-
Articles/Ads
Article THE GRAND ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSE. Page 1 of 1 Article THE GRAND ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSE. Page 1 of 1 Article THE SEASONS OF THE LODGE. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Grand Architect Of The Universe.
THE GRAND ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSE .
EREEMASONS love to sty le the Divine Creator of all things and the Father of our spirits , " The Grand Architect of the Universe . " There can be no moro
appropriate designation for Him who has existed from eternity , has created this beautiful world of ours , and governs it by the creatures and the laws of His creation . Freemasons
are subordinate architects , and they all bow in adoration to the Grand Architect . Our Lodges are dedicated to Him , our prayers are offered to Him , and our services are rendered to Him through our actions for the benefit of His
creatures . Masonic charity has its origin in , and is the acknowledgment of , our allegiance to the Grand Architect of the Universe . Every subordinate architect is in duty bound to aid his Brother in distress , because all are the obligated children of the Grand Architect . This designation is no novelty to the Craft—there are few novelties in Masonry . It is as old as Masonry . It
comes to us from Egypt , the land of the aforetime and forgotten , the cradle of civilization , the early home of Freemasonry . The oldest manuscrip t in the world is an Egyptian one . Hebrew literature begins with Moses , while there is in existence a manuscrip t from Thebes , in hieratic
characters , written several centuries before the time of the Hebrew lawgiver , and the author of which may have lived at a period considerably earlier ; while certain portions of the Egyptian " Book of the Dead" are thought to be
older still . * In a famous old Egyptian manuscript , known as the " Turin Papyrus , " the following striking language is attributed to the Almighty •. " I am the maker of heaven and earth . I am yesterday , I am to-day , I am to-morrow . "
And then occurs this ascription : " 0 God , ARCHITECT OF THE WORLD , Thou art without a father , begotten by Thine one becoming ; Thou art without a mother , being born by repetition of Thyself . Heaven and earth obey the
commands which Thou hast given . ' f Memorable language , this , to the Freemason . It carries him back to ancient days , in teaching him how to designate the Ancient of Days . To those old Egyptian mystagogues who worked the
Mysteries of their era , the Sun was even more a symbol of Light than he is to-day to us . Two of the favourite names g iven by them to the Sun were Ptah , signifying " the Artist , " or
" the Opener , and Ghnemu , signifying " the Builder . " ^; It was because the Sun was the Opener of clay , that he was considered the Artist , especially in Memphis , the seat of the arts , of which he was the chief symbol of divinity .
The First Great Light in Masonry magnificently opens in these words : " In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth . " Bro . Chas . W . Duncan , of Chester , England ,
in a lecture delivered before his Lodge some years ago , well said : " There can be little doubt that the nearest approach which mortal man can make to his immortal
Creatorspeaking only in a material sense , and with deep humilityis to imitate him to the best of his finite ability in the wo' k of creation . And in this respect , and with his reservation
I confidently assert that the work of the mortal Architect and Builder is the closest copy which the material world affords of the work of the Great Architect of the
Universe . " To this we may add that , since Freemasons hav ceased to be operative Masons , pract cal Architects , the nearest approach the modern Mason can make to the work of the Grand Architect , is in MAKING MASONS , shaping
stones to be placed in " that spiritual Temple , that honse not made with hands , eternal in the heavens . " The Master of a Lodge exercises a responsible vocation . Just as no one can be , or ever conld be , an Architect , no matter how
talented , without special training , so no brother can wisel y and well make a Mason without natural ability , matched with painstaking study . There is no magic power in the mere words used—they must be spoken with power to give them
power . Words are empty , unless it is apparent to the hearer that thought and feeling are behind them . Words are mighty , if they carry winged thought . The .-e are ARCHITECTS OF PERIODS as well as Architects of material
edifices , and he who has learned the true value of words , and practises the art of writing or speaking them with power , is a Master Builder , a Master Mason , a Worahi p'ul
The Grand Architect Of The Universe.
