-
Articles/Ads
Article Multum in Parbo, or Masonic Notes and Queries. ← Page 2 of 2 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 3 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
3 ist . That if a brother is proposed to be raised , the motion is to be made by himself after he is once initiated in the 4 th degree of Masonry and the 1 st of this lodge , and is to be seconded by at least one ofthe members then present , and when unanimously chosen by ballot , he is to pay the before-mentioned sum of his initiation , and for his apron , jewel , and
order , provided by the lodge , to the Treasurer before the lodge is closed . 32 nd . That as this lodge is instituted entirely for the good and propagation of the Craft , it is therefore especially ordered , that any expenses which may be made after the lodge is closed , shall not be defrayed out of the fund of the lodge , but only those which
shall be made during the lodge hours , and if any of the members choose to stay and sup , & c , they shall be obliged to defray such expenses out of their private pockets . 33 rd . That every quarter ( on 19 Feb ., 19 May , 19 Aug ., and 19 Nov ., ) the Treasurer do lay a true state of his accounts before the lodge of what money
is in the Treasury , and if there is any to spare , it shall first be employed in the necessary decorations of this lodge , as shall be judged by a majority of voices of the Gr . Elt . Perft . and Sub ' me Members . N . B . — It is understood that whenever the Right Worshipful Founder of this lodge shall honour it with his presence , he is always to have the honour
of the chair , which he may refuse or accept , and has always two votes in any debates , and in his absence the Master has the same prerogative . 34 th . That if a procession is concluded upon , all the members of this lodge who are able to walk , shall have the Badges and Orders of their highest degrees in the procession , and any other brother
Masons and members of other regular constituted lodges shall also be allowed to walk in said procession on paying for their tickets what shall be deemed reasonable , the form of the procession to be regulated by the Founder , Master , and Officers of this lodge , according to the seniority and superiority of the members of such procession .
35 th . Whenever a Knight ofthe East , Prince of Jerusalem , & c , visits a Lodge of Perfection and is known that he is a Knight or a Prince , the Master sends some Deputies to know if he chooses to be introduced with all his honours , he answers he expects it by thc dignity of his Royal Degree , on which the Deputies report that thc Prince or Brother must
be introduced with all his honours , then the Master sends 4 Masters of the highest degrees ( thc Grand Officers excepted ) with naked swords to receive him , the Prince enters with his sword in his hand or with his buckler and spear , and stands between the two first Officers in the West , salutes the Master and Brethren with his sword without taking
off his hat , after which the Master invites the Prince visitor to come and sit at his right hand ; when he advances to the Master all the brethren form an arch with their swords , through which he goes till he arrives to the seat , which he may take or refuse , but if he takes it , & c , he returns it immediately and has a right to go out of thc lodge being it is closed
thc arch being formed before his going away . A Knight of the East cannot enter with those honours if a Prince of Jerusalem is present , nor a Prince of Jerusalemn if any of higher degree are present , and then only have the arch formed and take their seats according to rank . A Knight of the East visiting a lodge is styled
Illustrious Knight ; a Prince of Jerusalem , Valorous Prince ; a Knight of the Sun , Sovereign Prince ; and a Prince of the Royal Secret , Thrice Illustrious and Sublime Prince . A lodge is obliged to give an exact account of every one of there transactions to any of the above ( in those High Degrees ) visitors , and if any coolness
subsist among the brethren , he is to reconcile them ; but those who are obstinate he has a power to expel them immediately , if they will not conform to the rules and regulations of Masonry . Thc visitors of these High Degrees have a right to keep their scats in all operations of the Symbolic Lodge with their hats on , but cannot claim those
privileges without their Orders and Decorations . Five Princes of Jerusalem can form a Grand Council , but no less number ; and only one Grand Council can be formed in every Province , and if any Lodges of Perfection established in another Province
where no Grand Council is established , such lodges may appeal to thc Grand Council where such is established who can finally judge , and no appeal can be had from such judgment as they are authorised by their perfect knowledge in every matter relative to tlie Craft .
WE have much pleasure in stating that Bro . W . James Hughan will write an article ou " Initiations under the Grand Lodge of Scotland " for Tun FIIKKMASON of September the iotli , in answer to the views expressed by brethren belonging to lodges under the Scottish
Constitution , with whose views Bro . Hughan entirely sympathises , and only regrets they arc not adopted in Scotland itself . GLOVES . — The Operative Mason cannot use gloves at his work , but we can , and that , too , of the purest white , at ours , thereby intimating that every action of a Mason ought to be pure and spotless . —Gadicke .
