V. During the first part of the ceremonies the lights

In the room should bum dimly.
VL Arrangements should be made to enable the light to be increased to bri^Uancy at the appropriate poini in the ceremony.
352 GENEKAL AHIMAN BEZON.
VIL On the catafalque will be laid a pair oi white gloves, a lambskin apron, and, if the deceased brothel had been an officer, the appropriate insignia of his office.
Vm. Where the Lodge is held in memory of several brethren, shields bearing their names are placed around the catafalque.
OPENING THE LODGE.
The several officers being in their places, and the brethren seated, the Master will call up the Lodge, and say,
Master. Brother Senior Warden: For what purpose are we assembled?
Senior Warden. To honor the memory of those brethren whom death hath taken from us; to contemplate our own approaching dis- solution; and, by the remembrance of immor- tality, to raise our souls above the considerations of this transitory existence.
Master. Brother Junior Warden: What sen- timents should inspire the souls of Masons on occasions like the present?
Junior Warden. Calm sorrow for the absence of our brethren who have gone before us; earnest solicitude for our own eternal welfare ■, and a firm faith and reliance upon the wisdom
LODGE OF SOBBOW. 353
and goodness of the Great Architect of the Universe.
Master. Brethren: Commending these senti- ments to your earnest consideration, and in- voking your assistance in the solemn ceremonies about to take place, I declare this Lodge of Sorrow opened.
The Chaplain or Master will then offer the following or some other suitable Pkayer:
Grand Architect of the Universe, in whose holy sight centuries are but as days, to whose omniscience the past and the future are but as one eternal present ; look down upon thy chil- dren, who still wander among the delusions of time — who still tremble with dread of dissolu- tion, and shudder at the mysteries of the future; look down, we beseech thee, from thy glorious and eternal day into the dark night of our error and presumption, and suffer a ray of thy divine hght to penetrate into our hearts, that in them may awaken and bloom the certainty of life, reliance upon thy promises, and assuranco of a place at thy right hand. — Amen.
Response. So mote it be.
354
GENERAL AHIMAN BEZON.
Tlie following or some other appropriate Ode maj here be sung:
Music by Db. Lovell Mason, arranged for four Tolcea, by T. S. NEDn&u.
-1 1 \-
'EEsi
Broth - er, thou art gone to rest ; We
ife
=^ -^— > — j -
:i=i=S=
^
1 1 1
J ,
\ J/" -1
— «' m faJ iC •-
\—gm
—■JS — 3 — •-:
!/?-v d-
-* — * — >S— i^-^ 1^-
-•-^-H ^ 1«
iVv J S II Ml
! .1 1 ! i
1
not weep for tliee ;
1 _ !
For thou art dow where
J 1 1 rj
/.N it ! _' _ — «l
m\ ! ! 1 _ « i-
(?J » J
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s •
^
v^ .• r' 1
S ?
- —
-1-
-J-
h^^•_• — C — 1 — L
^»=s'
:*=ii=i-
-•— ; iJ 1-
:di
oft
on earth Thy spir it longed, to be.
J=
t=
i^iff:
:g -l \-
'^ rt
Brother, thou art gone to rest;
Thy toils and cares are o'er; And sorrow, pain, and suffering, now,
Shall ne'er distress thee more.
Brother, thou art gone to rest;
And this shall be our prayer, That, when we reach our journey's end,
Thy glory we shall share.
LODGE OF SOKEOW. 355
The Master (taking the skull in his hand) will then say,
Brethren: In tlio midst of life we are in
death, and the wisest cannot know what a day
may bring forth. We live but to see those we
love passing away into the silent land.
Bohold this emblem of mortality, once the abode of a spirit like our own: beneath this mouldering canopy once shone the bright and bu'jy eye: within this hollow cavern once played the ready, swift, and tuneful tongue; and now, sightless and mute, it is eloquent only in the lessons it teaches us.
Think of those brethren who, but a few days since, were among us in all the pride and power of life; bring to your minds the remembrance of their wisdom, their strength, and their beau- ty; and then reflect that "to this complexion have they come at last;" think of yourselves, thus will you be when the lamp of your brief existence has burned out. Think how soon death, for you, will be a reality. Man's life is like a flower, which blooms to-day, and to-mor- row is faded, cast aside, and trodden under foot. The most of us, my brethren, are fast approach- ing, or have already passed the meridian of life;
356 GENERAL' AHIMAN REZON.
our sun is setting in the West, and, oh ! how much more swift is the passage of our declining years than when we started upon the journeyi and beheved — as the young are too apt to be- lieve — that the roseate hues of the rising sun of our existence were always to be continued. When we look back upon the happy days of our childhood, when the dawning intellect first began to exercise its powers of thought, it seems as but yesterday, and that, by a simple effort of the will, we could put aside our man- hood, and seek again the loving caresses of a mother, or be happy in the possession of a bauble; and could we now realize the idea that our last hour had come, our whole earthly life would seem but as the space of time from yes- terday until to-day. Centuries upon centuries have rolled away behind us; before us stretches out an eternity of years to come; and on the narrow boundary between the past and the present flickers the puny taper we term our life. When we came into the world, we knew na,ugbt of what had been before us; but, as we grew up to manhood, we learned of the past; we saw the flowers bloom as they had bloomed for cen-
LODGE OP SORROW. 3511
turies; we beheld the orbs of day and night pursuing their endless course among tlie stars, as they had pursued it from the birth of light; we learned what men had thought, and said, and done, from the beginning of the world to our day ; but only through the eye of faith can we behold what is to come hereafter, and only through a firm reliance upon the Divine prom- ises can we satisfy the yearnings of an immortal soul. The cradle speaks to us of remembrance — the coffin of hope, of a blessed trust in a never- ending existence beyond the gloomy portals of the tomb.
Let these reflections convince us how vain are aU the wranglings and bitterness engendered by the collisions of the world ; how httle in dignity above the puny wranglings of ants over a morsel of food or for the possession of a square inch of soil.
