What, then, are all the externals of human dignity--the power of wealth, the dreams of ambition, the pride of intellect, or the charms of beauty--when Nature has paid her just debt? Fix your eyes on the last sad scene, and view life stripped of its ornaments, and exposed in its natural weakness, and you must be persuaded of the utter emptiness of these delusions. In the grave, all fallacies are detected, all ranks are leveled, all distinctions are done away. Here the scepter of the prince and the staff of the beggar are laid side by side.
Our present meeting and proceedings will have been vain and useless, if they fail to excite our serious reflections, and strengthen our resolutions of amendment.
Be then persuaded, my brethren, by this example of the uncertainty of human life, of the unsubstantial nature of all its pursuits, and no longer postpone the all-important concern of preparing for eternity. Let us each embrace the present moment, and while time and opportunity permit, prepare for that great change when the pleasures of the world be as a poison to our lips, and the happy reflections consequent upon a well-spent life afford the only consolation.
Thus shall our hopes be not frustrated, nor we be hurried unprepared into the presence of that all-wise and powerful Judge, to whom the secrets of all hearts are known. Let us resolve to maintain with sincerity the dignified character of our profession. May our Faith be evinced in a correct moral walk and deportment; may our Hope be bright as the glorious mysteries that will be revealed hereafter; and our Charity boundless as the wants of our fellow-creatures. And, having faithfully discharged the great duties which we owe to G.o.d, to our neighbor, and to ourselves, when at last it shall please the Grand Master of the Universe to summon us into His eternal presence, may the Trestle-board of our whole lives pa.s.s such inspection that it may be given unto each of us to "eat of the hidden manna," and to receive the "white stone with a new name" that will insure perpetual and unspeakable happiness at His right hand.
The Lambskin being removed from the coffin, the Master holds it up and says:
W. M.: The Lambskin, or white leathern Ap.r.o.n, is an emblem of innocence and the badge of a Mason; more ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman Eagle; more honorable than Star and Garter, when worthily worn. This emblem I now deposit in the grave of our deceased brother. [Deposits it.] By it we are reminded of that purity of life and conduct so essentially necessary to gaining admission to the Celestial Lodge above, where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides.
The mattock, the coffin, and the melancholy grave admonish us of our mortality, and that, sooner or later, these frail bodies must moulder in their parent dust.
The Master, holding the evergreen, continues:
This evergreen, which once marked the temporary resting-place of the ill.u.s.trious dead, is an emblem of our faith in the immortality of the soul. By it we are reminded that we have an immortal part within us, that shall survive the grave, and which shall never, never, never die.
By it we are admonished that, though, like our brother whose remains lie before us, we shall soon be clothed in the habiliments of death, and deposited in the silent tomb, yet, through our belief in the mercy of G.o.d, we may confidently hope that our souls will bloom in eternal spring. This, too, I deposit in the grave.
The brethren then move in procession round the place of interment, and severally drop the sprig of evergreen into the grave, during which the following may be sung:
Funeral Dirge.
Hark! from the tombs a doleful sound!
Mine ears attend the cry: "Ye living men, come view the ground Where you must shortly lie.
"Princes! this clay must be your bed, In spite of all your towers; The tall, the wise, the reverend head, Must lie as low as ours."
Great G.o.d! Is this our certain doom?
And are we still secure?
Still walking downward to the tomb, And yet prepared no more?
Grant us the power of quick"ning grace, To fit our souls to fly; Then, when we drop this dying flesh, We"ll rise above the sky.
Or the following:
Pleyel"s Hymn.
Solemn strikes the fun"ral chime, Notes of our departing time; As we journey here below Through a pilgrimage of woe.
Mortals, now indulge a tear, For mortality is here!
See how wide her trophies wave O"er the slumbers of the grave!
Here another guest we bring!
Seraphs of celestial wing, To our funeral altar come, Waft our friend and brother home.
Lord of all! below--above-- Fill our hearts with truth and love; When dissolves our earthly tie Take us to Thy Lodge on high.
After which the Masonic funeral honors are given.
