A Roman Catholic's Notion Of Freemasonry.

never realise . I conclude with a comparison between the religious and political tenets of the deistical Masons , of the atheistical Illumiuati and Jacobins , and of the pantheistic Socialists . Such is the wide field I purpose to travel over to-night . I must most earnestly bespeak your indulgence , first , for detaining you so long ; and secondlyfor handling a subject ivhichI sincerely believe

, , , my poivers are unequal to . " Wherever Mr . Robertson found the statement that in th < . hig her degrees Ereemasonry professes to restore the pure religion of nature , he has been grossly deceived . The high grades as we know , by personally belonging to them , are essentially Christian and

celebrate none but Christian mysteries , in honour of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ . Our author is also in error when he asserts our derivation from the Eleusinian mysteries . Such is not the case . Ereemasonry is a society that was instituted in the primitive ages . It has neeessaaily been

a changing body , adapting itself to the times . Thus it has participated iu all the mysteries because it has ever had an Esoteric ancl Exoteric doctrine , the one for the priesthood , the other for the people . This has been so fully treated of in our columns that it is unnecessary to repeat it here , To the assertion of our form of the Order taking up its abode with an operative guild there can be no objection , but to say it assimilated with the Illuminati

and Jacobms , is not the fact . They found Ereemasonry established and respectable , sought and gained admission to the lodges where , on the continent , Adam Wieshaupt and his disciples , made proselytes , hut at last so disgusted the lodge at Erankfort , that the old Ereemasons left it one by one , and the Illuminati held it as a cover to their questionable proceedings .

Ereemasonry did not seek the Illuminati , but the latter sought the Craft , and after having got rid of it , carried on their designs under the name and respectability of the characters of the men they had ousted . It is with sorrow that Ave find Mr . Robertson attempting to brand us ivith Avhat he considers a stigma ,

by attaching our Order to that of the Knights Templar . We clo not , hoivever , consider them as bad ancestors as he does , for they were true Christian Knights , ancl the secret practices for which they were condemned were Masonic rites . But it is an astonishing circumstance , and evidences the power of the

papacy , that good men should speak slig htingly of an Order , that for centuries was one of the great bulwarks of Christendom , and all because Philip le Bel , a bad king of Erance , joined with his minion , Pope Clement V ., in greed to get the riches and possessions of the Templars . ( See the testimony of Von Hamer , hy no means prejudiced in favour of the Templars , or Ereemasons , in Secret Societies of the Middle Ages . ) Mr . Robertson goes on to say : —

" My chief authorities are as follows : — " 1 . The Abbe Barruel ' s work , entitled The Memoirs of Jacobinism , the second volume of which is very full upon Masonry . In the thirty years proceeding the Erench Eevolution of 1789 , the Abbe Barruel had by personal observation , as well as by research , ample opportunities of learning the princiles and the working of

p the Masonic lodges . The first volume of this work was translated into English in the year 1 / 96 , and met ivith the approval of our illustrious Burke , who cites it in one of his last writings . " 2 . The main statements of Barruel are corroborated by the Protestant writer , Professor Eobison , of

Edinburgh , m a book entitled , Proofs of a Conspiracy against all Religions and Governments in Europe . This work was published in 1798 , and dedicated to the great statesman and orator , Wyndham . Eobison had originall y been a Mason . " 3 . A manual of Masonry was published some years ago by the infidel bookseller , Eichard Carlile . In this

all the ceremonies , degrees , and instructions in Masonry are described . " 4 . A work on this subject appeared a few years ago from the pen of a German protestant , M . Eckert , an advocate at Dresden . It is entitled , Freemasonry considered in its true signification , or in its organization , its object , and its history . This work , which I received but a havo consulted onl

few days ago , I y in certain portions , and in a Erench translation * " I beg leave to observe , that it is only from published documents I have drawn the materials of this Lecture .

In the above quotation we have to complain of the most ungenerous proceeding on the part of Mr . Robertson . His fair dealing should hai * e guarded him against so unworthy a resource , as to quote exclusively from works written against the Order , to which we belong , and such as have ever been repudiated by Ereemasons .

The work of the Abbe Barruel mi ght have been approved hy Burke , hut Mr . Robertson must not he taken as a safe guide as to dates . Instead of the translation appearing , as Mr . Robertson states , in 1796 , the original Erench work ivas not published until the folloiving year , 1797 , and the Hon . Robert Clifford ' s translation appeared , in four volumes , in 1798 . Thus much for our authors dates .

Proressor Robison s hook was also published a year earlier than Mr . Robertson gives it , viz . 1799 . Carlile ' s Avork is a very common one , but utterly worthless and unreliable . Eekert ' s work is only known to us by name and from isolated notices . The same may be said of its translation .

Mr . Eobertson appears to take credit for drawing his materials from the above mentioned published hooks , but we cannot felicitate him upon his selection , not one of the authors quoted being regarded hy Ereemasons as Masonic writers , indeed they are all anti-Masonic , and it would be as fair to combat a Romanist with the catch-penny books of Home the

Mother of Harlots ; The City of the Seven Hills ; 666 , The number of the Beast ; or any of the ravings of Dr . Cumming . If Mr . Robertson had wished to deal fairly with us , he should have made his selections from the works of the following authors , any , or all , of ivhich would have been recognised as containing

the history , ideas and sentiments of Ereemasons . The Ahiman Bezon of L . Dermott ; Andersons ( James ) Booh of Constitutions ; Ashe , ( Jonathan ) Masonic Manual ; Calleot ( Wellins ) Candid Disquisition ; Cole ( John ) Illustrations of Masonry , - Coustos ( John ) Sufferings of , for Freemasonry , in the

Inquisition at Lisbon ; Dalcho ( Rev . Dr . ) Orations ; D'Hosson ( M . de . ) Oriental Antiquities ; Freemason ' s Quarterl y Beview ; THE EEEEMASON ' S MAGAZINE ; Hutchinson ' s Spirit of Masonry ; Jones ( Stephen ) Masonic Miscellany ; Kloss ( George ) BiblotheTca Freimaurer ; Laurie ( Alex . ) History of Freemasonry j Mackey ' s Lexicon ; Oliver ( Rev . Dr . George ) all his numerous Masonic works ; O'Brien's Bound Towers