Scottish Rite Masonry Illustrated - The Masonic Trowel

PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS
TWENTY-SI~TH DEGREE; OR PRINCE OF MERCY.
Uaurps the Prerogatl,es of Christ—Uara Have Need of Good Memories”
—Renei~iog the Plagues of Egypt on American Soil,
To be able to comprehend the nature and power of
these degrees, we should keep steadily in mind their
“object and mission,” which is to break down the worship
of Christ, and establish that of Satan. The very
title of the degree does this. The word “Prince”
(Latin: prrnceps) means: chief, supreme, the first, or
highest one. Christ is the only one who ever exercised
divine poi~er on earth. Therefore He only is First, or
Prince. Christ gave His life a ransom for sinners, and
“G-reater love hath no man than this.” (John 15, 1.3.)
Therefore He is “Pnnce of Mercy,” and the only one.
There eannot be many firsts. An earthly prince is first
in his rea]m~ So our chief magistrate is the highest,
or first officer. Christ told Pilate that He eame into
this world to be its lung, not an earthly sovereign, yet
a born king. (Jno. 18, 37.) And as Savior, or procurer
of pardon, He is “Princ’e of Mereij,” “that in all
things He might have the pre-e~minence.” (Col. 1, 18.)
Now the Senior Warden says: “I am about to open
a Chapter of Princes of Mercy.” (P. 166.) This is
solecism, absurdity and blasphemy, and eaeh in the
highest degree. It is gross impropriety of language;
inconsistent with obvious truth; and indignity offered to
God. As night-meeting societies, which should, in
sober earnest, elect and inaugurate Presidents of the
United States, and attempt to clothe them with presidential
power and prerogative, would be guilty of
ribald nonsense, moekery towards the President, and
swindling imposition on taxed candidates.
This 26th degree therefore is a direct insult to and
“i.IARS UAVI~ XF.1~D 01’ 000!) I1I~MORIES.” 181
as~iult upon Christ; doubtless stimulated and se~ on by
the devil, who asked Jesus to worship him, as HiB
superior or equal! We can well believe Dr. Mackey,
who says (Note £96) “It is one of the eight degrees
which were added, on the organization of the Scottish
Rite, to the original twenty-five of the Rite of Perfection.”
Not, like the Knight of the Axe, which is an
American stump speech, injected into the body of the
rite, to please laborers and get their money; but selecLed
from several thousands invented by Jesuit8 in
France to proteet Romish priest-power, and called “a.
Christian degree.” (See Note £66, by Mackey.)
But as if absurdity and eontradiction were to prove
bottomless, look at the following: In the above Note,
Mackey says: “This degree treats of the triple covenant
of mercy made by Cod with Abraham, Moses and
Jesus Christ.” Now turn forward to page 176, and
read the answers of the Senior Warden to the Most
Excellent, which declare the three covenants of thi8
degree to be made by God with Noah, Abraham and “all
men by His prophets.” “Liars have need of good
memories,” but these writers’ memories are bad and
their morals worse.
Now turn back to page 167, and look at the candidate
in this 26th degree, hoodwinked and still searching for
“Light,” into whieh he has been brought over and
again, and then say, with our Bible in hand, thaL “the
god of this world blinds minds.” Is it irrational to
suppose that, while that man’s eyes were being blindfolded,
the devil was blinding his mind, so that Masons
do not, cannot see the contradietions and absurdities of
these degrees? When, in all time, and where, iu all
the world, is this blinding done, whieh the Bible imputes
to Satan, unless iI~ is done then and there? It
will not do for them to meet us with denials of the
truth of the Bibler If the Bible is composed of lies,
why do they quote it from beginning to end of thi8
Scottish Bite? And if the Bible tells the truth when