MASONIC FOUNDATIONS

by  
W.Bro. W.H. Topley, P.M. Hova Ecclesia Lodge, No. 1466 
 

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all things
shall be added unto you." Matthew: 6-33
 

FOREWORD 
 

I will begin by asking your indulgence for the frequent use of the first
person singular, for what I have to say is largely of a personal nature.
Usually, when one stands before the Brethren of our Craft with a message to
deliver, it is more or less a case of fighting against time; with us it is
otherwise. As we move together in the heights, time almost ceases to count
- we part only when we must, and then with reluctance. So, it is with a
happy feeling of not being in any particular hurry that I have come here
today in order to pursue my leisurely and discursive ways. The title of
this Paper, homily call it what you will, should perhaps have been called
"Pre-Masonic Foundations," for, in its personal application, I regard it as
a pen-picture of what I ought to have been, but was not, when I first
offered myself as a Candidate for the "mysteries and privileges" of
Freemasonry.That was some time ago, and although I am entitled to wear the
emblems of a Past Master and Past First Principal, it remains a picture
still, not of what I am, but of what, in my best moments, I should like to
be. It is indeed true that "man needs must love the highest when he sees
it" - despite the fact that by some strange perversity he does not always
follow what he sees and loves. There are, no doubt, occasions when we all
must echo in our hearts the confession of the great Apostle: "For the good
that I would I do not; but the evil that I would not, that I do ... Oh
wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"
I have,for some years now, undertaken the task of writing and speaking
about the simpler implications of Masonic teaching, and have thus presumed
to preach to others I am acutely aware of the necessity of continually
striving to "practice what I preach." May I, then take you into my
confidence while I unfold the story of my personal approach to the
spiritual truths enshrined in our wonderful Craft system?
 

From earliest childhood I have found that the essentials of profound
spiritual experience can be focused in a simple, easily remembered tale,
thereby preserving in the mind a memorial of them. The difficulty is,
however, that only a few can be subjected to the tyranny of words. Let me
try to explain. I have one story complete in three words. Let me try to
explain. I did not even "make-it-up" myself; my Mother told it to me when I
was two, or maybe three years old. The words of this story are familiar to
us all; "GOD - IS - LOVE;" nothing more; but these words sank into my
infant mind, and with the passing of the years, I have built up around them
a hymn of creation which seems very beautiful to me; and this without
adding a single word to the original three. I wonder if you follow what I
mean? In these days of horror many are loud in denunciation; and in truth
the deeds of some men are, God knows, hateful enough; but I cannot join in
the general clamour of hate because some years ago it was given to me, in
the spirit , to see the soul of a friend of mine. Until that vision fades,
which God helping me, it never will, I cannot hate my Brethren whether in
general or particular, because I know that in some mysterious way we are
all at once separate yet one in God, and that God is not just lovely, which
is a manifestation of love, but Love itself.
 

I should also explain, before proceeding with my Paper,that not having
written a technical Masonic treatise I do not necessarily use such words as
mind, soul, reason, and intuition, in a strictly  technical sense.
Moreover, I sometimes, like "Humpty-Dumpty," make words mean what I want
them to mean; and if I work them too hard I pay them overtime! What did
Lewis Carrol, otherwise C.L. Dodgson, sometime mathematical lecturer at
Christ Church, Oxford, intend when he attributed this and other words of
veiled wisdom to an embryo? It may be that the explanation will be found in
the following lines from the poet Wordsworth:-
 

"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: 
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star, 
Hath had elsewhere its setting, 
And cometh from afar: 
Not in the entire forgetfulness, 
And not in utter nakedness, 
But trailing clouds of glory do we come 
From God, who is our home." 
 

("Intimations of Immortality from recollections of early childhood"). 
 

Humpty Dumpty does not have to trail his cloud - he is in it! Truly, Lewis
Carrol, in the tradition of the brothers Grimm, wrote intuitive stories,
and embodied "truth in a tale," for the delight and instruction of
"children" of all ages.
 

Brethren, the thoughts and aspirations I am about to offer to your
contemplation are in the nature of an individual approach. I feel that they
form the foundations upon which I must endeavour to build up my
understanding of what we are taught in this Circle, if the superstructure
of my Masonic faith is to withstand these moral, intellectual, and
spiritual stresses and strains, to which is it so constantly subjected.
 

