Provincial Grand Lodge Of Isle Of Man.

trusted would be long , he would consider well the happiness of the brethren , carry out the truest principles of Freemasonry , and see to the prosperity of the province under his care . ( Applause . ) He congratulated the Isle of Man on the possession of such a Masonic chief . They in Suffolk knew him well , and appreciated him . After the R . W . Prov . G . M . had been installed ,

The INSTALLING MASTER said that Lord Henniker now occupied the unique position of being the only Freemason who was head of two provinces . As Deputy Grand Master of Suffolk , he tendered to the brethren of the Isle of Man fraternal greetings , and trusted that the bond now made between the county and the Island would continue for years to come .

The Prov . G . M . then appointed Bro . J . A . Brown to be his Deputy , and the " patent" of appointment having been read , the R . W . brother said that he was very pleased indeed to have Bro . Brown as his Deputy . AH the brethren knew of and appreciated his long and able services to Freemasonry ,

and no better appointment could be made . He was sure that Bro . Brown would continue to earnestly work for the province , and help Provincial Grand Lodge to maintain the ancient traditions of the Order . He hoped that Bro . Brown would live long to wear the insignia of ofiice with credit to himself and advantage to the Craft in their insular home . ( Applause . )

The important office of Prov . G . Treasurer fell upon Bro . W . J . Kelly , and the election , being by ballot , was heartily applauded—that brother ' s service to Freemasonry and as Treasurer of St . Trinian ' s Lodge being generally acknowledged . Appended is a list of the Prov . G . Officers :

Bro . John A . Brown , P . M . ... ... ... D . P . G . M . „ S . Webb , P . M . ... ... ... Prov . S . G . W . „ P . M . C . Kermode , P . M . ... ... Prov . J . G . W . „ A . S . Newton , P . M , ... ... —Ir , r- ru „ H . T . Devall j Prov . G . Chaps . „ G . H . Ouayle , P . M . ... ... ... Prov . G . Reg . „ F . C . P ' oulter , P . M . ... . ... ... Prov . G . Sec . „ A . H . Fayle , P . M . ... ... ... Prov . S . G . D . „ H . T . Rylance , P . M . ... ... ... Prov . J . G . D . „ M . Carine , P . M . ... ... ... Prov . G . S . of Wks „ T . S . Atkinson , P . M . ... ... ... Prov . G . D . C . „ F . W . Watson , P . M . ... ... ... Prov . A . G . D . C . „ W . J . Kelly , P . M . ... ... ... Prov . G . Treas . „ Dr . J . Gell , P . M . ... ... ... Prov . G . S . B . ,, H . C . Kerruish , P . M . ... ... ... D „ n c , j D I , J . S . Gell , P . M . j Prov - G * Std - Brs " „ Geo . Watterson , P . M . ... ... ... Prov . Asst . G . Sec ,, W . H . Dowson ... ... ... Prov . G . Org . „ J . Bowling , P . M . ... ... ... Prov . G . Purst . „ J . Ritchie , W . M . ... ... ... Prov . A . G . Purst . „ F . M . LaMothe , 1075 ... ... . A „ Chas . Fox , 1242 ... ... .. A Prov . G . Stwds . „ T . H . Royson , 2050 ... ... ... J ,, lames Gorry ... ... ... Prov . G . Tyler .

The Stewards for the Athole Lodge , No , 1004 , St . German ' s Lodge , No . 2164 , and the Spencer Walpole Lodge , No . 2197 , have yet to be elected . Bro . Lord HENNIKER had a pleasant word to say to each officer as he invested him . He thanked the old ofiicers for past services , and had encouraging remarks to make to the new ones . He had already addressed the Dep , Prov . G . Master . He especially congratulated Bro . Alderman

Webb upon his honourable career in civic life , and made appropriate remarks on the services of Bros . P . M . C . Kermode and G . H . Quayle , and the hard-working Prov . G . Secretary , Bro . F . C . Poulter . To Bro . Mark Carine ( a well-known builder ) , who is now the Prov . G . Supt . of Works , his Excellency happily said * . I know you are distinguished in your own

art , and I am sure you will be in ours . One of the Prov . G . Standard Bearers , Bro . J . S . Gell is unavoidably absent , but I hope , said the Right Worshipful , that he will soon be able to come forward for investiture , and that , following the example of his father , our Bro . Deemster Sir James Gell , he will hold the banner of Freemasonry as honourably as he upheld the honour of his own Court in Castletown .

