|
Secret Societies eBook
Full Resale Rights Included
Fully printable and Searchable
SECRET SOCIETIES:
A DISCUSSION OF THEIR CHARACTER AND CLAIMS,
BY
REV. DAVID MACDILL,
JONATHAN BLANCHARD, D. D.,
AND
EDWARD BEECHER, D. D.
'Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather reprove them.' --EPH. v: 11.
CONTENTS.
I. SECRET SOCIETIES: A TREATISE by Rev.
D. MacDill
CHAPTER I. Their Antiquity.
CHAPTER II. Their Secrecy.
CHAPTER III. Oaths And Promises.
CHAPTER IV.Profaneness.
CHAPTER V. Their Exclusiveness.
CHAPTER VI. False Claims.
CONCLUSION.
II. SHALL CHRISTIANS JOIN SECRET SOCIETIES? by Jonathan
Blanchard, D. D.
Shall Christians Join Secret Societies?
Supposing it to be Innocent, Will It Pay?
Is it Obligatory?
Is it Right?
III. REPORT TO CONGREGATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ILLINOIS. by Edward
Beecher, D. D.
CHAPTER I. The moral character of secrecy.
CHAPTER II. Associations or combinations involving secrecy.
CHAPTER III. Religious rites and worship in societies or organizations,
open or secret.
1. Secret
associations are of very ancient origin. They existed among the
ancient Egyptians, Hindoos, Grecians, Romans, and probably among
nearly all the pagan nations of antiquity. This fact, however is
neither proof of their utility nor of their harmlessness. Slavery,
despotism, cruelty, drunken falsehood, and all sorts of sins and
crimes have been practiced from time immemorial, but are none the less
to be reprobated on that account.
2. The facts that
these associations had no existence among the Israelites, who, alone
of all the ancient nations, enjoyed the light of Divine revelation,
and that they originated and flourished among the heathen, who were
vain in their imaginations; whose foolish heart was darkened, and whom
God gave up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts (Rom.
i: 21-24), is a presumptive proof that their nature and tendency are
evil. We do not claim that all the institutions among God's ancient
people were right and good; nor that every institution among the
heathen was sinful and injurious; still, that which was so popular
among those whom the Bible declares to have been filled with all
unrighteousness; that which was so pleasing to men whom God had given
over to a reprobate mind and to vile affections (Rom. i: 26-28); that
which made a part of the worship which the ignorant heathen offered up
to their unclean gods, and which was unknown among God's chosen
people, is certainly a thing to be viewed with suspicion. A thing of
so bad origin and so bad accompaniments we should be very slow to
approve. The fact that many good men see no evil in secret societies,
and that many good men have been and are members of them, is more than
counterbalanced by the fact that many good men very decidedly
disapprove of them, and that, from time immemorial, men of vile
affections and reprobate minds, men whose inclinations and consciences
were perverted by heathenish ignorance and error, and by a corrupt and
abominable religion, have been very fond of them.
3. Doubtless the
authors and conductors of the ancient mysteries made high
pretensions, just as do the modern advocates of secret societies.
Perhaps the original design of the ancient mysteries was to civilize
mankind and promote religion; that is, pagan superstition. But
whatever may have been the design of the authors of them, it is
certain that they became schools of superstition and vice. Their
pernicious character and influence were so manifest that the ancient
Christian writers almost universally exclaimed against them. (Leland's
Chr. Rev., p. 223.) Bishop Warburton, who, in his "Divine Legation,"
maintains that the ancient mysteries were originally pure, declares
that they "became abominably abused, and that in Cicero's time the
terms mysteries and abominations were almost synonymous." The cause of
their corruption, this eminent writer declares to be the secrecy
with which they were performed. He says: "We can assign no surer cause
of the horrid abuses and corruptions of the mysteries than the
season in which they were represented, and the profound silence in
which they were buried. Night gave opportunity to wicked men to
attempt evil actions, and the secrecy encouragement to repeat them."
(Leland's Chr. Rev., p. 194.) It seems to have been of these ancient
secret associations that the inspired Apostle said, "It is a shame
even to speak of those things which are done in secret." (Eph. v:
12.)
4. In view of these
facts, the antiquity of secret societies is no argument in their
favor; yet it is no uncommon thing to find their members tracing their
origin back to the heathenish mysteries of the ancient Egyptians,
Hindoos, or Grecians. (See Webb's Freemason's Monitor, p. 39.) Since
the ancient mysteries were so impure and abominable, those who boast
of their affinity with them must be classed with them of whom the
Apostle says, "Their glory is in their shame" (Phil, iii: 19.)
You'll have to get the ebook to read on!
Download
Feel free to
copy and edit edit this page for use in advertising this book, but do not
change the eBook in any way.
Thanks for your
interest, don't forget to
check out my other items, and thanks for stopping
by!
Click
here to
get more eBooks
|