The Grand Honors, practiced among Masons at funerals, whether in public or private, are given in the following manner: Both arms are crossed on the breast, the left uppermost, and the open palms of the hands sharply striking the shoulders; they are then raised above the head, the palms striking each other, and then made to fall smartly upon the thighs. This is repeated three times, and while they are being given the third time, the brethren audibly p.r.o.nounce the following words--when the arms are crossed on the breast: "We cherish his memory here;" when the hands are extended above the head: "We commend his spirit to G.o.d who gave it;" and when the hands are extended toward the ground: "And consign his body to the grave."
The Master then continues the ceremony:
The Great Creator, having been pleased to remove our brother from the cares and troubles of this transitory existence to a state of endless duration, thus severing another link from the fraternal chain that binds us together, may we who survive him be more strongly cemented in the ties of union and friendship; and, during the short s.p.a.ce allotted us here, we may wisely and usefully employ our time, and, in the reciprocal intercourse of kind and friendly acts, mutually promote the welfare and happiness of each other.
Unto the grave we now consign his body--earth to earth; ashes to ashes; dust to dust--there to remain until the trump shall sound on the Resurrection morn. We can trustfully leave him in the hands of Him who doeth all things well, who is "glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders."
To those of his immediate relatives and friends who are most heart-stricken at the loss we have all sustained, we have but little of this world"s consolation to offer; we can only sincerely, deeply and most affectionately sympathize with them in their afflictive bereavement; but we can say, that He who tempers the wind to the shorn lamb looks down with infinite compa.s.sion upon the widow and fatherless in the hour of their desolation; and that the Great Architect will fold the arms of His love and protection around those who put their trust in Him.
Then let us improve this solemn warning, so that, when the sheeted dead are stirring, when the great white throne is set, we shall receive from the Omniscient Judge the thrilling invitation, "Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
The services will close with the following or some other suitable prayer:
Prayer.
Most Glorious G.o.d, Author of all good and Giver of all mercy, pour down Thy blessings upon us, and strengthen our solemn engagements with the ties of sincere affection. May the present instance of mortality remind us of our own approaching fate, and, by drawing our attention toward Thee, the only refuge in time of need, may we be induced to so regulate our conduct here that when the awful moment shall arrive at which we must quit this transitory scene, the enlivening prospect of Thy mercy may dispel the gloom of death, and that after our departure hence in peace and Thy favor, we may be received into Thine everlasting kingdom, and there enjoy that uninterrupted and unceasing felicity which is allotted to the souls of just men made perfect. "Bless those who are bereaved by this sad providence, and make this brotherhood faithful to their solemn vows, to comfort, aid, and protect those thus left to their sacred charge."
And now, O Lord, we pray for Thy hand to lead us in all the paths our feet must tread; and when the journey of life is ended, may light from our immortal home illuminate the dark valley and shadow of death, and voices of the loved ones welcome us to that "house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Amen.
Response: So mote it be.
The Master then approaches the head of the grave (or the entrance to the tomb), and gently says:
Soft and safe to thee, my brother, be this earthly bed. Bright and glorious be thy rising from it. Fragrant be the acacia sprig that here shall flourish. May the earliest buds of spring unfold their beauties on this, thy resting place; and here may the sweetness of the summer"s rose linger latest. Though the cold blast of autumn may lay them in the dust, and for a time destroy the loveliness of their existence, yet the destruction is not final, and in the springtime they shall surely bloom again. So, in the bright morning of the world"s resurrection, thy mortal frame, now laid in the dust by the chilling blast of death, shall spring again into newness of life, and expand, in immortal beauty, in realms beyond the skies. Until then, dear brother, until then, farewell.
The Benediction will then be p.r.o.nounced by the Master, or Chaplain, as follows:
The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make His face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up the light of His countenance, and give us peace. Amen.
Response: So mote it be.
End of Service at Grave.
In very inclement weather service at the grave can be shortened by omitting any part of the ceremony except the ap.r.o.n, acacia and honors.
ANOTHER SERVICE AT THE GRAVE.
At the grave the Lodge forms a circle or semicircle. The Master and other officers of the Lodge take their position at the head of the grave; the Tyler behind the Master, and the mourners at the foot. The religious burial service of the church (if there be any) should be first performed, after which the Masonic service begins:
The following pa.s.sage of Scripture, from Ecclesiastes, chapter xii, verses 1-7, is read:
Chaplain: Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; while the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain; in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened; and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low; and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the gra.s.shopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets; or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto G.o.d who gave it.