1. The Poetical Approach 
 

This paper is concerned mainly with first things. Its purpose is to bring
to the forefront of the mind certain familiar, but fundamental truths, and
the duties that flow therefrom, without which, so I believe, higher
knowledge may be possible, but not higher attainment. Perhaps I ought to
explain that when contemplating the secrets of our Masonic Art, I am not
guided by pure reason. Reason is, of course, indispensable in the ordinary
affairs of life - in the realm of "substituted secrets"; but as an
instrument for approaching reality I choose the intuitive faculty,
exercised through the medium of allegory and symbolism, in a poetic
setting. For the poet is the only really creative artist, and therefore,
let us not overlook that before a great sculptor puts chisel to his marble,
the poet in him has created a thing of beauty within the marble. Our real
creative acts are, I think, only to ourselves and to the Author of our
being. The scientist discovers the already existent; the philosopher dreams
of things that are not, but may be; the poet imagines what is not, and
behold, it is! If I may dare to express so great a mystery in simple words,
I would say: The Unmanifest imagined, and Deity Threefold in Manifestation
"Became"; and from that "becoming: all things have proceeded. We know that
Freemasonry is a transcendental philosophy, and therefore claims to hold
the key to that Reality which lies behind the veil of appearances, but the
key is fashioned in symbolism, and must remain only a key, unless we can
translate what it "opens" to us in terms of personal experience. What, then
are the Masonic means of helping us to arrive at some measure of this inner
experience? To use the analogy of a School; the average present day Lodge
of Freemasons may be likened to the kindergarten, but with this
peculiarity; in the Masonic Academy all the pupils, whatever, their state
of advancement, are expected to keep up a regular attendance at the
kindergarten, and for a good and sufficient reason. If the foundations of a
material edifice are "well and truly laid," we cannot forget about them and
get on with the erection of the superstructure; we Freemasons, however,
being "builders in the Spirit," we cannot take for granted the abiding
permanence if our moral and spiritual foundations. The first to the fifth
forms of the Masonic School meet also in Lodges of Research, Study Groups
and Circles, and in fact, wherever two or three brethren are met together
in the love of the Craft. In the sixth, or highest form of all on earth,
although the teachers may be many, under the guiding hand of the Great
Headmaster, there is only one pupil. This is indeed a paradox; yet each of
us must face the "last and greatest trial" alone, learning its lessons
intuitively as something personal to ourselves. I see three avenues of
approach to Reality by Masonic means: The Symbolical, the Mystical, and the
Poetical, the third being a flowering from the other two. Freemasonry
recognises the poetical instinct in the human heart, and uses it as the
handmaiden of the intuitive faculty, and by poetry I mean, and Freemasonry
means, not mere versification for its own sake, but the imaginative use of
rhyming verse, blank verse, and musical prose, wherewith to clothe the
invisible in garments of visibility. There is music and poetry, so it seems
to me, in the legends, traditional histories, and narratives, which adorn
Masonic Rituals and Lectures both within and outside of the Grand Lodge
Ritual system, as they speak of hidden things in a manner all their own. I
have a feeling too, that no amount of thinking and study, essential as it
is, will of itself, bring us to the Beatific Visition; by no power of
learning we possess, or ever shall possess, can we scale the ramparts of
the Spirit and take Paradise by storm, but God in His mercy has provided
His Citadel with many doors, and each must use the door which own
particular key, when found, will fit. Some find theirs in simple piety and
service, some in mystical contemplation, some in the exercise of faith
operating through the imaginative faculty; and this last is, I think, the
poets and the children's way. It may be that the finer niceties of abstract
thought are for wiser heads than most of us possess, and those gifted ones
who seem to know without learning, but "truth embodied in a tale" the
simplest may receive with gladness, according to his nature.
 

2. The Perfect Law 
 

As Freemasons, we are particularly enjoined to obey the "perfect law." This
law is so simple that the veriest child can understand it - yet so
difficult that all born of women, save One, have sinned against it. And the
law is: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." We all know in our
heart of hearts that love is the fulfilling of the perfect law, but the way
is too hard for us in its entirety, and there are times when we cannot, or
will not, follow it. For nearly twenty weary centuries this law has been
known to Christendom, yet still the cry of the Crucified echoes down the
corridors of time: "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have
gathered you -- but ye would not;" I speak, Brethren, of the Cosmic Christ,
who of himself bore witness, "Before Abraham was, I am."
 

