Biblical Content and/or Christian Interpretation II: Monitorial

Here you note the existence of racism within the lodge and that you are doing something about it. Then you complain that I note that fact and look forward to the status of your efforts.

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And the main reason we do so is, you are being totally facetious in your approach to the comments that have been made. The general argument you have tried to make from the outset was in regard to racism which you try to claim is institutionalized in Masonry. We have disputed that claim, while at the same time, have been honest in acknowledging that racism may still be found there, only not in any institutionalized form. That means simply that there are individuals who, being the exception rather than the rule, still have racist opinions.

Your error is, you try to take what we acknowledge on an individual level and apply it as though we had somehow acknowledged an across-the-board racist stance within the institution. The response to individualized racism is the same in the lodge as anywhere else. You yourself have described it on a level of "making sure it doesn't exist within our hearing, seeing and gathering." This I do, no matter what the setting, church, lodge, or anywhere else.

An example occurred just this past Sunday, when I was in casual conversation with a couple of church members after the service. One of the men made a comment involving typical stereotyping, which to an African-American could not be taken as anything but racist, although I'm sure neither of them considered it as such. As both of them laughed at the comment, I did not respond in any manner at all. Then, making sure they both saw I wasn't laughing, and giving just enough pause for effect when they both stopped, I abruptly turned and walked away without a word. I'm sure they got the point, and will not do that again when I am present.

Now, I respectfully request that this discussion be taken to the thread recently created for that purpose, and let's try to return this thread to its topic.

It is proper here to observe that the words Charity and Love are used indiscriminately in the authorised English version of the Bible to translate the same for obvious reasons the former word is never used where love to God alone is spoken of, being used, however, as in the thirteenth chapter of the First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, and in the text last quoted, where both love to God and love to man are included in the application of the term. This last quoted text, " Now, the end of the commandment is charity," &c., shows unmistakably the great importance of this grace as the very fruit and forthcoming of the life of faith. To the same effect is the language of the apostle in the First Epistle to the Corinthians. " Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing " (1 Cor. xiii. 1—3). And concerning the relation of the grace of charity to the grace of faith, we have clear evidence in the argument used by the same apostle, in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians, when—exhorting them to abound in this grace, and to display it in contributing liberally for the relief of the poor saints: "Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us; see that ye abound in this grace also"—he thus enforces his exhortation, and suggests a reason and motive for compliance with it, " For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich" (2 Cor. viii. 9). Liberality, proceeding from this motive, must, indeed, be esteemed as proceeding from true charity : it is the fruit of faith working by love. That the law of charity, " thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," includes all our relative duties, and is the sum of all the commandments of the second table of the law, is strongly asserted by the Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans. " Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" (Rom. xiii. 8-10). And so the Apostle James also says, "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well" (James ii. 8). And, indeed, it needs but a little reflection to see that the law stated by these apostles—"the royal law,1' as the Apostle James calls it—requires for its fulfilment the obedience of every commandment of the second table of the Decalogue. How can he who loves his neighbour as himself commit murder, or even entertain the thought of murder, or a desire that his neighbour's life may be cut off ? how can he fail to seek rather the prolongation of his neighbour's life, as he would seek the prolongation of his own, by warning him of danger, if he perceives him to be in danger, by helping him if it is in his power to help him in distress, ministering to his relief in sickness, supplying his wants when he is destitute of food or clothing or fuel or shelter, and the like? Again, how can he who loves his neighbour as himself, commit adultery with his neighbour's wife, or seduce his neighbour's daughter? The " royal law," the law of love forbids it. The adulterer or the seducer of virgin innocence does grievous wrong to more than one person; he inflicts irreparable injury on the victim of his arts, the partner of his guilt; irreparable injury on the husband, the father, the children, on every member of the family, whose sanctuary of domestic love and peace he invades and pollutes ; irreparable injury on the offspring of his own licentious intercourse, brought into the world to endure the shame of bastardy and to grow up without proper parental care; he inflicts injury on society which increases with the lapse of years as the consequences of his transgression become more developed and extended. " Thou shalt not steal," says the divine commandment, and this is also evidently included in the law of love, for every act of theft or robbery, forgery, swindling, or any kind of dishonesty, is an injury done to some person or persons, who are deprived of their property, and lose the beneficial use and enjoyment of it. " Thou shalt not bear false witness" is equally included in the great commandment of love or charity; whether by false witnessing, by falsehood uttered in any form or in any way, a neighbour is injured in his property, his reputation, or his feelings. But the apostle extends the law of love even to the thoughts and desires of the heart. He includes in it that last commandment of the Decalogue, " Thou shalt not covet." This also our reason is constrained, on a very little reflection, to accept as a just interpretation of the great law. For the coveting or lusting of the heart tends to the commission of the sins forbidden in the other commandments, and if not restrained and checked, leads to it. And as the Tenth Commandment itself shows us that the law of God respects not outward actions merely, but also inward feelings, desires, and purposes ; so does it serve the more clearly to show that the whole law is summed up and fulfilled in love, in the fulfilment of that great commandment which first takes hold of the heart, and by bringing it into subjection to the will of God, and so into happy accordance with that holy will, provides for the more easy and perfect obedience of all the commandments. A great mistake is made by many concerning the meaning of the law, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." It is regarded as merely requiring that a man should love his neighbour, and as excluding or prohibiting all self-love. Now it really prohibits not self-love, but selfishness. Selfishness is opposed to that love of our neighbour which it requires, but self-love is not. Indeed, it seems strange that any—or, at least, that many—should have fallen into the mistake just mentioned. It shows that the very words of the commandment have not been considered with due attention. Yet we not only hear it in conversation, perhaps sometimes in sermons, but we have read religious books containing it in the most extreme form. . 13ut let us look at the words of the commandment. " Thou slialt lovethy neighbour as thyself." It is not, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thyself; nor, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and shalt not love thyself; but, " Thou slmlt love thy neighbour as thyself." It takes for granted that a man is to love himself, and makes this the very measure of the love of his neighbour which it requires, the standard by which it is to be tried. The law of God is in nothing contrary to the principles of our nature, those that essentially belong to the very constitution which He has given us; and one of these principles unquestionably is self-love—in other words that a man shall desire and seek his own good, his own happiness. It is from this principle that he seeks to escape from danger, to avoid or avert calamity, to guard against disease or to use means for the cure of it, to provide food and raiment and all things needful for the comfort of life, to improve his worldly circumstances and add to his own means of procuring comfort and enjoyment. And there is nothing sinful in all this; there is nothing that has been here mentioned which will not he found to receive sanction and approval in the Word of God, most of the things to which self-love is here described as prompting being indeed directly enjoined in the Holy Scriptures. Self-love, it is true, has largely partaken of that corruption which, since the Full, has affected the whole nature of man; and it is liable to turn into selfishness, a seeking of our own good alone, without regard to that of others, and even at the expense of theirs. The very purpose of the commandment, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," is to restore it to its pristine character, to bring back its original excellence, and this by conjoining with it the love of our neighbour, whose good we are required to seek even as we seek our own. [/font]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']In further prosecution of this subject, let us consider for a little the teaching of our Lord himself, and that of His apostles; then let us turn to the Old Testament, of which we shall find that the teachings perfectly agree with those of the New—for as the New Testament contains not a new system of religious doctrine, but a fuller development of the doctrinal system of the Old, so the practical religion taught in the New Testament is essentially the same with that of the Old. The texts and passages of Scripture which have already been quoted and commented upon in this chapter, will of course not be noticed again, nor those adduced in former chapters, as in that on the Five Points, in which that important part of the subject of charity, the relief of the Distressed, has already been fully considered. Nor is it necessary here to say anything of that connecting link between the Old and New Testaments, the ministry of John the Baptist; his teachings and the lessons to be learned from his conduct having been already considered in the chapter on The Point within a Circle. But far more remains than we can attempt to show ; all we can propose to do, is to adduce a few examples. In the Sermon on the Mount, we read these words of our Lord: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy " (Matt. v. 7). By "the merciful" here, those are evidently meant who show kindness to their fellow-men, and especially show themselves ready to reward evil with good, and to do acts of kindness even to those who have wronged them, to relieve them when in distress, and to forgive them the wrongs which they have done. And what is this but charity; charity it may be said in one of the highest degrees, and rarest manifestations? It is a heavenly disposition, imparted by divine grace, and infused into the soul. "They shall obtain mercy." The promise is a great one; but how sure it is of fulfilment we may infer, not only from considering by whom it was made, but also from consideration of the whole scheme of Christian doctrine. Those whose state of heart and manner of conduct this term " the merciful" describes, are, indeed, already the children of God. They have obtained mercy, and they are warranted in looking forward with confidence of hope that they shall obtain mercy in the great day. In beautiful accordance with that beatitude, " Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy," is the fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors " (Matt . vi. 12). From this we learn that the frame of mind which befits an approach to the throne of grace, and in which alone the sinner can look for acceptance and that his prayer for pardon shall be heard, is that of the merciful, forgiving from the heart those who have trespassed against him. Concerning which our Lord presently added these words:—"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you; But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive your trespasses" (Matt, vi. 14, 15).

