Table Of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Masonic Sermon , by Bro . C . J . Alartyn , P . G . Chap . 439 Masonic Notes and Queries 441 Masonic Tidings ., 441 Aids to Study 442 CRAFT MASONRY : —

Metropolitan , 443 Provincial 443 ROYAL ARCH : — Provincial 445 MARK MASOKRY . —

Provincial 445 Consecration of a Rose Croix Chapter 445 Consecration of the Baldwin Lodge , Dalton 445 Wasonic Meetings for next week , 44 6 Advertisements .. _ J 437 , 438 , 446 , 447 > 448

Masonic Sermon.

MASONIC SERMON .

Preached before Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk , at the Church of the Holy Trinity , Long Melford , BYTHEREV . C . J . AIARTYNJPAST . G . CHAPLAIN

The Revered Brother took for his text the 4 th Terse of thc and Book of Chronicles : — "Behold , I build an house to the ' name of the Lord my God , to dedicate it to Him . "

Nearly three thousand years ago , the most wonderful , and most historical people who have ever taken rank amongst the nations of the earth were fast approaching the zenith of their

magnificence and glory . Originally selected-to be the favourites of heaven , and the chosen people of Cod , the Jews , as we now call them , the descendants of "Abraham the faithful , " the Children of

Jacob , or Israel , that mighty "Prince of God " who wrestled successfully with the Angel at Penuel , had been gradually subduing the fair land of promise , until nearl y the whole of Canaan

lay beneath their rule . "Saul , " their first king , had "slain his thousands , " and "David , " their Second king , " his ten thousands , " and now at length peace was established , and prosperity and

plenty reigned throughout their dominions . David indeed , full of years , glory , and honours , had been gathered to his fathers , and Solomon , his son , now sat upon the throne of Israel .

Mightily had the kingdom spread , and "from the river Euphrates unto the land of the Philistines , and unto the border of Egypt , " all men bowed beneath his sovereign rule , and it is

written in the sacred records , that "they brought presents , and served Solomon , all the days of his life . " Still this was not all ; vast armies were at Solomon ' s command , gold poured into his

treasury in unparalleled abundance , and huge tracts of country yielded obedience to his sway , but above and beyond all else , the spirit of God was in his heart , "the spirit of wisdom and

understanding , the spirit of counsel and might , the spirit of knowledge , and of the fear of the Lord . " God had asked him at Gibeon , what he should give him , and he had said , "Give me

now , wisdom and knowledge , that I may go ont , and come in , before this people , for who can judge this people , that is so great ? " Aud his humble speech had " pleased the Lord , " and

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every wordly blessing , in addition to unequalled wisdom , had been given him . And now "Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the Lord , " and so 150 , 000

men , under the direction of 3 , 600 menaschins or prefects , or , as we should call them , overseers of the work , were "told out , " to prepare for this enormous undertaking . And , then , he sent to

Hiram , King of Tyre , his father ' s friend , to send him " cedar trees , and fir trees , and gum trees , from Lebanon , " and asked him to cause his servants to cut the necessary wood , and "send it

down in floats by sea to J oppa , " whence it could easily be carried to Jerusalam . The reason of this request was given in the words I have just read to you as my text , for "behold , " said

Solomon , " 1 build a house to the mame of the Lord my God , to dedicate it to him . " Hiram , King of Tyre , was worthy of the trust reposed in him—not only did he send all the requisite

material , but he also sent one , who was in himself a host ; "Hiram Abbifr " , the Prince of Architects' '—a man , whose name will never perish , so long as Alasonry , as at present

practised , holds its place amongst us . The son of a skilful Syrian artificer , and of "a woman of the daughters of Dun , " ( the former widow of a man of Naphtali , ) Hiram Abbift " , was indeed

a worthy and a fitting man , for the great work to which he was appointed ; and by his marvellous skill and "his unshaken fidelity" even unto death , he has left behind him a glorious name ,

and a most eloquent testimony to the great fact , that "to the just and upright man , death has no terrors , equal to those of falsehood and dishonour . "

