Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Canada.
ruptions of other words derived from the compound Greek word " Mesouiance , " the meaning of which is " Waiters , or Seekers in the Temple , " or those who " waited to hear divine truths proclaimed . " The true Mason , then , may be regarded as an aspirant after immortality , and a devout worshipper of the Triune God , the Father , the Son , and the Holy Spirit ; a lover of pure wisdom and truth , its true
mysteries being unfurnished with any typeor character but those which anciently related to the worship of the Triune God , or conduced to the great objects of moral instruction . But the Masonry of to-day , called since the revival and revision of 1717 , " Free and Accepted , " is a totally distinct matter , with which the simple and beautiful religious early symbol teaching has nothing to do .
THE ORDER OF THE BENEDICTINES . During the whole of the dark ages human learning was confined to the " Monasteries , " there being but few who could read or write , and in the early centuries ot Christianity the " Benedictine " Order of Monks was the repository of every branch of science and education . To them it is conceded and well known by all who have examined the
subject that the Order was pure as far as the leading doctrines of Christ were concerned ; to them we are indebted for the preservation of the Sacred Mysteries , which existed and flourished centuries before the Christian era , and whose symbols and ceremonies taught the doctrines of time , death , immortality , and redemption , containing the knowledge of the undivided personality of the Holy Trinity , the
manifestation of the redeemer God - Man , the Atonement , the Resurrection of the Body , and man ' s responsibility . It was exclusively the " Benedictines , " and later still the " Cistercian , " Order of Monks who employed themselves in architecture , many extensive buildings being erected by the monks , assisted by the lay brothers and servants . The abbots designed the plans for thc churches , convents , and
monasteries . Lay brothers who dwelt within the circle of the monastic associations , and who assisted the monks in the erection of the religious houses , in the course of time formed similar associations among themselves , and from these latter sprang the independent lodges of German stonemasons of the twelfth and fourteenth centuries . On the commencement of the great Christian Reformation
the taste for extensive church buildings began to pass away , and the Eccelesiastical Orders tn abandon their zeal for architecture . The architects or builders , originally trained and educated by the " Benedictines , " gradually withdrew from the monastic communities , and by degrees lost the main character of the Order . Their technology had become obselete , and in
place of the holy and sacred truths that had built them up their whole attention was turned to architecture . After the Reformation , when church building ceased almost entirely , the stonemasons degenerated to the level of ordinary workmen . So , also , in the course of time , the ceremonial , forms , and usages—now no longer understood—lost by degrees tlieir peculiar significance , and in many places the builders abandoned their lodges and affiliated with the
" guilds " of ordinary masons . Vet some of the ancient ceremonies were always retained and preserved , sn that at the establishment of the present system their customs and usages were still in existence , and only required a different and new explanation . At the present day , we have no authentic documents which refer to the organisation of the fraternity during the most flourishing periods of its
existence . It was only when the ancient forms had commenced to decay , and the true comprehension of the meaning of its ancient ritual , usages , and discipline had began to die away , that the fraternity felt the necessity of preventing a total extinction hy re-establishing the ancient landmarks , j-Until this period , Masonry was purely and pointedly Christian , and altogether Trinitarian . Although the new
system was generally adopted , there appears to have been some who , being in partial possession of the old doctrines , taught them apart from the new ones , which at the time caused some disturbance , hut the system of " Hiram " Masonry prevailed , and is the " hrce and Accepted " Masonry of to-day , with many alteration * -., lint still in spirit the same . !
Or THE TEMPLARS . We will now turn to the old religious and military order of the "Knights Templar , " whirh was another branch from the Benedictines , beginning with the " Poor fellow soldiers of Jesus Christ . " They became a military monastic order for the protection ol pilgrims , and subsequently joined in the wars of the crusades . Like the * ' Stone Masons , " they were in possession of the mysteries
* If , on examining the subject , we turn tn the religious symbol teaching , the mechanical , material portion stares us in the face , anil becomes an obstacle in the way ; then , if we turn to the material part , and trace it back to its hirr . ipl . icc-, we lira ! mirseJ . es Ictt with nothing but thc silent , expressive symbols of religious truth , and enquire , with solicitude , what have we to dn with these if our institution is a band of mechanics , or what have the simple , beautiful emblems to do with bricks and mortar . It is not until light dawns on us concerning the real meaning and impart o * these things that
we awake to con-C'Onsne . s , venfving the blessed word , And the light shineth in darkness , but the darkness comprehendeth it not . " . In the year 1717 therewcre butfour old lodges in London , when the revival of . Masonry took place , anJ the revision ofthe work fell into the hands of Drs . Anderson aid Dcsaugtilier ... In 1721 the work was apparently completed in two Decrees—E , A . and F . C . — rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity , and making the institution cosmopolitan , adopting Ihe plan of the universal Fatherhood of God , and it is clearly demonstrated that tlie Third Degree wa-i made up by them after ' 1721 .