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Our Lord's coming into this world, making Himself of no reputation, and enduring the utmost penalty due to us for our sins, was a display of love far exceeding all mere human love; and His whole life upon the earth was one continuous display of true, pure, human charity or love. We see divine love to men in all His labours and all His sufferings; but not the less do we see in them, and it is important that we should observe this, the manifestation of human love, the love that dwelt in the heart of the man Christ Jesus. Love, or charity, the most perfect and tender, was breathed forth in all His discourses; He does not merely inculcate it, but admirably exemplifies it. His love to men appears in His miracles; they were not merely attestations of His divine mission and so of His divine nature, of His right to be honoured as the Christ, the Son of God, equal with the Father; but they also displayed the tenderness of His human heart, His compassion for distress of every kind. How admirable that fact recorded in the narrative of the resurrection of Lazarus,—" Jesus wept! " (John xi . 35:8 ) also that which very soon follows:—"Jesus, therefore again groaning in Himself, cometh to the grave" (John xi. 38). Instances of this kind might easily be multiplied, but it is unnecessary. The same grace in its highest perfection appears in many other recorded incidents of the life of our Saviour, as well as in His miracles. What tenderness of charity appears in his treatment of the woman " which was a sinner," in the house of Simon the Pharisee I (Luke vii. 37-50.) Nor can anything be imagined more wonderful, or in its relation to the law of charity more instructive, than His conduct towards His disciples, when the time of His betrayal and crucifixion drew near, and He knew that they would forsake him and flee—that one of them would deny Him; yet He showed them not only undiminished kindness, but even, if possible, kindness and love exceeding all that He had showed them before, addressing to them many words of comfort and encouragement, that their faith might not fail them altogether.
But this subject is inexhaustible. As to the teaching of our Lord, it must suffice to quote the following sentences :—"But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful " (Luke vi. 27-36). How
well would it be for mankind, if that golden rule were universally observed, which is so briefly and tersely expressed in these words of our Lord, "As YE WOULD THAT MEN SHOULD DO TO YOU, DO YE ALSO TO THEM LIKEWISE ! '' ' May it be written in our hearts ! May we be enabled to practise it in our lives!
In the twelfth chapter of the Epistle of Paul to the Romans, we find these among many other precepts concerning the duties of a godly life. "He that giveth; let him do it with simplicity." "Let love be without dissimulation." "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another. . . . Distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality." "Bless them which persecute you; bless, and curse not. Rejoice with
them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep." "Recompense to no man evil for evil." "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink, for in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good " (Rom. xii. 8-21). The writings of the Apostle are full of the inculcation and commendation of charity. The thirteenth chapter of his First Epistle to the Corinthians, which is entirely devoted to this subject, has already been referred to. Our space does not admit of our going on to quote, as we might do, text after text and passage after passage from St Paul's Epistles and from those of the other apostles, all of which are full of precepts and exhortations on the subject of charity. And we can only, in conclusion, very briefly refer to the Old Testament, adducing two or three passages to show that its teaching on this subject perfectly accords with that of the New. The following precepts of the Mosaic law exhibit very beautifully the great principle of charity upon which it is founded, and by which it is pervaded, and they are but a few out of many which might be quoted. " Thou shall neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Ex. xxii. 21). " Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child" (Ex. xxii. 22). " If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury " (Ex. xxii. 25). " If thou at all take thy neighbour's garment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: for that is his covering only; it is his raiment for his skin;
wherein shall he sleep ? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious " (Ex. xxii. 26-27). " If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him." (Ex. xxiii. 4, 5). "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him" (Lev. xix. 17). "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people; but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LOBD" (Lev. xix. 18). "And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee, then thou shalt relieve him, yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner: that he may live with thee. Take no usury of him, or increase, but fear thy God: that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase" (Lev. xxv. 35-37).—"And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee, thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bond-servant: but as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, shall he be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubilee: and then he shall depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. . . . Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour, but shalt fear thy God " (Lev. xxv. 39-13). " If there be amdng you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates, in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother; but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not such a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought, and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand mide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in the land" (Deut. xv. 7-11). "And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years, then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go anay empty: Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and. out of thy wine-press: of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee thon shalt give unto him. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to-day" (Dent. xv. 12-15).
A glance at the number of the quotations which have been made, will suffice to show that the law of Moses abounds in precepts replete with charity, and requiring of the people the constant practice of it in all the relations of life. And it is impossible to read them without being filled with admiration. What code of laws, of any nation, is to be compared with this ? Never did any mere human legislation make such provision for the poor and needy, for " the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow." The tender care manifested for them attests the divine origin of the law; which is further manifested in the adaptation of the whole law to the purpose of cultivating and cherishing sentiments of charity in the hearts of the people, a purpose such as no code of laws of man's devising was ever framed for. Nay, the law bears, if possible, even yet more fully the character of divine, in its requiring charity in the heart, and not merely laying down rules for outward conduct. Human legislation never attempted this; and the attempt would bo ridiculous. But it is a beautiful and admirable feature--a peculiar and distinguishing excellency—in a law given by God, enforced by continual reference to His authority, "I, the LORD thy God, command thee." In like manner it is a peculiar and beautiful characteristic of this law, manifestly appropriate to it as a divine law, and such as indeed could not belong to any law not divine, that ite precepts are enforced by reasons annexed ; arguments and motives for a willing cheerful obedience. Thus the people are reminded that they were strangers and bondmen in the land of Egypt, and they are taught that therefore they are to be kind to strangers and not to oppress their servants. We might quote a multitude of other texts and passages concerning charity from the Old Testament, especially from the Book of Psalms and the books of the prophets. We must refrain from doing so, and have thought it best to exhibit its teaching on this subject from the books of Moses, on which the whole system of religion developed by the Jewish prophets and psalmists was founded. And these, we see, correspond exactly with the New Testament in their teaching as to this most important point of religion. (Chalmers Izett Paton, Freemasonry, its Symbolism, Religious Nature 428-43)

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MASONIC SYMBOLS.—THE COFFIN AND THE GRAVE.
A COFFIN beside an open grave, is a Masonic symbol, which, it hardly needs to be said, is intended to remind us of the certainty of death, that we may so number our days as to apply our hearts unto wisdom. But on the coffin-lid is a star, the emblem of divinity, calling us to remember that all things—even life and death—are under the control of Him in whom we live, and move, and have our being— calling us also to think of our brother whose coffin we may be supposed to see there before us, as indissolubly united to Him who is the Life of the World, and who saith of Himself, "l am the Resurrection and the Life." Over the coffin also extend the branches of an acacia—evergreen, the emblem of immortality—which grows at the head of the grave; and this teaches us to raise our thoughts above the present state of things and all their gloom, to that better world in which there is no death, anticipating with joy the sound of the last trumpet, at which they that are in their graves shall come forth. " I know," says Job, " that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms shall destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and not another, though my rems be consumed within me" (Job xix. 25-27). "Behold I show you a mystery," says the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians; " we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For tins corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory " (1 Cor. xv. 51-54). "For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again," says the same apostle in his First Epistle to the Thessalonians, "even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you through the Word of the Lord, that we [those of us] which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent [go before] them which arc asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we [those of us] which are alive, and remain, shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and the dead in Christ shall rise first [and, first the dead in Christ shall rise]: then we [those of us] which are alive, and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. iv. 14-17). Thus should our hopes be raised, even in view of the coflin and the grave, the sad emblems of mortality, to the glory of the heavenly kingdom and the blessedness of everlasting life. All this is contrary to natural expectation: the ouly sure hope is founded on revelation and the promise of God. The natural feeling and the good hope which is through grace arc both beautifully expressed in the following passage of the book of Job :— " There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. But man dieth, and wasteth away ; yea, man giveth np the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up; so man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. Oh that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me ! If a man die, shall be live again ? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer Thee: Thou wilt have a desire to the work of Thine hands" (Job xiv. 7-15). For the encouragement of our souls in hope, let us call to mind the words of our Lord to the sister of Lazarus. "Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died; but I know that, even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection and the Life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die" (John XL. 21-26). The evergreen acacia spreading over the grave suggests the thought of immortality: the star upon the coffin-lid directs our thoughts to Him who is the Resurrection and the Life, the Bright and Morning Star. (Chalmers Izett Paton, Freemasonry, its Symbolism, Religious Nature, and Law of Perfection, p. 380-82)

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"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them' which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we [those of us, i.e., believers] which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first [i.e., first, the dead in Christ shall rise], Then we [those of us, believers,] which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air : and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. iv. 13-17). "There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars ; for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead; it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. . . . And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. . . . Behold, I show you a mystery ; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; (for
the trumpet shall sound); and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ " (1 Cor. xv. 41-57). One other text must still be quoted with respect to this subject of our blessed hope of a resurrection from the dead. "For our conversation is in heaven," says the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Philippians, " from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ : Who shall change our vile body, and make it like unto his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able to subdue all things unto himself" (Phil. iii. 20, 21). And as to the joy and glory of heaven, one quotation of a few verses from the Book of Revelation may suffice, although it would be easy to quote much more from the same and other parts of Scripture to similar purpose." And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there: and they need no candle, neither light of the sun: for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. xxii. 1-5). But language is incapable of conveying to the mind of man a perfect idea of the glory that shall be revealed in us; and we are compelled to conclude in an expectation of something too good and blissful and glorious to be fully understood. Paul speaks of himself as "having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better" (Phil. i. 23). (Freemasonry: Its Symbolism, Chalmers Izett Paton, p. 427)