Master , of which any Lodge presided over by him may well be proud . The Grand Architect of the Universe said , " Let there be light , " aud the earth was flooded with gin y . When the subordinate Architect , presiding over a L d-je ,
addresses the candidate with sincerity , feeling , and force , he makes an impression upon him which will never be eradicated , and justifies his claim to be regarded as an expert Mason , a true Architect , and a liege follower of the Grand Architect of the Universe . —Keystone .
The Seasons Of The Lodge.
THE SEASONS OF THE LODGE .
DECEMBER with its summer solstice has come again , to usher in the midsummer-tide throughout half the world . The sun again rides on the utmost limit of Capricorn ; and , looking toward the genial north , the dweller in the austral climes sees him glowing in fervent noonday splendour ; the god of light and energy and life .
The groves and gardens we never see display their opulence of bloom and fruits ; and the harvest fields and vineyards of continents and islands are pouring forth in succession their exhaustless stores . But the bloom aud the fruits and the harvest treasures are not for us : and the
surly winds that shriek or roar about our homes and fields , and lash the naked and shivering trees , come not as bearers of the odours and melodies of summer life ; but whirl the stinging crystals of the snow in the face of the disconsolate traveller .
It is not our summer solstice ; that which lights the way of the Entered Apprentice " round by the south ; " the crown of the golden summer of the north ; but that of the south ; of the Fellow Craftsman , whose course is with that of the sun which rules the summer-tide of those far away
lands ; which only the seafarer , or seeker of knowledgeor gain , from our shores , has visied . Tes , the course whi h is round by the north is that which the rular of the year now traverses . It is now the Fellow Craft ' s day— he
beauty and glory of the delectable austral summer ; and his pillar is now tho pillar of fire—of light . _ '* As with the day , so with the year : crich has its monrng ,
noon and night ; for spring is the morning of the year , as morning is tho springtide of the day ; and man ' s life also ha ^ its springtime , its noon , its autumn and its nig ht . It is the year with us which has these four—Mio year of
the hnd . beyond the vast space of the central z > ne , twis also its four transfigurations ; their order in their own succession is the same as that of ours ; but the two processions are in alternate stagos—their like seasons never walk hand
in hand , but the unlike ; so that in simnlbinOOU- onler spring is linked with autumn and saram-r with winter ; but the year ever walks between ; changing hands with the dancing seasons as they cro * -s and rooms * , exchanging sides with each other , concordantly with the rhythmic motiot s of
the spheres . That which we call the year ( our year ) now rer-cVs t . close . Its summer glory is no more ; bat ha * , fo'lowed the marvellous beauty and brightness of the springtim •;and both with all their blessedness and lifo havo crone he c
with the immemorial seasons of the pas' " -. But the soulthought of the German
poet" 0 Welt , du bist so wiinder . ^ ch n Mi ' en ! 0 World , thon art so wowler-beni . to ins in May !) will ao-ain and a aiu be true with human hearts , which
shall share in the resurging life of all things ti * u . _ and ' o'ely of the awakening year , which shall evermore rotur . i , whether our mortal eye ., await its greeting , or 1 o sightless beneath the mouldering relics of its former gnvinds .
How have they ilowu , the morning , noon au-. l evening of this closing year—tho lifetime entire of the co ant less millions of the insect world—tho season , of pro ni e and hope , and lastly of fruition or disappo ' ntni-nt to tuin ?
The duties and treasures they bore havo passed or are passing after them —* the golden and scarlet v . s . nien . s of the woods , crimson berries and purple clusters ; the heavy corn-sheaves of the fields , sacerdotal robes of priestl y Autumn—wine and bread of oblation aud Ub .-ti > u for " the
Sabbath of the year . " What countless thoughts , what aspirations and vis ' ons have clustered about , and mingled with the memcri ¦•o the successive seasons , since first they blessed with 1 eir returning an . I flitting pro . e . ice , tho tar sepaialed lands of the South and North — coming tj ono with th 3 early
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Grand Architect Of The Universe.