i In the beginning of the seventeenth century persons who were i . ot operatives began to unite with the " Free Masons , ' * and were distinguished from the working Alasons hy the denomination of of " Accepted Masons . " By thc year 1702 the lodges decreased , and tinatly fell into oblivion . It is related by historians that previous to 1717 , so low had . Masonry fallen that it was a common thing in passing along the streets of London and Liverpool , particularly by the riverside , to observe large painted signs placed over doors of ale houses nnd sailors * boarding houses , with the words
"Masons made here for 12 sbilings . " Investigation has clearly sho * n that the present system of degrees is comparatively of modern origin , being totally unknown to the Craft at the timj of the revival . Originally there was but one degree of initiation , and that an architectural one , thc names E . A . F . C , and M . M ., being only the designation of classes of workmen and not degrees of initiation . The whole society was composed only of "Fellows , " who were received or initiated into
the Craft . The nrst set of lectures known were arranged by Drs . Anderson and Desauguliers , and made their appearance in 1730 . Then , for the first time , we find a division into " three degrees , " and thc legend of Ihe master tpuilder , Hiram , is one of its distinctive features ; it was very short and comprised the whole third Degree , evidently borrowed from certain tales in thc Jewhh Targum , published in London , 171 ; , from a MS , in the University of Cambridge ,
Canada.
as far as each was entitled to receive them , but it was not denominated Masonry , being the true " Mesourance . " They undoubtedly had another ritual of reception , or initiation , into the usages and customs of Chivalry , which was an outside matter , although in some measure retaining its symbolic teaching , based upon what they had received , but not the same as the _ mysteries , inasmuch as they have nothing in them authorising war , bloodshed , or violence of
any kind . The Order had their professions , vows , degrees of preferment , discipline , punishments , and were strictly religious , trinitarian , and severe , Chivalry being a thing " per se . " It is known to all who have given the subject sufficient thought and research , that the basis of the Order was kept always most sacred , and only imparted to a select few in their secret conclaves . The secret ritual of these
doctrines , I have every reason to believe , is still in existence , sacredly preserved and most securely kept . It is purely religious , and in perfect harmony with God's word , but not intended to be made public or used in common . Born in the school of the Prophets , preserved by them in the most sacred manner , yet forming the great work of their teachings , transmitted only to a small and select number—they reach us at the present day , not as a
published system to call for the admiration , or satisfy the curiosity of "the world , " but to become a secret and unmentionable basis for teaching and reformation . One thing is very certain , that it will never do to give indiscriminate publicity to the Ancient Ceremonial ; it would be treated with derision and scorn by the " Free-thinker and scoffer . " Such sacred truths are vmfit for the idle and profane , for' it is painful to record , but no less true , that
there is not sufficient reverence for God's word , for the inviolability of an oath amongst many professing members of the Order , who merely look upon it as a matter of recreation—a matter of course , of no consequence—the plaything of an hour . I have thus endeavoured to show you that the origin of the Templars and Builders was from a common sourcecarrying with them the same doctrines .
The Templars , who were organized into a great military body , were suppressed five centuries ago , but some of them uniting with the Order of St . John of Jerusalem , their secret doctrines were preserved and introduced into various countries of Europe . We know but little of the actual system pursued by the Masonic lodges prior to 1717 , or their connection with Templary , but it is one of the well-known legends of the
Society that after the suppression a few of the Templars became mingled with the Architectural Fraternities ; and it is recorded that as early as 1550 a Lodge of Builders at Stirling , in Scotland , had a Templar Chapter attached to it , who were called " Cross-legged Masons , " and whose initiatory ceremonies were performed , not in a room , but in the old Abbey , the ruins of wliich are still to be seen in the neighbourhood .