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The great law of charity is expressed in the words of our Lord, when one asked Him, "Which is the great commandment in the law ?" (Matt. xxii. 36), a question founded on a prevalent notion of the Jews, — a notion which implies an utter misapprehension of the nature of the divine law, and a fatal error as to the very first principles of religion — that there was some one of God's commandments, if they could but discover which it was, the observance of which was more regarded by God than that of any or all the rest, and would compensate for much neglect or transgression of them." Jesus said unto him, THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets " (Matt. xxii. 37-40). Thus He taught, in fact, that these two commandments are, as it is expressed in the Westminster Assembly's Shorter Catechism, " the sum of the moral law." And it is easy to see that the observance of them implies an observance of every commandment. The man who loves God cannot but desire to keep, and delight in keeping, His commandments; in which are included all our duties towards our fellow men and towards ourselves, as well as our duties towards God, the duties of faith, piety, and worship; so that the second of the two great commandments evidently depends upon the first, and may almost be regarded as included in it, certainly at least flowing from it of necessary consequence. With this view of the nature of charity, its connection with faith, and its relation to all the duties enjoined by the divine law, accord the words of the Apostle John —"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God " (1 John iv. 7); "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments " (1 John v. 3) ; and those of the Apostle Paul, "But as touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another" (1 Thess. iv. 9); "Now, the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned " (1 Tim. i. 5). It is proper here to observe that the words Charity and Love are used indiscriminately in the authorised English version of the Bible to translate the same Greek word, and are therefore to be looked upon as perfectly synonymous, although for obvious reasons the former word is never used where love to God alone is spoken of, being used, however, as in the thirteenth chapter of the First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, and in the text last quoted, where both love to God and love to man are included in the application of the term. This last quoted text," Now, the end of the commandment is charity," & c., shows unmistakably the great importance of this grace as the very fruit and forthcoming of the life of faith. To the same effect is the language of the apostle in the First Epistle to the Corinthians. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing " (1 Cor. xiii. 1—3). And concerning the relation of the grace of charity to the grace of faith, we have clear evidence in the argument used by the same apostle, in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians, when — exhorting them to abound in this grace, and to display it in contributing liberally for the relief of the poor saints: "Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us; see that ye abound in this grace also" — he thus enforces his exhortation, and suggests a reason and motive for compliance with it, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich" (2 Cor. viii. 9). Liberality, proceeding from this motive, must, indeed, be esteemed as proceeding from true charity: it is the fruit of faith working by love. That the law of charity, "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," includes all our relative duties, and is the sum of all the commandments of the second table of the law, is strongly asserted by the Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans. "Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" (Rom. xiii. 8-10). And so the Apostle James also says, "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well" (James ii. 8). And, indeed, it needs but a little reflection to see that the law stated by these apostles — "the royal law," as the Apostle James calls it — requires for its fulfilment the obedience of every commandment of the second table of the Decalogue. How can he who loves his neighbour as himself commit murder, or even entertain the thought of murder, or a desire that his neighbour's life may be cut off? how can he fail to seek rather the prolongation of his neighbour's life, as he would seek the prolongation of his own, by warning him of danger, if he perceives him to be in danger, by helping him if it is in his power to help him in distress, ministering to his relief in sickness, supplying his wants when he is destitute of food or clothing or fuel or shelter, and the like? Again, how can he who loves his neighbour as himself, commit adultery with his neighbour's wife, or seduce his neighbour's daughter? The "royal law," the law of love forbids it. (Chalmers Izett Paton, “Masonic Symbols: Charity,” Freemasonry: Its Symbolism, Religious Nature, and Law of Perfection, P. 432-33)

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There is nothing in the principles or Landmarks of Freemasonry to prevent the brotherly intercourse of those who hold different creeds, the first principles of religious truth already mentioned being acknowledged. On the contrary, they are bound to regard each other with brotherly kindness; and in the Lodge — to prevent disputes, dissensions, and alienations of feeling — all discussion of their questions of difference is forbidden. We place the Bible on the Altar as the Great Light of Freemasonry, we carry the Bible in our processions, we read the Bible in our meetings, we offer prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But Jews, who are members of our Order and of our Lodges, object to these things, or to some of them, and their conscientious scruples deserve and receive our regard. When Jews are initiated, they are generally sworn on the Old Testament alone, and Mahommedans are sworn on the Koran, — in fact, every one on the Book which he himself receives as that of the Law of God. There is nothing in the Landmarks to hinder Jews, if Jews exclusively form a whole Lodge, from having the Old Testament alone set before them as the Great Light; nothing to hinder Mahommedans from giving the same place to the Koran, they acknowledging it as the revelation of the mind of God. Meanwhile, it is, however, indisputable that as Freemasonry has for a long time been chiefly cultivated amongst Christians, it has received, in a great degree, a Christian character; and in nothing is this more marked than in its Symbolism. To expound many of the symbols of Modern Freemasonry otherwise than according to Christian beliefs, would be utterly impossible. In the part of this work devoted to them, we have endeavoured to explain them as we find them; but this implied frequent reference to the Bible — to the New Testament as well to the Old — and frequent introduction of the distinguishing doctrines of Christianity. It may be possible for men of other religions to elaborate a similar system for themselves; but as yet it has not been done, and only the symbols framed by Jewish and Christian Masons are in use in the Fraternity. (Chalmers Izett Paton, Freemasonry: Its Symbolism, p. 449-50)

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I go away for a few days,

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Your proprietary stance, though duly noted, means nothing on a forum which you neither own nor administrate, so you can get used to it, whether you are here or elsewhere. If it makes you unhappy, you could always go away again.

and this anti-Christ/Mason

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I am a Christian, same as you. If being Christian makes one an anti-Christ, point at your mirror.

posts an interpretation from an unpopular author, Chalmers Izett Paton

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Unpopular to YOU, maybe, because you don't like it that he's Christian and interprets Masonry the same. Could you please elaborate for us, exactly where you come across that assessment of Paton? I've never seen any such thing stated, or even implied, about him.

which like most of what he's posted before now, is neither monitorial (as the title of this thread implies),

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As I already pointed out, this thread was opened as a sister thread to the one which bears the same name, but without "monitorial" in the title, as a courtesy to Mr. Sampson. After it was titled, it occurred to me that "monitorial" was too restrictive, because in the past, I have never really given consent to the double-standard insistences of you or Mr. Sampson in the first place. Thus it was, that the premise upon which the thread was opened, was altered very early on in the process of posting here, to include any and all materials considered as bearing a bit more weight of authority by its having been published, sanctioned, approved, or endorsed, tacitly or otherwise, by a Grand Lodge.

Mr. Sampson began raising objections even after that, and so my response to his ungracious reception of this courtesy was, I went and found where both you and he had given assent to the authority of the Short Talk Bulletiins published by the MSA, and included those as well.

Mr. Sampson having shown his further ungracious nature by taking this thread off-topic with continued yammering about racism--despite his having created a thread for that very subject--I took his attitude as one of incorrigibility. From this point forward, I will adopt the same standards as Mr. Sampson when it comes to posting material, which at this point I perceive to be "anything goes." Therefore, any additional stipulations which I have heretofore stated for this thread which did not already apply to its parent thread, kare hereby revoked, and no longer in effect. If that doesn't suit you, then YOU go dig thru the archives to find where the other one went, and resurrect THAT one, and I will be glad to post these same things to it instead. To me, it seemed too much trouble to go to when this one was already front page and active on the thread list.

nor is it the prevailing Masonic view of 21st century Freemasonry.

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Y'all already tried that, remember? The last time you started yammering about dates was in regards to a series of Short Talk Bulletin citations I posted. In response to your challenge, I posted the same quotes again with dates, and proved to you that every single one of them was recent. It doesn't really matter to me about dates, nor does it matter to me when you start into your tirade about "21st Century Masonry," because neither you nor Skip Sampson hold yourselves to that standard either. Nor will I be dictated to when it comes to "monitorial," because neither of you hold to that standard either. That is a false and double standard that the two of you have used for years, while citing from sources yourselves which do not match the standards you insist upon.

It's high time someone called you on it and began ignoring your whining and whimpering about what gets posted, and I have. Get over it already, and just accept that no one buys your inconsistent and hypocritical stance any more.

You really go out on a limb, Mike, with your "21st century" comment. With the lone exceptions of the Ahiman Rezon which Skip has quoted here, and the NC Code which was the subject of one your sidetracks, I can't think of a single instance where you or Skip either one adheres to "21st century" materials.

Your standards were false enough when you were posting one thing and demanding another, you really don't gain any points by putting the standards even FARTHER beyond your own inclinations.

As for "prevailing," I wouldn't know on that point. All I know is, there sure seems to be a whole SLEW of this stuff once you start looking. And it is THAT fact, I suspect, which has caused your ill-will to flare, more than anything else, since the main thing you or Skip either one has done since those threads began, is try to derail them. Apparently you both have seen the abundance of it that can be foundevery place in Masonry you care to look, and simply do not wish the reading public here to be made aware of it, since the sheer volume of it alone calls you guys and your entire system into question.

he has made it his life's work to deceive the public on these forums into thinking that Freemasonry is Christian

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I have not once on this thread made any such claim. You really need to go away for a few more days, weeks even, for you are clearly delusional and need the time away.

And you are not even privy to my "life's work," for my life's work is my calling to ministry, and that is where my primary focus and energy remain.

What does this say about his character as a person, and his credibility as a pastor?

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It says a lot more about your own LACK of character OR credibility, than anything else.

It may be his heartfelt interpretation of Freemasonry, and the interpretation of those Masonic authors he often quotes, but he cannot prove that this is the prevailing Masonic position of Freemasonry in general, from Grand Lodge sources, which hold the official position of this anti-Christ, unbiblical fraternity.

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All I've done on this thread, and on the thread from which it broke out, is present materials which DO contain biblical material and or Christian interpretation. And I have done so in response to a request to do so BY YOU!

If you don't like it, or didn't really mean it when you asked it, that's one thing, but to go off the deep end because I continue to provide materials you requested, is yet another sign of your own inconsistencies and double-speak.

He uses tons of bandwidth posting material NOT acknowledged by any Grand Lodge in America, including his own. And, any discerning Christian can call, or write, any Grand Lodge in the United States and ask them, "Is Freemasonry a Christian organization?" And they will tell you NO! You can also do a reasonable amount of online research about Freemasonry and see that this so-called "Rev" is a deceiver trying to make something that is antithetical to biblical Christianity appear as though it's not.

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The only one attempting any "deceiving" is you, since I did not post a single thing on this thread or its companion thread of similar title, with any such claims. You have an extremely vivid imagination, and it simply runs wild with you more often than necessary. I thought it might have given you considerable pause when you were here recently and someone who had offered some criticisms of Masonry put you in your place, particularly pointing out that you "make a lot of errors." But apparently, no one can get through to you, and the result is, you just made one more error with this tirade. Here is the full statement about the purpose for both threads:

Some time ago, I was invited by the founder of O.F.F. to start a thread listing the Christian references/interpretations and biblical content that can be found in Masonry, and "let's talk about them." On this thread, I seek to respond to that invitation. At the time I received it, I began work on locating as many of them as I could. But I had no idea at the time that it would be as monumental a task as it has proven to be. In fact, at this point, some 3 years or so since undertaking it, it is far from being complete. For one thing, I have made no constraints upon this effort. Our critics have had a habit of trying to restrict what we may put upon the table, by insisting on either Grand Lodge publications, or limited further to only monitorial materials, or even further, to the rituals themselves. But at the same time, they have no reservations about posting material as though it were authoritative, from every source imaginable, even from pure web-surfing to find proof-texting citations. Yet another limitation has been sometimes insisted upon by them, to produce "current" materials. This restriction, too, they themselves have flouted when presenting their own positions. For that reason, I have placed absolutely no limitations upon this concerning types of materials, degree of authority accorded the sources, or time frames.

