A Frank Exposure of Freemasonry

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FRANK EXPOSURE OF FREEMASONRY


Reprinted from
THE BAPTIST EXAMINER

Calvary Baptist Church, Ashland, Kentucky

source: http://sglblibrary.homestead.com/files/AFrankExposureOfFreemasonry.htm


"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression:” -Isaiah 58:1.


"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful:” -Psalm 1:1.


"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine:” -II Tim. 4:2.


"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of dark ness, but rather reprove them:” –Eph. 5:11.


"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:” -I John 1:6.


The Duty of the Preacher

It is not pleasant to the flesh to attack that which is held in high esteem by so many people, but the duty of the preacher is very plain in the light of the foregoing Scriptures. Whether it pleases him or not, if he will be faithful to his commission, he must "cry aloud" with reproof and rebuke; and show God'~ people their transgressions. He must preach the Word both in season and out of season. He must declare all the counsel of God.


The Need of the Hour

One of the greatest needs of this hour is for preachers who, as prophets of God, will cry aloud against the idolatrous and adulterous evils of secretism. Let every true prophet of God inform himself, and then let him raise his voice boldly. The preacher who will do this, needs to have on all the armour of God; and needs to have unshaken trust in the all-powerful One, who alone is able to supply courage, grace, and power necessary to enable us "to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy" this monster of error and iniquity. He must also be willing to "endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." But for the preacher not to cry out against this and other forms of evil is for him to put himself in that class of unfaithful prophets whom the Holy Spirit described when He said: "His watchmen are blind; they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they all look to their own way, everyone for his gain, from his quarter" (Isa. 56:10, 11).


Why I Am Opposing Secretism

I held aloof from the task of opposing secretism as long as I could. I anticipated the immensity and the seriousness of the undertaking. I knew that it would cause me much inconvenience and that it would cost me dearly. I hesitated to wound the feelings of friends that were members of secret orders. But finally, like Jeremiah, I can say: "His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay" (Jer. 20:9). And having been convinced by a close study that, beyond the chance of a doubt, this system is perpetrated and indwelt by "the prince of the power of the air;" and having a deep impression from God, in addition to the commission expressed in the Scriptures given at the outset, I can do nothing less than take a firm stand on this matter. And this I do without fear, "For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed" (Isa. 50:7).


A Thorough Investigation Has Been Made

A favorite bit of admonition of one of my teachers a few years ago was: "Investigate before you criticize." I have observed this bit of admonition in regard to the matter under discussion. My investigation of this subject has extended over a period of many years, and it has led me through thousands of pages of books, tracts, papers, and pamphlets. I have studied the ritual of some four or five secret orders, I have read pro and con on the subject, Thus my investigation has been both extensive and intensive.


The Motive of this Paper

And now, before proceeding further, I want to say that in this paper I am inveighing, not against individuals, but against a system and an institution in the interest of individuals who have been deceived by it. It will be natural and needful for me to say some things which are applicable to individuals, yet this I do through no malice for them, but rather in order to awaken them to a realization of their sin. I disclaim every motive in discussing this subject other than a desire to see the truth advanced "for the truth's sake," and for the sake of those who are walking in error, whom I covet for the truth.


To Whom the Paper is Addressed

Also, I wish to say, I am addressing this discourse to those who are saved, and who believe in the infallible authority of the Bible. It is a waste of time to discuss this subject with a lost person, or with a person who does not believe that the Bible is the inerrant, complete, sufficient, and final authority on all matters of faith and practice.


The General Evils of Secretism

Much might be said about the evils of secretism in general. The principle of permanently organized secret- ism is always wholly and irretrievably wrong. Discreet silence and cautious speech are commendable. And temporarily organized secrecy may be justifiable under extraordinary conditions. But permanently organized, oath- bound secretism in a free, civilized, peaceful country is not necessary for the accomplishment of any worthy de- sign; and it always tends toward evil. I might go on at length discoursing upon the general evils of secretism, but I am constrained to forego that in order to devote this. paper to a discussion of grosser evils existing under definite forms of secretism.


Paper Confined to One Form of Secretism

And, inasmuch as it is impossible in the compass of "this paper to analyze and discuss all of the multitudinous forms of secretism, it is expedient that I select the out- standing form and confine myself to it. According to the words of a respected writer among secretists, this is a sound policy. This writer says: "The analysis of one secret order is the analysis of everyone." And he gives as his reason for this statement that they are "fashioned after the same idea." So while I shall discuss one form only, yet in a general way my remarks will be more or less applicable to other forms.


As the one form of secretism upon which we shall center our attention, I shall select the oldest, most pretentious, and most prevalent one of all, which is Freemasonry. Freemasonry is the mother of all secret orders. In the world it enjoys the reputation of being the best and most venerable, but from the standpoint of God and His truth it is the most perverse and deceitful.

Let it be explicitly understood that the author is unalterably opposed to every form of secretism from the Knights of Columbus to the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Masonry is singled out only for the reason stated. A member of another secret order will be able to see that his lodge is enough like its mother to stand condemned.


I Commend Myself to Masons

And now, as I turn to point out the evils of Masonry (by which familiar name I shall from now on refer to it), I commend myself to Masons on the ground of the reverence they profess for light and truth. They profess to be in search of the truth, and to be constantly desiring "more light." And truth and "more light" are in store for them in this paper. In fact, I hope that this paper may be used of the Lord to actually bring many Masons "from darkness to light." God said, "Let there be light" and "let all the redeemed of the Lord say so." And let none rebel at light. If any do, then Jesus described them when He said: "Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Then I commend myself to Masons on another basis: the testimony of one of their renowned and illustrious, often-tried and never-denied brethren, Mr. Daniel Sickle's. In his General Ahiman Rezon and Freemasons Guide, on page 53, he says: "We are convinced by a long and extensive observation that Masons need a truer and deeper insight into the nature of our esoteric work." Considerable observation and the concurrent testimony of several writers have convinced me of the same thing, and I desire to be used of the Lord in giving Masons a truer and deeper insight into the real nature of Masonry.


The first evil which I shall charge against Masonry is its false, absurd, and presumptuous claims. One of the seven things which God hates is "a lying tongue" Prov. 6:17). That being true, God must hate Masonry with a perfect hatred" (Ps. 139 :22).



INDICTMENT NUMBER ONE



Masonry Is Deceptive in its Claims to Antiquity

The first one of these false claims which we shall no- ::e is the claim to antiquity. It is a very common thing , hear Masons talking of Masonry going back to Solomon's temple, or even to an earlier time. The ritual of Masonry constantly implies, and in some places explicitly states, that Masonry began with the building of Solomon's temple. Now if this were true, what would it prove? NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness," but the hoary head offers no atonement for sin; nor is it a guarantee of righteousness. Suppose Solomon were the founder of Masonry. What would that prove? Nothing more than that he was guilty of devising a cunning scheme for perpetuating the idolatry he engaged in. It would not have surprised me if Solomon had founded Masonry. That achievement would have found a congenial place along with his seven hundred wives, his three hundred concubines, and his worship of heathen gods. I am quite sure, the only reason Solomon did not originate Masonry is that he did not think of it. If someone else had begun Masonry in Solomon's time, no doubt, he would have been one of the first to be "desirous of being brought from darkness to light and receiving a part of the rights and benefits." Masonry would have exactly suited Solomon as a cloak for his sins. And in it he would have found fellowship in heathen worship. See I Kings 11.


