Free Masonry - The Masonic Trowel

90 FREE MAS0XRY.
decayeth and drieth up, so man lieth down, and riseth not
up till the heavens shall be no more. Yet, O Lord ! have
compassion on the children of thy creation, administer
them comfort in time of trouble, and save them with an
everlasting salvation.
" So mote it be. Amen."
Considering that he who is to act the part of martyr, is
made to kneel and hear this prayer without the possibility
of knowing what is on either hand, or what is next to follow,
one cannot help believing that the ghostly complexion
of this solemn invocation, together with the extracts," then
shall the dust return to the dust," &c. is intended to make
the candidate expect true horrors; to prepare his mind to
meet the grim messenger in person. And there lies the
fraud. Say to him: u the Scripture and the prayer are only
a part of the solemn farce;" and he would not be imposed
upon ; but to pray over him seriously, and to kill him farcically,
is so mixing things dissimilar, that the novice is confounded
and imposed upon; he knows not what to make of tt.
" Dum trepid&t, animus hue iliac impellitur."
But not so with Him who is solemnly invoked as " understanding
our thought afar off." God is a spirit not to be
mocked with impunity. His holy word is made to take
a part in this ridiculous farce ; his holy name is profaned in
the hypocritical service; is repeatedly taken in vain.
The " representation," following the prayer, is called u a
recitation of the historical tradition of the order;" a true
account of events which happened ai the building of Solomon's
temple, important to be known, and known only to
the Master Mason. I have some objections to its truth,
drawn from its own inconsistency.
* " Thirty-six hundred ancient Masters were employed
in building the temple ;" how were these Masters without
* See p. 24, of this volume.