From the period of the Reformation the combined Orders of the Temple and " Hospitallers of St . John , " in Scotland , appear only as belonging to Masonic Society . In England , after the establishment of the revised system of Masonry ( 1717 ) , there is not a doubt but that many of the brethren , dissatisfied with the radical changes , held meetings amongst themselves teaching the old doctrines , and in the middle of the last century these
meetings assumed the form of a revival of the Chivalric Templars , imitating their ancient ceremonies and usages . In these Templar Lodges , or Encampments as they were called , which first appeared in the South of England about 1750 , and later spread to the North , the question of the legitimacy of the "Templar and Ancient Masonic " doctrines was fully believed and participated in . The object of this imitation revival of the old Order has
led to our present system , and appears to have been intended to keep alive the true Christian and Trinitarian character of Freemasonry , so completely absorbed by the universal and accepted system . Careful investigation and research require of us to abandon the direct descent theory of British Templary from the Ancient Knights , which cannot be satisfactorily sustained , further than to show that the doctrines of the Old Order are still intact ,
and form the basis of our modern system . A recent able writer of our Order says , and to the truth of which we must agree -. " That there is no actual connecting link between the Old Chivalric Orders of the Templars and St . John with our present system . As the Medireval Guilds of the past are related to the present Masonic body , so does our ' United Orders of the Templars and Malta perpetuate , in a similar manner , the teachings , the aims , and the
attributes of the most powerful and celebrated religious confraternities the world ever saw . " * It has been argued that the weak point , when endeavouring to show that Templary and Freemasonry had a common origin , is the complete absence of any allusion to the Templar Order in England earlier than the middle of the last century . But it must be borne in mind , that this only refers to its connection with the " Free and Accepted
Masonry " of the revival , a totally different organization , having no direct , or indirect , original connection with the Templar Order . It had some little connection in 1717 , the members in common being derived from the " Benedictines . " Our system of the "United Orders" is understood to represent , or imitate , the Religious and Military
Fraternities of Mediaeval times , following their doctrines and practices as nearly as possible . In the ceremony of a reception , we adhere closely to the various rules and rituals , which have been preserved , as well as the distinctive costumes . The symbolic teaching is unquestionably derived , in some degree , from the " Sacred Mysteries , " mutilated to be sure , and greatly obscured , but still manifest ; and I am satisfied that the British
* Certainly , the Ancient Order of the Templars was not perpetu . ated in such bodies as the early Encampments of Manchester , in England , chartered by ' Dermott ' s " Grand Lodge of 1744 , principally consisting of mechanics , giving so-called Templar < cgrees tor 2 S . od ., and for some time also conferred , in Scottish and Irish Craft lodges of the last century , one lodge In Scotland selling to another lodge the right to confer the degrees to another lodge for twenty shillings ( 30 s . )
It does not appear that there was any national organization in England , until " Dunkcrly " gathered Ihe different bodies to ^ ethci under his Presidency , with no other right than that he had becn elected Chief of an Encampment of Templars . To the German scholar , a very excellent exposition of the "Ancient Templar Order" is found in a highly cultivated work published by Bishop Munter , in Copenhagen , about 70 years since , The modern histories of the Templars aie all superficial , and do not amount to much . - -
Canada.
system approaches nearer the truth than anything practised . lt is generally supposed that the Knights of St . John ( Malta ) had no secret ritual . I am fully persuaded that they had , and never could have lived so long together in harmony , and performed so . many exploits , unless . they were bound together by the strongest ties After the union with the dispersed Templars , they certainly were in possession of the secret doctrines of that Order , and by them
transmitted to the present day . Those who have received it have never published it , but have studiously and sacredly concealed it , knowing it would only be derided by the scoffer and free-thinker . £ t the same time they have never ceased to promulgate its doctrines boldly . The evidence of its truth is to be found in Scotland , Ireland , Denmark , Germa ^ -, Italy , and Palestine to-day . It is a thing that can never be learned from history ; but after having received it , it becomes an easy matter to find the evidence of its truth . *
Great Priory Of Canada And Independence.
GREAT PRIORY OF CANADA AND INDEPENDENCE .
