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Church Services.
CHURCH SERVICES .
ON St . John ' s Day , 27 th December last , the District Grand Lodge of Bengal made arrangements for the holding of a special Service at the Calcutta Cathedral . Bro . Weldon , Lord Bishop of Calcutta , consented to preach the sermon , and also very kindly allowed the members the use of
his palace for the purpose of meeting together , prior to marching in procession to the Cathedral . Over 300 members responded to the invitation , among them being Bro . H . E . Lord Sandhurst Pro District Grand Master Bombay , and some of his Officers , while there was also a large number of the public present at the Service .
As soon as all the members of the Lodges had taken their respective places , the Clergy walked up the Aisle , Bro , the Rev . Cole leading , followed by Bro . the Ven . Archdeacon Stone , Bro . the Rev . W . Luckman , Bro . the Rev . W . K . Firminger , who carried the Pastoral Staff , and Bro . Bishop Weldon .
The Service was opened by the singing of the hymn " Hail Architect Most High . " The prayers were intoned by Bro . the Rev . W . Luckman , while the special lesson appointed for the occasion was read by the Venerable the Archdeacon .
The Lord Bishop then preached the sermon , taking as his text Revelations xxi 22 : "And I saw no temple therein : for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it . " His Lordship said : In the long history of the Jews no
event was more striking or inspiring than the building of the temple under King Solomon . The temple was designed to be exceeding magnifical , of fame and of glory throughout all countries , for which Huram , King of Tyre , sent his timber in abundance , and cedar trees and fir trees and algum trees out of Lebanon , and a cunning artist to grave them .
Its rich adornments , its porch , its pillars , its precious stones , its brazen altar , its molten sea , its lavers , its candlesticks and silver and gold , and all the instruments that were put among the treasures of the House of God , rendered it stately and splendid , above all that the eyes of men had seen , or their
thoughts had imagined . It rose from the ground mysteriously . There was neither hammer nor any tool of iron in the house while it was building . If I may quote the well known lines of Bishop Heber , nowhere perhaps more appropriate than in this Cathedral : —
" No workman ' s steel , no ponderous axes rung . Like some tall palm , the wondrous fabric sprang Mysterious silence . " And when the Temple was finished , the King dedicated it in language which must have lifted the minds of his hearers
from the Temple upon earth to the City of God not made with hands . " The Heaven , and Heaven of Heavens , " he said , " cannot contain Thee ; how much less this house which I have built . Hear Thou in Heaven Thy dwelling place , and when Thou hearest , forgive . "
From that day there dawned upon the Jewish minds a new conception , a conception of a national faith , associated with the splendid edifice , and that conception never died away and never faded from the recollection of the people . You can hear it in the pathetic words of the Prophet Isaiah
when he lamented : "The holy and beautiful house where our fathers praised Thee is burnt up with fire , and all our pleasant places laid waste . " You can hear it in the prophetic
vision of Haggai , after the restoration from captivity . " The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former , saith the Lord of Hosts , and in this place will I give peace , saith the Lord of Hosts . "
Brethren , I may pause to remind you that it was the words of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself respecting the temple of His body—the words so strangely misunderstood which were construed into blasphemy , and so strong was the feeling of the Jews as to the temple , that when He hung upon the
Cross , passers-by pointed the finger of scorn at Him , saying : " Thou that destroyed the Temple and buildest it in three days , save Thyself . " And now , St . John in his Apocalypse , looking upon the Holy City which he saw in his vision coming down out of Heaven , adorned as a Bride with her
husband , would it not have been natural that he , a Jew , whose mind was instinct with Jewish thoughts , should have beheld a Temple more glorious , more magnificent than Solomon's Temple , the very centre of that Holy City . It was not so , for he writes : " I saw no Temple therein . "
Brethren , there are many Temples of God on earth , there is no Temple in Heaven , and it is so , because a Temple in itself , however good , is something that divides man from man . It hallows those who worship within its walls , but
Church Services.
those who stands outside it leaves in the cold . The Christian church , the Mahomedan mosque , the Hindu shrine , each has a symbol of creed . And may I not say to you that we are to-day differing in
many points of belief . We , who meet for the worship of God in this Cathedral , who meet , as some of you may perhaps feel at some sacrifice of your own perdilictions , we are drawing a little nearer to that Celestial City wherein no Temple needs to rise , for the Lord God and the Lamb are the light
of it . Brethren , I am , as you know , a Christian in the very core and centre of my being ; but it has never seemed to me to be a Christian ' s part to say one word that could give religious offence to anyone who does not hold the faith of Christ .
