p. 133 | Review and Herald, Vol. 32, No. 9. (8/18/1868)

FREEMASONRY.—VII.

By C. G. Finney

Freemasonry is a False Religion.

Some Freemasons claim that Freemasonry is a saving institution, and that it is true religion. Others hold a different opinion, claiming that it is the handmaid of religion, a system of refined morality. Others still are free to admit that it is only a mutual aid, or mutual insurance society. This discrepancy of views among them is very striking, as every one knows who has been in the habit of reading sermons, lectures, and orations on Masonry, published by themselves. In this article I propose to inquire, first, Do their standard authorities claim that Masonry is identical with true religion? Secondly, Does Freemasonry itself claim to be true religion? And, thirdly, Are these claims valid?

1. Do their standard authorities claim that Masonry is true religion?

I quote Salem Town. I read his works some forty years ago. The book professes on its title page to be “A System of Speculative Masonry, exhibited in a course of lectures before the Grand Chapter of the State of New York, at their annual meetings in the City of Albany.” It was reduced to a regular system by their special request, and recommended to the public by them as a system of Freemasonry. It is also recommended by nine grand officers, in whose presence the lectures were delivered; by another who had examined them; and by “the Hon. De Witt Clinton, General Grand High Priest of the General Grand Chapter of the United States of America, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, &c., &c.”

This book was extensively patronized and subscribed for by Freemasons throughout the country, and has always been considered by the fraternity as a standard authority. From this author I quote as follows:

“The principles of Freemasonry have the same coeternal and unshaken foundations, contain and inculcate the same truths in substance, and propose the same ultimate end, as the doctrines of Christianity.”—p. 53. Again he says: “The same system of faith, and the same practical duties taught by revelation are contained in and required by the Masonic institution.”—p. 174. “Speculative Masonry combines those great and fundamental principles which constitute the very essence of the Christian system.”—p. 37. “It is no secret that there is not a duty enjoined, nor a virtue required, in the volume of inspiration, but what is found in, and taught by, Speculative Freemasonry. The characteristic principles are such as embrace the whole subject-matter of divine economy.”—p. 31.

Again he says: “As the Word in the first verse of St. John constitutes both the foundation, the subject-matter, and the great ultimate end of the Christian economy, so does the same Word in all its relations to man, time, and eternity, constitute the very spirit and essence of Speculative Freemasonry.”—p. 155. Again, referring to the promise of the Messiah, he says: “The same precious promise is the great corner-stone in the edifice of Speculative Freemasonry.”—p. 171. Again he says: “The Jewish order of priesthood, from Aaron to Zacharias, and even till the coming of Messiah, was in confirmation of that great event, which issued in the redemption of man. All pointed to the eternal priesthood of the Son of God, who by his own blood made atonement for sin, and and consecrated the way to the Holy of Holies. This constitutes the great and ultimate point of Masonic research.”—p. 121.

“That a knowledge of the divine word, or Logos, should have been the object of so much religious research from time immemorial, adds not a little to the honor of Speculative Freemasonry.”—p. 151.

“Again he says: “It is a great truth, and weighty as eternity, that the present and everlasting well-being of mankind is solely and ultimately intended.”—p. 170. This he says of Freemasonry. But again he says: Speculative Masonry, according to present acceptation, has an ultimate reference to that spiritual building erected by virtue in the heart, and summarily implies the arrangement and perfection of those holy and sublime principles by which the soul is fitted for

a meet temple of God, in a world of immortality.”—p. 63.

Again he says: “In advancing to the fourth degree, the good man is greatly encouraged to persevere in the ways of well-doing, even to the end. He has a name which no man knoweth, save him that receiveth it. If, therefore, he be rejected and cast forth among the rubbish of the world, he knows full well that the great Master-builder of the universe, having chosen and prepared him as a lively stone in that spiritual building in the heavens, will bring him forth with triumph, while shouting grace, grace to his Divine Redeemer. Hence opens the fifth degree, where he discovers his election to, and his glorified station in, the kingdom of his Father. With these views, the sixth degree is conferred, where the riches of divine grace are opened in boundless prospect. Then he beholds, in the eighth degree, that all the heavenly sojourners will be admitted within the veil of God’s presence, where they will become kings and priests before the throne of his glory forever and ever. pp. 79–81. And again he says: “The maxims of wisdom are gradually unfolded, till the whole duty of man is clearly and persuasively exhibited to the mind.”—p. 184.

