2.  Now, the taking of an initiatory oath is, to say the very least of it, of doubtful propriety.  Every one who does so swears by the living God that he will forever keep secret things about which he knows nothing.  The secrets of the association are not imparted to him until after he has sworn that he will not reveal them.  He is kept ignorant of them until the “brethren” are assured by his appeal to heaven that they can trust him.  Now, the inspired apostle lays down the principle that a man sins when he does any thing about the propriety of which he is in doubt.  He declares that the eating of meats was in itself a matter of indifference, but that if any man esteem any thing unclean, to him it is unclean.  He then makes the following declaration:  “But he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Rom. xiv:  22, 23.) According to this most emphatic declaration, we must have faith and confidence that what we do is right, else we are blameworthy.  We sin whenever we do any thing which is, according to our own judgment, of doubtful propriety.  The man who is initiated into an oath-bound society, swears that he will keep secret things about which he knows nothing—­things which, for aught he knows, ought not to be kept secret.  If the apostle condemned, in most emphatic language, the man who would do so trivial a thing as eat meat without assuring himself of the lawfulness of his doing so, what would he have said had the practice existed in his day of swearing by the God of heaven in regard to matters that are altogether unknown?  To say the very least, such swearing is altogether inconsistent with that caution and conscientiousness which the Scriptures enjoin.  The apostle also condemns the conduct of those who “understand neither what they say nor whereof they affirm” (1 Tim. i:  7.) Does not his condemnation fall on those who know not about what they swear, nor whereof they appeal to heaven?

3.  There is another objection to taking an initiatory oath.  We are expressly forbidden to take God’s name in vain.  To pronounce God’s name without a good reason for doing so is to take it in vain.  Certainly, to swear by the name of the living God demands an important occasion.  To make an appeal to the God of heaven on some trifling occasion is a profanation of his oath and name.  If the secrets of Masonry, Odd-fellowship, Good Templars, and similar associations, are unimportant, their oaths, appeals to heaven, and solemn promises made in the presence of God are profane and sinful.  Perhaps their boasted secrets are only signs, grips, pass-words, and absurd rites of initiation.  To swear by the name of the Lord about things of this kind is certainly a violation of the third commandment.  The candidate does not know that the secrets about to be disclosed to him are of any importance, and he runs the risk of using God’s name and oath about light and trivial things.  He must be uncertain whether there is any thing of importance in hand at the time of swearing, and how can he escape the disapproval of God, since the inspired Paul declares that the doubtful eater of meat is damned? (Rom. xiv:  23.)