But Solomon Had Nothing to Do With Modern Masonry

But the truth of the matter is, there was never anything more false and absurd than the claim that Masonry goes back to the building of Solomon's temple. SOLOMON DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING MORE TO DO WITH THE FOUNDING OF MASONRY THAN JULIUS CAESAR HAD TO DO WITH THE DIGGING OF PANAMA CANAL.


Listen to some Masons of high standing who think more of fact than fancy, and who, consequently, condemn this myth in no uncertain terms.


Dr. Dalcho, one of the leading Masons of the world, and the compiler of the book of constitutions for South Carolina says: "Neither Adam, nor Noah, nor Nimrod, nor Moses, nor Joshua, nor David, nor Solomon, nor Hiram, nor St. John the Baptist, nor St. John the evangelist, were Freemasons. HYPOTHESIS IN HISTORY IS ABSURD. There is no record either sacred or profane to induce us to believe that these holy men were Freemasons; and our tradition does not go back to those days. To assert that they were Freemasons may make the vulgar stare, but it will rather excite the contempt than the admiration of the wise."


Then, in referring to the same, Prof. T. S. Parvin, Past Grand Master and Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Iowa, and Grand Orator of the Commandery of Iowa, in an oration before the latter, said, "Now, ill all candor and with all proper respect to our brethren, to this audience, not overlooking my own self-respect as a Mason and a man of mature age, I must declare that all such stuff, while it may possibly be 'told to the marines,' certainly to all such heresies we may apply the injunction of David in his lament over Saul, 'tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon.' Such tales will surely, sooner or later, return to our hurt as they ever should."


Furthermore, George Thornburg, a Past Grand Master and a thirty-third degree Mason, says on page 7 of his History of Masonry: "The day of accepting vague traditions is rapidly passing and intelligent Masons are inquiring for themselves for historical facts, as well as for authentic traditions. In their zeal for the antiquity of the Fraternity, orators and writers have traced it back to the Garden of Eden. Less enthusiastic ones have contented themselves with stopping at the building of Solomon's Temple. The latter, by reason of the symbols and languages used, are less unreasonable, BUT THE TRUTH IS, THERE IS NO REAL HISTORICAL RELATION BETWEEN KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE AND SPECULATIVE FREEMASONRY ."


Also, from the Illinois Freemason, we read: "It is a mighty hard thing to get Masons to understand that Freemasonry had nothing to do with the building of Solomon's temple. Freemasonry cannot longer lay claim to absurd tradition which they have inherited from a , superstitious past."


Finally, I will refer you to the words of the Grand Lodge Report of Illinois for 1873 (page 63): "And while it is true that the fools are not all dead, it may be safely said that he who teaches that Adam, Seth, or Solomon were Freemasons, sins against light and knowledge and ought to be excluded from the platform of instruction."



The Real Origin of Masonry

Where and when, then, did Masonry of today actually originate? The answer is, Speculative Masonry, which is the Masonry of today as distinguished from Operative Masonry of earlier times, is the product of a gradual evolution from within the operative guilds; which evolution was consummated in London in 1717. The following should give a somewhat adequate conception of how modern Masonry has come about.


First, in one way or another, certain religious and philosophical symbols and principles, which formerly had belonged to ancient secret sun-worship, were adopted by some of the operative guilds.


Second, the religious and philosophical elements seem gradually to have taken the ascendancy to such an extent that at least, as early as the middle of the seventeenth century, there seems to have been Masonic associations composed wholly of devotees of the religious and philosophical elements, with a total absence of the industrial feature.


Third, the full and final transformation of Masonry into an exclusively religious institution, however, did not take place until early m the eighteenth century. This transformation was begun when "selected gentlemen," , who were not Masons by trade, being "accepted" into the operative guilds and not being permitted to take all of the degrees, "chafed under the discrimination." And "they also concluded that Operative Masonry was too narrow in its teachings for men who were not actual Operatives, and they conceived the idea and undertook the work of broadening the teachings and elevating the morals of the Fraternity" (History of Masonry-Thornburg).

Fourth, the final touches were applied in 1717, at which time four lodges of London went into the organization of the first Grand Lodge, and at which time the ritual was revised and elaborated and the legend of the third degree (the real essence of Masonry) was adapted from the Ancient Mysteries (ancient secret sun-worship) by a Scotch Presbyterian preacher by the name of James Anderson.


INDICTMENT NUMBER TWO


Masonry's Claim That Jesus, John the Baptist, and John the Evangelist Were Masons Is Spurious, Groundless and False

In connection with this false claim to antiquity it is also falsely claimed that John the Baptist and John the evangelist, and even that Jesus, were Masons. This claim is really too absurd and preposterous to deserve attention. It is nothing less than a wanton slander upon the names of these holy men. It is a baseless supposition, and, as has been seen already, it is refuted by those who have regard for facts.


In the first place, it has been shown that Masonry, as it is today, did not appear on the scene of history until centuries after the time in which these men lived.


And in the second place, it is rank folly to affirm that they would have been Masons, even if Masonry had existed in their day. Imagine one of the Johns saying to Jews, Buddhists, Confucianists, and Mohammedans: "I'll respect your religion as much as my own, therefore I'll not require that you believe in Jesus as I do; but we will all get together at one common altar and pray to the G. A. 0. T. U.; and if each one of you will follow to the best of his ability the light which he has, and do his very best, living 'on the square' as it were, we'll all meet in the Supreme Lodge by and by ."


And, most of all, can you imagine Jesus, who claimed to be the only way to the Father, agreeing to a proposition like this? But we have another conclusive proof that Jesus was not a Mason, nor a member of any other secret society. He said: “In secret have I said nothing" (John 18:20). No member of a secret order can say this.



INDICTMENT NUMBER THREE



How Many of the Presidents Have Been Masons?

Then the claim is sometimes made that all, or about all, the presidents of our country have been Masons. But the fact is, out of twenty-seven presidents from Washington to Wilson there have been only nine Masons. They are as follows: Washington, Jackson, Polk, Buchanan, Johnson, Garfield, McKinley, Roosevelt and Taft. Roosevelt and Taft evidently joined for political reasons. Of the eighteen that were not Masons, five were pronounced against secret orders.



Washington A Mason Only Technically

George Washington was a Mason, but was such an indifferent one that he can be called a Mason only technically. On September 25, 1798, just a little over a year before Washington died, he wrote to a preacher by the name of Snyder to correct an error Snyder had run concerning Washington's presiding over the English lodges in this country. In this letter Washington said in part: "The fact is, I presided over none, nor have I been in one more than once or twice within the last thirty' year.”