The sheer bulk of it alone, if I am to make any headway presenting it, will prevent very much commentary upon it, other than to highlight some of the key references, so I will keep my comments brief and intermittent--though I do invite any and all commentary upon it.

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You don't have to take my word for it, readers, the link is here:

http://www.christianforums.com/t7511394/

You make objections that are more and more ridiculous. I would have thought you'd have learned better by now. As anyone can see from the introduction of the thread, there is no such claim made as you have accused me of making. These have simply been presented as requested, for discussion. Certainly there has been discussion, but the objections are always beyond the scope of the presentation and the parameters set for it.

I've tried to be reasonable, as with the companion thread being opened in deference to Skip's preferences; but his response to such acts of conciliation have been, well, less than admirable. He wanted to raise issues about dates, and got burnt when more recent materials also got posted. He got snippy about what was monitorial and what was not, so I broadened it even further to avoid being bogged down having to deal with what amounted to petulance more than anything else. So when it was opened to include materials "generated by Grand Lodges," he began challenging THAT designation. So I broadened it to include the Short Talk Bulletins that he himself (with your pat on the back) declared authoritative elsewhere. His response to that was to isolate comments from one citation to try to make it stand for the whole, in other words, straw man--but in reality objecting to things that were not even being presented with the claims he tried to introduce. And from that point, he has made every effort to sidetrack the thread with continued off-topic ramblings about "racism." So I have invited him to take that topic to the thread he created for it, and I have endeavored to get back to the declared topic here, of presenting instances of " Christian references/interpretations and biblical content that can be found in Masonry."

And now you come flying in on this one like a duck on a June bug, pontificating against claims that were not part of this thread at the very outset of it, and are not part of it now. And in doing so, you once again try to raise the very same objections that were so recently shot down already: that I'm trying to assert some foolish notion that "Masonry is Christian" (which anyone reading these threads will know I have not stated even ONCE on these two threads), and the same old blather about dates, which was effectively shot down by posting materials of the exact same nature from RECENT materials.

Now either come up with some objection that (1) makes sense or (2) has not already been addressed, or go back wherever you've been these "few days" till you can come up with something rational and real.

Skip Sampson said:

Having plowed through your comments from an obscure Mason from well over a century ago, I am somewhat mystified as to the relevance of his writings to Masonry.

Would you mind summarizing just what point you are trying to make? Cordially, Skip.

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Having read plenty enough offerings from you and Mike, more times than I could count, that fit the same description, I can't understand your difficulty with it.

Nevertheless, here's the link, read the OP--although it's been re-posted enough times, by way of reminder, you should have been familiar with it already by now:

http://www.christianforums.com/t7511394/

Apparently that function, for whatever reason, does not seem to be operative. But no sweat, you can always copy and paste it into your browser's url line and hit "enter," works like a charm.

I'm sure you can do that, we've seen plenty of examples of your copy & paste technique.

SERMON I.
THE CHIEF CORNER STONE.
"And have ye not read this Scripture? The Stone which the builder rejected is become The Head OF The CornER: "This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes."
Saint Mark xii. 10, 11.
These words, my dear Brethren, uttered by Christ Himself, when speaking to the Jews in the Parable of the Vineyard, I have selected for my text, because they will be admitted by Jew and Gentile, being set forth in the Old Testament, as well as in the New in almost the same words—proclaiming at once, by a reference to their own Scriptures, the rejection of God's offer of Mercy by His ancient people, His beneficent care of the human race, and their salvation to the ends of the earth, expressed in the plain but emphatic language of operative Masonry—a language adapted to the comprehension of mankind; evidencing the propriety of inculcating principles by the types and figures of Masonry.
Jesus, who possessed Divine knowledge, who came from the bosom of His Father to redeem the world, who had all wisdom, and all the powers of language at His command, thought proper in this plain and beautiful language of Masonry thus to introduce Himself to the Jews of that time, and to the world by the written Word in all after ages.
The parable of the Vineyard, from which the text is taken, referred to the Jewish nation at large, and more especially to their rulers and teachers, because they neglected their duty, and were unfaithful to their trust. But God sent Prophets to call them to Repentance, and to remind them of the promises of a Messiah who was to come. Therefore the fruits were demanded in their season. But instead of "Repenting and doing works meet for Repentance," they apprehended the servants of God, and treated them as enemies. Notwithstanding this, the Lord thought prop j/to send His only and well-beloved Son, supposing that they would "reverence Him." But when they saw the Son, the Saviour of the world, "they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance shall be ours." When Jesus had spoken this parable, He enquired, When the Lord, therefore, of the vineyard cometh, what will He do unto those husbandmen? They say unto Him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons."
To bring this admission bome to their consciences, and to leave them without excuse, He called their attention to a passage of Scripture contained in the hundred and eighteenth Psalm, the twenty-second and twenty-third verses, recorded more than a thousand years previously —"The Stone which the builders refused is become ThE Head-stone Of The Corner. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes"
In addressing myself to you, my brethren of the Royal Craft, who are assembled on this anniversary in the Temple of the Lord, I feel called upon as an ambassador of God for Christ's sake to embrace this first opportunity to declare to you, and to this congregation, all the counsel of God; for woe is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel! And although there probably are Brethren present, descended from God's ancient people, or belonging to other nations; for the universality of our Order, its extending from pole to pole, from East to West, embracing within its mighty scope all the nations of the earth, without any distinction of country, of clime, or of colour; its diffusive benevolence; its widely-extended philanthropy;—and these being the bright and charitable principles upon which the Institution is founded, they cannot, if they have rightly learned our Science, but highly approve of our meeting this day in God's Holy Temple. For we assemble sanctioned by the Law of the Land, we have for our Ruler a Prince of the Empire, the Volume of the Sacred Law is our Guide, and Faith, Hope, and Charity are the principles inculcated.
It is my duty, Brethren, and my happiness to preach to you on this anniversary, I wish it had fallen on one more skilled in the science of Freemasonry, more powerful and eloquent. I, however gladly avail myself of this opportunity in all sincerity and plainness of speech to exhort you not merely to perform your Masonic Duties with freedom, fervency, and zeal; but also I exhort you as a Christian Minister by the mercies of God to perform your Christian Duties; to look for Salvation to Jesus Christ—"The Head-stone of the Corner;" to secure for yourselves by His merits, and through a lively faith in his blood, immortality in Mansions not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.
I propose with the Divine blessing to consider the text under three heads.
First—To shew the Scriptures quoted by Christ; and that " The Stone which the builders refused,'" referred to therein, is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Secondly—That He "is become The Head Of The Corner."
Thirdly—That "This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes."
And in conclusion to make such practical remarks thereon, and on your Masonic Duties, as the subject and the occasion shall seem to require.
First, then—the Scripture quoted by Christ was, doubtless, that recorded in the hundred and eighteenth Psalm, the twenty-second and twenty-third verses: The Stone which the builders refused is become The Head-stone Of The Corner. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes"
Many are the passages of Scripture in which God has been pleased to speak in the Symbolical and significant language of operative Masonry. Three times in the Old Testament, and six times in the New Testament, is my text referred to. Even the Jewish Rabbies, and the learned of all ages, acknowledge that it expressly refers to Christ. In the twenty-eighth chapter of the Prophet Isaiah, the sixteenth and seventeenth verses, are these words: " Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, A Stone, A Tried Stone, A Precious Corner-stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet." In the forty-ninth chapter of Genesis, and the twenty-fourth verse, where Jacob blesses his sons, amongst the blessings to Joseph he said,—"the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; from thence is The Shepherd, The Stone Of Israel." In the twenty-first chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, and the forty-second verse, it is thus written: "Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The Stone which the builders rejected, the tame is become the head of the Corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?" In the twentieth chapter of Saint Luke's Gospel, the seventeenth and eighteenth verses: And Jesus said, " What is this, then, that is written, The Stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the Corner." In the fourth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth verses: " Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the Stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the Corner. Neither is there Salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." In Saint Paul's Epistle to the Romans, the ninth chapter, the thirty-second and thirty-third verses, are words of similar import. In the second chapter of the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians, and the twentieth verse, are these words: "And are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself Being The Chief Corner-stone." In the first Epistle general of Saint Peter, the second chapter, the sixth and seventh verses, we read, "Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. Unto you, therefore, which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the Corner"
Thus, then, have I pointed out the Scripture referred to by Christ Himself, nor need I multiply texts on the subject; for if, after such abundant proofs from the Prophets, the Evangelists, and Apostles, any human being, who has heard, or read, and digested them, hesitates to make a full belief in the Lard Jesus Christ—"the Stone which the builders rejected," then, I say to him, "neither would he be persuaded though one rose from the dead: And good were it for that man if he had never been born." Let me earnestly entreat that person, if there can be such an one present, by the mercies of God, to turn with all his heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, who will have mercy upon him.
Secondly—That the Lord Jesus Christ "is become the head of the Corner."
Having just shewn you that the Redeemer of the World is typified by that "Stone which the builders rejected," and would have thrown aside as worthless among the rubbish; but which, by the mighty power of God, and to the astonishment of the apostles and disciples, became the chief corner-stone, supporting the whole spiritual temple, and uniting the several parts of it into one building—"an habitation of God through the Spirit," I will now shew its accomplishment, and that Christ "is become
THE HEAD OF THE CORNER."
No sooner had Adam fallen from his first estate, than the Lord God declared to him, that, notwithstanding the ruin and degradation he had brought upon himself and his posterity by his disobedience, He would provide a Saviour in the person of His Son the Messiah who should come. Accordingly, in the third chapter of Genesis and fifteenth verse, the promise is thus recorded: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." And in the twelfth chapter of Genesis and third verse, God declared unto Abraham: "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." In the twenty-second chapter of Genesis it is written, That the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and declared in the eighteenth verse: " In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."
A similar promise was made in the vision of Jacob's ladder, as recorded in the twenty-eighth chapter of Genesis, and the fourteenth verse. And there are other such like prophecies.
The time of the Messiah's coming is also set forth in the forty-ninth chapter of Genesis, and the tenth verse, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come." And in the second chapter of Haggai, the sixth and seventh verses, it is recorded,—"For thus saith the Lord of hosts; yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts." In the ninth chapter of Daniel, and in the third chapter of Malachi also, the time of His coming is set forth.
In the ninth chapter of Isaiah, the sixth and seventh verses, we find His prophetic birth, His title, and spiritual offices described, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." And in the second Psalm and seventh verse it is written, "I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee."

