Strictures upon Past and Present Freemasonry. 17 to conclude. For myself, I confess to have sought initiation into the mysteries of Freemasonry, and to have comprehended from its peculiar constitution, and the light thereby diffused into my understanding, a sense, purport, and object, utterly dissimilar to what Sit Lux propounds. I found the Christian religion did not extend its divine tenets and doctrines throughout every habitable region of the globe, whatever it may ultimately do when the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled. Meanwhile, its precepts taught me universal love and benevolence of mind; that they who knew not and yet had done things worthy of stripes, should be beaten with few stripes; and that they who sinned without law should perish without law; and a thousand similar benignant principles. I therefore eagerly seized hold of the opportunity to join a society which professed, as a pervading fundamental institute, to bring me into closer contact with my fellow-man, separated from me by a diversity of creed, by a difference of race, government, and station, in order that the attributes of Jesus might exercise their influence over the human heart, even where His name was not yet known, or not acknowledged to the extent of my belief. Now reduce Freemasonry to the limits of any particular religious institution, and you de facto annihilate its usefulness as a common bond of humanity. Declare it to be in its maxims, rites, and ceremonies, exclusive in its character, and you a priori debase it to that anti-social position wherein the most rancorous passions of the human heart have raged, to enkindle wrath, envy, hatred, and discord among mankind. Christianity is essentially, and for all moral practical beneficence, Freemasonry, but Freemasonry, in a dogmatical sense, is not Christianity; and whenever she encroaches upon, or assumes that designation, her destiny will be suicidal. Ecclesiastical history developes no such pretensions. The traditions of the Craft give a very different construction to her polity and origin. If the bitter acrimony of the Greek towards the Latin or Roman church, is to be a type of the results of these new-fangled notions of Freemasonry, then away with such an addition to the already multiplied moral and social pestilences on the earth. If the anathematising spirit of the Roman towards the English church, is to be inoculated into the system of Freemasonry, then begone all simulated assumption of genuine brotherly love. If the prejudices, piques, and jealousies, which avowedly exist even among the various Protestant denominations, are to be introduced among the divine elements of concord admitted to prevail on all religious and political points and distinctions within our Lodges, then farewell the harmony, peace, and rational order which pre-eminently distinguish Brother Masons from all other sections of the human family. I could assign an infinitely better reason why our secret Order is obnoxious to certain divines, as well as certain potentates, than the one given by Sit Lux. Where on earth has the man been living, not to know the species et hoc genus omne? Surely he is but a neophyte. The objections about the prayers of our Lodge invocations not ending with the mediation is insupportable, in defence of those clergymen who do not choose to come among us. It is perfectly frivolous. If ever the customary mediation used in Christian forms of devotion were employed in our Masonic rites, I both doubt its accuracy and propriety. If Freemasonry be what is represented in the constitutions, VOL. IV. D 18 Strictures upon past and present Freemasonry. charges, and other authorities, then the impropriety of such a mediation being adopted must be self-evident, a fortiori. If it ever was adopted in the Lodge ceremonial, either it was done through ignorance, or Freemasonry is not what it is at present proclaimed to be; and therefore as a sect of Christian origin and instruction, palpably out of joint with the age we live in. There is no evading these logical deductions, and consequently the sooner the Craft is extinct the better. But, on the contrary, I take Freemasonry to be what we moderns conceive of it—a humane, benevolent, thoroughly liberal, social institution-which, in the eloquent words of our late eminent D. G. M.— powerfully developes all social and benevolent affections; mitigates without, and annihilates within, the virulence of political and theological controversy; affords the only neutral ground on which all ranks and classes can meet in perfect equality, and associate without degradation or mortification, whether for purposes of moral instruction or social intercourse." 66 Illa verba in tabulis ærosis scripta et cum literis aureis in memoria latomorum perpetua sunt! On those great and noble-minded principles shall I ever advocate Freemasonry, and manfully defend it against the insidious attacks of those who would degrade such admirable motives of the human heart, to the petty-minded sentiments of sectarian bigotry. If the Anglo-Indian clergy, or the Roman Catholic priesthood, or the Bishop of Exeter, or Mr. Blunt, or some others of the clergy, to whom Sit Lux refers, feel so very squeamish at our prayers in Lodge omitting the_mediation of Christ, how is it that THEY repeat the Lord's Prayer, or Paternoster, no less than ten or twelve times, perhaps, in the course of a sabbath's liturgical services, when no mediation of Christ is expressed in that most simple and devout of all forms of prayer, and taught too by Christ himself to his