Washington never really held any office in a Masonic lodge. He was called Master of the lodge at Alexandria, Va., for the space of a year, but it is admitted by Masonic authority that he did not preside a single time during that period.


The records of King David's Lodge, Newport, R. I., show that as early as 1771 it was not agreeable to Washington to be called a Mason even in private. In response to a communication from the Legislature of Pennsylvania, Governor Ritner, among other facts, established that all the alleged letters from Washington to lodges were spurious. In speaking of Masonry, Washington said it was "for the most part child's play," and that it "might be used for the worst purposes." SUCH WERE THE MASONIC PROCLIVITIES OF GEORGE WASHINGTON, OF WHOM MASONS GREATLY BOAST.



INDICTMENT NUMBER FOUR





Masonry Is Not Based on the Bible

Another spurious claim, which is often heard, is that Masonry is based on the Bible. IF THIS WERE TRUE, IT WOULD NOT GUARANTEE DIVINE FAVOR. There are hundreds of sects over the world professing to be founded on the Bible. Is this proof that all of them are divinely sanctioned? Most certainly not. An institution or organization enjoys divine favor only so far as it teaches the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. For an institution to profess to be founded on the Bible and then teach heresy, only aggravates the guilt that attaches to the teaching of false doctrine.


But Masonry is not based on the Bible, and cannot truthfully make that claim. All that can be truthfully said, is that in Christian countries, a copy of the Bible is one of the necessary pieces of furniture; that it is used in the taking of oaths and that parts of it are read in the conferring of degrees.


Mackey, in his Manual of the Lodge, page 49, says: "The furniture of the lodge consists of a Holy Bible, square and compass." These are called "the three great lights of Masonry ."


Then from A Digest of Masonic Law, by Chase, page 207, we read: "The Jews, the Chinese, the Turks, each reject either the New Testament, or the Old, or both, and yet we see no good reason why they should not be Masons. IN FACT BLUE LODGE MASONRY (the first three degrees), HAS NOTHING WHATEVER TO DO WITH THE BIBLE. IT IS NOT FOUNDED ON THE BIBLE; IF IT WAS IT WOULD NOT BE MASONRY; IT WOULD BE SOMETHING ELSE."


"And then from Mackey's Lexicon comes the following enlightening comment: "The Bible is used among Masons (NOT AS AN INSPIRED REVELATION), but only as a symbol of the will of God, however it may be expressed."


This matter is further elucidated by the following quotation from the same author's Text Book of Masonic Jurisprudence: "It is a landmark that a 'Book of Law' shall constitute an indispensable part of the furniture of every lodge. I say advisedly a 'Book of the Law' because it is not absolutely required that everywhere the Old and New Testament shall be used. THE 'BOOK OF THE LAW' IS THAT VOLUME WHICH BY THE RELIGION OF THE COUNTRY IS BELIEVED TO CONTAIN THE REVEALED WILL OF THE GREAT ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSE. Hence in all lodges in Christian countries the 'Book of the Law' is composed of the Old and New Testaments; in a country where Judaism was the prevailing faith, the Old Testament alone would be sufficient; AND IN MOHAMMEDAN COUNTRIES AND AMONG MOHAMMEDAN MASONS, THE KORAN MIGHT BE SUBSTITUTED."


Still more light is thrown upon this interesting question by the following words quoted from J. D. Buck's Symbolism or Mystic Masonry (page 46): "Masonry is not only a universal science, but a WORLD-WIDE RELIGION, and owes allegiance to no one creed (then it does not owe allegiance to the Bible, and, therefore is not founded on the Bible), and can adopt no sectarian dogma (the Christian doctrine of salvation through the vicarious atonement of Christ, and of Christ's mediatorial work for instance), as such, without ceasing thereby to be Masonic. Drawn from the Kabalah, and taking the Jewish or Christian verbiage or symbols, it but discerns in them universal truths which it recognizes in all other religions." These quotations are plain enough that any intelligent person can understand them sufficiently to see that I have established the statement I made in the beginning of this paragraph. But I have a more serious charge to make.



Masonry Dishonors and Profanes the Bible

NOT ONLY IS IT TRUE THAT MASONRY IS NOT FOUNDED ON THE BIBLE, BUT MASONRY GROSSLY DISHONORS AND PROFANES THE BIBLE.


First, Masonry dishonors and profanes the Bible by making it ONLY ONE OF THE GREAT LIGHTS, when it is THE ONE AND ONLY LIGHT. Proof: Isaiah 8:20.


Second, Masonry dishonors and profanes the Bible by using only such parts of it as suits its purpose, while absolutely ignoring the remainder of it and teaching things that are as antagonistic to it as darkness is to light.


Third, Masonry dishonors and profanes the Bible by considering it AS ONLY A SYMBOL OF GOD'S WILL, and not, as it truly is, THE INFALLIBLE, COMPLETE, AND EXCLUSIVE WRITTEN REVELATION OF GOD'S WILL.


Fourth, Masonry dishonors and profanes the Bible by putting it on a level with the uninspired books of other religions.


Fifth, Masonry dishonors and profanes the Bible by grossly and maliciously misapplying portions of it. Scriptures that refer to Solomon's temple, to the second temple, and to the church are made to apply to Masonry. And Scriptures that were written of and to God's own people, are STOLEN and applied to the mixed and motley multitudes of Masonry.


Sixth, Masonry dishonors and profanes the Bible by using it in the administration of BLASPHEMOUS OATHS. This is not all I could say here, but for lack of space it must suffice.



INDICTMENT NUMBER FIVE



Would the Bible Have Been Lost If It Had Not Been for Masonry?

This Claim Is Based on a Falsehood


The fifth false claim that we shall notice is that the Bible would have been lost if it had not been for Masonry. It is not uncommon to hear of this presumptuous, but empty, boast. This claim is based, no doubt, on the lying ritual of the Royal Arch Degree. In this degree it is pretended that in digging in the ruins of Solomon's temple the vortex of an arch is found; and upon exploring this arch, among other things, is found a box supposed to be an exact likeness of the ark of the covenant, placed there by Solomon to be preserved for future ages. In this bogus ark is supposed to be a pot of manna, Aaron's rod, and the "book of the law." The supposed finding of this bogus is without the slightest foundation in Scripture, secular history, or tradition. IT IS JUST ANOTHER EMPTY MYTH INVENTED BY THE DEVIL FOR THE PURPOSE OF DECEPTION.


These false claims justify the statement of Edmond Ronayne that: "FREEMASONRY AND FALSEHOOD MIGHT WITHOUT IMPROPRIETY BE USED AS SYNONYMOUS TERMS." Through these false claims Masonry would pose as a sublime and wonderful institution and thus ensnare many into its fold.


INDICTMENT NUMBER SIX




The Oaths of Masonry Are Anti-Scriptural, Blasphemous, Profane and Anarchistic

We will take up the oaths of Masonry as a second source of evil. I have two counts to bring against the oaths.