What shall survive us ? Not, let us hope, the petty strifes and bickerings, the jealousies and heart-burnings, the small triumphs and mean advantages we have gained, but rather the noble thoughts, the words of truth, the works of mercy and justice, that ennoble and
358 GENERAL AHIMAN KEZON.
light up the existence of every honest man, howe'er humble, and live for good when his body, like this remnant of mortality, is mould- ering in its parent dust.
Let the proud and the vain consider how soon the gaps are filled that are made in society by those who die around them ; and how soon time heals the wounds that death inflicts upon the loving heart ; and from this let them learn hu- mility, and that they are but drops in the great ocean of humanity.
And when God sends his angel to us with the scroll of death, let us look upon it as an act of mercy, to prevent many sins and many calami- ties of a longer life ; and lay down our heads softly and go to sleep, without wrangling like froward children. For this at least man gets by death, that his calamities are not immortal. To bear grief honorably and temperately, and to die willingly and nobly, are the duties of a ^ood man and true mason.
A solemn piece of music will now be performed, or Ibe following ode may be simg :
Lodge op sobeow.
359
Musio — Kaomu
Db. Lowzli. Hasok.
^Sig
When those we love are snatched
way,
:=^r
:z=t:
.^aJt— I IS- J>i- — l_n-_ _^^ fL-r
By Death's re - lent - less hand, Our hearts tlie mourn-ful
trib nte pay, That friend - ship must de - mand. I > I J I J
4t:r;£=ii
fc
4-
:«e
'^m
While pity prompts tlie rising sigli,
"With awful jjower imprest ; May this droad truth, " I too must dio,"
Sink deep in every breast.
Let this vain world alhtre no more :
Behold the opening tomb I It bids us use the present hour ;
To-morrow death may come.
300 GENERAL AHIMAN REZON.
The voice of this iastructive scene
May every heart obey ; Nor be the faithful -warning vain
Which calls to watch and pray I
At its conclusion the Chaplain mil read the following passages :
Lo, He goeth by me and I see Him not. He passeth on also, but I perceive Him not. Be- hold He taketh away, who can hinder Him ?
Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down ; he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with Thee, Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass ; turn from him that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day. For 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 plan t. But man dieth and wasteth away ; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he ? Aa
LODQK OF SOEKOW. 361
the waters fail from the sea and the flood decay- eth and drieth up, so man Ueth down, and riseth not; till the heavens be no more thoy shall not awake nor be raised out of their sleep.
My days are passed, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart. If I wait, the grave is mine house, I have made my bed in the darkness. I have said to corruption, thou art my father. And where is now thy hope? as for my hope, who shall see it? They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.
My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh. Oh, that my words were now written ; oh, that they were printed in a book ! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after m}'^ skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.
For Thou cast me into the deep, m the midst of the seas ; and Thy floods compassed me about •
36i
GENERAL AHIMAN EEZON.
all Thy billows and Thy waves passed over me Then I said, I am cast out of Thy sight ; yet will I look again toward Thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul, the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapt about my head.
I said, in the cutting off of my day I shall go to the gates of the grave ; I am deprived of the residue of my years ; I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living ; I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. Behold, for peace I had great bitterness ; but Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption. For the grave cannot praise Thee, death cannot cel- ebrate Thee ; the living, the living, he shall praise Thee as I do this day.
Are not my days few ? Cease, then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness, and the shadow of death. A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the sliadow of death, without any ordei, and where the light is as darkness.
LODGE OF 80EROW. 363
An interval of profound silence will be oL^erved The general lights of the Hall, if there be convenience, will be turned low, and the foui brethren will extinguish the tapers near which they are placed.
PRAYER BY THE CHAPLAIN,
Our Father who art in heaven, it bath pleased thee to take from among us those who were our brethren. Let time, as it heals the wounds thus inflicted upon our hearts and on the hearts of those who were near and dear to them, not erase the salutary lessons engraved there ; but let those lessons always continuing distinct and legible make us and them wiser and better. And whatever distress or trouble may hereafter come upon us, may we ever be con- soled by the reflection that thy wisdom and thy love are equally infinite, and that our sorrows are not the visitations of thy wrath, but the result of the great law of harmony by which everything is being conducted to a good and perfect issue in the fullness of thy time. Let (he loss of our brethren increase our affection for those who are yet spared to us, and make us more punctual in the performance of the du ties tliat Friendship. Love, and Honor demand
364 GENEEAL AHIMAN EEZOU.
When it comes to us also to die, may a firm aud abiding trust ia thy mercy dispel tte gloom and dread of dissolution. Be with us now, and sanctify the solemnities of this occasion to our hearts, that we may serve thee in spirit and understanding. And to thy name shall be ascribed the praise forever. — Amen.
Response. So mote it be.
The Wardens, Deacons and Stewards, will now ap- proach the East and form a procession, thus : Two Stewards, with rods. Two "Wardens, with columns.
^fr°^' TheMasteb. ^.T'°''\
with rod. with rod.
Which will move once round the catafalque to slow and
solemn music.
On arriving in the East, the procession will halt and
open to the light and left. The Junior Warden wiU
then advance to the catafalque and placing upon it a
bunch of white flowers will say :
Junior Warden. In memory of our departed brethren I deposit these white flowers, emblem- atical of that pure life to which they have been called, and reminding us that as these children of an hour will droop and fade away, so, too, we shall soon follow those who have gone before us, and inciting us so to fill the brief span of
LODGE OF SORROW. 365
Dur existence that we may leave to our sur« vivors a sweet savor of remembrance.
The Junior Warden will now return to his place, and an interval of profound silence will be obseiTed.
The procession will again be formed, and move as be- fore, to the sound of slow music, twice around the cata- falque.