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents . MASONIC UNIVERSALITY . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , — Cosmopolitanism is the base and copestone of Masonry . It constitutes its main beauty and utility , and every candidate is solemnly assured thereof at his initiation . But , yet , it cannot be denied that Masonrv was
never entirely free from sectarianism , and that efforts are constantly made , under one pretext or another , to drive the sectarian wedge deeper and deeper . First of all , the Grand Lodge of England of 1717 was organised on St . John ' s Day ; next , it made it
obligatory on Masons , not only to celebrate the Baptist's day , but also that of the Evangelist ; next , was palmed off thc fiction of the Grand Mastership and Grand Patronage of the Saints ; next , the Bible was placed in the lodge ; next , quotations from the Old and New Testaments were infused into the
work ; next , some genius discovered that the third degree is altogether Christian ; next , another genius discovered that the two St . Johns were Masonic parallels , and from the earliest time were so regarded by the ancient brethren : and this piling up of all kind of humbug , in order to connect Masonry
with Christianity , continued , unchecked , until 1813 . It was then , when the Masonic sham of universality became too offensively manifest , that Dr . Hemming was authorised , in revising the ritual , to expunge therefrom the allusions to the saints , and other conflicting elements . These omissions
certainly tended to bring Masonry into greater harmony with its professed mission of cultivating a true and sincere friendship among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance . The reform , however , was only partial . In orderto compromise with sectarian prejudices , the Bible
remained as part of the furniture of the lodge , and certain far-fetched allusions—such as " Sacred Scripture , " " Sacred Law , " " Morning Star , " & cwere engrafted on the ceremonies . Upon what ground the continuance of these topics could be justified in a Society which claims " to unite men of
every sect and opinion , be they what they may , " I cannot tell . If their idea was that " thc end justifies the means ; " in thc first place , such an excuse is abominable ; and , secondly , can the desired end be reached thereby ? Can a Christian become more intensely Christian by tolerating and encouraging
inconsistency and deception , or can an unbeliever become converted through such flimsy devices ? If our over-zealous Christian brethren had , however , remained contented with the concessions left to them , these far-fetched allusions would probably never have been challenged ; but it is thc
nature of bigotry not to be content with partial concessions , and consequently the " irrepressible conflict" between those hankering to scctarianisc the Institution and those who arc opposed to it , must continue . Again , had those zealots come forth squarely , and demanded from thc Grand Lodge a
law to exclude all who disbelieve in thc inspiration of the Bible , I should not have blamed them so much ; but they act undcrhandedly . Under thc guise of Masonry , they endeavour to promulgate sectarian dogmas ; and it is this duplicity which deserves condemnation . Duplicity to promote
Christianity must eventually tend not only to disparage Masonry , but even Christianity itself must depreciate with it ; and if this sectarian hankering and bickering should continue , Masonry-mist either dwindle down to a mere sect , or the Bible , and all allusions to it , will have to be removed from the
Masonic lodge . Nor can I sec that by accomplishing their end that peace and harmony could ensue , even in its more contracted field . Assuming that a law was passed to admit no disbeliever in the inspiration of thc Bible , Mahometans and other disbelievers
will of course be rejected . As the Bible consists of two parts , and as the Jew rejects one of these parts , the Jew must step aside too , and the Fraternity will then consist altogether of Christians . But here thc trouble begins anew . Thc Catholic and Protestant Bibles differ , and who is to settle which is
which ? Besides these two , there arc about fifty other translations , all differing from each other , and even thc three oldest manuscript Testaments existing in the world differ from each other , ancl from the English version ; and that is not all . Thc Bible is very often obscure both in thc originals and translations , and cannot be mastered without thc the aid of
commentators ; of these commentaries there arc any number , each differing from all others , and how are our Christian Masons going to decide which commentary should be regarded in the lodge as thc
standard ? In addition to all these complications , one Rev . Brother may disbelieve in thc inspiration of this or that book contained in thc Bible ; another may doubt the truth of thc Red Sea miracles ; while still another may deny thc Mosaic cosmogony
Original Correspondence.
