A right application of the several clauses contained in this Lecture, cannot fail to convince the unprejudiced enquirer, not only of the harmonious proportions of a Masons' Lodge, but also of the order and beauty arising from the general principles of the institution. Here we see Wisdom standing in the East to observe the rising of the sun, that he may commence the labour of instructing and improving the brethren in morals and science; Strength in the opposite quarter to support, by virtue of his influence, the lessons which Wisdom imparts; and when the setting sun proclaims the approach of night, to close the Lodge by command, after seeing that every brother has his due; and Beauty in the South, to mark the sun at his meridian, that the workmen may enjoy a just proportion of rest from their labours. To perfect the arrangement, the efficiency of these three Pillars is augmented by subordinate officers, ready to disseminate their commands amongst the brethren, and to see that they are punctually obeyed; while an attentive band stand round in respectful silence, clothed in the badge of innocence, to the honour and antiquity of which the aristocratic orders of the Golden Fleece and Roman Eagle afford no parallel. Inspired by the great moral truths which form the subject of the Master's lecture— We cheerfully labour in hill or in dale; At Moriah's fam'd mount, or Jehoshaphat's vale, No noise, no disorder, no riot we know, But strictest decorum and harmony show; Whilst the Graces on each do their favours bestow. While the sea ebbs and flows, or the stars shed their light, So long will true brothers in friendship unite. Foote. LECTURE XI. ON THE CEREMONIES OF OPENING, CLOSING, LABOUR, AND REFRESHMENT. Sweet fellowship from envy free, Masonic Song. THE rites and ceremonies of Freemasonry form the distinctive peculiarity by which it is separated from every other institution. In their nature they are simple -in their end instructive. They excite a very high degree of curiosity and surprise in a newly initiated brother, and create an earnest desire to investigate their meaning, and to become acquainted with their object and design. It requires, however, both serious application, and untiring diligence, to ascertain the precise nature of every ceremony which our ancient brethren saw reason to adopt in the formation of an exclusive system, which was to pass through the world, unconnected with the religion or politics of all times, and of every people amongst whom it should flourish and increase. But the assiduous Mason, with the assistance of an intelligent Master in the chair, will not fail to apply every ordinance of the Craft to his own personal advantage. In this Lecture we approach a subject of overwhelming interest to the Free and Accepted Mason. While expatiating on the routine business of Masonry, as transacted within the tyled recesses of the Lodge, I hope to make myself intelligible to the brethren, without drawing aside the veil which conceals hidden things from the gaze of uninitiated persons. OPENING. The first business which occupies the brethren at their stated meetings is, what is technically called Opening the Lodge. It is a solemn and imposing rite, and strongly fixes the attention of every serious Mason. At the well known signal, every officer repairs to his station, and the brethren prepare to execute, with alacrity, the orders of the Master, in silence and submission. The ceremony is then commenced with that venerable simplicity which always characterises the business of Masonry; and forms an interesting introduction to the fascinating exercise of its duties. This beautiful spectacle has been the subject of just and merited panegyric. In the excellent forms prescribed by our ancestors, the brethren are reminded of their dependance on the Almighty Architect of the Universe for every blessing they enjoy. A regular series of ancient landmarks are rehearsed, without a knowledge of which, no person can esteem himself a Mason, or be admitted into a strange Lodge. These general heads are of the utmost importance, and cannot be dispensed with, but at the hazard of subverting the foundation, and destroying the beneficent principles of Masonry. Every officer is made acquainted with his duty, and seriously impressed with the importance attached to his situation. It is impossible for a Mason to be inattentive to these sublime transactions; and while his heart glows with the sacred fire of benevolence to his species, and overflows with gratitude to the great Author of his being, his devotion is excited by a short and fervent prayer, breathed in the true spirit of masonic philanthropy. The eye is directed to that lucid object which forms the central point of every Mason's hope; and the mind derives life and vigour from those luminous beams which irradiate the operations, and form the celestial covering of every masonic Lodge. LABOUR. The true intention of the Speculative Mason's labour, is the exercise of the faculties, and the improvement of the mind. By attaining perfection in this noble art, we 66 hope to construct an edifice which shall be durable as the heavens-lasting as eternity; whence we may arrive, when our masonic course is terminated by death, at a building not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." The Master, assisted by the Senior Warden, lays the chief corner stone of a beautiful fabric, to which every brother, according to his ability, cheerfully contributes his active co-operation. As the work advances, a regular series of illustrations are furnished by the Master, or by brethren duly qualified to instruct; which contain the strongest incentives to virtue and morality; while the mind inperceptibly imbibes a rational system of ethics, calculated to expand the faculties, and progressively to advance the diligent enquirer to a reliance on a superior power for consolation, when the world refuses the balm of comfort to assuage the sorrows incident to mortality. All the illustrations of Masonry, whether symbolical or preceptive, whether legendary or scientific, tend to improve the mind and consecrate the affections to virtue and morality. If we consider the system as a whole, or its constituent parts in detail, all and each proclaim and inculcate the sacred duties which we owe to God, our neighbour, and ourselves; and it is the habitual practice of those duties which constitutes the character of a good and worthy Mason. In this bond, Masons are linked together by the strongest ties and obligations; and the chain of social relations cannot be broken by time, distance, or calamity. On these considerations, the POINTS of Masonry have a most important reference. The practice of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth, forms the basis of our temporal felicity. We are instructed by the Chief Point to be contented with the station assigned to us by a benevolent providence, to cultivate peace and tranquillity, and to be ever ready to communicate the same measure of happiness to others, which animates our own bosoms. There are many ways of exciting sensations of happiness in the heart of our brother. And principally by courtesy and kindness. When the desire of inspiring feelings of pure delight is perfectly sincere-when love is without dissimulation-success is certain. On the state and construction of our own mind, depend, in a great measure, the friendship and good-will of those amongst whom we live. If we be distant and reserved, cold or ceremonious, the example will have its effect on our friends; and a free and social intercourse will be obstructed by suspicion and distrust. Harshness of manner and of language, can never succeed in securing respect or eliciting gratitude, even for actual benefits. Men are apt to indulge a morbid disposition to imagine themselves slighted or despised; for, in the very lowest stations of life, individuals may be found who are so exceedingly sensitive, that an ungracious word-nay, even the tone of voice in which kind expressions are uttered, or the look by which they are accompanied, will be more than sufficient to counterbalance the presumed obligation arising out of a benefit conferred. While, on the contrary, an open and generous carriage, gracious looks, and kind and gentle language, accompanying acts of courtesy and beneficence, cannot fail to inspire a reciprocal confidence, which will be equally beneficial to the giver and to the receiver, and while we thus convey happiness to others, its peace is abundantly returned into our own bosoms. The Principal Point of Masonry is three-fold, and comprises the exalted virtues of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. Brotherly Love is the bond by which Masons are united, without reference to those artificial distinctions which exist amongst mankind, and separate them into an infinite diversity of grades and classes, each urging its peculiar claim to notice. This virtue is so natural to the human heart, that it has always been professed, even amidst the pollutions of the Spurious Freemasonry, and the debasement of ignorance and barbarism. If we search the annals of powerful states and empires, or penetrate the wilds and deserts of savage nations, where religion is unknown, we shall find the philosopher and the barbarian alike boasting of the practice of brotherly love. But in their estimation, what was it? I am afraid it was only another name for some undefined feeling nearly allied to hatred. Brotherly Love, based on the principles of a false faith, would be incapable of comprehending the nature of the bright system from which it was copied. The adherents of a Spurious Freemasonry rejected the doctrine of Brotherly |