Brethren , we are all seekers , you and I , after the truth . We love the truth ; we welcome the truth ; we need but to open the windows of our souls to let the sunlight flash in upon us , while we honour the knowledge that may help us to realise God the better and to live more truly in accordance
with His holy will . And the best way to arrive at the highest truths is to make the most of those truths we already hold in common . We ' believe in God . It is a great belief ; it is something that we may all claim as our own ; in Him we
live , towards Him we aspire . There is none of us who does not reverently bow before the throne of Him , the Infinite , the Almighty , the Everlasting , in Whose sight one day is as a thousand years , and a thousand years as one day .
We believe in God , and we believe in charity . We , the Freemasons , are a charitable Brotherhood . It is our ambition to relieve , as far as in us lies , the burdens and sorrows of humanity . There is no body of men , I suppose , more than
distinguished , within its limits , for magnanimous chanty the Masonic Brotherhood , and to-day , within a few minutes , your support will be invited for one of those noble Institutions which are the pride of Freemasonry .
Brethren , this Service , if it knits our hearts together , cannot fail to be of interest , I would even say of profit , to us all . I cannot refrain from thanking you for being willing to meet within this Cathedral . Let us , while life lasts , worship God within our own
sanctuaries . Let us adorn our faiths by the dignity and sanctity of our personal lives . It is the highest religion , the religion most fruitful of devotion and purity , which shall spread the widest and endure the longest . But , let us never cease to lift our eyes and our hearts
from earth , to heaven , from the visible to the spiritual and eternal ; from the many temples of earth to the city in which no temple is seen ; the city which hath no need of the sun , neither of the moon to shine in it , for the glory of God doth lighten it , and the Lamb is the light thereof .
A collection was then made on behalf of the Bengal Masonic Association , during which the hymn " Praise the Lord , ye Heavens adore Him " was sung . The sum of over Rs . 800 was collected . The Service was brought to a conclusion by the pronouncing of the benediction by the Lord Bishop .
NEARLY a generation has come and gone since the people of Oswestry have had an opportunity of seeing a public ceremony conducted with Masonic rites , the last occasion , we believe , being the laying of the foundation stone of the Oswestry and Ellesmere Cottage Hospital by the late Sir Watkin Williams Wynn , Bart . The war appeared
to some members of the Craft a fitting opportunity for a Masonic Service of intercession , and though , since the Service was first mooted , the good news has come of the relief of Ladysmith , the Service maintained its intercessory character . The Service was fixed for Holy Trinity Church , on Sunday
afternoon , 4 th inst , and some time before the hour for the commencement the church was filled to overflowing . The members of the Craft assembled in the vestry , and there assumed their regalia ; a little after 3 p . m . the surpliced choir and clergy—who included Bro . the Rev . T . Redfern , vicar of
Holy Trinity , Bro . the Rev . Norman Ogilvy , vicar of Oswestry , Bro . the Rev . J . B . Meredith , vicar of Kennerley , and the Rev . W . Pownall Owen , curate of Holy Trinityformed in procession and marched to the north door to receive the Freemasons .
The hymn "Through the night of doubt and sorrow " was sung as a processional , and the choir led the procession up the nave , the Masons being headed by the Deputy Grand Master of the Province of Shropshire Bro . Rowland G .
Venables , and the Provincial Grand Master of North Wales Lord Harlech . The procession also included four Lewises , who bore the volume of the Sacred Law , which was placed on a table at the foot of the altar steps .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Church Services.
