SECTION m.

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DEGREE OF MASTER MASON.
f pbolism 0f i\t grgm.
We have seen the type of man complete in moral worth and intellectual culture — not left to acquire knowledpfe, but first prepared to use that knowledge well, wkn it shall have been obtained. What more is left? Communion with our Maker. The mere knowledge of the Deity, as given us here- tofore, is that of an august Creator, whom we are to rever- encc, and in whom alone we are to place our trust. But wc have not yet seen him walking upon the earth, and holding 0])en communion with the sons of men. Man has not yet been ennobled by personal coutiiet with the All-lloly.
Let us imiigiiie a couecjition peifectly in accordance with the ideas and opinions of our early brethren. "Who has at any time seen God, and lived?" "Adam, our first progeni- tor." " But only in the days of his innocence. Since the day when all mankind was corrupted by his fall, no living man has looked upon the face of the Almighty."
Now, what would be the natural opinion of our ancient brethren as to the means of securing God's actual presence? We know that, for a thousand years, men labored to find the true name of Jfhovah, which they believed would be a talis- man, giving them power over all the secrets of the Universe. Union, of the most unselfish nature, formed the grand char- acteristic of our Fraternity. Ambition, desire for fame^ every passion which appeals to the self-love of man — waa
188 GENERAL AHIMAN EEZON.
merged in thfe perfect union engendered by an adherence to the tenets of the Order to such a degree, that the namea even of onr great architects have not come down to us, though their works still stand, to attest their excellence. All was the work of brethren, and each was allowed his share of the glory.
Now, with this perfect union, and with the knowledge thai the belief existed that it was through the weakness of man only that he could not endure the presence of his Creator, what so natural as to suppose that if three brethren be found as types respectively of moral, intellectual, and physical per- fection, and they be joined together in holy fellowship which should make their very souls as one, they might, in mystic union, call upon the great and sacred name of the Deity, and receive an answer to their prayer ? That this idea did prevail, we have sufficient proof; and it is to this, rather than to any more utilitarian views, that we are to look for the rule which, in a purely speculative institution, so sternly demands phys ical, as well as moral and intellectual integrity.
We know that the wise and good of the days of Solomon regarded his idolatry as an evidence that the countenance of the All-Holy had been darkened to him; that he no longer held the interviews with the Only-Wise God, through which they deemed that his superhuman wisdom came. And indeed it would seem to them a thing monstrous and wholly unnat- ural, that the being whose intellect had been illumined from above, and to whom Jehovah had promised wisdom beyond that of men, should grovel in adoration before false gods, did they not also believe that it was only through direct and constant communion with the Almighty that this wisdom could continue; and now that he no longer sought that pres- ence, he was given over to the blind guidance of his passions
This degree is a type of the communion of man with God Long before the incarnation of that great Being, was the
MASTER MASON. 189
bope entertained of seeing him witli mortal eyes, and no ex- ertions were deemed too great to insure that consummation. With us, these ideas are but a type; ibr we Lave that reali- sation so longed for by the brethren of old. A.nd yet, as a type, how interesting it is to look back upon their stnigglea to look forward into what is now bright and clear!
The practical lessons to be found in the full exposition of the ceremonies of this degree, require ns to be complete in our duty to our neighbor, before we can venture to direct him. Step by step, mounting from the lowest to the highest, we must prove to ourselves that we would serve him — pray for him — sympathize with his inmost feelings, and sustain him from falling, before we can venture to counsel him, even to his good — far less, dictate to him.
We now find man complete in morality and intelligence, with the stay of religion added, to insure hira of the protec- tion of the Deity, and guard him against ever going astray. These three degrees thus form a perfect and harmonious whole; nor can we conceive that any thing can be suggested more, which the soul of man requires.
THIRD LECTURE.
Freemasonry, in every degree, as before remarked, is pro- gressive. A knowledge of it can only be attained by time, patience, and application. In the first degree, we are taught the duties we owe to God, our neighbor, and ourselves. In the second, we are more thoroughly inducted into the myste- ries of moral science, and learn to trace the goodness and majesty of the Creator, by minutely analyzing his works. But the third degree is the cement of the whole. It is cal- culated to bind men together by mystic points of fellowship, as iu a bond of fraternal affection and brotherly love. It ia
190 GESfiltAL AHIMAN REZON.
among brethren of this degree that the ancient Landmarks of the Order are preserved, and it is from tliera that we derive that fund of information which none but ingenious and expert Masons can supply.
It is also from brethren of this degree that the rulers of the Craft are selected ; because it is only from those who are capable of giving instruction that we can reasonably expect to receive it.