3. The Substituted Law 
 

And so, mankind in its weakness qualifies the perfect law, and says: "Thou
shalt love thyself.... and thy neighbour... provided"; and on the basis of
this proviso has built up a body of substituted law; of reservations,
safeguards, props, and supports, wherewith to buttress man's infirmities.
Hence, as a result of sad experience, the substituted law assumes that the
average man is not to be trusted with unrestricted power over his fellows,
or with unlimited freedom of action for himself. The principle behind the
substituted, or secular law is that those entrusted with governance shall
be accountable to those over whom they are set in authority. Let us, then,
as citizens of the world, be faithful to what is best in the substituted
law, and do all within our power to bring about improvements therein.
 

4. The Hierarchical Principle 
 

We, however, being Freemasons, are not "average" men; we are chosen,
initiated, and dedicated men, and Freemasonry, in its organic and ethical
structure, rises superior to the substituted law, and is hierarchial in
character. It is a familiar dictum of our Order (we hear it every time that
we attend an Installation Meeting), that "such is the nature of our
Constitution, some must of necessity rule and teach, while others must
learn, submit, and obey." Moreover, it is given to some both to rule and
teach; others to teach, but not to rule; to many to serve, and serving
learn. We are all Members of One Body, although each Member has not the
same Office; yet all are priests in the Masonic Temple; and "he also may
serve who stands and waits." Indeed, in a Lodge where all the Brethren
present understand, and play, their part, their combined aspirations will
raise the Rite to heights beyond the reach of thought. The hierarchical
principle, however, is governed by the key phrase in our Masonic dictum,
which I have not yet mentioned: "Humility in each is an essential
qualification." Somewhere in our all too neglected Craft lectures there
occurs a profound little aphorism to the effect that there is no situation
in life upon which pride can with stability be founded - and all of the
aspects of pride to which humility is subject, perhaps an overweening
intellectuality is the most insidious. Thus, should we ever be tempted to
think of ourselves as better instructed, or in any way superior, to some we
could name, let us remember that all, whether wise or simple, are like
little children at the sea-side, filling our tiny buckets at the margin of
the unfathomable deep.
 

5. The Equipment of a New-Made Mason 
 

We came into Masonry, you and I at different ages according to the flesh;
equipped with different qualities of heart and mind. Most of us, I expect,
had prejudices to overcome; appraisements which needed re-valuation; habits
of mind we had come to take for granted; maybe, ideals once entertained but
since forgotten - in a word, a good deal to learn, re-learn, and un-learn.
 

6. A Personal Affirmation 
 

Perhaps it was because I came into Masonry somewhat late in life, that its
first impact made such a profound impression on my mind, kindling into life
again high thoughts and aspirations of earlier years, which had become
dimmed and overlaid by mundane ears. But, be that as it may; I turned with
avidity to a study of the origins and doctrines of our ancient Institution.
Was it not Robert Lewis Stevenson who wrote that it is better to travel
hopefully than to arrive?; I have found this delightfully true of the
Craft. Not expecting in this transitory life to arrive at finality, I
travel happily and hopefully along the highways and byways of Masonry,
finding here some gem of thought, and there some spark of inspiration, to
assist me in the endeavour, enjoined upon us all at our Initiation, to
"make daily advancement in Masonic knowledge." Masonic knowledge - what is
it? Masonic secrets - what are they? Brethren, the secrets of Masonry are
fenced about and guarded more closely than any mortal Tyler can guard them.
Our Rituals have been sold in the streets, and our symbols displayed in the
market place, but the secrets of our Order are still secret. They are not
for the merely curious, even among the Brethren. But, if in our hearts we
truly seek that Light, which, as "poor Candidates in a state of darkness,"
we declared to be the "predominant wish" of our hearts, then for us the
venerable exhortation stands. Seek in your hearts and ye shall find; ask,
and a Brother will come to your aid; knock, and the close-tyled door of
your own being will, in some measure, be opened to your inner vision. we
must, however, be fortified by an overwhelming desire to know; even if it
be through trials and afflictions, for so the Great Architect has ordained
it, that labour to perceive must come before refreshments in partaking.
 