They will open as before, and the Senior Warden ap- proaching the catafalque will place upon it a wreath of white flowers and say :
Senior Warden. As the sun sets in the "West, to close the day and herald the approach of night, so, one by one we lay us down in the darkness of the tomb to wait in its calm repose for the time when the heavens shall pass away as a scroll, and man, standing in the presence cf the Infinite, shall realize the true end of his pilgrimage here below. Let these flowers be to us the symbol of remembrance of all the virtues of our brethren who have preceded us to the silent land, the token of that fraternal alliance which binds us while on earth and which we hope will finally unite us in heaven.
The Senior Warden returns to his place, and an inter- nal of silence will be observed.
The procession will again be formed, and move tlrree times around the catafalque to slow music, as before.
366 GENEEAL AHIMAK BEZON.
Arrived in the East, the Master will advancti and place upon the urn a wreath of evergreen, and say :
Master. It is appointed unto all men once to die, and after death cometh the resurrection. The dust shall return to the earth and the spiril unto God who gave it. In the grave all men are equal ; the good deeds, the lofty thoughts, the heroic sacrifices alone survive and bear fruit in the lives of those who strive to emulate them.
While, therefore, nature will have its way, and our tears wiE fall upon the graves of our brethren, let us be reminded by the evergreen symbol of our faith in immortal life that the dead are but sleeping and be comforted by the reflection that their memories will not be for- gotten ; that they will still be loved by those who are soon to follow them ; that in our ar- chives their names are written, and that in our hearts there is still a place for them. And so, trusting in the infinite love and tender mercy of him without whose knowledge not even a sparrow falls, let us prepare to meet them where there is no parting and where with them Wf shall enjoy eternal rest.
LODGE OF SOEBOTV. 367
The Maf ter will return to liis place, and a period of silence will obtain.
The Chaplain will now be conducted to the altar, where he wUl read :
But some man will say : How are the dead •aised up ? and with what body do they come ' Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quick- ened except it die : and that which thou sow- est thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain ; it may chance of wheat or of some other grain : but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
All flesh is not the same flesh ; but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of flshes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial : but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
There is one glory of the sun, and anothei glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star diflereth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption ; it is raised in in cor- ruption : it is sown in dishonor ; 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
36S GENERAL AHIMAN BEZON.
spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul ; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit Howbeit, that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural ; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second inan is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy ; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God ; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew 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 must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put c n incor- ruption, and this mortal shall have put on im-
LODGE or SOB ROW.
369
mortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in
victory. death, where is thy sting? grave,
where is thy victory?
As the Chaplain pronounces the concluding words, " O grave where is thy victory ?" the lights in the HaU ■will be raised to brilliancy, the four brethren seated around the catafalque will relight the tapers.
The Chaplain will return to his place in the East, and the following ode will be sung, to music of a moro cheerful character :
Musio — Simons.
S^jEraEO^^IEs^
i
3^:
f
i:
1
friend ? There ia no
m
S:
lost
DD ion
^
22
:■ p=
-t?— t?-
m
It
^m
;l:±i-
r
:*i=fc
l^ \y
lE^:"^^
-r
X
' 16*
:22=
ito:
— zn
here of hearts, That finds not here an end. ^ J ^-^- ' '
-C27
r
370
GENEBAl, AHIMAN EEZON.
=S-
iiSt
--S=S-
Wz
^P2_
T
-r
-r
Were this frail world our oa - ly rest,
P3^z=*=f!;
zzz:
4=
i^
- 4 I r .
^
^=?-h^^^s
i
^i^t
tt
n
Liv - ing or dy - ing, none were blest.
^^=
i
^=
:^
There is a world aboTe
Where parting is unknown — A whole eternity of love
And blessedness alone And faith beholds the dying here Translated to that happier sphere.
The Orator will then pronounce the Eulogium. Then follows an ode :
OLD HtJKDEED. h. K,
l3T TEBOE.
^3^5^E^
1 'I r
Once more, O Lord, let grate-ful praise, From ev - €ry 1st Bass.
iiiHig^i^j^^
IeP
■^^-si-
LODGE OF SORROW.
371
Se^
:gt
ES
W^
t=^
^=5'-
m.
heart to thee as - cend ; Thou art the enar - dian
=t
2*
=t^
:s
=1;
=2^=
isi:
32:
2^-
ICZ
-:3--
t' ' r
of our days, Our first, our best, and changeless friend.
I I
^
TTT.
4-
z==^:
-c?-
^i
?2
3Zi
T
s — 3-
■^z'z
Hear, now, our parting liymn of praise, And bind our hearts in love di\-ine ;
O, may we walk in wisdom's ways, And ever feel tliat we are thine.
CLOSING.
Master. Brother Senior "Warden, our recollec- tion of our departed friends has been refreshed, and we may now ask ourselves, were they just and perfect Masons, worthy men, unwearied toilers in the vineyard, and possessed of so many virtues as to overcome their faults and shortcomings? Answer these questions, as
Masons should answer. 15*
y72 GENERAL AHIMAN KEZON.
Sen. War. Man judgetli not of man. He whose infinite and tender mercy passeth all comprehension, whose goodness endureth for- evur, has called our brethren hence. Let him judge.
In ancient Egypt no one could gain admit- tance to the sacred asylum of the tomb until he had passed under the most solemn judgment before a grave tribunal.
Princes and peasants came there to be judged, escorted only by their virtues and their vices. A public accuser recounted the history of their lives, and threw the penetrating light of truth on all their actions. If it were adjudged that the dead man had led an evil life, his memory was condemned in the presence of the nation, and his body was denied the honors of sepulture , But Masonry has no such tribunal to sit in judgment upon her dead ; with her, the good that her sons have done lives after them, and the evil is interred with their bones. She does require, however that whatever is said con- cerning them shall be the truth ; and should it ever happen that of a Mason, who dies, nothing good can be truthfully said she wiU mourn-
LODGE OF SOEBOW.
fully and pityingly bury him out of her sight in silence.
Master. Brethren, let us profit by the admo- nitions of this solemn occasion, lay to heart the truths to which we have listened, and resolve so to walk that when we lay us down to the last sleep it may be the privilege of the brethren to strew white flowers upon our graves and keep our memories as a pleasant remembrance.
