July 19

Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

2 Corinthians 6:17.

The Christian religion teaches that we are saved through faith in Christ by the grace of God, and not by our works. The religious principles of the lodge are directly opposed to this. In the lodge a god is worshiped and addressed in prayer; but it is not the true God, not the God of the Bible. The lodge does not recognize the Christian religion as the only true religion. Like Masonry, after which all lodges are patterned, its religion is "of that universal kind in which all men agree." Such a religion, however, cannot be the religion of the Christian. True, the Knights Templars order is called "the Christian branch of Masonry." But the Knights Templars, although they use the name of Christ, do not confess Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. They confess Christ as the Unitarians do, who do not believe in His divinity. The religion of the lodge is the world religion, salvation by our own works, the religion of the Pharisee in the Temple; but the Christian religion is the religion of the publican, who prayed: "God be merciful to me, a sinner!" Of him Jesus said: "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified."

Let us always beware of the false religion of the Pharisee: hoping to be saved by our own works, as the Odd-Fellows' Manual has it, by "the elevation of the human character." Let us ever be true to the religion of the publican: desiring to be saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ Jesus. This is the Christian religion. It is the only true religion. All other religions are false. Now, the membership of the lodge is made up of all manner of religionists, also of Jews and professed unbelievers. A Christian cannot unite in worship with such people, nor can he be even a silent member of such a religious organization.

Prayer.

O Lord, the light that lighteth all men that have come into this world hath not enlightened all men that come into the world. Many are still walking in the vanity of their minds. Their mind is shrouded in darkness. They are estranged from the life that is of God, by reason of the ignorance that is in them and the blindness of their hearts. The god of this world has blinded their minds, and the common enemy of souls has captured them according to his pleasure. They seek salvation by the works of their own righteousness and therefore despise the atoning blood of Thy dear Son and our Savior Jesus Christ. Thus in vain they toil to secure happiness; in vain they strive to satisfy their heart's desire. Shed the light of Thy Gospel upon them for the saving of their souls. Amen.

Though gay companions o'er the bowl Dispel a while the sense of ill; Though pleasure fill the maddening soul, The heart, the heart, is lonely still.