The Light Of The World.

bound , wherever I go and whomsoever I address , to preach the Gospel , — " Tea , woe is me if I preach not the Gospel . " I do not hesitate to declare my belief that the doctrines or principles of Freemasonry and the princijsles of Christianity are identical ; and that , when I exhort you to live and act up to your principles as Masons , I can faithfully do so in the language of the

Bible . Of all the degrees in Masonry Christianity is the substance and sum . However ancient Masonry may be ( and , surely , the fact of all our tests of merit and . passwords consisting of expressions taken from the Hebrew Scriptures prove both its antiquity aud even holiness)—however ancient it may be , it is evident that the third degree has been introduced during the

Christian era , though the allegory in which id is veiled is taken from an earlier period . Our system has been preserved to this day by the instrumentality of orthodox Christians , and every authentic ancl valuable work which we possess iu this country on the subject is from the pen of a sound and pious Christian . Masonry is endowed with charms to which no other

human order can lay claim . Our doctrines aro faultless ( to use the language of an apostle ) : " Whatsoever things are honest , whatsoever things are just . . . good report , if there be any virtue , if there be any praise , think of these things "—they are all to be found in tho principles of Freemasonry . I can say , therefore , think of these things , and " let your light shine before men . "

My brethren , these words will naturally lead you to call to mind the ceremony of your initiation . You will remember how , from being in a state of darkness , confessing your need of the blessing of light , you had that blessing given to yon , ancl you were admitted as children of light . Aud what was the exhortation given , yOVA ? I will not repeat it . Was it not a beautiful paraphrase of the words , " Search the Scriptures , " and " Let your light shine before men ; " or , again , of those words forming a portion of our Saviour ' s Sermon on the Mount

( Matt . v . 22-26 ) . Now , to pass from precept to example , I would remind you of some of those bright lights whom wo look upon as having been , in old time , Masters and Grand Masters of our Order . Men whose names are written iu heaven . Men who , while on earth , proved themselves fellow-workers , and even master builders with Almighty "

God himself . Men of whom the Apostle St . Paul thus speaks : " Theseali , havingobtained agoodreport through faith , received not the promise ; God having provided some better thing for us , that they without us should not be made perfect" ( Heb . x . 39 , 4-0 ) . And who are they ? Moses , "the meekest of men , " whose meekness every brother is exhorted to imitateand

, who ever promoted on earth peace and goodwill towards men ; David , " the man after God ' s own heart ;" Solomon , the wisest of men ; St . John , "the beloved disciple . " Of course I do not mean to assert that Masonry was the same in their days as in ours , but the principles of it were the same . Aud while we acknowledge these and many others to have been our fathers in

the Craft , we profess to follow their steps . Hear , then , the words of St . Paul , following those I have just quoted , therefore , seeing wo also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses , let us lay aside every weight , and tho sin that doth so easily beset us , and let us run with patience tho race which is set before us . Looking unto " —whom ? to these and other like bright examples

of men of good report ? Yes , truly ; but not to thorn alone , but to Jesus Christ , " tho Author and Finisher of our faith ; " the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world ; tho Author and Finisher of your Masonic faith as well as of the Christian faith . Brethren , " I speak as to wise men : judge ye what I say . " I stand here not merely to tell you your duty as Masons ; that , I presume , you are taught in your respective lodges . My object is to preach Christ to you , and to show you that the principles of your Order are the

The Light Of The World.

principles of Christianity ; that the man who is a true Christian is virtually a Mason , and he that is a true Mason may be a true Christian . I would have you , brethren , consider your responsibilities as far greater than those of the uninitiated ; that , you are , as it were , doubly bound by the vows you have taken upon you , to do your duty towards God and your neighbour . I would

have you look upon Masonry not only as a " beautiful system of morality , but also as a peculiar system of revealed religion , veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols . " * I would have you bear continually iu mind , that as God , at the first , did separate tho light from the darkness , so the fundamental principle of genuine Freemasonry is a separation from darkness ancl all deeds of

darkness ; that , as revelation began when the promise was made to our first parents , of a victory over sin aud Satan , a victory of light over darkness ( the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head ); and closes with the promise that the earth should be rebuilt and become once more a fit abode for God and man ( Eev . xxi . 3 , 4 ) , so Masonry is a building up ; it isiu princilea system

, p , to restore the world of ours to its pristine purity and stability ; that it comprises in itself tho angelic anthem which rang through tho heavens at the birth of Christ , " Glory to God , glory to God , and on earth peace , and goodwill towards men . " Brethren , I would have you look upon your Order in a far higher and holier light than perhaps you have been

in the habit of doing . I would have you ever bear in mind the solemn vow and profession made by you , of your own free ivill and accord , when you desired to be admitted into the mysteries of our Order . I would warn you against mocking Almighty God , by carelessly regarding the solemn , language of our exhortations and prayers as mere words to fill up a form . I would warn

you against giviug the uninitiated the smallest handle for reproach , but pray you , rather , let your light shine before them . If you walk worthy of your vocation , and yet you are reproached for your name and profession , happy are ye ; for ( to use the language of St . Peter , but slightly altered ) " The spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you . On their part He may be evil spoken of , but

on your part He is glorified ; but let none of you suffer as a murderer . . . . Yet , if any man suffer as a Mason , let him not be ashamed , but let him glorify God on this behalf" ( 1 Peter , iv . 15 , 16 ) . Finally , my brethren , remember , "Ye are no more strangers and foreigners , but fellow-citizens with the saints and of tho household of God" and are built upon

, the foundation of the apostles and prophets , Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone , in whom , the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord : in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit . " Therefore , let your light shine before men—not as Masons only , but as fellow workers with God himself .

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CRICKET . —The County Chronicle of the 1 st inst . contains an interesting account of a cricket match , played on Thursday , the 29 th ult ., between a selected eleven from the 13 rd Middlesex ( Hampstead ) Rifle Corps , and sixteen lads , members of the Juvenile Bushey Cricket Club , assisted by Bros . J . R . Sheen anel W . Hammond . Tlie province of these brethren seems to have been principally bowling ; and the veteran cricketer , Bro .

S . Sheen , evidently exhibited much ofthe talent of " lang syne ; ' * but in the second innings , as in the case of the boys' fielding , great improvement was perceptible iri Mr . Hammond ' s bowling . The juveniles , who consisted per se exclusively of the pupils of the Hampton Commercial School , lost the match by 29 runs , having in the two innings scored 100 against 129 on the side of the corps . The match gave rise to an agreement for an annual friendly contest .