favors on its own members, to the exclusion of others equally meritorious and deserving.

"It creates odious aristocracies, by its obligations to support the interests of its members, in preference to others of equal qualifications.

"It blasphemes the name, and attempts a personification of the great Jehovah.

"It prostitutes the sacred scriptures to unholy purposes, to subserve its own secular and trifling concerns.

"It weakens the sanctions of morality and religion, by the multiplication of profane oaths, and an immoral familiarity with religious forms and ceremonies.

"It destroys a veneration for religion and religious ordinances, by the profane use of religious forms.

"It substitutes the self-righteousness and ceremonies of masonry for the vital religion and ordinances of the gospel.

"It promotes habits of idleness and intemperance, by its members neglecting their business to attend its meetings and drink its libations.

It accumulates funds at the expense of indigent persons, and to the distress of their families, too often to be dissipated in rioting and pleasure, and its senseless ceremonies and exhibitions.

"It contracts the sympathies of the human heart for all the unfortunate, by confining its charities to its own members; and promotes the interests of a few at the expense of the many.

"An institution thus fraught with so many and great evils, is dangerous to our government and the safety of our citizens, and is unfit to exist among a free people: We, therefore, believing it a duty we owe to God, our country, and to posterity, resolve to expose its mystery, wickedness and tendency, to public view-and we exhort all citizens, who have a love of country and a veneration for its laws, a spirit of our holy religion, and a regard for the welfare of mankind, to aid us in the cause which we have espoused."

All of which is respectfully submitted.

MOSES THACHER, Per Order.

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted by the Massachusetts Anti-masonic Convention.

Resolved, That all Societies should be open and amenable to the public, and that the existence of any Association whose objects, principles and measures are secret and concealed, is hostile to the spirit of our free institutions.

Resolved, That the disclosures of Freemasonry made by Wm. Morgan, by the Le Roy Convention, and by Elder Bernard and others, show the system to be selfish, revengeful and impious, and its oaths to be dangerous to our private rights and our public interests.

Resolved, That there is evidence before this Convention that Royal Arch Freemasons, impelled by a sense of their masonic obligations, have robbed their country of the services of a free citizen, that the institution retains within its bosom the men who have done this violence, and that the grand lodge of New York has contributed of its funds to pay the expenses of the same, and that chapters and subordinate lodges have also appropriated liberally of their goods to support the perpetrators of kidnapping and alleged murder.

Resolved, That the system is one and indivisible, whether consisting of three degrees or fifty; that it is erected on the same foundation, constructed in the same form, inhabited by the same spirit, and governed by the same laws; that the acts of exalted Freemasons, and of lodges and chapters in one State, are the responsible acts of the whole system in the United States, and that it is proper to make Freemasonry answer for the conduct of its constituted authorities wherever they are situated.

Resolved, That in view of the premises we respectfully request the grand fraternities of Freemasons in the State of Massachusetts, to disfellowship the grand lodge, the grand chapter, and the grand encampment of the State of New York, which hold in their masonic embrace the perpetrators of the violence upon William Morgan, and either to deny the truth of the above named disclosures, or to renounce the system, and the oaths of Freemasonry, which have been palmed upon the honest Freemasons of

the present generation as the favorite work of the wise king Solomon, and of their tutelar, St. John.

Resolved, That the Anti-masonic State Committee be directed to furnish each one of the grand officers of the grand lodge, and the grand chapter, and the grand encampment, and the grand council of the Freemasons in this State with a copy of these Resolutions, particularly urging this our earnest request, and that when this Convention adjourns, it be to some day convenient to receive their answer, in the hope that the wisdom of their reply will relieve the public mind of any anxiety respecting the institution of Speculative Freemasonry.

Resolved, That in the opinion of this Convention the oaths imposed by Freemasonry are in a very high degree profane, and entirely destitute of any moral obligation, or legal binding force.

Resolved, That there is evidence of an intimate connexion between the higher orders of Freemasonry and French Illuminism.

APPENDIX.

Renunciations of Freemasons.

