My great-grandfather was, according to family history, a man high up in the Masonic lodge. I never knew him, but my understanding was that he was a pillar of the community, as you say, law abiding.
Derek Prince has some really great teachings on Masonry and how it is antithetical to Christian faith. The devil is in the details, as they say, as far as oaths and secrets.
I had an uncle who was likewise. He became a Mason in the Army because many of his fellow officers were Masons, and he became a Shriner after the war. A wonderful man in most ways, he was also very "law and order." Only after he passed away did I learn that he was very derisive about Jesus Christ and confessing Christians (though he had been an evangelical on entering the Army).