248 FROM THE ART OF BUILDING TO THE ART OF THINKING
New Rochelle who emigrated to London following the revocation of
the Edict of Nantes, Desaguliers had a brilliant and supple mind that
was universal in scope and was himself a pastor, doctor of law, physi-
cian, mathematician, member of the Royal Society, friend of Newton,
and chaplain to the Prince of Wales.
We do not know the official reasons for the creation of the Grand
Lodge of London, which was fairly modest at conception. Emphasis has
been placed on a possible need for a regulatory power over the lodges.
As long as freemasonry remained operative, rather than speculative,
this power belonged to the guild or company, which supervised the
lodges to ensure their members adequately met the duties of their craft.
The situation changed when lodges were formed by "accepted"
masons. The danger became a potential influx of external contributions
and innovations invading the institution and distorting the spirit of the
organization as a whole. Religious and political quarrels have also been
mentioned as a possible impetus. Men in positions of power could, for
the purpose of pacification, impose their views and discpline over the
workshops that, under the practice of the old customs, were somewhat
independent and autonomous. All of these probable reasons for the for-
mation of the Grand Lodge more or less mesh with one another and can
be justified, with inflexions and nuances, by the events that took place
not only in Great Britain but on the Continent as well.
The British ReactionsArticle 1 of the Obligations of 1723, an accessory document to the Book
of Constitutions, concerns God and religion:
A mason is oblig'd, by his Tenure, to obey the moral law; and if he
rightly understands the Art, he will never be a stupid Atheist nor an
irreligious Libertine. But though on ancient Times Masons were
charg'd in every Country to be the Religion of that Country or
Nation, whatever it was, yet'tis now thought more expedient only to
oblige them to that Religion in wich all Men agree, leaving their par-
ticular Opinions to themselves; that is, to bee good Men and True,
or Men of Honour and Honesty, by whatever Denominations or