Extract from the Renunciation of the Rev. David Bernard, of Warsaw, Genesee Co. N. Y.

IT is with much reluctance I appear before the public in defence of that which is dearer to me than life. Though I value my good name thus highly, I should not attempt a refutation of the foul charges which have been with much pains circulated against me, and appear in the public journals in vindication of my character, were it not for the duty I owe to my family and friends, and above all, to the Church of the living God, of which I have the honor (though unworthy) to be a member and minister. And it is not because I was unable to make every thing appear "clear as the sun," as respects the course I have pursued in forever leaving and renouncing Freemasonry, that I have not done it before. But it is because my brethren and friends advised me to hold still, and because I determined to show my enemies, that all their slander, and hellish machinations, could not overthrow me, though I remained silent: And thanks be to the name of my Master, I have been enabled to pursue such a course as has received the approbation and fellowship of the churches, the answer of a good conscience, and the approving smiles of my God.

It may not be amiss here to observe, that I have taken ten degrees in Speculative Freemasonry, and was the first Royal Arch Mason, with the exception of Wm. Morgan, that ever denounced the institution as corrupt, to my knowledge. This is one reason, no doubt, why the fraternity have been so inveterate against me.

Now to the point, respecting my leaving the institution. Five weeks before the abduction of Morgan, I heard that he was writing masonry. My informant was a Baptist minister of high standing,

and a high mason. He declared to me, that a greater piece of depravity he had never heard of; and furthermore, said repeatedly, that he was willing to be one to put Morgan out of the way." He said that "God looked upon the institution with such complacency, he would never bring the perpetrators to light," and attempted to justify the deed from the scriptures. He also informed me, that there had been a meeting of the masons at Batavia and Stafford. The above expressions I highly disapproved of at the time, and told him that if Morgan had done wrong, we should not. The above I feel willing to be qualified to, if called upon in any proper manner. From what I learned from the above gentleman, and others, I had no doubt some measures would be taken to stop the printing of masonry, but did not believe the masons would be so abominably wicked and daring as to put Morgan to death.

When I was at the east, 250 miles from Batavia, I heard masons of high standing converse upon the subject of his abduction, which was several weeks before he was taken off. On my way home, I saw Elder John G. Stearns, and he presented me one of his books on masonry, just published. When I reached home I read the work and could find no fault in it. I showed the book to a mason, who immediately purchased it. I learned also, that Morgan was taken off and probably put to death. I began conversing with the masons upon the subject, and they almost universally justified it. I then began not only to give the subject due reflection, and investigation; but to express my abhorrence and utter detestation of the foul and most awful deed. I began also to converse freely on the principles of the institution with masons, and others. About this time a special meeting of the lodge was called in Covington, which I attended, and after the meeting was duly opened and the subject of the abduction brought up, I arose and decidedly disapprobated it, and advised the lodge to do the same. But instead of attending to my advice, they began to question me about what I had said of masonry, and relative to my bringing Stearn's book into town; all of which to the worthy body, appeared criminal. During this meeting, if I may judge, I saw what I call a manifest approbation of the Morgan outrage, in most of the members, and it was a full meeting. At this meeting there were a number of Reverend gentlemen, one of whom said, as nearly as I can recollect: "Cities have their laws, Churches have their laws, masons have their laws, and here is the proper place to try a mason. If Morgan has had his throat cut from ear to ear, his body buried in the rough sands of the sea, where the tide ebbs and flows once in 24 hours, he cannot complain of not having justice done him." Here he closed, and it was echoed with an Amen! Amen! Amen! One of the members of the church in Covington, said about this time at a private house, that the worst death inflicted on Morgan, would have been no more than just.

and

The next regular meeting of the lodge I attended; being requested by the Master, at the above named special meeting, and here a scene passed which I shall never forget. If ever a poor mortal was abused, I was. Dr. Daniel White was one of the foremost, in treating me shamefully. Here I did not know what to do; I rather thought there would be warm work, I therefore kept perfectly cool, as I can abundantly prove, and nothing passed my lips but what I am willing