From Mackey's Encyclopedia:
PROMOTION
Promotion in Freemasonry should not be governed, as in other societies, by succession of office. The fact that one has filled a longer office gives him no claim to a higher, unless he is fitted, by skill and capacity, to discharge its duties faithfully. This alone should be the true basis of promotion (see
Preferment).
PREFERMENT
In all the Old Constitutions we find a reference made to ability and skill as the only claims for
preferment or promotion. Thus in one of them, the Lansdourne Manuscript, whose date is about 1560, it is said that Nimrod gave a charge to the Freemasons that "they should ordaine the most wise and cunning man to be Master of the King or Lord's worke that was amongst them, and neither for love, riches, nor favour, to sett another that had little cunninge to be Master of that worke, whereby the Lord should bee ill served, and the science ill defamed.
"And again, in another part of the same manuscript, it is ordered, "that noe Mason take on him noe Lord's worke nor other man's but if he know himselfe well able to performe the worke, so that the Craft have noe slander." Charges to the same effect, almost, indeed, in the same words, are to l)e found in all the Old Constitutions. So Anderson, when he compiled the Charyes of a Freemason, which he says were "extracted from the ancient records," and which he published in 1723, in the first edition of the Book of Constitutions, lavs down the rule of preferment in the same spirit, and in these words: "All preferment among Masons is grounded upon real worth and personal merit only; that so the Lords may be well served, the Brethren not put to shame, nor the royal Craft despised; therefore no Master or Warden is chosen by seniority, but for his merit."
Then he goes on to show hovs the skilful and qualified Apprentice may in due time become a Fellow Craft, and, "when otherwise qualified, arrive to the Honour of being the Warden, and then the Master of the Lodge, the Grand Warden, and at length the Grand Master of all the Lodges, according to his merit" (Constitutions, 1723, page 51). This ought to be now, as it has always been, the true law of tree masonry; and when ambitious men are seen grasping for offices, and seeking for positions whose duties they are not qualified to discharge, one is inclined to regret that the Old Charges are not more strictly obeyed
PERSONAL MERIT
In the Charges, 1723, we find "All
preferment among Masons is grounded upon real worth and personal merit only, that so the Lords may be well served, the Brethren not put to shame nor the Royal Craft despised. Therefore no Master or Warden is chosen by seniority, but for his merit" (Constitutions, 1723, page 51).
From: http://vialucislodge8228.org/what_is_freemasonry.html:
Membership
Freemasonry is open to men of all walks of life, of any race or religion, who believe in a Supreme Being. It has always actively encouraged its members to be active in their own religion.
Men wishing to become Freemasons must, with few exceptions, be at least 21 years of age. They will need a proposer and seconder before an application may be submitted to a Lodge.
The proposal form requires a candidate for Freemasonry not to expect, anticipate or seek any preferment or financial benefit as a consequence of becoming a member. There should be no conflict between a candidate's family, business or professional interests and membership. A candidate must not have a criminal record and there is a process for expulsion for members who commit a criminal act.
Every member has the opportunity to take office in his Lodge and eventually to become its Master for a period of one year.
There are about 330,000 Freemasons in England who belong to one or more of 8000 Lodges. Freemasonry is open to men of all walks of life, of any race or religion, who believe in a Supreme Being. It has always actively encouraged its members to be active in their own religion.
Men wishing to become Freemasons must, with few exceptions, be at least 21 years of age. They will need a proposer and seconder before an application may be submitted to a Lodge.
The proposal form requires a candidate for Freemasonry not to expect, anticipate or seek any
preferment or financial benefit as a consequence of becoming a member. There should be no conflict between a candidate's family, business or professional interests and membership. A candidate must not have a criminal record nd there is a process for expulsion for members who commit a criminal act.
Every member has the opportunity to take office in his Lodge and eventually to become ts Master for a period of one year.
There are about 330,000 Freemasons in England who belong to one r more of 8000 Lodges.