Brother Senior Warden, announce to the brethren that our labors are now concluded, and that it is my pleasure that this Lodge of Sorrow be closed.
Sen. War. Brother Junior "Warden, the labors of this Lodge of Sorrow being ended, it is the pleasure of the Master that it be now closed. Make due announcement to the brethren, and invite them to assist.
Jun. War. (Calling up the Lodge.) Brethren, the labors of this Lodge of Sorrow being ended, it is the pleasure of the Master that it be now closed
Master. Let us unite with our Chaplain in ar invocation to the Throne of Grace.
« * « * 4: * •
Master. This Lodge ^f Sorrow is now closed
SELECTIONS FOR LODGE OF SORROW.
HTMN— 8'« & 7*s M.
Brother, rest from sin and sorrow 1 Death is o'er, and life is won ;
On thy slumber dawns no morrow: Kest ! thine earthly race is run.
Brother, wake ! the night is waning;
Endless day is round thee poured; Enter thou the rest remaining
For the people of the Loed.
Fare thee well ! tho' woe is blending With the tones of early love,
Triumph high and joy unending Wait thee in the realms above 1
HYMN.
Why lament our Brother's dying, Why indulge in tears and gloom T
Calmly on the Lord relying. He can greet the opening tomb.
Tho' for him thy soul is mourning, Tho' with grief thy heart is riven,
While his flesh to dust is turning, All his soul is filled with heaven.
Scenes seraphic, high and glorious. Now forbid his longer stay:
See him die, o'er death victorious. Angels beckon him away.
Hark ! The golden harps are ringing, Soimds angelic fill his ear:
Millions now in heaven singing Greet his joyful entrance there.
SERVICE
roB TUB
CONSECRATION OF MASOXIC CE5IETERIES.
If the grounds to be consecrated are the property o) a particular Lodge, this service should be conducted by the officers of that Lodge, which should be opened in due form, at the usual place of meeting, and march in procession to the Cemetery.
If several Lodges are interested, the exercises should be under the supervision of the Grand Lodge.
The brethren, having arrived at the grounds, should be arranged in such a manner as to inclose an open space, in the form of an oblong square. The Grand Master, his Deputy, or the ISIaster of the Lodge — as the case may be — should stand in the East, looking toward the West.
Grand Master. Let the gates of the South and the "West be guarded.
The Wardens tate their respective positions.
O. M. Eight Worshipful Grand Senior Warden, what is a Lodge?
G. S. W. A Lodge is the sj-mbol of the world.
G. M. What are its dimensions?
G. S. TV. It reaches from the North to the South and from the East to the Wesi
G. M. Hath it any limits?
376 GENERAL AHUSIAN BEZON.
O. S. W. None ; it embracetli the region of stars above, the empire of graves below, and the kingdoma of eternal silence.
G. M. You have said that the Lodge is a symbol of the world. As the world then is, in one sense, a vast Lodge, what is the last and highest duty which a Mason is called upon to discharge therein?
G. 8. W. To watch by the bed of a sick and dying brother, to soothe his last hours, to console and re- lieve his widow, protect his orphan children, and pro- vide a suitable resting-place for his mortal remains.
G. M. Even so; and beloved brethren, we are fissembled to-day to perform the last, but not the least part of this most sacred task. We are here to consecrate these grounds, by solemn services, to a solemn use. But feeling aU otir weakness and blindness, and knowing that our unaided efforts must be unavailing, let us first implore the presence and aid of him from whom alone light and strength can come.
PEATEE,
BY THE CHAPLAIN.
Supreme Architect of the Universe I who, in all ages, hast presided over the labors of our Fraternity, and whose benevolent and paternal care aU worthy Masons have, in all times, recognized with tears of gratitude, we approach thee now, in a spirit of filial reverence and trust, to implore fhy presence and the abundance of thy benedictions upon the
CONSECKATION OF MASONIC CEMETERIES, 37V
solemn labors of the present hour. Knowing oul weakness, we ask thee for Strength. Conscious of our ignorance, we implore of thee Light. Sensible of our frailties and imperfections, we pray that the Holy Spirit may breathe upon our hearts, that they may bloom Avith the flowers of Virtue and Charity, as the earth blooms beneath the genial influence of the sunshine. And, finally, O God! we beseech thee to impart to us thy Wisdom, that we may be guided into the ways of Tmth, accompUsh our present undertaking in a manner acceptable to thee, and be prepared for a higher service in thy Spiritual Temple above. — Amen. Response. So mote it be.
G. M. LoED, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations !
Besponse. And thy Mercy endui-eth forever.
0. M. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou ait God
Response. And thy Mercy endm'eth forever.
G. M. Thou turnest man to destruction, and aayest, retm-n ye children of men.
Response. Yet thy Mercy endureth forever.
G. M. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday, when it is past,- and as a watch in the night.
Besponse. But thy Mercy endureth forever.
GEKEEAL AHIMAN EEZON.
O. M. TliOTi earnest tliem away as a flood ; thej are as asleep; in the morning they are like grass thai groweth up.
Response. But thy Mercy endureth forever.
G. M. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth ap ; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
Response. But thy Mercy endureth forever.
G. M. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath we are troubled.
Response. But tliy Mercy endureth forever.
G. M. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee — our secret sins in the Hght of thy countenance.
Response. But thy Mercy endureth forever.
G. M. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath ; we spend our years as a tale that is told.
Response. But thy Mercy endureth forever.
G. M. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto Wisdom.
Response. For thy Mercy endureth forever.
G. M. O, satisfy us early with thy Mercy ; that vre may be glad and rejoice all our days.
Response. For thy Mercy endureth forever.
G. M. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.
Response. For thy Mercy endureth forever.
G. M. Let thy work appear xmto thy servants- nnd thy glory unto their children.
Response. For thy Mercy endureth forever.
