and civilisation are so little associated, that Paganism and Freemasonry are not very apt to come into contact. We might have-we perhaps already have-members of the Order among the Brahmins of India, and others who hold the same religion. But whatever may be their polytheistic belief, they acknowledge a supreme God. So it is also with the Parsees of Bombay and other western parts of India, an enlightened and wealthy class, amongst whom Freemasonry has made great progress.

There is nothing in the principles or Landmarks of Freemasonry to prevent the brotherly intercourse of those who hold different creeds, the first principles of religious truth already mentioned being acknowledged. On the contrary, they are bound to regard each other with brotherly kindness; and in the Lodge-to prevent disputes, dissensions, and alienations of feeling-all discussion of their questions of difference is forbidden. We place the Bible on the Altar as the Great Light of Freemasonry, we carry the Bible in our processions, we read the Bible in our meetings, we offer prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But Jews, who are members of our Order and of our Lodges, object to these things, or to some of them, and their conscientious scruples deserve and receive our regard. When Jews are initiated, they are generally sworn on the Old Testament alone, and Mahommedans are sworn on the Koran,-in fact, every one on the Book which he himself receives as that of the Law of God. There is nothing in the Landmarks to hinder Jews, if Jews exclusively form a whole Lodge, from having the Old Testament alone set before them as the Great Light; nothing to hinder Mahommedans from giving the same place to the Koran, they acknowledging it as the revelation of the mind of God. Meanwhile, it is, however, indisputable that as Freemasonry has for a long time been chiefly cultivated amongst Christians, it has received, in a great degree, a Christian character; and in nothing is this more marked than in its Symbolism. To expound many of the symbols of Modern Freemasonry otherwise

than according to Christian beliefs, would be utterly impossible. In the part of this work devoted to them, we have endeavoured to explain them as we find them; but this implied frequent reference to the Bible-to the New Testament as well to the Old-and frequent introduction of the distinguishing doctrines of Christianity. It may be possible for men of other religions to elaborate a similar system for themselves; but as yet it has not been done, and only the symbols framed by Jewish and Christian Masons are in use in the Fraternity. Where Christians form the great body of the members of a Masonic Lodge, it has been usual for those of other religious beliefs, to accommodate themselves to circumstances, merely refraining from taking part in those religious services which implied, or seemed to them to imply, anything contrary to their own religious convictions.

Whatever a man's religious creed may be, Freemasonry requires that he shall be sincere and earnest in it, living in the practice of what he owns as religious duties, and adorning his profession by a life of pure morality. Freemasonry demands truth and honesty in all things. There is nothing more inconsistent with it than a religious profession made in mere pretence, whilst the man's whole life shows lukewarmness and indifference to religion. Thus, if a Freemason professes himself a Christian, he must be expected to prove himself a zealous Christian, diligent in the observance of all religious ordinances, and earnest in all those good works which are prescribed for him by what he acknowledges as the Divine law. It is not enough that the sneer or scoff of infidelity should never be heard from his lips. The professing Christian who gives utterance to anything of the kind proclaims himself a hypocrite and a liar, and cannot be a good and worthy Freemason. His whole life is a lie. But neither can he who manifests in his whole conduct that he lives only for the present world, that he regards Christianity with as much indifference as if it were a mere tissue of idle tales and foolish fancies, and the Bible an antiquated book that may be left to old women

and weak-minded men, its warnings and threatenings mere. bugbears to frighten children, its promises and hopes not worthy to be weighed in the balance against the gains of commerce or the pleasures of the present life. Such a man is no more a good and worthy Mason than he is a good Christian. To be a good and worthy Mason, a man professing Christianity must be a good, consistent, and zealous Christian.

It has already been remarked that doctrinal belief lies at the foundation of religion; without, at least, a belief in God and in a future state, there can be no religion whatever. Whilst, therefore, the laws of Freemasonry prohibit, for the sake of harmony, all religious discussion in the Lodge, Freemasonry does not discourage it elsewhere, but rather encourages every member of the Order to exhibit zeal for the propagation of truths which he knows, and to prosecute with all earnestness the inquiry after religious truth. There can be no doubt, that the fuller a man's knowledge of the truth is, and the more his mind is disabused of all error, the better it is for himself and all around him.

It is a great mistake, however, to suppose that religion consists in a mere knowledge and profession of religious truths or doctrines. The truth must be received in the love of it, that it may become operative in the heart and in the life, that a man may become really a man of faith and piety, and may show the power of the truth in his whole life and conduct. There are two mistakes prevalent with regard to the nature of religion, and a tendency towards the one or the other is often manifested by those who would unhesitatingly repudiate them if broadly stated. The one is to limit religion to faith and piety-to the discharge of those duties which belong to man simply and merely in his relation to God. The other is to make light of this part of religion and to restrict the idea of religion mainly, if not wholly, to what is sometimes called morality—the discharge of the duties which a man owes to himself and his fellow men. These, however, it ought to be remembered, are also duties which we owe to God, as much as faith itself,

or love to God, or the acts of His worship. And the restriction of the term Morality to these is at once absurd and misleading. Morality is the keeping of the whole moral law, and the moral law includes the duties which have only God himself for their object, as much as those which He has enjoined upon us with respect to His creatures. And herein the excellence of Freemasonry appears. Recognising the importance of religion as the first thing for man, it provides for a foundation of it in the belief of doctrinal truth, and devotes itself to the rearing of a superstructure of faith and piety, and perfect morality and holiness. Perfect morality and holiness, we say—not as supposing that man ever attains to the perfection of morality and holiness in this world, nor as wishing it to be understood that the system of Freemasonry is framed on any such supposition. It is the very contrary. Its lessons and its symbols teach that man ought to be ever going on to perfection, contending against difficulties without and within, aspiring and striving after greater attainments, smoothing the rough ashlar, building and beautifying a temple which will ever require more and more of his labour and care whilst he abides in this world. This is the glorious design and purpose of Freemasonry, to which everything is adapted and all things conspire.

For confirmation of the views here advanced we may refer to the whole previous part of this work. No explanation of many-indeed most-of the symbols is possible on any other theory.

CHAPTER XCVIII.

THE RELIGIOUS NATURE OF FREEMASONRY.-ITS STRICT RULE OF CHASTITY.

FREEMASONRY is the foundation of a speculative science upon an operative art, and the symbolic use and explanation of the terms of that art, for purposes of religious or moral teaching. We refer to the preceding chapters for much that belongs to this teaching,-for all that relates to faith and piety, to charity or love, to temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice, and for all that relates to industry, a virtue-as it may well be called-which promotes all the other virtues and helps to maintain them in their exercise. It seems to be enough here merely to direct attention to the importance assigned to them in the Lessons and Symbolism of Freemasonry, as evincing not only its thoroughly religious nature, but also its regard to what may be called the different parts of religion, which man sometimes attempts to dissociate, but which cannot be dissociated without the destruction of all.

So much, in fact, has been said on the subject of Religion in our treatment of Masonic Symbolism, that little remains, after those general remarks which have just been made, except in regard to one important part of morality to which no particular symbol directs our attention, namely, chastity. The inculcation of chastity is one of the leading moral— and therefore religious-characteristics of Freemasonry. There is no point on which the Laws of Freemasonry are more clear and imperative; and there is nothing more important in itself in the whole circle of moral duties, than the maintenance of chastity-"our own and our neighbour's chastity." As this subject has not been already treated in the present work, we must bestow some attention.