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Article ON THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE GRAND MASONIC... ← Page 2 of 7 →
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On The Universality Of The Grand Masonic...
incarnati on , of the Divine Wordr—the Aoyoc , or Qelog Aoyoc , of Plato . Still less have I assertedthe external ma ^^ 5 to ^ w of the Divine Spirit . If I tad so lost sight of " the Spirit of Masonry / M am convinced the judgment of the Editor would have refused admission ta the article ; On the contrary , I spoke generally , and in a philosophical spirit , of the three several and distinct aspects or points of
view in which the One and Indivisible God may be regarded . These three aspects , characters , functions , or persons ( personce ) , are virtually , if not always expressly , assigned to the Deity by all persuasions , and by most schools of thinners , modern as well as ancient . They form really and substantially a Sacred Masonic Triunity , recognized alike by Jew and by Gentile . How this is , I shallnow briefly explain .
It is of fundamental importance , in this inquiry , to understand clearly the meaning of the wor & person / which , in relation to the Deity , is used strictly in the sense of the Latin persona . The usual classical meaning oipersona , or person—literally , a maskused by the ancient actors—is a part , function , or character ^ Hence , in speaking masonically of the persons of the Deity , the word person should be understood in its Latin sense of character , capacity , or function .
This necessary definition of the word person being premised , I proceed to explain what may be called the Masonic or universal view of the Divine Triunifcy . There are three broadly distinguished conceptions , or points of view , under which the One God is contemplated by the human mind .
Our first notion of the Deity concerns His absolute existence Begarded in this capacity , his attributes are independent of even the existence of man . The seconcl conception of the Deity considers Him as having an intellectual relation to man , by imparting to him His Divine Aoyoc .
i . e . Eeason and Speech—the Word , or Aoyoc , having both those acceptations—by which man is enabled to perceive and appreciate intellectual truth . This Aoyoc or Word is especially used by Plato in the sense of a Divine Revelation ; f and it is represented in our Lodges by the Yolume of the Sacred Law . This constitutes the intellectual relation of man to the Omniscient Source of all truth that is
or can be revealed to the human soul . The third mode or phase in which the Deity is conceived by human intelligence is in His moral relation to man . This consists in His communion with , and operation on , the human heartindependently of any intellectual process—by the natural feelings of piety and adoration , by which we are brought into immediate intercourse with the Great Spirit ; of love to our fellow-creatures ; of aspirations after virtue ; of admiration for heroism ; and of
Ex . gr . " Personam quam mihi tempus et respublica impormnt" ( The office , or character , which the times and the state impose on me ) . —Cicero , Oratio pro Sulla , 3 . t Hisedo , 78 D .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Universality Of The Grand Masonic...
incarnati on , of the Divine Wordr—the Aoyoc , or Qelog Aoyoc , of Plato . Still less have I assertedthe external ma ^^ 5 to ^ w of the Divine Spirit . If I tad so lost sight of " the Spirit of Masonry / M am convinced the judgment of the Editor would have refused admission ta the article ; On the contrary , I spoke generally , and in a philosophical spirit , of the three several and distinct aspects or points of
view in which the One and Indivisible God may be regarded . These three aspects , characters , functions , or persons ( personce ) , are virtually , if not always expressly , assigned to the Deity by all persuasions , and by most schools of thinners , modern as well as ancient . They form really and substantially a Sacred Masonic Triunity , recognized alike by Jew and by Gentile . How this is , I shallnow briefly explain .
It is of fundamental importance , in this inquiry , to understand clearly the meaning of the wor & person / which , in relation to the Deity , is used strictly in the sense of the Latin persona . The usual classical meaning oipersona , or person—literally , a maskused by the ancient actors—is a part , function , or character ^ Hence , in speaking masonically of the persons of the Deity , the word person should be understood in its Latin sense of character , capacity , or function .
This necessary definition of the word person being premised , I proceed to explain what may be called the Masonic or universal view of the Divine Triunifcy . There are three broadly distinguished conceptions , or points of view , under which the One God is contemplated by the human mind .
Our first notion of the Deity concerns His absolute existence Begarded in this capacity , his attributes are independent of even the existence of man . The seconcl conception of the Deity considers Him as having an intellectual relation to man , by imparting to him His Divine Aoyoc .
i . e . Eeason and Speech—the Word , or Aoyoc , having both those acceptations—by which man is enabled to perceive and appreciate intellectual truth . This Aoyoc or Word is especially used by Plato in the sense of a Divine Revelation ; f and it is represented in our Lodges by the Yolume of the Sacred Law . This constitutes the intellectual relation of man to the Omniscient Source of all truth that is
or can be revealed to the human soul . The third mode or phase in which the Deity is conceived by human intelligence is in His moral relation to man . This consists in His communion with , and operation on , the human heartindependently of any intellectual process—by the natural feelings of piety and adoration , by which we are brought into immediate intercourse with the Great Spirit ; of love to our fellow-creatures ; of aspirations after virtue ; of admiration for heroism ; and of
Ex . gr . " Personam quam mihi tempus et respublica impormnt" ( The office , or character , which the times and the state impose on me ) . —Cicero , Oratio pro Sulla , 3 . t Hisedo , 78 D .