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Article A DEFENCE OF MASONRY, ← Page 3 of 8 →
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A Defence Of Masonry,
emblem of the Divine Essence : c the Guas , they say , ' who are the authors of every thing established in wisdom , strength , and beauty , are not improperly represented by the figure of a square-. ' * Many more instances might be produced , would the limits of my design admit : 1 shall only observe , that there was a . false Brother , one HiPi'ARCHUs , of this sect , who , out of spleen and disappointment , broke through the bond of his oathand committed the secrets of the
, society to writing , in order to bring the doctrine into contempt :-jhe was immediately expelled the school , as a person most infamous and abandoned , as one dead to all sense of virtue and goodness ; and the Pythagoreans , according to their custom , made a tomb for him , as if he had been actually dead . The shame and disgrace , that justly attended this violation of his oath , threw the poor wretch into a fit of
madness and despair , so that he cut his throat , and perished by his own hands ; and ( which surprised me to find ) his memory was so abhorred after death , that his body lay upon the shore of the island of Samos , and had no other burial than in the sands of the seal . The Essenes , among the Jews , were a sort of Pythagoreans , and ' corresponded , in many particulars , with the practice of the fraternity , as delivered in the Dissection . For example : When a person desired to be admitted into their society , he was to pass through two degrees of probation , before he could be perfect
master of their mysteries . When he was received into the class of Novices , lie was presented with a white garment ; aud when he had been long enough to give some competent proofs of his secrecy and virtue , he was admitted to further knowledge : but still he went on with the trial of his integrity and good manners , and then was fully taken into the society . Butbefore he was received as an established memberhe was
, , first to bind himself by solemn obligations and professions ;!—To do justice ; to do no wrong ; to keep faith with all men ; to embrace the truth ; to keep his hands clear from theft and fraudulent dealing : not to conceal from his fellow professors any of the mysteries , nor communicate any of them to the profane , though it , should be to save his life ; to ' deliver nothing but what he received , and to endeavour to
preserve the principle that he professed . They eat and drink at the same common table ; and the fraternity , that come from any other place , are sure to be received there . They meet together in an assembly , and the right hand is laid upon the part between the chin and the breast , ' while the' left band is let down straight by their side . The Cabaiists , another sect , dealt in hidden and mysterious ceremonies . § The Jews had a great regard for this science , and thought they made uncommon discoveries by means of it . They divided their knowledge into speculative and operative . David and Solomon ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Defence Of Masonry,
emblem of the Divine Essence : c the Guas , they say , ' who are the authors of every thing established in wisdom , strength , and beauty , are not improperly represented by the figure of a square-. ' * Many more instances might be produced , would the limits of my design admit : 1 shall only observe , that there was a . false Brother , one HiPi'ARCHUs , of this sect , who , out of spleen and disappointment , broke through the bond of his oathand committed the secrets of the
, society to writing , in order to bring the doctrine into contempt :-jhe was immediately expelled the school , as a person most infamous and abandoned , as one dead to all sense of virtue and goodness ; and the Pythagoreans , according to their custom , made a tomb for him , as if he had been actually dead . The shame and disgrace , that justly attended this violation of his oath , threw the poor wretch into a fit of
madness and despair , so that he cut his throat , and perished by his own hands ; and ( which surprised me to find ) his memory was so abhorred after death , that his body lay upon the shore of the island of Samos , and had no other burial than in the sands of the seal . The Essenes , among the Jews , were a sort of Pythagoreans , and ' corresponded , in many particulars , with the practice of the fraternity , as delivered in the Dissection . For example : When a person desired to be admitted into their society , he was to pass through two degrees of probation , before he could be perfect
master of their mysteries . When he was received into the class of Novices , lie was presented with a white garment ; aud when he had been long enough to give some competent proofs of his secrecy and virtue , he was admitted to further knowledge : but still he went on with the trial of his integrity and good manners , and then was fully taken into the society . Butbefore he was received as an established memberhe was
, , first to bind himself by solemn obligations and professions ;!—To do justice ; to do no wrong ; to keep faith with all men ; to embrace the truth ; to keep his hands clear from theft and fraudulent dealing : not to conceal from his fellow professors any of the mysteries , nor communicate any of them to the profane , though it , should be to save his life ; to ' deliver nothing but what he received , and to endeavour to
preserve the principle that he professed . They eat and drink at the same common table ; and the fraternity , that come from any other place , are sure to be received there . They meet together in an assembly , and the right hand is laid upon the part between the chin and the breast , ' while the' left band is let down straight by their side . The Cabaiists , another sect , dealt in hidden and mysterious ceremonies . § The Jews had a great regard for this science , and thought they made uncommon discoveries by means of it . They divided their knowledge into speculative and operative . David and Solomon ,