Masonry's Theology.

aim than philanthropy , we do not claim ; and any who deny us credence that far , because the fear exists that our mysterious secrecy , our methods of recognition , tend to subvert the State , proves that their ignorance of our Institutions equal their blind denunciation of our beautiful

system of morality , veiled in allegory and illustrated b y symbols , its paitial object seems to IJ to surmount tbe barriers of national prejudice and religious interference-. Although a Mr . Stone once , by his writings , affirmed that our pretensions t ) antiquity are founded in fraud , yet we

know that nearly three thousand years ago Xing Solomon built a temple to the Lord ; his aitificers wore numerous and his materials costly , and a building was produced after seven years' labour which was not only tlio wonder of the known world but has never b'en excelled .

That there should be no doubt of the facts of the kinds of material used , the numbers and grades of the workmen employed—of the cost of the time—all are set down in Holy Wi it . Now , it is a natural supposition that when this work was completed , many operatives would be thrown out of employment , and from the fact of so many being

gathered m one spot , part of them must seek subsistence elsewhere when employment ceased at Jerusalem by reason of the completion of the temple . To do so with certainty of success , a cet lificate that they had worked for King Solomon was a sore passport .

Those who were so fortunate as to secure employment wero enabled to aid their less fortunate brethren , and fear of imposition from pretended brother workmen doubtless first suggested the more peifect organization of these social compacts which had existed at the bu'lding of the first temple .

That such associations were formed for purposes of temporary convenience admits of no doubt , and they certainly were remodelled for permanent purposes and transmitted to posterity , incorporating in their constitutions moral and religious principles . As the members were

drawn together to erect a temple for the one living and true God , and being under a system of moral and religious discip line during their associated labours , they doubtless became imbued with a sp i rit of piety . But as the

Fraternity now consists of men holding different systems of religion , tbe object is to settle on common ground and general pilnciples , without descending to minor details . Faith in God , hope in immortality , and charity to man , constitute the gtand basis of the moral system .

The tendency of such a system , as time progressed , would naturally be from operative to speculative , and as noble rulers of the Craft might never in after ages deny , in

the pride of their hearts , that it owed its origin to unostentatious operatives , this e ^ il was guarded aga i nst by the incorporation of the implements of Operative Masonry with the principles and teachings of the Order .

There ii but little recorded in the way of histoiy of the early days of the Order . Herodotus , the father of history did not live till near e \ x hundred years afterwards , about the time of Darius the II ., up to which time , since the building of the temple , tbe Jews had been carried into

captivity and had returned therefrom more than one hundred years . But it is reasonable to suppose some evidence would remain by which we might trace out its probable course of descent ; among whom shall we look ? Of course amongst those- who , from general character ,

locality and association , may be supposed to have been connected with tbe temple fraternity ; and who are the first of these ? The Essenes among the Jews , whose origin is traced back to the building of the first temple , and whose connection with that building is also undoubted .

In the sacond centuiy of the Christian era the Romans persecuted the Essenes , who , with other sects of the once Jewish nation , had become tributary to the Roman empire , which was then in its golden age , and by every means attempted to crush them , though their efforts were futile .

Now , had the sect of the Essenes , whose requirements wore to subdue the passions , whose investure at initiation was the lambskin , and who were bound to secrecy , been crushed by the Roman power , still Masonry had not died , but slept—for , boundless as was the Roman domain , the

principles of the Order had been sown far beyond the reach of her wide jurisdiction . We find , in the last of the sixth century , nearly sixteen hundred years after the building of the temple , Augustine , afterwards first Archbishop of Canterbury , arrived in England , accompanied b y forty

Masonry's Theology.

pious associates , who converted all the kings of the Saxon Heptarchy in the space of sixty years , and being a zealous Mason , founded the cathedrals of Canterbury , Rochester ind Vauls . How many of the sect of the Essenes sought refuge in

the Lodges of Britain is unknown ; but in the reign of Theodoric of France , in 608 , some skilful members of the Order arrived in Britain from France , who were formed into Lodges under the care of Bennett Abbott , of Wirrall , who was appointed Inspector of Lodges . During the

following years of the Danish invasion and tho merging of tho crowns of the Saxon Heptarchy , but little is again heard of Masonry . But in 924 , when Athelstan became

King , be appointed his brother Edwin patron of Masons , and under him the first Grand Lodge was held at York , Edwin presiding as Grand Master , whence arises the term " Ancient York Masons , " or " York Rite . "

And here it is worthy of note that in periods of civil discord and violent commotions of the State , Masonry seems to sleep , and the historian with difficulty through past ages traces even the continued existence of the Order , but when gentle peace , returning , incites the exercise of

the social virtues , and tho cultivation of the graces of the soul , Faith , Hope , and Charity , there is no difficult y in discovering the existence of Masonry . What a comprehensive refutation of the anathemas of one in whose eyes , in 1832 , the chief damning sin of the Order was its secrecy

—who also gave what he called iwelvo reasons why Masonry should surrender all chaiters ! One was the hostility to it of religious sects—another , public excitement ! Now , Masonry always regards too highly tho peace and well being of the community in which it dwells , to

disregard that horrid monster , public indignation , and , therefore , with true Christian meekness , bows its head till the storm is past , but rises again in its beauty . When misguided fury is spent , pursuing the even tenor of its way ,

it exemplifies that Christian virtue of forbearance so lamentably deficient in those who would have laid her beauty in the dust , and who endeavoured so to do , on the principle that they must destroy that which they would not imitate .

Malicious scribblers , prating of the meagre and vitiated morality of Masonry , have prostituted their talents in useless attempts to shorten onr usefulness and curtail our sphere of doing good , but the shafts of their malice have fallen as harmlessly from the broad segis which defended us as the minds were weak which directed them .

That Masonry shonid have been assailed—in the suppression of the Eleusinians by Theodosius the Greatin the attempt to crush the sect of the Essenes by the Romans—have been banished by the Czar—have been

anathematised by the Pontiff , and hated by every form of despotism , is natural . Abundant cause , if searched for , may be found for the hostility of despotism , and for the eternal dread and aversion which exists between our

institutions and all governments hostile to tbe rights of man . The Order has been assailed from the press , the pulpit and the legislative ball . The passions of the multitude have been roused against us—the ideas of the weak and the fears of the timid have been appealed

tothe professional man e sense of dependence on tbe popular will has been appealed to—the business man ' s , love . of money , and the huckster in the political schemes , has

each had his chance of preferment placed in jeopardy . Many hearts have failed for very fear , and many have turned from us weary of the load of public revilings , and too feeble to aid in stemming the torrent of the rabble

curse . Shepherds have warned their flocks to beware of committing the sin of belonging to one of those secret

societies—whose efforts in the good cause have otten aided to prepare members for their churches , and have in more than one instance disciplined graceless renegades whom they , through fear , have left unwhipped .

Politicians once seized upon a popular frenzy and used it against the Order as an instrument of personal ambition . The pensioned scribbler renibbed his quill , which was worn in dissemination of his grovelling spite—the vindictive whetted his knife—the dunce scoffed—the hypocrite

denonnced it as immoral—the demagogue as dangerous to the liberties of his dear people—all , all made ready for war . But , alas for the success of the endeavours of these doughty champions for the exposition of error , Masonry lives . ''''¦ ' ]¦ ' But it has been often urged on the notice of