Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Light.
which made the night dismal flee like the shadows that every brig htening object seems to pursue ; thus it was with the old heathen religions , and under the Jewish dispensation ; they saAV darkly , as through a glass , the lig ht shined in darkness , and the darkness comprehended it not . Still we see that the Star of Promise ever continued to shed a ray of light
by which the good and pious were enabled to direct their goings through the intricate windings of their mortal life , and to prepare for the reception of that light which passeth the lig ht of day . The last words ¦ uttered by one of our most distinguished modern philosophers were" More light . " Davidin his 82 nd
, , Pslam , says " They ( the ungodly ) will not be learned nor understand , but walk on still in darkness . " In the beautiful Liturgy of the Church of England , the Srd Collect for Evening Prayer begins with " Lighten our darkness we beseech thee 0 Lord , " and to a reflective mind this little sentence contains volumes . St .
Paul , 2 Cor ., iv ., 6 , says , " God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness , hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the glory of God ; " till this li ght shines in the heart of man , he is in the same state as the unformed world was when " darkness was upon the face of the deep ; " but when the new creation
takes place , he rises , as the new earth did from the waters , by the spirit of God moving upon them . Let ns now consider light in another phase—Masonically . Light is a symbol of knowledge . May every nation strive incessantly for light , and especially for the light eternal ! When a society is assembled
anywhere to do good , they require an influential person to communicate the light of experience , to instruct them , and point out the way they should go , or bring light to them . This may be clone symbolically , by suddenly lighting up a dark room with torches . ( Gadieke . ) Darkness among Ereemasons is emblematical of ignorance ; for as our science was
anciently called lux or light , the absence of li ght must be the absence of knowledge ; the darkness which envelopes the mind of the uninitiated being removed b y the bright effulgence of Masonic li ght , Masons are appropriately called " the sons of light . " One of the first requests which the newly-initiated
is entitled to make is for li ght . " Darkness , " says Bro . A . G . Mackey , "is the symbol of initiation . " it is intended to remind the candidate of his ignorance , which Masonry is to enlighten ; of his evil nature , which Masonry is to purify ; of the world in Avhose obscuri-3 ' - he has been wandering , and from which
Masonry is to rescue him . Light , on the other hand , is the symbol of the autopsy , the sight of the mysteries , the intrusting , the full fruition of Masonic truth and knoAvledge . The entrance of a man into Masonry has aptly been likened to the entrance of all men upon this our mortal career on earth ; hut thisI
, think , is not all that it symbolizes ; does it not equally well represent the creation of the Avorld ? When buried in the deep chaotic darkness , to human eyes all was one vast blank , a mist of darkness , where the all-seeing eye of God above could penetrate , when , as Milton
says" On heavenly ground they stood , and from the shore , They viewed the vast immeasurable abyss , Outrageous as a sea , dark , wasteful , wild , Up from the bottom turned by furious Avinds And surging waves , as mountains to assault Heaven ' s height , and with the centre mix the pole . "
Light.
What Mason is there who cannot remember or rather who can ever forget , the vague fears and apprehensions , the desire for light and knowled ge which prompted him to persevere , and the dread which stole into his heart and made his limbs shake as an ague fit ; the almost insuperable desire to run away
the various thoughts that rushed like whirlwinds through his mind ; in a word the chaotic confusion in which he was both mentally and bodily when on the eve of being admitted a member of our society . Nor was the joy greater , or the reaction more complete in his feelings than when order out
of chaos sprung . Am I not right , brethren ? did you not each one of you feel wiser and better men , and a serene joy and sense of security steal over you , to Avhich you had ever before been a stranger . E . B . W -=-( To be continued- )
Masonic Facts.
MASONIC FACTS .