The first count against these oaths is that they are anti-Scriptural in several different ways. Jesus said: "Swear not at all." Whatever else this may or may not forbid, it certainly forbids all rash and extrajudicial swearing. MASONIC SWEARING IS BOTH RASH AND ETRAJUDICIAL. It is rash because the candidate is made to take an oath he is supposed never to have heard before, and is made to take it under conditions which, to say the least, are not calculated to make him properly considerate of what he is doing. It is a case of the blind leading the blind.


Masonic oaths are extrajudicial because lodges have no authority either from God or the state to administer oaths. And the state does not recognize their validity. Now the state either has divine authority for administering oaths, or it does not have. If the state does have that authority, then it is the only institution that has it. For God would not endow two institutions with authority that would inevitably lead them into conflict. God is not the author of confusion. If the state does not have that authority, then surely every thoughtful, candid person will have to admit that no institution has it. Here is a dilemma for lodges and it matters not which horn they choose. ALL EXTRAJUDICIAL SWEARING OUGHT TO BE PROHIBITED BY THE STATE.



Read These Horrid Penalties

Again these oaths are anti-scriptural because in the third degree of the Blue Lodge and in many of the higher degrees, the candidate must put his life as a forfeit. It is necessary here that I quote the penalties attached to two of the oaths of the Blue Lodge. Blindfolded, half dressed, and in a kneeling posture before the altar upon which rests the Bible, square and compass, the candidate takes the oaths and agrees to penalties. The Entered Apprentice says, "Binding myself under no less penalty than that of having my throat cut from ear to ear, my tongue torn out by its roots and buried in the sands of the sea, at low water mark, where the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours, should I in the least knowingly, or willingly, violate or transgress this my Entered Apprentice obligation. So help me God and keep me steadfast."


The Master Mason says: "Binding myself under no less penalty than that of having my body severed in twain, my bowels taken from thence and burned to ashes, and this scattered by the four winds of heaven, that no more remembrance may be had among men or Masons of so vile a wretch as I should be, should I in the least, knowingly or wittingly violate or transgress this my Master Mason obligation, so help me God and keep me steadfast.”


These quotations are made verbatim et literatum from "King Solomon and His Followers," No. 3. This is a cypher ritual, published by Allen Publishing Company of New York, and was purchased by the author from Ezra A. Cook, Publisher, Inc., of Chicago. It can be bought by any who desire it. The reader needs to be informed that there are minor verbal differences in the ritual and oaths of Masonry in different states, and even in lodges of the same state. So let no one be disturbed if told that any quotations made in this paper are not exactly right. All the quotations are given as used in some states, and are in substantial accord with the usage of all Masonic lodges.


NO CHRISTIAN HAS A RIGHT TO PUT UP HIS LIFE AS A PLEDGE. We read in the Scripture: "Ye are not your own." I might as well steal money and put it up as a pledge as to pledge my life, which does not belong to me.


Oaths Are Profane and Blasphemous, Even If Not Enforced

But I am reminded that these penalties are just a matter of ancient form, and are never enforced. We will look into this matter a little later on, so for the present we will let it suffice to consider the words of R. A. Torrey: "Either these frightful oaths are meant to be taken seriously or literally, or else they are not. If they are taken earnestly and seriously and literally, words can scarcely describe my horror that any Christian man should take such an oath upon himself. If they are not taken seriously and literally, and in a large proportion of cases they are not, then THEY ARE PROFANE and BLASPHEMOUS IN THE EXTREME." This presents another nice dilemma. Selah!



Oaths Require Keeping of Unknown Secrets and Concealment of Crime

Furthermore, the Entered Apprentice must swear as follows: "I will always hail, forever conceal and never reveal, any of the secret arts, parts or points of the hidden (?) mysteries of Masonry which may have been heretofore or shall be at this time, OR AT ANY FUTURE PERIOD committed to me as such."


And the Master Mason's oath says: "I furthermore promise and swear that I will keep the secrets of a brother Master Mason when committed to me as such, murder and treason excepted and these left to my own choice."


Now the point I wish to make here is that in these oaths a man promises and swears that he will keep secrets which he may not be able to keep conscientiously, inasmuch as he does not know, at the time he takes the oaths, what he is going to be called upon to conceal. For that reason such swearing was prohibited even under the Old Testament dispensation. Lev. 5:4, 5- "If a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips TO DO EVIL OR TO DO GOOD, whatever it shall be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, AND IT BE HID FROM HIM; when he knoweth it, then he shall be guilty in one of these (guilty of a sin of the kind under discussion in this chapter). And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these, that HE SHALL CONFESS THAT HE HATH SINNED IN THAT THING." Even if he has promised to do good, when a man finds that he has taken an oath without knowing all that was required in the fulfillment of that oath, he is to acknowledge that he has sinned. EVERY CHRISTIAN LODGE MAN SHOULD DO THIS.



Oaths Are Morally Invalid

In a moment we shall pass to the second count which I wish to bring against these oaths. But before we do that, I want to show fully that these oaths are morally invalid. Of course it is well known that they are legally invalid, but I want to show that they are also morally invalid. It has been shown already that these oaths are anti-Scriptural, rash and extrajudicial. I have shown that it is impossible that a Masonic lodge have authority from God to administer oaths. Any sound reasoning, therefore, must lead to the conclusion that lodge oaths are not binding on the Christian, who, after making them, comes to realize their true nature.


If more proof of the invalidity of these oaths to the Christian is desired, it can be easily produced. In each of the three degrees of the Blue Lodge, before the candidate takes the oath, the Master pledges to the candidate that there is nothing in the oath which can conflict with his duty to God, his country, his neighbor, or himself. Therefore, if the candidate at any time finds that his oath binds him to do anything that is contrary to his duty to God, his country, his neighbor, or himself, THE OATH AT THAT MOMENT BECOMES INVALID. If he comes to see that he was hoodwinked into taking an oath that is hateful in the sight of God, as he should see if he is an intelligent Christian, then the oath has conflicted with his duty to God; therefore he is privileged to, AND SHOULD PROMPTLY DISAVOW THE OATH. FROM EVERY STANDPOINT MASONIC OATHS ARE INVALID TO THE INTELLIGENT CHRISTIAN.


These Oaths Are Anarchistic

Coming now to the second count that I bring against these oaths, I wish to say that THEY ARE ANARCHlSTIC. By this, I mean that they are at variance with good government and that they are opposed to law and order. And since the Bible teaches that civil government is ordained of God, this brings them again into conflict with the Bible. The concealment of crime is anarchistic and lawless. YET MASONS HAVE REFUSED TO TESTIFY IN COURT ON THE GROUND THAT TO DO SO WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF THEIR OATH. And, moreover, a Royal Arch Mason must swear to "assist a companion Royal Arch Mason, when engaged in any difficulty," and to "espouse his cause so far as to extricate him from the same, WHETHER HE BE RIGHT OR WRONG."