Again: “Principles and duties which lie at the foundation of the Masonic system, and are solemnly enjoined on every brother; whoever, therefore, shall conscientiously discharge them in the fear of God, fulfills the whole duty of man.”—p. 48.

Again he says: “The Divine Being views no moral character in man with greater complacency than his who in heart strictly conforms to Masonic requirements. . . . The more prominent features of a true Masonic character are literally marked with the highest beauties.”—pp. 33, 185.

Again he says that every good Mason is of necessity, truly and emphatically a Christian.”—p. 37.

That Masonry professes to conduct its disciples to Heaven, we find affirmed by Town, in the following language. Of the inducements to practice the precepts of Masonry, he says:

“They are found in that eternal weight of glory, that crown of joy and rejoicing, laid up for the faithful in a future world.”—p. 188.

By the faithful here, he means faithful Freemasons. This same writer claims that Solomon organized the institution by inspiration from God. On page 187 he says: “So Masonry was transmitted from Enoch, through Noah, Abraham, Moses, and their successors, till Solomon, being inspired of God, established a regular form of administration.”

This will suffice for the purpose of showing what is claimed for Masonry by their standard authorities. The same in substance might be quoted from various other standard writers. I have made these quotations from Elder Stearns’ book, not finding in my library a copy of Town. In another place I shall find it convenient to quote sundry others of their standard writers, who, while they claim it to be a religion, do not consider it the Christian religion.

This conducts us (2) to the second inquiry: What does Freemasonry claim for itself?

And here I might quote from almost any of the Masonic degrees to show that this claim is put forth in almost every part of the whole institution. As Town claims for it, so it claims for itself, a power to conduct its disciples to Heaven. Any one who will take pains to read “Bernard’s Light on Masonry” through, will be satisfied that Town claims for the institution no more than it claims for itself. It is not proper for me to quote extensively from any book in a newspaper article.

I beg of all who feel any interest in this subject, to get and read Bernard on Masonry—to read it through, and see if Town has not rightly presented the claims of Freemasonry. I deny, observe, that he has rightly represented its principles, and that which is really requires of Masons. That he has misrepresented Masonic law, I insist. But in respect to its promises of Heaven as a reward for being good Freemasons, he has not misrepresented it. It claims to be a saving institution. This certainly will appear to any person who will take the pains to examine its teachings and its claims as revealed in “Light on Masonry.”

This brings me (3) to the third inquiry: Are the claims that Masonry is a true and saving religion valid?

To this question I reply, that it is utterly false; and in this respect Freemasonry is a fatal delusion. From the quotations that I have made from Town, it will be perceived that he represents Freemasonry as identical with Christianity.

But under this head I will, in the first place, quote from some of their standard writers. Elder Bradley is one of them. On p. 54 of his work, he says: “Masonry, however, is not only the most ancient, but the most moral institution ever invented by man.” Again he says, p. 33, that “Masonic principles are the same in every age and nation.”

Mr. Preston is another of their standard writers. I quote the following note from Stearns on Masonry, p. 28: “Mr. Preston’s book, entitled Illustrations of Masonry, has been extensively patronized by the fraternity as a standard work. The copy before me is the first American, from the tenth London edition. Mr. Preston says in his book, p. 30: ‘The universal principles of the art unite in one indissoluble bond of affection, men of the most opposite tenets, of the most distant countries, and of the most contradictory opinions.’ Again, p. 125, he says: ‘Our celebrated annotator has taken no notice of Masons’ having the art of working miracles, and foresaying things to come. But this was certainly not the least important of their doctrines. Hence, astrology was admitted as one of the arts which they taught, and the study of it warmly recommended. This study became, in the course of time, a regular science.’” So here we learn that Masons formerly claimed the power of working miracles.

I quote again from Bradley, p. 8. He says: “We leave every member to choose and support those principles of religion, and these forms of government which appear consistent to his views.” In the work of Preston, p. 51, we have the following: “As a Mason you are to study the moral law as contained in the sacred code, the Bible; and in countries where that book is not known, whatever is understood to contain the will or law of God.” Oh! then, in every country Masons are to embrace the prevalent religion, whatever it may be, and accept whatever is claimed, in any country where they may reside, to be the law and will of God. But is this Christianity, or consistent with it? It is well known and admitted that Masonry claims to have descended from the earliest ages, and that the institution has existed in all countries, and under all religions; and that the ancient philosophers of Greece and Rome, the astrologers and soothsayers, and the great men of all heathen nations, have belonged to that fraternity.

