Church Services.

CHURCH SERVICES .

A N imposing and memorable Masonic service was held at St . J \ Peter ' s Church , Walworth , on Sunday , 2 nd inst . This is the first function of this character that has taken place in the parish of Newington , and Bro . the Rev . J : W . Horsley , J . P ., by whose initiative it was brought about , is to be congratulated on the large and thoroughly representative attendance . About 200

members of the Craft assembled in the crypt beneath the church half an hour before the service , and donned Masonic clothing , a dispensation for that purpose having been obtained from Grand Lodge . Bro . J . Hattersley and Bro . J . O'Dea P . M . were the

Directors of Ceremonies , and the arrangements could not have been better carried out . The whole of the nave was reserved for the Brethren , the remaining portions of the church being crowded long before the hour at which the service was announced to

commence . Punctually at 6-5 p . m . the Masonic procession entered the church , the Provincial Grand Officers leading the way , followed by the Past Masters , the Worshipful Masters , and the others taking part . The Arch and Craft clothing worn by the Brethren

and the jewels which adorned the breasts of the Officers added a wealth of colour and brilliancy to the scene , which was striking in the extreme . The service was sung by Bros , the Revs . A . C . Lennox Robertson P . M . P . Z . P . D . G . C . and C . J . Langley P . M .

P . P . G . C . ( assistant clergy of the Church ) . There were special Psalms and special lessons , the latter ( Ezra iii . and 1 Cor . xiii . ) being clearly and distinctly read by Past Masters J . A . Dawes , M . A ., and Dr . G . Millson .

Bro . the Rev . J . W . Horsley , M . A ., J . P . ( rector of St . Peter ' s ) , preached an eloquent sermon , in the course of which he explained the objects of Freemasonry . It was not , he said , a benefit society . The Brothers paid their fees , subscriptions , and contributions , but claimed in return no gift whatever . Nor was

it a political society . In their Lodges they vetoed politics , yet English politics owed not a little of its purity to English Freemasonry . Nor was the Craft , as was sometimes imagined , a religion ; for it contained men of all creeds . It was , however , calculated to make every member a more sincere follower of the

faith which he professed . The Graft was not a feasting club nor a secret society , although it had been condemned by the Pope of Rome as being the latter . Its members were not unknown , and its aims and purposes were proclaimed and glorified in . Of course they had some secrets . So had most people engaged in

trade , but Masonic secrets were of no use whatever to the world at large . The Craft was a Brotherhood or Fraternity of men of all classes , of all nations , and of all races , colours , and creeds , who were and must be , first of all , believers in one personal God , and , secondly , believers in immortality . As regarded

character , they must be of good repute and morals , free , sound , charitable and loyal . Some might fall away from their principles . This was not in consequence of , but in spite of Freemasonry . One of the features of their Lodges was equality —the rich man from his mansion and the poor man from his

home met there on a level . And with equality there was liberty . In their Lodges bitterness was impossible , and loving-kindness a necessity . Commenting on the number of Masonic charities , the Rev . gentleman referred to the good work done in educating the orphan boys and girls of members , and in brightening and

sustaining the last years of old Masons and their widows . Upwards of £ 80 , 000 a year was , he said , subscribed in order to maintain these and other charities connected with the Craft . The voluntaries before and after the service were ( a ) " _ ur Erofraug der Loge , " ( b ) " Arie mit chor , " and " Marsch ans der

Oper Die Zauberflote , " from Mozart ' s music for Freemasons . The offertory , which realized £ 20 , will be divided between the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution for Aged Freemasons and Widows of Freemasons , and the reseating fund of St . Peter ' s Church . — " South London Press . "

ON Sunday , 25 th ult ., a special service , under the auspices of Lodges Nos . 198 , 447 , and 1000 ( I . C . ) , Newtownards , was held in Newtownards Parish Church in aid of the Down Masonic Widows Fund . There was a numerous attendance of Brethren from Belfast and the surrounding districts . The members

assembled at the Town Hall , and , having been marshalled by Bro . J . H . Barrett Prov . Grand Director of Ceremonies , walked to the church . At the sacred edifice the procession , which was most imposing in its character , was met by Bro . Rev . W . L . T .

Whatham , rector , who preached ; Bro . Rev . C . Bassett , curate ; and the Knights Templar ; and , having been re-constituted , was led by the Provincial Officers into the church . The congregation , which was an exceedingly large one , included the Marquis of Londonderry , who occupied the family pew .