disciples? If such nicely scrupulous persons discountenance Freemasonry on so weak a ground, precisely on the same should they quit and resign the privileges and emoluments of the church. This, in fact, amounts to the argumentum ad absurdum. Freemasonry wants no such grafts to make its germs produce sour grapes. The conclusions of Sit Lux's letter go to demonstrate that Freemasonry was a sort of secret brotherhood, established by the early Christians to protect themselves and their worship, under symbols and emblems, from the persecutions of the heathen. If so, although I do not believe in such an hypothesis, my opinion would be confirmed, viz., that Freemasonry is now an excrescence upon our social stem that may be cut off; the fraternity may now safely be put to bed, consigned to oblivion, and their paraphernalia sold to augment the fund for building churches and endowing a priesthood. Then Philpotts, cum multis aliis, will certainly sanction defunct Freemasonry with their pious patronage. Yours fraternally, Wolverhampton, H. R. SLADE, D. D. The P. G. Chaplain for Staffordshire. and D. P. G. M. pro tem. 66 OUR JEWISH BRETHREN, ALSO SIT LUX. r TO THE EDITOR. SIR AND BROTHER,-In the Freemasons' Quarterly Review for December, 1845, I have read with much interest the tone expressed, and the umbrage felt by the Grand Lodge of England, respecting the unmasonic conduct of the Grand Lodge of Berlin, by refusing admittance to our Jewish Brethren. I have also perused in the same periodical the communication of "Sit Lux," which seems to be chiefly founded on part of a speech of the Rev. Bro. Oliver, upon the occasion of a testimonial being presented to him in Lincoln, when that worthy Brother said " In 1813 or 1814 a numerous and flourishing Lodge was held, amongst the members were several Jewish Masons, and they possessed sufficient influence to direct the committee to withdraw from the lectures every reference to Christianity.” "Sit Lux" seems (if I understand him rightly) not over warm to the Jewish Masons, if its origin be Christian; and asks-" is Masonry or is it not of Christian origin?" In Blue Masonry every member of the Craft will find in his certificate that the date of Masonry commenced four thousand years previous to Christianity; the same in the Royal Arch degree; the priestly order commenced three thousand three hundred and thirty-six years before Christianity, consequently if these dates are correct, and we have no shade of proof to the contrary, Masonry must have been established amongst the Jews; all the ceremonies, particularly in the Royal Arch degree, historical, emblematical, and mystical bear too strong a character to contradict, and proves it was introduced, cultivated, and cherished by the then unchristian kings, princes, and most influential individuals of those times, four thousand years before Christianity, consequently the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, Master Mason, and Royal Arch degree are of Jewish origin; and on what ground can the Lodge of Berlin, or any other Lodge, assume or arrogate to itself, with justice, the right of expelling a Jewish Brother from their meetings? when at that very time, perhaps (particularly in the Royal Arch degree), every signal respect and loyalty is expressed in memory towards Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Any Lodge which can thus act inconsistently, by refusing a Jewish Mason admittance, acts unconstitutionally, and proves its utter ignorance of Masonic duty and brotherly love." Junctus amor virtute levat super æthera Fratres." The higher degrees of Masonry are of Christian origin, viz., Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta, Knights Templars, &c., the latter's certificate commences with the words-" In the name of the most Holy and undivided Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," (at least my certificate of Knight Templar, granted to me by Lodge, No. 272, at Belfast, under the registry of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, does), this and the drinking vessel, in which the Knight Templar pledges himself, are proofs in evidence of these degrees being of Christian origin, from these degrees Jews are excluded, and none but Christians can or will be admitted. The Order of Knight Templars commenced about seven hundred and twenty-eight years ago, at the time of the crusades, and as those Knights had frequently occasion to cross the seas and divers countries of non-believers in Christianity, they were instructed and provided with certain pass words, signs, and tokens, to pass their way unmolested, among the Algerines and Moorish Masons, and a mutual agreement between the believers and non-believers in Christ. The Mediterranean Pass, (a degree only given to the Knight Templars, and afterwards to the Knights of Malta,) was given to them to make use of in case of obstruction or hindrance. Even by their greatest opponents, in respect of religion, it was given, received, and responded to with every token of Brotherly love ond friendship;* by this, then, it proves clearly, that an amicable Brotherly agreement was established between Christian, Turk, Moor, and Jew, to be recognised as Brothers of the same family, and children of the great Architect of the Universe. I have been a Mason since 1806, have visited most of the principal Lodges in France, Germany, Holland, Poland, Prussia, Hanover, Sweden, and Denmark, and declare in all the numerous Lodges I have been present (in the Master Mason's degree), never have I heard, or seen, a properly initiated Brother Jew Mason being refused admittance; nor have I ever heard in their Masonic workings an allusion, direct or indirect, to Christianity, nor witnessed the many prayers as introduced amongst the Brethren in the English system of working in Masonry, particularly so since the year 1813; and yet those countries do, and can, boast, of as good and worthy Masons as ever were initiated in any Lodge of England. Away, then, with those uncalled-for inuendoes of "Sit Lux;" if the Craft is to be ruled by a spirit of bigotry, then there is an end to genuine Masonry. CHAPTER I.