those empty delusions. In the grave, all fallacies are detected, all ranks are levelled, and all distinctions are done away.

"While we drop the sympathetic tear over the grave of our deceased friend, let charity incline us to throw a veil over his foibles, whatever they may have been, and not withhold from his memory the praise that his virtues may have claimed. Suffer the apologies of human nature to plead in his behalf. Perfection on earth has never been attained; the wisest as well as the best of men have erred.

"Let the present example excite our most serious thoughts, and strengthen our resolutions of amendment. As life is uncertain, and all earthly pursuits are vain, let us no longer postpone the important concern of preparing for eternity; but embrace the happy moment, while time and opportunity offer, to provide against the great change, when all the pleasures of this world shall cease to delight, and the reflections of a virtuous life yield the only comfort and consolation. Thus our expectations will not be frustrated, nor we hurried unprepared into the presence of an all-wise and powerful Judge, to whom the secrets of all hearts are known.

"Let us, while in this state of existence, support with propriety the character of our profession, advert to the nature of our solemn ties, and pursue with assiduity the sacred tenets of our order: Then, with becoming reverence, let us supplicate the divine grace to ensure the fa vour of that eternal Being, whose goodness and power know no bound; that when the awful

moment arrives, be it soon or late, we may be enabled to prosecute our journey, without, dread or apprehension, to that far distant country whence no traveller returns.

The following invocations are then made by the Master:

Master. "May we be true and faithful; and may we live and die in love!" Answer. "So mote it be."

Master. "May we profess what is good, and always act agreeably to our profession!" Answer. So mote it be."

Master. "May the Lord bless us, and prosper us; and may all our good intentions be crowned with success !"

Answer." So mote it be."

Master. "Glory be to God on high! on earth peace! good will towards men!"

Answer. "So mote it be, now, from henceforth, and for evermore."

The brethren then move in procession round the place of interment, and severally drop a sprig of evergreen into the grave, accompanied with the usual honours.

The master then concludes the ceremony at the grave, in the following words:

"From time immemorial it has been the custom among the fraternity of free and accepted masons, at the request of a brother, to accompany his corpse to the place of interment, and there to deposit his remains with the usual formalities.

"In conformity to this usage, and at the special request of our deceased brother, whose me

mory we revere, and whose loss we now deplore, we have assembled in the character of masons, to resign his body to the earth whence it came, and to offer up to his memory, before the world, the last tribute of our affection; thereby demonstrating the sincerity of our past esteem, and our steady attachment to the principles of the order.

"The great Creator having been pleased, out of his mercy, to remove our brother from the cares and troubles of a transitory existence, to a state of eternal duration, and thereby to weaken the chain, by which we are united, man to man ; may we, who survive him, anticipate our approaching fate, and be more strongly cemented in the ties of union and friendship: that, during the short space allotted to our present existence, 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 resign the body of our deceased friend, there to remain until the general resurrection; in favourable expectation that his immortal soul may then partake of joys which have been prepared for the righteous from the beginning of the world. And may Almighty God, of his infinite goodness, at the grand tribunal of unbiassed justice, extend his mercy towards him, and all of us, and crown our hope with everlasting bliss in the expanded realms of a boundless eternity! This we beg for the honour of his name; to whom be glory, now and forever, Amen.

Thus the service ends, and the procession returns in form to the place whence it set out, where the necessary duties are complied with, and the business of masonry is renewed. The insignia and ornaments of the deceased, if an officer of a lodge, are returned to the master with the usual ceremonies, after which the charges for regulating the conduct of the brethren are rehearsed, and the lodge is closed in the third degree.

NOTES.

If a past or present grand master should join the procession of a private lodge, or deputy grand master, or a grand warden, a proper attention is to be paid to them. They take place after the master of the lodge. Two deacons with black rods are appointed by the master to attend a grand warden; and when the grand master is present, or deputy grand master, the book of corstitutions is borne before him, a sword bearer follows him, and the deacons, with black rods, are placed on his right and left, at an angular distance of seven feet.

Marshals are to walk or ride, on the left of the procession.

On entering public buildings, the bible, square and compass, book of constitutions, &c. are placed before the grand master. The grand marshal and grand deacons keep near him.

CHAPTER XIII.

REMARKS ON THE SIXTH, OR MOST EXCELLENT MASTER'S DEGREE.

NONE but the meritorious and praiseworthy; none but those who through diligence and industry have advanced far towards perfection; none but those who have been seated in the

Oriental Chair, by the unanimous suffrages of their brethren, can be admitted to this degree of

masonry.

In its original establishment, when the temple of Jerusalem was finished, and the fraternity celebrated the cape-stone with great joy, it is demonstrable that none but those, who had proved themselves to be complete masters of their profession, were admitted to this honour; and indeed the duties incumbent on every mason, who is accepted and acknowleaged as a most excellent master, are such as render it indispensable that he should have a perfect knowledge of all the preceding degrees.

One of the following passages of scripture is rehearsed at opening, accompanied by solemn ceremonies :

PSALM XXIV.

"The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and