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Article THE EARLY MASONTC WRITERS.* ← Page 2 of 8 →
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The Early Masontc Writers.*
when the improvements of Hutchinson and Preston came into operation ; but even these were a sealed book to a majority of the Fraternity , and the disclosures in the generality of lodges were of a very limited nature . The question then is—Under what circumstances the divine science developed itselfand became what it now is—a
, source of profit as well as rational amusement to all classesin the altered state of society consequent on the universal extension of education , and the spread of institutions established for the improvement of the intellect , and the diffusion of literature and science ?
No other solution can be given of this problem than the naked fact that Masonry has been advancing in common with the progress of other pursuits , and has had the advantage of a clear and candid exposition of its principles in a series of publications which have placed within the reach of every enquirer the means of gratifying his taste ,
and rewarding his researches on every subject embraced by the wide circle of Masonic investigation . None need complain of ignorance in our times , when the sources of knowledge are so easily accessible , and the recondite as well as the elementary principles of the science are , or ought to bein every one's possession . Not onlin this countrybut
, y , in France , Germany , and other countries of Europe , in the United States of America , and in the remotest East , there is a supply of labourers in the Masonic vineyard , who have contributed to the perfection of the glorious work , the fruits of which are everywhere apparent , and the zealous Mason need be under no apprehension , for , like the oil of
the Shunamite widow , its rich produce will be continually poured out till all the vessels are full to overflowing ; or in other words , till Masonry " shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea , " and the genuine excellence of its divine precepts shall be universally known and acknowledged . We have been led into these observations by the appearance of the last volume of the " Golden Remains . " The five
volumes , thus completed , contain a copious store of the masonic literature of the eighteenth century , which cannot fail to be a valuable acquisition to every lover of the art . We have here collected into one focus the writings of all the celebrated Masons of that period ; amongst whom we find the names of Anderson , Desaguliers , Clare , Dunckerley , Calcott , Smith , Hutchinson , Coustos , Preston , Jones , Invor ,. i . c . c
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Early Masontc Writers.*
when the improvements of Hutchinson and Preston came into operation ; but even these were a sealed book to a majority of the Fraternity , and the disclosures in the generality of lodges were of a very limited nature . The question then is—Under what circumstances the divine science developed itselfand became what it now is—a
, source of profit as well as rational amusement to all classesin the altered state of society consequent on the universal extension of education , and the spread of institutions established for the improvement of the intellect , and the diffusion of literature and science ?
No other solution can be given of this problem than the naked fact that Masonry has been advancing in common with the progress of other pursuits , and has had the advantage of a clear and candid exposition of its principles in a series of publications which have placed within the reach of every enquirer the means of gratifying his taste ,
and rewarding his researches on every subject embraced by the wide circle of Masonic investigation . None need complain of ignorance in our times , when the sources of knowledge are so easily accessible , and the recondite as well as the elementary principles of the science are , or ought to bein every one's possession . Not onlin this countrybut
, y , in France , Germany , and other countries of Europe , in the United States of America , and in the remotest East , there is a supply of labourers in the Masonic vineyard , who have contributed to the perfection of the glorious work , the fruits of which are everywhere apparent , and the zealous Mason need be under no apprehension , for , like the oil of
the Shunamite widow , its rich produce will be continually poured out till all the vessels are full to overflowing ; or in other words , till Masonry " shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea , " and the genuine excellence of its divine precepts shall be universally known and acknowledged . We have been led into these observations by the appearance of the last volume of the " Golden Remains . " The five
volumes , thus completed , contain a copious store of the masonic literature of the eighteenth century , which cannot fail to be a valuable acquisition to every lover of the art . We have here collected into one focus the writings of all the celebrated Masons of that period ; amongst whom we find the names of Anderson , Desaguliers , Clare , Dunckerley , Calcott , Smith , Hutchinson , Coustos , Preston , Jones , Invor ,. i . c . c