It is also well known, that at this time there are multitudes of Jews, Mohammedans, and skeptics of every grade, belonging to the institution. I do not know that this is denied by any intelligent Mason. Now, if this is so, how can Freemasonry be the true religion, or at all consistent with it? Multitudes of Universalists and Unitarians, and of errorists of every grade, are Freemasons; and yet Freemasonry itself claims to save its disciples, and to conduct them to Heaven!—C. G. FINNEY in N. Y. Independent.

David’s Sin and Its Consequences

By Scott

David's Sin in Numbering Israel, 1 Chron. xxi.

So long as we abide on earth, Satan has access to us, through the remains of sin in our hearts, especially of pride; and the Lord has wise and righteous reasons for permitting this enemy, under certain restrictions, to tempt his servants. As far as he obtains this permission, he is unwearied in his malicious efforts to deceive, to defile, or to distress us; and he can vary his devices in many plausible ways; but he does us more harm as a seducer than as an accuser, as a subtle serpent than as a roaring lion. We are, therefore, called on to be sober and vigilant, and to pray always, that we “enter not into temptation;” and, as men advance in rank and reputation, authority, or usefulness, they have need to redouble the guard, and to be more watchful and instant in prayer than ever; for the enemy levels his assaults especially against those who are eminent in character, or fill up public stations, in the church or in the community; because their falls involve numbers either in sin or suffering. It is a mercy to be speedily made sensible of our guilt, when we have been left to transgress; but no confession or humiliation can secure us from present sufferings, when we have committed such crimes, as appear abominable even to ungodly men, and bring an open scandal on our profession. By thus yielding to temptation, we bring ourselves into dreadful straits, from which we can by no means extricate ourselves; yet, even in this case, there is encouragement for us to leave our cause in the hand of the Lord, that he may do with us as he pleases; “for very great are his mercies.” Of all the painful consequences of transgression, none in this world can be more distressing to an ingenuous mind, than to see those whom we most love, and desire the most to do good to, suffering heavily through our sins. But even under the anguish of this trial, we must not allow ourselves to murmur, or to despond. The fear of impending vengeance, from the wrath of an offended God, is naturally calculated to drive men from him. But, in subserviency to the gospel, and through the influence of the Spirit of God, it concurs in showing sinners the preciousness of Christ; disposing them to forsake all for him, and afterwards enlarging the mind in grateful obedience to him, who has saved them from so great a destruction.—Scott.

Keeping the Spirit’s Joy Pure

THE joy of the Spirit is a delicate, sacred deposit, and must be kept in a pure casket; an unholy breath will dim its luster and fade its freshness.—Cecil.

The Rich Privilege of Making Happy

THE greatest and most amiable privilege which the rich enjoy over the poor is that which they exercise the least—the privilege of making them happy.

THE LOST DAY.

Lost! lost! lost! A gem of countless price, Cut from the living rock, And graved in Paradise; Set round with three times eight Large diamonds, clear and bright, And each with sixty smaller ones, All changeful as the light.

Lost—where the thoughtless throng In fashion's mazes wind, Where trilleth folly's song, Leaving a sting behind. Yet to my hand 'twas given, A golden harp to buy, Such as the white-robed choir attune To deathless minstrelsy.

Lost! lost! lost! I feel all search in vain; That gem of countless cost Can ne'er be mine again; I offer no reward,— For till the heart-strings sever, I know that Heaven's entrusted gift Is reft away forever.

But when the sea and land, Like burning scroll have fled, I'll see it in his hand, Who judgeth quick and dead; And when of scathe and loss That man can now repair, The dread inquiry meets my soul, What shall it answer there?

How God Hardened Pharaoh’s Heart.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

Much has been said on this subject; but the following illustration which I find in the introduction to Theodoret’s Ecclesiastical History, seems, to my mind, about the best I have seen. His illustration is this:

“The sun is said to melt wax and harden mud, although it possesses only the property of giving heat; so the patience and goodness of God produces two contrary effects in different individuals, being useful to the one, and rendering the other more guilty; hence it is said, that some are thus converted and others hardened.”

D. M. Canright.

INSECTS, ANCIENT AND MODERN.

By J. C. Gregory

[BRO. SMITH: I send you this extract from the Mercantile Journal for publication, if you think it worthy. J. C. GREGORY.]

