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Article THE CHARGE ← Page 4 of 4
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The Charge
to all men , particularly the Craft , and call for the assistance of God , by fervent prayer , to strengthen us with his grace , so that we may be ever prepared to die the death of the ri ghteous , and that our latter ends may be like his . Hereby we shall become partakers of holy mysteries , and be made free and accepted in the heavenl y lodges , among the society of hosts and angels . TiroEDMONDES .
. _ I shall beg leave here to offer an annotation , for the serious consideration of the public . The enemies , or the seeming betrayers of this society , assert , that the Free Masons obligations , which they have formed in very strong terms indeed , are made by laying their fingers on the holy bible ( in the same manner as it is done in all civil testimonieseven where
, life , death , liberty and property are depending ) , calling upon God to hel p and attest the declaration they then make . I would suppose ^ should that—even be allowed to be true , would not the violation of such an obligation make one shudder with horror ? Can any good man , nay , any * reasonable person , think it possible a brother , endued with any feeling , can be such a presumptive . miscreant , even
to break through any part of the solemn secrets of Masonry , required to be kept undiscovered , so strictly witnessed by the solemn attestation of God himself , as if he presumptively renewed the eating of the forbidden fruit , in disobedience to the laws , he allows himself to be founded on the laws of God , and wickedly attempt to reduce this society to a fallen state . What end can it answer ? Faith and ' honourwhen brokeis the
, , dissolution of eveiy social compact . This would be villany for the sake of villany only . None can surely believe it : how can they trust a person ( so seemingly perjuring himself , and betraying his friends , from no other motive , than a little catch-penny work ) , that he does not deceive and impose upon them , as he has seemed to have done his lodges ? This argument alone shouldI
thinken-, , tirely disappoint these little pamphleteers , and totally put an end to a false curiosity : but from what I have observed in the foregoing address , that as these sort of pretended Masons , or visiting impostors , have it not in their power to discover the mystic secrets of the Royal Craft , the dignity , as well as the faith , of this society , will be ever preserved to one another .
When King Henry the Third granted the Magna Charta , which is the sum of" English liberty , and swore to the observation of it , the bishops , holding lighted candles in their hands , each extinguished at the same time the flame , then threw them on the ground , every one saying , " Thus let him be extinguished , and stink in hell , who violates this charter . " So will true Masons even say of him that vainly attempts
unlawfully to violate the bond of a society that has existed , and honourably been kept sacred from the very beginning of time ; and will endure , in spite of all base infringements which have , and now and then will be offered , by the fallen sons of Satan , ' till time , is no more
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Charge
to all men , particularly the Craft , and call for the assistance of God , by fervent prayer , to strengthen us with his grace , so that we may be ever prepared to die the death of the ri ghteous , and that our latter ends may be like his . Hereby we shall become partakers of holy mysteries , and be made free and accepted in the heavenl y lodges , among the society of hosts and angels . TiroEDMONDES .
. _ I shall beg leave here to offer an annotation , for the serious consideration of the public . The enemies , or the seeming betrayers of this society , assert , that the Free Masons obligations , which they have formed in very strong terms indeed , are made by laying their fingers on the holy bible ( in the same manner as it is done in all civil testimonieseven where
, life , death , liberty and property are depending ) , calling upon God to hel p and attest the declaration they then make . I would suppose ^ should that—even be allowed to be true , would not the violation of such an obligation make one shudder with horror ? Can any good man , nay , any * reasonable person , think it possible a brother , endued with any feeling , can be such a presumptive . miscreant , even
to break through any part of the solemn secrets of Masonry , required to be kept undiscovered , so strictly witnessed by the solemn attestation of God himself , as if he presumptively renewed the eating of the forbidden fruit , in disobedience to the laws , he allows himself to be founded on the laws of God , and wickedly attempt to reduce this society to a fallen state . What end can it answer ? Faith and ' honourwhen brokeis the
, , dissolution of eveiy social compact . This would be villany for the sake of villany only . None can surely believe it : how can they trust a person ( so seemingly perjuring himself , and betraying his friends , from no other motive , than a little catch-penny work ) , that he does not deceive and impose upon them , as he has seemed to have done his lodges ? This argument alone shouldI
thinken-, , tirely disappoint these little pamphleteers , and totally put an end to a false curiosity : but from what I have observed in the foregoing address , that as these sort of pretended Masons , or visiting impostors , have it not in their power to discover the mystic secrets of the Royal Craft , the dignity , as well as the faith , of this society , will be ever preserved to one another .
When King Henry the Third granted the Magna Charta , which is the sum of" English liberty , and swore to the observation of it , the bishops , holding lighted candles in their hands , each extinguished at the same time the flame , then threw them on the ground , every one saying , " Thus let him be extinguished , and stink in hell , who violates this charter . " So will true Masons even say of him that vainly attempts
unlawfully to violate the bond of a society that has existed , and honourably been kept sacred from the very beginning of time ; and will endure , in spite of all base infringements which have , and now and then will be offered , by the fallen sons of Satan , ' till time , is no more