The Six Days' Work Of Creation In Honour Of Masonry.

Then in my view the heavenly vision stood , And said , Creation was all formed good . From the first Light the sun receiv'd his birth , To warm and nourish this our mother earth : This truth proclaim , —by chance he never came : A God there is , who rules o ' er all supreme .

He is the prop of each created thing , Of animation the first moving spring ; Infinite , happy in himself alone , Though all His works were into nothing gone . But of the wonders the Most High hath done , Ev'n the moonthe starsand the revolving sun

, , , With every planet , and this earthly hall , Of what he form'd , are part , hut far from all . Could men or angels this great speed procure , To travel up ten thousand miles each hour ; And as they mount the high empyrean plain , Ten times ten thousand iu their journey gain .

Nor glorious angels , or deep-searching man , Could ever find where first his works began . Who can the works of the Creator trace From earth to heaven , and through all boundless space ? But to return : The rays of Sol still cheer ,

And add fresh beauties to the blooming year . When , rolling hack , he to the centre flies ; With chilly cold all blooming nature dies : The moon and stars then send their borrowed light , Amid the gloom of winter ' s dreary night : The winter goes , and summer comes again ; Infinite wisdom nothing made in vain .

As the Supreme Original is infinite , the earth and all the planets are a very small part of His Avorks . Who can tell how far the rays of light extended through the boundless immensity of space , when God said , "Let there be light ; and there was light ? "Gen . i ., 10 .

Thou First of beings , infinite Supreme , Who spoke the word , and worlds from nothing came Light , light , and love , all holy thee I hail ! To praise thy name a seraph ' s tongue would fail ! Man is not the only being left to praise Thy sacred name , and the glad anthem raise :

Millions of angels praise thee as their God , And thrones and powers obey thy sovereign nod , Proclaim thee First , I AM , Eternal King , And of thy light , thy love , and goodness sing . Thus I have sung how light at first did rise , And shining stars adorn'd the azure skies ;

How worlds and suns were in their centres laid . Almighty Fiat all from nothing made . The first great Cause and source of vital breath : Whose hand sustains all life on earth beneath . Within the seas he form'd the pond'rous whale , The daring lionand the crocodile ;

, Each living thing He gave its proper form , From th' elephant down to the crawling worm . All kinds of creatures , every fowl that flies , Live hy His power , and at His pleasure dies . < Q-reat are the works of the First Cause divine , In harmony all beautiful they shine .

But here 1 sing , more wonderful than all , Of creatures form'd upon this earthly hall ; The Sacred Three , when this great work began , A council held , and said , Let us make man . Adam was form'd of pure refined clay ;

The Six Days' Work Of Creation In Honour Of Masonry.

And God in him His image did display . A shining light the sun did first appear ; The second light in Adam ' s soul was clear ; Nor mid-day sun one half so clear did shine As Adam ' s soul , all holy , pure , divine . The soul of man , a spark of heavenly fire ,

The breath of Gocl , which never will expire , A clear bright lamp , to let him see the way , Through gloomy darkness not to go astray . Clear shining light , from darkness dark as night , God was and is the fountain of all light . The scriptures next to tread the path that's right . In splendour bright the sun at first began , And reason shines within the soul of man .

Adam was created lord of the creation , and tha noble leading faculty of his soul was understanding . This jewel alone adorns the rational creature man . Behold with admiration and surprise the faculties of his soul ! He can convey his mind through the whole creation , and view the several creatures on

earth ; consider the fabric , the use , and beauty of animals ; discern the signature of plants ; and penetrating thereby into their nature and virtues , he is enabled to extract from them a healing balm for the human body . His mind also views the vast ocean , and soars in a moment from earth to heaven ; it

describes the motion of the sun in the ecliptic ; calculates tables for the motion of the planets ; and foretells , at a great distance , the dismal eclipses of the sun and moon to the very digit ; and also to the portentous conjunctions of the planets to the very minute of their ingress . These are some of the grand

employments of the understanding . But the soul is also capable of exercising itself on a much nobler theme . It can cqntemplate the glorious mysteries of redemption , and trace redeeming love through all the astonishing methods aud manifold discoveries of it in the sacred scriptures . ( To le continued . )

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

IXSPECTOKS-OEINEBAl . There has been some discussion why members of the 33 rd degree join the Order of the Red Cross , and why this flourishing order should confer the degrees of Prince Masons and create Inspectors-General . It

has been surmised that the Inspectors-General are to form part of the Grand imperial Council , but this is only in detraction of the Red Cross . Their Grand Imperial Council is not the same thing as the Supreme Council of England , but a superior body , as its name betokensand to which all the Supreme Councils will

, be subordinate . Consequently , the 33 rd degree and Inspectors-General are only very inferior oflicers of the Grand Imperial Council , though still of great importance . The fact is , the order has become so extensive and numerous that it is necessary to keep it in orderthere is also a fear "that irregularities may be

; commuted in working the numerous new and ancient rituals—as lately happened in Guernsey in installing a Noble Grand . The order of Inspectors-General , appointed in remote antiquity , has therefore been put in vigour