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Masonic Oration
MASONIC ORATION
Delivered at Trinidad , at the funeral of the late Bro . liobcrt Dalscll . BY BRO . CHARLES SAJUUKL . TUB sacred and mournful business on which we are at present assembled , is consecrated by those prayers and supplications which it becomes us as men and as Masons to offer up on all meet occasions to the Almighty Architect of the Universeby whose will alone we are
, called into existence—at whose behest we start from nonentity into vitality—by whose supreme command we are allotted our respective parts in this world ' s drama—and by whom we are summoned at any moment that he may appoint to answer beyond the grave for the manner in which those parts have been fulfilled . If , however , there be one occasion more than another calculated to impress all mindsbe they ever so volatileor ever so much immersed
, , in the cares and pursuits of ordinary life , —of the evanescent nature of our being to demand solemnity of feeling , and " a humbled and contrite spirit , "—it is when , full of vigour anil in the enjoyment of health ourselves , we stand around the last resting place of one recently departed from amongst us ; one who , but a short time since , stood erect like ourselves , one of the myriads of creation , but who , suddenly removed , must force us to consider that our time will also comeere we dream of
, its approach , and be it sooner or later , even to the utmost verge which human existence may attain ; to the soul unprepared for the awful change it is still too soon . Therefore is it that the solemn services for the dead are performed in so impressive a manner by every religious denomination ; therefore is it that he who like our deceased brother
desires that his mortal remains should receive the last fraternal honours of that society , which combines the security of Hope , the pleasures of Faith , and the practice of Charity , under the one term Freemasonry , is surrounded by his brethren in the Craft , whilst the AVorshipful Master leads , and the other members unite , in a solemn invocation o ' er his ashes ; and who that hath listened with attention to those orisons will not admit their perfect propriety ? You have heard that solemn and ious service ; it is permitted you
p to peruse it at your leisure ; and you who do not belong to us may learn from it our triumphant vindication against those of our opponents who accuse us of irreligion . But it may be asked , to what purport are these observations after the services already performed ? To this I reply , that those services are of a general character , delivered over the corpse of every individual interred under similar circumstances , but it is not unusual when some
brother of more than ordinary worth has been snatched from us , that an officer of his lodge , called the Orator , should deliver a parting word of eulogy to the memory of the deceased . Why then does not the Orator now come forward ? No one better than he could elucidate the eloquence which consists in " putting proper words in proper places , "—alas ! he hears me not ; he whose lips would so pathetically have mourned a brother ' s premature death , who
with " thoughts of fire and words that burn " would have compelled you to quench them with your tears , now lies silent before you , and demands that office of another . vor ,. VII . ti
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Oration
MASONIC ORATION
Delivered at Trinidad , at the funeral of the late Bro . liobcrt Dalscll . BY BRO . CHARLES SAJUUKL . TUB sacred and mournful business on which we are at present assembled , is consecrated by those prayers and supplications which it becomes us as men and as Masons to offer up on all meet occasions to the Almighty Architect of the Universeby whose will alone we are
, called into existence—at whose behest we start from nonentity into vitality—by whose supreme command we are allotted our respective parts in this world ' s drama—and by whom we are summoned at any moment that he may appoint to answer beyond the grave for the manner in which those parts have been fulfilled . If , however , there be one occasion more than another calculated to impress all mindsbe they ever so volatileor ever so much immersed
, , in the cares and pursuits of ordinary life , —of the evanescent nature of our being to demand solemnity of feeling , and " a humbled and contrite spirit , "—it is when , full of vigour anil in the enjoyment of health ourselves , we stand around the last resting place of one recently departed from amongst us ; one who , but a short time since , stood erect like ourselves , one of the myriads of creation , but who , suddenly removed , must force us to consider that our time will also comeere we dream of
, its approach , and be it sooner or later , even to the utmost verge which human existence may attain ; to the soul unprepared for the awful change it is still too soon . Therefore is it that the solemn services for the dead are performed in so impressive a manner by every religious denomination ; therefore is it that he who like our deceased brother
desires that his mortal remains should receive the last fraternal honours of that society , which combines the security of Hope , the pleasures of Faith , and the practice of Charity , under the one term Freemasonry , is surrounded by his brethren in the Craft , whilst the AVorshipful Master leads , and the other members unite , in a solemn invocation o ' er his ashes ; and who that hath listened with attention to those orisons will not admit their perfect propriety ? You have heard that solemn and ious service ; it is permitted you
p to peruse it at your leisure ; and you who do not belong to us may learn from it our triumphant vindication against those of our opponents who accuse us of irreligion . But it may be asked , to what purport are these observations after the services already performed ? To this I reply , that those services are of a general character , delivered over the corpse of every individual interred under similar circumstances , but it is not unusual when some
brother of more than ordinary worth has been snatched from us , that an officer of his lodge , called the Orator , should deliver a parting word of eulogy to the memory of the deceased . Why then does not the Orator now come forward ? No one better than he could elucidate the eloquence which consists in " putting proper words in proper places , "—alas ! he hears me not ; he whose lips would so pathetically have mourned a brother ' s premature death , who
with " thoughts of fire and words that burn " would have compelled you to quench them with your tears , now lies silent before you , and demands that office of another . vor ,. VII . ti