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Article A DEFENCE OF MASONRY, ← Page 4 of 4
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A Defence Of Masonry,
Now , I would know what precept , divine or human , has any way determined upon the contents of the Dissection ? And whether the general design of Masonry , as there laid down , is not , at least , of equal benefit and importance to the public , with the lending of an hundred crowns to a private man ? The answers to these questions are obvious , and the consequence is equally plain , that an oath upon the ol
subject ' Masonry is , at least , jus . iiiable and lawful' ' ! -- As for the terror of the . Penalty , the world , upon that occasion , is commonly mistaken : for the solemnity of the oath does not in the Jeastadd to the obligation ; or , in other words ,, the oath is equally binding , without any penalty at ail .. The same casuist has this expression : * ' A solemn oathof itselfand in its own natureis not
, , , more obligatory than a simple one ; because the obligation of an oath ariseth precisely from this , that God is invoked , as a witness and revenger , no less in a simple oath , thai iu the solemn and corporal-: for the invocation is made precisely by the pronunciation of the words , ( which is the same both in the simple and solemn ) and not by any corporal mption , or concomitant sign , iu which the solemnity of the oath consists
. But , further , if the oath in the Dissection be taken by all Masons upon their admission , no Member of tbe Fraternity , upon any prer tence whatsoever , dares violate the obligation of it , without incurring the guilt of perjury ; even supposing that Masonry were more trifling and indifferentthan in the Dissection it to beAnd
, may appear . , therefore , if the conduct of the Dissector has staggered the conscience of any one of the Brotherhood , concerning the observation of that oath ; and has induced him to trifle and play with the force of it , I hope he will desist betimes , lest he becomes actually forsworn .
Fnis case is thus determined b y the same casuist , f ' A voluntary oath is the more binding , for being voluntary ; because there is no stricter obligation than that which we take willingly " upon ourselves . ' And in another place . ] : the casuist is more particular : 'Where a matter is so trivial , that it is not worth the deliberation of a wise man , nor matters a straw whether it be done or not done , as to reach yp . a chip , or ' to rub one ' s beard ; or , for the sli ghtness of the matter , is notmuch to be esteemed
- , as to give a boy an apple , or lend a pin ; an oath is binding in a matter of the least moment : because wei ghty and trivial things have a like respect unto truth and falsbood ; and , further , because eveiy party swearing is bound to perform all he promised , as far as he is able , and as far as it is lawful : but to give an apple to a bay is both possible and lawful ; he is bound , therefore , to perform it ; he ought to fulfil his oath . £ TO BE CON'TIN-UKD . ^ j
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Defence Of Masonry,
Now , I would know what precept , divine or human , has any way determined upon the contents of the Dissection ? And whether the general design of Masonry , as there laid down , is not , at least , of equal benefit and importance to the public , with the lending of an hundred crowns to a private man ? The answers to these questions are obvious , and the consequence is equally plain , that an oath upon the ol
subject ' Masonry is , at least , jus . iiiable and lawful' ' ! -- As for the terror of the . Penalty , the world , upon that occasion , is commonly mistaken : for the solemnity of the oath does not in the Jeastadd to the obligation ; or , in other words ,, the oath is equally binding , without any penalty at ail .. The same casuist has this expression : * ' A solemn oathof itselfand in its own natureis not
, , , more obligatory than a simple one ; because the obligation of an oath ariseth precisely from this , that God is invoked , as a witness and revenger , no less in a simple oath , thai iu the solemn and corporal-: for the invocation is made precisely by the pronunciation of the words , ( which is the same both in the simple and solemn ) and not by any corporal mption , or concomitant sign , iu which the solemnity of the oath consists
. But , further , if the oath in the Dissection be taken by all Masons upon their admission , no Member of tbe Fraternity , upon any prer tence whatsoever , dares violate the obligation of it , without incurring the guilt of perjury ; even supposing that Masonry were more trifling and indifferentthan in the Dissection it to beAnd
, may appear . , therefore , if the conduct of the Dissector has staggered the conscience of any one of the Brotherhood , concerning the observation of that oath ; and has induced him to trifle and play with the force of it , I hope he will desist betimes , lest he becomes actually forsworn .
Fnis case is thus determined b y the same casuist , f ' A voluntary oath is the more binding , for being voluntary ; because there is no stricter obligation than that which we take willingly " upon ourselves . ' And in another place . ] : the casuist is more particular : 'Where a matter is so trivial , that it is not worth the deliberation of a wise man , nor matters a straw whether it be done or not done , as to reach yp . a chip , or ' to rub one ' s beard ; or , for the sli ghtness of the matter , is notmuch to be esteemed
- , as to give a boy an apple , or lend a pin ; an oath is binding in a matter of the least moment : because wei ghty and trivial things have a like respect unto truth and falsbood ; and , further , because eveiy party swearing is bound to perform all he promised , as far as he is able , and as far as it is lawful : but to give an apple to a bay is both possible and lawful ; he is bound , therefore , to perform it ; he ought to fulfil his oath . £ TO BE CON'TIN-UKD . ^ j