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Article VERY GREAT LUMINARIES. ← Page 3 of 4 Article VERY GREAT LUMINARIES. Page 3 of 4 →
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Very Great Luminaries.
which shall guide many to that temple " whose maker and builder is God . " Friends , this is an ago and a day of rejoicing . Tho light of science , with its illuminating rays , now diffuses light resplendent o ' er all the civilised world ; the fetters of
superstition are knocked off and broken in twain by the power and influence of that gospel whose bright beams celestially shine throughout the greater part of the habitable eartb , giving life and energy to man , and placing him in that situation which it was intended he should occupy .
It has pleased God in every age of the world , and under every dispensation , to make use of men as instruments in the propagation of His truths , and in the establishment of His kingdom upon earth in the hearts of men . God has blessed and perpetuated every Institution which has for
its object the inculcation of morals and the amelioration of tbe condition of man . He has blessed that eminent patron of our Order whose virtues we this day commemorate . God has blessed him who was cast on Patmos' rocky Isle by the cruel Emperor Domitian . It was there he suffered
all the horrors of banishment ; it was there he showed forth all the Christian graces ; it was there he exhibited that humility and meekness always characteristic of the true Christian , and there it was that heaven ' s revealed will was written on his heart , evidencing the glory and the
goodness of God to man—sublime as sublimity and lasting as eternity . This is the natal day of him who was the instrument iu the hands of God of giving to the world a
part of this revelation—this light—sufficient to guide man to bis great unoriginated self-existent author . Endowed with heavenly inspiration , St . John the Evangelist uttered these solemn truths as from the month of
Him—Whose voice was heard on Sinai ' s awful mount . And however simple the exercises of this day , we should feel the importance , the sublimity and grandeur of the doctrines taught by our distinguished patron , and we
should learn to imitate his simplicity , humanity , charity , and his practice of all the virtues . Our task then to-day is simple , yet sublime , and our offerings should be the incense ascending from grateful hearts up to the throne of God .
We come not before yon as an Order with our hands imbrued in tho blood of our enemies . We come not in the pomp of war , with swords unsheathed with which we have achieved victories . No triumphal arch is erected to
commemorate our glory , nor do we come with our hands reeking in the blood of our enemies , immolated upon the altar of sectarian zeal . But we come before you bearing aloft the olive branch of peace , and exerting an influence in the amelioration of the condition of man . Has science
and Masonry existed in the same nation , and has science with airy wing taken her flight to regions more remote , to cultivate people more ignorant ? There has Masonry appeared by her side , rearing high the temple of morals , and inculcating therein those principles which tend to
elevate and expand the mmd of man—those great moral truths taught by St . John the Evangelist , that eminent man of God who possessed all the Christian graces , who
was worthy and well qualified , and who was raised to the Temple of God , eternal in the heavens . There he rests , in the full enjoyment of the smiles and favours of the Great Grand Master .
Leaving this distinguished patron of our Order and pattern for all good and virtuous men , we shall have enough to do in the consideration of the origin of Masonry , its principles , emblems , and design , either taken separately or collectively , as we can best point them out . Every good
Mason , on occasions like the present , takes great pleasure ID attempting to point out with all the clearness and precision , he is master of , something of the history and design of the Order . In attempting this we need not dig for hidden treasures amidst the ruins of all tbe temples
dedicated to heathen gods , rendered conspicuous on the pages of history by a recital of the ignorance and superstition of the past , but we may search first for the truths of Masonry in the revelation of God's will to man , and in the book of natnre , which has been spread out before us by the
great omnipotent author of our existence . For its progress amongst the nations we may refer to the writings of many of the sages and philosophers of every age . Thus can be
traced tbe origin and growth of an institution which has for its object the inculcation of morals , and the teaching of that system of ethics which is built upon the foundation of eternal truth .
Very Great Luminaries.
It is asked , from whence the origin of Masonry ?—when were the first dawnings of its light seen upon earth ? We answer , when first the great I Am spoke this world into existence from chaotic darkness ; then were the first
prinples of Masonry developed in the order of tho universe ; and in the recognition of that great unoriginated intellection , as the Grand Master over all bis works . The principles of Masonry were
developed" Ere the infant sun Was rolled together , or had tried his beams Athwart tbe gloom profound ;" As order grew out of the perfections of the Deity , so Masonry is built upon the broad foundations of the order
observed in the works of nature . And the first principle of the Order is the recognition of the great I Am as tbe Grand Master over all His works , and as the great donor or giver of all good , the author of that revelation which
records His full aud overflowing love to man . This revelation lies open upon the altar of every Masonic Temple , a star in the east , guiding all those who will approach , practice , and believe in a sacred light . This light is the Holy
Bible" Lamp of oar feet , whose hallowed beam Deep in oar hearts its dwelling hath ; How welcome is the cheering gleam Thou sheddeBt o ' er oar lonely path !