OONSECBATION OF MASONIC CEMETERIES. 379
0. M. And let the Beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; and establish thou the work of our hands upon us ; yea, the work of our hands, establish thou it. And to the King, eternal, immortal, iavisi- ble, the one only living and true God, be offered worsliip and praise.
Response. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. So mote it be.— Amen.
HYMN.
O God I who, when the world was young. Didst walk in Eden's fragrant bowers.
Where Adam, just created, sung
His grateful hymns 'mid trees and flowers •
Thy servants here, with reverence, bend. As did the father of our race.
Imploring thee thy grace to send. And with thy glory fill this place.
thou! who look'st with pitying eye.
On us who dwell 'mid death's alarms. And while we live, or when we die.
Dost fold us in thy loving arms ; Here, where in death our loved ones sleep,
O let thy benedictions fall, And teach us, as their loss we weep,
That deathless Love embraceth all
Here, let the weary find repose,
'Mongst fragrant flowers and waving trees — Emblems, at once, of mortal woes,
And everlasing sympathies —
880 GENERAL AHIMAN EEZON.
And grant, O Grod! that we may see In Nature's swelling buds, and bloom,
The Spirit's immortality
And final victory o'er the tomb.
G. 31. Brethren: As our Masonic obligations enjoin iipon us not only a tender regard for all the interests of a brother while li-ving, but also an affec- tionate and honorable disposal of his remains, when the great Master of Life has summoned him to his rest, these grounds have been secured and set apart for that sacred purpose. And as Freemasonry is an institution of symbols, and communicates its instructions through a subKme system of emblems, it is eminently proper that a Masonic Cemetery should be consecrated by ceremonies of a sym- bolical character. It should also be adorned with trees and shrubs and flowers, which have a sym- bolical meaning connected with such solemn uses. No artificial monuments of iron, or brass, or stone, which we erect to preserve the remembrance of the departed, can compare in efficiency or beauty with those that Nature produces, and which, though sub- ject to decay, are perpetually renewed.
AH parts of the universe are symbolic, each one of which was, no doubt, designed by the Creator to reveal, and impress upon the mind, some special idea or sentiment. The visible world is but the shadow or reflex of the verities of the invisible and between the seen and the unseen there is a
COKSfiCEATION OF MASONtC CEMETERIES. &81
mysterious relationsliip. The Spiritual is incamed in evory visible thing, underlies all forms, and reyeals itself in every tree and flower. Through all time, and among aU peoples, have the prominent features of the universe revealed the same thoughts to all earnest hearts. Ever has the mountain been the symbol of power and durability; the oak oi firmness and confidence ; the various evergreens of immortality ; the cypress of death ; and the drooping elm, and weeping willow, of a profound sorroiv and an eternal sympathy. These emblems of Hope, and Faith, and Immortality, of undying afiection, and tender sympathy, and everlasting love, are the appropi'iate decorations of a Masonic bmial-place
Types, Truth selects, appropriate
Fair fading creatures of a day. Of human life to indicate
The fragile state and swift decay ; Now in prosperity elate.
And then forever passed away ; Bedecking thus the mortal cell. Our tale impressively they tell. And when the Spring's reviving breath
Wakes latent energies below, Leaves, buds and blossoms bursting forth,
With graceful life and beauty glow. Symbols of triumph over death.
The Resurrection hope they show ; The Grave her tenants shall restore, And Death of victory boast no more.
382 GENEKAL AHIMAN KEZON.
One reason why we have been accustomed to loci with so much terror on the grave is the dreadful gloom in which human inventions have shrouded it. The funereal emblems and rites of the olden times, and of the earUer periods of the Christian Church, were exceediagly beautiful and hopeful. But for several centm-ies we appear to have lost much of the deep and earnest faith of their ancestors — they have seemed to doubt whether the idea of immortality be, indeed, a verity, and, under the iafluence of a wither- ing skepticism, have declared that the departed are henceforth nothing to us, and we are nothing to them. Freemasonry rebukes and repudiates such gloomy theories, so repulsive to the warm affections of the heart. The Lodge has no limitations. It reaches through all worlds. It embraces the visible world of men, and the invisible world of spirits. It proclaims that friendship survives the grave, that love is immortal, and that the Masonic ties of our great Brotherhood are as perpetual as eternity. Freemasonry, therefore, would throw no gloom around man's supreme hour, nor marshal an army of hideous spectres around the beds of the dying, or the graves of the honored dead. It would rather remove every gloomy token — take from the grave's brink the briers and thoi-ns of fear — and plant, in their place, the flowers of hope, and trust, and love. It would rend from the sculptiured monuments which cover the dead the grim and spectral images ol
CONSECRATION OF MASONIC GEJrETEKlES. 38?
despair, and engrave tbereor the symbols of a Hope that bums more and more brightly through the ages and of a Love which even death cannot destroy. It would quiet the fears of its children, and bring to their hearts a calm and enduring Faith in the invisible, and an imperishable trust in the Father oi the world. It would so qmcken that faith, that it would penetrate the veil of eternity, and see the assembly of the wise and good, who have illuminated the world by their labors, reyouthed and clothed in immortal beauty, renewing and continuing the sweet communions that commenced on earth.
