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Article THE HARMONY BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND FREEMASONRY. ← Page 2 of 2 Article THE HARMONY BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND FREEMASONRY. Page 2 of 2 Article THE HARMONY BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND FREEMASONRY. Page 2 of 2
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Harmony Between The Bible And Freemasonry.
and then "The mystery which from the beginning of the world had been hid with God , " then again " Behold I show you a mystery ; we shall not all sleep , but we shall all be changed . "
the same word is used respecting the state of marriage . " For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife , and they two shall be one flesh . " This is a great
mystery . Then in regard to the Sacraments of the Church ; We , the Ministers constantly say , "We that have only received these mysteries " The mysteries being the bread and wine ,
regarded , however , as symbols or emblems , having a moral and spiritual meaning hidden beneath ( he material substance . To the very name by which we are known in one of the church ' s
prayers , is that of " Ministers and Stewards of the Mysteries of God . " So Moses says " Secret things belong to the Lord our God , but those things that are revealed belong to us and to our
children for ever , " and Job asks , " Hast thou heard the secret of God r" It was this , according to many Jewish interpreters , that Moses craved when he said " I beseech Thee show
me Thy glory , " which was denied him , as being impossible for man in this present life , and which can only be communicated in the Grand Lodge above , when we shall see Him as He is . Now
secrecy in some cases , or silence , has been pronounced by some of the wisest of mankind as a virtue of the most important and golden kind , and the most celebrated of ancient teachers
recommended it to tbeir disciples as a most necessary probation . Indeed , some societies and councils could not possibly exist , if their
transactions were undiscriminately disclosed , but that there is nothing dangerous in our secre ts we may gather from the fact that monarchs and rulers are themselves members of the
Institution . The third resemblance between the teachings of Scripture and Freemasonry consists in the brotherly love towards all mankind , relief and
charity , which are the marks of both . There is only one kind of person which we refuse to participate in our mysteries and privileges , that is the stupid atheist , who believes in
an effect without a cause ; but with this exception we are taught to call nothing common or unclean , and the animosities and differences which divide those that call on the name of their common Maker
are not recognised amongst Masons . We say > n the language of the inspired law , " of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons , but in every nation , he that feareth Him , and
worketh ri ghteousness is accepted of Him . " Does this argue any indifference for Religion ? By no means , whatever be our religious convictions , those , I maintain , we ought strenuously to
uphold , live for , strive for , and like the fortitude of him , whose example our traditions have brought down to us , if necessity arises , be willing to die for—but it does not follow that we
should bs harsh and uncharitable , repelling and intolerant towards the ' equally conscientious belief of others , how much soever it may difler from our own . How can we feel angry at
human error , when we consider that the Great Architect of the Universe , who formed man , has so constituted him that no two countenances are precisel y alike , and still more various are human
The Harmony Between The Bible And Freemasonry.
characters , minds , and dispositions . How can we be surprised at the errors of others , when we know not the circumstances that have attended their birth and infant nurture ' on which perhaps a
great deal of the character of religious belief is dependent . "To feel angry at human error , " says an ancient writer "is the same thing as to be angry with the blind for stumbling in the dark ,
with the deaf for not obeying your command , with the aged , with the sick , with the weary . That very dullness of comprehension which excites at once your wonder and your wrath , is
but a parcel of our common frailty . And the love of error , is as inherent in our Natures , as the existence of error itself . " Dark ages , my Brothers , there have
been in this world , ages as black as midnight with folly , ignorance , and crime , ages when the children of our common Father in Heaven , doomed other children of the same father to
the tortures of the stake , or the flames , and in those times none suffered more unheard-of torments than our own ancient brethren ; and the reason was , that man did not understand the
nature of man , or the foundation on which a religiousjbelief depends , for when anything which was part of the common , or established belief of those times , was doubted of , it seemed to the
majority to be so clearly , so unquestionably true , that it was impossible to doubt it . Thus they judged from their own zeal , their own convictions , their own persuasion , let it have been true or
otherwise ; the unbelief of others , therefore , was , not regarded as so many conscientious scruples , but as arising from wilful obstinacy , and the road from this supposed wilfulness to the infliction of
punishment on its behalf was a very short one . But the spirit of the Bible and the spirit of Masonry are alike opposed to all this . Both breathe a spirit of kindness and toleration which incite us to
exclaim" How shall this weak unknowing hand , Presume God ' s bolts to throw , Or deal damnation round the land , On all I deem my foe .
