Francis Bacon and his secret society - Grand Lodge of Colorado

AND HIS SECRET SOCIETY. 297
of his followers became indeed " a dangerous thing; " that the
" puffed," " swelling" and " windy" pride which he reprobated
took the place of the patient, humble, self-effacing spirit of
his first fraternity, and that the " Free Thought" for which he
laboured " from curbed license pluck'd the muzzle of restraint.
Instead of exercising a gentle and benign practice of tolerance
in matters of religious ceremonial or of opinion, the Masons,
in many cases, seem to have lost sight of the universality or
catholicity of true faith, their religious principles degenerating
into mere abuse and vituperation of the Romish church, whereas
their duty was but to resist and expose its errors and
imposture, and the initiation of Roman Catholics (not
Papists) was permitted by the laws of the brotherhood. This
violent and intemperate behaviour of the Freemasons seems to
have produced a rupture, and Freemasonry became not the
handmaid, but the enemy and opponent of Christianity, and the
result affords a melancholy illustration of the saying of Bacon
concerning atheism and its causes:
" The causes of atheism are divisions in religion, if they be
many, for one main division addeth zeal to both sides, but many
divisions introduce atheism."
Scandal of priests, and a custom of profane scoffing in holy
matters are also causes which he notes for that atheism which
to him is especially " hateful in that it depriveth human nature
of the means to exalt itself above human frailty. " He
quotes the speech of Cicero to the conscript fathers, in which he
says that they may admire themselves as much as they please,
yet, neither by numbers, nor by bodily strength, nor by arts and
cunning, nor by the inborn good sense of their nation, did they
vanquish their many powerful antagonists; " but through our
devotion and religious feeling, and this the sole, true wisdom,—
they having perceived that all things are regulated and governed
by the providence of the immortal gods,— have ive subdued all
races and nations. " 1
l Essay Of Atheism.