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Article THE FREEMASONS' REPOSITORY. ← Page 3 of 6 →
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The Freemasons' Repository.
g isters of every Masonic Lodge . —Do we not find there men of great ! renown , famous in the congregation , * and whose virtues have been ! such , that they were honoured in their generations , and were theg lory of their times : f men who have left a name behind them , thatl their praises might be reported i—But , without recurring to any distant ; period of past times , have we not now amongst us , men who are con . icuous for their meritand whoby the integrity and uprightness ;
sp , , of their lives and conduct , are the staunch supporters of our happy \ Constitution , as also the most zealous adherents to the Christian faith r Can such men be engaged in a conspiracy to overturn them both !! As well mig ht it be contended , that preservation were destruction ;! safety , insecurity ; or wisdom , folly . Besides , the secrecy of conspi . ; rators must , from the nature of things , be kept , as it were , incotn .
municable , —it dares not hold conference beyond itself . How widely opposite the secrecy of Masonry I It rejoices in the acquisition of a [ member to its society , nor ever refuses to communicate with any , but ! the worthless and undeserving . As to the other charge , of Masons ' entertaiiuno- any views of a seditious nature , it need but be known ,: that it is an prohibition , in the rules of Masonry , that no dis-j
express cussion of political , subjects whatever be allowed within the precincts j of a lodge . Can a Mason , then , be guilty of sedition ? As well ! might the Ethiopian change the complexion of his skin , or the leopard ! the colour ofhis spots . .
Why , then , it is known , that the princip les of Masonry are such , that they cannot , in any respect , be the immediate or remote cause of influencing a man to any impious or immoral action , or to the commission of any offence against civil and religious liberty , but have , a direft contrary tendency , —it were impossible , I think , on any evidence of truth , to charge a Mason , as such , with harbouring any designs interests of in
Injurious to the peace or the society , any manner whatever : it were , indeed , an absolute contradiction of terms . The best things , no doubt , may be abused . The Infidel of the present day would fain persuade the world , that the relig ion of Christ tended to nothing here or hereafter ; notwithstanding it is its avowed and acknowledged object , to provide us with happinesss in this life , and
to secure us a state of immortality in the world to come . But as the Gospel itself is not chargeable with the vices and errors of those who call themselves Christians , —neither is Masonry , considered as a science , responsible for the follies and misconduct of those who are entitled to the name of Masons . But it is with Masons as with Christians : and if all Christian nations were truly Christian , the of
voice of calumny would be no longer heard ; nor would the good Masonry be any longer evil spoken . of . But , after all , in order the most effectually to silence the clamours ofthe violent , to soften the prejudices of the ignorant , and even to repel the accusations of the learned , —let us be careful to walk cire / mspeSh in the line of our duty . Let us prove the excellency of our
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Freemasons' Repository.
g isters of every Masonic Lodge . —Do we not find there men of great ! renown , famous in the congregation , * and whose virtues have been ! such , that they were honoured in their generations , and were theg lory of their times : f men who have left a name behind them , thatl their praises might be reported i—But , without recurring to any distant ; period of past times , have we not now amongst us , men who are con . icuous for their meritand whoby the integrity and uprightness ;
sp , , of their lives and conduct , are the staunch supporters of our happy \ Constitution , as also the most zealous adherents to the Christian faith r Can such men be engaged in a conspiracy to overturn them both !! As well mig ht it be contended , that preservation were destruction ;! safety , insecurity ; or wisdom , folly . Besides , the secrecy of conspi . ; rators must , from the nature of things , be kept , as it were , incotn .
municable , —it dares not hold conference beyond itself . How widely opposite the secrecy of Masonry I It rejoices in the acquisition of a [ member to its society , nor ever refuses to communicate with any , but ! the worthless and undeserving . As to the other charge , of Masons ' entertaiiuno- any views of a seditious nature , it need but be known ,: that it is an prohibition , in the rules of Masonry , that no dis-j
express cussion of political , subjects whatever be allowed within the precincts j of a lodge . Can a Mason , then , be guilty of sedition ? As well ! might the Ethiopian change the complexion of his skin , or the leopard ! the colour ofhis spots . .
Why , then , it is known , that the princip les of Masonry are such , that they cannot , in any respect , be the immediate or remote cause of influencing a man to any impious or immoral action , or to the commission of any offence against civil and religious liberty , but have , a direft contrary tendency , —it were impossible , I think , on any evidence of truth , to charge a Mason , as such , with harbouring any designs interests of in
Injurious to the peace or the society , any manner whatever : it were , indeed , an absolute contradiction of terms . The best things , no doubt , may be abused . The Infidel of the present day would fain persuade the world , that the relig ion of Christ tended to nothing here or hereafter ; notwithstanding it is its avowed and acknowledged object , to provide us with happinesss in this life , and
to secure us a state of immortality in the world to come . But as the Gospel itself is not chargeable with the vices and errors of those who call themselves Christians , —neither is Masonry , considered as a science , responsible for the follies and misconduct of those who are entitled to the name of Masons . But it is with Masons as with Christians : and if all Christian nations were truly Christian , the of
voice of calumny would be no longer heard ; nor would the good Masonry be any longer evil spoken . of . But , after all , in order the most effectually to silence the clamours ofthe violent , to soften the prejudices of the ignorant , and even to repel the accusations of the learned , —let us be careful to walk cire / mspeSh in the line of our duty . Let us prove the excellency of our