Do you understand now why Masons can do nearly anything under the sun and get out of it with only a minimum punishment, or none at all? If some one wants to find out why our laws are not better enforced, let him follow the above scent and it will probably lead him to where he can find at least a good portion of the proverbial "something rotten in the state of Denmark."


But there is yet more to come. The penalties attached to these oaths foster murder. AND MURDER IS ANARCHISTIC. I have already shown that in the three degrees of the Blue Lodge, the candidate must put up his life as a forfeit. THEN IN SOME OF THE HIGHER DEGREES MURDER AND REVENGE, UPON THOSE WHO BREAK THEIR OATHS, ARE INCULCATED, as in the 30th degree of Scotch Rite Masonry- Knight of Kadosh- where the candidate is made to declare: "I swear to take revenge on the traitors of Masonry."


The Blood of Martyrs Testifies

We are again called to notice the claim that these penalties are a mere matter of ancient custom, and are never enforced. BUT THE BLOOD OF MORE THAN A DOZEN MARTYRS BRANDS THIS A FALSEHOOD.


If these penalties are a mere matter of ancient custom, then why the murder of Samuel Pritchard, of London, in 1730; that of Noah Smith of Manchester, Vermont, in 1798; that of Ariel Murdock of Rensselaer, N. Y., in 1803; that of William Michner of Jenkinstown, Pa., in 1809; that of Loring Simmons of Albany, N. Y., in 1809; that of William Miller of Belfast, Ireland, in 1813; that of an unknown man in Bristol, Pa., in 1820; that of Oliver Gavit of Ohio, in 1824; that of William Morgan at Fort Niagara, N. Y., in 1826; that of Job Hunt of Boston, in 1827; that of Artemus Kennedy, in 1830; that of David Brounlee, Little York, Ill., in 1840; that of the carpenter by the name of Forgie in Canada, in 1854; and that of a stranger by the name of Brock:, in Howard City, Mich., in 1881. All of these were murdered for breaking their Masonic oaths.


How many more have been murdered and the evidence covered up, we have no way of knowing. So far as I know, we have no case like the above on record since 1881. Perhaps Masonry had to put a stop to this in order to save its life. Whatever may be the cause of their being no modern cases of Masonic murder on record, it is true that the blood-curdling oaths are still imposed in nearly every city, town and village in our land. Whether these oaths are enforced or not today, they are potentially murderous. And Jesus taught that potential murder is as evil as actual murder. (Matt. 5:22).



The Murder of Captain William Morgan

Today, the best known of the above martyrs is Captain William Morgan of Batavia, N. Y. Morgan was abducted from his home and drowned in Niagara River, near old Fort Niagara, in 1826. He was drowned in order to suppress the publication of a book he was writing, in which he was exposing Masonry. The evidence is conclusive and irresistible that the drowning of Morgan was the result of Masonic vengeance. It is also beyond the pale of reasonable doubt that his body was found at the mouth of Oak Orchard Creek, in Lake Ontario. I have read the story of this tragedy from the pens of several men of high integrity, who were in a position to know the circumstances. I have before me, as I write, a history of the affair, which was compiled by two committees on investigation. These committees were composed of citizens and appointed by the citizenship. One committee consisted of ten. The other consisted of thirty-eight.


A Clumsy Ruse Easily Explained

The finding of the body of Morgan was too much for those implicated in this crime. The bloody affair had come to light in spite of all that had been done to conceal it. Something had to be done. So a contention was contrived that the body which had been found was not that of Morgan; but that it was the body of a man by the name of Timothy Monroe, who had been drowned in Niagara River a short time before the finding of the body. The identification of the body as that of Morgan was undeniable, with the exception of the clothing, which neither the wife nor any of the acquaintances of Morgan had ever seen before. THEN WHEN THE SUPPOSED WIDOW OF MONROE CAME TO IDENTIFY THE BODY HER DESCRIPTION WENT WILD IN REGARD TO EVERYTHING BUT THE CLOTHING, WHICH SHE DESCRIBED IN MINUTE AND STRIKING DETAIL. No explanation of this is needed. It is plain for all to understand it.


Yes, the blood of Captain William Morgan and that of many others is on the hands of Masonry, and it will remain there until it is avenged at the judgment of the great white throne.


Morgan Murdered by General and Widespread Conspiracy

And the murder of Morgan was not by a few imprudent Masons as some would have us believe. The records show a general and widespread conspiracy. The real perpetrators of the murder were never apprehended. Around their "foibles" was cast "the broad mantle of Masonic charity," and beneath this the eyes of the law were unable to pierce. But several that aided and abetted in the crime were brought to justice. And in sentencing them, Judge Throop said in part: "YOUR OFFENSE WAS NOT THE RESULT OF PASSION SUDDENLY EXCITED, NOR WAS IT THE DEED OF ONE INDIVIDUAL. IT WAS PRECONCERTED, DELIBERATED UPON, AND CARRIED INTO EFFECT BY SECRET COUNCILS AND CONCLAVES OF MANY ACTORS."


Then Samuel D. Green, Mayor of Batavia at the time Morgan was abducted, and also a member of the same lodge with Morgan, had this to say: "The lodge and chapter in this and other places acted in concert and under the direction of the Grand Lodge of this state, AND SAID GRAND LODGE DID CAST VOTES who should come out and dispatch Morgan and Miller (Miller was to print the book) if necessary to prevent the development of Masonic secrets. MY AUTHORITY IS FROM THE BEST SOURCES AND IS UNQUESTIONABLE. When the acts of the lodge and the chapter were known, they refused to act as bodies on the deed, but frequently met in knots of eight or ten to contrive mischief."


Truly did Honorable William L. Strong say: "The garments of Masonry are stained with blood."


The, Criminal Possibilities of These Oaths

I mention this matter, not because it is pleasant to deal with, but in order to show the criminal possibilities of the oaths we are now discussing. When these bloodthirsty oaths are laid aside, we may be able to forget the murder of Morgan and that of others. BUT UNTIL THEN THEY WILL NOT DOWN.




Some Striking Comments

Permit me now to give you some striking comments upon these oaths and the anarchistic spirit of Masonry as fostered by them.


John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of these United States, said: "I am prepared to complete the demonstration before God and men, that the Masonic oath, obligation, and penalties cannot by any possibility be reconciled to the laws of morality, of Christianity or of the land."


Millard Fillmore, the thirteenth President of our country, said: "The Masonic fraternity tramples upon our rights, defeats the administration of justice, and bids defiance to every government it cannot control."


Daniel Webster, in speaking of Masonry, said: “Among the obligations which are found to be imposed upon its members there are such as are entirely incompatible with the duty of good citizens."


Benjamin Disraeli, once Prime Minister of England, said: "Secret societies are hurrying the civil governments of the world to the brink of a precipice over which law and order will ultimately fall and perish together." (For the above testimonies see "Opinions on Secret Societies," by William Dallmann, National Christian Association, Chicago, Ill.).