and , besides all these , how shall we reconcile the lesson we teach to the E . A ., viz ., " The sun is the centre of the system , " with the implied astronomy in the book of Joshua ? Narrowing Masonry down to the mere Christian world , without the establishment of an inquisition to
nip heresy in the bud , will not extinguish the flame , but will rather serve to add new fuel . The Bible , we all know , teaches truth , morality , & c , & c . About its morality mankind are agreed , but about dogmas there is a diversity of opinion ; and however good the Bible may be , in the hands of fanatics it . has
been the cause of a good deal of mischief . Henry VIII . at one time burnt Protestants for not believing in the Catholic Bible , and afterwards burnt Catholics for not believing in thc Protestant one , and between the time of Henry VIII . and thc expulsion of James IL , the History of England is a history of
bible-believers burning and prosecuting other biblebelievers ; and to these incessant persecutious we are indebted for the establishment and rapid spread of Masonry . Its feature of universality , or freedom from sectarianism , constituted its main claim to popular favour . Now , if the retention of the Bible , with thc allusions to it , is to be made the
excuse for introducing dogmas and throwing stumbling blocks in the way of conscientious brethren , I think it is no Masonic heresy to believe that it is better to cultivate a true and sincere friendship among the Brotherhood without mention of the Bible , than to have the Bible in the lodge without sincere friendship .
That we are tending one way or another—that a conflict of ideas exists in our midst—is evident from letters which appeared in your paper , July 16 th and 23 rd . The former , copied from the Suffolk Chronicle , complains , that whereas a Rev . brother had been invited by a P . G . M . to address the Brotherhood ,
ancl the said brother having introduced sectarian dogmas into his address , and supposing it to have been done unintentionally , therefore suggested to the Rev . brother to revise his address before issuing it in print as a Masonic sermon . In reply to this thc Rev . brother , while admitting that Masonry " is
decidedly unsectarian , " excuses himself on the plea : first , I am a Church of England clergyman ; the sermon was given in my church , what else can you expect from me but a Church of England sermon ? Secondly , docs not the Bible lie open in the lodge , and the ism I preached is part thereof ? Thirdly ,
the doctrine ofthe Trinity is acknowledged in the Royal Arch ; and , fourthly , thc G . M . and a number of the brethren thanked me for my sermon . All which is doubtless true ; but yet the Rev . brother should have remembered that he was invited by a G . M ., not of Royal Archers but of Masons ;
that a decidedly sectarian sermon should not be preached before a society whose professions are decidedly anti-sectarian ; and that it smacks of fraud to palm off on the world a sectarian sermon for a Masonic one . Let us for a moment imagine ourselves in Utah
where thc people , in addition to the Old and New Testaments , have also a sacred book called the " Book of the Mormons , " and probably keep this appendage to their Bible on their Masonic altar ; let us also imagine the Grand Chaplain of Utah G . L . delivering a sermon before the Utah Masons
in which Mormonism is declared as the only true religion . Would any one , not of thc Mormon sect , acknowledge such a sermon as Masonic ? But we can even illustrate our idea without going to Mormon-land . The Rev . William R . Alger , one of the Grand Chaplains of Massachusetts , is a
Unitarian preacher ; he is highly esteemed in Boston as a man of culture and benevolence , and his writings , especially his " History of a Future State , " are known wherever English books are read . The said reverend brother , in one of his sermons to his congregation , denounced the belief in thc Divinity
of Christ " as the most monstrous absurdity ; " and that and similar sermons were printed in the Boston papers . Now , that is all well enough * . Mr . Alger had a perfect right to preach to his congregation what he pleased , and whatever pleased it . But suppose the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts had
invited Bro . Alger to deliver an oration before the Masonic Brotherhood , and Bro . Alger would have indulged on that occasion in using such an expression , would not every one denounce Bro . Alger ' s conduct as highly unmasonic ? In vain would he plead that the " Sacred Law , " according to his
rendering , justified him in saying so ; that the G . M . thanked him for it ; or that a majority of his hearers applauded him . The cry would naturally be , "What have majorities to do with the case ? " and every one to whom it gave offence would be justified in denouncing it as a violation of thc assurance he received at his initiation . And , now , where is the
difference between thc supposed case above referred to and thc actual one , of which complaint was made by " A Freemason ? " If an Episcopalian can with impunity offend the religious feelings , or even prejudices , of Dissenters , why cannot a parson of another stripe do the same to an Episcopalian ?