VV e think it well to publish and call attention to the following extract from 1 he Canadian Craftsman of July 25 th : The recent assembly of the Great Priory of Ottawa was probably the most important that has been held in the dominion for years . The address of the Great Prior was learned
and able as usual , and the cheerful , ready , prompt , and manly manner in which he yielded to the wishes of the Canadian fratres with regard to independence will long be remembered . This question of independence , which at one time threatened to actually cause a disruption of Great Priory , was settled amicably and unanimously . Now , we do not wish to extoll one Sir Knight to the
detriment of another , but in this instance it will not be unbecoming on our part to give due praise to the Great Chancellor , R . E . Sir Knight Daniel Spry , who , through good reportand evil report , has been the unflinching advocate of a peaceful and harmonious separation from England . This , after years of labour and strenuous opposition , he has accomplished without an opposing- vote , and with the consent of
the Great Prior , Col . W . J . B . MacLeod Moore . That this movement will give an impetus to Templary in this country we do not doubt . Up to this period there has been a feeling of uneasiness , uncertainty , and dependence , which to a great extent militated against the welfare of the Order ; now , however , wecan turn to our Great Chancellor and thank him tor the courteous and fraternal spirit he
displayed towards his adversaries , and congratulate him in winning over by reason and argument those who were , at one time , bitterly opposed to the movement . The independence of Great Priory does not prove that the Templars of this country love England less , but it illustrates the fact—they love Canada more . They desire to
conduct every branch of Masonry in this dominion on a separate and independent basis , and this cutting of the Gordian knot does not mean or signify in the least anv disloyalty to our future king , H . R . H . the Prince of Wales . The following is an outline of the address to the Great Prior upon the subject ; : " Great Priory of Canada . " To the M . E . the Great Prior . "
" The special committee appointed at the last annua ' assembly of the National Great Priory , for the purpose of taking into consideration the question of the independence of the National Great Priory of Canada , beg leave courteously and unanimously to report that , with the consent and acquiesence of the M . E . the Great Prior , they recommend the Great Priory to request and authorise the M . E . the
Great Prior to prepare and forward to H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , the Supreme Grand Master of Convent General , an humble address , praying : Inasmuch as the Great Priory has this day unanimously declared in the revision of the Statutes its authority in and throughout the Dominion of Canada over all bodies of the Order of the Temple and appendant Degrees , and your committee recommend that
the M . E . the Great Prior do address his Royal Highness the Grand Master that he will be graciously pleased to absolve this Great Priory and all Officers and Fratres members thereof , from their obligations of fealty to him as Supreme Grand Master , so that this Great Priory may be enabled fully and without doubt to affirm and maintain thc position which it has taken upon itself as an independent
Great Priory of the Order of Knights Templar and appendant Degrees , at the same time gratefully expressing our knightly obligations to his Royal Highness and to Convent General for all the courtesies and favours which we , a ' members and officers of the Order of the Temple in the Dominion of Canada have heretofore received from his Royal Highness , and from all the officers of the Order in
the United Kingdom ; and at the same time earnestly desiring that the relations of this Sovereign Great Priory towards the sister Great Priories in Great Britain and Ireland , and with the sister General Grand Encampment of the United States of America , and the Grand Commanderies
of the several States ; and desiring to unite and be more intimate and binding than heretofore with all Fratres throughout the world , that the Most High may evermore bestow his blessings upon us and upon all members of our beloved Order whithersoever dispersed . " All of which is respectfully submitted . "
* As an argument against there being a secret ritual of the mysteries , it has been brought forward that history does not mention it ! But it mnst be recollected that the old Monastic Military Orders were originally composed of purely religious men . Th : idea of an Order of that kind grew out of the religion they professed , and the peculiar state of the times called this religion into existence , and it was constructed into this form . They were Monks , and their Orders had existed for centuries before the " Templar " Order was thought of . The Crusaders sprang up , ana
history informs 11 s of its results , and the Order of ihe Templars-They were noticed by historians , but the knowledge of this history did not extend beyond the fact lhat they were Monks , and as such , took upon themselves the care of the sick and the defence of poor pilgrims . Outside this , hisiory does not concern itself—as to whom they were , from whence they came , or to what , or from wh-uic' ., they derived . Ali that history could procure concerning them ist ully set fonhs but the bas > s , the motive , or ground ot
faith , were hidden things , and the cflort to find out from history these things , will ever be a failure . It Is on this account that there ls so much ignorance concerning the " Sacred Mysteries" among historians . In Denmark , H . M . King Christian is Grand Master of the Order , and has frequently presided , to whom is known the ancient secret ritual , which Is most carefully preserved—being only conferred in full on d select few . All connection between it ana Modern Free arid Accepted Masonry is repudiated , and It l > nothing to do with the 9 y » teiri pursued in Swcilen ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Canada.