To such a Faith and Hope, and under the inspira- tion of such a Love, let this place be consecrated. Hither let us bear our brethren, who have been stricken by the hand of death, and lay them to rest among the trees and flowers. Here may they sleep in peace, where the mm'mm's of the winds and trees will chant their eternal requiem, and the fairest flowers affection's hand can plant will cover their graves with perpetual bloom. And hither may we, who are yet permitted to dweU amid the sorrows of mortality, come to meditate on the brevity of life, and the vanity of aU its pomp, and show, and pride — on our great obHgations and duties, and tlie glorious reward that awaits us when we are admitted to the "Middle Chamber" of the Celestial Temple. There let us come to hold communion with the spirits ol our departed brothers who may be slumbering in
384 GENEEAL AHlMAK BEZON.
these solemn shades. There is nothing more salu- tary, more humanizing to the heart, or more strength ening to our virtue, than this frequent communion with, and iuvocation of, the spirit of the dead. For we should never forget that the bond of Freema- sonry is a three-fold cord, over which death even has no power — that our deceased brethren yet live ; are still working in the heavenly Lodges, and that they are yet bound to us, and we to them, in the ties of an eternal friendship. "After life's fitful fever, they, indeed, sleep well ; " but the lives they have lived, and the examples they have given to the world, can never perish. Let us pray that by their virtue we may become more virtuous, and by their wisdom more wise; that they may watch over as guardian geniuses, and preserve us from all selfish- ness, irreverence, and injustice in thought, word, and deed. Standing here, the awful and silent stars over our heads ; the solemn and silent graves be- neath our feet, let us listen to that warning voice which resounds from the regions beyond the stars, and swells up fi'om the realms of eternal sileDce. "Children of mortality," yet heirs to an endless life ! remember that the great Destiny Book is placed in your hands! Beware what you write therein; for every pencil stroke, be it bright or dark, wiU be a beam of light, bearing into your souls an exceed- ing peace, or a grim shadow, waving darkly through your thoughts forever !
CONSECBATION OF MASONIC CEMETERIES. 385
And, finally, let us labor faithfully and reverently ia our several vocations, true to aU our duties to God and man, so that when we are called to close our labors on earth we may be prepared for admis- sion to the grand and solemn mysteries of the Laud of Light.
PEATEE OF CONSECRATION,
BY THE CHAPLAIN.
O thou, who art the Creator, and Father, and Preserver of all men; who, although clothed with immortal splendor, and dwelling in the high and holy place, dost condescend to abide in the hearts of the humble and contrite, we, thy sei-vants, now draw near to thee, to suppUcate thy grace, and those benedictions which thou hast promised unto aU such as approach thee in a spirit of loving reverence, and child-like confidence.
When we consider thy grandeur, and our own
feebleness; when we cast our eyes upward, to sui--
vey the shining heavens, where mighty constellations
are sweeping in brightness through their everlasting
circles, and turn our thoughts upon om-selves — frail
worms of the dust — we are oppressed with a deep
sense of our insignificance and unworthiness, and in
our humility we exclaim, " What is man that thou
art mindful of him ? and the sons of men that thou
regardest them?" Yet, thanks to thee. Almighty
God, that notwithstanding our apparent nothing- 17
386 GENERAL AHIMAN KEZON.
ness, thou iiast given us minds which can soai to thee, and invested us with the attributes of an immortal natura Thou hast also made us capable of acquiring that divine wisdom " which is brigliter than the sun, and above all the order of the stars," by which the soul is expanded to angelic perfec- tion, and imbued with the Life and Beauty of the heavenly world.
Almighty GoD, our Heavenly Father, who lookest with benignant eye upon all men ; who seest every tear of misery, and hearest the mourners cry, we implore thee to impart thy grace, and the efficient consolations of thy Spirit, to all such as are called to mourn. Soothe and comfort all the bereaved, with that Faith which hath power to pierce the dark mystery of the grave, and look upon the im- mortal glories beyond; and that sublime Hope which with joyful tears contemplates a future reunion of all who have been separated on earth, in a circle that death can never more invade.
O thou, who art the God of the dead as well aa of the Hving, we ask thy blessing to rest upon us, who are here assembled, and upon the solemn ser- vices in which we are engaged. This quiet spot, which we consecrate to the departed, we commend to thy protection and care. May it be sanctified by thy presence. May we recognize in this mm-muring foliage thy paternal voice, speaking to our hearts, in accents of tenderness and love. And, grant,
OONSECEATtOX OF MASOXIC CEJTETElilES. 38 7
O God, that thy holy angels, who watched by an ancient tomb, where suffering Virtue found repose in death, may be permitted to spread their radiant •B-ings over this place of graves, and make it bright with the Light of an immortal Hope. Here, guarded thus by heavenly watchers, may oui- loved ones rest in peace, untU the great day when, together with us, they shall be called to the grand Convocation to receive the recompense for faithful labors.
"Now unto Him who is able to keep us from falling and to present us before the throne of his glory, with exceeding joy, be ascribed honor, domin- ion, and power through all ages." — Amen.
Response. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. — Amen. So mote it be.
Here an appropriate piece of music should be played by a band, during which the brethren should move in procession around the Cemetery, the Grand Master in the meanwhile sprinkling the grounds with pure water The public grand honors are then given, which closes the ceremony.
MASONIC CALENDAR.
The ordinary calendar, or vulgar era, is not genorallj nsed by Freemasons in dating their official documents They have one peculiar to themselves, differing accord- ing to their various rites. The Masons in all parts oi the vyorld working ia the York and French rites add 4000 years to the Christian era, calling it Antto Lucis — Year of Light; abbreviated A.-. L.-.; thus the year 1865 wouldbe A.-. L.-. 5865*
Masons practicing in the Ancient and Accepted ritb use the Jewish Calendar, which adds 3760 to the vulgar era, styled Anno Mundi — ^A.'. M.'. — year of the world. Or they sometimes use the Hebrew year, which begins on the 17th of September, or 1st of Tisri, using the initials A.". H.".-— Anno Hebbaico — Hebrew year.
Royal Arch Masons date from the building of tho second temple — 530 B. C. Their style is therefore An- no Inventionis — A.". In v.*. — in the year of the Discovery.
EoYAL AND Select Masters should date from the com- pletion of Solomon's Temple, which would add 1000 to the Christian era. Their style is Anno Depositionis — A.'. Dep.". — in the year of the Deposit.
Knights Templar date from the organization of the Order — 1118. Their style is therefore Anno Oedinis — A.\ O.". — in the year of the Order.
Those of the rite of Mizraim add four years to the usual computation of the age of the world: thus the year 1865 would stand A.-. L.-. 5869.
