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Article TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE. ← Page 3 of 8 →
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To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Magazine.
Either Mr . Le Franc , the alleged author of the French book , must have been a Free and Accepted Mason , or not ; if he were , and had entered into solemn obligations of secrecy , does the violation of those obligations give him a title to that implicit credit which J . M . seems willfno- to allow him ; or , is the man who fearlessly violates an oath most awfully administered and accepted in the face of God and man , conscience when he is about to publish
likely to have many scruples of a pamphlet ad captandum valgus ? If he never was initiated , it follows of course that his work must be a fabrication without sense or meaning . As to the stale pretext of his having derived his knowledge of Masonry from a collection of papers put into his hands by a Master-mason on a death-bed , it is too palpably fictitious to deserve a moment ' s consideration . „ ,-,,. .
I am sorry to perceive that the abominable impostures or oagnostro should have brought scandal on an Institution with which they have no more connection than have the most opposite things in nature ; and am very willing to believe , that bis mysteries may have been derived from the "famous irrelig ious meeting at Vicenza in 154 6 . " But on the subject of Mr . Le Franc ' s next charge , that Freemasonry is " a hidden and emblematical system of E quality and Deism , " I must request
permission to remark a little more at length . The Equality established among Masons , is a temporary and voluntary condescension of superiors to inferiors during the meeting of a Lodge ( no longer ) , for the laudable purpose of promoting one of the grand princip les of the Order , Brotherly Love . When they depart the Lodge , however , each man resumes his proper rank and honour is due while
station , and honour is paid to whom . Nor even the Lodge is open does this condescension pf superiors subject them to that kind of familiarity which breeds contempt ; if that were the case , disgust would operate to detach them from our fellowship ; instead of which , a cordial union in works calculated to promote the happiness bf society by the exercise of the most benevolent principles , is the influence under which they meet , and for which-generous purpose we happily find , that rank , while it gives power , never deprives of inclination * . ' . _ ...
Whoever first conceived the idea on which the Masonic fabric has been reared , must have ' been endued with wisdom almost super-human . Brotherly Love and Relief are its grand objects ; and how could these be effectually pursued , if the jarring tenets , and inessential and ceremonial peculiarities , of different religious sects and persuasions , were suffered to stand as a bar between those who were inclined to adopt
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Magazine.
Either Mr . Le Franc , the alleged author of the French book , must have been a Free and Accepted Mason , or not ; if he were , and had entered into solemn obligations of secrecy , does the violation of those obligations give him a title to that implicit credit which J . M . seems willfno- to allow him ; or , is the man who fearlessly violates an oath most awfully administered and accepted in the face of God and man , conscience when he is about to publish
likely to have many scruples of a pamphlet ad captandum valgus ? If he never was initiated , it follows of course that his work must be a fabrication without sense or meaning . As to the stale pretext of his having derived his knowledge of Masonry from a collection of papers put into his hands by a Master-mason on a death-bed , it is too palpably fictitious to deserve a moment ' s consideration . „ ,-,,. .
I am sorry to perceive that the abominable impostures or oagnostro should have brought scandal on an Institution with which they have no more connection than have the most opposite things in nature ; and am very willing to believe , that bis mysteries may have been derived from the "famous irrelig ious meeting at Vicenza in 154 6 . " But on the subject of Mr . Le Franc ' s next charge , that Freemasonry is " a hidden and emblematical system of E quality and Deism , " I must request
permission to remark a little more at length . The Equality established among Masons , is a temporary and voluntary condescension of superiors to inferiors during the meeting of a Lodge ( no longer ) , for the laudable purpose of promoting one of the grand princip les of the Order , Brotherly Love . When they depart the Lodge , however , each man resumes his proper rank and honour is due while
station , and honour is paid to whom . Nor even the Lodge is open does this condescension pf superiors subject them to that kind of familiarity which breeds contempt ; if that were the case , disgust would operate to detach them from our fellowship ; instead of which , a cordial union in works calculated to promote the happiness bf society by the exercise of the most benevolent principles , is the influence under which they meet , and for which-generous purpose we happily find , that rank , while it gives power , never deprives of inclination * . ' . _ ...
Whoever first conceived the idea on which the Masonic fabric has been reared , must have ' been endued with wisdom almost super-human . Brotherly Love and Relief are its grand objects ; and how could these be effectually pursued , if the jarring tenets , and inessential and ceremonial peculiarities , of different religious sects and persuasions , were suffered to stand as a bar between those who were inclined to adopt