The brethren then marched in procession from the Provincial G . Lodge to St . Thomas ' s Church , where Divine service was held . Prayers were read by Pro . the Rev . Canon Savage , P . P . G . C , and . the Rev . W . H . Gibson ; and the lesson by Uro . the Rev . H . T . Devall , Prov . G . Chapain . Bro . the Rev . A . S . Newton , Prov . G . Chaplain , preached a sermon from Romans i ., 14 , which we

append" I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians , both to the wise and to the unwise" —( Romans i ., 14 ) . It is next to impossible to attack sin—to assist the helpless , to nurse the sick , or to teach tho ignorant without being charged with sectarian motives . Schools , because they are reared by private zeal , are called sectarian . Our social efforts , because we make them for the love of Christ , are considered sectarian . It is impossible to denv that the epithet sectarian Ins a

sting . The generous heart , cherishing a noble motive , chafes at such misconstruction . A pure conscience is a strengtn , but no defence . Indeed , the purer thc conscience , and the more sincere the effort made , the keener is the sense of suffering under the lash . Surely , then , it will not be out ol place if we look into our responsibilities , and ask ourselves how far we share the spirit of St . Paul . ' •I am debtor , " he says , "debtor to all , debtor always , debtor everywhere . We

are bought with a price ; Christ gave His life for us , that we should give our lives for others , and wherever we are , whatever we do , whomever we meet , we are debtor to the full value of tint life blood which is abjve all price . " No doubt the sectarian spirit has been , and is at all timis , the bine of Christian effort . It is very easy indeed to lose our hold on high motives , and work for the paltry interests of party . Many a one who has b .-gun for Christ , and with a pure lave

of humanity , has degenerated into the tool of a sec ; . But , whilst acknowledging the danger , let us shake ourselves free from the cruel thought that no motives are high , and no devotion genuine . It is the will of God that all that is done for man should be done by man . We can learn njthing , either concerning the simplest art of life , or the highest mysteries of religion , without the aid of a human teacher . God has willed to wjrk by men . As He sent forth His adorable Son in

the form of human weakness , so He sends forth all teachers by Him to instruct their fellows . Wisdom cries aloud in our streets , " As My Father sent me , so send I you " To one is given this , to another is committed that , bat all are in their several ways and degrees felloe-workers with Gjd . The personal element , therefore , is essential to all work . The motive that starts us on our way is our own ,

The time , the place , the plan , the energy—all is our own . Wo cannot see with the eyes of another , or speak with a strange voice . All work is personal work , done with a personal motive . The higher we rise , the more intensely personal do wc become . For even an Apostle speaking by inspiration only becomes the mjre intensely himself . Ujd speaks by him . The Divinity is hidden , whilst the

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Isle Of Man.

man s voice stands forth . The man ' s brain thinks out the lesson—the man ' s hand writes the inspired page . God has willed never to put aside the ministry of man . In everything touching humanity He works through man , and , there , fore , we cannot decline to take the full responsibility of all the work ti which He has called us . In contrast with this doctrine of personal responsibility , vve are often inclined to plead the necessity of order . God , who has called every man to active duty , has likewise ordained , in all things , holy order . For hearts

filled with the fear of God , the claims of order will have tremendous force " Better not to act at all , " they plead , " than act without authority . " But let us remember that it is the order of God to work first from within . The Christian Church has—though it be itself the very type of order—always recognised the fact that Divine authority is first communicated to the separate human soul . The grace of order may never be given until first God has made His will known within the sphere of the personal conscience . And this is God ' s way . It is

related of John Wesley that when asked for the name of his parish , he said , " All the world is my parish , " and though , perhaps , such an answer may savour of human infirmity , yet truly that earnest heart had grasped , more than most , the meaning of those words " I am a debtor . " Again , it was a principle in the Primitive Church that every bishop was responsible for the whole of Christendom , responsibility for the universal faith being inherent in the episcopal office . Now ' whatever special truth was hidden in that current opinion , certainly it forcibl y

represented that far grander truth , that the personal responsibility of every man is an ocean without shore or bound . •' Who is my neighbour ?" asked the narrow-hearted Jew . And Jesus , in a parable answered , " Your neighbour is the nearest person that you find in need . " We must never wait for responsibility . For the next person we meet we are responsible . For those nearest we are most responsible , because they are nearest ; and as the members of the human family approach us , as neighbours , as

acquaintances , as friends , as associates , we embrace them with our influence , and become responsible for its exercise . It ought never to be a question with a Christian—Where shall I begin to work ? Whom shall I help ? Our circumstances are created for us . We have our own place in the order of life , and in that place , and with such means at our command , we are called to put forth our best powers . The outward order in which we move ; the outward frame of society ; our own brotherhood of Freemasonry , the Divine order of the Churchis given '