7. Faith 
 

But we all have this in common. We came, of necessity, into Masonry in
faith, not knowing what may - indeed, cannot, be revealed to the
uninitiated. We know, of course, that some Brethren were well skilled in
the "Heavenly science" before they were made Masons. There is nothing in
the Masonic doctrine and teaching which a non-Mason, by difficult and
circuitous means, cannot find out for himself. The real secrets of Masonry
reside, not in certain signs, tokens and words, used as a formal means of
recognition, but in its peculiar methods of imparting knowledge. What
cannot be known beforehand, because it is incapable of communication by
some perjured Brother to a non-Mason, is the magic and environment of a
Lodge of Freemasons in session. Dean Inge has well said that "faith begins
as an experiment and ends as an experience." It is also true to say that we
came into Masonry as an experiment; and to each Brother his own experience.
Again, most of us, I imagine, came into this Circle in faith, believing in
what as yet we imperfectly comprehend; so may I say a word about faith. Of
adolescent recollections, among the most vivid is that of listening to my
elders debating what they regarded as the contrary doctrines of
justification by faith, and justification by works. Debating is too mild
when I recall their attitude of mind; they prayed, they agonized, believing
that on right thinking in this matter, depended their eternal destiny.
Little they knew of neutral shades, these earnest God- fearing men; black
was black, and white was white, with salvation in the balance. Enthusiasts
they may have been, yet I would rather confess their burning zeal, although
in a different cause, than be numbered among those whom the Seer of Patmos
lashes with his pen:-
 

"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things
saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the
creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I
would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither
cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." (Revelation 3; 14 - 16)
 

Looking back over the years it seems to me that the doctrines of faith and
works, which so agitated my forebears, are not contrary but complementary,
and I have come to believe that works, in a spiritual and Masonic sense,
whether for ourselves or for others, are impossible without faith. None the
less, faith without works profiteth no man, so let us next consider faith
in action.
 

8. Works 
 

Recently, in the course of reading, I came across these remarkable passages
extracted from a book called, "By an unknown Disciple." The author depicts
an imaginary scene in which the disciples of the Christian Master are
discussing Judas Iscariot:-
 

"Does he ever smile" I asked, and Nathaniel replied "Judas seeks somewhat;
I am sorry for him; I wonder if he will ever find it?" "I have fear of him"
said John, "he does not love men." "Perhaps he loves causes better than
men" said Nathaniel, and we were silent and spoke no more, but lay and
watched the people as they flocked from the towns and villages."
 

To love causes, ideas, abstractions, better than men; surely Masons, of all
people, should fall into so grievous an error. We Masons are taught that
Brotherly Love comes first, from which flows Relief in its most ample
sense; it is through the avenues of Benevolence and Charity that we are
invited to approach Truth. Our duty, so we are instructed, is to God, our
Neighbour, and ourselves, in that order. By faith, now passed into
knowledge we accept, do we not, those Grand Principles upon which our Order
is Founded? Yet I perceive a certain danger, that in the contemplation of
the secrets of our Masonic Art, we may become so absorbed in the
transcendental, as to forget that we travel the pilgrim path in company,
and become self-centred. Cain once asked a question of the Voice: "Am I my
brother's keeper?"; all through the ages man has been putting this
self-same question to High Heaven, in excuse for his own selfishness. The
answer has been given, once in time, and for all time: "Depart from me, ye
cursed ... I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink." Many years ago, while
rummaging about around the second-hand book shops in the Charing Cross
Road, peeping into books too expensive for my purse, my eyes lighted upon
this lovely saying: "If every man would mend a man, all mankind were
whole." That was long before I became a Mason, but I have often thought
what a splendid Masonic motto it would make; a clasp of the hand, when
words will not assuage a Brother's grief; a little practical help, maybe,
when a Brother is down on luck; a smile in season; a kindly word of advice
to one in need of it. Small things, you may say, but how much nearer
Paradise this fallen world would be if everybody practised them! It seems
to me, Brethren, that if we are faithful in these small things, the greater
will in due time follow; and for those who, in whatever guise or manner,
place the cup to thirsty lips, there is a different message: "Come ye
blessed of my father, inherit the Kingdom prepared from the foundation of
the world .... for inasmuch as ye did it unto the least of these my
Brethren, ye did it unto me." How are we to interpret "the least of
these"?; the least in strength, wisdom, comeliness?; surely, the least in
every way; the young, weak, and helpless, who so arouse our pity - of
course; but also, the Brother or acquaintance we simply cannot manage to
get on with; the person whose manner irritates us so much; that fool of a
man who has only himself to blame. Not easy, is it, to proffer the cup to
such as these? Very well, then, let us try, just for that reason, and
someone whom God knows as we do not know, may be the better, the happier,
because of us; and we - may find ourselves a little further along the path,
without quite knowing how we got there. Helping others, especially the
difficult ones, is a salutary and preoccupying employment.
 