Again John Quincy Adams said: "Look at the government of New York, struggling in vain for five long years to bring the perpetrators of that murder (murder of Morgan) to punishment. See the judges, sheriffs, witnesses, jurors, entangled in a net of Masonry, and justice prostrated in her own temple by her invisible hand. ...Go to the records of the court; you will find witnesses refusing to testify upon the express grounds of Masonic obligations, avowing that they considered these obligations paramount to the law of the land."


Finally, R. A. Torrey says: "To my own personal knowledge, Masonry has been used to protect criminals and other evil-doers from the just consequences of their wrong doing. In one city where I lived, the proprietor of the vilest and most notorious place in the city could not be touched by the law because he was a Knight Templar. Every other place of the sort was run out of the city but this. I have known of similar things elsewhere that have come under my personal observation."



Some Official Utterances

Now as pertinent to the matter in hand, I shall give you some official Masonic utterances. An official of the Grand Lodge of Missouri, in his report of 1867, said: "We know no government save our own. To every government, save that of Masonry, and to each and all alike, we are foreigners."


And from the Report on Correspondence to the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire for 1876 we read: "The municipal law of the land is, as such, of no binding force in the government of the Masonic institution."


Then Robert Morris, in Webb's Monitor, on page 240, in speaking of the Masonic covenant, says that it is the covenant (or oath) that makes the Mason, and then adds: "No laws of the land can affect it."



INDICTMENT NUMBER SEVEN



Masonry Is a Religious Institution and a Rival to the Church Which Jesus Built

To become a Mason one must believe in the existence of a supreme being, and must profess a trust in that supreme being. Then Masonry undertakes to teach its devotees concerning their relation to that supreme being both in time and in eternity.


Furthermore, Masonry has its "Worshipful Master," its "High Priest," its set forms of prayer, its moral and religious symbols and teachings, its beliefs in immortality and reward in the world to come, its Scripture readings, and its altar. WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED TO BE ADDED IN ORDER TO MAKE MASONRY A RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION?


But let us go on further, and note the testimony of loading Masonic writers. Robert Morris says, in Webb's Monitor (page 231): "A meeting of a Masonic Lodge is a religious ceremony."


In his Manual of the Lodge, page 46, A. G. Mackey says: "As Masons we are taught never to begin any great or important undertaking without first invoking the blessing and protection of deity, AND THIS IS BECAUSE MASONRY IS A RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION."


On page 57 he says again: "Speculative Masonry, now known as Freemasonry, is, therefore, the scientific application and the religious consecration of the rules and principles, the technical language, and the implements and materials of operative Masons to the worship of God as the Grand Architect of the Universe, and to the purification of the heart, AND THE INCULCATION OF THE DOGMAS OF A RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY."


From Sickles General Ahiman Rezon (page 57) we road: "Our rites embrace all possible circumstances of man- moral, spiritual, and social- and have a meaning as high as the heavens, broad as the universe, and profound as eternity."


Then in Traditions of Freemasonry, on page 15, A. T. C. Pierson says of Masonry: "Without any reference to forms and modes of faith, it furnishes a series of indirect evidences, which SILENTLY operate to ESTABLISH GREAT AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF RELIGION."


It will suffice to call your attention in the last place to the words of J. D. Buck, as already quoted, and as found on page 46 of his Symbolism or Mystic Masonry: "Masonry is not only a universal science, but a WORLD- WIDE RELIGION."


Certainly it is a rival to the church which Jesus built. As George Hunt has said: "It must be apparent to every lodge member who has a conscience divinely enlightened by the Word of God and the Spirit of God, that the lodge is none other than a spiritual counterfeit of the Church of Christ. It is the devil's church, in which he has a Bible, a deity, a prayer, a form of godliness, a path in which he claims to lead people into eternal blessedness; and withal destroys every means God has set forth to attain these blessed results- God's Bible, His Son, His Holy Spirit, which are His instrumentalities to bring man into a right relation to Himself. The lodge repudiates God's Son, and His Holy Spirit, and uses the Bible only to give it the kiss of Judas- not to study and obey it. May God open your eyes to see that secretism is an unmixed evil, a deception and a snare, and the enemy of your soul."


INDICTMENT NUMBER EIGHT



Masonry Is Anti-Christian in Thai If Rejects Jesus Christ Both As Messiah and Saviour

Blue Lodge Masonry is supposed to be substantially the same the world over. I have twice quoted from J. D. Buck to the effect that Masonry is "a world-wide religion." And I have also quoted from Buck to the effect that it teaches only "universal truths, which it recognizes in all other religions."


And now listen to Robert Morris in Webb's Monitor 8 Freemasonry, page 280: "So broad is the religion of Masonry, and so CAREFULLY ARE ALL SECTARIAN TENETS EXCLUDED FROM THE SYSTEM, at the Christian (?), the Jew, and the Mohammedan, in all of their numberless sects and divisions, may, and do harmoniously combine in the moral and intellectual work with the Buddhist, the Parsee, the Confucian, and the worshipper of Deity under every form."


Then from Mackey's Manual of the Lodge, page 215, comes the following: "Though in ancient times Masons were charged in every country to be of the religion of that country or nation, whatever it was, it is now thought more expedient only to OBLIGE THEM TO THAT RELIGION IN WHICH ALL MEN AGREE."


Now it is plain that "that religion in which all men agree," and that which is acceptable to the Jew, Buddhist, Mohammedan, Parsee, Confucian, "and the worshipper of Deity under every form," is essentially and necessarily anti-Christian.



INDICTMENT NUMBER NINE


Masonry Is Anti-Christian in That the Name oi Jesus Christ Is Excluded

THE NAME OF CHRIST DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE FORMS OF PRAYER FOR USE IN THE MORE THAN FORTY DEGREES OF MASONRY WHICH I HAVE EXAMINED.

In Sickles' General Ahiman Rezon and Freemasons Guide, in addition to the prayers used in the conferring of degrees, there are a number of prayers for use on special occasions, such as funerals, installations, dedications, laying of corner stones, etc., and the name of Christ does not appear in any of them. BUT WHAT IS WORSE, IF POSSIBLE, IS THE EXPUNGING OF CHRIST'S NAME FROM THE SCRIPTURES. This is done in the Mark Master's Degree, which is the first degree in the York Rite above the Blue Lodge, where 1 Peter 2:5 is used with reference to Christ omitted. It is also done in the Royal Arch, or seventh degree of the York Rite and four degrees of Chapter Masonry, where II Thess. 3:6-16 is used; and the name of Christ is twice omitted.


As against this Jesus said: "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me."- John 16:32.


Also: "Whosoever therefore, shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels."- Mark 8:38.


And again: "He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father that sent him."- John 5:23.


Not only is the name of Christ thus excluded from the ritual, but it has been declared time and time again to be unmasonic to use the name of Christ even in extemporaneous prayer.


The author has on file the testimony of many Masons who withdrew from Masonry for this reason.




INDICTMENT NUMBER TEN



Masonry Is Anti-Christian in That It Teaches the Universal Fatherhood of God

This is nearly too well known to need any proof, but lest it should be doubted by some, I pause to vindicate it.