( Continued from page 105 . ) 79 . The foundations of St . Mark ' s , Venice , were laid in the year 977 , built in the form of a Greet cross ( Eig . 15 ) , and completed in 1071 . It has five equal sized domes , and is extremely rich in gold mosaics . The building is supposed to be a copy of
St . Marks at Alexandria , pulled down in 829 . — Ferqusson ' s Architecture , vol . ii . 80 . The Church of St . Eront , at Perigeux in Aquitania , is likewise built in the form of a Greek cross ( Pig . 16 ) . It was erected at the commencement of the llth century , and is the only Greek
cross church with cupolas . 81 . The churches in the Western part of Europe are almost invariably built in the form of a Latin cross ( Eig . 25 ) ; in England there are some notable exceptions : the Cathedrals of Salisbury , York , BeverleyLincolnExeterEochesterand Worcester
, , , , are built in the form of a Patriarchal cross ( Eigs . 17 and IS , York and Salisbury ) . The Abbey of Clugny was the only example of this plan on the Continent .
82 . At Planes is a church built in the form of an equilateral triangle with an apse on each side ( Eig . 19 . ) St . Angilbert , the father of Nithard , constructed the Abbey of Centula , in the form of a triangle . The cloisters formed a trianp-le , ancl a church was erected at each angle . The number " three" shone on the altar , chandeliers and ciborium in each . One hundred monks were devoted to the service of each of these
churches , and thirty-three children formed the choir of each . —Lidron ' s Christian lenoyraplvy . S 3 . Many of the ancient churches , particularly the Basilicas of Constantine , St . Peter , A . D . 330 ( Eig . 20 ) , St . Paul , A . D . 386 , and Santa Maria Maggiore , A . D . 432 , were built very nearly in the form of
the Tau cross . The Church of Bellaigue in Auvergne , is erected on the same plan . 84 . The choir and transepts of Lincoln Cathedral , built betAveen 1189-1200 , from the designs of Ganfrido de Noieres ( Eig . 26 ) . Hitherto St . Hugh the Bishop , has had the credit of building this portion of the Cathedral . A year or two ago the Eev . J . E .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Light.
which made the night dismal flee like the shadows that every brig htening object seems to pursue ; thus it was with the old heathen religions , and under the Jewish dispensation ; they saAV darkly , as through a glass , the lig ht shined in darkness , and the darkness comprehended it not . Still we see that the Star of Promise ever continued to shed a ray of light
by which the good and pious were enabled to direct their goings through the intricate windings of their mortal life , and to prepare for the reception of that light which passeth the lig ht of day . The last words ¦ uttered by one of our most distinguished modern philosophers were" More light . " Davidin his 82 nd
, , Pslam , says " They ( the ungodly ) will not be learned nor understand , but walk on still in darkness . " In the beautiful Liturgy of the Church of England , the Srd Collect for Evening Prayer begins with " Lighten our darkness we beseech thee 0 Lord , " and to a reflective mind this little sentence contains volumes . St .
Paul , 2 Cor ., iv ., 6 , says , " God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness , hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the glory of God ; " till this li ght shines in the heart of man , he is in the same state as the unformed world was when " darkness was upon the face of the deep ; " but when the new creation
takes place , he rises , as the new earth did from the waters , by the spirit of God moving upon them . Let ns now consider light in another phase—Masonically . Light is a symbol of knowledge . May every nation strive incessantly for light , and especially for the light eternal ! When a society is assembled
anywhere to do good , they require an influential person to communicate the light of experience , to instruct them , and point out the way they should go , or bring light to them . This may be clone symbolically , by suddenly lighting up a dark room with torches . ( Gadieke . ) Darkness among Ereemasons is emblematical of ignorance ; for as our science was
anciently called lux or light , the absence of li ght must be the absence of knowledge ; the darkness which envelopes the mind of the uninitiated being removed b y the bright effulgence of Masonic li ght , Masons are appropriately called " the sons of light . " One of the first requests which the newly-initiated
is entitled to make is for li ght . " Darkness , " says Bro . A . G . Mackey , "is the symbol of initiation . " it is intended to remind the candidate of his ignorance , which Masonry is to enlighten ; of his evil nature , which Masonry is to purify ; of the world in Avhose obscuri-3 ' - he has been wandering , and from which
Masonry is to rescue him . Light , on the other hand , is the symbol of the autopsy , the sight of the mysteries , the intrusting , the full fruition of Masonic truth and knoAvledge . The entrance of a man into Masonry has aptly been likened to the entrance of all men upon this our mortal career on earth ; hut thisI
, think , is not all that it symbolizes ; does it not equally well represent the creation of the Avorld ? When buried in the deep chaotic darkness , to human eyes all was one vast blank , a mist of darkness , where the all-seeing eye of God above could penetrate , when , as Milton
says" On heavenly ground they stood , and from the shore , They viewed the vast immeasurable abyss , Outrageous as a sea , dark , wasteful , wild , Up from the bottom turned by furious Avinds And surging waves , as mountains to assault Heaven ' s height , and with the centre mix the pole . "
Light.