CHURCH SERVICES .
ON St . John ' s Day , 27 th December last , the District Grand Lodge of Bengal made arrangements for the holding of a special Service at the Calcutta Cathedral . Bro . Weldon , Lord Bishop of Calcutta , consented to preach the sermon , and also very kindly allowed the members the use of
his palace for the purpose of meeting together , prior to marching in procession to the Cathedral . Over 300 members responded to the invitation , among them being Bro . H . E . Lord Sandhurst Pro District Grand Master Bombay , and some of his Officers , while there was also a large number of the public present at the Service .
As soon as all the members of the Lodges had taken their respective places , the Clergy walked up the Aisle , Bro , the Rev . Cole leading , followed by Bro . the Ven . Archdeacon Stone , Bro . the Rev . W . Luckman , Bro . the Rev . W . K . Firminger , who carried the Pastoral Staff , and Bro . Bishop Weldon .
The Service was opened by the singing of the hymn " Hail Architect Most High . " The prayers were intoned by Bro . the Rev . W . Luckman , while the special lesson appointed for the occasion was read by the Venerable the Archdeacon .
The Lord Bishop then preached the sermon , taking as his text Revelations xxi 22 : "And I saw no temple therein : for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it . " His Lordship said : In the long history of the Jews no
event was more striking or inspiring than the building of the temple under King Solomon . The temple was designed to be exceeding magnifical , of fame and of glory throughout all countries , for which Huram , King of Tyre , sent his timber in abundance , and cedar trees and fir trees and algum trees out of Lebanon , and a cunning artist to grave them .
Its rich adornments , its porch , its pillars , its precious stones , its brazen altar , its molten sea , its lavers , its candlesticks and silver and gold , and all the instruments that were put among the treasures of the House of God , rendered it stately and splendid , above all that the eyes of men had seen , or their
thoughts had imagined . It rose from the ground mysteriously . There was neither hammer nor any tool of iron in the house while it was building . If I may quote the well known lines of Bishop Heber , nowhere perhaps more appropriate than in this Cathedral : —
" No workman ' s steel , no ponderous axes rung . Like some tall palm , the wondrous fabric sprang Mysterious silence . " And when the Temple was finished , the King dedicated it in language which must have lifted the minds of his hearers
from the Temple upon earth to the City of God not made with hands . " The Heaven , and Heaven of Heavens , " he said , " cannot contain Thee ; how much less this house which I have built . Hear Thou in Heaven Thy dwelling place , and when Thou hearest , forgive . "
From that day there dawned upon the Jewish minds a new conception , a conception of a national faith , associated with the splendid edifice , and that conception never died away and never faded from the recollection of the people . You can hear it in the pathetic words of the Prophet Isaiah
when he lamented : "The holy and beautiful house where our fathers praised Thee is burnt up with fire , and all our pleasant places laid waste . " You can hear it in the prophetic
vision of Haggai , after the restoration from captivity . " The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former , saith the Lord of Hosts , and in this place will I give peace , saith the Lord of Hosts . "
Brethren , I may pause to remind you that it was the words of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself respecting the temple of His body—the words so strangely misunderstood which were construed into blasphemy , and so strong was the feeling of the Jews as to the temple , that when He hung upon the
Cross , passers-by pointed the finger of scorn at Him , saying : " Thou that destroyed the Temple and buildest it in three days , save Thyself . " And now , St . John in his Apocalypse , looking upon the Holy City which he saw in his vision coming down out of Heaven , adorned as a Bride with her
husband , would it not have been natural that he , a Jew , whose mind was instinct with Jewish thoughts , should have beheld a Temple more glorious , more magnificent than Solomon's Temple , the very centre of that Holy City . It was not so , for he writes : " I saw no Temple therein . "
Brethren , there are many Temples of God on earth , there is no Temple in Heaven , and it is so , because a Temple in itself , however good , is something that divides man from man . It hallows those who worship within its walls , but
Church Services.
those who stands outside it leaves in the cold . The Christian church , the Mahomedan mosque , the Hindu shrine , each has a symbol of creed . And may I not say to you that we are to-day differing in
many points of belief . We , who meet for the worship of God in this Cathedral , who meet , as some of you may perhaps feel at some sacrifice of your own perdilictions , we are drawing a little nearer to that Celestial City wherein no Temple needs to rise , for the Lord God and the Lamb are the light
of it . Brethren , I am , as you know , a Christian in the very core and centre of my being ; but it has never seemed to me to be a Christian ' s part to say one word that could give religious offence to anyone who does not hold the faith of Christ .