9. Knowing About and Possessing 
 

We come here, Brethren, do we not, to be instructed in, and to dwell upon,
the deeper implications of our Masonic doctrine, and our very presence is
evidence of our desire to make advancement in Masonic knowledge. But in
Freemasonry, as in all, transcendental instructional systems, there is no
royal road to enlightenment; no easy privileged way. Any Brother of
reasonable education, a taste for study, and a retentive memory, can by
patience and assiduity, gradually accumulate a good deal of factual
knowledge regarding the presentation of at least some of the secrets of our
Masonic Art; but to know about them is one thing; to possess and be
possessed by them is quite another. Speaking for myself, I entertain a
strong conviction that before one can in any real sense possess what is
enshrined in the higher Degrees as a living reality, one must first have
understood, accepted, and as far as in one lies, endeavoured to live up to
the fundamental principles inculcated in the First Degree. Here, in this
Dormer Circle, I seek and find instruction, encouragement, and inspiration,
to assist me on my way to that goal, which not having attained, I press on
towards. In the meantime, I feel it to be my immediate and urgent duty to
try to become a more worthy Entered Apprentice.
 

10. Let Your Light So Shine 
 

Let us not think of our labours here, in our Lodges, or in the outer world,
as being segregated into separate compartments, but as comprising life as a
whole, to be lived in all its aspects in the spirit which informs the
Craft. I have little sympathy with the attitude that one should keep it so
very quiet that one is a Mason. There are, we know, certain unworthy
Brethren who use Masonry largely as an excuse for getting away from home
for a good evening, with an eye to the after proceedings. There are others,
perjured individuals, who seek some business or other self-seeking
advantage from their Membership. These, the world knows of to the sad
detriment of our Order; and I feel it be our right and our duty,
unobtrusively to let it be known that Masonry is other that what it is
sometimes made to seem, and that there are Masons after a different manner.
Therefore, Brethren, let us so move among our fellows, unashamed of our
calling, that if some kindly deed of ours should chance to come to light,
friend may say to friend - "Oh yes, he's a Mason, didn't you know?"
 

11. The Fulfilment of the Perfect Law 
 

And now to go back to where we began. Perfect love is the fulfilment of the
Perfect Law. How, then, may we become fit to possess, and be possessed by,
this saving grace of love for all mankind?; for it is the foundation upon
which Freemasonry, if it is to carry out its mission, must rest; and is, so
it seems to me, the inescapable concomitant of what we are taught, and
profess to believe, as Masons. May I offer a line of thought which has
helped me in such dark and testing days as the present? We believe, do we
not, in the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man?; let us go a
little deeper. The Father suffers when His children quarrel and hurt each
other, for they are part of Him. Those who fight against us are as much
sons of God and instruments of His high Providence, as are we who fight
against them. As I contemplate the mystery of man's inhumanity to his
fellow man I can only bow my head and say, "I do not understand"; but, God
the Father understands, and it is written: "Surely the wrath of man shall
praise him; the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." It has also been
wisely said that to understand is to forgive; I would add to this that to
understand and to forgive is to love. I will conclude with a little story I
have called:-
 