ruptions of other words derived from the compound Greek word " Mesouiance , " the meaning of which is " Waiters , or Seekers in the Temple , " or those who " waited to hear divine truths proclaimed . " The true Mason , then , may be regarded as an aspirant after immortality , and a devout worshipper of the Triune God , the Father , the Son , and the Holy Spirit ; a lover of pure wisdom and truth , its true
mysteries being unfurnished with any typeor character but those which anciently related to the worship of the Triune God , or conduced to the great objects of moral instruction . But the Masonry of to-day , called since the revival and revision of 1717 , " Free and Accepted , " is a totally distinct matter , with which the simple and beautiful religious early symbol teaching has nothing to do .
THE ORDER OF THE BENEDICTINES . During the whole of the dark ages human learning was confined to the " Monasteries , " there being but few who could read or write , and in the early centuries ot Christianity the " Benedictine " Order of Monks was the repository of every branch of science and education . To them it is conceded and well known by all who have examined the
subject that the Order was pure as far as the leading doctrines of Christ were concerned ; to them we are indebted for the preservation of the Sacred Mysteries , which existed and flourished centuries before the Christian era , and whose symbols and ceremonies taught the doctrines of time , death , immortality , and redemption , containing the knowledge of the undivided personality of the Holy Trinity , the
manifestation of the redeemer God - Man , the Atonement , the Resurrection of the Body , and man ' s responsibility . It was exclusively the " Benedictines , " and later still the " Cistercian , " Order of Monks who employed themselves in architecture , many extensive buildings being erected by the monks , assisted by the lay brothers and servants . The abbots designed the plans for thc churches , convents , and
monasteries . Lay brothers who dwelt within the circle of the monastic associations , and who assisted the monks in the erection of the religious houses , in the course of time formed similar associations among themselves , and from these latter sprang the independent lodges of German stonemasons of the twelfth and fourteenth centuries . On the commencement of the great Christian Reformation
the taste for extensive church buildings began to pass away , and the Eccelesiastical Orders tn abandon their zeal for architecture . The architects or builders , originally trained and educated by the " Benedictines , " gradually withdrew from the monastic communities , and by degrees lost the main character of the Order . Their technology had become obselete , and in
place of the holy and sacred truths that had built them up their whole attention was turned to architecture . After the Reformation , when church building ceased almost entirely , the stonemasons degenerated to the level of ordinary workmen . So , also , in the course of time , the ceremonial , forms , and usages—now no longer understood—lost by degrees tlieir peculiar significance , and in many places the builders abandoned their lodges and affiliated with the
" guilds " of ordinary masons . Vet some of the ancient ceremonies were always retained and preserved , sn that at the establishment of the present system their customs and usages were still in existence , and only required a different and new explanation . At the present day , we have no authentic documents which refer to the organisation of the fraternity during the most flourishing periods of its
existence . It was only when the ancient forms had commenced to decay , and the true comprehension of the meaning of its ancient ritual , usages , and discipline had began to die away , that the fraternity felt the necessity of preventing a total extinction hy re-establishing the ancient landmarks , j-Until this period , Masonry was purely and pointedly Christian , and altogether Trinitarian . Although the new
system was generally adopted , there appears to have been some who , being in partial possession of the old doctrines , taught them apart from the new ones , which at the time caused some disturbance , hut the system of " Hiram " Masonry prevailed , and is the " hrce and Accepted " Masonry of to-day , with many alteration * -., lint still in spirit the same . !
Or THE TEMPLARS . We will now turn to the old religious and military order of the "Knights Templar , " whirh was another branch from the Benedictines , beginning with the " Poor fellow soldiers of Jesus Christ . " They became a military monastic order for the protection ol pilgrims , and subsequently joined in the wars of the crusades . Like the * ' Stone Masons , " they were in possession of the mysteries
* If , on examining the subject , we turn tn the religious symbol teaching , the mechanical , material portion stares us in the face , anil becomes an obstacle in the way ; then , if we turn to the material part , and trace it back to its hirr . ipl . icc-, we lira ! mirseJ . es Ictt with nothing but thc silent , expressive symbols of religious truth , and enquire , with solicitude , what have we to dn with these if our institution is a band of mechanics , or what have the simple , beautiful emblems to do with bricks and mortar . It is not until light dawns on us concerning the real meaning and impart o * these things that
we awake to con-C'Onsne . s , venfving the blessed word , And the light shineth in darkness , but the darkness comprehendeth it not . " . In the year 1717 therewcre butfour old lodges in London , when the revival of . Masonry took place , anJ the revision ofthe work fell into the hands of Drs . Anderson aid Dcsaugtilier ... In 1721 the work was apparently completed in two Decrees—E , A . and F . C . — rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity , and making the institution cosmopolitan , adopting Ihe plan of the universal Fatherhood of God , and it is clearly demonstrated that tlie Third Degree wa-i made up by them after ' 1721 .