On page 41 of his History of Masonry, George Thornburg, says: "The Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, the underlying principles of Freemasonry are as old as the human race."


In Masonic Facts for Masons on page 48, W. H. Russell says: "The symbolisms of Masonry are used in its peculiar mode of instruction, inculcating the duties we owe to God and man; and these ethics are founded on the two great ideas of the Universal Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man."


The Masonic Advocate of August, 1873, said: "The theology of Masonry was established long before the advent of Christ on the earth, and is based solely upon the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man."


In Haywood's Great Teachings of Freemasonry, on page 120, we read: "ALL MEN, whatever be their faith or fortune from Plato down to the African dwarf, HAVE THIS RELATION WITH GOD. What God is to anyone, He is to every other one; and all that God can be to or do for any man, He is to and does for all men equally and everlastingly. This eternal and universal Fatherhood in Him does not come into existence when we begin to believe it; it is already a fact before we believe it, and remains a fact whether we believe it or not."


All who will take time to study Masonry, or any other of the outstanding lodges, will see what these men have said is the Masonic position.


Now let us see how this compares with the teachings of Christ and the Scriptures. To some Pharisees, who claimed God as their Father, Christ said:


"Ye are of your father the devil."- John 8:44.


Also note the following passages from the Word of God:


"As many as received him, to them gave he power to BECOME SONS OF GOD."- John 1:12.


"Ye are all children of God BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS."- Galatians 3:26.


"In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil": whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."- 1 John 3:10.



INDICTMENT NUMBER ELEVEN



Masonry Is an Anti-Christian Religion in That It Teaches Salvation by Works and Character

In regard to the lambskin or white apron which the Entered Apprentice receives, the Master of the lodge says: "You are presented with a lambskin, or white leather apron, because the lamb has in all ages been deemed an emblem of innocence. He, therefore, who wears the lambskin or white leather apron as the badge of a Mason, is thereby continually reminded of that purity of life and conduct, which is essentially necessary to his gaining admission into the celestial Lodge above, where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides."


Then in explanation of the covering of the lodge the following is said: "The covering of a Lodge is the clouded canopy, or the starry decked heaven, where all good Masons hope at last, to arrive by the aid of a ladder called Jacob's Ladder, having three principal rounds denominated faith, hope, and charity, teaching faith in God, hope in immortality, and charity to all mankind."


This does not mean what the Scriptures mean by faith in God. In the Scriptures faith in God is faith in God through Christ, but Masonry is a universal religion. "The religion in which all men agree," and, therefore, must scorn such a sectarian tenet as the doctrine of the mediatorial work of Christ. Faith in God in Masonic parlance means no more than a belief in the existence of a supreme being, and in his mercy bestowed apart from Christ and according to personal merit.


Also from the ritual of the same degree we read: "By the rough ashler, we are reminded of our rude and imperfect state by nature; by the perfect ashler, of that state of PERFECTION at which we hope to arrive by a virtuous education, our own endeavors and the blessing of God."


Then from the ritual of the third degree comes the following: "And now, my brethren, let us see to it, and so regulate our lives by the plumb-line of Justice, ever squaring our actions by the rule of Virtue that when the Grand Warden of Heaven shall call for us, you may be found ready."


From the degree of Royal Master which is the eighth degree of the York Rite we read: "The Supreme Master of the universe before whom we bow in adoration, and whose all-seeing Eye has marked our labors in this lodge below, promises to spread before us in the stupendous Lodge above all the joys and glories of his eternal Sabbath. After the strong hand of death has leveled all in the humiliation of the grave, the Almighty hand, of the Supreme Master shall prevail and exalt EVERY BROTHER to the glorious companionship of the undissolving Lodge above."


I need not continue these quotations from the ritual. These are sufficient to show that Masonry teaches Satan's gospel of salvation by works and character. If I had space I should like to quote from the burial ceremony and show how this false teaching is brought there, and how this ceremony teaches that unbelievers will be saved.


But I must give you the words of Mr. E. A. Coil, a lodge man and a Unitarian. In The Relation of The Liberal Churches and the Fraternal Orders he says on page 10: "The more I learn of the fundamental principles of the great fraternities, the more interested do I become in the fact that many people who denounce the churches called liberal (such churches as those of Unitarians and Universalists) ENTHUSIASTICALLY ENDORSE, AS FRATERNITY MEN, THE VERY PRINCIPLES FOR WHICH THOSE CHURCHES STAND. I have often thought, in recent years, that I should like to organize a Sunday School class, and use as a textbook the monitors of our leading fraternal orders, and show the members of those organizations THE LOGIC OF THE PRINCIPLES TO WHICH THEY IN THEIR LODGES, ARE PLEDGED. Nearly all of those monitors have, as their very heart, the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, immortality, and SALVATION BY CHARACTER, principles very familiar TO EVERY UNITARIAN SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHOLAR who has been properly taught the fundamentals of our faith."


Let us contrast the words of Jesus:


"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."- John 3:5.


"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."- John 3:14, 15.


"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me."- John 14:6.


Let us note also the words of Paul:


"By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast." - Eph. 2:8, 9.


Do the foregoing quotations from the ritual of Masonry and the Scriptures here given, teach the same thing? If so, then darkness is equal to light. And now lest it might be claimed that I have misinterpreted the meaning of the words quoted from the ritual, I will let a Grand Lodge interpret them for us.


In the proceedings of the Minnesota Grand Lodge, January, 1895, on page 66, we read: "He who approaches our altar in good faith, and by the light which we bring him, receives our teaching into a heart already prepared, and lives a life in conformity with the principles which he here imbues, has come into an invaluable possession and need have no fear when the word shall come calling him into the hereafter, but will be received as a living stone fit for that temple not made with hands."


INDICTMENT NUMBER TWELVE



Masonry Is an Anti-Christian Religion in That It Is Patterned After and Founded upon the
Heathen Practices of Ancient Sun-worshippers

On page 27 of his introduction to Symbolism or Mystic Masonry, J. D. Buck says: "Freemasonry is modeled on the plan of the ancient mysteries with their glyphics and allegories, and this is no mere coincidence: the parallels are too closely drawn."


In Pierson's Traditions of Freemasonry, on page 13, we read: "The identity of the Masonic institution with the Ancient Mysteries is obvious from the striking coincidence found to exist between them."


And in the same volume, on page 240, we read: "We readily recognize in Hiram Abiff (whom the Masonic candidate for the third degree is made to represent) one of the Grand Masters of Freemasons; the Osirus of the Egyptians (Osirus, and the others which follow, were sun gods), the Mithras of the Persians, the Bacchus of the Greeks, the Dionysias of the fraternity of the artificers, and the Attys of the Phrygians whose passion, death and resurrection were celebrated by those peoples respectively ."


Then Sickles says on page 196 of his General Rezon: "Osirus and the Tyrian Architect (Hiram Abiff) are one and the same."


