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On Freemasonry. Evidences, Doctrines, And Traditions.
ON FREEMASONRY . EVIDENCES , DOCTRINES , AND TRADITIONS .
BY THE REV . G OLIVER , D . D . ( No . 11 . ) A VENERATION for the " highest of hills and the lowest of valleys" prevailed in every region of the habitable globe . The peaks of the hills on which Rome was built were
esteemed sacred , and were venerated by that people as much as it was in their power to venerate anything . The Tarpeian hill , or Capitol , was considered to be under the protection of Saturn ; and thence was frequently called Mons Saturni ; a temple , dedicated to Jupiter , was erected upon it . The Aventine hill had temples erected on its
summit , which were consecrated to Venus , Minerva , Diana , and Juno , and was hence dignified with the appellation of Mons Sacer , the holy mountain . But this distinction was not conferred at the expense of other eminences . The hill called Agenalis , or Quirinalis , was also famous for a temple where the memory of Romulus was preserved by votive and commemorative rites ; and the Palatine hill was an asylum
or sanctuary to which criminals might flee , and be safe from , their pursuers . Even the hill called Viminalis , or the mound of willows , was consecrated by the erection of several altars to Jupiter . And amongst the rural deities of Rome we find Collina , the goddess of the hills , and "Vallonia , the protectress of the valleys ; so universally did the veneration
of hills or high places prevail . The idolatrous respect for holy mountains was restored , with all its superstitions , by the emperor Julian , who always retired to such p laces for meditation and worship , whenever he had an opportunity . Libanus observes , that "by frequent devotions he engaged the gods to be his auxiliaries in war ,
worshipping Mercury , Ceres , Mars , Calliope , Apollo , and Jove , in his temple on the hill . " And in another place the same writer says more explicitly : — " Wherever there was a •temple , or a hill , or on the tops of mountains ; no placebo rough , or so difficult of access , but he ran to it for worship , as if the way had been ever so smooth and p leasant . " VOL . ix . * '
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry. Evidences, Doctrines, And Traditions.
ON FREEMASONRY . EVIDENCES , DOCTRINES , AND TRADITIONS .
BY THE REV . G OLIVER , D . D . ( No . 11 . ) A VENERATION for the " highest of hills and the lowest of valleys" prevailed in every region of the habitable globe . The peaks of the hills on which Rome was built were
esteemed sacred , and were venerated by that people as much as it was in their power to venerate anything . The Tarpeian hill , or Capitol , was considered to be under the protection of Saturn ; and thence was frequently called Mons Saturni ; a temple , dedicated to Jupiter , was erected upon it . The Aventine hill had temples erected on its
summit , which were consecrated to Venus , Minerva , Diana , and Juno , and was hence dignified with the appellation of Mons Sacer , the holy mountain . But this distinction was not conferred at the expense of other eminences . The hill called Agenalis , or Quirinalis , was also famous for a temple where the memory of Romulus was preserved by votive and commemorative rites ; and the Palatine hill was an asylum
or sanctuary to which criminals might flee , and be safe from , their pursuers . Even the hill called Viminalis , or the mound of willows , was consecrated by the erection of several altars to Jupiter . And amongst the rural deities of Rome we find Collina , the goddess of the hills , and "Vallonia , the protectress of the valleys ; so universally did the veneration
of hills or high places prevail . The idolatrous respect for holy mountains was restored , with all its superstitions , by the emperor Julian , who always retired to such p laces for meditation and worship , whenever he had an opportunity . Libanus observes , that "by frequent devotions he engaged the gods to be his auxiliaries in war ,
worshipping Mercury , Ceres , Mars , Calliope , Apollo , and Jove , in his temple on the hill . " And in another place the same writer says more explicitly : — " Wherever there was a •temple , or a hill , or on the tops of mountains ; no placebo rough , or so difficult of access , but he ran to it for worship , as if the way had been ever so smooth and p leasant . " VOL . ix . * '