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Article ON FREEMASONRY. ← Page 4 of 7 →
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On Freemasonry.
of the school of Daniel , who foretold the precise time of the coining of Messiah , we may naturally account for their journey to Jerusalem ; which is illustrated in a Masonic degree called the Illustrious Order of the Cross ; and their adoration of the divine child , who was " a light to lighten the Gentiles , ancl a glory to his people Israel ; "' " the day-spring from on high ; the bright and morning star ; the day-star which riseth in our hearts . .
Chalcidius , in his commentary on the Timams of Plato , corroborates this opinion , declaring it to be the universal belief of all nations , that " the appearance of a certain star should declare the descent of a venerable Deity for the salvation of mankind . " And he adds— " When this star had been seen by some truly wise men amongst the Chaldeans , who were well versed in the contemplation of the heavenly bodies , they made enquiry concerning the birth of God ; and when they had found him , they paid him the worship and adoration which were due to so great a being . " The final manifestation of the Great Architect of the Universe is
recorded in the ingenious degree of Kmght of the East and West , taken from the book of Revelation . — "And I saw heaven opened , and behold , a white horse ; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful ancl True ; and in righteousness he doth judge and make war . His eyes were as a flame of fire , and on his head were many crowns ; and he hacl a name written that no man knew but he himself . And he was clothed with a
vesture dipped in blood ; ancl his name is called THE WORD OP GOD . And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses , clothed in fine linen , white and clean . And out of his mouth goetb a sharp sword , that with it he should smite the nations ; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron ; and he treadeth the wine press of the fierceness ancl wrath of Almighty God . And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written , KING OF KINGS , AND LORD OP LORDS . " Now considering the omnipresent nature of Godthat the heaven of
, heavens cannot contain him , he necesssarily fills all space , and extends through all extent , connecting earth , heaven , and every part of the universe , in a chain of endless gradation ; expressed in Freemasonry under the symbol of " a circle whose centre is everywhere , ancl whose circumference is nowhere . " Whether we contemplate the most minute or the most magnificent objects of the creation , our minds are filled with an equal degree of wonder , awe , and adoration . All is Masonry . The
spacious firmament , containing those blazing stars which beautify and adorn the spangled canopy of heaven , was the work of his hands ; nor could the smallest particle of dust have been produced but by his holy word . It was the Great Architect of the Universe whom God employed in forming the universe out of nothing ; and the same Almighty Being is used in supporting and governing his own workmanship ; and the visible communications vouchsafed by God to man , are referred by St : Paul to Jesus Christ , who , he says , " being the brightness of his glory , and the express image of his person , ancl upholding all things by the word
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry.
of the school of Daniel , who foretold the precise time of the coining of Messiah , we may naturally account for their journey to Jerusalem ; which is illustrated in a Masonic degree called the Illustrious Order of the Cross ; and their adoration of the divine child , who was " a light to lighten the Gentiles , ancl a glory to his people Israel ; "' " the day-spring from on high ; the bright and morning star ; the day-star which riseth in our hearts . .
Chalcidius , in his commentary on the Timams of Plato , corroborates this opinion , declaring it to be the universal belief of all nations , that " the appearance of a certain star should declare the descent of a venerable Deity for the salvation of mankind . " And he adds— " When this star had been seen by some truly wise men amongst the Chaldeans , who were well versed in the contemplation of the heavenly bodies , they made enquiry concerning the birth of God ; and when they had found him , they paid him the worship and adoration which were due to so great a being . " The final manifestation of the Great Architect of the Universe is
recorded in the ingenious degree of Kmght of the East and West , taken from the book of Revelation . — "And I saw heaven opened , and behold , a white horse ; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful ancl True ; and in righteousness he doth judge and make war . His eyes were as a flame of fire , and on his head were many crowns ; and he hacl a name written that no man knew but he himself . And he was clothed with a
vesture dipped in blood ; ancl his name is called THE WORD OP GOD . And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses , clothed in fine linen , white and clean . And out of his mouth goetb a sharp sword , that with it he should smite the nations ; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron ; and he treadeth the wine press of the fierceness ancl wrath of Almighty God . And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written , KING OF KINGS , AND LORD OP LORDS . " Now considering the omnipresent nature of Godthat the heaven of
, heavens cannot contain him , he necesssarily fills all space , and extends through all extent , connecting earth , heaven , and every part of the universe , in a chain of endless gradation ; expressed in Freemasonry under the symbol of " a circle whose centre is everywhere , ancl whose circumference is nowhere . " Whether we contemplate the most minute or the most magnificent objects of the creation , our minds are filled with an equal degree of wonder , awe , and adoration . All is Masonry . The
spacious firmament , containing those blazing stars which beautify and adorn the spangled canopy of heaven , was the work of his hands ; nor could the smallest particle of dust have been produced but by his holy word . It was the Great Architect of the Universe whom God employed in forming the universe out of nothing ; and the same Almighty Being is used in supporting and governing his own workmanship ; and the visible communications vouchsafed by God to man , are referred by St : Paul to Jesus Christ , who , he says , " being the brightness of his glory , and the express image of his person , ancl upholding all things by the word