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
3 ist . That if a brother is proposed to be raised , the motion is to be made by himself after he is once initiated in the 4 th degree of Masonry and the 1 st of this lodge , and is to be seconded by at least one ofthe members then present , and when unanimously chosen by ballot , he is to pay the before-mentioned sum of his initiation , and for his apron , jewel , and
order , provided by the lodge , to the Treasurer before the lodge is closed . 32 nd . That as this lodge is instituted entirely for the good and propagation of the Craft , it is therefore especially ordered , that any expenses which may be made after the lodge is closed , shall not be defrayed out of the fund of the lodge , but only those which
shall be made during the lodge hours , and if any of the members choose to stay and sup , & c , they shall be obliged to defray such expenses out of their private pockets . 33 rd . That every quarter ( on 19 Feb ., 19 May , 19 Aug ., and 19 Nov ., ) the Treasurer do lay a true state of his accounts before the lodge of what money
is in the Treasury , and if there is any to spare , it shall first be employed in the necessary decorations of this lodge , as shall be judged by a majority of voices of the Gr . Elt . Perft . and Sub ' me Members . N . B . — It is understood that whenever the Right Worshipful Founder of this lodge shall honour it with his presence , he is always to have the honour
of the chair , which he may refuse or accept , and has always two votes in any debates , and in his absence the Master has the same prerogative . 34 th . That if a procession is concluded upon , all the members of this lodge who are able to walk , shall have the Badges and Orders of their highest degrees in the procession , and any other brother
Masons and members of other regular constituted lodges shall also be allowed to walk in said procession on paying for their tickets what shall be deemed reasonable , the form of the procession to be regulated by the Founder , Master , and Officers of this lodge , according to the seniority and superiority of the members of such procession .
35 th . Whenever a Knight ofthe East , Prince of Jerusalem , & c , visits a Lodge of Perfection and is known that he is a Knight or a Prince , the Master sends some Deputies to know if he chooses to be introduced with all his honours , he answers he expects it by thc dignity of his Royal Degree , on which the Deputies report that thc Prince or Brother must
be introduced with all his honours , then the Master sends 4 Masters of the highest degrees ( thc Grand Officers excepted ) with naked swords to receive him , the Prince enters with his sword in his hand or with his buckler and spear , and stands between the two first Officers in the West , salutes the Master and Brethren with his sword without taking
off his hat , after which the Master invites the Prince visitor to come and sit at his right hand ; when he advances to the Master all the brethren form an arch with their swords , through which he goes till he arrives to the seat , which he may take or refuse , but if he takes it , & c , he returns it immediately and has a right to go out of thc lodge being it is closed
thc arch being formed before his going away . A Knight of the East cannot enter with those honours if a Prince of Jerusalem is present , nor a Prince of Jerusalemn if any of higher degree are present , and then only have the arch formed and take their seats according to rank . A Knight of the East visiting a lodge is styled
Illustrious Knight ; a Prince of Jerusalem , Valorous Prince ; a Knight of the Sun , Sovereign Prince ; and a Prince of the Royal Secret , Thrice Illustrious and Sublime Prince . A lodge is obliged to give an exact account of every one of there transactions to any of the above ( in those High Degrees ) visitors , and if any coolness
subsist among the brethren , he is to reconcile them ; but those who are obstinate he has a power to expel them immediately , if they will not conform to the rules and regulations of Masonry . Thc visitors of these High Degrees have a right to keep their scats in all operations of the Symbolic Lodge with their hats on , but cannot claim those
privileges without their Orders and Decorations . Five Princes of Jerusalem can form a Grand Council , but no less number ; and only one Grand Council can be formed in every Province , and if any Lodges of Perfection established in another Province
where no Grand Council is established , such lodges may appeal to thc Grand Council where such is established who can finally judge , and no appeal can be had from such judgment as they are authorised by their perfect knowledge in every matter relative to tlie Craft .
WE have much pleasure in stating that Bro . W . James Hughan will write an article ou " Initiations under the Grand Lodge of Scotland " for Tun FIIKKMASON of September the iotli , in answer to the views expressed by brethren belonging to lodges under the Scottish
Constitution , with whose views Bro . Hughan entirely sympathises , and only regrets they arc not adopted in Scotland itself . GLOVES . — The Operative Mason cannot use gloves at his work , but we can , and that , too , of the purest white , at ours , thereby intimating that every action of a Mason ought to be pure and spotless . —Gadicke .
