Bro. Hughan And The Bible Question.

are synonymous with Christianity ; but if the same stranger had taken up a Hallam , Macaulay , or even an ecclesiastical historian , and learned that the most goodly divines , both Protestant and Catholic , of the 16 th and 17 th centuries , zealously advocated persecution , and even the

burning of heretics , as a Christian duty , the stranger , after having read all this , might be excused for not being able to reconcile Christian pretension with Christian practice . It is needless here to go into details of the wholesale slaughter of Protestants by Catholics , and vice

versa in Holland , France , and other places on the Continent , or of similar tragedies enacted in England and in Scotland by Episcopalians , Presbyterians , & c , even in the latter half of the last century . Now , in 1717 there happened to live in London two very remarkable men—both

were Calvinists and Doctors of Divinity . One of whom , being a Scotch Presbyterian , doubtless heard , even when a child , horrible stories related of Claverhouse and lambs and others against his co-religionists . The other , being a son of a French Huguenot , who , with his father ,

were driven out of France at the time of the revocation of the edict of Nantes , doubtless had similar tales instilled into his mind of the suffering of his forefathers for conscience sake . Being both educated men , they no doubt were aware that the fault did not altogether rest with the

persecutors , because they knew that if their ancestors had had the power they would have persecuted their opponents with the same zeal . Such reflections must undoubtedly have sickened them of all kind of religious persecution , and these two men , Bros . Anderson and Desaguliers ,

happening to be initiated into the Society of Masons , conceived the design of so improving the society as to make it the means of obliterating all hatred on account of religious differences . From that timedatesc-wFreemasonry . The charges and constitutions drawn up by those brethren

were then received with applause , and the charges are still printed in our constitutions and form the corner-stone of our Masonry . And to show how significant the principle of Masonic universality was deemed by the founders of our Masonry—in the very first charge given in their

publication , they go on to say . * " Masonry being found in all nations , even of divers religions , they are now only charged to adhere to that religion in which all agree . " Mark , only charged to adhere to that \ religion in which all

agree ; and continue : " Thus Masonry is the centre of union , and the means of conciliating persons that might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance ; " and in the sixtli charge , the idea of the universal religion is again alluded to .

I shall not at present attempt to enter into an examination of the Masonic ritual at or before Anderson ' s time ; suffice it to say , that from the catechisms given by Bros . Findell and Steinbrenner , and from the hints scattered in homeopathic doses in Oliver ' s " Symbol of Glory , " and

other works , I am warranted in saying that there was a time when Christianity was distinctively alluded to in the lodge ; but at the same time the Bible was not even used for obligating candidates . The three lights were also variously explained—thus : " The three windows in a

cathedral , " " the sun , Master , and square , " and the " Father , Son , and Holy Ghost . " About or before 1730 the Bible , square , and compasses were alluded to ; but the " great lights" were entirely omitted ( Steinbrenner , p . 148-9 ) . According to Oliver , Martin Clare ,

about 1732 , revised the ritual , and first introduced quotations from the Old and New Testament . The old rituals were no doubt in conflict with thc broad principles of universality laid down in the charges . The substitution of the Bible as the "Great Light "for that of the Trinity was not exactly " the universal religion , "

but was at least " the religion in which all ( at that time ) agreed . " "The Bible , " was neither offensive to the conscience of the Jew or Christian , to Trinitarians or Unitarians , but dove-tailed alike with the opinions of all . There are some , however , who , " if you give them an inch will take an ell ; " and they have repeatedly been trying to make the presence of the Bible

Bro. Hughan And The Bible Question.

an excuse for Christianizing Masonry . Nor was the Bible the only cause of sectarian inroads into Masonry , the Grand Lodge in 1717 was organised on the Baptist ' s Day . Zealots afterwards made it obligatory on Masons to observe as Masonic festivals the days of both the

Baptist and the Evangelist , the two saints which are not mentioned in any of the old charters , and which even Anderson , though he made every prominent man from Adam down to Herod , Rabis , Shammai , and Hillel , & c , into

Grand Masters and Grand AVardens , never mentioned the Saints J ohn as Grand Patrons , Grand Masters or even as Masons . Later scribblers , however , turned the two saints into full-pledged Masons with all the Masonic honours attached .

The simple truth probably is : the Masons met on the Baptist's Day , because the custom in the middle ages was for the working people to enjoy themselves on that day . In Hone ' s "Year

Book ( p . 9 85-6 ) , Bro . Hughan may find an account of a turn-out in procession by " The brethren and sisters" on Saint John ' s Day . In Hone's " Every Day Book" ( vol . ii ., page 870 ) , an article headed " Cow Mass" describes a

similar scene to have taken place in 1789 in Dunkirk . It was the custom , not of Masons only , to walk in procession on the 24 th of June , but of the guilds in general ; and even now the Sheriff of ' •London is elected by the Livery on Midsummer ' s Day . This simple

coincidencethis meeting on St . John ' s Day—afterwards gave rise to the wildest speculations . Ramsay discovered through that the connection of Masons with Knight Templars , which caused Christian degrees to be manipulated by the thousand . Bro . Mackey , of Charleston , South Carolina ,

attributes the Masonic observance of that day to the Masonic philosophers of antiquity observing the soltices . So first with the introduction of saints , and next of the Bible , not only Masonic history became corrupted , but the ritual also kept pace with the corruption . Hutchinson's

