Section 5

11 Death cannot come To him untimely who is fit to die ; The less of this cold world, the more of heaven ,• The briefer life, the earlier immortality."
THE FIVE POINTS OF FELLOWSHIP,
On which every Master Mason is raised from his emblematic death, are —
First, Hand in hand ; I will respect you as a brother, if I find yoa worthy.
Second, * # * *; That I will travel through danger and difficulties to assist a fellow creature in distress, particularly a worthy Brother, if not detri- mental to myself or connections.
Third, * * * ; In my daily prayers to Almighty God, I will remember a Brother's wel- fare as my own.
4$ Reflected Rays of Light
Fourth, * * * ; That a Brother's just
and lawful secrets will I keep as my own, in the sacred repository of my heart.
Fifth, * * *; That I will support a Brother's character in his absence as I would in his presence. Thus are we linked together by the indissoluble chain of Affection, Relief, Truth, Justice, and Brotherly Love
The Emblems
Particularly recommended to the attention of Master Masons inculcate many a useful lesson, as showing us how we may become examples in our religious, civil, and moral conduct.
THE MALLET
Is the emblem of Power, morally teaching us to correct irregularities, and reduce man to a proper level.
THE THREE STEPS
Are emblematical of the three Masonic Degrees, or stages of human life — viz., Youth, Manhood, and Old Age ; and also of the three periods of our existence — viz., Time, Death, and Eternity.
" What is the gift of Life To him who reads with heaven-instructed eye ? 9 Tis the first dawning of eternity ; The future heaven just breaking on the sight ; The glimmering of a still increasing light."
THE POT OF INCENSE
Is the emblem of a Pure Heart, glowing with fervent love, and ascending to heaven in per- fumes of filial gratitude, like the cloud of celestial white that filled the Temple at Jerusalem,
" As though an angel in his upward flight, Had left his mantle floating in mid air"
50 Reflected Rays of Light.
THE BEEHIVE
Is an emblem of Industry. Idleness, which is the parent of immorality and ruin, is severely re- proved by this symbol. By industry we may en- joy all the necessaries and even the luxuries of life, avoid vice and temptation, and merit respect, by adding knowledge to the understanding, so that we may not be considered a useless drone in the busy hive of nature.
THE BOOK OF CONSTITUTIONS,
GUARDED BY THE TYLER'S SWORD,
Should remind us to be guarded in our Thoughts, Words, and Actions ; for the Sword of Almighty Vengeance is drawn to reward iniquity.
THE SWORD POINTING TO A NAKED HEART
Reminds us that, although our thoughts and actions may be hid from the eyes of man, Justice will sooner or later overtake us. Let us, there- fore, be ever ready to pass the Grim Tyler of Eternity without fear, when we are called upon to serve our Master in Heaven.
THE ALL-SEEING EYE
Of the Incomprehensible, Omnipotent God ! whose being extends through boundless space, and " penetrates the very inmost recesses of sub- terranean cells," must see and know our Thoughts and Actions, and will reward us according to our merits.
The Third Degree, 51
THE FORTY-SEVENTH PROBLEM OF EUCLID.
Theorem. In any right angled triangle, the square described upon the side subtending the right angle is equal to the squares described upon the sides which contain the right angle.
This problem, which is of great use in geomet- rical solutions and demonstrations of quantities, is said to be the invention of the philosopher Pytha- goras, and which, in the joy of his heart, he called Eureka (I have found it), and sacrificed a heca- tomb to commemorate the discovery. It is em- blematical of the symmetry and beauty of Creation, and the unalterable laws of Divine wisdom and infinite power which govern every atom of the universe. It should remind Masons that they ought to love and study the arts and sciences.
52 Reflected Rays of Light
THE ARK
Is an emblem of Safety, and our trust in God, to waft us securely o'er the tempestuous sea of life to that harbour where—
" From every snare attd evil 7vork His grace shall us defe7td, And to his heavenly kingdojn safe Shall bring us in the end. "
THE ANCHOR
Is the emblem of a well grounded Hope in a Glorious Immortality, when moored for ever to that shore, where "The wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest."
THE HOUR GLASS
Is an emblem of Human Life. The sand in the glass passes swiftly, though almost imperceptibly, away. So do the moments of our lives, till the wave of Time is swallowed up by the billows of Eternity.
" What are our ages but a few brief waves
From the vast ocean of Eternity, That break upon the shores of this our world
And so ebb back into the immense profound" u Emblem of life! which, still as we survey,
Seems motionless, yet ever glides away."
THE SCYTHE
Is the emblem of Time, which cuts the brittle thread of life, and launches us into eternity. " Redeem thine hours— the space is brief—
While in thy glass the sand grains shiver ; And measureless thy joy or grief ,
When Time and thou s halt part for ever "
The Third Degree. 53
THE SPADE
Is. an emblem reminding us that "All nature dies and lives again," and that this world is but the tilling ground of heaven, to cultivate our morals and improve in knowledge, so as to strengthen our faith, look beyond the grave, and rely on the grace of God 10 raise our living souls to the regions of everlasting blessedness.