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondents . MASONIC UNIVERSALITY . ( To the Editor of The Freemason . ) DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , — Cosmopolitanism is the base and copestone of Masonry . It constitutes its main beauty and utility , and every candidate is solemnly assured thereof at his initiation . But , yet , it cannot be denied that Masonrv was
never entirely free from sectarianism , and that efforts are constantly made , under one pretext or another , to drive the sectarian wedge deeper and deeper . First of all , the Grand Lodge of England of 1717 was organised on St . John ' s Day ; next , it made it
obligatory on Masons , not only to celebrate the Baptist's day , but also that of the Evangelist ; next , was palmed off thc fiction of the Grand Mastership and Grand Patronage of the Saints ; next , the Bible was placed in the lodge ; next , quotations from the Old and New Testaments were infused into the
work ; next , some genius discovered that the third degree is altogether Christian ; next , another genius discovered that the two St . Johns were Masonic parallels , and from the earliest time were so regarded by the ancient brethren : and this piling up of all kind of humbug , in order to connect Masonry
with Christianity , continued , unchecked , until 1813 . It was then , when the Masonic sham of universality became too offensively manifest , that Dr . Hemming was authorised , in revising the ritual , to expunge therefrom the allusions to the saints , and other conflicting elements . These omissions
certainly tended to bring Masonry into greater harmony with its professed mission of cultivating a true and sincere friendship among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance . The reform , however , was only partial . In orderto compromise with sectarian prejudices , the Bible
remained as part of the furniture of the lodge , and certain far-fetched allusions—such as " Sacred Scripture , " " Sacred Law , " " Morning Star , " & cwere engrafted on the ceremonies . Upon what ground the continuance of these topics could be justified in a Society which claims " to unite men of
every sect and opinion , be they what they may , " I cannot tell . If their idea was that " thc end justifies the means ; " in thc first place , such an excuse is abominable ; and , secondly , can the desired end be reached thereby ? Can a Christian become more intensely Christian by tolerating and encouraging
inconsistency and deception , or can an unbeliever become converted through such flimsy devices ? If our over-zealous Christian brethren had , however , remained contented with the concessions left to them , these far-fetched allusions would probably never have been challenged ; but it is thc
nature of bigotry not to be content with partial concessions , and consequently the " irrepressible conflict" between those hankering to scctarianisc the Institution and those who arc opposed to it , must continue . Again , had those zealots come forth squarely , and demanded from thc Grand Lodge a
law to exclude all who disbelieve in thc inspiration of the Bible , I should not have blamed them so much ; but they act undcrhandedly . Under thc guise of Masonry , they endeavour to promulgate sectarian dogmas ; and it is this duplicity which deserves condemnation . Duplicity to promote
Christianity must eventually tend not only to disparage Masonry , but even Christianity itself must depreciate with it ; and if this sectarian hankering and bickering should continue , Masonry-mist either dwindle down to a mere sect , or the Bible , and all allusions to it , will have to be removed from the
Masonic lodge . Nor can I sec that by accomplishing their end that peace and harmony could ensue , even in its more contracted field . Assuming that a law was passed to admit no disbeliever in the inspiration of thc Bible , Mahometans and other disbelievers
will of course be rejected . As the Bible consists of two parts , and as the Jew rejects one of these parts , the Jew must step aside too , and the Fraternity will then consist altogether of Christians . But here thc trouble begins anew . Thc Catholic and Protestant Bibles differ , and who is to settle which is
which ? Besides these two , there arc about fifty other translations , all differing from each other , and even thc three oldest manuscript Testaments existing in the world differ from each other , ancl from the English version ; and that is not all . Thc Bible is very often obscure both in thc originals and translations , and cannot be mastered without thc the aid of
commentators ; of these commentaries there arc any number , each differing from all others , and how are our Christian Masons going to decide which commentary should be regarded in the lodge as thc
standard ? In addition to all these complications , one Rev . Brother may disbelieve in thc inspiration of this or that book contained in thc Bible ; another may doubt the truth of thc Red Sea miracles ; while still another may deny thc Mosaic cosmogony
Original Correspondence.