What Mason is there who cannot remember or rather who can ever forget , the vague fears and apprehensions , the desire for light and knowled ge which prompted him to persevere , and the dread which stole into his heart and made his limbs shake as an ague fit ; the almost insuperable desire to run away
the various thoughts that rushed like whirlwinds through his mind ; in a word the chaotic confusion in which he was both mentally and bodily when on the eve of being admitted a member of our society . Nor was the joy greater , or the reaction more complete in his feelings than when order out
of chaos sprung . Am I not right , brethren ? did you not each one of you feel wiser and better men , and a serene joy and sense of security steal over you , to Avhich you had ever before been a stranger . E . B . W -=-( To be continued- )
Masonic Facts.
MASONIC FACTS .
( Continued from page 105 . ) 79 . The foundations of St . Mark ' s , Venice , were laid in the year 977 , built in the form of a Greet cross ( Eig . 15 ) , and completed in 1071 . It has five equal sized domes , and is extremely rich in gold mosaics . The building is supposed to be a copy of
St . Marks at Alexandria , pulled down in 829 . — Ferqusson ' s Architecture , vol . ii . 80 . The Church of St . Eront , at Perigeux in Aquitania , is likewise built in the form of a Greek cross ( Pig . 16 ) . It was erected at the commencement of the llth century , and is the only Greek
cross church with cupolas . 81 . The churches in the Western part of Europe are almost invariably built in the form of a Latin cross ( Eig . 25 ) ; in England there are some notable exceptions : the Cathedrals of Salisbury , York , BeverleyLincolnExeterEochesterand Worcester
, , , , are built in the form of a Patriarchal cross ( Eigs . 17 and IS , York and Salisbury ) . The Abbey of Clugny was the only example of this plan on the Continent .
82 . At Planes is a church built in the form of an equilateral triangle with an apse on each side ( Eig . 19 . ) St . Angilbert , the father of Nithard , constructed the Abbey of Centula , in the form of a triangle . The cloisters formed a trianp-le , ancl a church was erected at each angle . The number " three" shone on the altar , chandeliers and ciborium in each . One hundred monks were devoted to the service of each of these
churches , and thirty-three children formed the choir of each . —Lidron ' s Christian lenoyraplvy . S 3 . Many of the ancient churches , particularly the Basilicas of Constantine , St . Peter , A . D . 330 ( Eig . 20 ) , St . Paul , A . D . 386 , and Santa Maria Maggiore , A . D . 432 , were built very nearly in the form of
the Tau cross . The Church of Bellaigue in Auvergne , is erected on the same plan . 84 . The choir and transepts of Lincoln Cathedral , built betAveen 1189-1200 , from the designs of Ganfrido de Noieres ( Eig . 26 ) . Hitherto St . Hugh the Bishop , has had the credit of building this portion of the Cathedral . A year or two ago the Eev . J . E .