Provincial.

piness , unity , and concord for the whole human family scattered over the face of the habitable globe . Yet the chief excellency of Freemasonry to myself is its truly Scriptural basis . It brings all its matters and all its members to the word of God ; around that word all its teachings centre , and from that source all its unity and brotherhood emanate . As Fellow Crafts are proved upon the square , so are all Master Masons upon the compass . We all know the purposes for which Masons use a

compassviz ., to describe a circle around " a given point , called the centre , from which every part of the circumference is equally distant . " This centre being " that point from which no Master Mason can err . " In your very first lesson are you not taught to walk with marked and certain steps to the word of God , as being the spiritual trestle board on which the Master draws his plans , and on which the square and tbe compass always rest ? Do

not all our tracing board lessons too bring before us the glorious attributes of the great Supreme ? Are they not also illustrative of the trials , the constancy , and devotedness of the servants of the Most High , " who suffered death rather than betray their sacred trust ? " Brethren in the sacred volume , and in it aione , a true and unerring light shines . The Bible , and the Bible alone , is the Freemasons' chart ; therefore , in the Bible , and in it alonedoes he see liht . Hence be knows and feels

, g the Truth of the Psalmist ' s words , " Iu thy light shall we see light . " Bereft of this light , whither can we flee ? How can ¦ we safely walk amid much that is uncertain and vain ? Every step in life without it will be one of doubt and danger , and we shall be " without hope , and without God in the World . " Without this light , using words that some present may remember , — " We could not pass without trembling through those gloomy mansions of the deadwe could not hope that judgment would

, be pronounced in our favour , and that we should receive our reward in the possession of an immortal inheritance , where joy flows in . one continued stream , and no mound can check its course . " We could not hope that " the Grand Master of tbe whole universe would bid us enter into his celestial lodge , where peace , order , and harmony shall eternally reign . " Masonry thus establishing itself upon Christ the Bock of Ages , and upon the Word of Truth , and having in consequence

been blessed and upheld from a period more remote than any ¦ other earthly institution , and having been the means of diffusing blessings untold over every habitable region , it can create no surprise if the great enemy of divine truth , working in the children of disobedience , should attack us in our strongholds , and thus strive to take us by assault , and mar our work and mission of establishing peace and truth amongst men . Some of our brethren may have seen , while most must have heard ,

something of the great efforts made to effect an extensive sale amongst us of a book recently published , entitled " The Ignorant Learned ; or , Researches after the Long Lost Mysteries of Freemasonry . " The author , feeling perchance his inability to break that strong and firm bond that binds us to the word of God , strives to falsify and throw discredit upon certain parts of the word itself , and by this means to destroy the grand plan of man ' s redemption ancl restoration to tbe divine image and

Vike-. ness , which has been given to us by God Himself , and in effecting this his purjiose he brings forward no new matter ; he states nothing but what has before been stated by infidel writers . He appears to take his arrows from the quiver of Voltaire , of Paine , or of others like them , as each in turn may suit his purpose , aud shoots them at random . Brethren , let us all show this rash author that his shafts have fallen harmlessly at our feet , and whether his motive be to sow in our lodges the seeds

of infidelity , or to enrich himself by publishing a very small hook indeed , under a very false and fictitious title , at the comparatively large price of As . —in either case let us disappoint him by allowing him to keep his book unpurchased , unopened , and unread . There has also been published and circulated amongst the brethren another book of a kindred spirit , and character ; to this I need no more than allude , aud ask you affectionately as brethren in Christ , "from all such turn away . " If

the author of the former book have really been initiated , sad indeed is the use that he has made of his instruction ; the latter not being a brother , must be writing about what he is ignorant . 'Brethren , I rejoice at the opportunity thus publicly given me of stating that , whilst many of our brethren with whom I 'have held converse , have been ready to confess that they never studied God ' s word aright , and with real spiritual advantage , -until its beauties were symbolised and revealed to them in Masonry ; yet never have I met with a properly initiated brother

who was sceptical as to the divine origin of that word , or doubtful of its power to save . In my reading I recently met with what commended itself to me as being a beautiful and correct description of a sincere and true Mason . It began by asking the question— " Do you desire to see an humble learner in Masonry ? " It gave the answer as follows : — " Go to the closet of a man known among you as a teachera lectureror a writerand if he is what fame reports

, , , him , an enlightened Mason , see him devoting more days to Masonic study than you , who know so little , give minutes . See him draw from every source the light , and spreading his hands upward for more light . See him devote both time . and trouble , securing books , and then believe me , the man who has acquired the greatest amount of lig ht is he who is most desirous of more . And as he lives on day by day , and year by year , when the he feels that he has

closing scene is about to encircle him , only just entered on that vast fund of light which he is about to quit below , for the perfect light which shines above—that pure and glorious light which is the haven and looked-for home of the true Masonic student . " Such is Masonry , and a student therein such as is here described , remembering the words of the text , " In thy light shall we see liht" does not separate particular of lihtand

g , any ray g , give to it a fanciful application , but remembering that true light consists in the proper reception of every ray , he gives to every Truth of that word its due attention and proper proportion ; and blending the whole together he sees this grand Truth revealed to his enraptured vision as by a sunbeam , " that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself , not imputing their trespasses unto them . " He beholds the cross and Him that hangs thereon .

" He looks to this symbol of mercy and grace , A government sighing for a perishing race , He touches , and quickly its virtue is such That his fresh bleeding wounds are healed by a touch . " Again , whilst the world is slow to admit that we bring every Masonic light to the test of the mirror of God ' s wordin too many instances , it regards our festivals as opportunities

for excess—and our lodge meetings as periods for self-indulgence . Whilst , then , every other society or order of men in our land —the members of our Government , and the very Church itself , have alike their periodical gatherings and their festive days—Masonry alone is to be prohibited , or to have motives imputed to it , as foreign to its purposes , as to the desires of its members . Brethren , if we have been in this matter " wounded with

the wound of an enemy , "—let us see to it that it be not " for the multitude of our iniquities , and because our sins were increased . "—( Jer . 30 v . 14 ) . And let us deal very faithfully with ourselves , and each ask if lie have never felt that in himself , or others , after the hours allotted to labour , aud during the period allowed for refreshment , instances of inconsistency in manner and conversation have occurred , such as might give rise to the supposition that something more than what nature really required had been partaken of ? And has the time

proper for refreshment never been prolonged to an unreasonably and unusually late hour ? If any can call to remembrance instances of this kind , others must almost have thus been provided with an opportunity of speaking evil of that Order , whose rules and customs such erring brethren have been professing to carry out . Families , too , must bear witness to every such inconsistency , and mourn over the neglect of such domestic duties and obligations as Masonry is especially

calculated to establish and perpetuate . Yet I ask is Masonry itself to be blamed for this ? Are its pure and enlightened principles to be called in question in consequence of the irregular practices of some of its erring members ? No , brethren !—Let men ever remember , that individuals may wear the badges of our Order , and joining in our prayers may exclaim , " So must it be ; " yet without they imbibe the spirit and power of Masonry they no more belong to those truly united in tbe

mystic tie than the false , noisy , ignoble professor in any Church , belongs to such as will constitute the members of the Church triumphant above . Let ns then remember -when " called , from labour to refreshment , and from refreshment to labour "—that the world without , also our own families , and friends , will look to us as a body of men of high moral and Christian professions , for an ensample and , v / hen at the festive board , especially let us call to remem « brance these words— "in thy light shall we see light" —and let a