Brethren , we are all seekers , you and I , after the truth . We love the truth ; we welcome the truth ; we need but to open the windows of our souls to let the sunlight flash in upon us , while we honour the knowledge that may help us to realise God the better and to live more truly in accordance
with His holy will . And the best way to arrive at the highest truths is to make the most of those truths we already hold in common . We ' believe in God . It is a great belief ; it is something that we may all claim as our own ; in Him we
live , towards Him we aspire . There is none of us who does not reverently bow before the throne of Him , the Infinite , the Almighty , the Everlasting , in Whose sight one day is as a thousand years , and a thousand years as one day .
We believe in God , and we believe in charity . We , the Freemasons , are a charitable Brotherhood . It is our ambition to relieve , as far as in us lies , the burdens and sorrows of humanity . There is no body of men , I suppose , more than
distinguished , within its limits , for magnanimous chanty the Masonic Brotherhood , and to-day , within a few minutes , your support will be invited for one of those noble Institutions which are the pride of Freemasonry .
Brethren , this Service , if it knits our hearts together , cannot fail to be of interest , I would even say of profit , to us all . I cannot refrain from thanking you for being willing to meet within this Cathedral . Let us , while life lasts , worship God within our own
sanctuaries . Let us adorn our faiths by the dignity and sanctity of our personal lives . It is the highest religion , the religion most fruitful of devotion and purity , which shall spread the widest and endure the longest . But , let us never cease to lift our eyes and our hearts
from earth , to heaven , from the visible to the spiritual and eternal ; from the many temples of earth to the city in which no temple is seen ; the city which hath no need of the sun , neither of the moon to shine in it , for the glory of God doth lighten it , and the Lamb is the light thereof .
A collection was then made on behalf of the Bengal Masonic Association , during which the hymn " Praise the Lord , ye Heavens adore Him " was sung . The sum of over Rs . 800 was collected . The Service was brought to a conclusion by the pronouncing of the benediction by the Lord Bishop .
NEARLY a generation has come and gone since the people of Oswestry have had an opportunity of seeing a public ceremony conducted with Masonic rites , the last occasion , we believe , being the laying of the foundation stone of the Oswestry and Ellesmere Cottage Hospital by the late Sir Watkin Williams Wynn , Bart . The war appeared
to some members of the Craft a fitting opportunity for a Masonic Service of intercession , and though , since the Service was first mooted , the good news has come of the relief of Ladysmith , the Service maintained its intercessory character . The Service was fixed for Holy Trinity Church , on Sunday
afternoon , 4 th inst , and some time before the hour for the commencement the church was filled to overflowing . The members of the Craft assembled in the vestry , and there assumed their regalia ; a little after 3 p . m . the surpliced choir and clergy—who included Bro . the Rev . T . Redfern , vicar of
Holy Trinity , Bro . the Rev . Norman Ogilvy , vicar of Oswestry , Bro . the Rev . J . B . Meredith , vicar of Kennerley , and the Rev . W . Pownall Owen , curate of Holy Trinityformed in procession and marched to the north door to receive the Freemasons .
The hymn "Through the night of doubt and sorrow " was sung as a processional , and the choir led the procession up the nave , the Masons being headed by the Deputy Grand Master of the Province of Shropshire Bro . Rowland G .
Venables , and the Provincial Grand Master of North Wales Lord Harlech . The procession also included four Lewises , who bore the volume of the Sacred Law , which was placed on a table at the foot of the altar steps .