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Article VERY GREAT LUMINARIES. ← Page 2 of 4 Article VERY GREAT LUMINARIES. Page 2 of 4 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Very Great Luminaries.
the heroic deeds of their ancestors , thus encouraging each other to the imitation of their virtues . In the history of modern times almost every day of the revolving year is presented as the anniversary of . something memorable which befel our forefathers , and is remembered by ns , their
sons , with joy or with sorrow . Aud though the celebration of this day is calculated to carry our minds back to an early age in antiquity , yet the virtues of our patron are recorded in the book of God , and we commemorate his virtues and remember his name with "joy , and not with
sorrow , feeling assured that he has a seat at the right hand of the Great Grand Master on high , there to be the subject of His favours and blessings throughout an ever during eternity . This teaches us that vre too must die , and that all things earthly must decay and crumble into dust . It
also teaches us another important lesson , and this is consoling , that if we live righteously and godly in this present world , we shall not only receive the praise of all good men , but we shall ultimately receive the approbation of our Father iu heaven .
We celebrate this as the natal day of St . John the Evangelist , and the return of it is hailed by every true Mason as a time of rational rejoicing and holy rememberance . Wo have met as a bnnd of brothers to commemorate tho virtues and to deck the mausoleum of him who taught mankind the doctrines
of heavenly inspiration , and whose whole life was devoted to tho service of the Most High . After the lapse of ages we still have before us tho inspired writings of our exalted patron . Through the dark ages of superstition and idolatry they were as a beacon-light , guiding all who would
follow them safely through the labyrinthian mazes of heathenish darkness to the resplendent light of the gospel , soon to shine in all its brilliancy throughout the habitable earth . The doctrines taught by St . John and his contemporaries are now high in the ascendant of all doctrines
received from a fallible source ; the prophesies are hastening to their fulfilment , and all heathen nations will soon receive that universal light , emanating from the throne of God through the instrumentality of his ministers upon earth , when all things earthly shall hasten to their final consummation .
We have chosen St . John the Evangelist aa one of the patron saints of our Order , not that we have any conclusive proof of his having been a member of the institution of Speculative Masonry , but because he was an able advocate of the principles of Masonry , and the high veneration in
which he was held by early Christian Masons . We do not think it necessary to give you a narration of the life of our distinguished patron in the enumeration of his many virtues , believing that you are all acquainted with his history , revere bis name , and believe the doctrines which
he taught . As an Order we believe the doctrines which he taught , because they came from God ; teaching man true wisdom , in showing bim bis depravity , his inability to
do any acceptable act without the aid of bis Maker , and tho necessity of a change of heart , a preparation for heaven . Also teaching him that race , with all their inventions must decay and return to their mother dust .
" Every production of human power and skill bears this inscription . I am made to perish ; man himself the moment he begins to breathe begins to die . " And the most durable , the most magnificent of bis works , are no sooner completed than they begin to decay and crumble into dust .
In vain does the antiquary search for the primitive grandeur and magnificence of the monuments of antiquity ; they have either fallen in ruins or are tottering from their crumbling base , remaining only the wonder of an age , the design of wbieh was long since lost in oblivion . Where is
Nineveh , and Babylon , and Thebes with her hundred gates ? All have gone ; thrones , kingdoms and empires have alike met with the same fate . Every nation has left behind monuments of human folly . The Egyptians have left upon the plain their huge and stupendous pyramids
, ¦ which even to this day , in their dilapidated state , attract the attention of the traveller . And tbey stand as lofty monuments , towering almost to the clouds , and showing to Jfj world the folly and extravagance of the projectors . -They have gone to that bourne from whence no traveller
returns , " and have left behind them those decaying fabrics which have not benefited succeeding generations and now only remain as the pompons mausoleums of the illustrious dead ; and as the astonished traveller beholds , he may say to the sleeping dust within : Sleep on ! ye once proud ones , entombed for ages in tho temple of fame—that temple
Very Great Luminaries.