-Introductory. THE NATURE AND MEANING OF THE TERM FREEMASONRY. AMONGST existing institutions Freemasonry stands boldly pre-eminent as the only system capable of universal adoption, in which scientific attainments are rendered directly subservient to moral culture, and spiritual instruction is expressly blended with intellectual improvement. It is this peculiar and intimate union of science with morality, which forms one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Order, and, inde *Not later than about thirty years ago a small craft, a trading vessel, with a valuable cargo on board, was sent from a trading port in Ireland to a commercial town on the Mediterranean coast. She was manned by a captain or master, a mate, and seven sailors, they were overtaken by a calm, when an Algerine piratical vessel came up to them, under a heavy discharge of its guns, hailed them to surrender as captives; the captain and mate being both Masons, the former a Knight Templar, as a last extremity, took the ship's speaking trumpet, and with a stentorious voice, vociferated M ***, &c. when immediately a signal of the Algerine pirate was responded: they came on board, saluted each other, and after Brotherly demonstrations of Love, departed in friendship, leaving the Irish vessel and crew unmolested to pursue their course. pendently of its other beneficial tendencies (and these are manifold), renders Freemasonry worthy the attention of every man, desirous of promoting the welfare, and increasing the happiness of his fellow-creatures. A society thus constituted, connecting together all its professors in the ties of BROTHERLY LOVE-inculcating with powerful energy the purest doctrines of MORALITY and VIRTUE-breathing the holiest aspirations of an undying FAITH-leading to the blissful HOPE of a glorious immortality-and teaching with impressive force the practice of UNIVERSAL CHARITY-a society thus constituted would not be less worthy of notice though its origin could not be traced beyond the present age. But the spirit of Freemasonry, though radiant in her beauty, like the day-star of the morning, and still fresh with the purity of holiness and grace, is no longer young. Originating in periods of the most remote antiquity, Freemasonry has outlived the fall of empires, and survived the mutations of ages. Based on the rock of truth-TRUTH, immutable and eternal-having the welfare of man for its primary object, and the glory of God for its ultimate aim, it has resisted and triumphed over all the assaults of its enemies. Passing through the fiery ordeal of persecution, it has become, like gold, purified by the trial. The history and antiquities of the system, therefore, irrespective of its beneficent principles, awaken our curiosity, and become deeply interesting, particularly when we find that the investigation increases in interest as we proceed, and finally opens a wide and apparently boundless field of inquiry, not only to the moralist and philanthropist, but also to the historian, the archæologist, and the divine. Great minds have occasionally been engaged in this investigationmany learned Brethren have enlightened the fraternity by their erudite researches but our Rev. Brother, Dr. Oliver, completed the crowning labour, and to him the honour is due of having, unaided and by the most unremitting perseverance, collected the materials from their widely scattered sources, and prepared the most complete and interesting exposition which we yet possess of Masonic antiquities, and the progress of the science amongst the early nations of the earth. The works of Dr. Oliver place Freemasonry in its proper light before the world, and they, more perhaps than any other external circumstance, have tended to raise the institution to the commanding position which it now occupies. The dignity of the science, regarded in its speculative character, demands that all philosophical investigations into its origin, progress, and principles should be encouraged, in order that it may retain its high position, intellectually as well as morally, and never be allowed, through the inattention of its members, to degenerate into a mere form or ritual, and become like a body without spirit, or life without soul. As in all other departments of science fresh discoveries are continually increasing our store of knowledge, so we find that archæological researches, particularly amongst the existing monuments of those countries where ancient Masonry more especially flourished, are constantly adding to the numerous facts already collected, and rendering us better acquainted with Masonic antiquities. Each labourer should therefore contribute his mite of information. Though at the time of no apparent value, subsequent research may show its ultimate importance. The Rosetta Stone was at first regarded as a mere mutilated fragment of antiquity; its discovery, however, led eventually to the art of deciphering the Egyptian hieroglyphics, an art which had been lost for fifteen centuries; and |