"If I am right , God ' s Grace impart , Still in the right to stay ; If I am wrong , Oh , touch my heart , To find a better way . "
Such are the principles of our Order , which have endeared it to the wise and good of all times and countries . But we do not rest here . Our sentiments assume the form of virtue ( for
there may be a sentiment and not a virtue ) in the active beneficence and systematic charity , which is the distinguishing feature of Freemasonry . Surely he was a wise master builder who laid the
foundation of our Institution on the solid basis of love and reverence to God , and raised , the superstructure in love to man . The charity shown by Masons has become a
proverb , and in it the noblest defence of our Order consists . This is the real secret of our success as a society . Other societies have passed away because not founded as ours
has been ; other guilds and corporations have died out in time . The noblest leagues have been dissolved ; tastes have changed , and men have
changed . As one generation has passed away , another came , and old associations have broken up : but there is not only no sign of cur dissolution , though the oldest a * well as the noblest of
The Harmony Between The Bible And Freemasonry.
all the ancient guilds , but our principles , because founded on the eternal nature of things , are more widely extended to day than they have ever been ; and men who are more apt to
judge by what they see , than by what they hear , are not slow in thinking that constant systematic and yet discriminating charity , universal as the
air we breathe , impartial as the sun that shines , such benevolence teaches more of the love of God than a thousand sermons—that a society
"That hath a tear for pity , and a hand Open as day , for melting charity " must have something in it worthy of imitation , and the world judges right . Men generally ,
with the exception of those who are determined to misrepresent our principles , speak well of Freemasonry , and quote it as an unselfish , benevolent society , whose many institutions for distressed
Masons are models of benevolence the wide world over . I am persuaded that this is one of the principal reasons why our Order has endured so long . The quality of mercy , as Shakespeare ,
says , is not strained , "It droppeth as the gentle rain from Heaven , Upon the place beneath : it is twice blessed—It blessethhim that gives and him that takes . "
Masons have long realised this . Every lodge is consecrated , [ like a temple of charity , to the generous affections . This is the meaning of that ancient saying , "It is more blessed togive than to
receive . " This is the noble scope of Masonicprin ciple which absorbs every partial selfish feeling , in an expanded comprehensive love to the whole brotherhood of man . What luxury ever equalled
that of Job , even ill the midst of his misery ? "When the eye saw me itblessed me , when the ear heard me it gave witness unto me because I delivered the poor and the fatherless and him
that had no helper . The blessing of Him that was ready to perish came upon me and I caused the widow ' s heart to leap for joy . " Brethren , 1 know not if it is possible to offer up a better
prayer for you than that . I know not if we can offer to God a better prayer for ourselves—that when the last trying hour shall have arrived and we are about to die ,
amidst the shadows that are falling around us , one gleam of light may spring up in the darkness , one ray of hope illumine the gloom , when , looking back on the days that are past and ;
remembering the follies we have committed , the mistakes we have made , the opportunities we have lost , the many sins we mourn over , we may at least have this consolation , if we say— " one
thing I know , however imperfect I have been , yet there was once a time in my life , when I was followed b y the blessing of him who was ready to perish . "
Such , then , are the principles—at least some of them—which distinguish Freemasons , and although such virtues may be banished from the
face of the earth , and be found nowhere else , I trust , that , amidst all the storms of human life , they may long find an enduring asylum in the Mariners' Lodge of Liverpool .
. SKivWK . vi ' . —The only t ; u , iranlecd cure for Toothache , This extraordinary application , marvellous iu its ellects , Ko'cs immediate relief , without injuring ; the tooth , and forms a tei'Vporary slopoinR . is . lM ,: post free is . 3 d . TIICCOIUUTK TUU ' . ' I ' xsii-. / lor cleansius ; and improviiu ; the teelh , imparls a nat \ -i | ' roi , K-ss 10 the Kumsk and gives l . lillianc ; - to tlie enamel , ^ ricc is . Oil . 'I'he Xov . w ,. OEXTII'IIICK , prepared from a w \ as „ st . , | | , v | li ; r M .-ijcstv , ejvesllie teeth a pearl-like white'Vcss , and imparls a delicious fragrance to the breath . Price Vs . fid . Sold !> v all chemists aud perfumers ,, and liy the n ^ prietors , MtssRs . ( MIIKIKL , ihe old-established . Dentists , ; - Ludyato-hill and so . Harley-slreel . Cavendish-siiuarej . London ^
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Harmony Between The Bible And Freemasonry.
