The Mysteries of Free Masonry: Containing All the Degrees of the Order Conferred in a Master's LodgeMorgan, William
Religion
The Mysteries of Free Masonry: Containing All the Degrees of the Order Conferred in a Master's Lodge
Morgan, William
Freemasonry -- United States -- Rituals
pervades the inmost recesses of the human heart, and will reward us
according to our merits. The ANCHOR and ARK are emblems of a
well-grounded hope and well-spent life. They are emblematical of that
divine ARK which safely wafts us over this tempestuous sea of
troubles, and that ANCHOR which shall safely moor us in a peaceful
harbor, where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary shall
find rest. The FORTY-SEVENTH PROBLEM OF EUCLID--this was an invention
of our ancient friend and brother, the great Pythagoras, who, in his
travels through Asia, Africa, and Europe, was initiated into several
orders of priesthood, and raised to the sublime degree of a Master
Mason.
This wise philosopher enriched his mind abundantly in a general
knowledge of things, and more especially in Geometry or Masonry; on
this subject he drew out many problems and theorems; and among the
most distinguished, he erected this, which, in the joy of his heart,
he called EUREKA, in the Grecian language signifying, I HAVE FOUND IT;
and upon the discovery of which he is said to have sacrificed a
hecatomb. It teaches Masons to be general lovers of the arts and
sciences. The HOUR-GLASS is an emblem of human life. Behold! how
swiftly the sands run, and how rapidly our lives are drawing to a
close. We cannot, without astonishment behold the little particles
which are contained in this machine; how they pass away almost
imperceptibly, and yet, to our surprise, in the short space of an hour
they are all exhausted.
Thus wastes man to-day; he puts forth the tender leaves of hope;
to-morrow, blossoms, and bears his blushing honors thick upon him; the
next day comes a frost, which nips the shoot, and when he thinks his
greatness is still ripening, he falls, like autumn leaves, to enrich
our mother earth. The SCYTHE is an emblem of time, which cuts the
brittle thread of life, and launches us into eternity. Behold! what
havoc the scythe of time makes among the human race; if, by chance,
we should escape the numerous evils incident to childhood and youth,
and, with health and vigor, arrive to the years of manhood, yet
withal, we must soon be cut down by the all-devouring scythe of time,
and be gathered into the land where our fathers had gone before us.
The THREE STEPS, usually delineated upon the Master's carpet, are
emblematical of the three principal stages of human life, viz.: Youth,
Manhood, and Age. In youth, as Entered Apprentices, we ought
industriously to occupy our minds in the attainment of useful
knowledge; in manhood, as Fellow Crafts, we should apply our knowledge
to the discharge of our respective duties to God, our neighbors, and
ourselves; so that in age, as Master Masons, we may enjoy the happy
reflections consequent on a well-spent life, and die in the hope of a
glorious immortality.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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