THE GRAND ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSE .
EREEMASONS love to sty le the Divine Creator of all things and the Father of our spirits , " The Grand Architect of the Universe . " There can be no moro
appropriate designation for Him who has existed from eternity , has created this beautiful world of ours , and governs it by the creatures and the laws of His creation . Freemasons
are subordinate architects , and they all bow in adoration to the Grand Architect . Our Lodges are dedicated to Him , our prayers are offered to Him , and our services are rendered to Him through our actions for the benefit of His
creatures . Masonic charity has its origin in , and is the acknowledgment of , our allegiance to the Grand Architect of the Universe . Every subordinate architect is in duty bound to aid his Brother in distress , because all are the obligated children of the Grand Architect . This designation is no novelty to the Craft—there are few novelties in Masonry . It is as old as Masonry . It
comes to us from Egypt , the land of the aforetime and forgotten , the cradle of civilization , the early home of Freemasonry . The oldest manuscrip t in the world is an Egyptian one . Hebrew literature begins with Moses , while there is in existence a manuscrip t from Thebes , in hieratic
characters , written several centuries before the time of the Hebrew lawgiver , and the author of which may have lived at a period considerably earlier ; while certain portions of the Egyptian " Book of the Dead" are thought to be
older still . * In a famous old Egyptian manuscript , known as the " Turin Papyrus , " the following striking language is attributed to the Almighty •. " I am the maker of heaven and earth . I am yesterday , I am to-day , I am to-morrow . "
And then occurs this ascription : " 0 God , ARCHITECT OF THE WORLD , Thou art without a father , begotten by Thine one becoming ; Thou art without a mother , being born by repetition of Thyself . Heaven and earth obey the
commands which Thou hast given . ' f Memorable language , this , to the Freemason . It carries him back to ancient days , in teaching him how to designate the Ancient of Days . To those old Egyptian mystagogues who worked the
Mysteries of their era , the Sun was even more a symbol of Light than he is to-day to us . Two of the favourite names g iven by them to the Sun were Ptah , signifying " the Artist , " or
" the Opener , and Ghnemu , signifying " the Builder . " ^; It was because the Sun was the Opener of clay , that he was considered the Artist , especially in Memphis , the seat of the arts , of which he was the chief symbol of divinity .
The First Great Light in Masonry magnificently opens in these words : " In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth . " Bro . Chas . W . Duncan , of Chester , England ,
in a lecture delivered before his Lodge some years ago , well said : " There can be little doubt that the nearest approach which mortal man can make to his immortal
Creatorspeaking only in a material sense , and with deep humilityis to imitate him to the best of his finite ability in the wo' k of creation . And in this respect , and with his reservation
I confidently assert that the work of the mortal Architect and Builder is the closest copy which the material world affords of the work of the Great Architect of the
Universe . " To this we may add that , since Freemasons hav ceased to be operative Masons , pract cal Architects , the nearest approach the modern Mason can make to the work of the Grand Architect , is in MAKING MASONS , shaping
stones to be placed in " that spiritual Temple , that honse not made with hands , eternal in the heavens . " The Master of a Lodge exercises a responsible vocation . Just as no one can be , or ever conld be , an Architect , no matter how
talented , without special training , so no brother can wisel y and well make a Mason without natural ability , matched with painstaking study . There is no magic power in the mere words used—they must be spoken with power to give them
power . Words are empty , unless it is apparent to the hearer that thought and feeling are behind them . Words are mighty , if they carry winged thought . The .-e are ARCHITECTS OF PERIODS as well as Architects of material
edifices , and he who has learned the true value of words , and practises the art of writing or speaking them with power , is a Master Builder , a Master Mason , a Worahi p'ul
The Grand Architect Of The Universe.