Masons of the York rite begin the year on the first of January; but in the French rite it commences on the first of March.
• This fact has a symbolic reference, not because tTiey believe Freemasonry Is, bui that the principles and light of the instit'ition are, coeval with the creation,
APPENDIX.
FCRM OF PETITION FOR A NEW LODGB.
To the M. W. Grand Master of Masons of the State of
The undersigned petitioners, being Ancient Free and Acceptod Master Masons, having the prosperity of the fraternity at heart, and willing to exert their best endeavors to promote and diffuse the genuine principles of Masonry, respectfully represent — That
they are desirous of forming a new Lodge in the of
to be named No They therefore pray for letters of
dispensation, to empower them to assemble as a regular Lodge, to discharge the duties of Masonry, in a regular and constitutional manner, according to the original forms of the Order, and the reg- ulations of the Grand Lodge. They have nominated and do recom- mend Brother A. B. to be the first Master ; Brother C. D. to be the first Senior AVarden, and Brother E. F. to be the first Junior Warden, of said Lodge. If the prayer of this petition shall be granted, they promise a strict conformity to the edicts of the Grand Ma.ster, and the constitution, laws and regulations of the Grand Lodge.
FOKM OF DISPENSATION FOB A NEW LODGE.
To all whom it may concern:
Know xe, That we, A. B., Most Worshipful Grand Master of Aa- oient, Free and Accepted Masons of , having received a peti- tion from a constitutional number of brethren, who have been properly vouched for aa Master Masons in good standing, setting forth that, having the honor and prosperity of the Craft at heart,
they are desirous of establishing a new Lodge at under ouj
masonic jurisdiction, and requesting a Dispensation for the same '
APPENDIX.
And whereas there appears to us good and sufficient cause foi granting the prayer of the said petition ; we, by virtue of the pow- ers in us vested by the ancient Constitutions of the Order, do grant this our Dispensation, empowering Brother A. B. to act as Wor- shipful Master, Brother C. D. to act as Senior Warden, and Bro- ther E. F. to act as Junior Warden of a Lodge to be held under
our jurisdiction at . . by the name of And we furthei
authorize the said brethren to Enter, Pass, and Raise Freemasons, according to the Ancient Constitutions of the Order, the customa and usages of the Craft, and the Rules and Kegulations of the
Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of and not otherwise. And
this our Dispensation shall continue of force until the Grand Lodge aforesaid shall grant a Warrant of Constitution for the same, or this Dispensation be revoked by us, or the authority of the aforesaid Grand Lodge.
Given under our hand, and the seal
[L. S.] of the Grand Lodge, at this
day of ,A.-. L.-. 58 .
Q B
X Z Grand Master.
Qrand Secretary.
FORM OF WAEKANT FOR A LODGE.
Gband Mastbb. Dep. G. Masteb. Sen. G. Wabden. JuN. G. Wabden. We, the Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Fra- ternity of Free and Accepted Masons, of the State of , in
Ample Form assembled, according to the Old Constitutions, regu- larly and solemnly established under the auspices of Prince Edwin, at the city of Xork, in Great Britain, in the year of Masonry 4926, viz. :
The Most Worshipful Grand Master,
The Eight Worshipful Dep. G. Master,
The Right Worshipful Sen. G- Warden,
do, by tliese presents, appoint, authorize, and empower our worthj
ATPENDIX. 39]
brothoT to be the Master ; our worthy brother tc
be the Senior Warden ; and our worthy brother to be tht
Junior Warden, of a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, to be,
by virtue hereof, constituted, formed, and held in
which Lodge shall be distinguished by the name or style of
and the said Master and Wardens, and their successors in office, are hereby respectively authorized and directed, by and with the consent and assistance of a majority of the members of the said Lodge, duly to be summoned and present upon such occasions, to elect and install the officers of the said Lodge as vacancies happen, in manner and form as is, or may be, prescribed by the Constitu- tion of this Grand Lodge.
And further, the said Lodge is hereby invested with full power and authority to assemble upon proper and lawful occasions, to make Masons, and to admit members, as also to do and perform all and every such acts and things appertaining to the Craft as have been and ought to be done, for the honor and advantage thereof, conforming in all their proceedings to the Constitution of this Grand Lodge, otherwise this Warrant, and the powers thereby granted, to cease and be of no further effect.
Given under our hands and the seal of our Grand Lodge, at
the city of , in the United States of America, this. . .
day of , in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and and in the year of Masonry five thou- sand eight hundred and
Orai\d SecrHary. Registered in the Book of the Grand Lodge, Page
FORM OF A LODGE CEKTinCATE.
To Aijj Feee and Accepted Masons on the pacb or the qixibb
— Gkeetinq :
We, the Master and Wardens of Lodge No. . . . Free and
iooepted Masons, constituted under a chai-ter from the M. W.
Grand Lodge of the State of , do certify that our worthy
brother .... . has been regtdarly initiated as an Entered Appren-
392 APPENDIX.
tice, passed to the degree of Fellow Craft, and raised to the sub- lime degree of Master Mason, and is distinguished for his zeal anc fidelity to the Craft. We do therefore recommend that he be re- ceived and acknowledged as such by all true and accepted Freema- sons wheresoever dispersed.
In testimony whereof we have granted him this certificate undei our hands and the seal of the Lodge (having first caused our wor- thy brother to sign his name in the margin), this day of
A.D. 18.., A. L. 58..
W. M. S. W.
Seo'y. J- W.
This is to certify that Lodge No. . . is a legally consti- tuted Lodge, working under the jurisdiction of the M. W. Grand Lodge of
685.
Orand Seo'y.
FOKM OF A GBAND LODGE DIPLOMA.
We, (he Orand Zodge of the Slate of New York, by these presents testify and declare to all whom it may concern, that our brother , who has signed his name in the margin hereof, is a reg- ular Master Mason of Lodge No. . ., as appears to us by the
certificate of the said Lodge held under our jurisdiction in the
county of State of New York, in the United States
of America. In testimony whereof we have caused our seal to be hereunto affixed, and our Grand Secretary to subscribe the same, at the city of Sew York, this . . day of A. D. 18. . A. L. 58. .
