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Article A CENTURY OF FREEMASONRY* ← Page 12 of 15 →
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A Century Of Freemasonry*
It Avas therefore a fortunate occurrence that in 1755 , the Grande Loge de France was erected . The necessity of the measure was obvious . But the ei'il of the high grades Avas UOAV too deeply seated , and even the Supreme Council of the Masons in France could not obA-iate it , as their Statutes AA'iil SIIOAV in Articles XXIII . and XLII .
The document is entitled , — " Statutes agreed b y the Honourable Loclge of St . John of Jerusalem , of the Orient of Paris , governed by the Very High ancl Very Mighty Lord Louis cle Bourbon , Count of Clermont , Prince of the Blood , Grand Master of all the regular Lodges of France , to serve as rules for all those of the Kingdom . "
The first article recognizes the supremacy of the DiA'ine Master and T . G . A . O . T . U ., ancl enjoins continual prayer , and a very watchful guard over the tongue and heart . The second article enjoins submission to temporal authority , ancl makes a due respect for them imperative upon all good Masons . Article Fourth exhorts to humility , as regards riches , honours , and
birth , and declares that in order truly to deserve the goods with which T . G . A . O . T . U . has endowed man , he should love the poor and support them , " as a true Mason ought to do . " "Art . V . —The true Mason should be decent , obliging , humane , and highminded in society , and an enemy of the false and the slanderous . " " Art . XI . —Only such p'ersons are to be admitted as possess honourable birth , strict character and habits , who fear God , AJ * D WHO ABE BAPTIZED . "
Compare this with the first charge in Anderson : *—" 1 . Concerning God and Heliqion . —A Mason is obliged , by his tenure , to obey the moral law ; and if he rightly understands the Art , he will never be a stupid ATHEIST nor an irreligious LIBEETINE . But though in ancient times Masons were charged in every country to be of the religion of that country or nation , whatever it was , yet it is now thought more expedient only to oblige them to that religion in whieh all
men agree , leaving their particular opinions to themselves ; that is , to be good men and true , or men of honour and honesty , by whatever denominations and persuasions they may be distinguished ; whereby Masonry becomes the centre of union and the means of conciliating true friendship among persons that must have remained at a perpetual distance . " This eleventh article and some other of these , when collated with the institutions ancl charges of Englandevince the bias
, that there was to dissent from the ancient institutions , rather because they came from a foreign country than from any other reason . To return : — " Art . XIII . —Such persons shall only be initiated as are free and
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Century Of Freemasonry*
It Avas therefore a fortunate occurrence that in 1755 , the Grande Loge de France was erected . The necessity of the measure was obvious . But the ei'il of the high grades Avas UOAV too deeply seated , and even the Supreme Council of the Masons in France could not obA-iate it , as their Statutes AA'iil SIIOAV in Articles XXIII . and XLII .
The document is entitled , — " Statutes agreed b y the Honourable Loclge of St . John of Jerusalem , of the Orient of Paris , governed by the Very High ancl Very Mighty Lord Louis cle Bourbon , Count of Clermont , Prince of the Blood , Grand Master of all the regular Lodges of France , to serve as rules for all those of the Kingdom . "
The first article recognizes the supremacy of the DiA'ine Master and T . G . A . O . T . U ., ancl enjoins continual prayer , and a very watchful guard over the tongue and heart . The second article enjoins submission to temporal authority , ancl makes a due respect for them imperative upon all good Masons . Article Fourth exhorts to humility , as regards riches , honours , and
birth , and declares that in order truly to deserve the goods with which T . G . A . O . T . U . has endowed man , he should love the poor and support them , " as a true Mason ought to do . " "Art . V . —The true Mason should be decent , obliging , humane , and highminded in society , and an enemy of the false and the slanderous . " " Art . XI . —Only such p'ersons are to be admitted as possess honourable birth , strict character and habits , who fear God , AJ * D WHO ABE BAPTIZED . "
Compare this with the first charge in Anderson : *—" 1 . Concerning God and Heliqion . —A Mason is obliged , by his tenure , to obey the moral law ; and if he rightly understands the Art , he will never be a stupid ATHEIST nor an irreligious LIBEETINE . But though in ancient times Masons were charged in every country to be of the religion of that country or nation , whatever it was , yet it is now thought more expedient only to oblige them to that religion in whieh all
men agree , leaving their particular opinions to themselves ; that is , to be good men and true , or men of honour and honesty , by whatever denominations and persuasions they may be distinguished ; whereby Masonry becomes the centre of union and the means of conciliating true friendship among persons that must have remained at a perpetual distance . " This eleventh article and some other of these , when collated with the institutions ancl charges of Englandevince the bias
, that there was to dissent from the ancient institutions , rather because they came from a foreign country than from any other reason . To return : — " Art . XIII . —Such persons shall only be initiated as are free and