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Article CORRESPONDENCE. ← Page 3 of 5 →
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Correspondence.
No . 19 ; the Royal Jubilee ditto , No . 85 ; the Sincerity ditto , No . 203 ; tbe Joppa ditto , No . 223 ; the Israel ditto , No . 247 ; the United Strength ditto , No . 276 ; and the Zetland ditto , No . 752 . Now the Lodge of Joppa , No . 223 , and the Lodge of Israel , No . 247 , being , I believe , Jewish Lodges , are not to be blamed for meeting on our Sabbath , but what excuse is there for the rest ? " As a
Freemason , " says the AVorshipful Master in the charge at initiation , " I would first recommend to your most serious contemplation the Volume of the Sacred LaAV , charging you to regulate your actions by the divine precepts it contains . " One of those precepts is , "Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy . " Freemasonry is undoubtedly an excellent institution , hut does not pretend to set itself aboveand take the place ofthe religion of the
, , Bible ; and yet most of these Lodges meet at seven o ' clock , the hour of evening prayer in London places of worship of nearly every denomination ; others at half-past seven and eight o ' clock , by which hours scarcely any of these places of worship can have closed , and must therefore prevent those who are present from attending Divine service . But even if they did not interfere with public
worshipFree-, masonry is scarcely a pursuit for the Sabbath-day ; we have six days for the study of Freemasonry in common with other pursuits , Sunday has its own peculiar duties , Avhich ought not on any account to be broken in upon . It may he urged in defence of Sunday meetings ,
that there are Brethren who can attend Lodge on that day and cannot do so on any other . I do not think that this can be really a valid reason ; at any rate , even supposing the accompaniments of liquids and smoke to be excluded , Brethren Avould be drawn from their houies , where they ought to be on that day , endeavouring to make their earthly Sabbath a foretaste of the eternal Sabbath above . Let us hope thatfor the futureFreemasons Avill cease to be
Sab-, , bath-breakers , under colour of advancing the interests of the Craft , or that Grrand Lodge Avill take serious notice of practices so opposed to right p rinciple , aud therefore so injurious to the Order . What can he Avorse than that a body of men professing what Freemasons do profess , should meet together on the Sabbath-day , and that at a time when places of worship are open ancl DiA'ine
service is being performed , to transact business under the auspices of spirits and tobacco ? If in this letter I have wronged any Lodges , I regret the injury I have unintentionally done them , and shall rejoice on being corrected , to 'find other exceptions to my statements than the Emulation and the StabilitLodges of Instruction . Let the Brethren give me
y credit for having written with good intent and charitable feelings , and for not having " set down aught in malice , " and Believe me , dear Sir and Brother , Voura very sincerely and fraternally , shire , P . J- W . September 2 nd , 1833 .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondence.
No . 19 ; the Royal Jubilee ditto , No . 85 ; the Sincerity ditto , No . 203 ; tbe Joppa ditto , No . 223 ; the Israel ditto , No . 247 ; the United Strength ditto , No . 276 ; and the Zetland ditto , No . 752 . Now the Lodge of Joppa , No . 223 , and the Lodge of Israel , No . 247 , being , I believe , Jewish Lodges , are not to be blamed for meeting on our Sabbath , but what excuse is there for the rest ? " As a
Freemason , " says the AVorshipful Master in the charge at initiation , " I would first recommend to your most serious contemplation the Volume of the Sacred LaAV , charging you to regulate your actions by the divine precepts it contains . " One of those precepts is , "Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy . " Freemasonry is undoubtedly an excellent institution , hut does not pretend to set itself aboveand take the place ofthe religion of the
, , Bible ; and yet most of these Lodges meet at seven o ' clock , the hour of evening prayer in London places of worship of nearly every denomination ; others at half-past seven and eight o ' clock , by which hours scarcely any of these places of worship can have closed , and must therefore prevent those who are present from attending Divine service . But even if they did not interfere with public
worshipFree-, masonry is scarcely a pursuit for the Sabbath-day ; we have six days for the study of Freemasonry in common with other pursuits , Sunday has its own peculiar duties , Avhich ought not on any account to be broken in upon . It may he urged in defence of Sunday meetings ,
that there are Brethren who can attend Lodge on that day and cannot do so on any other . I do not think that this can be really a valid reason ; at any rate , even supposing the accompaniments of liquids and smoke to be excluded , Brethren Avould be drawn from their houies , where they ought to be on that day , endeavouring to make their earthly Sabbath a foretaste of the eternal Sabbath above . Let us hope thatfor the futureFreemasons Avill cease to be
Sab-, , bath-breakers , under colour of advancing the interests of the Craft , or that Grrand Lodge Avill take serious notice of practices so opposed to right p rinciple , aud therefore so injurious to the Order . What can he Avorse than that a body of men professing what Freemasons do profess , should meet together on the Sabbath-day , and that at a time when places of worship are open ancl DiA'ine
service is being performed , to transact business under the auspices of spirits and tobacco ? If in this letter I have wronged any Lodges , I regret the injury I have unintentionally done them , and shall rejoice on being corrected , to 'find other exceptions to my statements than the Emulation and the StabilitLodges of Instruction . Let the Brethren give me
y credit for having written with good intent and charitable feelings , and for not having " set down aught in malice , " and Believe me , dear Sir and Brother , Voura very sincerely and fraternally , shire , P . J- W . September 2 nd , 1833 .