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On Freemasonry. The History And Antiquities Of Freemasonry.
ON FREEMASONRY . THE HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES OF FREEMASONRY .
BY THE REV . G . OLIVER , D . D . D . P . G . M . FOR LINCOLNSHIRE . ( Continued from page 134 . ) IN contemplating the history of the Jewish nation from the deli \ erance to the Bab y lonish captivity , Ave are struck Avith one remarkable feature—the frequent apostacies Avhich
distinguished both princes ancl people ; Avhich the heavy calamities , the signal deliverances , the AA'onderful interference of the Deity in their behalf , Avere unable effectuall y to repress . Even the splendours of their temple-AA'orship , addressed to a benevolent and perfect Being , Avho had been their friend and protector in danger and difficulty , united
Avith the superior purity of their masonic pursuits , could not ' wean them from the fascinations which the idolatrous mysteries presented to their external senses ; and priests and people equally abandoned their duty at the frantic call of superstition ; the former for the possession of political poAver , ancl the latter that they mi g ht indulge their unhol y
passions Avithout restraint . In the divine economy of the JeAvs , the delivery of oracular responses Avas restricted to one place , and to the hi g hest order of the priesthood only ; but in the mysterious institutions of the people by Avhom they Avere surrounded , it Avas committed to the inferior priests ; and in most of the
systems of initiation it Avas believed to be possessed b y every individual AA'I IO succeeded in attaining the superior degrees : and this was , probably , one of the stimulating causes which induced the Lord ' s people to run mad after their idols , ancl to defile themselves Avith the abominations of the heathen . The oracles attached to the mysterious initiations , inA'ested the priests Avith unbounded authority , and enabled them to dictate laAvs to the most absolute monarchs . These oracles
generall y issued from subterranean caverns where the initiations Avere celebrated . It is not easy at this distance of time to determine , with any degree of accuracy , IIOAV they Avere conducted ; whether by a juggle of the priests to serve their OAVII purposes , or whether the Almi g hty permitted the agency of evil spirits for the reasons assi gned by VOL . IT . ' 2 r .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry. The History And Antiquities Of Freemasonry.
ON FREEMASONRY . THE HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES OF FREEMASONRY .
BY THE REV . G . OLIVER , D . D . D . P . G . M . FOR LINCOLNSHIRE . ( Continued from page 134 . ) IN contemplating the history of the Jewish nation from the deli \ erance to the Bab y lonish captivity , Ave are struck Avith one remarkable feature—the frequent apostacies Avhich
distinguished both princes ancl people ; Avhich the heavy calamities , the signal deliverances , the AA'onderful interference of the Deity in their behalf , Avere unable effectuall y to repress . Even the splendours of their temple-AA'orship , addressed to a benevolent and perfect Being , Avho had been their friend and protector in danger and difficulty , united
Avith the superior purity of their masonic pursuits , could not ' wean them from the fascinations which the idolatrous mysteries presented to their external senses ; and priests and people equally abandoned their duty at the frantic call of superstition ; the former for the possession of political poAver , ancl the latter that they mi g ht indulge their unhol y
passions Avithout restraint . In the divine economy of the JeAvs , the delivery of oracular responses Avas restricted to one place , and to the hi g hest order of the priesthood only ; but in the mysterious institutions of the people by Avhom they Avere surrounded , it Avas committed to the inferior priests ; and in most of the
systems of initiation it Avas believed to be possessed b y every individual AA'I IO succeeded in attaining the superior degrees : and this was , probably , one of the stimulating causes which induced the Lord ' s people to run mad after their idols , ancl to defile themselves Avith the abominations of the heathen . The oracles attached to the mysterious initiations , inA'ested the priests Avith unbounded authority , and enabled them to dictate laAvs to the most absolute monarchs . These oracles
generall y issued from subterranean caverns where the initiations Avere celebrated . It is not easy at this distance of time to determine , with any degree of accuracy , IIOAV they Avere conducted ; whether by a juggle of the priests to serve their OAVII purposes , or whether the Almi g hty permitted the agency of evil spirits for the reasons assi gned by VOL . IT . ' 2 r .