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Article THE REVELATIONS OF A SQUARE. ← Page 4 of 14 →
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The Revelations Of A Square.
" We heard , about this time , that certain Jews were implicated in the unauthorised proceedings of our Continental Brethren , if indeed they were not the chief movers of them , as was asserted by some authorities ; and it was the first notice we ever received of the descendants of Abraham
being admitted to a participation in our Christian privileges . From their success in procuring initiation into the surreptitious Masonry of the Continent , the English Jews soon became successful candidates for admission in our symbolical Order ; for it was justly contended that as Jews were not excluded from attending Christian churches , it
would be impolitic and uncharitable to close a Christian Lodge against them . From that period they have been received into Masonry as members of an universal Order whose principles , like those of the Christian religion , are destined to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea . " Rumours now arose , whence originating no one could
discover , that Freemasonry was exclusively a Jewish institution ; and the proposition formed a prolific subject of discussion amongst us . At length an eminent Jew offered himself as a candidate for initiation in our Lodge ; and being a reputable and intelligent man , he was of course accepted ; and then we discovered the grounds on which the
arguments for the Jewish origin and application of Masonry were based . ' One evening , in a numerous Lodge , Dr . Manningham expatiated largely , in his lecture , on Faith , Hope , and Charity , as virtues equally of Masonry and Christianity . When the lecture was ended , our Hebrew Brother observed that , in his opinion , Faith , Hope , and
Charity had no existence in ancient Masonry . He contended that as Solomon built the Temple at Jerusalem , which forms the great allegory of the Order , and as he was the first and chief of the three Grand Masters , it follows that Masonry must be a Jewish establishment , and consequently inapplicable to the reception of virtues which are peculiar to any sectarian religion .
" Dr . Manningham admitted that the argument was specious , and might have the effect of convincing some few superficial Brethren , but it was not sound ; for , he observed , if Masonry be Jewish , it is not only sectarian , but of the most exclusive character ; for Palestine was but a flowergarden compared to the rest of the world , and its population as to numbers perfectly insignificant . And if Solomon's « , Grand Mastership be esteemed of any importance in the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Revelations Of A Square.
" We heard , about this time , that certain Jews were implicated in the unauthorised proceedings of our Continental Brethren , if indeed they were not the chief movers of them , as was asserted by some authorities ; and it was the first notice we ever received of the descendants of Abraham
being admitted to a participation in our Christian privileges . From their success in procuring initiation into the surreptitious Masonry of the Continent , the English Jews soon became successful candidates for admission in our symbolical Order ; for it was justly contended that as Jews were not excluded from attending Christian churches , it
would be impolitic and uncharitable to close a Christian Lodge against them . From that period they have been received into Masonry as members of an universal Order whose principles , like those of the Christian religion , are destined to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea . " Rumours now arose , whence originating no one could
discover , that Freemasonry was exclusively a Jewish institution ; and the proposition formed a prolific subject of discussion amongst us . At length an eminent Jew offered himself as a candidate for initiation in our Lodge ; and being a reputable and intelligent man , he was of course accepted ; and then we discovered the grounds on which the
arguments for the Jewish origin and application of Masonry were based . ' One evening , in a numerous Lodge , Dr . Manningham expatiated largely , in his lecture , on Faith , Hope , and Charity , as virtues equally of Masonry and Christianity . When the lecture was ended , our Hebrew Brother observed that , in his opinion , Faith , Hope , and
Charity had no existence in ancient Masonry . He contended that as Solomon built the Temple at Jerusalem , which forms the great allegory of the Order , and as he was the first and chief of the three Grand Masters , it follows that Masonry must be a Jewish establishment , and consequently inapplicable to the reception of virtues which are peculiar to any sectarian religion .
" Dr . Manningham admitted that the argument was specious , and might have the effect of convincing some few superficial Brethren , but it was not sound ; for , he observed , if Masonry be Jewish , it is not only sectarian , but of the most exclusive character ; for Palestine was but a flowergarden compared to the rest of the world , and its population as to numbers perfectly insignificant . And if Solomon's « , Grand Mastership be esteemed of any importance in the