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These societies , of course , have passed away ; but , perhaps , only to give way to others of like character , and with a like fate . Two societies alone can reckon their ages by centuries , the Religious ( uryler a multitude of forms ) and the Masonic . It is scarcely necessary to speak of the former ; for whatever may be the form of worship ,
or the peculiarity of creed of any sect , it contained at least the germ of the truth ; and , although a stone , or an impure animal , may have been the visible object of adoration , in most cases it was the mere representative of a superior spiritual Being ; a Deity , with the attributes of the Jews and Christians in some cases , but , more frequently , clothed with those which nature , without revelation ,
could give . God reveals himself to man in perfect accordance with his desire to receive the knowledge , and capacity to understand and appreciate the revelation . He does nothing uselessly . Men and nations vary in capacity for the reception of the spiritual ; and we are told that no man can see God and live . Even Moses was put off with the lower manifestations , as he could not bear the glory of
God ' s face . We have a right to suppose , that so long as those we call " the heathen , " worship sincerely , according to their light and knowledge , that that service is acceptable ; and this germ of which we now spoke , and which they now possess , is sufficient to give vitality and durability to the lower religious faiths , until by a higher revelation the bonds shall be made stronger , and all shall bow the knee around one altar to the God of Love . , And even then we shall be able to see but little of Him , until—« — we live in spheres ,
Made visible by death . " In the Masonic Society , we recognise and bow to the God of Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob . We believe in a resurrection , and a consequent immortality of the soul . The Knight Templar is a Christian , and the propagator of Christianity . And so in some of the degrees of the Ancient and Accepted or Scotch Kite , Christianity is recognised ; but what we call Ancient Craft Masonry ( of the York
Rite ) teaches now , and only teaches , that which might have been taught , without special revelation , centuries before the advent of Christ . Ancient Craft Masonry does not change with the times . It inculcates Brotherly-love , Charity , and Beneficence . While no atheist is allowed to enter the Lodge , a trust in God , and profound reverence for His name , are among its earliest lessons . As citizens , its initiates
are forbidden to be concerned in conspiracies against , but required to be true to the government which gives them protection . In fact , to do good to all , but more especially to the Fraternity . The practice of the cardinal virtues , Temperance , Justice , Prudence , and Eortitude , are enjoined . Briefly , Masonry requires a discharge of all our duties
•* We distinguish the Eite by the name of York , the city of York having been long the sole seat of Masonic government in England . The American Lodges descend from York . Other Kites have their origin on the Continent . They are known by the names of Scotch , and French , or Modern Rites . The Grand Lodge of Scotland , however , uses the York ritual , and is governed by the York constitutions ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
These societies , of course , have passed away ; but , perhaps , only to give way to others of like character , and with a like fate . Two societies alone can reckon their ages by centuries , the Religious ( uryler a multitude of forms ) and the Masonic . It is scarcely necessary to speak of the former ; for whatever may be the form of worship ,
or the peculiarity of creed of any sect , it contained at least the germ of the truth ; and , although a stone , or an impure animal , may have been the visible object of adoration , in most cases it was the mere representative of a superior spiritual Being ; a Deity , with the attributes of the Jews and Christians in some cases , but , more frequently , clothed with those which nature , without revelation ,
could give . God reveals himself to man in perfect accordance with his desire to receive the knowledge , and capacity to understand and appreciate the revelation . He does nothing uselessly . Men and nations vary in capacity for the reception of the spiritual ; and we are told that no man can see God and live . Even Moses was put off with the lower manifestations , as he could not bear the glory of
God ' s face . We have a right to suppose , that so long as those we call " the heathen , " worship sincerely , according to their light and knowledge , that that service is acceptable ; and this germ of which we now spoke , and which they now possess , is sufficient to give vitality and durability to the lower religious faiths , until by a higher revelation the bonds shall be made stronger , and all shall bow the knee around one altar to the God of Love . , And even then we shall be able to see but little of Him , until—« — we live in spheres ,
Made visible by death . " In the Masonic Society , we recognise and bow to the God of Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob . We believe in a resurrection , and a consequent immortality of the soul . The Knight Templar is a Christian , and the propagator of Christianity . And so in some of the degrees of the Ancient and Accepted or Scotch Kite , Christianity is recognised ; but what we call Ancient Craft Masonry ( of the York
Rite ) teaches now , and only teaches , that which might have been taught , without special revelation , centuries before the advent of Christ . Ancient Craft Masonry does not change with the times . It inculcates Brotherly-love , Charity , and Beneficence . While no atheist is allowed to enter the Lodge , a trust in God , and profound reverence for His name , are among its earliest lessons . As citizens , its initiates
are forbidden to be concerned in conspiracies against , but required to be true to the government which gives them protection . In fact , to do good to all , but more especially to the Fraternity . The practice of the cardinal virtues , Temperance , Justice , Prudence , and Eortitude , are enjoined . Briefly , Masonry requires a discharge of all our duties
•* We distinguish the Eite by the name of York , the city of York having been long the sole seat of Masonic government in England . The American Lodges descend from York . Other Kites have their origin on the Continent . They are known by the names of Scotch , and French , or Modern Rites . The Grand Lodge of Scotland , however , uses the York ritual , and is governed by the York constitutions ,