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Article TO THE CATHOLIC HIERARCHY OF ENGLAND. ← Page 2 of 2
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To The Catholic Hierarchy Of England.
nion , know the picture to be false and libellous : you can say with truth of her , in the words of Christ— " Thou art all fair , O my love ! and there is no spot in thee ; " and regret doubtless the blindness of man which calls " light " " darkness , " and purity itself the scarlet whore . To compare small things with great , Freemasonry has been subject to the same treatment ; has been reviled and anathematized ; and that solely by those who were entirely ignorant of her princiles . She has
p likewise had the misfortune to be denounced by the Catholic Hierarchy , who have been abused as to the intentions of the Order by its enemies , who , for sinister motives , have confounded Freemasonry with other societies , some of which were evil , and the others questionable . "A Catholic "—anxious to remove from the Catholic Freemasons under the Grand Lodge of England , the edicts which ( for the safety of true religion and the protection of pure morality ) the predecessors of His Holiness
Pius IX . ( whom God preserve ) have deemed it expedient to promulgate against Freemasons—has drawn up a petition to His Holiness , praying that the Freemasons of Great Britain , Ireland , and her Colonies , may be freed from the effects of these several edicts ; and I , in furtherance of the prayer of his petition , presume to present to you the real principles of Freemasonry , that you may perceive that religion ' and- morality have nothing to fear from the society of Freemasons , but that the said society
is a humble auxiliary in the glorious cause of morality , and ought to be pleasing to all denominations of Christians , and particularly to the Holy Catholic Churcli . In the first place , all political and religious discussion is strictly prohibited in Masons' Lodges ; a rule so strictly adhered to ,
that I never heard the subject mentioned in a Lodge , ( excepting to impress this law upon the Brethren : ) thus rendering any attempt to subvert the institutions of the country impossible in Masonry . In the charge at initiation into the first degree , are these words— "Asa citizen , lam next to enjoin you to be exemplary in the discharge of your civil duties , by never proposing , or at all countenancing , any act that may have a tendency to subvert the peace and good order of society , by paying due obedience to the laws of any state which may for a time become the
place of your residence . " From the above you will perceive how averse Masonry is to disloyalty or political agitation . As regards the morality of Masonry ; tried by the touchstone of truth , it will be found unexceptionable . The three grand principles on which the Order is founded , are Brotherly Love , Relief , and Truth . We are taught' to have Faith in one God , Hope in His salvation , and Charity to all men . We are taught to exercise the virtues of Temperance , Fortitude , Prudence , and
Justice ; to consider all men our brethren ; to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction ; and keep ourselves unspotted from the world . Such , beloved pastors , is the morality of Masonry—such the morality of that Order for which I solicit your charity . Leave the task of reviling such an institution to wicked uncharitable men ; and as your holy religion ( our holy religion ) has the good of all men at heart ; as she offers up her prayers for the just and the unjust—for the just that they may be perfected , and for the unjust that they may turn from their wickedness . and live—so join your exertions for that Order which you will find your firmest ally and most zealous servant in your efforts to make the human family better and happier men . .. , -,.. » ::.- ¦ : ¦ . ;•' . "I WM . SNEWING .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Catholic Hierarchy Of England.
nion , know the picture to be false and libellous : you can say with truth of her , in the words of Christ— " Thou art all fair , O my love ! and there is no spot in thee ; " and regret doubtless the blindness of man which calls " light " " darkness , " and purity itself the scarlet whore . To compare small things with great , Freemasonry has been subject to the same treatment ; has been reviled and anathematized ; and that solely by those who were entirely ignorant of her princiles . She has
p likewise had the misfortune to be denounced by the Catholic Hierarchy , who have been abused as to the intentions of the Order by its enemies , who , for sinister motives , have confounded Freemasonry with other societies , some of which were evil , and the others questionable . "A Catholic "—anxious to remove from the Catholic Freemasons under the Grand Lodge of England , the edicts which ( for the safety of true religion and the protection of pure morality ) the predecessors of His Holiness
Pius IX . ( whom God preserve ) have deemed it expedient to promulgate against Freemasons—has drawn up a petition to His Holiness , praying that the Freemasons of Great Britain , Ireland , and her Colonies , may be freed from the effects of these several edicts ; and I , in furtherance of the prayer of his petition , presume to present to you the real principles of Freemasonry , that you may perceive that religion ' and- morality have nothing to fear from the society of Freemasons , but that the said society
is a humble auxiliary in the glorious cause of morality , and ought to be pleasing to all denominations of Christians , and particularly to the Holy Catholic Churcli . In the first place , all political and religious discussion is strictly prohibited in Masons' Lodges ; a rule so strictly adhered to ,
that I never heard the subject mentioned in a Lodge , ( excepting to impress this law upon the Brethren : ) thus rendering any attempt to subvert the institutions of the country impossible in Masonry . In the charge at initiation into the first degree , are these words— "Asa citizen , lam next to enjoin you to be exemplary in the discharge of your civil duties , by never proposing , or at all countenancing , any act that may have a tendency to subvert the peace and good order of society , by paying due obedience to the laws of any state which may for a time become the
place of your residence . " From the above you will perceive how averse Masonry is to disloyalty or political agitation . As regards the morality of Masonry ; tried by the touchstone of truth , it will be found unexceptionable . The three grand principles on which the Order is founded , are Brotherly Love , Relief , and Truth . We are taught' to have Faith in one God , Hope in His salvation , and Charity to all men . We are taught to exercise the virtues of Temperance , Fortitude , Prudence , and
Justice ; to consider all men our brethren ; to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction ; and keep ourselves unspotted from the world . Such , beloved pastors , is the morality of Masonry—such the morality of that Order for which I solicit your charity . Leave the task of reviling such an institution to wicked uncharitable men ; and as your holy religion ( our holy religion ) has the good of all men at heart ; as she offers up her prayers for the just and the unjust—for the just that they may be perfected , and for the unjust that they may turn from their wickedness . and live—so join your exertions for that Order which you will find your firmest ally and most zealous servant in your efforts to make the human family better and happier men . .. , -,.. » ::.- ¦ : ¦ . ;•' . "I WM . SNEWING .