Light of oar way ! whose rays are flung In mercy o ' er oar pilgrim road , How blessed , its dark shades among , The Bfcar that guides us to our God . "
Deprive us of this star—deprive us of its guidance—and we are lost in the labyrinthian mazes of unassisted human reason . Assisted by revelation , we behold in perfect order
and beauty the commands of God , all conducive to the happiness of man : all linked together , and essential to give us just conceptions of the glory and the grandeur of tbe Deity .
The fundamental truths of Masonry , notwithstanding its antiquity , have been derived from the inspired writings . And though we may trace it in its operative or in its speculative character from the most remote ages , and find it like the history of the most renowned nations of
antiquity , obscured by the fictions and legends of an uncultivated age , and the ceremonies within its temples veiled in mystery ; yet we must come to the conclusion that a religious object was the primary purpose of the institution . "And if we view Masonry in its operative
character , in that heaveu-favoured clime of Western Asia where architecture was taught in all its perfection , and where we can trace the Phoenician builders of the Temple of Solomon , the Dionysian artificers , the Masonic instruction of the Knights of the Temple , " we shall find that the
world was benefited , not only by the arts and . sciences which emanated from the Masonic repository , but in the still more important matter of relig ion . For revelation teaches us that the living God dwelt not only in , the Mosaic tabernacle , but that He dwelt at a future period in the
Temple of Solomon—in that Temple which was built by the united efforts of Jew and Gentile Masons . From this we are enabled to discover the wisdom and the goodness of God , in thus uniting by the strongest ties these two distinct nations , and in thus giving to the Gentile world correct
views of the One True God . These views obtained to a greater or less extent in some of the Gentile nations , though perverted by the natural depravity of man . Some of the Grecian philosophers no doubt understood the principles of Masonry , for we find them travelling to the
east in quest of knowledge of things Divine and haman ; receiving light from revelation by reading the original manuscripts as written by Moses , or by tradition , receiving light from " Masonry by beholding those gorgeous piles of architectural skill which never were the acquisitions of a
day ; returning to their native land and incorporating into their system some of those moral truths received from revelation ; together with that science of morals and discipline which they had learned from Operative Masonry , thus adopting and sanctioning this mode of enlightening
their disci ples . " And whether we view Masonry m ancient or modern times , we are driven to the conclusion that it is enlightening iu its nature and progressive in its
morals , and yet , notwithstanding this conclusion , it would be asserting too much to say that Pythagoras and other philosophers taught the principles of Masonry in as great purity as they are taught at the present day , for the Saviour had not appeared , and Paul had not yet stood in
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Very Great Luminaries.
which shall guide many to that temple " whose maker and builder is God . " Friends , this is an ago and a day of rejoicing . Tho light of science , with its illuminating rays , now diffuses light resplendent o ' er all the civilised world ; the fetters of
superstition are knocked off and broken in twain by the power and influence of that gospel whose bright beams celestially shine throughout the greater part of the habitable eartb , giving life and energy to man , and placing him in that situation which it was intended he should occupy .
It has pleased God in every age of the world , and under every dispensation , to make use of men as instruments in the propagation of His truths , and in the establishment of His kingdom upon earth in the hearts of men . God has blessed and perpetuated every Institution which has for
its object the inculcation of morals and the amelioration of tbe condition of man . He has blessed that eminent patron of our Order whose virtues we this day commemorate . God has blessed him who was cast on Patmos' rocky Isle by the cruel Emperor Domitian . It was there he suffered
all the horrors of banishment ; it was there he showed forth all the Christian graces ; it was there he exhibited that humility and meekness always characteristic of the true Christian , and there it was that heaven ' s revealed will was written on his heart , evidencing the glory and the
goodness of God to man—sublime as sublimity and lasting as eternity . This is the natal day of him who was the instrument iu the hands of God of giving to the world a
part of this revelation—this light—sufficient to guide man to bis great unoriginated self-existent author . Endowed with heavenly inspiration , St . John the Evangelist uttered these solemn truths as from the month of
Him—Whose voice was heard on Sinai ' s awful mount . And however simple the exercises of this day , we should feel the importance , the sublimity and grandeur of the doctrines taught by our distinguished patron , and we
should learn to imitate his simplicity , humanity , charity , and his practice of all the virtues . Our task then to-day is simple , yet sublime , and our offerings should be the incense ascending from grateful hearts up to the throne of God .
We come not before yon as an Order with our hands imbrued in tho blood of our enemies . We come not in the pomp of war , with swords unsheathed with which we have achieved victories . No triumphal arch is erected to
commemorate our glory , nor do we come with our hands reeking in the blood of our enemies , immolated upon the altar of sectarian zeal . But we come before you bearing aloft the olive branch of peace , and exerting an influence in the amelioration of the condition of man . Has science
and Masonry existed in the same nation , and has science with airy wing taken her flight to regions more remote , to cultivate people more ignorant ? There has Masonry appeared by her side , rearing high the temple of morals , and inculcating therein those principles which tend to
elevate and expand the mmd of man—those great moral truths taught by St . John the Evangelist , that eminent man of God who possessed all the Christian graces , who
was worthy and well qualified , and who was raised to the Temple of God , eternal in the heavens . There he rests , in the full enjoyment of the smiles and favours of the Great Grand Master .
