History Of The Secret Principle.

therefore , I may lay down this general and universal proposition , that every form of religion Avhich now does exist , or ever has existed , was copied from an original divine institution , though many of them have been most wofally corrupted hy the

wickedness or folly of sinful man ; and also that every form of the ancient mysteries was copied from some primitive and original religious rites . The design and meaning of these were often , yea generally , lost sight of , but this does not affect the

question of their origin . The fact of there being such copies was expressly and distinctly asserted by the writers of the primitive church , and the point was proved as thoroughly as such a point is capable of being proved , by Justin Martyr , in his "Defence of Christianity , " addressed to the Roman Emperor , A . D . 150 .

Bus Ave must now leave this portion of our subject , and turn to one where mysteries more august and imposing , though attended by less of pomp and show , present themselves . I allude to the mysteries of the Christian Church , as they existed

in the second century , between which and those we have just considered , there is a most strikingresemblance . And here I must not forbear to notice that I am treading on delicate ground . It has been the field of much theological and

historical controversy , and seems destined to continue So for some time to come . But this need not prevent me from declaring what are my OAVU opinions on the subject , leaving other theologians and historians , who care to travel the same road , the

privilege of doing' as I have done—form their own opinions from an examination of the original authorities .

But m order to make myself more intelligible , it will be necessary for me to state that , for a long time the Christians were so much persecuted and trodden under foot , that they had no houses of public worship , but were obliged to celebrate the

mysteries of our holy religion in dens , in caves , and in caverns , in the ^ ombs , and in the fields , and in private dwellings . Nor Avas this all . They were under the necessity of setting watch to guard the entrance to their assemblies , lest some lurking

spy should creep in and betray them . Tins , IIOAV - ever , does not apply to their preaching , Avhich was public ; but only to the administration-of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord ' s supperespecially to the latter . And hence arose a practice which has continued in the Church to the present day—and from which but few have ever

deviated—that of sending away the congregation before the administration of the holy communion . No one who had not been completely initiated into the Christian religion , AVUS permitted to be present at the celebration of that great and holy

mystery , in Avhich the Son of God gave his spiritual body and blood for the support and strengthening of the souls of his disciples . But two things seem to have been incorporated into these secrets , which subsequently became

severed—one , the spiritual education of all initiated Christians /; and the other , the procuring of places suitable for holding their religious services . Or perhaps they were originally one , and the necessary secrecy of their deliberations caused one to

grow out of the other . The object of one was to rear a material and visible house , in which Christians of every land might worship ; of the other to rear spiritual temples meet for the indwelling of the Holy Ghost . One was the outward

and visible representation of the spiritual signification that was designed by the other . Hence the same language is often applied to both , or perhaps both were often meant when only one was spoken of . And because the temple of Solomon was the

type of the Christian temple , so they adopted language that had been used of one Avhen speaking of the other . Out of this last seems to have arisen the Secret Discipline of the primitive church , about which so much has been said and written , generally to very little purpose .

It has , however , been made to appear as exceedingly probable , that after Christianity became more generally diffused throughout the civilised world , that the Secret Discipline still remained , and those AVIIO professed it confined themselves mainly to the

subject of church building . As soon , however , as the influence of the Christian religion became general , the custom of commencing other buildiugs than churches , Avith religions honours , arose , and hence the same persons were called to extend

their labours to the building , or at least to the superintending of the building of towers , castles , and fortifications . ¦ To this were added the symbols of operative labour , still retaining these emblems which originally had a spiritual as well as a physical

meaning . We have not the means of tracing the precise history of this society or association until we come down to the eighth or ninth century , The reasons of this are , that the subject has not been thoroughly investigated , BO far as we know , except as it existed