Qualifications of the candidates for freemasonry

Every candidate for initiation into the mysteries of Freemasonry must be qualified by certain essential conditions. These qualifications are of two kinds, Internal and External. The internal qualifications, which are those that lie within his own bosom, the external are those, which refer to his outward and apparent fitness. The external qualifications are again divided into Moral, Religious, Physical, Mental, and Political. Morally, the candidate must faithfully observe the Moral Law, and lead a virtuous life, Religiously, he must believe in the existence of one supreme Deity, and must be yielded to His superintending power and divine providences, and he must believe in the immortality of the soul and a future resurrection into eternal life; Physically he must be a man, free born, of lawful age, sound in body and limb, and not in his dotage; Mentally, he must be intelligent, capable of comprehending the profound truths and tenets of the Order; Politically, he must adhere to the principles of freedom and individual liberty of conscience, and be faithful in all civic duties.