promise procured by fraud. Men are sometimes compelled to perform such promises; but it is invariably done with conviction of legal necessity prevailing against moral right.

Suppose a spirited gentleman in gorgeous attire, goes about proclaiming, that for a liberal fee he will confer the gift of second sight. One pays, and another and another. The public eagerly inquire, "How does he do it?"

"That is a secret he made us solemnly swear not to tell."

In the ardor of youth, we would learn something, if not have second sight; and apply to the gentleman with our fee advanced. He blinds us most satisfactorily, solemnly prays and administers the oath, of absolute and profound secrecy, by the great God who will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain; then coolly removes the bandage from our eyes, and congratulates us upon the receipt of second sight! Now, is that oath binding upon the deceived youth? Shall he patiently submit to this insult upon his understanding, lest he break his oath? Shall he see the same trick playing, and to be played, upon hundreds of others, and upon generations to come, and be restrained from warning them by a regard to his oath?

We say no. The fine gentleman had no right to demand the oath. The error was in submitting to take it, profaning the name of the Holy One to cover an imposture; and no sooner do we become certain, that the oath is used to cover deceit, than it becomes our duty to regard the glory of God in the breach, and not in the observance of that oath.

Now this is our second position, That Freemasonry is the splendid gentleman, who secures his fee beforehand, and administers his oath to the hood-winked candidate; and then, confers the promised gift by removing the hood from his eyes! The novice is taught to enter the lodge in pursuit of light. Behold how it is conferred upon him. Kneeling hoodwinked before the altar immediately following the administration of the oath, the master of the lodge asks him:

Mas.

"Brother, what do you most desire?" Novice. "Light." (By help of a prompter.)

Mas. "Brethren, stretch forth your hands, and assist

in bringing this new made brother from darkness to light." (Members form a circle around the novice with their hands and right foot raised.)

Mas. "And God said: let there be light, and there was light." At the same instant every brother claps his hands, and stamps his foot, and the bandage is slipped from the novice's eyes; this brings him to light.

Thus the sacred scripture is abused, to hallow the barefaced deceit of Freemasonry.

The glory of God is advanced, not by the observance but by the breach of the oath, which covers this deceit; and the sin of profanity lies in taking God's name to sanction the deed of imposture and it cannot lie in the exposure of that imposture.

"O, let thy vow

First made to Heaven, first be to Heaven performed;

That is, to be the champion of the church!

What since thou sworest, is sworn against thyself,

And may not be performed by thyself.

It is religion that doth make vows kept,

But thou hast sworn against religion;

Therefore, thy latter vows, against thy first,
Is in thyself, rebellion to thyself."*

We confess we have been the dupes of this imposture, to take the yoke of its obligations upon our necks; the good Lord help us to break that yoke, "like an earthen pitcher, that is broken in pieces; so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it, a shred to take fire from the hearth, or to take water out of the pool;" to rend it so that no man may be able to gather up the fragments, or to cement the broken pieces.

Our third position is diverse from the two former, and yet equally sufficient for our defence in making all necessary use of the oaths and mysteries of Freemasonry, to enable the candid reader to acquire a just estimate of the worth and character of that institution. The oath is prefaced with words to this effect: "The obligation you are about to take is not to interfere with your duty to God, or to your country

Now, we say it not lightly, but with a solemn view to the day when the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed,

* King John, Act 3d, Scene 1st.

that any construction of our masonic obligations, which prevents us from using publicly the mysteries of Freemasonry, so far as is necessary to show the false and depraved nature of the institution, and its injurious tendency to infidelity and crime, does interfere with our duty both to God and our country; and, therefore, in animum jusjurandum imponentis, by the express understanding of him who administered the oath, we were made free in the night of our initiation, from any such construction of its words, as might ever interfere with our civil or religious duties.

Our duty to promote the glory of God, and the welfare of our country, bids us declare, that Freemasonry is an impostor; a fraud upon its members, and upon the community; and, if in the further discharge of this duty, we bring any part of the mysteries of the institution to support our declaration, we are not prevented by our oath; for that is never to interfere with the sacred discharge of our civil and religious duty.

