A Masonic Bible Presentation
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In all the rich symbolism of Ancient Craft Masonry two symbols, or symbolic themes predominate. One is the search for light, the other is the labor of building. The source of light is the Holy Bible, the grand representation of the builders art is King Solomon's Temple.
Searching persistently and building carefully, the candidate travels slowly toward the East. As he pursues his quest for light and more light and still further light in Masonry, he learns by the way to use the working tools of the stone craftsman, until, at last, he finds himself portraying the Character of the greatest of all legendary builders, the Master Architect of King Solomon's Temple. Searching and Building, Light and the Temple, -- the two dominant Masonic themes are distinct but not separate, complimentary rather than supplementary.
The Temple in the Masonic ritual is almost, but not quite completed; the allegory rises from a physical to a spiritual Temple: "A house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." But the search and the labor for complete illumination are not completed by the candidate within the Lodge. Light is revealed, and the sacred source of all light is clearly indicated, but regardless of any spiritual symbolism that may be hidden in our Masonic Ceremonies, the unending search, and the labor toward perfection, once begun in the Lodge, must continue with the initiated Mason, not only within the sanctuary of the Masonic Temple, but also among the larger world, and for all the days of his life.
Philosophers tell us that time is a river, and that books are boats. Many volumes start down that stream, only to be wrecked and lost beyond recall in its sands. Only a few, a very few, endure the testing of time and survive to bless the ages that follow. As Masons, we pay homage to the greatest of all books -- the one enduring book which has travelled down that river from the begining of time, and which is freighted with the richest treasures that any book has ever presented to humanity.
My Brethren here is a Book whose scene is the sky and the dirt and all that lies between. A Book that has in it the arch of the heavens, the curve of the earth, the ebb and flow of the sea, sunrise and sunset, the peaks of mountains and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters, the shadow of forests on the hills, the song of birds and the color of flowers. But its two great characters are God and the Soul, and the story of their eternal life together is its one, everlasting, romance. It is the most human of books, telling the old forgotten secrets of the heart. its bitter pessimism its death defying hope, its pain, its passion, its sin, its sob of grief and its shout of joy... telling all, without malice, in its Grand Style which can do no wrong, while echoing the sweet-toned pathos of the pity and mercy of God. No other book is so honest with us, so mercilessly merciful, so austere yet so tender, piercing the heart, yet healing the deep wounds of sin and sorrow.
My Brother, take this great and simple Book, white with age yet new with the dew of each new morn, tested by the sorrowful and victorious experiences of centuries, rich in memories and wet with the tears of multitudes who walked this way before us... Lay it to heart, love it, read it, learn what life is, what it means to be a man; aye, learn that God hath made us for himself, and unquiet are our hearts till they rest in Him.
Make it your friend and your teacher and you will know what Sir Walter Scott meant, when, as he lay dying, he asked Lockhart to read to him... "From what book?' asked Lockhart, "...and Scott replied: There is but one Book!'
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I had the VSL presented to me at my Installation last year. This is the Lecture that PM Bro Ian Stewart of Lodge Dalhousie #670 delivered from memory! I am having a different version presented at my 2nd Installation in November this year!
Bro…Through the courtesy of your Worshipful Installing Master, it is my privilege to present you with a copy of the Holy Bible, which, as you have been instructed, is the Great Light in Masonry.
We have been accustomed to think of the Holy Bible as one book, because it is bound between two covers. It is not one book, it is a large library, sometimes called the divine library, and rightly so. It is composed of sixty-six separate volumes, thirty-nine of which comprise of the Old Testament and twenty-seven the New Testament.
It was over fifteen hundred years in the making and a period of about four hundred years passed between the History of the last book of the Old Testament and the first book of the New. Another period of four hundred years passed before they were translated by St. Jerome into a common language and assembled into one collection. This became known as The Latin Vulgate. Another ten centuries passed before the first crude and partial translation in English appeared, which resulted in our present authorised version under King James in AD 1611.
The Holy Bible contains Law, History, Poetry, Prophecy, Letters, Morals, Ethics, Philosophy, Medicine, and a revelation of divine Light and Truth.
Its authorship is not less varied; its contributors were Law givers, Historians, Poets, Prophets, Preachers, Mystics, Kings, Collectors of Internal Revenue, Tent makers and Fishermen.
Diverse, as is its subject matter and authorship, remote are as its Types, Figures, Myths, Legends, Allegories and unique styles of expression. The intelligent reader discerns, running through it all, an ever-increasing purpose, and a progressive revelation of truth. As silver threads run through the darker fabric, appearing here and there prominently upon the surface; so flashes of light rise from its pages, revealing the mind and character of God and his unfailing love towards mankind.
Everything that could be done has been done, in the ages of intolerance, to destroy the Holy Bible. Men have been imprisoned, tortured and burned at the stake for confessing and defending its teachings, When Latimer and Ridley were burned in front of the Old Balliol College, for defending what they believed to be its teachings, Latimer cried out when the flames licked his feet-“Fear not Ridley, our blood will this day light a torch that will never go out”. And so it was, because there was within it, an unyielding principle of survival, a spirit of power, not of man, but of God.
Today the American and British Bible Societies are printing and putting into circulation over fifteen million copies per annum, in over five hundred different languages and dialects. Its pages have been moistened these hundreds of years by tears of joy and tears of sorrow. They have been thumbed and soiled by the fingers of Kings in their palaces and prisoners in their cells. Monarchs and peasants, strong men and penitent sinners, have all found it a source of strength, courage, hope and consolation. Sir Walter Scott on his deathbed, called out to Lockhart, - “Bring me the book”. “Which book?” inquired Lockhart, Sir Walter replied, “there is only one book”, and the Great Bard passed away with his hands resting on the Holy Bible.
In presenting this Holy Bible to you, your Lodge bids I strongly recommend that you read it and read it frequently, not only with your eyes, but with you heart, devotionally, and it will be to you, an ever increasing source of guidance and light in your efforts to become a better man and a better mason. Other lights may fail; this light will not fail. As you increase your knowledge of it, it will become a lamp unto your feet, and a light into your path.
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RWM Albert 448, Secretary, Discovery 1789, Proxy SW Benevolence 1659 Nigeria,
PZ RAC Albert 503, CC, RAM, Cork, AASR(18th), ROS, OSM, KT, RCC, KHS, Squaremen
Novus Ordo Saeculorum
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