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Article ON THE STUDY OF MASONIC ANTIQUITIES. ← Page 2 of 6 →
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On The Study Of Masonic Antiquities.
pendently of its other beneficial tendencies ( and these are manifold ) , renders Freemasonry worthy the attention of every man , desirous of promoting the welfare , and increasing the happiness of his fellow-creatures . A society thus constituted , connecting together all its professors in the ties of BROTHERLY LOVE—inculcating with powerful energy the purest doctrines of MORALITY and VIRTUE—breathing the holiest aspirations of an unding FAITH—leading to the blissful HOPE of a glorious
immory tality—and teaching with impressive force the practice of UNIVERSAL CHARITY—a society thus constituted would not be less worthy of notice though its origin could not be traced beyond the present age . But the spirit of Freemasonry , though radiant in her beauty , like the day-star of the morning , ancl still fresh with the purity of holiness and grace , is no longer young . Oriinating in periods of the most remote antiquityFreemasonry has
g , outlived the fall of empires , and survived the mutations of ages . Based on the rock of truth —TRUTH , immutable and eternal—having the welfare of man for its primary object , and the glory of God for its ultimate aim , it has resisted ancl triumphed over all the assaults of its enemies . Passing through the fiery ordeal of persecution , it has become , like gold , purified by the trial . The history and antiquities of the system , thereforeirrespective of its
, beneficent principles , awaken our curiosity , and become deeply interesting , particularly when we find that the investigation increases in interest as we proceed , and finally opens a wide and apparently boundless field of inquiry , not ' only to the moralist and philanthropist , but also to the historian , the archajologist , and the divine .
Great minds have occasionally been engaged in this investigationmany learned Brethren have enlightened the fraternity by their erudite researches—but our Rev . Brother , Dr . Oliver , completed the crowning labour , and to him the honour is due of having , unaided and by the most unremitting perseverance , collected the materials from their widely scattered sources , and prepared the most complete and interesting exposition which we yet possess of Masonic antiquities , and the progress of the science amongst the early nations of the earth . The works of Dr . Oliver
place Freemasonry in its proper light before the world , and they , more perhaps than any other external circumstance , have tended to raise the institution to the commanding position which it now occupies . The dignity of the science , regarded in its speculative character , demands that all philosophical investigations into its origin , progress , and principles should be encouraged , in order that it may retain its high position , intellectually as well as morally , and never be allowed , through
the inattention of its members , to degenerate into a mere form or ritual , and become like a body without spirit , or life without soul . As in aE other departments of science fresh discoveries are continuall y increasing our store of knowledge , so we find that archceological researches , particularly amongst the existing monuments of those countries where ancient Masonry more especially flourished , are constantly adding to the numerous facts already collectedand rendering us better acquainted
, ivith Masonic antiquities . Each labourer should therefore contribute his mite of information . Though at the time of no apparent value , subsequent research may show its ultimate importance . The Rosetta Stone was at first regarded as a mere mutilated fragment of antiquity ; its discovery , however , led eventually to the art of deciphering the Egyptian hieroglyphics , an art which had been lost for fifteen centuries ; and
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Study Of Masonic Antiquities.
pendently of its other beneficial tendencies ( and these are manifold ) , renders Freemasonry worthy the attention of every man , desirous of promoting the welfare , and increasing the happiness of his fellow-creatures . A society thus constituted , connecting together all its professors in the ties of BROTHERLY LOVE—inculcating with powerful energy the purest doctrines of MORALITY and VIRTUE—breathing the holiest aspirations of an unding FAITH—leading to the blissful HOPE of a glorious
immory tality—and teaching with impressive force the practice of UNIVERSAL CHARITY—a society thus constituted would not be less worthy of notice though its origin could not be traced beyond the present age . But the spirit of Freemasonry , though radiant in her beauty , like the day-star of the morning , ancl still fresh with the purity of holiness and grace , is no longer young . Oriinating in periods of the most remote antiquityFreemasonry has
g , outlived the fall of empires , and survived the mutations of ages . Based on the rock of truth —TRUTH , immutable and eternal—having the welfare of man for its primary object , and the glory of God for its ultimate aim , it has resisted ancl triumphed over all the assaults of its enemies . Passing through the fiery ordeal of persecution , it has become , like gold , purified by the trial . The history and antiquities of the system , thereforeirrespective of its
, beneficent principles , awaken our curiosity , and become deeply interesting , particularly when we find that the investigation increases in interest as we proceed , and finally opens a wide and apparently boundless field of inquiry , not ' only to the moralist and philanthropist , but also to the historian , the archajologist , and the divine .
Great minds have occasionally been engaged in this investigationmany learned Brethren have enlightened the fraternity by their erudite researches—but our Rev . Brother , Dr . Oliver , completed the crowning labour , and to him the honour is due of having , unaided and by the most unremitting perseverance , collected the materials from their widely scattered sources , and prepared the most complete and interesting exposition which we yet possess of Masonic antiquities , and the progress of the science amongst the early nations of the earth . The works of Dr . Oliver
place Freemasonry in its proper light before the world , and they , more perhaps than any other external circumstance , have tended to raise the institution to the commanding position which it now occupies . The dignity of the science , regarded in its speculative character , demands that all philosophical investigations into its origin , progress , and principles should be encouraged , in order that it may retain its high position , intellectually as well as morally , and never be allowed , through
the inattention of its members , to degenerate into a mere form or ritual , and become like a body without spirit , or life without soul . As in aE other departments of science fresh discoveries are continuall y increasing our store of knowledge , so we find that archceological researches , particularly amongst the existing monuments of those countries where ancient Masonry more especially flourished , are constantly adding to the numerous facts already collectedand rendering us better acquainted
, ivith Masonic antiquities . Each labourer should therefore contribute his mite of information . Though at the time of no apparent value , subsequent research may show its ultimate importance . The Rosetta Stone was at first regarded as a mere mutilated fragment of antiquity ; its discovery , however , led eventually to the art of deciphering the Egyptian hieroglyphics , an art which had been lost for fifteen centuries ; and