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Article ON FREEMASONRY. ← Page 3 of 9 →
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On Freemasonry.
degrees he has received , or their tendency to dignify his nature , and make him aiviser and a better man . Still these steps , sublime though they be , are only preparatory to something infinitely more striking , and more directly applicable to the great dispensation on ivhieh all our hopes of happiness , both in this world and a betterare suspended . Red Masonry
, displays the direct prophecies of the Messiah—the star of Jacob — Shilo—the corner stone—Moses at the bush , Sec . In Military Masonry , all these prophecies are fulfilled , and the Christian system clearly developed ; ivhile in the Rose-Croix it is displayed in all its comely and perfect proportions . There are abundant reasons for believing that Freemasonry
had no stated lectures before the great revival in 1717 ; and the disquisitions enjoined at that period ivere compiled by Drs . Anderson , Desaguliers , and other irorthy and learned brethren , from ancient records , and the viva voce information
of experienced members of the four old lodges then in active operation . It is evident , from a copy of these primitive lectures in my possession , that the compilers intended to associate Freemasonry , to a certain extent , ivith Christianity . Thus , at the A ery outset , in the first degree , Ave find the candidate assuming to have been recommended by " the
brethren of the holy lodge of St . John , " and professing the Christian doctrine of " ruling and governing his passions , and doing to others as he Avould have others do to him . " He also refers a significant part of the ceremony to an observation of Jesus Christ , " Ask , and ye shall have ; seek , and ye shall find ; knockand it shall be opened unto you . " They
, had also a tradition of St . John the Evangelist being invited to take upon himself the Grand Mastership of the Order . Now , although this tradition may be of no authority , yet its very existence proves that our ancient brethren were desirous of connecting Masonry with Christianity by a decided and unequivocal link .
In the lecture of the second degree , Ave again find a reference to " the Lodge of St . John ; " and , which is more to our present purpose , ive have also an explanation of the Masonic meaning attached to the title " Great Architect of the Universe : " AVIIO is plainly declared to be Jesus Christ . These are the ivords : — " The Grand Architect and Contriver of the Universe , or He that was taken up to the top of the pinnacle of the Holy Temple . " In another course of lectures , used a few years later , called the " Old York
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry.
degrees he has received , or their tendency to dignify his nature , and make him aiviser and a better man . Still these steps , sublime though they be , are only preparatory to something infinitely more striking , and more directly applicable to the great dispensation on ivhieh all our hopes of happiness , both in this world and a betterare suspended . Red Masonry
, displays the direct prophecies of the Messiah—the star of Jacob — Shilo—the corner stone—Moses at the bush , Sec . In Military Masonry , all these prophecies are fulfilled , and the Christian system clearly developed ; ivhile in the Rose-Croix it is displayed in all its comely and perfect proportions . There are abundant reasons for believing that Freemasonry
had no stated lectures before the great revival in 1717 ; and the disquisitions enjoined at that period ivere compiled by Drs . Anderson , Desaguliers , and other irorthy and learned brethren , from ancient records , and the viva voce information
of experienced members of the four old lodges then in active operation . It is evident , from a copy of these primitive lectures in my possession , that the compilers intended to associate Freemasonry , to a certain extent , ivith Christianity . Thus , at the A ery outset , in the first degree , Ave find the candidate assuming to have been recommended by " the
brethren of the holy lodge of St . John , " and professing the Christian doctrine of " ruling and governing his passions , and doing to others as he Avould have others do to him . " He also refers a significant part of the ceremony to an observation of Jesus Christ , " Ask , and ye shall have ; seek , and ye shall find ; knockand it shall be opened unto you . " They
, had also a tradition of St . John the Evangelist being invited to take upon himself the Grand Mastership of the Order . Now , although this tradition may be of no authority , yet its very existence proves that our ancient brethren were desirous of connecting Masonry with Christianity by a decided and unequivocal link .
In the lecture of the second degree , Ave again find a reference to " the Lodge of St . John ; " and , which is more to our present purpose , ive have also an explanation of the Masonic meaning attached to the title " Great Architect of the Universe : " AVIIO is plainly declared to be Jesus Christ . These are the ivords : — " The Grand Architect and Contriver of the Universe , or He that was taken up to the top of the pinnacle of the Holy Temple . " In another course of lectures , used a few years later , called the " Old York