which , if exchanged for a better , must be for one " not made with bands , eternal in the heavens . " Here is enough presented to the mind for reflection and meditation , and well may we exclaim in the language of the poet : " Look behind thee—cities hid
In the night of treacherous story ; Many a crumbling pyramid , Many a pile of senseless glory , Temples into rains hurled , Fragments of an earlier world . "
Ah yes ! they remain but as fragments of an earlier world . " The certain principb of decay has entered into all the works of man . " " And of that Temple of the Lord , that magnificent structure on Mount Zion , " reared by the Grand Master of Israel with the assistance of both Jew
aud Gentile , and standing in after ages " the wonder and glory of the world , " " not one stone remaineth upon another . " The decree had gone forth from the eternal throne , and that decree was irreversible . That decree was passed by the same supreme power whose omnipotent fiat ,
nations , thrones aud kingdoms have been hurled from their sandy foundations , falling in ruins from their towering heights , leaving nothing of the past but fragments , and the names of the actors recorded on the historic page or locked in the archives of nations . Bat amid the general
ruin , amid the downfall of kingdoms and imperial thrones , amid the changes and innovations of every age , Masonry has escaped , and is at thi 3 clay unpolluted , uncontaminated . And there yet are in the great constellation of heaven ' s best boons to man two bright luminaries , resplendent ,
shining , guiding all those who approach the light , as did the star in the east , to Him , who will be the rewarder of all virtuous men in the grand consummation of all things . These two bright luminaries are the Christian Reli gionheaven ' s full and overflowing love to man , and Masonry
her handmaid—one of heaven ' s means for the instruction of man , and the amelioration of his condition . Reli gion and Masonry now stand pure and unscathed by the persecutions and general ruin of the past . And is reli gion then made pure by the persecutions of the past ? The
Temple of Masonry now stands burnished like bright gold by the unhallowed fires of persecution which have raged against it ; ignorance and superstition have attempted to defile this Temple , and to raze with the ground that beautiful edifice , erected and dedicated to God , by tho
inculcation within of those great moral truths which always tend to bring man nearer to his Maker . On the altar of this Temple is ever spread tho Holy Bible , heaven ' s best gift to man ; its doctrines arc inculcated , and he who believes not in its sacred contents must forever be debarred
the privilege of entering this temple of truth . Mighty efforts have been made to raze with the ground the beautiful Temple of Masonry , but like the wave-repelling rock it has withstood the storms and tempests of ages ,
aud its whitened summit may yet be seen towering above tho darkness of superstition , the rage , of party zeal , and bearing in the gloom of their own disappointment those designing men whose misapplied and feeble energies were thus in the end abortive .
Brethren , we worshi p not in times consecrated by polytheism to strange deities , but we consecrate our temples by the worship of the "One True God , " and by the help of revelation we can behold the Temple of the Lord , we can see its beauties , and learn that we were created to inhabit one more
beautiful and perfect , made by the Supreme Grand Master of the Universe "eternal in the heavens . " With the hope of being inhabitants of this perfect Temple , let us rejoice , and look with proud admiration upon the splendid and magnificent structure reared by our illustrious Grand
Master Solomon ; supported by him whose virtues we this day commemorate ; now looked upon by a majority of the world aa a temple to virtue . Upon its majestic dome , reaching far , far above the gloomy piles of decayed heathen temples , blazes as a beacon fire the pure and holy flame of
universal love . B y its light many in every age and nation have been enabled to STO and read that grand system of ethics , stamped with tha impress of truth : preparing them for the reception of tiKue great , grand and glorious truths , given to man b y heavealy inspiration , sustained and
sanctioned by divine authority . May this light continue to shine through all coming time , and shed its lustre o ' er the world , inert asing its brightness by the vestal fires which ever burn upon our alta"s—unextinguished , guiding to the hill of science , promoting morality and virtue , a light
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Very Great Luminaries.
the heroic deeds of their ancestors , thus encouraging each other to the imitation of their virtues . In the history of modern times almost every day of the revolving year is presented as the anniversary of . something memorable which befel our forefathers , and is remembered by ns , their
sons , with joy or with sorrow . Aud though the celebration of this day is calculated to carry our minds back to an early age in antiquity , yet the virtues of our patron are recorded in the book of God , and we commemorate his virtues and remember his name with "joy , and not with
sorrow , feeling assured that he has a seat at the right hand of the Great Grand Master on high , there to be the subject of His favours and blessings throughout an ever during eternity . This teaches us that vre too must die , and that all things earthly must decay and crumble into dust . It
also teaches us another important lesson , and this is consoling , that if we live righteously and godly in this present world , we shall not only receive the praise of all good men , but we shall ultimately receive the approbation of our Father iu heaven .
We celebrate this as the natal day of St . John the Evangelist , and the return of it is hailed by every true Mason as a time of rational rejoicing and holy rememberance . Wo have met as a bnnd of brothers to commemorate tho virtues and to deck the mausoleum of him who taught mankind the doctrines
of heavenly inspiration , and whose whole life was devoted to tho service of the Most High . After the lapse of ages we still have before us tho inspired writings of our exalted patron . Through the dark ages of superstition and idolatry they were as a beacon-light , guiding all who would
follow them safely through the labyrinthian mazes of heathenish darkness to the resplendent light of the gospel , soon to shine in all its brilliancy throughout the habitable earth . The doctrines taught by St . John and his contemporaries are now high in the ascendant of all doctrines
received from a fallible source ; the prophesies are hastening to their fulfilment , and all heathen nations will soon receive that universal light , emanating from the throne of God through the instrumentality of his ministers upon earth , when all things earthly shall hasten to their final consummation .
We have chosen St . John the Evangelist aa one of the patron saints of our Order , not that we have any conclusive proof of his having been a member of the institution of Speculative Masonry , but because he was an able advocate of the principles of Masonry , and the high veneration in
which he was held by early Christian Masons . We do not think it necessary to give you a narration of the life of our distinguished patron in the enumeration of his many virtues , believing that you are all acquainted with his history , revere bis name , and believe the doctrines which
he taught . As an Order we believe the doctrines which he taught , because they came from God ; teaching man true wisdom , in showing bim bis depravity , his inability to
do any acceptable act without the aid of bis Maker , and tho necessity of a change of heart , a preparation for heaven . Also teaching him that race , with all their inventions must decay and return to their mother dust .