In the fifth chapter of the prophet Micah, the second and third verses, the Birth-place of Christ was foretold,— " But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore will He give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth:" And in the seventh chapter of Isaiah and fourteenth verse it is written, "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."
Herein, then, is set forth the prophetic promises of the Messiah; for, as soon as Adam fell, God promised the Saviour, which promise He often repeated by the prophets, and He set forth the time of His coming, the miraculous manner of His conception, and the place of His birth; all which took place with an accuracy that nothing but Omnipotence could accomplish.
It was foretold, as we have before seen, that the Messiah should come before the sceptre departed from Judah, that is, before the Jewish government was destroyed; and accordingly the Lord Jesus appeared, shortly before it was overthrown by the Romans. It was also foretold, that He should come before the destruction of the second Temple; accordingly, Christ appeared some time before the destruction of the city and Temple of Jerusalem, by the Romans, as prophesied by Haggai. It was foretold by the Prophet Daniel, that Christ should come at the end of four hundred and ninety years after the rebuilding of Jerusalem, which had been laid waste during the Babylonish captivity; that He should be cut off; and after that, the city and Temple should be destroyed, and made desolate,—all which happened accordingly. It was foretold, that He should be born of a virgin, in the town of Bethlehem, that He should be of the tribe of Judah, of the seed of David, that "the spirit of the Lord should rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;"'—so that at twelve years old they found Him in the Temple in the midst of the doctors, both hearing and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. And after entering on His ministry, His miracles were many, great, and beneficial,—He opened the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, and caused the tongue of the dumb to sing; the lame walked, the lepers were cleansed, the dead raised, in the presence of many witnesses.
It was also foretold, that He should die a violent death, that He should be wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities, that the chastisement of our peace should be upon Him, that with His stripes we should be healed, that God would lay on Him the iniquity of us all.2 All which was literally accomplished in the sufferings of Christ, "who died for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God."3
' fea. xi. 2. «Isa. liii. »1 Pet., iii. 18.
He is, therefore, by His miraculous birth, by His ministry, by His death, by His glorious Resurrection and Ascension, become The Head Of The Corner, that is, the Grand Ornament, Stability, and Cement of the whole Spiritual Temple—the Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty of the whole Edifice, which God is building up by the incorporation of Gentile Converts with the believing Jews, who bring forth the fruits of righteousness to His praise and glory.
Thirdly—"This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes."
By the passages of Scripture, which I have already quoted under the two former divisions of the text, it is too evident to need further proof, that it "was the Lord's doing;" for, He is not only the Creator and Governor of the Universe, but by Him all things exist in heaven and earth, and for His pleasure they are and were created.
That the Almighty should, after the disobedience and fall of man, condescend still to look upon him, and provide, in the person of His only Son, a Saviour, not only to redeem him from eternal death, but to raise him, by faith in His blood, to the mansions of Immortality, is Mercy beyond human comprehension; "which things the angels desire to look into."4 For herein was God's holiness and justice satisfied, and His goodness and mercy displayed, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."5 Oh! the heighth, and the breadth, and the depth of the Love Of God, for that whilst we were enemies, He hath granted us His Salvation.
Remember, my Brethren, that 11 this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes." Yes, it is marvellous, marvellous as was the interpretation of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar by the prophet Daniel, as recorded in his second chapter. The God of heaven had determined to set up another kingdom, which should never be destroyed, or fall under the power of other conquerors, seeing it would "break in pieces, and consume all these kingdoms, and stand for ever." This was represented by "a Stone

cut out without hands," which "smote the image," and utterly destroyed it, and "became a great mountain, and filled the "whole earth."
The truths contained in the revelation of Daniel are established. The Chaldean monarchy, over which Nebuchadnezzar reigned, has long since passed away. The Kingdom of the Medes and Persians succeeded, and fell in its turn. The Macedonian, or Grecian, monarchy of Alexander, is gone. And the Roman Empire also fell at the appointed time. And we look forward to the gradual growth of Christ's Kingdom, represented by " the Stone cut out of the mountain without hands," by the Omnipotent, which shall by degrees grow to a great mountain, and fill the whole earth.
You here observe what wonderful works God has done, and He will set up His Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; every obstacle must flee before it. And all the Nations of the Earth be "called out of darkness into His marvellous light."
Marvellous also was the visit of the Angel Gabriel to the blessed Virgin Mary to announce her Conception. As was also the Birth of Jesus at Bethlehem, when the angel of the Lord came upon the shepherds, and the Glory of the Lord shone round about them: accompanied by a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." The descent of the Holy Ghost like a dove, and lighting upon Him at His Baptism: And a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." His Transfiguration on the Mount as recorded by Saint Matthew, Mark, and Luke— when " His face did shine as the Sun, and His raiment was white as the light." And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Him. Thus the Law represented by Moses, and the Prophets by Elias, save testimony to Jesus. "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Hear Him."
At His Crucifixion, the Sun darkened, the veil of the Temple rent in the midst, the rending of the rocks, the opening of the graves, and the appearance of many of the saints, risen from their graves, to many in the holy city —the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, beholding those things that were done, said, " Truly this was the Son of God."
At His Resurrection, "behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door (of the sepulchre), and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow; And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, "Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said: come see the place where the Lord lay."8
And at His Ascension into Heaven, in the presence of a multitude of witnesses, "He led His disciples out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven."7 All These are more than marvellous, they could only have been accomplished by the omnipotence, the omniscience, and the omnipresence of the Lord God Almighty.
Having considered the several divisions of the text, I will now more immediately address myself to my Brethren. To those of you, who know the Science of Freemasonry, who knows its operative or practical, and its speculative or theoretical character, these significant passages of Scripture appear in all their beauty. That the Science of Freemasonry was established by Divine authority, and has been preserved under the most trying persecutions by the Almighty Architect of the Universe, cannot be questioned. That its doctrines are contained in the Volume of the Sacred Law, all its rites, ceremonies, and secrets prove: nor can any Lodge in these Kingdoms be held unless that blessed Book be open before all the Brethren, forming their reliance, their joy, their hope, and their crown of rejoicing.
That the Institution was planned for the benefit of mankind, cannot be denied. See men of every nation, tongue, and people, of every profession, joining in adoration and praise of the Almighty Architect of the
• St. Matt, xxriii. 2—6. ' St. Lnke xxiv. 50, 51.
Universe. Then look to the kindness rendered by man to his brother; the din of war has been made to cease— the slaughter of the battle field has been stopped—by one emblem of Masonry. Those who were in deadly conflict have thrown down their weapons and embraced as brothers.
How often has the shipwrecked mariner, cast on a foreign shore, found himself and his unfortunate companions, when on the verge of misery and death, rescued and relieved by the kind hand of a brother? How often has distress been alleviated; the afflicted comforted; the widow, the orphan, and the distressed supported; the prisoner freed; and works of Charity and Mercy quietly and unostentatiously performed?
Surely an Institution framed for such noble purposes must ever benefit mankind. Unlike many Institutions of modern days, and some of the modern Systems of Education, Freemasonry never instructs in Science without connecting with it Morality; as every type, figure, character, and emblem in the Lodge has a moral tendency, which inculcates the practice of virtue.
If we look to the Institution as imparting Scientific knowledge to the operative Mason,—here is a vast field for contemplation. The promulgation of the Science of Masonry, and of Architecture in particular, has greatly benefited the world; for in all ages the most learned, the most scientific men, and most skilful Architects, have been Members of the Order. They have by their advice, exertions, and skill, contributed greatly to the extension of Science, and to the comforts of society, by the erection of Temples, towns, cities, and palaces. From the days of the Tabernacle, and the erection of the first Temple to the Living God, the Science and zeal of the Craft have ever been foremost in erecting Temples to His honour and glory. And whatever may be now thought of the splendid monuments of Antiquity, the works of the Masons of Ancient days, erected by them after their dispersion from Shinar, in the plains of Babylon, in Egypt, at Memphis, Hermopolis, Thebes, Persepolis, Pompeii, Balbec, and Palmyra; of Elephanta, Salsette, Canarah, Chillambrum, and Seringham in India —monuments of ancient days, exalting their summits in awful and decayed grandeur, the astonishment of all beholders, from the vastness of their dimensions, and the similarity of construction, though so distant from each other, proving the dispersion from Shinar.8 The Science, skill and perseverance displayed in their construction, lead us to hope that they were originally erected in honour of the Almighty Architect of the Universe, or at all events to serve as Archives to perpetuate the knowledge of the Arts and Sciences to their posterity; and that they have been the faithful, though in many cases the inexplicable depositaries to this remote period, cannot be denied.
After the dispersion from Shinar, the people who composed the most ancient races of the Eastern nations could not have soon fallen from the faith of Noah; they, doubtless, fervently adored the Almighty in His works; they expressed it in the sculptured symbols with which they covered their sacred buildings; but, in so doing, they offended the Majesty of Heaven by attempting to personify that which admitted of no corporeal similitude; and though virtuous intentions may have dictated such a course, and virtuous impressions may have succeeded for a time, yet, in the lapse of revolving ages, they withdrew their thoughts from the Almighty Architect Himself, and paid to the symbol that homage which was due only to the Divine Original. The present race of Eastern nations have mostly not only fallen from the true worship of God, handed down by Noah, but they have also fallen back in the paths of Science, being perfectly incompetent to construct such mighty works as their forefathers under a pure faith constructed.