imagination ran wild with the idea that the third degree was Christian ; Dunckerly introduced thc saints as Masonic parallels ; Oliver almost swore that he believed in the Saint John's legend . Bro . Paton pins his faith on Oliver ' s authority , and writes an article to THE FREEMASON on the

connection of St . John the Evangelist with Masonry •and even the clear-sighted Bro . Hughan is led astray by supposing that because the bricklayers of old had to be Christians , we therefore must also somehow acknowledge Christianity in our lodges . I shall not enter

into the corruptions of the Masonic idea prevailing in Prussia , Sweden , and Denmark , nor will I enlarge on the double-dealing practice of Scotland and America ; but most state that in 1813 the Grand Lodge of England saw the labyrinth of inconsistency into which Masonry

was then plunged , and wisely made necessary alterations . Saints ceased to be Masonic patrons , & c , and other improvements were made . The Bible was however left in the lodge for the very same reason that it was first introduced , viz ., because no one objected to it :

quotations from or allusions to the Bible were permitted , because no one objected to them . Be it remembered that in 1813 the " Encyclopaedia Britannica" of that day denounced as infidels those who believed the world to be older than 6000 years . Professors in Oxford taught the

same thing then . Now , however , both the " Encyclopaedia " and the Oxford professors deny the Biblical account of the creation . This part of the Bible ceased to be the universal belief even in England , The long lecture of the " Six Days , " with the Miltonian poetry of " Grace in

her step and heaven in her eye , " was very suitable for 1813 , but is not suitable for the ideas of 1871 ; and if the Grand Lodge of England does not wish to drive the best educated and scientific professors from active participation in the Masonic work , that part ought better to be omitted .

But I beg to remind our brother of another fact . Tlie Duke of Sussex initiateda Mahommedan , and for obvious reasons the Bible was removed and the Koran substituted . Here , then , for three successive lodge meetings the lodge was without t a Bible ; but will any one deny that the lodge

Bro. Hughan And The Bible Question.

then was just , perfect , and regular ? Now , if the lodge could then be perfect without a Bible , why can it not always be so ? Ah ! but the Koran was there . But is not the Book of Constitutions of more importance to Bro . Hughan than the Koran ? On the same occasion , the Duke could not have exhorted the candidate

to put his faith in the Bible , nor could he have alluded in similar strains to the Koran , hence the ceremony must have been altered , so as to give no offence to either Christian or Mahommedan . But we will now suppose that the said Mahommedan brother was afterwards elected

Master of the lodge , would any one insist when initiating a Christian Candidate for the Mahommedan W . M . to exhort the said candidate to believe in the Bible ? Most assuredly not . Now , we will go still further , and suppose that one or more Mahommedan brethren object to the

Bible being in the lodge—such a case may really occur in those Provincial Grand Lodges under the Grand Lodge of England existing in Turkey and East Indies—the Christians , on the other hand , would for similar raasons object to the Koran . Now , is it not better to remove

both than to break up the harmony of the lodge ? And if Masons are faithful to their own professions and their own charges , they need no more be accused of disbelief in the Bible , because they consent to its removal , than Anderson and Desaguliers could be charged

with anti-Trimtarianism because they allowed the Trinity to be ignored in the lodge . And now comes the question : If we admit disbelievers in the inspiration of the Bible , why should we favour the conscience of a Mahommedan and despise that of a Deist ? Must a Deist

naturally be a bad man ? Can he not be admitted into Masonry ; or does our ' •' charity to all mankind " stop with the believer with God with Mahomet , and reject the believer in God without Mahomet ? These are my ideas of universality . If Anderson ' s charges mean

anything , they mean just what they say : Masonry is " the religion in which all agree , " and when they cease to agree concession must be made to the progressive change of religious ideas , which takes place whether we like it or not . In

that sense only the metaphor can be realised . " Our lodge is as long as from east to west , as broad as from north to south , " & c , and the Masonic teaching of charity to all mankind attains its true significance and become a reality instead of a sham .

In conclusion , I beg to state that I believe that if we are guided by the moral precepts contained in the Bible , we cannot materially err , and have no conscientious objection to the presence of the Bible in the lodge ; but the moral precepts taught in the Bible would make me feel

ashamed at sanctioning or even tolerating the Jesuitism practiced in Scotch and American lodges , and would induce me to sanction and even advocate the removal of the Bible if its presence is made an excuse for violating justice , " even in its most minute point . " I have

therefore a right to caution and inform those who are constantly clamoring for the Bible , that whereas the Bible can only remain in the lodge as long as it continues to be " the religion in which all agree , " and whereas opinions are gradually changing , even among the highest dignitaries of

the Church , regarding the inspiration of this or that part of the Bible . It is therefore the duty of every just-minded brother to abstain in the lodge or in Masonic assemblies from ventilating ' certain doctrines or details drawn from the Bible /// which all do not agree . And if these men

should persist in their unmasonic conduct , it must eventually terminate either in a disrupture or in an entire change in the whole Masonic system . We must cither expunge from the charges and ritual all allusions to Masonic universality , or the very firm believers in the Bible , but who also believe that God is more pleased with those

who practice the moral teaching thereof than with thc mere clamorers who violate them . Yea , even these—even Bro . Hughan himself—may yet be driven to advocate the removal of the Bible ; and they could no more be blamed or accused of what is called infidelitythan Messrs , Anderson and Desaguliers could be charged