Fossil insects of the most gigantic size have recently been found in the coal-beds of Nova Scotia.

They must have been considered foemen worthy of their steel by the huge animals of the antediluvian period. Those Nova Scotian ephemerina measure fully seven inches across the wings; and the rushing sound produced by millions of the creatures in motion, must have been deafening to human ears, if any there were in their neighborhood to hear them. Four specimens of these insects are considered the oldest in existence. They came from New Brunswick. One of them was provided with a musical apparatus like that of the cricket.

The insect world in our day is giving us several new sensations. The Sandwich Islands are annoyed this summer with the presence of a terrible, stinging fly, never known before. It is believed by the natives, and even by scientific Europeans, to be one of the consequences of the late fearful, volcanic eruptions.

Utah is afflicted with a monstrous, black beetle two or three inches long, which appears in swarms of many acres in extent, covering the surface so thickly that it is impossible to walk or ride across lots without treading on them. On the roads, the hoofs of horses and the wheels of wagons go crushing among them, as though passing over so many filberts of great size. In many cases, their shells are so hard as to resist the weight of a man.

Rhode Island, too, witnessed an unusual sight the other day. A swarm of the familiar field-fly, known as the “darning needle,” passed over the country in such force that it looked like a dense cloud, and cast a heavy shadow.

WOMAN AS A CO-WORKER.

By M. W. HOWARD

“JOSEPH was warned by a dream. He never seemed to get beyond this. Mary was in a higher sphere. An angel spake to her.”

Without quite approving the expression (for I disfavor whatever savors of modern Spiritualism, like “higher sphere”); I have quoted the above, since in its restricted sense it is correct, as a stepping-stone to the enunciation of some thoughts that from time to time have found lodgment in my heart, regarding one—a woman who in these latter days is favored of the Lord above others. As I have been led to meditate upon the mission and responsibility of her who is thus favored in the cause of present truth, it has come to be a conclusion of my mind, that it is not so far aside from the order of God’s original appointments as we at first supposed.

When our minds become directed to a particular subject, how readily ideas and illustrations will converge or concentrate upon that subject. And thus as I reflected upon that conservatism which so readily takes fright at the prominence accorded to a woman, I was convinced that the conservatism should be in another direction, as I read the account in Acts xviii, beginning at the 18th verse:

“And Paul tarried yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed into Lydia, and with him Priscilla and Aquila.” What, Paul leave the brethren and take with him as traveling laborers a man and his wife? Yes, for so the sacred record stands. And again he wrote: “Help those women who labored with me in the gospel.” In Rom. xvi, 3, he speaks of them as his helpers in Christ Jesus. As in verse 12 he speaks of other two who labored in the Lord, and also of the “beloved Persis who labored much in the Lord.”

But to return to our narrative, Acts xviii, 19. “And he came to Ephesus and left them there. . . . And a certain Jew named Apollos, . . . an eloquent man mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue; whom, when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him to them, and expounded unto him the way of the Lord more perfectly.” Here is the simple record. Nor do we glean from what follows that this servant of God, this minister of the gospel, felt any depreciation of his self-esteem, or was held in less repute by the brethren for having been “instructed in the way of the Lord more perfectly” by such instructors.

M. W. HOWARD.

Malone, N. Y., July, 1868.

Christianity at the Tomb

If ever Christianity appears in its power, it is when it erects its trophies upon the tomb; when it takes up its votaries where the world leaves them; and fills the immortal hope in dying moments.

Building on the Wave

OUR present frail existence is the unsubstantial basis upon which too many are building the fabric; but it is building a nest upon the wave.

REDEMPTION OF TIME.

By I. M. PENNOCK

“REDEEMING the time because the days are evil.”—Paul.

Our life is represented in the Scriptures under various figures, beautifully expressive of its importance and its shortness. It is compared to a cloud which attracts our gaze for a little while by its fantastic beauty, and then vanishes forever from our sight. It is compared to a leaf in its autumnal beauty, all glorious with crimson and gold, but fallen to the ground in its withered worthlessness, a fit emblem of the destiny of him who treads it thoughtlessly under his feet.

It is compared to a flying shuttle, a shooting star, a ray of light. “Man is like to vanity; his days are as a shadow that passeth away.”

