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The Freemasons' Magazine, Or General And Complete Library.
With respect to the influence which this writer supposes Freemasonry to have had on the French Revolution , he remarks that the monster Egalite , who was the main spring of the latter , was also the Grand Master , in France , of the former ; that Condorcet , Rochfoucault , and other chief officers of the Masonic order , were the chief architects of the new constitution ; that the new division of France into departmentsdistrictscantonsand circumferences (
arrondise-, , , maits ) , is confessedly the self same , in all its parts , with that of Masonry throughout Europe ; that the National Assembly , when they went in a body to the Cathedral of Paris to celebrate the Revolution , soon after it had taken place , were pleased to accept of the hi ghest honour of Masonry , that of passing under the arch of steel ( formed by a double row of Brethren who hold the points of their swords so as to
touch each other ) . In short , he says , that the municipal scarf , which is the distinctive mark of the lowest order of French magistrates , is the self-same with that of Apprentice Masons , that the president of the Assembly ' s hat resembles that of a venerable Master in Masonry ; and that the obligation of laying aside all marks of distinction , such as starsgartersribbandscrosses & c . before a Brother is permitted to '
, , , , enter into a Lodge , was not only a prelude , but also was intended as a preparation for that destruction of all ranks in society , which has taken place in the country we have been speaking of . I must not forget the maiked protection , which , our author says , the new Legislature has afforded Freemasonry , at the same time that it has destroyed all other corporations and societies .
I must now briefly detail some of this writer ' s remarks on the effects which he supposes Freemasonry has produced on moral sentiment and relig ion throughout France . He contends , that the Horrible and sanguinary oaths which are taken in the several degrees of Masonry , and which he lays before his readers , ( he daggers , cross-bones , death ' sheads , imaginary combats with the murderers of Hiram , and other
horrid ceremonies they make use of , have a natural tendency to steel the heart , and have , in fact , paved the way for those revolting barbarities which have indeed been transacted by the enthusiastic multitude , but not until they had been cooll } ' planned by their philosophic leaders . He , ' moreover , enters upon an exposition of the Rabbinical tales concerning the death and burial of Adoniram , and of the meaning
of the Master ' s watch-word Macbenac , together with an analysis of ¦ the catechism repeated by the Masonic Knights of the Sun at their initiation ; all which , he undertakes to shew , are calculated to undermine genuine Christianity , and to establish a Socmian and Deistical system of relig ion , and a code of morality very different from that of the Gospel .
It is necessary that I should here remark , in favour of many Masons of this country of approved morality and sentiment , and conspicuous for their loyalty at the present season , that our author maintains that , whilst the lower orders of this society , viz . ' the apprentices , companions , and ordinary masters , are amused ' . vith their emblematical insignia and ceremonies , only the perfect , or Scotch masters , and the grand arcbi-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Freemasons' Magazine, Or General And Complete Library.
With respect to the influence which this writer supposes Freemasonry to have had on the French Revolution , he remarks that the monster Egalite , who was the main spring of the latter , was also the Grand Master , in France , of the former ; that Condorcet , Rochfoucault , and other chief officers of the Masonic order , were the chief architects of the new constitution ; that the new division of France into departmentsdistrictscantonsand circumferences (
arrondise-, , , maits ) , is confessedly the self same , in all its parts , with that of Masonry throughout Europe ; that the National Assembly , when they went in a body to the Cathedral of Paris to celebrate the Revolution , soon after it had taken place , were pleased to accept of the hi ghest honour of Masonry , that of passing under the arch of steel ( formed by a double row of Brethren who hold the points of their swords so as to
touch each other ) . In short , he says , that the municipal scarf , which is the distinctive mark of the lowest order of French magistrates , is the self-same with that of Apprentice Masons , that the president of the Assembly ' s hat resembles that of a venerable Master in Masonry ; and that the obligation of laying aside all marks of distinction , such as starsgartersribbandscrosses & c . before a Brother is permitted to '
, , , , enter into a Lodge , was not only a prelude , but also was intended as a preparation for that destruction of all ranks in society , which has taken place in the country we have been speaking of . I must not forget the maiked protection , which , our author says , the new Legislature has afforded Freemasonry , at the same time that it has destroyed all other corporations and societies .
I must now briefly detail some of this writer ' s remarks on the effects which he supposes Freemasonry has produced on moral sentiment and relig ion throughout France . He contends , that the Horrible and sanguinary oaths which are taken in the several degrees of Masonry , and which he lays before his readers , ( he daggers , cross-bones , death ' sheads , imaginary combats with the murderers of Hiram , and other
horrid ceremonies they make use of , have a natural tendency to steel the heart , and have , in fact , paved the way for those revolting barbarities which have indeed been transacted by the enthusiastic multitude , but not until they had been cooll } ' planned by their philosophic leaders . He , ' moreover , enters upon an exposition of the Rabbinical tales concerning the death and burial of Adoniram , and of the meaning
of the Master ' s watch-word Macbenac , together with an analysis of ¦ the catechism repeated by the Masonic Knights of the Sun at their initiation ; all which , he undertakes to shew , are calculated to undermine genuine Christianity , and to establish a Socmian and Deistical system of relig ion , and a code of morality very different from that of the Gospel .
It is necessary that I should here remark , in favour of many Masons of this country of approved morality and sentiment , and conspicuous for their loyalty at the present season , that our author maintains that , whilst the lower orders of this society , viz . ' the apprentices , companions , and ordinary masters , are amused ' . vith their emblematical insignia and ceremonies , only the perfect , or Scotch masters , and the grand arcbi-