" Every production of human power and skill bears this inscription . I am made to perish ; man himself the moment he begins to breathe begins to die . " And the most durable , the most magnificent of bis works , are no sooner completed than they begin to decay and crumble into dust .
In vain does the antiquary search for the primitive grandeur and magnificence of the monuments of antiquity ; they have either fallen in ruins or are tottering from their crumbling base , remaining only the wonder of an age , the design of wbieh was long since lost in oblivion . Where is
Nineveh , and Babylon , and Thebes with her hundred gates ? All have gone ; thrones , kingdoms and empires have alike met with the same fate . Every nation has left behind monuments of human folly . The Egyptians have left upon the plain their huge and stupendous pyramids
, ¦ which even to this day , in their dilapidated state , attract the attention of the traveller . And tbey stand as lofty monuments , towering almost to the clouds , and showing to Jfj world the folly and extravagance of the projectors . -They have gone to that bourne from whence no traveller
returns , " and have left behind them those decaying fabrics which have not benefited succeeding generations and now only remain as the pompons mausoleums of the illustrious dead ; and as the astonished traveller beholds , he may say to the sleeping dust within : Sleep on ! ye once proud ones , entombed for ages in tho temple of fame—that temple
Very Great Luminaries.
which , if exchanged for a better , must be for one " not made with bands , eternal in the heavens . " Here is enough presented to the mind for reflection and meditation , and well may we exclaim in the language of the poet : " Look behind thee—cities hid
In the night of treacherous story ; Many a crumbling pyramid , Many a pile of senseless glory , Temples into rains hurled , Fragments of an earlier world . "
Ah yes ! they remain but as fragments of an earlier world . " The certain principb of decay has entered into all the works of man . " " And of that Temple of the Lord , that magnificent structure on Mount Zion , " reared by the Grand Master of Israel with the assistance of both Jew
aud Gentile , and standing in after ages " the wonder and glory of the world , " " not one stone remaineth upon another . " The decree had gone forth from the eternal throne , and that decree was irreversible . That decree was passed by the same supreme power whose omnipotent fiat ,
nations , thrones aud kingdoms have been hurled from their sandy foundations , falling in ruins from their towering heights , leaving nothing of the past but fragments , and the names of the actors recorded on the historic page or locked in the archives of nations . Bat amid the general
ruin , amid the downfall of kingdoms and imperial thrones , amid the changes and innovations of every age , Masonry has escaped , and is at thi 3 clay unpolluted , uncontaminated . And there yet are in the great constellation of heaven ' s best boons to man two bright luminaries , resplendent ,
shining , guiding all those who approach the light , as did the star in the east , to Him , who will be the rewarder of all virtuous men in the grand consummation of all things . These two bright luminaries are the Christian Reli gionheaven ' s full and overflowing love to man , and Masonry
her handmaid—one of heaven ' s means for the instruction of man , and the amelioration of his condition . Reli gion and Masonry now stand pure and unscathed by the persecutions and general ruin of the past . And is reli gion then made pure by the persecutions of the past ? The
Temple of Masonry now stands burnished like bright gold by the unhallowed fires of persecution which have raged against it ; ignorance and superstition have attempted to defile this Temple , and to raze with the ground that beautiful edifice , erected and dedicated to God , by tho
inculcation within of those great moral truths which always tend to bring man nearer to his Maker . On the altar of this Temple is ever spread tho Holy Bible , heaven ' s best gift to man ; its doctrines arc inculcated , and he who believes not in its sacred contents must forever be debarred
the privilege of entering this temple of truth . Mighty efforts have been made to raze with the ground the beautiful Temple of Masonry , but like the wave-repelling rock it has withstood the storms and tempests of ages ,
aud its whitened summit may yet be seen towering above tho darkness of superstition , the rage , of party zeal , and bearing in the gloom of their own disappointment those designing men whose misapplied and feeble energies were thus in the end abortive .
Brethren , we worshi p not in times consecrated by polytheism to strange deities , but we consecrate our temples by the worship of the "One True God , " and by the help of revelation we can behold the Temple of the Lord , we can see its beauties , and learn that we were created to inhabit one more
beautiful and perfect , made by the Supreme Grand Master of the Universe "eternal in the heavens . " With the hope of being inhabitants of this perfect Temple , let us rejoice , and look with proud admiration upon the splendid and magnificent structure reared by our illustrious Grand
Master Solomon ; supported by him whose virtues we this day commemorate ; now looked upon by a majority of the world aa a temple to virtue . Upon its majestic dome , reaching far , far above the gloomy piles of decayed heathen temples , blazes as a beacon fire the pure and holy flame of
universal love . B y its light many in every age and nation have been enabled to STO and read that grand system of ethics , stamped with tha impress of truth : preparing them for the reception of tiKue great , grand and glorious truths , given to man b y heavealy inspiration , sustained and
sanctioned by divine authority . May this light continue to shine through all coming time , and shed its lustre o ' er the world , inert asing its brightness by the vestal fires which ever burn upon our alta"s—unextinguished , guiding to the hill of science , promoting morality and virtue , a light