We are admonished, by all this, of the brief and uncertain character of our earthly existence. We are exhorted to seize time as it flies, and improve it while it lasts. On every moment of time, as it rushes on to merge itself into the ocean of the past, is written, “Eternity.” No royal edict can bring it back; no mighty hand roll it back again upon the shores of the present.

One or two motives for the redemption of our time will constitute the burden of this article.

1. The shortness of time. The whole measure of earthly history, from its creation to its regeneration, will be short. Generation after generation is passing away like the morning dew. The word of God compared with the history of passing events, fully indicates that earth’s great drama is fast hastening to a crisis. Time is growing old. Six thousand years encircle its weary brow. With inconceivable velocity it is rushing on to its eternal sepulcher; and soon the mighty edict will go forth, It is finished! Soon the end will come, the purposes for which time was given will be accomplished, and its ages, years, and hours will be narrowed down to the minutes of its close.

The great events connected with the winding up of all earthly affairs, cannot be far distant. The sound of the trumpet calling the dead to life, the heavens fleeing away in terror, the opening of the book of remembrance, the earth wrapped in flames, but finally to be purified and made new for the reception of God’s saints—all this is but a step before us. And if time is so short when all its ages are combined, what fearful brevity pertains to that little portion of it allotted to us as individuals. No word or figure can express its brevity. The weaver’s shuttle, the flying cloud, the lightning flash, the thoughts of man, are all too tardy to illustrate the flight of time. The fading flower, the falling leaf, the flying cloud, the disappearing comet, transitory as they are, are all too enduring to illustrate the time we are to live.

What a motive this to snatch from the hand of waste the little portion of our lives that remains! What an argument to incite us to improve the few remaining days of life to the best advantage! No wonder Paul so earnestly exhorts us to redeem whatever might remain of a wasted, misspent life, and give it to the holy work for which it was intended.

2. The present days are evil. This is another reason urged by the apostle why time should be redeemed; and, though eighteen hundred years have rolled away since this prophetic declaration, the fact is daily becoming more clear and certain. The same prophetic mind, guided by the all-seeing eye of Jehovah, has told us, that as the world approaches its final consummation, “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse; deceiving and being deceived.” This prediction painfully corresponds with our observation and experience. The greater the increase of light, the more desperate become the powers of darkness. Intrenched as Satan is in the strongholds of society, exerting such an influence as he does over the human heart, it is not to be supposed he would lay down his scepter without a fearful struggle. His contest with Christ is now going on more fearfully than at any other time. He has summoned all the powers of hell, the depravity of earth, his own infernal malignity, and almost resistless energies, and sent them abroad among men, endeavoring to overturn the kingdom and power of Christ.

While on one hand light never shone with such brilliancy, and truth never gained such conquests, on the other hand vice and error never appeared in such seductive attractions, and secured such dominion over the heart of man. The contest between truth and error, light and darkness, rages with increased violence. Emperors never looked upon the field of battle, which was to decide the fate of their empires, with more interest than do the angels in Heaven upon the struggle now going on between the seed of the woman and the serpent who first beguiled her into paths of sin and shame.

It was this great contest which Paul saw going on in the world, and which induced him to raise the rallying cry to the friends of Jesus to redeem the time which had already run to waste, and improve the rest to God and his holy cause. We are admonished every day of the brevity of time, and the importance of having our work well done. We can pause and remember a dear and honored father and mother, and loving brothers and sisters, who were with us but a few days ago, but who, to-day, sleep in the cold ground. Removed from life, love, and labor, here, they sleep in the “blessed hope;” they await the trump of the Archangel which will soon call them to awake and give an account of their time. In a few days, it may be, I shall rest beside them. Lord, help us so to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Let us remember that swifter than a weaver’s shuttle our lives are passing away, and to-day may be our last opportunity of making our peace with God, or of benefiting our fellow-men.

Soon the “day of the Lord” will be upon us. Shall it overtake us as a thief? Let us, who rejoice in the light of present truth, be admonished that time is short. God, in his holy word, has given us unmistakable signs by which we may know that the end of all things is at hand. Let us then, “by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, honor, and immortality.” Day by day, hour by hour, let us execute our appointed task, to which the requisite measure of time and strength is proportioned, and then having worked while it is called to-day, we may claim the blessed promise to the Laodiceans who obeyed this counsel, to “buy gold tried in the fire, that they might be rich, and white raiment that they might be clothed.” Even the promise, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father on his throne.”

I. M. PENNOCK.

Allegan Co., Mich.

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