Master , of which any Lodge presided over by him may well be proud . The Grand Architect of the Universe said , " Let there be light , " aud the earth was flooded with gin y . When the subordinate Architect , presiding over a L d-je ,
addresses the candidate with sincerity , feeling , and force , he makes an impression upon him which will never be eradicated , and justifies his claim to be regarded as an expert Mason , a true Architect , and a liege follower of the Grand Architect of the Universe . —Keystone .
The Seasons Of The Lodge.
THE SEASONS OF THE LODGE .
DECEMBER with its summer solstice has come again , to usher in the midsummer-tide throughout half the world . The sun again rides on the utmost limit of Capricorn ; and , looking toward the genial north , the dweller in the austral climes sees him glowing in fervent noonday splendour ; the god of light and energy and life .
The groves and gardens we never see display their opulence of bloom and fruits ; and the harvest fields and vineyards of continents and islands are pouring forth in succession their exhaustless stores . But the bloom aud the fruits and the harvest treasures are not for us : and the
surly winds that shriek or roar about our homes and fields , and lash the naked and shivering trees , come not as bearers of the odours and melodies of summer life ; but whirl the stinging crystals of the snow in the face of the disconsolate traveller .
It is not our summer solstice ; that which lights the way of the Entered Apprentice " round by the south ; " the crown of the golden summer of the north ; but that of the south ; of the Fellow Craftsman , whose course is with that of the sun which rules the summer-tide of those far away
lands ; which only the seafarer , or seeker of knowledgeor gain , from our shores , has visied . Tes , the course whi h is round by the north is that which the rular of the year now traverses . It is now the Fellow Craft ' s day— he
beauty and glory of the delectable austral summer ; and his pillar is now tho pillar of fire—of light . _ '* As with the day , so with the year : crich has its monrng ,
noon and night ; for spring is the morning of the year , as morning is tho springtide of the day ; and man ' s life also ha ^ its springtime , its noon , its autumn and its nig ht . It is the year with us which has these four—Mio year of
the hnd . beyond the vast space of the central z > ne , twis also its four transfigurations ; their order in their own succession is the same as that of ours ; but the two processions are in alternate stagos—their like seasons never walk hand
in hand , but the unlike ; so that in simnlbinOOU- onler spring is linked with autumn and saram-r with winter ; but the year ever walks between ; changing hands with the dancing seasons as they cro * -s and rooms * , exchanging sides with each other , concordantly with the rhythmic motiot s of
the spheres . That which we call the year ( our year ) now rer-cVs t . close . Its summer glory is no more ; bat ha * , fo'lowed the marvellous beauty and brightness of the springtim •;and both with all their blessedness and lifo havo crone he c
with the immemorial seasons of the pas' " -. But the soulthought of the German
poet" 0 Welt , du bist so wiinder . ^ ch n Mi ' en ! 0 World , thon art so wowler-beni . to ins in May !) will ao-ain and a aiu be true with human hearts , which
shall share in the resurging life of all things ti * u . _ and ' o'ely of the awakening year , which shall evermore rotur . i , whether our mortal eye ., await its greeting , or 1 o sightless beneath the mouldering relics of its former gnvinds .
How have they ilowu , the morning , noon au-. l evening of this closing year—tho lifetime entire of the co ant less millions of the insect world—tho season , of pro ni e and hope , and lastly of fruition or disappo ' ntni-nt to tuin ?
The duties and treasures they bore havo passed or are passing after them —* the golden and scarlet v . s . nien . s of the woods , crimson berries and purple clusters ; the heavy corn-sheaves of the fields , sacerdotal robes of priestl y Autumn—wine and bread of oblation aud Ub .-ti > u for " the
Sabbath of the year . " What countless thoughts , what aspirations and vis ' ons have clustered about , and mingled with the memcri ¦•o the successive seasons , since first they blessed with 1 eir returning an . I flitting pro . e . ice , tho tar sepaialed lands of the South and North — coming tj ono with th 3 early