The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-08-12


avail myself Of this opportunity TO give
due notice that shall pay no attention
TO any more anonymous communications,
or 70 anything that may be said about me
petSohGflS Mytfre friends will applaud
this course, especially as the interests OF
truth do not demand any other, and my
opponents will, suppose, be too honora-
BILE 10 take advantage Of Il.
In making this announcement, / wish
pr fifeet te Attention 81 ftbd w d. of
QhibI edge AID tbf alltfuet 1[aSons par.
ticularly 70 the copy oi-hy letter 10 my
friend and brother, Sterling, published In
this days (saturday's) 1NTRLLIaRNcER,
and to the general disclaimer / have moro
than once made Of any intention or wish
10 insult them. ,Iwish also to jsay now
what I Intended TO hold back tor my next
reply to the W. N. Of Ohio Lodge-if any
reply should DO necessary-that | do not
hold the Masonic Order responsible for
the insult 70 the Church Of God, offered in
the first article Of IN, l., and repeated
inghA secoha. commdni alton, as he has
claimed 10 have spoken only for himself.
No Mason, IS such, hos Endorsed his re-
lniafkS, but many Of themlhaVe privately
repudlated them. Itisnot necessary that
they doso publicly, as he has assured the
public he wrote only on his own re-.
Sponslbility.
l wish, further, 10 call the attention OF
the Masonic Order to DR.. Mackey's Ma.
sonic Ritual, page 232, edition Of 1869.
1t Is unnecessary, for meto tell Masons
who On; Mickey sisa beyolBi7 this, cIliat
hagi1e flle ~ the iphss positions in An.
cient Masonry, he Is also the author OF
some important works relating 10 the
Graft. DR.. NJ, in giving the order Tor the
burial Of the dead and the arrangement OF
the officers Of TIT. lodge and Of, the mourn.
.ers at Ne- graz, says ( YAfter the clergy.
man has concluded the religious services
ot-his church, the Masonic service be.
gins" The Doctor calls this one of the
"ANcIENT ceremonies Of tie order" |
have heard since Sunday that the usage
Of the order IN Wheeling is different. |
never attended q Masonic funeral In this
city before. | have stated what custom
has obtained in other places. And i
would respectfully submit % the, Grand
Master and through Shinl 10 the Grand
Lodge, Of the State, II it would not be
better to conform TO the ancient usage.
Thus conflict between the church and the
Order on this point will be avoided.
, To the public, MasOns included,
would say The passions Of the hour
will soon pass away, and the feeling
thereof will soon be forgotten, but the
deep thought Of serious minds will
live. To such minds have tried
to address myself and SUCH thought !
have. wished To direct, as far ~ | could,
to the importance OF the principles which
are involved in this controversy. AS a
minister Of the Lord Jesus Christ, could
do NO less than did last Sunday, com.
pretending the situation as | then did
With the light that then had, | could
do tie same again. AS ! now understand
the case, viz: that neither the deceased
nor his family wished the church service
at his grave, ! could not do 10. cannot
say more or less than this. Serious men,
who employ their minds In deep and
earnest thought, will appreciate my posi-.
ton. To suCh-fOr they alone, after all,
give force TO all movements,-I say that
every branch of the Church OF Christ has
an interest in this question. SO far as l
am concerned, and so lar as the Church
OF God is concerned, this is no quarrel.
Hsisa solemn conflict-a conflict not over
of the particular case Of last
Sunday, but over the very principle out
OF which that case grew. Itissnot aeon:
etbetweep a and BAfor men such q
contest are not worth much, save as they
aret1e exponents oil theories. The truth
will triumph some time. II belongs to
God 1t isin BIS hands. -
I am free TO say that If ever the W. NJ.
of Ohio Lodge and shall come face to
face again, shall charge the account not
tolhim, but 10 the ritual which imposes
such duties Upon him. SO there Is no per
sonal controversy. My only controversy
il with the advocates, az such, of claims
for Masonry which cannot be maintained
without dishon6ring the Lord Jesus Christ
and HiS9 Church. Such claims: l think,
have been made for Masonry by many
good, honest men.
n The principles which have entered
into the case before US have 10 my mind
been very important the last import
.ence. Those principles /, as Mason, as
81 Christian, and Ss o minister of the Lord
Jesus Christ, hold as firmly as l hold that
he Is the only founder OF the Christian
Church. They are in strict accordance
with the faith Of the Church. They are
embodied in the denial Of the following
points ~ s..Esa..r, .af N
1. That any mere human lnstitutionis
de jure or de tdttO a religious system, or
does or can authoritatively teach the es.
sential principles Of Christianity.
2. That any such institution has any
more right to provide for services which
are universally recognized as coming
within the range Of purely ministerial
duties, thanit hSs to ordain men TO preach
the gospel or 10 prepare ceremony for
the marriage Of Its unmarried members
8. That burial according to q ritual
that does not recognize the Lord Jesus
Christ as the savior Of men, through
whom alone "lfe and immortality are
brought to light" Is Christian burial. q.
4.fhst such q ritual as that named IN
the foregoing paragraph should b used
at the gfaveoPa Christian, 50 as to pre-,
cede or set aside that of the Church OIL
God, unless the person, when dying, OF
his friends after his death, should In re,
questing masonic burial expressly declare
their wish that the Church office be
omitted.
5. That any institution or order o.
purely human origin has the moral OF
religious right 10 compile, originate Of
use infexibly a burial service which
must take the place Of, or which, from it,
nature would interrupt the service Of the
Church Of Jesus Christ. ~
These propositions embrace the pinci
pies fofJ Whloh1 -contends I deny then
THE proposition9 in the name of the Lore
Jesus Christ and in that Of His Church
| In dninp this / mRka no war nnnn any