De Grasse-Tilly and the Early Supreme Council : 1786 – 1802
3 . The Constitutions of 1762 , 1786 Ahmend Francken Manuscript .
4 . The Constitutions of 1762 , 1797 Pierre Dupont Delorme Register . occasioned by the unrulyness of the Heart and Mind of Man , having by length of time , destroyed all Virtue , Innocence and Candour which are the Basis thereof ; they have insensibly disappear ’ d and left Mankind abandoned in the Marrow of Injustice and Imperfection –
Nevertheless , this Vice has not been general for the Venerable Patriarchs our first Knights have escaped the Rocks and Shoals of those horrible Crimes , which threatened them with shipwrecks and have preserved themselves in that fortunate state of Justice and Perfection , which they have so happily transmitted down from age to age by not Revealing the Sacred Mysteries to any , except those alone , whom they Judged worthy of them – In which , the Eternal God hath permitted to be initiated –
In order therefore , to support ourselves , and all the Knights Sublime Princes , our Brothers in this happy state , with their advice , it has been Resolved , concluded upon and determined ; besides , the Antient , General , and Secret Constitutions of the August Order of the Sublime Princes , which shall be for ever entirely observed ; that they shall not be communicated to profane Christians , nor even to Masons under the Degree of Knight , Prince of Jerusalem , Grand Patriarch , Noachite , Knight of the Royal Ax , Prince Adept and Commander of the Black Eagle ; By this Precaution , to know , whether those Brothers so admitted , are endowed with all the Qualifications necessary to their admission to the Sublime Degree of the Knights of Perfection .
The Constitutions and Rules must be exactly Executed and Observed in every Point and article as follows –
Article 1 st
As Religion is a Worship of Duty necessarily due to the almighty God ; No person shall be Initiated into the Sacred Mysteries of the Eminent Degrees , except he is Actually in the Duty of the Christian Religion , of which he must indispensably have received the venerable Principles , and that it be certified by the venerable of time destroyed all the virtues ; Innocence and Candour , which are their basis , insensibly disappeared , and left the human race a prey to the horrors of misery , injustice and imperfection .
But , nevertheless , vice did not generally prevail among our Venerable Patriarchs ; our first Knights avoided the multitude of shoals that threatened them with shipwreck ; they maintained themselves in that happy condition of innocence , justice and perfection which they fortunately transmitted to their posterity from age to age , revealing the sacred mysteries to those only whom they judged worthy ; into which mysteries the Eternal has been pleased to allow us to be initiated .
Consequently , in order to maintain ourselves , as well as all our Sublime Knights and Princes of the Sublime Masonry , our Brethren , in that happy state and condition , and by their advice , it has been resolved , settled and determined , that , in addition to the Ancient and Secret Constitutions of the august Order of the Sublime Princes of Masonry , and as a rule to be forever punctually and religiously observed , the Sublime degrees shall be never communicated to Masons below the degrees of Knight of the East , of Princes of Jerusalem , Knight of the East and West , Patriarch , Noachite , Knight of the Royal Arch , Prince Adept and Commander of the White arid Black Eagle ; to the end that by this precaution it may be made certain that they do possess the qualities necessary to warrant admission to the said Sublime degrees .
The said Constitutions and Regulations are to be punctually executed and observed , in all their points and articles , as follows :
ARTICLE I .
Forasmuch as Religion is a worship necessarily due to the Omnipotent God , no person shall be initiated into the Sacred Mysteries of this eminent degree , unless he performs the duties required of him by the religion of his country , where it is necessary he shall have learned its venerable principles ; nor unless that is certified by
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