These, brethren, are our three positions, either of which is alone sufficient to justify our public use of such parts of the mysteries of Freemasonry as are necessary to expose the dangerous nature of the institution, and which positions altogether are impregnable. We see no fault in the reasoning, no mystery, or sophistry, or chicanery, in the argument by which either of our positions is maintained and either of them alone being sound, no brother having our matured views of the history and character of Freemasonry, is under the least obligation to the impostor, or to withhold one jot of the fraud from the abused public.

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If in this renunciation of Freemasonry there seem any implication of the honor of the fraternity, it is not intended. They are imposed upon, or we are. They verily believe Freemasonry to be venerable for its antiquity, &c. &c. But when they become satisfied, that we have all been made the dupes of a shameless imposture, they, too, will feel resentment and indignation for this abuse. We think they, too, will forsake, or renounce it with contempt, and with thankfulness that they are at length made free from its ruthless obligations, and from its impious oaths

In this vindication of our freedom from the oaths of

Freemasonry, we appeal neither to Paley nor Burlemaque, to Vattel nor Puffendorf, but to the conscience of Christians, who fear God; to the hearts of freemen, who love their country; and to the common sense of men, who have understanding. We might lose the reader's attention in an argument drawn from the books of civilians and moralists, books he may never have read. We prefer to draw our argument from the common sense of mankind, that we may carry with us the convictions of every heart, and stand in the conscience of every just man, disenthralled from our obligations to Freemasonry, as we are from that obligation to an impostor, which would interfere with bringing him to a righteous condemnation ; from that oath to a swindler, which would prevent our warning the public against his practices; from that penalty to a traitor conspiring against the liberties of our citizens, which would frighten us from sounding alarm, and from proclaiming the danger to our countrymen.

"Is this Freemasonry! It cannot be."

We say, this is our vindication for the use of some things with which we make free, and our reply upon the adversary, who will attempt in his defence to plead what any impostor would plead under like circumstances, viz. these men are solemnly sworn to me; they despise their oath; their word is not to be taken."

And, now, the judgment of wise men confirming our own, and unanimously assenting to the soundness of the argument, and to the righteousness of our conclusions, we are ready to treat the oaths of Freemasonry, as a man has a right, both by human and divine law, to treat the marriage oath in case of adultery. No man would hesitate instantly to repudiate a wife, whose life was stained with transgressions against purity. Because he took solemn Vows of fidelity to her before the throne of God, believing her to be pure and chaste, is he held to his marriage vow, after he knows that she is an adulteress ? It is not possible. Freemasonry we wedded as the truth of God; we repudiate it as the falsehood of the devil.

"Thou mayest hold a serpent by the tongue,

A caged lion by the mortal paw,

A fasting tiger safer by the tooth,

Than keep in peace the hand which thou dost hold."

We were taught to believe Freemasonry has virgin pu rity; but we find it is corrupt: we were taught to believe thas it was founded and patronized at least three thousand years ago, by men acknowledged to be of God in the holy scriptures; but we find it was founded in the era of the South Sea Company, by men whose names are no warrant for truth or righteousness: we were taught to believe that Freemasonry is the handmaid of religion; but we find that it is very far from aiding the doctrines of the cross of Christ; and, in an extensive and thorough, a protracted and patient examination of the subject, we have found Freemasonry, by its own showing, carefully collated from its approved writers, and books of constitutions, to be the synagogue of Satan.

We have sworn to it in the belief which was taught us; we abjure it in the convictions which careful investigation has produced. We gave it the pledge of our right hand, believing it to be a blessing from the Lord, fraught with heavenly mercies; we withdraw that pledge, upon finding Freemasonry to be the work of the father of lies, fraught with hidden mischief. We received it as sanctioned by the best of names, both ancient and modern, patriarchs and prophets, statesmen and divines; we renounce it as the angel of light, so cunningly attired that be deceives even the elect.

As our forefathers broke the yoke of foreign bondage, so we break the yoke of internal tyranny; as they performed their duty to God, to their posterity, and to their country, by renouncing their allegiance to George III. and to the British constitution; so we, in the fear of God, in the service of our country, and posterity, and with a view to a day of final retribution, renounce and make void our allegiance to Freemasonry.