i In the beginning of the seventeenth century persons who were i . ot operatives began to unite with the " Free Masons , ' * and were distinguished from the working Alasons hy the denomination of of " Accepted Masons . " By thc year 1702 the lodges decreased , and tinatly fell into oblivion . It is related by historians that previous to 1717 , so low had . Masonry fallen that it was a common thing in passing along the streets of London and Liverpool , particularly by the riverside , to observe large painted signs placed over doors of ale houses nnd sailors * boarding houses , with the words
"Masons made here for 12 sbilings . " Investigation has clearly sho * n that the present system of degrees is comparatively of modern origin , being totally unknown to the Craft at the timj of the revival . Originally there was but one degree of initiation , and that an architectural one , thc names E . A . F . C , and M . M ., being only the designation of classes of workmen and not degrees of initiation . The whole society was composed only of "Fellows , " who were received or initiated into
the Craft . The nrst set of lectures known were arranged by Drs . Anderson and Desauguliers , and made their appearance in 1730 . Then , for the first time , we find a division into " three degrees , " and thc legend of Ihe master tpuilder , Hiram , is one of its distinctive features ; it was very short and comprised the whole third Degree , evidently borrowed from certain tales in thc Jewhh Targum , published in London , 171 ; , from a MS , in the University of Cambridge ,
Canada.
as far as each was entitled to receive them , but it was not denominated Masonry , being the true " Mesourance . " They undoubtedly had another ritual of reception , or initiation , into the usages and customs of Chivalry , which was an outside matter , although in some measure retaining its symbolic teaching , based upon what they had received , but not the same as the _ mysteries , inasmuch as they have nothing in them authorising war , bloodshed , or violence of
any kind . The Order had their professions , vows , degrees of preferment , discipline , punishments , and were strictly religious , trinitarian , and severe , Chivalry being a thing " per se . " It is known to all who have given the subject sufficient thought and research , that the basis of the Order was kept always most sacred , and only imparted to a select few in their secret conclaves . The secret ritual of these
doctrines , I have every reason to believe , is still in existence , sacredly preserved and most securely kept . It is purely religious , and in perfect harmony with God's word , but not intended to be made public or used in common . Born in the school of the Prophets , preserved by them in the most sacred manner , yet forming the great work of their teachings , transmitted only to a small and select number—they reach us at the present day , not as a
published system to call for the admiration , or satisfy the curiosity of "the world , " but to become a secret and unmentionable basis for teaching and reformation . One thing is very certain , that it will never do to give indiscriminate publicity to the Ancient Ceremonial ; it would be treated with derision and scorn by the " Free-thinker and scoffer . " Such sacred truths are vmfit for the idle and profane , for' it is painful to record , but no less true , that
there is not sufficient reverence for God's word , for the inviolability of an oath amongst many professing members of the Order , who merely look upon it as a matter of recreation—a matter of course , of no consequence—the plaything of an hour . I have thus endeavoured to show you that the origin of the Templars and Builders was from a common sourcecarrying with them the same doctrines .
The Templars , who were organized into a great military body , were suppressed five centuries ago , but some of them uniting with the Order of St . John of Jerusalem , their secret doctrines were preserved and introduced into various countries of Europe . We know but little of the actual system pursued by the Masonic lodges prior to 1717 , or their connection with Templary , but it is one of the well-known legends of the
Society that after the suppression a few of the Templars became mingled with the Architectural Fraternities ; and it is recorded that as early as 1550 a Lodge of Builders at Stirling , in Scotland , had a Templar Chapter attached to it , who were called " Cross-legged Masons , " and whose initiatory ceremonies were performed , not in a room , but in the old Abbey , the ruins of wliich are still to be seen in the neighbourhood .
