to learn , when passing the Third Degree , that "the genuine secrets of a M . M . were lost " and that " King Solomon ordered

that these casual S ., T ., and W . should designate all Master Masons through the Universe until time or circumstances should restore the genuine ones . " Surely , as the Preacher saith : " Vanity of vanities ; all is vanity " ( Eccles . I . 2 ) .

But supposing that the secrets of Freemasonry are deeper than those referred to above , or whatever they are , what does a Freemason solemnly undertake in regard thereto ?

* ********** Now this principle of secrecy we say is directly opposed to the teaching of Christianity , for Christ himself said to His disciples concerning his own teaching : " What I tell you in

darkness , that speak ye in light ; and what ye hear in the ear , that preach ye upon the housetops " ( Matt . 10 , 27 ) ; and it is important to notice that the whole idea of Christianity is that of

A PROCLAMATION OF THE TRUTH ( see Matthew 28 , 19 and 20 ; Acts 17 , 16 and 17 ); it proceeds upon the assumption that mankind by nature is in darkness ; that Christ is the Light ; and the acceptance of His Gospel is to come into the Light . ( See John 1 , 4 , 5 and 9 ; Eph . 58 ) .

, Christianity has no secrets to keep back , no privileged class to build up ; it has good to bestow , and it is offered as freely to the poor as to the rich . We do not profess that all Christians are alike capable of receiving every truth , for as the Apostle Paul says : " We speak wisdom among them that

are perfect ; yet not the wisdom of this world , nor of the princes of this world , that come to nought ; but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery , even the hidden wisdom ,

which God ordained before the world unto our glory " ( I . Cor . 2 , 6 and 7 ); but the tongue of no Christian is tied in proclaiming the truth he knows , he has only to find an attentive and capable listener .

We , of course , believe in discretion in speech . There is " a time to keep silence , and a time to speak " ( Eccles . 3 , 7 ) , and Christ sometimes enjoined silence upon those whom he benefited ( Matt . 8 , 4 , & c . ) ; but this was only a temporary

precaution . Then , too , there is no need to blab out everything one knows , "A fool uttereth all his mind , but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards " ( Proverbs 29 , 11 ) . But this is a very different thing to perpetual secrecy sworn to with an oath .

( To be continued . ) Referring to this article the " Derby Mercury " says Mr . Foster ' s discovery will greatly amuse the great body of Freemasons , and thus continues : — " Mr . Foster affirms that the religion of Freemasonry is opposed to the Christian

Freemasonry Versus Christianity.

religion , also that it is opposed to Protestantism , and further that Masonic secrecy is opposed to Christian proclamation . Haw these propositions are made out does not very much matter , though it is particularly interesting to notice that because * Christianity has no secrets to keep back ' therefore

Masonic secrecy is opposed to it ! The proof of the pudding is in the eating , the old saying goes—and when we have found a Christian Freemason turned into a Pagan , or a Protestant into a Roman Catholic , or vice versa , we shall be ready to admit that Mr . Foster has a spot of local colour for his

whitewash brush . But none of these things have happened up to the present . Rudyard Kipling tells us in ' The Mother Lodge ' how Mahomedans and the believers in other religions manage to sit at the same table with Christians , and we ourselves

have seen good Baptists , Congregationalists , Wesleyans , Unitarians , and Churchmen ( we have even know a Roman Catholic Freemason , though the continental Roman Catholics ban the Craft ) . "

Church Service.

CHURCH SERVICE .

UPWAEDS of two hundred Brethren—including representatives of every Lodge within a radius of twelve or fourteen miles—were present at a Masonic Service held under the auspices of the Newry Lodges , iu Sandys Street Presbyterian Church , Newry , on Wednesday , 29 th ult . The collection was in aid of the Masonic Charities , and nearly £ 30 was realised , which , when taken in conjunction with the generous donations of the several Lodges

and the numerous subscriptions of individual members of those Lodges towards the same purposes , make the charitable contributions of Newry rank very high amongst those of the Masonic areas of Ireland , says the " Newry Telegraph . " The service commenced at 7-30 , afc which hour the Brethren were marshalled in the church grounds , and entered the church in processional order , according to Masonic rank .

Eev . Bro . Wright , who took as his text the words from I Corinthians hi , 16— " Know ye not that ye are the temple of God , and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? "—said ; There are three distinct uses in the Scriptures of truth of the expression " the Temple of God , " and these uses mark for us the successive eras in the revelation of God ' s relation to man and the corresponding duty of man towards God .

( I . ) In all the period covered by the Old Testament history the temple of God meant the gorgeous building which had its place in the city of Jerusalem , and which to every Jewish mind was the pride and joy of the whole earth . The temple of Solomon , of so deep and instructive interest to every reader of the Bible , and of such peculiar interest to every member of the Order of

Freemasonry , was projected by David , King of Israel . The purpose of the pious heart of the King was accepted by the Most High , as every truly generous impulse is , even though , like this one , circumstances may prevent it being carried to its issue . " Thou didst well that it was in thine heart . " On account of the blood on his hands from the wars with many nations it was not

permitted to David to enter on the stupendous undertaking , but he was allowed to make preparation of material , of gold and silver , and brass and wood , which he provided in abundance . After his death , in a time of peace , when the Lord had put Israel ' s enemies " under the sole of his feet , " Solomon commenced the work , and for seven years in fraternity with Hiram , King of Tyre—a

fraternity which e _ tended to the servants of both—and wifch the skilful practical guidance of Hiram , the widow ' s son , the mighty fabric continued to approach its completion . At'last it stood , the very perfection of human skill and effort , " exceeding magnifical , of fame and of glory throughout all countries . " The fate of that beautiful temple may be told in a word or two . It was destroyed

by the Assyrians , and , after a time rebuilt by Zerubbabel and Joshua and their companions , when they returned from the captivity . Five hundred years after Herod proposed to re-build it on a scale of great magificence , and having spent two years in preparation he began the erection of the new temple forty-six years before the first Passover which was attended by our Blessed

Lord after His entrance on His public ministry . That building had but a short life , for , when the cifcy of Jerusalem was destroyed by the army of Titus , not one stone of it was left upon another . Of the many truths embodied in the Jewish temple I take two as most pertinent to our present thought ; . ( 1 ) It was the dwellingplace of God . The Shechinah-glory in fche cloud above the mercy-seat was the symbol of His presence . When the people

came up to fche worship of the temple it was to meet with God . When Solomon dedicated the building for its holy purpose , his prayer and the prayer of the people was , " Arise 0 Lord , enter into Thy rest , Thou and the ark of Thy strength . " ( 2 ) It was a place of revelation—God designed every part of it—its mercy-seat , its altars of burnt offering and peace offering and thank offering , its prescribed sacrifices , its various courts , its pillars adorned with