, , not to strangle zeal , or to impede action , but to direct , develop , and assist the energy that God has given us . Surely the memories of every one of us are strewn with living examples of the fact that the inward call of God must mould , not be moulded by , the outward order of the world . Survey first the life of Jesus . He came , a Jew , was born a Jew , trained a Jew , and scarcely ever strayed beyond the confines of Jewry ; but , whilst He respected and upheld the outward order of His country , He taught a doctrine and lived a life which transformed the narrowest

Judaism into that great society of which we are thankful members—the Universal Church . Survey again the life of St . Paul . His change of name implies the strength of the power that worked within him . God made , by interior revelation , of Saul of Tarsus , Paul the Apostle—the man who , teaching in the Jewish Synagogue , with the Hebrew Scriptures in his hands , formed those Christian Churches , some of which have existed to our own day . Recall , once more , the name of any great teacher , or philanthropist , or benefactor , and you will recognise

the same sequence of events in the history of every one of them . Their best thought , their noblest motive , their worthiest ambition , arose up , they scarcely knew how , within themselves . For themselves , the greater men have been , and the more divine , the less they cared to shake the prevailing order . It was our Lord who taught , " The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat ; all , therefore , that they bid you observe , that observe and do . " The Gospel itself , which has proved the determined foe of slavery , has no commandment against slavery .

Slavery has gone down before the idea of Incarnate love revealed in the Gospel , but only after 1800 years ot quiet endurance . But why do I plead such illustrious examples r Only because they are most familiar . A thousand others could be gleaned . We know full well , and our fathers have told us , how quietly , how steadily , and irresistibly God wrought in man first , and so through man and for man , every blessing in which we rejoice . Nor need we , brethren , in our more humble way , fear to fulfil the task to which wo are called . In small things , as

well as in great things , God works from within . He begins by seciet inspiration . He offers us the field for exercise—the common round—the daily task— and He assures us of success . His word , His thought , His desire , put into our hearts , must accomplish its highest purpose—carrying out our duty we may be brought into collision with those who believe equally that they are doing their duty . A good work is seldom done without opposition . The mere effort honestly to do the best we can , within our own lives , often reads to another as the challenge of a rival .

It is wise to allow a large margin of patience for personal mistakes . Sometimes we are over-zealous , sometimes not eager enough to let an opportunity pass ; but , allowing for all personal mistakes , no , one can really live a useful , active , Christian life—and that , as Freemasons , is , I take it , the desire of every one of us—without frequently being misjudged . And even then a Christian may well consider that he is armed at all points . "There hath no trial happened to you but such as is common to man . " Such misconstructions , and misunderstandings , and misapprehensions may serve a useful purpose . They teach us that there arc

other people in the world beside ourselves . . What we claim for ourselves , that others claim likewise for themselves . And so out of thc jars and con fusions and collisions of this world God will bring a refined and gentle tolerance . A tolerance that yields no principle , and asks others to yield none . A tolerance based on the highest reverence for Gjd , and the most earnest love ot our fellow man , based on those great Masonic principlis—Brotherly Love , Relief , and Truth . A tolerance that leaves each free to speak the truth as he knows it , and yet holds all bound to speak thc whole truth , to live the whole truth , and to labour always for the highest interests of those about him .

The collection , which was on behalf of the Indian Famine Fund , realised , £ 5 8 s . < jd . The collection in Prov . Grand Lodge on behalf of the Benevolent Fund amounted to £ 2 9 s . On the return of the brethren to Prov . Grand Lodge , The PROV . G . MASTER said : I am grateful to you for the kind way you have received me in Provincial Grand Lodge . It gives me great p leasure to be associated with the brethren of the Isle of Manand to be Gran ?

, Master of this Province . I deeply regret that my appointment was caused by the death of Sir John Taubman , who so bng and so ably ruled this province . I had not the pleasure to know him very long , but I knew hirn well enough to have a great respect for him , not only as a hig h-minded gentleman , but as a very capable administrator . I feel that it is difficult to follow him in thc position in which I have bjen installed to-day . I can only say that I will do my best to promote the welfare of Freemasonry »'

tne Island , v ith the help 01 the Dep . Prov . G . Master , my friend anu distinguished brother , Bro . J . A . Brown , and the help of all the other ollicers and brethren in the Island . I hope I may succeed . ( App lause *] I have been Provincial Grand Master of Sulf jlk for 14 years , and am g lad to see near me to-day my Deputy Provincial Grand Mister , who installed me , and also the Provincial Grand Secretary of that Province . I am \ grateful to the Prince of Wales for reposing so much confidence in me an in my desire to be a true and trusty Craftsman in all respects , and I *' do my best to promote the best interests of Freemasonry in the Isle of i " a '