Bro . Rev . Wm . L . T . Whatham selected as his text Romans xiii ., 10— " Love worketh no ill to his neighbour : therefore love is the fulfilling of the law . " He said that before speaking of the objects and utility of Freemasonry , he desired to say a few words

Church Services.

about the history and present position of the Fraternity . That Freemasonry was of great antiquity every one would admit . Some writers had gone so far as to affirm tbat it had a being " ever since symmetry began , and harmony displayed her charms "; and , although they could not accept literally such a

statement , they must admit thafc the principles underlying the ritual and tenets of their Order were in accordance with the eternal law , which was illustrated by every beauty in nature and every power in the universe . There could be little doubt thafc Freemasonry was in existence in the time of King Solomon , and

that members of the Craft were employed in the building of the first temple at Jerusalem . The example then set by the Brethren in taking part in the erection of noble buildings for religious and philanthropic purposes had been followed ever since by their successors throughout the centuries . The preacher

instanced St . Paul ' s Cathedral , hospitals and infirmaries in London and elsewhere , and the various Masonic schools and homes in England and Ireland as instances of the brotherly and humane spirit which still pervaded the Masonic body . Proceeding , he said that the history of Freemasonrv in England had been

of a chequered description . At one time the Freemasons had been subjected to obloquy owing to a misunderstanding of their objects ; but the time of trial was now past , and they could look back upon great achievements , while at the present day there was no society which could boast of such powerful influence

amongst all sections of the people . In Ireland the Grand Lodge was revived in the year 1730 ; and , although eight years later the Freemasons had been excommunicated by the Pope , and had suffered a great deal of misrepresentation since , the Craft had so far prospered that there were at the present day upwards of 450

Lodges in the country . Indeed , it might safely be said that throughout the world the Craft of Freemasons was the most powerful and most energetic of all organisations of a human origin . If he might be pardoned for alluding for a moment to their own town , he would remind his Brethren that it was now

one hundred and thirty years since a Lodge of Freemasons had been established in Newtownards . That the Institution was a factor in the life of the district could be gathered from there having since then been formed two new Lodges , and from the rapidly increasing number of applications for admission into the

Order . He was of opinion that Freemasonry was of great utility at the present day . It was not only a benefit to ifcs members and to their families , especially in cases of sickness and death , but it also acted as a deterrent to many of those forces which were at work to destroy the foundations of social order and of

religion . It worked as a corporate body , under the discipline and in obedience to its own laws . While it was true that they were much indebted to the individual for the origination of great purposes , they had to remember thafc great results were achieved only by the combined action of individuals . They had

exemplifications of this truth not only in the Christian Church and in other religious organisations , in every profession , in every science worthy of the name , and in all those institutions which tended to moral and social well-being ; but also was the necessity of combination illustrated by the cases of those agencies which had

brought about the deterioration of communities or any retrogradation of mankind . Trades and professions , arts and sciences , social and political efforts , the progress of civilisation , all were dependent upon confederation . Acting , then , upon this idea of brotherhood , Freemasonry held up as its ideal the fulfilling of

law ; and held that in the perfection of law were true harmony and true happiness to be found . Holding that the realisation of human capacity was the greatest good for man , Freemasonry sought to develop man ' s whole being and to mould his surroundings to achieve for him a due environment , both physical , moral ,

and spiritual . While recognising that the interests of the individual were not , to quote the words of a modern writer , identical with those of a social organism , Freemasonry , by teaching the unity of the race , showed forth , as does the Christian faith , that men constitute one whole body , whose well-being was advanced or retarded by whatever affected its various members .

Freemasonry had ever been on the side of freedom , not of falselystyled freedom which was identical with that of anarchy , but of that true freedom whose law was love and whose love caused it to carry out the behests of the law of the Eternal Father . The reverend gentleman concluded his sermon with an earnest appeal on hehalf of the Down Masonic Widows Fund .

A Masonic Service.

A MASONIC SERVICE .

CBy an Occasional Contributor ) . I WAS interested in tbe animated discussion in the columns of the " Church Times " between those who maintained that Freemasonry was not worthy of the active support and countenance of Churchmen and those who held that the Craft was a handmaid of morality and religion , and that for Churchmen to belong to ifc was innocuous , pleasant , and beneficial to themselves and others . The " Roma locuta est , causa fininta