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Article A DEFENCE OF MASONRY, ← Page 2 of 8 →
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A Defence Of Masonry,
And , therefore , as the busto of an old hero is of great value among the curious , though it has lost an eye , the nose , or the right hand ; so Masonry , with' all its blemishes and misfortunes , instead of appearing ridiculous , ought ( in my humble opinion ) to be received with some candour and esteem , from a veneration to its anti quity . I was exceedingly pleased to find the Dissector lay the ori ginal scene of Masonry in the Easta country always famous for symbolical
, learning , supported by secrecy : I could not avoid immediately thinking of the old Egyptians , who concealed the chief rnysteries of their religion under signs and symbols , called hieroglyphics : and so great was their regard for silence and secrecy , that they had a deity , called Harpocrates , * whom they respected with peculiar honour and veneration . A learned author has given Us a description of this idol , thus :
" Harpocrates , the God of Silence , was formed with his ri ght hand placed near the heart , covered with a skin before , full of eyes and ears ; to signify this , that many things are to be seen and heard , but tittle to be spoken . Arid , among the same people , their great goddess , Isis , ( the same as Minerva , the Goddess of Strength and Wisdom , among the Greeks ) had always the image of a Sphinx placed
in the entrance of her temples ; because their ' secrete should be preserved under sacred coverings , that they might be kept from the knowledge of the vulgar , as much as the riddles of Sphinx ! " . . Pythagoras , by travelling into Egypt , became instructed in the mysteries of that nation ; and here he laid the foundation of all his symbolical learning . The several writers that have mentioned this
philosopher ,- ) - and given an account of his sect and institutions , have convinced me fully , that Freemasonry , as published by the Dissector , is very nearly allied to the old Pythagorean discipline ; from whence , I am persuaded , it may , in some circumstances , very justly claim its descent . To mention a few ,
Upon the admission of a disciple , he was bound , by a solemn oath , to conceal the mysteries from the vulgar and uninitiated . The principal and most efficacious of their doctrines were ( says Jamblichus ) ever kept secret among themselves ; they were continued unwritten , and preserved Only by memory to their successors , to whom they delivered them as mysteries of the gods . They conversed with one another by signs , and had particular
words , which they received upon their admission , and which were preserved with great reverence , as the distinction of their sect : for , ( it is the judicious remark of Laertius ) as generals use watch-words to distinguish their own soldiers from others , so it is proper to communicate , to the initiated , peculiar signs and words , as distinctive marks of a society . The Pythagoreans professed a great regard for what the Dissector calls the four principles of Masonry , viz . d . point ,. z line , a superficies , and a solid ; and particularly held that a square was a very proper
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Defence Of Masonry,
And , therefore , as the busto of an old hero is of great value among the curious , though it has lost an eye , the nose , or the right hand ; so Masonry , with' all its blemishes and misfortunes , instead of appearing ridiculous , ought ( in my humble opinion ) to be received with some candour and esteem , from a veneration to its anti quity . I was exceedingly pleased to find the Dissector lay the ori ginal scene of Masonry in the Easta country always famous for symbolical
, learning , supported by secrecy : I could not avoid immediately thinking of the old Egyptians , who concealed the chief rnysteries of their religion under signs and symbols , called hieroglyphics : and so great was their regard for silence and secrecy , that they had a deity , called Harpocrates , * whom they respected with peculiar honour and veneration . A learned author has given Us a description of this idol , thus :
" Harpocrates , the God of Silence , was formed with his ri ght hand placed near the heart , covered with a skin before , full of eyes and ears ; to signify this , that many things are to be seen and heard , but tittle to be spoken . Arid , among the same people , their great goddess , Isis , ( the same as Minerva , the Goddess of Strength and Wisdom , among the Greeks ) had always the image of a Sphinx placed
in the entrance of her temples ; because their ' secrete should be preserved under sacred coverings , that they might be kept from the knowledge of the vulgar , as much as the riddles of Sphinx ! " . . Pythagoras , by travelling into Egypt , became instructed in the mysteries of that nation ; and here he laid the foundation of all his symbolical learning . The several writers that have mentioned this
philosopher ,- ) - and given an account of his sect and institutions , have convinced me fully , that Freemasonry , as published by the Dissector , is very nearly allied to the old Pythagorean discipline ; from whence , I am persuaded , it may , in some circumstances , very justly claim its descent . To mention a few ,
Upon the admission of a disciple , he was bound , by a solemn oath , to conceal the mysteries from the vulgar and uninitiated . The principal and most efficacious of their doctrines were ( says Jamblichus ) ever kept secret among themselves ; they were continued unwritten , and preserved Only by memory to their successors , to whom they delivered them as mysteries of the gods . They conversed with one another by signs , and had particular
words , which they received upon their admission , and which were preserved with great reverence , as the distinction of their sect : for , ( it is the judicious remark of Laertius ) as generals use watch-words to distinguish their own soldiers from others , so it is proper to communicate , to the initiated , peculiar signs and words , as distinctive marks of a society . The Pythagoreans professed a great regard for what the Dissector calls the four principles of Masonry , viz . d . point ,. z line , a superficies , and a solid ; and particularly held that a square was a very proper