Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

whose strength supports, and whose beauty adorns all things. It has been well said that "Masonry is a system of morality, veiled in allegory, and illustrated by appropriate symbols." But from the commencement of the initiation of the neophyte, until he has been raised to the highest honors that the craft can bestow upon him, the power and majesty of God, and the immortality of the soul, are repeatedly and unequivocally presented to his attention. We are taught throughout the different Masonic lectures and ceremonies, to acknowledge our dependence upon the Supreme Being, and we are also instructed that we should always invoke his aid and assistance, before entering upon any great and important undertaking.

No Masonic Lodge can be opened until the blessing of God has been invoked, nor can it be closed until thanks have been solemnly returned to Him for the many blessings which His bounty has conferred. And the different rites and ceremonies which are peculiar to our Order, are full of allusions and direct references to the wisdom, glory and goodness of the great I AM. In the initiation of a candidate, solemn prayer is offered up to Almighty God, that he may dedicate and devote his life to His service. And in the charge which the novitiate receives, upon being admitted to the ground-floor of our Temple, he is instructed that he must esteem God as the chief good, and implore His aid in all of his laudable undertakings.

Thus speaks Bro. T. S. Parvin, P. G. H. P., of Iowa: "I am not ashamed, my companions, here to confess that I seek daily to live the life becoming a follower of Him who, when on earth, "went about doing good,” and I glory that this heavenly light was first revealed to my

darkened vision through the solemn and sublime mysteries practiced in the rites and ceremonies of our beloved Order." This is noble language, and every true Mason's heart will approve it. Let us not fail, my brethren, in love and homage to Him "in whom we live and move, and have our being." Let us not be induced to turn from the way of virtue and holiness by the captious sneers of men wise in their own conceit-and in that only-or by the ridicule of the thoughtless and wicked, and the cunning sophistries of the skeptic, lest we learn from bitter experience, that

"An Atheist's laugh's a poor exchange

For Deity offended."

As a corollary to the former proposition, a belief in the Holy Bible, the revealed law of God, is strictly enjoined upon us. We declare that we take it to be the rule and guide of our faith and practice. No Lodge is just, perfect and regular, unless the Holy Bible occupies a prominent position therein, and, in christian countries. all masonic lodges are dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and St. John the Evangelist, who were christian patrons of the Order.

Brother Alfred P. Robinson, P. G. M. of Delaware, uses the following appropriate language: "The Bible is bestowed upon us as our rule of faith, and he who abnegates its divinity, can not within our halls be allowed to pollute it with his touch. *

*

*

*

*

He has no trust in God, and is without a guide over the rough path of life; he is without hope, because she has no foundation on which to erect her temple in his heart." Certain it is that Free Masonry, rightly understood, has a christianizing effect upon its true disciples, teaching

them to reverence and obey that Grand Architect of the Universe, who governs and directs all things; so that a good Mason is almost a Christian. The heart is softened and the mind expanded by the sublime teachings of Masonry. The soul is elevated above sublunary things, and we are taught to look beyond the perishable joys of this life, in our pursuit of happiness, to that Supreme Grand Lodge above, where God's ineffable wisdom guides, governs and directs—where pain and peril, doubt and disappointment, fear and sorrow, never enter-and where the soul is blessed with peace and joy unspeakable and full of glory, that will continue through the endless ages of eternity. To this state of blessedness all good Masons hope to arrive, by a faithful observance of those duties which they owe to God, their fellow-men and themselves, and which are strictly enjoined upon them by our lectures and the esoteric instruction peculiar to us.

The legitimate and natural tendency of Free Masonry upon its votaries is, to incline the heart to deeds of charity and love to all men-thus prompting them to relieve the distressed and suffering, and pour the oil of joy into the bleeding wounds of the unfortunate. It exalts and refines the mind, leading it to entertain enlarged and elevated views of men and things, and giving a healthy tone and direction to its aspirations, thus destroying a love for those base and groveling pleasures and pursuits which too often degrade and debase the human family. It subdues our irregular passions, and checks those unhealthy desires, the indulgence of which would lead us into excesses that would disgrace us and render us unworthy of the love and esteem of our fellow-men. It elevates

the soul, gently leading it in the

ways of peace and pleas

antness, and preparing it for the reception of a strong and abiding love for Him whom it is our duty to love and obey; and with such a preparation, if our minds rightly conceive the end and aim of Masonry, we will be prepared to acknowledge that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

Let us approach this edifice of Free Masonry, and view its beautiful proportions. We find it to be a glorious Temple, dedicated to the living God and devoted to his service. Its corner-stone is Morality, and its turrets are crowned with Virtue. It is founded in divine Wisdom, supported by invincible Strength, and adorned with ineffable Beauty. The warders at its gates, vigilantly guarding it against intruders, are Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice. The pillars that uphold it are crowned with symbols of Peace, Unity and Plenty. Its inmates labor in the service of their Master, with Freedom, Fervency and Zeal; and they are rewarded by receiving as a recompense for their labors, the corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment, and the oil of joy. They are so governed by the Plumb, that they walk uprightly in their several stations of life-all of their words are squared by the Square of Virtue-and they ever bear in remembrance that they are traveling upon the Level of Time, to that future world, where the unfaithful shall receive just punishment, and where those that have been faithful to the end, shall receive an exceeding great reward. In their intercourse with each other, they are actuated by the noble principles of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth-by which they are taught to love their neighbors as themselves, and to deal with all men as they would wish to be dealt with-to relieve the wants of the

needy and unfortunate-and to be good and true to all. They are cheered aud supported in their labors by that Faith in God which can sustain the sinking soul in the darkest hours of affliction and despair-by that hope in immortality which fills the soul with beatific visions of future joys, and which acts as an incentive to a constant and faithful performance of duty-and by that Charity toward all mankind which prompts them to perform deeds of love and kindness, which bless both them that give and them that receive. Such is true Masonry, and such are true Masons. Brethren, are we worthy of a place among such?

Thus speaks, in eloquent and truthful language, that pure patriot and noble statesman, Brother De Witt Clinton: "Although the origin of our fraternity is covered with darkness, and its history is to a great extent obscure, yet we can confidently say, that it is the most ancient society in the world-and we are equally certain that its principles are based on pure morality-that its ethics are the ethics of Christianity-its doctrines, the doctrines of patriotism and brotherly love-and its sentiments, the sentiments of exalted benevolence. Upon these points there can be no doubt-all that is good, and kind, and charitable it encourages; all that is vicious and cruel, and oppressive, it reprobates.'

In the construction of that Masonic edifice of which each one of us is a component part, we commence at the foundation with Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth; and we finish at the cope-stone with Virtue, Morality and Brotherly Love. Love commences it, and Love concludes it. How noble! how beautiful! how surpassingly glorious should this symbolic Temple be, which we are to

« PoprzedniaDalej »