and then "The mystery which from the beginning of the world had been hid with God , " then again " Behold I show you a mystery ; we shall not all sleep , but we shall all be changed . "
the same word is used respecting the state of marriage . " For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife , and they two shall be one flesh . " This is a great
mystery . Then in regard to the Sacraments of the Church ; We , the Ministers constantly say , "We that have only received these mysteries " The mysteries being the bread and wine ,
regarded , however , as symbols or emblems , having a moral and spiritual meaning hidden beneath ( he material substance . To the very name by which we are known in one of the church ' s
prayers , is that of " Ministers and Stewards of the Mysteries of God . " So Moses says " Secret things belong to the Lord our God , but those things that are revealed belong to us and to our
children for ever , " and Job asks , " Hast thou heard the secret of God r" It was this , according to many Jewish interpreters , that Moses craved when he said " I beseech Thee show
me Thy glory , " which was denied him , as being impossible for man in this present life , and which can only be communicated in the Grand Lodge above , when we shall see Him as He is . Now
secrecy in some cases , or silence , has been pronounced by some of the wisest of mankind as a virtue of the most important and golden kind , and the most celebrated of ancient teachers
recommended it to tbeir disciples as a most necessary probation . Indeed , some societies and councils could not possibly exist , if their
transactions were undiscriminately disclosed , but that there is nothing dangerous in our secre ts we may gather from the fact that monarchs and rulers are themselves members of the
Institution . The third resemblance between the teachings of Scripture and Freemasonry consists in the brotherly love towards all mankind , relief and
charity , which are the marks of both . There is only one kind of person which we refuse to participate in our mysteries and privileges , that is the stupid atheist , who believes in
an effect without a cause ; but with this exception we are taught to call nothing common or unclean , and the animosities and differences which divide those that call on the name of their common Maker
are not recognised amongst Masons . We say > n the language of the inspired law , " of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons , but in every nation , he that feareth Him , and
worketh ri ghteousness is accepted of Him . " Does this argue any indifference for Religion ? By no means , whatever be our religious convictions , those , I maintain , we ought strenuously to
uphold , live for , strive for , and like the fortitude of him , whose example our traditions have brought down to us , if necessity arises , be willing to die for—but it does not follow that we
should bs harsh and uncharitable , repelling and intolerant towards the ' equally conscientious belief of others , how much soever it may difler from our own . How can we feel angry at
human error , when we consider that the Great Architect of the Universe , who formed man , has so constituted him that no two countenances are precisel y alike , and still more various are human
The Harmony Between The Bible And Freemasonry.
characters , minds , and dispositions . How can we be surprised at the errors of others , when we know not the circumstances that have attended their birth and infant nurture ' on which perhaps a
great deal of the character of religious belief is dependent . "To feel angry at human error , " says an ancient writer "is the same thing as to be angry with the blind for stumbling in the dark ,
with the deaf for not obeying your command , with the aged , with the sick , with the weary . That very dullness of comprehension which excites at once your wonder and your wrath , is
but a parcel of our common frailty . And the love of error , is as inherent in our Natures , as the existence of error itself . " Dark ages , my Brothers , there have
been in this world , ages as black as midnight with folly , ignorance , and crime , ages when the children of our common Father in Heaven , doomed other children of the same father to
the tortures of the stake , or the flames , and in those times none suffered more unheard-of torments than our own ancient brethren ; and the reason was , that man did not understand the
nature of man , or the foundation on which a religiousjbelief depends , for when anything which was part of the common , or established belief of those times , was doubted of , it seemed to the
majority to be so clearly , so unquestionably true , that it was impossible to doubt it . Thus they judged from their own zeal , their own convictions , their own persuasion , let it have been true or
otherwise ; the unbelief of others , therefore , was , not regarded as so many conscientious scruples , but as arising from wilful obstinacy , and the road from this supposed wilfulness to the infliction of
punishment on its behalf was a very short one . But the spirit of the Bible and the spirit of Masonry are alike opposed to all this . Both breathe a spirit of kindness and toleration which incite us to
exclaim" How shall this weak unknowing hand , Presume God ' s bolts to throw , Or deal damnation round the land , On all I deem my foe .
