Part 17 (1/2)

Bring Charity! with goodness crowned, Encircled in thy heavenly robe!

Diffuse thy blessings all around, To every corner of the Globe!

The third procession is then made round the Lodge, and the Deputy Grand Master presents the vessel of oil to the Grand Master, saying:

Most Wors.h.i.+pful: I present you, to be used according to ancient custom, this vessel of oil, an emblem of that joy which should animate every bosom on the completion of every important undertaking.

The Grand Master then sprinkles the oil upon the Lodge, saying:

In the name of the whole Fraternity, I do solemnly dedicate this hall to Universal Benevolence.

The grand honors are thrice repeated.

To Heaven's high Architect all praise, All praise, all grat.i.tude be given, Who deigned the human soul to raise, By mystic secrets, sprung from Heaven.

The Grand Chaplain, standing before the Lodge, then makes the following

Invocation.

And may the Lord, the giver of every good and perfect gift, bless the brethren here a.s.sembled, in all their lawful undertakings, and grant to each one of them, in needful supply, the corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment, and the oil of joy. Amen.

Response: So mote it be.

The Lodge is then covered, and the Grand Master retires to his chair.

The following or an appropriate original oration may then be delivered, and the ceremonies conclude with music:

Brethren: The ceremonies we have performed are not unmeaning rites, nor the amusing pageants of an idle hour, but have a solemn and instructive import. Suffer me to point it out to you, and to impress upon your minds the enn.o.bling sentiments they are so well adapted to convey.

This Hall, designed and built by Wisdom, supported by Strength, and adorned in Beauty, we are first to consecrate in the name of the great Jehovah; which teaches us, in all our works, begun and finished, to acknowledge, adore, and magnify Him. It reminds us, also, in His fear to enter the door of the Lodge, to put our trust in him while pa.s.sing its trials, and to hope in Him for the reward of its labors.

Let, then, its altar be devoted to His service, and its lofty arch resound with His praise! May the eye which seeth in secret witness here the sincere and unaffected piety which withdraws from the engagements of the world to silence and privacy, that it may be exercised with less interruption and less ostentation.

Our march round the Lodge reminds us of the travels of human life, in which Masonry is an enlightened, a safe, and a pleasant path. Its tesselated pavement of Mosaic-work intimates to us the chequered diversity and uncertainty of human affairs. Our step is time; our progression, eternity.

Following our ancient Const.i.tutions, with mystic rites we dedicate this Hall to the honor of Freemasonry.

Our best attachments are due to the Craft. In its prosperity, we find our joy; and, in paying it honor, we honor ourselves. But its worth transcends our encomiums, and its glory will outsound our praise.

Brethren: It is our pride that we have our names on the records of Freemasonry. May it be our high ambition that they should shed a l.u.s.ter on the immortal page!

The hall is also dedicated to Virtue.

This worthy appropriation will always be duly regarded while the moral duties which our sublime lectures inculcate, with affecting and impressive pertinency, are cherished in our hearts and ill.u.s.trated in our lives.

As Freemasonry aims to enliven the spirit of Philanthropy, and promote the cause of Charity, so we dedicate this Hall to Universal Benevolence; in the a.s.surance that every brother will dedicate his affections and his abilities to the same generous purpose; that while he displays a warm and cordial affection to those who are of the Fraternity, he will extend his benevolent regards and good wishes to the whole family of mankind.

Such, my brethren, is the significant meaning of the solemn rites we have just performed, because such are the peculiar duties of every Lodge. I need not enlarge upon them now, nor show how they diverge, as rays from a center, to enlighten, to improve, and to cheer the whole circle of life. Their import and their application is familiar to you all. In their knowledge and their exercise may you fulfill the high purposes of the Masonic Inst.i.tution.