Lastly, in speaking of the legend of Hiram Abiff, which is enacted in the third degree of Masonry, Mackey says on page 112 of his Ritualist: "The idea of the legend was undoubtedly borrowed from the Ancient Mysteries." And in his Lexicon, Mackey speaks of the Ancient Mysteries as "truly Masonic Institutions."


A study of the matter will show that the entire ceremony of Blue Lodge Masonry is an imitation of the rites performed in ancient idolatrous sun-worship.


Now we shall ask, what attitude, does the Bible take toward sun-worship?


(1.) The first testimony I shall give is from Job.


"If I beheld the sun when it shined, or moon walking in brightness: and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge; for I should have denied the God that is above."-Job. 31:26-28.


God said of Job:


"There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil."-Job 1:8.


And to this holy man of God, any reference paid to the sun, or any rite engaged in, in honor of the sun, was a denial of God. SUCH IS EVERY MASONIC RITE AND CEREMONY FROM THE TIME THE CANDIDATE FOR THE ENTERED APPRENTICE DEGREE SOUNDS THE ALARM AT THE OUTER DOOR UNTIL HE IS RAISED TO THE SUBLIME DEGREE OF A MASTER MASON, EVERY RITE AND CEREMONY HE GOES THROUGH IS IN HONOR OF THE SUN; AND IS, THEREFORE, A DENIAL OF "THE GOD THAT IS ABOVE."


(2.) In the second place I will call your attention to the fact (of which every casual Bible reader is aware) that the Old Testament severely condemns the worship of Baal; and Baal was a sun-god. The New Students Reference Work says of Baal: "He was the god of the sun, as ruling and giving life to nature."


Any other standard authority will substantiate this. This, therefore, makes Baal and Osirus the same. And severe judgments were sent upon the children of Israel for engaging in the rites of Baal worship. IS GOD ANY BETTER PLEASED WITH BAAL WORSHIP TODAY THAN HE WAS SOME THREE THOUSAND YEARS AGO? All Masonic worship is Baal worship.


The point within a circle which is so significant as a Masonic symbol was borrowed from this heathen sun-worship; and was an immoral glyphic, whose meaning should not be hard to define. Mackey, in his Lexicon on page 353, says that the worship to which this symbol belonged "was adopted by the idolatrous Israelites, who took it from the Moabites in the Wilderness of Sin, under the name of Baal-Peor."


Reference to the twenty-fifth chapter of Numbers will show that God killed twenty-four thousand Israelles for this. Yet Masonry today dares to exalt the same symbol and inculcate the same worship.


(3.) It is quite certain that it was with reference to one form of the Ancient Mysteries (the Eleusinian, celebrated near Athens) that Paul spoke when he said:


“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame to speak of those things that are done of them in secret." - Eph. 5:11, 12.


And also when he said:


"Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? or what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?"- II Cor. 6:14-16.


(4) Finally, we will refer to Ezekiel 8:1-18. In the fourteenth verse it will be seen that the idol of Tammuz is mentioned. In Mackey's Lexicon of Freemasonry page 19, we read: "The idol of Tammuz, mentioned in the eighth chapter of Ezekiel, was considered by Jerome, and after him by Parkhurst, as identical with Adonis."


John Gill and Matthew Henry testify to the same opinion.


Then on the same page of Mackey's Lexicon, and on pages 3 and 4 of Symbolism of Freemasonry, we are told that Adonis was the same as Osirus. THEREFORE, TAMMUZ AND OSIRUS, WHOM HIRAM ABIFF REPRESENTS, ARE ONE AND THE SAME. AND IN THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF EZEKIEL WE HAVE A PICTURE OF THE ANCIENT WORSHIP AFTER WHICH MASONRY IS PATTERNED AND UPON WHICH IT IS FOUNDED. The scene in the fourteenth verse, of women weeping for Tammuz is commemorated in every well- ordered Masonic lodge by a glyphic consisting in part of a virgin weeping over a broken column. The virgin represents Isis, the wife of Osirus. The broken column represents the untimely death of Osirus.


Osirus was the personification of the heating and life-giving power of the sun. Therefore, when winter came and the sun was seemingly deprived of much of its heating and life-giving power, Osirus was thought to be dead. But with the return of the warm and invigorating rays of the sun, he was thought to revive again. This is what is represented in the so-called Tyrian legend in the third degree of Masonry. Just as the sun is seemingly gradually deprived of much of its heating and impregnating power through the three fall months, so Hiram is slain by the successive attacks of the three ruffians-Jueblo, Jubela, and Jubelum. And just as the sun seemingly regains its lost power through the three spring months, so Hiram is raised after three attempts. Moreover, just as the sun fully regains its seemingly lost power and summer is ushered in again when the Zodiacal sign is in Leo or Lion, and as Osirus was thought, there to regain his life through the help of the Lion, so Hiram is at last successfully raised by the strong grip of a Master Mason, or the Lion's paw.


Now fancy Christians, and even ministers, going through such heathenism. No wonder many churches living at a poor dying rate and no wonder the cause of missions is suffering. Read Ezekiel 8:17, 18 for an explanation of it.


This was the drama that the women in this fourteenth verse were enacting. This is more realistically represented in the third degree of Masonry, when all the brethren catch hands and march in single file around the candidate, who, representing Hiram Abiff (alias Osirus), is supposed to be dead, having been slain by Jubelum. As the brethren file around, they sing a doleful ditty. It is a funeral march; a mourning scene. And it comes from the same thing as the drama represented in Ezekiel 8:14.


Furthermore, the scene in the sixteenth verse is represented in each degree of the Blue Lodge when the candidate is conducted to the west and taught how to approach the east in a very august and impressive way. In the east sits the Worshipful Master, who represents he sun.


Every person who takes part in a Masonic ceremony, especially in the Blue Lodge, is committing just such an offense against God as were the people mentioned in the eighth chapter of Ezekiel.


And now listen what God has to say about it:


"Hast thou seen this O son of Man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence: and also, they put their branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eyes shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them."


The branch mentioned above is the prototype of the Masonic evergreen and derives its significance from the fact that in the legend of the ancient mysteries of Egypt the body of the slain Osirus was found "at the foot: of a tamarind tree." If you ever witness another Masonic funeral, be sure to note its heathenism as displayed in the dropping of the sprig of evergreen in the grave. What an abomination this must be in the sight of a holy and jealous God! Yet even some preachers who are opposed to lodges will encourage this heathenism (the whole ceremony is heathenism from beginning to end) by taking part in the funeral service. The practice of such preachers must be a double abomination in the sight of God. Selah!



IN CONCLUSION


MASONRY IS SATAN'S RELIGION. IF THERE IS AN ANTI-CHRIST IN THE WORLD TODAY, MASONRY IS ONE. IT RIVALS ROMAN CATHOLICISM AS AN OPPONENT OF TRUE CHRISTIANITY. IT IS ONE Of' THE DEVIL'S MASTERPIECES. OUR CLOSING APPEAL:


"COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE."- REV. 18:4.

MAY GOD GRANT YOU SHALL DO SO!