"If I am right , God ' s Grace impart , Still in the right to stay ; If I am wrong , Oh , touch my heart , To find a better way . "
Such are the principles of our Order , which have endeared it to the wise and good of all times and countries . But we do not rest here . Our sentiments assume the form of virtue ( for
there may be a sentiment and not a virtue ) in the active beneficence and systematic charity , which is the distinguishing feature of Freemasonry . Surely he was a wise master builder who laid the
foundation of our Institution on the solid basis of love and reverence to God , and raised , the superstructure in love to man . The charity shown by Masons has become a
proverb , and in it the noblest defence of our Order consists . This is the real secret of our success as a society . Other societies have passed away because not founded as ours
has been ; other guilds and corporations have died out in time . The noblest leagues have been dissolved ; tastes have changed , and men have
changed . As one generation has passed away , another came , and old associations have broken up : but there is not only no sign of cur dissolution , though the oldest a * well as the noblest of
The Harmony Between The Bible And Freemasonry.
all the ancient guilds , but our principles , because founded on the eternal nature of things , are more widely extended to day than they have ever been ; and men who are more apt to
judge by what they see , than by what they hear , are not slow in thinking that constant systematic and yet discriminating charity , universal as the
air we breathe , impartial as the sun that shines , such benevolence teaches more of the love of God than a thousand sermons—that a society
"That hath a tear for pity , and a hand Open as day , for melting charity " must have something in it worthy of imitation , and the world judges right . Men generally ,
with the exception of those who are determined to misrepresent our principles , speak well of Freemasonry , and quote it as an unselfish , benevolent society , whose many institutions for distressed
Masons are models of benevolence the wide world over . I am persuaded that this is one of the principal reasons why our Order has endured so long . The quality of mercy , as Shakespeare ,
says , is not strained , "It droppeth as the gentle rain from Heaven , Upon the place beneath : it is twice blessed—It blessethhim that gives and him that takes . "
Masons have long realised this . Every lodge is consecrated , [ like a temple of charity , to the generous affections . This is the meaning of that ancient saying , "It is more blessed togive than to
receive . " This is the noble scope of Masonicprin ciple which absorbs every partial selfish feeling , in an expanded comprehensive love to the whole brotherhood of man . What luxury ever equalled
that of Job , even ill the midst of his misery ? "When the eye saw me itblessed me , when the ear heard me it gave witness unto me because I delivered the poor and the fatherless and him
that had no helper . The blessing of Him that was ready to perish came upon me and I caused the widow ' s heart to leap for joy . " Brethren , 1 know not if it is possible to offer up a better
prayer for you than that . I know not if we can offer to God a better prayer for ourselves—that when the last trying hour shall have arrived and we are about to die ,
amidst the shadows that are falling around us , one gleam of light may spring up in the darkness , one ray of hope illumine the gloom , when , looking back on the days that are past and ;
remembering the follies we have committed , the mistakes we have made , the opportunities we have lost , the many sins we mourn over , we may at least have this consolation , if we say— " one
thing I know , however imperfect I have been , yet there was once a time in my life , when I was followed b y the blessing of him who was ready to perish . "
Such , then , are the principles—at least some of them—which distinguish Freemasons , and although such virtues may be banished from the
face of the earth , and be found nowhere else , I trust , that , amidst all the storms of human life , they may long find an enduring asylum in the Mariners' Lodge of Liverpool .
. SKivWK . vi ' . —The only t ; u , iranlecd cure for Toothache , This extraordinary application , marvellous iu its ellects , Ko'cs immediate relief , without injuring ; the tooth , and forms a tei'Vporary slopoinR . is . lM ,: post free is . 3 d . TIICCOIUUTK TUU ' . ' I ' xsii-. / lor cleansius ; and improviiu ; the teelh , imparls a nat \ -i | ' roi , K-ss 10 the Kumsk and gives l . lillianc ; - to tlie enamel , ^ ricc is . Oil . 'I'he Xov . w ,. OEXTII'IIICK , prepared from a w \ as „ st . , | | , v | li ; r M .-ijcstv , ejvesllie teeth a pearl-like white'Vcss , and imparls a delicious fragrance to the breath . Price Vs . fid . Sold !> v all chemists aud perfumers ,, and liy the n ^ prietors , MtssRs . ( MIIKIKL , ihe old-established . Dentists , ; - Ludyato-hill and so . Harley-slreel . Cavendish-siiuarej . London ^