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Article THE BOOK OF THE LODGE.* ← Page 4 of 7 →
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The Book Of The Lodge.*
But alas , after all his boasting , what can he know about the application of the sacred numbers to the perfection ofa lodge ? Or about the regularity of its proceedings ? Or the microcosm ? Or its adaptation to the cardinal points of the compass ? Or of the three great pillars by which it is supported ? What can he know about the Mosaic pavement , or tiie tessellated border , or the blazing star in the centre—the crown , the altaror the fixed lights ? All these things are beyond his
compre-, hension ; and therefore he considers Freemasonry as a peg to hang his spleen upon , when he possesses no means of discharging it , as the prudent stoker lets off the superfluous steam from the bowels of his locomotive . Father Prout once said , " The precincts of Parnassus , " which we will convert into a Masons' lodge for the nonce , " form a city of refuge , where political and religious differences can have no access , where the angry passions subside , and the wicked cease from troubling .
Wherefore , to the devil , its inventor , I bequeath the Gunpowder Plot ; and I shall not attempt to rake up the bones of Guy Faux , or disturb the ashes of Doctor Titus;—not that Titus , the delight of the human race , who considered a day as lost when not signalized by some benefaction ;—but Titus Oates , who could not sleep quiet on his pillow at night unless he had hanged a Jesuit iu the morning . " A Mason ' s lodge is a place of intellectual enjoyment . When we assemble there , all wordly thoughts and cares are banished—we feel
ourselves in the presence of so many attached friends , who will speak as well of us in our absence as in our presence ; will defend us in all hostile attacks ; will aid us with their disinterested advice ; and if more substantial assistance be needed , it is seldom withheld . It is a glimpse of the rest which is promised in a better world , uninterrupted by the selfish feelings or discordant tastes and propensities which constitute a source of such pain and disquietude in this . To promote this genial designhoweversomething more is necessary
, , than the mere assembling together of a select party of friends in a room bounded by four brick walls . In fact , it is not absolutely indispensable that a lodge should be held in a room at all . The expedient has been adopted in Europe it is true , but it was only on account of the superior degree of comfort and convenience which is thereby secured in such an uncongenial climate as prevails in these northern latitudes . Within the tropics , a lodge may legitimately meet and transact its business in the
open air , on the highest of hills or in the lowest of valleys , provided the requisite ceremonies be strictly observed . A Christian church cannot legally be devoted to the purposes of divine worship till it has been ritually dedicated and consecrated—so neither can the floor of a lodge be used for masonic purposes but by similar observances ; which are accordingly described in the Book of Constitutions as of indispensable obligation . We make use of ceremonies for the inculcation of moral truths—the
cowan regards them as frivolous amusements . We esteem them as the depositories of all that is noble and good in the communication between the Architect of the Universe and his creatures . The creation of the world was accomplished amidst a profusion of significant ceremonies . And in what manner was the universal deluge produced ? By ivhat means were the Israelites delivered from their Egyptian bondage ? How were the moral and ceremonial law delivered ? How were the numerous communications between God and his favoured people effected in the wilderness ; and by what means were they ultimately introduced into the promised land ? Why , by the use of a series of rites and ceremonies
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Book Of The Lodge.*
But alas , after all his boasting , what can he know about the application of the sacred numbers to the perfection ofa lodge ? Or about the regularity of its proceedings ? Or the microcosm ? Or its adaptation to the cardinal points of the compass ? Or of the three great pillars by which it is supported ? What can he know about the Mosaic pavement , or tiie tessellated border , or the blazing star in the centre—the crown , the altaror the fixed lights ? All these things are beyond his
compre-, hension ; and therefore he considers Freemasonry as a peg to hang his spleen upon , when he possesses no means of discharging it , as the prudent stoker lets off the superfluous steam from the bowels of his locomotive . Father Prout once said , " The precincts of Parnassus , " which we will convert into a Masons' lodge for the nonce , " form a city of refuge , where political and religious differences can have no access , where the angry passions subside , and the wicked cease from troubling .
Wherefore , to the devil , its inventor , I bequeath the Gunpowder Plot ; and I shall not attempt to rake up the bones of Guy Faux , or disturb the ashes of Doctor Titus;—not that Titus , the delight of the human race , who considered a day as lost when not signalized by some benefaction ;—but Titus Oates , who could not sleep quiet on his pillow at night unless he had hanged a Jesuit iu the morning . " A Mason ' s lodge is a place of intellectual enjoyment . When we assemble there , all wordly thoughts and cares are banished—we feel
ourselves in the presence of so many attached friends , who will speak as well of us in our absence as in our presence ; will defend us in all hostile attacks ; will aid us with their disinterested advice ; and if more substantial assistance be needed , it is seldom withheld . It is a glimpse of the rest which is promised in a better world , uninterrupted by the selfish feelings or discordant tastes and propensities which constitute a source of such pain and disquietude in this . To promote this genial designhoweversomething more is necessary
, , than the mere assembling together of a select party of friends in a room bounded by four brick walls . In fact , it is not absolutely indispensable that a lodge should be held in a room at all . The expedient has been adopted in Europe it is true , but it was only on account of the superior degree of comfort and convenience which is thereby secured in such an uncongenial climate as prevails in these northern latitudes . Within the tropics , a lodge may legitimately meet and transact its business in the
open air , on the highest of hills or in the lowest of valleys , provided the requisite ceremonies be strictly observed . A Christian church cannot legally be devoted to the purposes of divine worship till it has been ritually dedicated and consecrated—so neither can the floor of a lodge be used for masonic purposes but by similar observances ; which are accordingly described in the Book of Constitutions as of indispensable obligation . We make use of ceremonies for the inculcation of moral truths—the
cowan regards them as frivolous amusements . We esteem them as the depositories of all that is noble and good in the communication between the Architect of the Universe and his creatures . The creation of the world was accomplished amidst a profusion of significant ceremonies . And in what manner was the universal deluge produced ? By ivhat means were the Israelites delivered from their Egyptian bondage ? How were the moral and ceremonial law delivered ? How were the numerous communications between God and his favoured people effected in the wilderness ; and by what means were they ultimately introduced into the promised land ? Why , by the use of a series of rites and ceremonies