From the period of the Reformation the combined Orders of the Temple and " Hospitallers of St . John , " in Scotland , appear only as belonging to Masonic Society . In England , after the establishment of the revised system of Masonry ( 1717 ) , there is not a doubt but that many of the brethren , dissatisfied with the radical changes , held meetings amongst themselves teaching the old doctrines , and in the middle of the last century these
meetings assumed the form of a revival of the Chivalric Templars , imitating their ancient ceremonies and usages . In these Templar Lodges , or Encampments as they were called , which first appeared in the South of England about 1750 , and later spread to the North , the question of the legitimacy of the "Templar and Ancient Masonic " doctrines was fully believed and participated in . The object of this imitation revival of the old Order has
led to our present system , and appears to have been intended to keep alive the true Christian and Trinitarian character of Freemasonry , so completely absorbed by the universal and accepted system . Careful investigation and research require of us to abandon the direct descent theory of British Templary from the Ancient Knights , which cannot be satisfactorily sustained , further than to show that the doctrines of the Old Order are still intact ,
and form the basis of our modern system . A recent able writer of our Order says , and to the truth of which we must agree -. " That there is no actual connecting link between the Old Chivalric Orders of the Templars and St . John with our present system . As the Medireval Guilds of the past are related to the present Masonic body , so does our ' United Orders of the Templars and Malta perpetuate , in a similar manner , the teachings , the aims , and the
attributes of the most powerful and celebrated religious confraternities the world ever saw . " * It has been argued that the weak point , when endeavouring to show that Templary and Freemasonry had a common origin , is the complete absence of any allusion to the Templar Order in England earlier than the middle of the last century . But it must be borne in mind , that this only refers to its connection with the " Free and Accepted
Masonry " of the revival , a totally different organization , having no direct , or indirect , original connection with the Templar Order . It had some little connection in 1717 , the members in common being derived from the " Benedictines . " Our system of the "United Orders" is understood to represent , or imitate , the Religious and Military
Fraternities of Mediaeval times , following their doctrines and practices as nearly as possible . In the ceremony of a reception , we adhere closely to the various rules and rituals , which have been preserved , as well as the distinctive costumes . The symbolic teaching is unquestionably derived , in some degree , from the " Sacred Mysteries , " mutilated to be sure , and greatly obscured , but still manifest ; and I am satisfied that the British
* Certainly , the Ancient Order of the Templars was not perpetu . ated in such bodies as the early Encampments of Manchester , in England , chartered by ' Dermott ' s " Grand Lodge of 1744 , principally consisting of mechanics , giving so-called Templar < cgrees tor 2 S . od ., and for some time also conferred , in Scottish and Irish Craft lodges of the last century , one lodge In Scotland selling to another lodge the right to confer the degrees to another lodge for twenty shillings ( 30 s . )
It does not appear that there was any national organization in England , until " Dunkcrly " gathered Ihe different bodies to ^ ethci under his Presidency , with no other right than that he had becn elected Chief of an Encampment of Templars . To the German scholar , a very excellent exposition of the "Ancient Templar Order" is found in a highly cultivated work published by Bishop Munter , in Copenhagen , about 70 years since , The modern histories of the Templars aie all superficial , and do not amount to much . - -
Canada.
system approaches nearer the truth than anything practised . lt is generally supposed that the Knights of St . John ( Malta ) had no secret ritual . I am fully persuaded that they had , and never could have lived so long together in harmony , and performed so . many exploits , unless . they were bound together by the strongest ties After the union with the dispersed Templars , they certainly were in possession of the secret doctrines of that Order , and by them
transmitted to the present day . Those who have received it have never published it , but have studiously and sacredly concealed it , knowing it would only be derided by the scoffer and free-thinker . £ t the same time they have never ceased to promulgate its doctrines boldly . The evidence of its truth is to be found in Scotland , Ireland , Denmark , Germa ^ -, Italy , and Palestine to-day . It is a thing that can never be learned from history ; but after having received it , it becomes an easy matter to find the evidence of its truth . *
Great Priory Of Canada And Independence.
GREAT PRIORY OF CANADA AND INDEPENDENCE .