and , besides all these , how shall we reconcile the lesson we teach to the E . A ., viz ., " The sun is the centre of the system , " with the implied astronomy in the book of Joshua ? Narrowing Masonry down to the mere Christian world , without the establishment of an inquisition to
nip heresy in the bud , will not extinguish the flame , but will rather serve to add new fuel . The Bible , we all know , teaches truth , morality , & c , & c . About its morality mankind are agreed , but about dogmas there is a diversity of opinion ; and however good the Bible may be , in the hands of fanatics it . has
been the cause of a good deal of mischief . Henry VIII . at one time burnt Protestants for not believing in the Catholic Bible , and afterwards burnt Catholics for not believing in thc Protestant one , and between the time of Henry VIII . and thc expulsion of James IL , the History of England is a history of
bible-believers burning and prosecuting other biblebelievers ; and to these incessant persecutious we are indebted for the establishment and rapid spread of Masonry . Its feature of universality , or freedom from sectarianism , constituted its main claim to popular favour . Now , if the retention of the Bible , with thc allusions to it , is to be made the
excuse for introducing dogmas and throwing stumbling blocks in the way of conscientious brethren , I think it is no Masonic heresy to believe that it is better to cultivate a true and sincere friendship among the Brotherhood without mention of the Bible , than to have the Bible in the lodge without sincere friendship .
That we are tending one way or another—that a conflict of ideas exists in our midst—is evident from letters which appeared in your paper , July 16 th and 23 rd . The former , copied from the Suffolk Chronicle , complains , that whereas a Rev . brother had been invited by a P . G . M . to address the Brotherhood ,
ancl the said brother having introduced sectarian dogmas into his address , and supposing it to have been done unintentionally , therefore suggested to the Rev . brother to revise his address before issuing it in print as a Masonic sermon . In reply to this thc Rev . brother , while admitting that Masonry " is
decidedly unsectarian , " excuses himself on the plea : first , I am a Church of England clergyman ; the sermon was given in my church , what else can you expect from me but a Church of England sermon ? Secondly , docs not the Bible lie open in the lodge , and the ism I preached is part thereof ? Thirdly ,
the doctrine ofthe Trinity is acknowledged in the Royal Arch ; and , fourthly , thc G . M . and a number of the brethren thanked me for my sermon . All which is doubtless true ; but yet the Rev . brother should have remembered that he was invited by a G . M ., not of Royal Archers but of Masons ;
that a decidedly sectarian sermon should not be preached before a society whose professions are decidedly anti-sectarian ; and that it smacks of fraud to palm off on the world a sectarian sermon for a Masonic one . Let us for a moment imagine ourselves in Utah
where thc people , in addition to the Old and New Testaments , have also a sacred book called the " Book of the Mormons , " and probably keep this appendage to their Bible on their Masonic altar ; let us also imagine the Grand Chaplain of Utah G . L . delivering a sermon before the Utah Masons
in which Mormonism is declared as the only true religion . Would any one , not of thc Mormon sect , acknowledge such a sermon as Masonic ? But we can even illustrate our idea without going to Mormon-land . The Rev . William R . Alger , one of the Grand Chaplains of Massachusetts , is a
Unitarian preacher ; he is highly esteemed in Boston as a man of culture and benevolence , and his writings , especially his " History of a Future State , " are known wherever English books are read . The said reverend brother , in one of his sermons to his congregation , denounced the belief in thc Divinity
of Christ " as the most monstrous absurdity ; " and that and similar sermons were printed in the Boston papers . Now , that is all well enough * . Mr . Alger had a perfect right to preach to his congregation what he pleased , and whatever pleased it . But suppose the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts had
invited Bro . Alger to deliver an oration before the Masonic Brotherhood , and Bro . Alger would have indulged on that occasion in using such an expression , would not every one denounce Bro . Alger ' s conduct as highly unmasonic ? In vain would he plead that the " Sacred Law , " according to his
rendering , justified him in saying so ; that the G . M . thanked him for it ; or that a majority of his hearers applauded him . The cry would naturally be , "What have majorities to do with the case ? " and every one to whom it gave offence would be justified in denouncing it as a violation of thc assurance he received at his initiation . And , now , where is the
difference between thc supposed case above referred to and thc actual one , of which complaint was made by " A Freemason ? " If an Episcopalian can with impunity offend the religious feelings , or even prejudices , of Dissenters , why cannot a parson of another stripe do the same to an Episcopalian ?