Leaving this distinguished patron of our Order and pattern for all good and virtuous men , we shall have enough to do in the consideration of the origin of Masonry , its principles , emblems , and design , either taken separately or collectively , as we can best point them out . Every good
Mason , on occasions like the present , takes great pleasure ID attempting to point out with all the clearness and precision , he is master of , something of the history and design of the Order . In attempting this we need not dig for hidden treasures amidst the ruins of all tbe temples
dedicated to heathen gods , rendered conspicuous on the pages of history by a recital of the ignorance and superstition of the past , but we may search first for the truths of Masonry in the revelation of God's will to man , and in the book of natnre , which has been spread out before us by the
great omnipotent author of our existence . For its progress amongst the nations we may refer to the writings of many of the sages and philosophers of every age . Thus can be
traced tbe origin and growth of an institution which has for its object the inculcation of morals , and the teaching of that system of ethics which is built upon the foundation of eternal truth .
Very Great Luminaries.
It is asked , from whence the origin of Masonry ?—when were the first dawnings of its light seen upon earth ? We answer , when first the great I Am spoke this world into existence from chaotic darkness ; then were the first
prinples of Masonry developed in the order of tho universe ; and in the recognition of that great unoriginated intellection , as the Grand Master over all bis works . The principles of Masonry were
developed" Ere the infant sun Was rolled together , or had tried his beams Athwart tbe gloom profound ;" As order grew out of the perfections of the Deity , so Masonry is built upon the broad foundations of the order
observed in the works of nature . And the first principle of the Order is the recognition of the great I Am as tbe Grand Master over all His works , and as the great donor or giver of all good , the author of that revelation which
records His full aud overflowing love to man . This revelation lies open upon the altar of every Masonic Temple , a star in the east , guiding all those who will approach , practice , and believe in a sacred light . This light is the Holy
Bible" Lamp of oar feet , whose hallowed beam Deep in oar hearts its dwelling hath ; How welcome is the cheering gleam Thou sheddeBt o ' er oar lonely path !
Light of oar way ! whose rays are flung In mercy o ' er oar pilgrim road , How blessed , its dark shades among , The Bfcar that guides us to our God . "
Deprive us of this star—deprive us of its guidance—and we are lost in the labyrinthian mazes of unassisted human reason . Assisted by revelation , we behold in perfect order
and beauty the commands of God , all conducive to the happiness of man : all linked together , and essential to give us just conceptions of the glory and the grandeur of tbe Deity .
The fundamental truths of Masonry , notwithstanding its antiquity , have been derived from the inspired writings . And though we may trace it in its operative or in its speculative character from the most remote ages , and find it like the history of the most renowned nations of
antiquity , obscured by the fictions and legends of an uncultivated age , and the ceremonies within its temples veiled in mystery ; yet we must come to the conclusion that a religious object was the primary purpose of the institution . "And if we view Masonry in its operative
character , in that heaveu-favoured clime of Western Asia where architecture was taught in all its perfection , and where we can trace the Phoenician builders of the Temple of Solomon , the Dionysian artificers , the Masonic instruction of the Knights of the Temple , " we shall find that the
world was benefited , not only by the arts and . sciences which emanated from the Masonic repository , but in the still more important matter of relig ion . For revelation teaches us that the living God dwelt not only in , the Mosaic tabernacle , but that He dwelt at a future period in the
Temple of Solomon—in that Temple which was built by the united efforts of Jew and Gentile Masons . From this we are enabled to discover the wisdom and the goodness of God , in thus uniting by the strongest ties these two distinct nations , and in thus giving to the Gentile world correct
views of the One True God . These views obtained to a greater or less extent in some of the Gentile nations , though perverted by the natural depravity of man . Some of the Grecian philosophers no doubt understood the principles of Masonry , for we find them travelling to the
east in quest of knowledge of things Divine and haman ; receiving light from revelation by reading the original manuscripts as written by Moses , or by tradition , receiving light from " Masonry by beholding those gorgeous piles of architectural skill which never were the acquisitions of a
day ; returning to their native land and incorporating into their system some of those moral truths received from revelation ; together with that science of morals and discipline which they had learned from Operative Masonry , thus adopting and sanctioning this mode of enlightening
their disci ples . " And whether we view Masonry m ancient or modern times , we are driven to the conclusion that it is enlightening iu its nature and progressive in its
morals , and yet , notwithstanding this conclusion , it would be asserting too much to say that Pythagoras and other philosophers taught the principles of Masonry in as great purity as they are taught at the present day , for the Saviour had not appeared , and Paul had not yet stood in