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Article ON FREEMASONRY. ← Page 12 of 13 →
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On Freemasonry.
in his right hand is a sceptre terminating in a globe to represent the earth , which is nurtured ancl made prolific by the Sun ' s rays . The Warden has also a Sun attached to his collar . These , as we shall soon see , are emblems , but not intended as objects of adoration . When the Lodge or Council is at workthe Sun is said to be at its meridian
, , while to the profane it is considered low twelve or midnight . It is opened xoith a public profession of the divine unity . I pass over the ceremonies for obvious reasons , with a simple declaration that they do not bear upon the question , and proceed to the lectures . These contain explanations of the emblems of the three
degrees of symbolical Masonry ; the greater and lesser lights , the Tracing-boards , & c , in the following manner . The candidate is addressed by the Grand Master— "Brother , you are already acquainted with the symbol of a Bible , Square , and Compasses ; but of its allegorical meaning you remain in ignorance . Be it my duty to enlighten you .
The Bible refers to the religion which the first man practised— -the religion of nature . The Compasses teach that God is the central point , as well as the circumference of the universe ; and always present to us all . The Square is intended to show that God has made every thing equal ; while the cubical stone shows that you ought to govern your
actions so correctly , as to make them all equal in respect to the sovereign good . The pillars teach you firmness , the tressle-board the employment of reason , & c . " I do not acquit the professors of this degree of heterodoxy with respect to religious faith , because the symbols are strained to a meaning which their natural signification will
not justify ; and it would puzzle a plain man to understand how the volume of revelation can be an appropriate symbol of natural religion . Still I am convinced they are not addicted to the solar worship . Thus , in the Philosophical Lecture , while explaining the reference of the Compasses , they say— " the difference between good and evil iu the estimation of God , may be explained by the compasses .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry.
in his right hand is a sceptre terminating in a globe to represent the earth , which is nurtured ancl made prolific by the Sun ' s rays . The Warden has also a Sun attached to his collar . These , as we shall soon see , are emblems , but not intended as objects of adoration . When the Lodge or Council is at workthe Sun is said to be at its meridian
, , while to the profane it is considered low twelve or midnight . It is opened xoith a public profession of the divine unity . I pass over the ceremonies for obvious reasons , with a simple declaration that they do not bear upon the question , and proceed to the lectures . These contain explanations of the emblems of the three
degrees of symbolical Masonry ; the greater and lesser lights , the Tracing-boards , & c , in the following manner . The candidate is addressed by the Grand Master— "Brother , you are already acquainted with the symbol of a Bible , Square , and Compasses ; but of its allegorical meaning you remain in ignorance . Be it my duty to enlighten you .
The Bible refers to the religion which the first man practised— -the religion of nature . The Compasses teach that God is the central point , as well as the circumference of the universe ; and always present to us all . The Square is intended to show that God has made every thing equal ; while the cubical stone shows that you ought to govern your
actions so correctly , as to make them all equal in respect to the sovereign good . The pillars teach you firmness , the tressle-board the employment of reason , & c . " I do not acquit the professors of this degree of heterodoxy with respect to religious faith , because the symbols are strained to a meaning which their natural signification will
not justify ; and it would puzzle a plain man to understand how the volume of revelation can be an appropriate symbol of natural religion . Still I am convinced they are not addicted to the solar worship . Thus , in the Philosophical Lecture , while explaining the reference of the Compasses , they say— " the difference between good and evil iu the estimation of God , may be explained by the compasses .