St. John And Freemasonry.

primitive Christian Masons is abundantly clear , not only fro m all tradition and history , but also from tho following form of prayer , used in their lodges , and which now stands at the head of the prescribed ceremonial of our Grand Lodgo . " The might of the Father of Heaven , and the wisdom of His glorious Son , through the grace and goodness of

the Holy Ghost , being three persons in one Godhead , be with us at our beginning , and give us grace so to govern ns here in onr living , that we may come to His bliss that shall never end . Amen . " That this is the doctrine of " Ancient York Masonry , " and of course binding upon us , is equally clear from tho history of the York convention of 926 . One of the most

ancient of the manuscripts there examined has the following : —" Pray . Ave now to God Almyght and to His Swete Moder Mary Bright . " And the phrase in the first of the ancient charges then framed : — " That religion in which all men agree " was understood to mean Christianity ; the only religion ever promulgated which is catholic in its character and provisions , and with

which Freemasonry—a universal brotherhood—can be entirely congenial . But let us not here bo misunderstood . Whatever position our Order may have occupied in the nations of the old Avorld , or previous to the advent of Him who brought life and immortality to light , and declared " God is a Spirit : and they that worship Him must worship

Him in spirit and in truth" —Freemasonry has not , since that time , in any Christian land , been considered either as a religion itself , or even a substitute for it . Neither in its officers , its ritual , or its ceremonies , does it claim to usurp in any degree the office of that higher organisation . " The Church—the pillar and ground of tho truth" —built by the Redeemer , and consecrated as the channel of His richest spiritual blessings , to a redeemed world . Freemasonry lays no claim to inspiration or spiritual authority in the matter of the salvation of

the soul ; or to be able in any way to answer that awfully momentous question , which every son and daughter of Adam should in all earnestness ask , "AVhat must I do to be saved ?" Freemasonry stands upon its own broad and immoveable basis , as a science of Light—a system of pure morality and moral Truth ; founded upon tho Bible , and

leading those who learn and follow its teachings to the source of all wisdom and Goodness— " Our Father in Heaven . " It seeks to entice no one into its membership , but cheerfully receives such as with proper motives ask admission , and who upon examination are judged to be worthy . In this sense it is , indeed , the handmaid of true reliion ; for all its teachings are calculated to lead

g every attentive brother inwhose heart they find a lodgment , to the footstool of Him , who alone can " cleanse the thoughts of our hearts , by the inspiration of His Holy Spirit , and . enable us perfectly to lovo Him , and worthily to magnify His I 10 I 3 ' name 1 " To the ladies who have to-day honoured us with thenpresence , I will say , you , too , have an abiding interest in

the existence , the prosperity , and the purity of our institution . During the past year , our Grand Lodge alone distributed from its charity fund 1 , 500 dollars for the relief of females . Much more it is presumed has been done by the various lodges and members in our State , which will never be made public until announced by our Master from His throne of Glory . " I was an hungered

and ye gave me meat ; I was thirsty and ye gave me drink ; I was a stranger and ye took me in ; Naked and ye clothed me ; I was sick and ye visited mo ; I was in prison and ye came unto me . " For " inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren , ye have done it unto me . " But beyond all this ; around the entire life-path of the female relatives of Freemasons , unknown to them , hovers tho guardian spirit of our Order , throwing before and around them a shield of protection and an arm of support .

St. John And Freemasonry.

Shall I anticipate the question ? " If Freemasonry be tho pure and useful institution you describe , why is woman excluded from its membership and teachings ?" I answer—the landmarks of our Order are unchangeable , and everywhere and always the same . It was organised among operative architects , by those who built the temple at Jerusalem , and were immediately connected

with the Mosaic economy—ordained by God Himself . Under that economy tho human race was represented by males only . The ofiices , as well as the onerous duties and works of their religion , were assigned to the men ; who were required to leave their homes , and go up to Jerusalem , three times each year , to offer sacrifice . No such services were required of the women . Nor is thero any duty or work in the tabernacle service assigned to them .

Bnt I apprehend there is in the inner nature and constitution of woman , a philosophic reason ; which may underlie the regulation in the Mosaic economy , as well as account for ihe Masonic landmark excluding women from the labours of ihe lodge . It is that woman does not require , to dispose her to virtue , or religion , that moral training and continued discipline , which it was

and still is , the object and end of Masonic teaching , to impart and impress upon tho ruder sex . Woman was not formed directly from the dust of the earth , as was man ; but from his flesh and bones . She is , therefore , an improved creation , with not only more beauty of body and delicacy of frame , bnt also more refinement and purity of soul , and affections than man . Charity or

love is the greatest of virtues , the noblest column oi : our Order . It is tho " bond of perfectness , " the " fulfilling of tho whole moral law . " The soul of the true woman , is by nature formed for love . Sho can as well live without breathing , as without loving . Her affections , like tho vino , are continually stretching out for something to cling to . If they attach to a noble and worthy object

they rise to the height of its nobility : if to a mean one , they still cling ; and either bind up and strengthen its weakness , or cover its deformity--always beautifying and adorning ; generally sheltering and protecting . That she needs not the teachings and stern discipline of Alasonry , he who organised it for men alone , has borne witness , when he says— " She openeth her mouth with wisdom , and in her tongue is the law of kindness—her price is far above rubies . "

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

THE SECRET ERACTICES OE THE KNIGHTS TEMPXAB . Becently you stated that the secret practices of the Knights Templar were comparatively unknown . In the course of my inquiries on the subject , I have met with the folloAving account , which I think is somewhat opposed to your vieiv and yet to be correct .

It is stated that : — " The Pope sent , as his judges , to England , Dieudonne , abbot of Laguy , and Sicard de Taux , caunon of Narbonne ; aud the examinations commenced at York , London , Lincoln , and other places , on the 25 th of November , 1309 . The inquiry continued till the

council held in London in 1311 ; the number of Templars examined was tAvo hundred and twentyeight ; that of the witnesses against the Order was seventy-tAvo , almost all Carmelites , Minorites , Dominicans , and Augustinians , the natural foes of the Order . The Templars Avere treated with great mildness ; aud

in England , Ireland , and Scotland , they were unanimous and constant in their assertion of the innocence of the Order . The evidence against the Order was almost all hearsay : its nature will be shoAvn hy the following specimens .