" Haste, seize the proffered hope of heaven. While life and light are yet thine own ; Swift as the passing cloud of even,
Time glides along— and thou art gone. "
THE COFFIN, SKULL, AND CROSS-BONES
Are emblems of the inevitable destiny of our Mortal Bodies. The grave yawns to receive us : "And creeping things shall revel in their spoil, And fit our clay to fertilise the soil." " The grave, that never spoke before,
Hath found at length a tongue to chide ; Oh listen I I will speak no more — Be silent Pride ! "
THE SPRIG OF ACACIA
Is an emblem of Immortality. (See page 46). * ' The dead are like the stars by day Withdrawn from mortal eye, But not extinct, they hold their way In glory through the sky." 11 Spirits from bondage thus set free, Vanish amidst immensity, Where human thought, like human sight, Fails to pursue their trackless flight ',"
The Ornaments
Of this Degree are the Porch, the Chequered Pavement, and the Dormer, or Window.
THE PORCH,
Or Entrance to the Holy of Holies, will remind the thoughtful Master Mason of his emblematic death, and that the grave is the Porch which all must pass through to the world of spirits, where worthy servants only will find admittance to the Sanctum Sanctorum of that Celestial Lodge where the Grand Master of the Universe presides.
THE CHEQUERED PAVEMENT
For the High Priest to walk on, and burn incense on the golden altar, praying the Almighty for pros* perity and peace, is emblematical of the alter- native, or choice between two things, i.e.. Good or Evil, Light or Darkness, Pleasure or Pain, Heaven or Hell ; for " ye cannot serve God and Mammon, if ye reject one, ye must take the other."
" When beneath to their darkness the wicked are
driven^
May our justified souls find a welcome iu heaven"
THE DORMER,
Or Window, which gives light to the Sanctum Sanctorum, is emblematical of the Fountain of Wisdom, which enlightens the mind, and dispels the gloomy darkness of ignorance, and instructs us how to die.
Reflected Rays of Light 55
u Grant that in life's last hour my soul may crave, Nor crave in vain, his love to light me through the grave"
CHARGE FOR THE THIRD DEGREE.
Brother, — As you are now raised to the High and Sublime Degree of a Master Mason, I would ask you to take a retrospective glance at the various Degrees and Ceremonies which you have passed through, and would exhort you to study and prac- tise the moral precepts therein laid down. In the First Degree, youth is represented as ignorant and blind, groping in mental darkness for intellectual light, which darkness can only be dispelled by years of study and experience, before its beams can illuminate the mind.
We are also reminded that, in the sight of God, all mankind are equal, by entering the world naked from the womb, and so returning back to our mother earth (Job i. 21), leaving wealth and titles, honour and power, behind us, as worthless baubles, of no value or avail to purchase place or happiness in the world to come. For this reason you were taught to have faith in God, hope in immortality, and to be charitable to all mankind. Chanty, you are to remember, is the chief of every social virtue, and ought to be the distinguishing characteristic of every Mason ; yet, even with charity, it is neces- sary to be cautious, for it is an error to dispense alms indiscriminatelyto all supplicants, whereby the hypocrite and knave may eat the bread which virtue in distress ought to be relieved by. Charity is often abused, for there are many miscreants who infest our streets and doors with their importuni- ties, many even showing their sores and distorted bodies, to prompt a false compassion, with which
56 Reflected Rays of Light.
ill-gotten gains they revel away the hoivts of night in debauchery. Charity, when misapplied,' loses the dress of virtue and assumes the garb of folly ; therefore, let the bounties of your benevolence be ruled by discretion, and bestowed on such objects as Merit and Virtue in distress, Innocence in tears, Widows and Orphans left helpless on the world, Old age, and Industrious persons whom misfortune has overtaken and reduced to poverty and want ; for, if angels in heaven weep, it is for the pangs of poverty and want which rend the hearts of the deserving poor ; therefore, we beseech you not to withhold your mite or assistance when in your power to relieve distress, or soothe the unhappy (i Cor. xii. i). Study God in nature, and there you will see Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty in all his works as pillars supporting the great temple of the universe. In the Second Degree, you see Man- hood labouring to overcome the difficulties which beset him in the pursuit of knowledge, and thus the intellectual faculties are employed in promoting the glory of God, and the good of man. In the high and sublime Degree of a Master Mason, you are taught to look beyond the narrow limits of this world, and see man raised from the grave of iniquity, by Faith and the grace of God, to Ever- lasting life and Blessedness. Let us, therefore, study our emblems, and practise their precepts, so that we may, as children of light, turn our backs on works of Darkness, Obscenity, Drunkenness, and all manner of evil, and live as we ought, prac- tising Charity, Benevolence, Justice, Temperance, Chastity, and Brotherly Love.
CONCLUSION.
Having thus given a general summary of the
The Third Degree.
57
Masonic System of Morality, let us hope that it will be more than ever esteemed, and valued with increased reverential regard, by all who have traced the Royal Art from the commencement of the First to the end of the Third Degree.
According to the plan of Masonry, the mirror is as it were held up to IN ature, that we may re- view the helplessness of our Youth, the vanity of the World, and the Trust we ought to put in God ; that the " Reflected Rays" from the Mirror may determine us to pursue such knowledge, and prac- tise those virtues and precepts which will secure the respect of every true Mason and the approba- tion of all good men.
* ' Genius of Masonry descend^
And ivith thee bring thy spotless train ; Constant our sacred rites attend^ While we adore thy peaceful reign"
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