All Masons, I have before said, are not operative Masons : there is a great and influential Body numbering thousands, who are speculative or Free and Accepted Matons, and to those who are this day assembled I must address a few words. My Brethren, Freemasonry requires you by the Ancient Charges to obey the Moral Law, as contained in the Holy Bible, that of all men, Masons should best understand, that God seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh to the outward appearance, but God looketh to the heart. A Mason is, therefore, bound never to act against the dictates of his conscience. Masons unite with the virtuous of every persuasion, in the firm and pleasing bond of fraternal love: they are taught to view the errors of mankind with compassion, and to strive by the purity of their own conduct to demonstrate the superior excellence of the Creed they may profess. Thus, Masonry is the centre of union between good men and true, and the happy means of conciliating friendship amongst those who must otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance.
Freemasonry requires you to study the liberal Arts and Sciences, by which you may benefit yourself, your family, your friends, your fellow-creatures, and be an honour to your country. It requires you also to study and practise the cardinal virtues of Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, and Justice; to carry out the principles of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth; and above all, to follow Faith, Hope and Charity.9 It requires you also to be good and loyal subjects, true to your Queen, just to your Country; peaceable, honest, industrious, temperate in all things, good members of society, kind to your wives and families, courteous to your friends and neighbours, anxious to do good to all men, to love the Brotherhood, to fear God, to honour the Queen; and whilst you practise the weightier matters required by the Law, of Justice, Judgment, and Equity, to forget not Life Eternal by Jesus Christ, the only sure foundation of all your hopes here, and of your eternal happiness hereafter.
Of your mysteries I cannot here speak; you have Rulers supreme and subordinate, and in this Province are blessed with a Provincial Grand Master, who is skilled in the Science, courteous and communicative. You have also able Masters to preside over your Lodges: they will instruct you in the mysteries of the Craft on all fitting occasions: and the secrets thus imparted to you, you are bound to preserve inviolate.
As a Mason, your first admission in a state of helplessness was an emblematic representation of the entrance of all men into this their state of mortal existence; it inculcated the cherishing lessons of natural equality, of mutual dependence. It instructed you in the active principles of universal benevolence and charity, to make them the solace of your own distresses, and to extend relief and consolation to your fellow-creatures in the hour of their affliction. It required you to free the soul from the dominion of pride and prejudice, to look beyond the limits of particular Institutions, and to view in every son of Adam a brother of the dust. Above all, it taught you to bend with reverence and resignation to the will of the Grand Architect of the Universe, and to dedicate your heart thus purified from every malignant passion, and prepared for the reception of truth and justice, to His service, and to the welfare of your fellow-creatures. Passing onwards, and still guiding your progress by the principles of moral truth, you were taught next to contemplate the intellectual faculty, and to trace it from its development through the pleasant paths of science. To your mind, thus modelled by virtue and science, The Bible presents some great and useful lessons more; teaching you how to pass safely through the intricate windings of this mortal state; and having conducted you to the closing hour of your existence, it finally teaches you how to die. You were invited, you were besought, to contemplate often upon this great, this awful lesson, not to be puffed up with the knowledge and science acquired, but always to remember that you are liable to die, to be levelled with the earth, soon to yield up this transitory life, we trust, in sure and certain hope of a glorious Immortality, in mansions not made with hands, eternal in the heavens; for this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality ere the brightness of the sacred Name, or the Redeemer's presence is seen; for " behold He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him."
8 Vide Preston's Illustrations of Masonry.
Here, then, you see, that Masonry contains different classes or degrees, suited to the moral industry and mental energy of its members, who may limit or extend their inquiries according to their ability or inclination.
To please the accomplished scholar, and the ingenious artist also, the Institution was planned. Many of its illustrations may appear unimportant to the confined genius, but the man of more enlarged faculties will consider them in the highest degree useful and interesting: and in the investigation of its latent doctrines the philosopher and the mathematician will experience equal satisfaction and delight. To exhaust the various subjects on which Masonry treats transcends the powers of the brightest genius, for it is an Institution founded on reason and truth, its deep basis is the civilization of mankind, its greatest glory is that it is supported by the mighty pillars of science and morality.
Such, then, my Brethren, is a brief sketch of Freemasonry, and of the duties you owe so noble an Institution. Let me beg you by your lives and actions to adorn it. Let me exhort you ever to act as true and faithful Brethren. And if there are any present who would scoff at, revile, or slander our Institution, let me beg them to pause ere they find fault with what they do not comprehend—for we shall not revile again, but look to the God of Israel as our helper and defender.
No just and honourable man can complain that he is deprived by its secrecy of the benefits of this Institution; for, deprived of its secrecy, Freemasonry may long since have been lost to the world.10 Like the glorious Gospel, it is a mystery couched in allegories, as the other was by our Divine Master in parables, that the people who heard Him might not understand the truths which he expounded privately to His disciples.
Nor is secrecy a novel doctrine in the world, it is esteemed a most praiseworthy virtue, in all ranks of life the duty remains the same. The Apprentice must keep his Master's secrets; the Master must take care of his own; a Juror must keep the counsel of his fellows; a Statesman the secrets of his Cabinet, or public business could not be carried on, and ruinous would be the effects to the nation. What would be the consequences were the sentinel to communicate to the enemy the secret-passtoord by which his post is guarded? The principle of secrecy pervades in a greater or less degree the policy of every Institution: therefore, it cannot with fairness be a charge against this ancient Institution, whose foundation is upon this very principle. Every honourable man, duly qualified, if he make proper application, may become a Member. Enough is shewn to the World, by the diligence, the science, and the usefulness of its Members: in the broad philanthropy upon which the Institution is founded; in the Faith, Hope, and Charity inculcated.
10 Vide Dr. Oliver's Theo. Phil, of Freemasonry, Lee. x.
And I am sure the fair, and more beautiful portion of my hearers need not complain, since Masons take all the toil, responsibility, and labour on themselves.
If any one of your acquaintance should desire to become a Member of the Order, be sure and not recommend him. unless you know that he is of a kind disposition, charitable, and desirous of conforming to our Ancient Charges, Laws, and Regulations.
I must now, my dearly beloved Brethren, proceed to a practical application of my text, and I again ask you,— "Have ye not read this Scripture? The Stone which the builders rejected is become The Head Of The Corner : This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes."
The Stone here spoken of, as I have before proved, is Christ. Those who rejected Him the children of Israel, the Jews. The Prophet Isaiah, in the fifty-third chapter, and third verse, foretold this,—"He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were our faces from Him, He was despised and we esteemed Him not."
. He was rejected, and the Gentiles were brought in, as is recorded in the thirteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, the forty-sixth and seventh verses,—"Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you ; but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth." Here, then, were we brought into the Salvation of Christ Jesus, and we must build our hopes on this firm foundation, this chief corner stone, or we shall perish. "For there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved," but only the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You and I, if we do not heartily believe this, shall perish everlastingly. Build, then, ye Masons, and all ye people, on this chief corner stone, this firm foundation, laid in Zion; for Christ is the Rock of your Salvation, and your sure refuge. Trust not to your own righteousness, but ask of God through Jesus Christ; rely entirely on His redeeming love, and God will grant you pardon for your sins, and receive you into mansions of eternal felicity.
Are there amongst this Congregation any who despise the promises of God, who neglect the means of Grace? If so, let me call upon you to consider that you crucify the Lord of Life and Glory afresh, and will receive greater condemnation. "Whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. Let me call upon you to turn to God, to repent, to ask for mercy at the footstool of His grace through Christ Jesus. Delay it not for a moment, for you may be summoned suddenly before your Maker, and your Judge; and if you die in your sins, you must perish forever. Oh! turn to the Lord in Faith and Prayer, and He will grant you His Salvation.
Listen to the advice, to the warnings, to the exhortations of your appointed Minister from this place, and he will shew you the path of life,—"for in God's presence is fulness of joy, and at His right hand is pleasure for evermore."
I cannot conclude this discourse better than in the words of Saint Peter, in his first Epistle, second chapter, second and following verses,—"As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion A Chief Corner Stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, The Stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And A Stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the Word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."
11 St . Matt. rxi. 44 . (William John Percy, Sermons Before the Provincial Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Dorsetshire, and Published at Their Request, Sermon I, "The Chief Corner Stone," p. 267-283)