Grand Secretary.
FORM OF A DIMIT,
FKEE AND ACCEPTED MASONS.
Lodge No. ....
Acknowledging the jrjisdiotion of the Grand Lodge of the State of.- , to all whom it may concern, preeting : This certifies
APPENDIX. 393
that brother , whose name appears in the margin of this
dimit, is a Master Mason, and was a member of this Lodge in good standing and clear of the books, and as such we do cordially com- mend him to the fraternal guard of all true Free ana Accepted Ma- sons, wherever dispersed around the globe.
In testimony whereof we have caused this dimit to be signed by the Master, and the seal of the Lodge lo be attached, i-his .... day
of A, D. 18.., A. L. 58,.
Secretary. Master.
FOItM OF TRIALS AND APPEALS.
The first step to be taken toward a Masonic trial is, ot coarse, to prefer charges, or make a complaint. The importanc recjuisites ol a complaint are, that it should be brief, and yet comprehensive, clearly defining the nature of the offense charged, with an accnrato specifying of the time, place and circum.stances of its commission. This, when the transaction took place out of the Lodge, may be preferred by any brother, but should properly be presented by the Junior Warden. It may be in this form :
1. — Complal nt.
To the W. Master, Wardens and Brethren of Triluminnr Lodgo, No. 800 : Brother A. B. is hereby charged wiUi immoraX and xwna- sonic conduct :
First ^ecijloation. — That the said A. B., on the first day of Apnl
1859, in the public street, at Freetown, in the county of wa«
in a state of intoxication from the use of strong and spirituous liq- ors, in violation of his duty as a Mason, and to the scandal and disgrace of the Masonic Fraternity.
Second Specifioation. — That the said A. B., on the first day o) April, 1859, at Freetown aforesaid, and at various other times and places, in the year 1859, was intoxicated with strong and spiritu- ous liquors, although admonished therefor by the Master and War^ dens of this Lodge, in violation of his duty as a Mason, to the greal scandal and disgrace of the Fraternity ; and it is hereby demand ed, that the said A. B. be dealt with therefor, according to M»
(onio law and usage.
R It., Junior Warden- Dated April 9. 1859.
17*
APPENDIX.
S. — Complaint (tn aaiofher fomt.)
To the W. Master, Wardens and Brethren of Trilumiuai Lodge No. 800 : Brother 0. D. is hereby charged with immoral and unmO' sonic conduct :
Mrsl Spedficalion. — That the said 0. D., on the first day of April,
1859, at Freetown, in the county of , in the presence and
hearing of Bro. E. F , and others, spoke and declared of Bro. G. H., of Anchor Lodge, No. 801, these words in substance : that the said G. H. was a dishonest man ; that he was a knave and a cheat ; and that he was a har, to the great injure of the said G. H., and to the common scandal and disgrace of the Masonic Fraternity.
Second Spedficalion. — That the said C. D., on the first day of April, 1859, at Freetown aforesaid, in the presence and hearing of Mr, Y. Z. , and others, publicly spoke and declared of the said G. H. , who was not present, that he, the said G. H. , was a dishonest man, a knave, a cheat and a liar, in violation of the duties of the said C. D. as a Master Mason, to the great injury of the said G . H., and to the common scandal and disgrace of the said Anchoj Lodge, No. 801, and of the Masonic Fraternity ; and it is therefore hereby demanded, that the said 0. D. be put upon trial therefor.
S. L., Junior Warden. Dated April 9, 1859.
These forms might be indefinitely multiplied, but these will be sufficient to show the manner and importance of specifying time, place and circimistances constituting the offense.
This charge (and that contained in the first form will hereafter be followed) having been presented in open Lodge, and received, the Master thereupon appoints commissioners to hear and try the same, pursuant to the provisions of the constitution, which is en- tered upon the minutes. The charges need not be entered, but the nature of them should be. It is then the duty of the Secretary immediately to serve Tipon the accused a copy of the charges, with the following notice annexed :
3.— Notice of Charges.
Bro. A. B. : Take notice, that the within (or foregoing) is a copy of the charges preferred against you, at a stated communication ol Triluminar Lodge, No. 800, held on the 9th of April, iust., and
APPENDIX. 395
that Bros. E. S., T. U. and V. N. were appointed conunissionen
U) hear and try the same.
_ P. Q-i Secretary.
Dated, AprU 10, 1859.
Should the commissioners determine, at the time the charge? are preferred (and it is recommended that they should in all cases. if possible), when and where they will meet for trial, the Secretiirj may add to the above notice the following: "and that they will meet for that purpose on the 20th instant, at Vo'clock p. m., al Triluminar Lodge room, at Freetown, at or before which time you are required to answer said charges."
In case the accused absent himself, so that the charges cannot be personally served, the copy may be transmitted by mail, if hie residence be known ; if not, after a reasonable time, and after dil- igent inquiry, the Secretary should report the fact to the Lodge for their further action. In all cases the prosecutor or Secretary should take care that the accused be served with notice of the time and place of meeting of the commissioners for trial, at the time of service of the charges.
The charges being served, it is the first duty of the accused, H he has an objection to any of the commissioners, to make his chal- lenge, that the master, if satisfied that there is ground for it, may supply the vacant place by another appointment. If there be doubts as to its foundation, the master, or other commissiou- urs, may act as triers ; but it is recommended that if there be rea- sonable objection, or probable cause therefor be manifest, that the commissioner chnUengeJ remove iiU question by resiguation.
The tiibunal being properly constituted, it is next the duty ol the accused to answer the charges. As this must be in every case equivalent to the well-known plea of "Not Guilty," it is scarcely necessary to furnish a form, yet, for the sake of making up a complete record, in cases of appeal, one is subjoined :
4. — Ans'\rer.