VV e think it well to publish and call attention to the following extract from 1 he Canadian Craftsman of July 25 th : The recent assembly of the Great Priory of Ottawa was probably the most important that has been held in the dominion for years . The address of the Great Prior was learned
and able as usual , and the cheerful , ready , prompt , and manly manner in which he yielded to the wishes of the Canadian fratres with regard to independence will long be remembered . This question of independence , which at one time threatened to actually cause a disruption of Great Priory , was settled amicably and unanimously . Now , we do not wish to extoll one Sir Knight to the
detriment of another , but in this instance it will not be unbecoming on our part to give due praise to the Great Chancellor , R . E . Sir Knight Daniel Spry , who , through good reportand evil report , has been the unflinching advocate of a peaceful and harmonious separation from England . This , after years of labour and strenuous opposition , he has accomplished without an opposing- vote , and with the consent of
the Great Prior , Col . W . J . B . MacLeod Moore . That this movement will give an impetus to Templary in this country we do not doubt . Up to this period there has been a feeling of uneasiness , uncertainty , and dependence , which to a great extent militated against the welfare of the Order ; now , however , wecan turn to our Great Chancellor and thank him tor the courteous and fraternal spirit he
displayed towards his adversaries , and congratulate him in winning over by reason and argument those who were , at one time , bitterly opposed to the movement . The independence of Great Priory does not prove that the Templars of this country love England less , but it illustrates the fact—they love Canada more . They desire to
conduct every branch of Masonry in this dominion on a separate and independent basis , and this cutting of the Gordian knot does not mean or signify in the least anv disloyalty to our future king , H . R . H . the Prince of Wales . The following is an outline of the address to the Great Prior upon the subject ; : " Great Priory of Canada . " To the M . E . the Great Prior . "
" The special committee appointed at the last annua ' assembly of the National Great Priory , for the purpose of taking into consideration the question of the independence of the National Great Priory of Canada , beg leave courteously and unanimously to report that , with the consent and acquiesence of the M . E . the Great Prior , they recommend the Great Priory to request and authorise the M . E . the
Great Prior to prepare and forward to H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , the Supreme Grand Master of Convent General , an humble address , praying : Inasmuch as the Great Priory has this day unanimously declared in the revision of the Statutes its authority in and throughout the Dominion of Canada over all bodies of the Order of the Temple and appendant Degrees , and your committee recommend that
the M . E . the Great Prior do address his Royal Highness the Grand Master that he will be graciously pleased to absolve this Great Priory and all Officers and Fratres members thereof , from their obligations of fealty to him as Supreme Grand Master , so that this Great Priory may be enabled fully and without doubt to affirm and maintain thc position which it has taken upon itself as an independent
Great Priory of the Order of Knights Templar and appendant Degrees , at the same time gratefully expressing our knightly obligations to his Royal Highness and to Convent General for all the courtesies and favours which we , a ' members and officers of the Order of the Temple in the Dominion of Canada have heretofore received from his Royal Highness , and from all the officers of the Order in
the United Kingdom ; and at the same time earnestly desiring that the relations of this Sovereign Great Priory towards the sister Great Priories in Great Britain and Ireland , and with the sister General Grand Encampment of the United States of America , and the Grand Commanderies
of the several States ; and desiring to unite and be more intimate and binding than heretofore with all Fratres throughout the world , that the Most High may evermore bestow his blessings upon us and upon all members of our beloved Order whithersoever dispersed . " All of which is respectfully submitted . "
* As an argument against there being a secret ritual of the mysteries , it has been brought forward that history does not mention it ! But it mnst be recollected that the old Monastic Military Orders were originally composed of purely religious men . Th : idea of an Order of that kind grew out of the religion they professed , and the peculiar state of the times called this religion into existence , and it was constructed into this form . They were Monks , and their Orders had existed for centuries before the " Templar " Order was thought of . The Crusaders sprang up , ana
history informs 11 s of its results , and the Order of ihe Templars-They were noticed by historians , but the knowledge of this history did not extend beyond the fact lhat they were Monks , and as such , took upon themselves the care of the sick and the defence of poor pilgrims . Outside this , hisiory does not concern itself—as to whom they were , from whence they came , or to what , or from wh-uic' ., they derived . Ali that history could procure concerning them ist ully set fonhs but the bas > s , the motive , or ground ot
faith , were hidden things , and the cflort to find out from history these things , will ever be a failure . It Is on this account that there ls so much ignorance concerning the " Sacred Mysteries" among historians . In Denmark , H . M . King Christian is Grand Master of the Order , and has frequently presided , to whom is known the ancient secret ritual , which Is most carefully preserved—being only conferred in full on d select few . All connection between it ana Modern Free arid Accepted Masonry is repudiated , and It l > nothing to do with the 9 y » teiri pursued in Swcilen ,