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Article LECTURES ON FREEMASONRY , ← Page 3 of 8 →
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Lectures On Freemasonry ,
their system of universality as erroneous , and calculated to prevent Freemasonry from assuming its well-merited rank amongst theinteresting and most instructive sciences . This appendix , partaking greatly in the Babylonian , Persian , and Israelitic events celebrated in the Order of the East , has enabled the inquiring Freemason to become acquainted with the progress and subsequent destruction of that primitive edifice , the ruins of which have produced to him the invaluable treasures previously lost , which is set as the boundary of this modern universality .
it the Iramers ot tins kind ot Jtreemasonry had only in view to end it with the wonderful discovery under the ruins , I confess that they have set limits to a speculative science which the studious and inquiring part of our fraternity must reject as arbitrary and ill-judged . Freemasonry is a science not to be confined to a few Israelitic traditions learned b y heart , like as a schoolboy learns his lesson ; it is a science which embraces every thing useful to man ; it corrects the heart and prepares it to receive the mild impressions of the divine codeits rhoral
; injunctions , if duly weighed and properly applied , never fail to form its disciples into good members of society . It opens a progressive field for inquiry , and ought never to be driven into narrow bounds by the enactment of a law , saying : Thus far we ivill allow you to go and no farther , under the penalty of exclusion from its universality . Masonry can only consider the three degrees embraced in the new universality , as the initiatory steps to hiher cultivationand the universalladopted ST
g ; y . . and W . whereb y to gain admission into our Masonic circles , by no means constitute the science of Freemasonry , which , far from being confined to the preliminary , but yet very valuable and instructive information received in the three degrees , extends its studies to hi gher objects , founded upon Masonic traditions , history , and experience . Freemasonry , therefore , confined to the three inferior degrees , loses the character of a science ; it becomes stationaryit destroys all
emula-, tion for progress , it disgusts the Brethren of real thirst for science , it raises ignorance by dint of a good memory , to a seat in a Lodge which ought to he better filled for . the credit of the Craft , and it too frequently thins the ranks of the Brethren by the secession of many who having learned all that is to be learned in this new universal system , consider it a loss of valuable time to visit their Lodge any longer .
I never could conceive , and am still at a loss to know , why this innovation in our otherwise excellent institutions , should confine Freemasonry to the three Israelitish degrees only . It surely could not emanate from an over charitable feeling for our Hebrew Brethren , whom , if good men and worth y Brethren , I respect equally with other men of good character , and could not for a moment even attempt to act with them contrary to my sincerest and early adopted principles of
Freemasonry . This enaction of exclusion could be much less the effect of a desire of confining the genius of our studious Christian Brethren to a circle enclosing purely Hebrew traditions , which , beautiful , probable , and instructive as they are , do by no means embrace all that Freemasonry comprehends in its real universality . The first would be paying the enlightened Jew a compliment which he could not return with equal courtesy , for he would answer , that Freemasonry has opened for his
progressive studies a wider field than the narrowed , lately proclaimed universality embraced , and that three higher degrees in the science of Freemasonry were required , in order to elucidate the three minor and initiatory degrees ; and that without being allowed to include his pro-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Lectures On Freemasonry ,
their system of universality as erroneous , and calculated to prevent Freemasonry from assuming its well-merited rank amongst theinteresting and most instructive sciences . This appendix , partaking greatly in the Babylonian , Persian , and Israelitic events celebrated in the Order of the East , has enabled the inquiring Freemason to become acquainted with the progress and subsequent destruction of that primitive edifice , the ruins of which have produced to him the invaluable treasures previously lost , which is set as the boundary of this modern universality .
it the Iramers ot tins kind ot Jtreemasonry had only in view to end it with the wonderful discovery under the ruins , I confess that they have set limits to a speculative science which the studious and inquiring part of our fraternity must reject as arbitrary and ill-judged . Freemasonry is a science not to be confined to a few Israelitic traditions learned b y heart , like as a schoolboy learns his lesson ; it is a science which embraces every thing useful to man ; it corrects the heart and prepares it to receive the mild impressions of the divine codeits rhoral
; injunctions , if duly weighed and properly applied , never fail to form its disciples into good members of society . It opens a progressive field for inquiry , and ought never to be driven into narrow bounds by the enactment of a law , saying : Thus far we ivill allow you to go and no farther , under the penalty of exclusion from its universality . Masonry can only consider the three degrees embraced in the new universality , as the initiatory steps to hiher cultivationand the universalladopted ST
g ; y . . and W . whereb y to gain admission into our Masonic circles , by no means constitute the science of Freemasonry , which , far from being confined to the preliminary , but yet very valuable and instructive information received in the three degrees , extends its studies to hi gher objects , founded upon Masonic traditions , history , and experience . Freemasonry , therefore , confined to the three inferior degrees , loses the character of a science ; it becomes stationaryit destroys all
emula-, tion for progress , it disgusts the Brethren of real thirst for science , it raises ignorance by dint of a good memory , to a seat in a Lodge which ought to he better filled for . the credit of the Craft , and it too frequently thins the ranks of the Brethren by the secession of many who having learned all that is to be learned in this new universal system , consider it a loss of valuable time to visit their Lodge any longer .
I never could conceive , and am still at a loss to know , why this innovation in our otherwise excellent institutions , should confine Freemasonry to the three Israelitish degrees only . It surely could not emanate from an over charitable feeling for our Hebrew Brethren , whom , if good men and worth y Brethren , I respect equally with other men of good character , and could not for a moment even attempt to act with them contrary to my sincerest and early adopted principles of
Freemasonry . This enaction of exclusion could be much less the effect of a desire of confining the genius of our studious Christian Brethren to a circle enclosing purely Hebrew traditions , which , beautiful , probable , and instructive as they are , do by no means embrace all that Freemasonry comprehends in its real universality . The first would be paying the enlightened Jew a compliment which he could not return with equal courtesy , for he would answer , that Freemasonry has opened for his
progressive studies a wider field than the narrowed , lately proclaimed universality embraced , and that three higher degrees in the science of Freemasonry were required , in order to elucidate the three minor and initiatory degrees ; and that without being allowed to include his pro-