SERMON II.
THE ONLY FOUNDATION.
"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians iii. 11.
My dearly beloved Brethren; the Apostle Paul in this text of Scripture points out to us The Only Foundation on which we can build our hopes of salvation, and in so doing he followed the Prophets.
For Isaiah, in the twenty-eighth chapter, and the sixteenth verse, had declared more than seven hundred years before, in language the most powerful and magnificent— "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste." All Commentators, Hebrew as well as Christian, agree that this prophecy referred to the Messiah, whose foundation was to be laid in Zion, where the Lord dwelt upon His mercy-seat amongst His chosen people. Here, then, the Person and Salvation of Jesus Christ are represented under the type or figure of a "foundation:" "a sure foundation" laid by the Grand Architect of the Universe Himself according to His eternal counsels and His predictions from the beginning, upon which He would in due time build, according to the plan of His mercy, the magnificent Spiritual Temple of the mediation and redemption of mankind, for the purpose of glorifying His great and holy Name in the salvation of sinners; as well as for every human hope of mercy and future happiness.
And I wish you all to understand what the Apostle declares in my text in the most clear and emphatic language: "For other Foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
In my Sermon, at your last anniversary at Shaftesbury, I called your attention to the following Scripture, " The Stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner; This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes."1 I pointed out to you the rejection of God's offer of mercy by His ancient people the Jews— His beneficent care of the human race, and their salvation to the ends of the earth. I showed you that the Parable of the Vineyard, from which that Scripture was taken, referred to the Jewish nation, who rejected our Saviour, and that by their rejection the Gentiles were brought in—as is set forth in the thirteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, the forty-sixth and forty-seventh verses.
I further pointed out to you the interpretation of the marvelous dream of Nebuchadnezzar, as recorded in the second chapter of the Prophet Daniel; where the God of Heaven had determined to set up His Kingdom, which should stand for ever—(his was represented by a Stone cut out of the mountain by the Omnipotent without hands, which smote the image and utterly destroyed it, and it became a great mountain that filled the whole earth. That the prophecy of Daniel was fulfilled by the destruction of the Idolatrous Nations of the Chaldean Monarchy, of the Kingdom of the Medes, of the Macedonian, and the Roman Empires. That we looked forward to the gradual growth of Christ's Kingdom, represented by the Stone cut out of the mountain without hands, which smote the idolatrous image of the nations of the earth, and which should by degrees grow to a great Kingdom, and fill the whole earth—"for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."2
I also pointed out to you the gracious condescension of the Almighty to man in revealing His Divine will to him in the plain, the emphatic, and the beautiful language of operative Masonry, thereby rendering clear even to the operative Mason the mighty truths of His Mercy and Redemption as revealed in the Gospel.
I now propose to follow the subject, having shown you in my last discourse Christ the Head Corner Stone:—I shall in this discourse, relying on the Holy Spirit, show in the language of my text—" For other Foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ'
1 St. Mark xii. 10,11. «Isa. xi. 9.
None, my dear Brethren, ought to be more fully aware than you of the important Truths of this Scripture, whether as Operative, or as Free and Accepted, Masons. The importance of a sure foundation must be well known to you, for at your first admission into the Order, and as soon as you had satisfied your Brethren of your faithfulness, and were brought to the light of the Law, the Prophets, and the blessed Gospel, then was the importance of the precise place and position of the foundation pointed out to you; and every one of you have in your own proper persons been reminded of the Chief Corner Stone resting upon the sure foundation of the Rock of Ages.
There, in powerful and emphatic language, you were told to raise up on the foundation a superstructure uniform in its parts and honorable to the builder; that to all external appearance you stood as an upright man and mason, and you were solemnly exhorted ever to continue to merit and maintain that character. And that the sure foundation may never be effaced from your recollection, you were taught at once to look up to the Glorious Cape Stone of the Spiritual Building, to behold there, inscribed with the approbation of heaven and earth "Charity," which, like its sister Mercy, blesseth him that giveth, as well as him that receiveth; and you were solemnly called upon to practise this virtue, which you professed to admire, and promised to imitate.
Whatever other persons may say, you, who are Free and Accepted Masons, cannot, either scientifically or spiritually, plead ignorance of the necessity of a sure foundation. You must know as Operative Masons that all the skill and experience of the Master Mason or Builder is needful to render the foundation of an edifice secure; for any error made in the foundation cannot be remedied, but will occasion the ruin and destruction of the whole fabric. The Operative Mason, when he has the choice of spot, selects with judgment according to this -world's wisdom the foundation on a rock, or one naturally good; if he is called upon to build on a more precarious foundation, he adopts the artificial means of concrete, piling, and other helps to make the foundation as safe as possible—well knowing that any error in this
respect will be the destruction of the edifice, and the ruin of his reputation.
Here the knowledge of his business, the desire to build securely to maintain his character, and to serve his Master faithfully, secures his best judgment, his utmost skill.
You must also, if you have learned Freemasonry aright, have heard how our Grand Master, the wise and learned Solomon, founded the Temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, which, when finished, furnished, dedicated, and consecrated, the Almighty sanctified by His Divine presence between the mercy seat.
And in our day we look forward with hope to the restoration of the descendants of our ancient brethren, and the establishment of the religion of Jesus Christ in the holy city itself, where the Lord said my Name shall be there.
A Bishop of our Apostolic Church, one converted from Judaism, having been sent forth, and established there, under the hope of bringing back to the fold of Jesus the remnant of the House of Israel—as is most beautifully described in the eleventh chapter of the Prophet Isaiah: "And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand again a second time to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Gush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."
This chapter, containing a general prophecy of the advancement of Christ's kingdom in the World, I recommend to the perusal of all, who feel interested in the spiritual happiness of God's chosen people, the Jews; to whom we as Masons are indebted for the preservation of much Masonic knowledge. The chapter refers to the advancement which Christ's kingdom shall make at different ages and periods of time, and we hope that an important era is now approaching, when the glorious times of the Church which shall be ushered in by the restoration of the Jewish nation, when they shall embrace the Gospel and shall be restored to their own country, is about to dawn upon the world. The eleventh verse of the same chapter refers expressly to the recovery of God's people also from the islands <if the sea."
Oh my dear brethren!—If Britain shall, by the Divine blessing, have a share in this great, this glorious work, how happy, how blessed will she be! If she is referred to also in the forty-ninth chapter of Isaiah, and the first verse,—"Listen, O Isles, unto me ; and hearken, ye people, from far;" and again in the twenty-second and twenty-third verses,—"Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people, and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their Queens thy nursing mothers."
Thus the Prophet prophesied of the Church of Christ, which should be established in Jerusalem. And if our Land shall be the humble instrument of God's mercy in forwarding this glorious work, then shall we be blessed indeed; for God hath said—"Blessed is he that blesseth thee."
But to return to my text—The words, " For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ," were spoken by St. Paul to the Christians at Corinth in consequence of divisions among them, and the Apostle's object was to shew them, that all their ministers were but like workmen employed in the same building, and there ought to be no jealousies amongst them. In the fifth verse of the same chapter he says, " who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?" And in the ninth and tenth verses—" For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
* Numbers xxiv. 9.
The great Truth contained in these words of the text is often mentioned in the Scriptures. When St. Peter was brought before the Jewish rulers for preaching Christ, he told them boldly that He was the Stone they had set at nought, and he added, " Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."4
My text,—"For other Foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ," I shall divide into three parts.
First,—The Foundation laid by God.
Secondly,—"Other Foundation can no man lay"
Thirdly,—Which Foundation is Jesus Christ.
In the First place I observe, that this is the foundation of God's own appointment, laid before the beginning of the world, and it is the only foundation upon which the human soul can build for heaven and happiness. This is the only true, the only tried foundation, which God hath " laid in Zion."
It is not with this foundation, laid by the Grand Architect of the Universe Himself, as with an earthly foundation,—for this is an entirely perfect foundation, laid and maintained by the Almighty Himself. Earthly foundations may, as I have before stated, be secured by artificial means, but here no addition is required, none can be made, for God hath laid it; it is perfect, and no mortal being can presume to say otherwise. We may safely venture our eternal all upon this foundation, for it will stand for ever. Let thousands and millions of pardoned sinners build upon this foundation, and they shall never be moved.
The apparently firm foundations laid by our ancestors, the Masons of old, at Babylon, at Nineveh, at Egypt, at Persepolis, and other structures of antiquity, though formed of granite, of Parian marble, or flinty rocks, promising infinite durability, are shattered into ten thousand fragments, lying in heaps of ruins, and should convince you of the transitory nature of all earthly things.

