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Article ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF FREEMASONRY BY THE DRUIDS. ← Page 5 of 10 →
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On The Knowledge Of Freemasonry By The Druids.
the system of worship of the Phoenician gods , Baal and Molech ;* and these references are still more strongly marked in the Book of Kingst as distinctly connecting it with idolatry . Of the several sorts of divination practiced by the Druids , that most venerated by them , was by sprigs or tallies , which , on the eve of any important event , were broken with the view of foretelling its result ; J and this description of divination is easilidentified with that denounced in
y Hosea , y as practiced by the idolatrous Hebrews , and which is further illustrated by Jerome , who says , f That if doubts were between two or three cities which should be first assaulted , they wrote the names of the cities upon staves or arrows , which being shaken in a quiver together , the first drawn out determined the city . " Others thus describe it : — " The consulter measured his staff by spans , saying , —I will go , or , I will not go ; I will do , or , I will not do such a thing , and as the last
span fell out so he determined . " || There seems , therefore , reasonable ground for supposing this art was obtained by the Druids from the same source from which they derived their entire system of idolatry , and that , indeed , it formed part of that system , and was consequently regarded by them with a veneration , equalled only by that which they entertained for their gods , placing all dependence in their oracles , which originating in fraud and the natural disposition of men to deceive themselves , ultimately became a fruitful source of imposition ; and living in perfect ignorance , or wilful blindness , of the existence of that " One
with whom none else will bear comparison , the universal and incomprehensible Deity , " in whom alone the Mason , from the first of time , has , " through all the various and uncertain incidents of his life , " been taught to place his sole trast and confidence . The custom of the Druids of celebrating their worship in the open air , and in groves or woods , has been not improperly assumed as unopposed to Masonry ; and it has been further considered that , inasmuch
as such a practice is admitted to have existed from the earliest of time amongst Masons , that therefore the same practice by the Druids was followed by them , in a Masonic spirit ; but it is by no means easy to find evidences , sufficiently satisfactory or reliable , to aid in arriving at a conclusion that such was the fact : indeed , the evidences capable of being adduced , rather tend to a contrary result ; for , although there may be found abundant testimony , in the Old Testament , to prove that groves -were held sacred hy the first practisers of pure Masonry , yet a more
than equal weight of evidence will be found , to show that groves and woods were subsequently used for the practices of idolatry , particularly those connected with the worship of Baal . Indeed , from the many passages to be found in the Books of Judges and Kings , H it would seem that that idol was usually worshipped in " the groves . " Some writers have asserted that the consecration of groves and woods arose with the ancient heathens , ** who , not content with the simple forms of divine worship inculcated by Masonry , —but imitating one of its earliest customs in selecting " the highest of hills" as a spot peculiar for the celebration of Masonic rites , —beset those hills with trees for the purpose of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Knowledge Of Freemasonry By The Druids.
the system of worship of the Phoenician gods , Baal and Molech ;* and these references are still more strongly marked in the Book of Kingst as distinctly connecting it with idolatry . Of the several sorts of divination practiced by the Druids , that most venerated by them , was by sprigs or tallies , which , on the eve of any important event , were broken with the view of foretelling its result ; J and this description of divination is easilidentified with that denounced in
y Hosea , y as practiced by the idolatrous Hebrews , and which is further illustrated by Jerome , who says , f That if doubts were between two or three cities which should be first assaulted , they wrote the names of the cities upon staves or arrows , which being shaken in a quiver together , the first drawn out determined the city . " Others thus describe it : — " The consulter measured his staff by spans , saying , —I will go , or , I will not go ; I will do , or , I will not do such a thing , and as the last
span fell out so he determined . " || There seems , therefore , reasonable ground for supposing this art was obtained by the Druids from the same source from which they derived their entire system of idolatry , and that , indeed , it formed part of that system , and was consequently regarded by them with a veneration , equalled only by that which they entertained for their gods , placing all dependence in their oracles , which originating in fraud and the natural disposition of men to deceive themselves , ultimately became a fruitful source of imposition ; and living in perfect ignorance , or wilful blindness , of the existence of that " One
with whom none else will bear comparison , the universal and incomprehensible Deity , " in whom alone the Mason , from the first of time , has , " through all the various and uncertain incidents of his life , " been taught to place his sole trast and confidence . The custom of the Druids of celebrating their worship in the open air , and in groves or woods , has been not improperly assumed as unopposed to Masonry ; and it has been further considered that , inasmuch
as such a practice is admitted to have existed from the earliest of time amongst Masons , that therefore the same practice by the Druids was followed by them , in a Masonic spirit ; but it is by no means easy to find evidences , sufficiently satisfactory or reliable , to aid in arriving at a conclusion that such was the fact : indeed , the evidences capable of being adduced , rather tend to a contrary result ; for , although there may be found abundant testimony , in the Old Testament , to prove that groves -were held sacred hy the first practisers of pure Masonry , yet a more
than equal weight of evidence will be found , to show that groves and woods were subsequently used for the practices of idolatry , particularly those connected with the worship of Baal . Indeed , from the many passages to be found in the Books of Judges and Kings , H it would seem that that idol was usually worshipped in " the groves . " Some writers have asserted that the consecration of groves and woods arose with the ancient heathens , ** who , not content with the simple forms of divine worship inculcated by Masonry , —but imitating one of its earliest customs in selecting " the highest of hills" as a spot peculiar for the celebration of Masonic rites , —beset those hills with trees for the purpose of