Aly brethren , I will not now proceed to speak to you of the great work , which "those three mighty men" performed . I will not ask you to follow out the details of that glorious temple ,

which gradually , and noiselessly , grew into magnificence on the summit of "the Holy Mount Aloriah ; " neither will I say more of those successors of "Aloses , Aholiab , and Bezaleel , "

forerunners in their turn of " Jerubbabel , Haggai , and Joshua , " by whom the work , begun and completed in former times , was afterwards

restored , after the Babylonian captivity . For indeed , time and words would alike fail me were I to try to illustrate all the virtues

"Of him who most things understood , Of him who sent the stone and wood , Of him who nobly shed his blood . In doing of his duty . "

Moreover , I have other points I wish to bring before you to day , for " we are not operative , but rather speculative , or free and accepted masons , " who are gathered here this morning ; still I

cannot quite leave the mention of them , without continuing the old Masonic distich ; concerning them , whicii probably is well known to many of you who now hear me , and saying ,

"Blest be that age , and blest each mom , On which those three great men were born , Who Israel ' s Temple did adorn With Wisdom , Strength , and Beauty !"

Let me , then , at once proceed to say that , which perhaps you may think I ought to have said at first , how pleased I am to see so large an

attendance of my masonic ancl other brethren here present , and how heartily and sincerely I bid them all welcome to our fine old house of

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God in this parish . Truly , I often think when I look round upon this glorious monument of the piety ancl devotion of a long past agi , which I have the hajipiness to call , as far as any

clergyman can call his church , my own , that something of the spirit of King Solomon must have animated those who , so many years ago , reared this noble fabric in God ' s honour ; surely they must have

said , in the words of our text , "Behold , we build a house to the name of the Lord our God , to dedicate it to him , " for indeed I may say , without being thought egostistical , that there are

few finer specimens of old church work to be met with in any country parish than that in which we meet to-day . But , as I said just now , we , who are here assembled now , and who are

bound together by that " mystic tie , " which is so little understood , and which , therefore , is so often ridiculed by the outside world , are not operative , but rather speculative masons . And

so , as this is the first time probably , even in tlie history of this chnrch , in which the members of our time-honoured fraternity have assembled within its walls , though I believe it is not the

first time that the Provincial Grand Lodge of Suffolk has met at Alelford , it may be expected ( and whether expected or not I am sure it will be right ) that I should endeavour , while I seek

to impress a few of the useful lessons which our great craft teaches , upon my masonic brethren , to give the general congregation also some little idea of what Freemasonry really is . Now ,

it is a question we all often must have heardasked , "What is this Freemasonry of which we hear so much , and of which we know so little ? " My brethren , I cannot give you a

better answer than that which our text to-day supplies , "Behold , we build a house to the name of the Lord our } God , to dedicate it to him , " There , brethren , is , after all , "the great

secret , " the wonderful " mystery" that binds us all together . It is the building up , not of a house of stone and wood , after the manner of our operative brethren of old , but the building

up of that most noble temple of the living God , the human heart , the forming and the perfecting of a good and exemplary character in our fellow men . Freemasonry is , to use the words which

even the most junior and unpractised member of our body could tell you , " a peculiar system of morality , veiled in allegory , and illustrated by symbols . " Its one end and object is to

render its disciples better servants of their God , better members of society , better fathers , better sons , better husbands , better brothers , in a word better men . Freemasonry , teaches us to

be , what Christianity would have us be , imitators and followers of all that is great , and noble , and good , and excellent , and true . Freemasonry teaches us to " speak well of a

brother , as well absent as present , and when that , unfortunately , cannot be done with honour ancl propriety , to adopt that excellent and truly masonic virtue—silence . " Freemasonry teaches

us to " measure our actions by the rule of rectitude , to square our conduct by the principles of moralitv , and to keep our conversation , and even

our very thoughts , within the compass of propriety . " Freemasonry teaches us to provide for , and to be mindful of , the wants of others , lo provide for the aged , the indigent , the widow ,