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Article WHAT IS FREEMASONRY? ← Page 2 of 5 →
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What Is Freemasonry?
things of Divine appointment are thus disregarded , what marvel is it , my Brethren , that any mstitution , which is confessedly human , and whose highest claim is but to be the handmaid of religion , should be disliked by some , misunderstood by many , and disregarded by more , My object on the present occasion will be to endeavour to remind my Brethren in Freemasonry , and to explain to those who have not the honour of being members of our
royal order , how . Freemasonry may be , and is intended to be , and if duly carried out must of necessity be , an auxiliary , a teacher , and a support of godliness , and virtue , and love , and thus he an earthly means of bringing the pious man to nearne ss to his God . In entering upon the consideration of this subject , I feel it to be necessary to review some of the principal popular objections to our system , and to endeavour to expose their fallacy . The most important of these objections are , as follows : —1 st . That
Freemasonry is a system which , embracmg all forms of faith , and all classes of men , must , from its very universality , countenance much of what is false and bad ; that it regards with an eye of indifference Christianity , Judaism , and infidelity ; and that a system of this nature cannot lay a just claim to the title of a religious institution . 2 nd . That the secrets of Masonry must be either good or bad , must either countenance virtue and holiness , or encourage , or at least wink at , vice ; and that if they be good , there can be
no reason why its teaching should not be thrown open to the world , so that all alike , initiated or uninitiated , may derive benefit from them , and , on the other hand , that if they be bad , of course the system of which they form an integral part must be diametrically opposed alike to the precept and practice of religion . 3 rd . That the lives of many Freemasons , who pass imcensured by their Brethren , are such as are not at all consistent with the religious professions of the order to which they belong .
These objections I shall now endeavour to answer in their order ; and firstly , as to the universality of Masonry , and its alleged latitudinarianism . Masonry presents itself to the eye of its student in a double aspect , firstly as a social tie , and secondly as a moral system , and it is to the first of these aspects that its universality more especially applies . It is a wide ,
allembracing tie , which links its members in an indissoluble bond of mutual defence and support . Without respect to any considerations , save those of brotherhood and a life worthy of that brotherhood , all Masons are solemnly pledged to love and cherish one another , to yield each other all lawful assistance , and to guard a brother ' s honour as their own . Is this unlawful ? True it is that Jews and Mohammedans , and even those of other creeds ,
are found among us and receive admission to our English fraternities ; but is it contrary to the Christian profession to extend the hand of brotherly love and assistance to those who , less fortunate than ourselves , are still in darkness and under the shadow of death , whilst we , God ' s adopted sons in Christ , have the guidance of his holy Word and the teaching of his church
to guide our feet into the way of peace ? Is this forbidden us ? Did our great Master and example , our blessed Lord , refuse to associate for the purposes of benevolence with publicans and sinners ? Did he turn a deaf ear to the prayers of the Samaritan leper ? Was he not won to mercy by the reiterated cries of the Syrophenici ^ n wom an ? Yea , even under the law of Moses , did not Boaz receive the Moabitess Ruth to his home and to his bed ?
Did not prophets exert their miraculous powers for the relief of the heathen ? Did Elisha not heal Naaman the Syrian ? Did Elijah not listen to the distress of the widow of Sarepta ? and shall we , whose greatest privilege it is to live under the law of a God of love , shall we be forbidden to love , to help , and to support those who are less blessed than ourselves ? Nay , is not such love the best possible means of displaying to those who are yet in darkness ths 2 T
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
What Is Freemasonry?
things of Divine appointment are thus disregarded , what marvel is it , my Brethren , that any mstitution , which is confessedly human , and whose highest claim is but to be the handmaid of religion , should be disliked by some , misunderstood by many , and disregarded by more , My object on the present occasion will be to endeavour to remind my Brethren in Freemasonry , and to explain to those who have not the honour of being members of our
royal order , how . Freemasonry may be , and is intended to be , and if duly carried out must of necessity be , an auxiliary , a teacher , and a support of godliness , and virtue , and love , and thus he an earthly means of bringing the pious man to nearne ss to his God . In entering upon the consideration of this subject , I feel it to be necessary to review some of the principal popular objections to our system , and to endeavour to expose their fallacy . The most important of these objections are , as follows : —1 st . That
Freemasonry is a system which , embracmg all forms of faith , and all classes of men , must , from its very universality , countenance much of what is false and bad ; that it regards with an eye of indifference Christianity , Judaism , and infidelity ; and that a system of this nature cannot lay a just claim to the title of a religious institution . 2 nd . That the secrets of Masonry must be either good or bad , must either countenance virtue and holiness , or encourage , or at least wink at , vice ; and that if they be good , there can be
no reason why its teaching should not be thrown open to the world , so that all alike , initiated or uninitiated , may derive benefit from them , and , on the other hand , that if they be bad , of course the system of which they form an integral part must be diametrically opposed alike to the precept and practice of religion . 3 rd . That the lives of many Freemasons , who pass imcensured by their Brethren , are such as are not at all consistent with the religious professions of the order to which they belong .
These objections I shall now endeavour to answer in their order ; and firstly , as to the universality of Masonry , and its alleged latitudinarianism . Masonry presents itself to the eye of its student in a double aspect , firstly as a social tie , and secondly as a moral system , and it is to the first of these aspects that its universality more especially applies . It is a wide ,
allembracing tie , which links its members in an indissoluble bond of mutual defence and support . Without respect to any considerations , save those of brotherhood and a life worthy of that brotherhood , all Masons are solemnly pledged to love and cherish one another , to yield each other all lawful assistance , and to guard a brother ' s honour as their own . Is this unlawful ? True it is that Jews and Mohammedans , and even those of other creeds ,
are found among us and receive admission to our English fraternities ; but is it contrary to the Christian profession to extend the hand of brotherly love and assistance to those who , less fortunate than ourselves , are still in darkness and under the shadow of death , whilst we , God ' s adopted sons in Christ , have the guidance of his holy Word and the teaching of his church
to guide our feet into the way of peace ? Is this forbidden us ? Did our great Master and example , our blessed Lord , refuse to associate for the purposes of benevolence with publicans and sinners ? Did he turn a deaf ear to the prayers of the Samaritan leper ? Was he not won to mercy by the reiterated cries of the Syrophenici ^ n wom an ? Yea , even under the law of Moses , did not Boaz receive the Moabitess Ruth to his home and to his bed ?
Did not prophets exert their miraculous powers for the relief of the heathen ? Did Elisha not heal Naaman the Syrian ? Did Elijah not listen to the distress of the widow of Sarepta ? and shall we , whose greatest privilege it is to live under the law of a God of love , shall we be forbidden to love , to help , and to support those who are less blessed than ourselves ? Nay , is not such love the best possible means of displaying to those who are yet in darkness ths 2 T