But the foundation in the text is & foundation for immortal souls, it is as immortal as themselves; it is a founda
« Acts iv. 11,12.
tion as firmly established now, as when Adam, Abel, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Prophets, Apostles, and Saints of ancient days built upon a, and it will remain the same to all eternity. Every human soul that does not rest on this sure foundation will fail in the day of trial.
My Brethren, let every man try the foundation on which he is building, and prove his own work ; for every other foundation is sliding sand; is yielding air; is a bursting bubble, and will be swept away in the terrible day of judgment. Our blessed Lord and Saviour in His sermon on the Mount, the most powerful and the most important one ever preached, concluded it, as recorded in the seventh chapter of St. Matthew, in these words:— "Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine: For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the Scribes."8
You, my Brethren, I hope are fully aware of all this, I trust that God of His infinite goodness and mercy has enlightened your understanding, has revealed to you His grace, and convinced you that you can rest on no other foundation. For, if you are not built up as "lively stones" on this sure foundation, you will not be partakers of the kingdom of heaven.
If there are any, who have not begun to build on this foundation, let me by the mercies of God in Christ Jesus beg them to begin the work this very day.
Secondly, " Other foundation can no man lay."
Every man must have some foundation on which to build his hopes of happiness hereafter, or being a responsible
• St. Matt. vii. 24-29.
creature, liable to die, to be levelled with tbe earth, to be called to account by his Creator and his Judge, he will he miserable indeed. It is quite impossible for mankind to divest themselves entirely of the conviction of their own responsibility, and of some sense of their duty to God. But it is painful to observe on what false foundations some men build their hopes of God's favour, and of happiness in a future state.
We are obliged to notice, with alarm and sorrow, some persons trusting to every thing except the true, The Only Foundation. Many persons trust to their not being addicted to gross vices, though they do not love God, nor obey His commandments. Many trust to their own moral goodness, forgetting that they sin daily, and need supplies of grace, and the intercession of the Redeemer. Others trust to the regular performance of the external duties of religion, exercising the forms without the power thereof. Many, otherwise well disposed persons, build their hopes of acceptance with God on their usefulness in society, their acceptable conduct by the world, which they think will be equally acceptable to God, without considering that it is only through the merits of Christ Jesus we can find acceptance. Others deceive themselves by building their hopes on the mercy of God without obedience to the precepts of the Gospel. The more careless, and ungodly even, have some hopes of favour with God, though they live without Him, without Christ, and without Scriptural hope in the world. They rush on, building on a foundation of sand, till the trial by fire, spoken of by the Apostle in the same chapter as my text, when their work will pass through the Refiner's hand, and the wood, hay, and stubble of their building will be utterly consumed: or till the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon their house, and it falls, and great will be the fall thereof.
All these, my dear Brethren, are building on the wrong foundation, they are not building on The Only Foundation—that Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ, laid by the Grand Architect of the Universe Himself before the beginning of the world; they do not rest entirely on the promises of the Gospel, on His grace, and on the merits of the Redeemer, as they should do; but they rest upon themselves, and their own works, and they will fail in the day of trial and of tempest.
Oh remember, my Brethren! what the Apostle saith in my text:—"Other foundation can no man lay." Build not then your hopes of Salvation on any other foundation; on any foundation of your own; but build on that which God has appointed, " which is Jesus Christ."
And this leads me in the third place to the consideration of Jesus Christ, as The Only Foundation.
God, in His own eternal wisdom, settled the plan of the salvation of mankind by Jesus Christ, according to His own purpose, for the honour of His great and glorious Name, and for the welfare of mankind. It is a mystery into which Angels have desired to look without being gratified. His Omniscience, or infinite knowledge, could only have conceived the mighty plan. His Omnipotence, or almighty power, have carried it into effect. His Omnipresence, or presence every where, continue its operation to all eternity. The Almighty foresaw the fall of man by his own disobedience, and provided a Mediator and Redeemer, that all should not perish, but that some should be saved, and receive everlasting life. He could hear no Mediator but a Divine Person. He could accept no Redeemer but of His own appointment, and therefore He sent His only begotten Son into the world, even whilst we were disobedient, to take our nature upon Him, and to work out our Salvation.
At such stupendous condescension, mercy, might, majesty, glory, and power, well may we with the Apostle Paul, in the eleventh chapter to the Romans and thirtythird verse, exclaim—" 0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and his ways past finding out!"
The text declares, that "other Foundation can no man lay than that u laid, Which is Jesus Christ." Therefore, my Brethren, and all this congregation, let us not only know that we rely on the right foundation, but let us take special heed how we build upon it. Our only safeguard is constantly to have an eye to the foundation on which we stand; we must determine not to know any other foundation spiritually save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This is the foundation laid before the beginning of the world. This is real Spiritual knowledge; for in Christ Jesus are hidden all the treasures of Divine wisdom; to know Him truly, and the power of His death and Resurrection, is the sum and substance of the Christian man. For he who knows the Son, knows the Father also, and the Holy Spirit, by whom he is enabled to confess that Jesus is the Christ.
The man who knows what Christ has done for his soul, knows how corrupt his nature is, what the strength of sin is, and how unable he is to stand before God without the intercession of Jesus, and without the continual presence of Divine grace in his heart, both to give him the first motives towards holiness, and to keep him in the path of life. Ever looking to Christ, he holds in vital union all those holy truths of the Divine Being, and his own condition in the world, which the Holy Spirit has written for his instruction and edification in the Holy Bible. He looks to Christ as the only foundation, the only fountain of Salvation. He keeps himself sober, watching unto prayer, that he may obtain the continual " supply of the Spirit of Grace."
Oh that we would indeed, my Brethren, make the foundation—Jesus Christ—our life, and our glory ! That we would bow our imaginations before it, and hush up all perverse disputations, in humble reverence at the awful mystery of the Divine love revealed to man in it!
Do you, my Brethren, think sufficiently of Christ, as the Lord who has redeemed us by His cross, and by His precious blood? On this anniversary of our ancient Institution I call upon you, my Masonic Brethren, and upon all here assembled, by the mercies of God, to remember that "other Foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." I call upon you to stand firm in the Faith. Let nothing separate you from this foundation. It is through Christ by prayer we have access to God—draw nigh to Him with Faith, believing on Him in the heart, and confessing him with the mouth unto Salvation.
Built upon this eternal foundation, you will then stand fast in that day when every man's work shall be tried, and proved, and made manifest; and will receive from Christ Jesus that happy benediction, " Well done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
I must now, my Brethren, before I conclude, address myself more especially to you on this your anniversary. We all bless the Great and Glorious Name of the Most High for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life, and for permitting us to meet this day in His Holy Temple. Belonging, as you do, to an Institution the most ancient probably in the world; an Institution extending from the East to the West, from the North to the South—embracing people of all nations of the earth, upon whom the sun never sets; an Institution whose broad philanthropy is only equalled by its unlimited bounds; whose laws and principles admit of universal application—embracing a chosen band of Brethren, associated for benevolent and scientific purposes;—you know practically, and religiously, the necessity of resting upon the sure foundation of the Rock of Ages.
The operative or practical character of your Institution, and your first dawn of Masonic knowledge, was ushered in by calling your attention to the foundation, as I have before observed.
The Speculative, or Free and Accepted Mason will trace with a faithful hand, and rely with a believing heart on the sure foundation mentioned in my text. He will see in the Volume of the Sacred Law, the passages of Scripture, traced by the Divine Spirit in the plain but beautiful symbols of operative Masonry. He will treasure them up in his heart, and seeing their full force and beauty, will avail himself of every opportunity of showing his Brethren how highly he values them, and of resting his hopes of happiness hereafter on Christ, the only sure foundation. He knows that as the Holy Bible is ever open in the Lodge for the Spiritual instruction of the Brethren, to neglect the study of it would be offensive to its Almighty Author, and he therefore reads it with reverence, relies securely on its promises—making Christ Jesus his hope, his joy, and his strong Salvation.
He views the Institution as calculated to confer great benefits on mankind, even in the present civilized state of society. But, when he looks back to the earlier ages of the world, before the blessed Gospel dawned upon the earth, he sees that it must have been a blessing to man kind indeed : as giving—" Glory to God in the highest: on earth Peace : Good will toward men."8 He sees it is an Institution calculated to smooth the rugged path of life. Here is the neutral ground, where, regardless of national prejudices and antipathies, the virtuous, the initiated of every nation, and language, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, can meet to practise the rites of the Order under the all-seeing eye of the Grand Architect of the Universe: carrying forward its benevolent principles of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth,—and the greater Christian Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity.
Learning themselves, and instructing others in these great moral virtues, whilst imparting also the practical and scientific knowledge of the Order. Accompanying the one with the other; so that, being regulated and chastened by the knowledge from on high, what is acquired may be alike useful to society, and beneficial to the individual, if he rely on the foundation—Jesus Christ.
Glancing for an instant at the mighty works of the Masons of ancient days, in the various kingdoms of the earth, since the great migration from Shinar, built of materials thought to be indestructible ; and at the state in which they are now found; at the Temple of Solomon, constructed, as you know, with such exactness, strength, and skill, by our wise Grand Master—yet no trace of its foundations remain. These, therefore, point out to us the instability of worldly things : that earthly foundations, however laid by man, perish and decay : and that we must, therefore, if we wish for happiness hereafter, lift our hearts and thoughts above e&rthly foundations, and build upon The Only Foundation—Jesus Christ—as set forth in the Gospel.

Allow me briefly to press on your notice the necessity of a strict attention to your personal Masonic Duties. Be true to your Queen, and just to your Country; love the Brotherhood; let the object of your exertions be to live in charity with all mankind, and to do all the good you can in your station in life.
Listen to the advice of your appointed minister in this sacred place, who, for many years, with great skill and ability, and with advantage to the Craft, filled the
« St . Luke ii. U.
important office which I now hold, that of Chaplain to this Province.
Be punctual in your attendance at your Lodge; withhold not your contributions to its funds, lest you cramp its benevolence in relieving the wants of the distressed, who may claim its assistance; and above all injure the Masonic Schools, and the great public Charities of the Institution, which are its Cape Stone, its diadem, its glory!
Remember that the fatherless, the widow, and the orphans of departed Brethren, demand your care and attention, as well as your distressed Brethren. It is by the union of " good men and true" in this great cause, and the number of Contributors to these Charities, that the great amount of good is done at trifling individual cost. There is not a true Mason in the world, who would publicly withhold his approval, or deny his support in some way or other, from these great Masonic Charities; and yet there are, I fear, many, who do not subscribe to them and not being even members of their neighbouring Lodges, thus withhold all support to them. If any such are present, Oh! let me not appeal to them in vain.
The Royal Freemasons' School for female children was established in 1788 for maintaining, clothing, and educating, the female children, and orphans of reduced Brethren; for protecting and preserving them from the dangers and misfortunes to which distressed young females are peculiarly exposed; for training them up in the knowledge and love of virtue, and in habits of industry, and impressing on their minds true humility, and the practice of all social, moral, and religious duties. Already have nearly 600 female children been admitted to this School since its establishment, and have been apprenticed, or returned to their friends, many of whom have become ornaments of their sex and station, and all of them good and useful members of society. Her most excellent Majesty the Queen Dowager is the Patroness of this School, the very mention of whose worthy name will more strongly recommend it to the fair and lovely portion of my hearers than anything I can add on the present occasion. The School House in London will well repay for the time occupied in visiting it.
I must also mention to you the Royal Masonic Institution for clothing, educating, and apprenticing the Sons of indigent and deceased Freemasons, established in 179S. The Boys are educated at Schools near the residences of their parents, or friends, are furnished with books, taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, furnished with proper clothing, and, on leaving the Institution, a suitable apprentice fee is granted to them. His Royal Highness, the Duke of Sussex, our Most Worshipful Grand Master, is the President of this Institution.
In addition to these, I briefly mention, "The Annuities and general Relief to aged and distressed Freemasons, given by the Grand Lodge of England." And "The Annuities granted by the Governors of the Asylum for worthy, aged, and decayed Freemasons."
These, my Brethren, together with the relief from the private funds of your Lodges, given to the distressed, who may call upon you,—claim with irresistible force your support. In giving that, however, I am bound to say, that you are not to give it to the injury of your families, or yourselves.
Still, you have something to give to the child of distress, however small,—Remember how acceptable was the widow's mite; and if you cannot give even such as that, you have yet something to give, which, if given with a pure and contrite heart, is a pearl of great price,—you can pray daily to the Father of Mercies for the poor and distressed Masons, and for all who suffer want throughout the universe, peradventure the Lord may hear their cries, and relieve their distresses.
If any, who know not the nature, the object, and the intention of our Institution, should revile it; return it not, heed it not; but point to these charities, and, in the language of our blessed Saviour, say to them—"Go and do thou likewise."7 Leave them to their own reflections, and to God, who can turn their hearts.
Time will not permit me to say more regarding your Masonic Duties, and this is not needful, for you have a Provincial Grand Master, and presiding Officers, who will, with all kindness and brotherly love, instruct you fully in those Duties, and in the mysteries of the Order, on all fitting occasions.
7 St . Lake z. 37.
In your walk through life, be kind, obliging, courteous, faithful to your trust, be loyal subjects, good husbands, kind parents, bringing up your children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.'"
Finally, I call your attention, my Brethren, and the attention of all this Congregation, once more to the words of my text:—"For other Foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
Is this the foundation on which you are building? If it is not; if you are building on any other foundation; on any foundation of your own; let me beseech you, by the mercies of God, to consider that your eternal happiness depends upon a right choice. Oh consider before it is too late! retrace your steps; trust In The Only FoundaTion—Jesus Christ—and in God's own good time you will receive the benediction, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord,"9—into mansions "not made with bauds, eternal in the heavens."10
That this may be the happy lot of all of us here assembled, may God of his infinite mercy grant, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, Three Persons but one Eternal God, be all honor, glory, might, majesty, dominion, and praise, now and for evermore. Amen.
• Eph. vL 4. 'St. Matt . Zxt. 21. » 2 Cor. v. 1. (William John Percy, Sermons Before the Provincial Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Dorsetshire, and Published at Their Request, Sermon II, "The Only Foundation," p. 284-298)