12. The Imprisoned Splendour 
 

There was once a man in great distress, for a friend had done him some
injury which he could neither forget not forgive. Yet it grieved him to be
at variance with his friend, and he prayed fervently to the Almighty that
he might somehow find grace to forgive. It was a powerful prayer, and when
God heard it He sent for one of His little angels, saying "Go down and
reason wit this man, that he may forgive his friend." The little angel, all
excited at tis important mission, fluttered to earth and appeared to the
man in the spirit. He tried to point out that all the faults were not on
one side, and pleaded everything he could think of in mitigation of the
offense. But the man was hardly listening, he could only wring his hands
and cry, "How could he have done it - how could he have done it?"; for
nothing hurts so much as a blow from an erstwhile friendly hand. And there
were tears of disappointment in the eyes of the little angel as he flew
back home, for he knew that the honour of reconciling these two sons of God
was not to be his; but perhaps the Lord had reserved for him some better
victory, as he did try so hard, although with ill success. Still the prayer
of the troubled man reverberated in the heavenly places. So God sent for a
more experienced angel, and told him to go down and see what he could do.
The more experienced angel went down to earth and appeared before the man
in the spirit saying: "It is God's command that men should forgive each
other their trespasses"; and he quoted many apposite passages from the
Scriptures to this effect. But the man, a keen Bible student, knew them
all, and answered thus: "Listen, angel - if God will enslave my body, soul,
and spirit, and then order me to forgive, I will do so because I must; but
He has made me free, and feeling as I do, I cannot forgive, although I
would give anything to view the matter differently." There was fear in the
heart in the heart of the more experienced angel as he hurried heavenward,
at the awful responsibility of a creature who might disregard the dictates
of the Living God, and could make his mark upon tomorrow. And still the
prayer of the troubled man, growing ever more urgent, beat against the very
Throne of God Himself. So the Lord turned to His great Archangel and said;
"Gabriel, My servant, I would save this prayerful man from himself; go down
and show him the soul of the friend whom he cannot forgive." The Seraph
listened in amazement - the heavenly choir was hushed to silence: "Lord, he
faltered, shall I disturb the balance of the Universe for the sake of this
one man?" But the Father of All Mercies made an answer: "Go, and do my
bidding - We will preserve th balance;" the mighty Gabriel bowed low before
the Presence, then, the Grace of God sustaining him, he sped to earth and
appeared before the man of the powerful prayer. There was no command or
argument when Gabriel spoke: "By virtue of the Power in me vested, I will
show you the soul of the man you cannot forgive." And as he  the troubled
man looked on in wonder, Gabriel, having summoned the unforgiven one in the
spirit, brushed away from him those little shifts and pretences wherewith
man shield themselves from the malice and the laughter of the world; all
those foolish little piques and prides which so hide men form each other.
Then, almost fainting at the strain, as the spheres rocked in their places
under the restraining hand of God, the Angel tore away those fearful sins
against the Light, as when men, having seen the higher, chose the lower
path, and God, as touching His Sonship, is crucified afresh. When it was
over Gabriel stood back exhausted, and there was revealed the soul of the
friend whom the troubled man could not forgive. It was as a clear, flawless
crystal, in which the whole Universe was mirrored, and the thoughts of God
Himself reflected. The shamed onlooker shielded his eyes from the
splendour, as he whispered, with awe and wonder in his tones:-
 

"HOW BEAUTIFUL MY BROTHER IS" 
 

and there was a smile on the lips of the great Archangel as he softly
winged his way to Paradise, for he knew that all was forgiven, and friend
reconciled with friend.
 

EPILOGUE 
 

Here, Brethren, my Paper really ends, but a final thought, which I should
like to leave with you, came to me after I had concluded. I have said that
we Masons are all Members of One Body; I have not said, and do not mean,
that we are the whole Body, which, as yet, is incomplete. Of what Body,
then, do I speak? Well, being a Christian Mason I would turn to the Church
of the Mystical Body of Christ on earth; but which Church?; for alas, that
Body is torn by schisms. Oft-time blind acceptance vies with honest doubt;
reason trembles, and truth departs unheard. I cannot believe as those good,
earnest, men of whom I have spoken believed yet, there are still with us
zealots of this or that Church or Sect, or Persuasion, who claim to possess
all the verities of the Faith, and who would consign to perdition those not
so fortunate as to be of their number. Turning disillusioned from all such
clashing claims, and cramping theologies, I find a wider, more satisfying,
and I believe, a more truly Christian Evangel in the fundamental teachings
of our Masonic Order.
 

This, then, is the story of a vision for which I can find no name; When
that far off Divine event, of which Freemasonry, and the Royal Arch in
particular, speaks, and towards which the whole creation moves, comes to
its culmination, and all the peoples of every colour, race, and creed, are
gathered around the Throne in unity of spirit; with the light of knowledge
in their eyes, and love abiding in their hearts:
 

The shall the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity stand before the Father
saying:  

"Here are the children, every one - These are My Body."  

PEACE TO ALL BEINGS  

SO MOTE IT BE