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

"While we drop the fympathetic 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 wifeft as well as the beft of men have erred.

"Let the prefent example excite our most ferious thoughts, and ftrengthen our resolutions of amendment. As life is uncertain, and all earthly pursuits are vain, let us no longer poftpone 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 fhall ceafe to delight, and the reflections of a virtuous life yield the only comfort and confolation. Thus our expectations will not be fruftrated, nor we hurried unprepared into the prefence of an all-wife and powerful Judge, to whom the fecrets of all hearts are known.

"Let us, while in this state of existence, fupport with propriety the character of our profef fion, advert to the nature of our folemn ties, and pursue with affiduity the facred tenets of our order: Then, with becoming reverence, let us fupplicate the divine grace to enfure the favour of that eternal Being, whofe goodness and power know no bound; that when the awful

moment arrives, be it foon or late, we may be enabled to profecute our journey, without dread or apprehenfion, to that far diftant country: whence no traveller returns.”

The following invocations are then made by the Mafter:

Mafter. "May we be true and faithful; and may we live and die in love!” Anfwer. "So mote it be."

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

Mafter. "May the Lord bless us, and profper us; and may all our good intentions be crowned with fuccefs !”

Anfwer. "So mote it be."

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

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

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

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

"From time immemorial it has been the cuf tom among the fraternity of free and accepted masons, at the request of a brother, to accompany his corpfe to the place of interment, and there to depofit his remains with the ufual formalities.

"In conformity to this ufage, and at the fpecial request of our deceased brother, whofe me

mory we revere, and whofe lofs we now deplore, we have affembled in the character of masons, to refign 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 demonftrating the fincerity of our past esteem, and our fteady 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 tranfitory exiftence, to a state of eternal duration, and thereby to weaken the chain, by which we are united, man to man; may we, who furvive him, anticipate our approaching fate, and be more ftrongly cemented in the ties of union and friendship; that, during the short space allotted to our prefent existence, we may wifely and usefully employ our time; and, in the reciprocal intercourfe of kind and friendly acts, mutually promote the welfare and happiness of each other.

"Unto the grave we refign the body of our deceased friend, there to remain until the general refurrection; in favourable expectation that his immortal foul 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 goodnefs, at the grand tribunal of unbiaffed juftice, extend his mercy towards him, and all of us, and crown our hope with everlasting blifs 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 fervice ends, and the proceffion returns in form to the place whence it fet out, where the neceffary duties are complied with, and the business of mafonry is renewed. The infignia and ornaments of the deceased, if an officer of a lodge, are returned to the mafter with the ufual ceremonies, after which the charges for regulating the conduct of the brethren are rehearsed, and the lodge is clofed 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 constitutions 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.

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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 feated in the

Oriental Chair, by the unanimous fuffrages of their brethren, can be admitted to this degree of mafonry.

In its original eftablishment, when the temple of Jerufalem was finished, and the fraternity celebrated the cape-ftone with great joy, it is demonftrable that none but thofe, who had proved themselves to be complete mafters of their profeffion, were admitted to this honour; and indeed the duties incumbent on every mafon, who is accepted and acknowledged as a moft excellent mafter, are fuch as render it indispenfable that he should have a perfect knowledge of all the preceding degrees.

One of the following paffages of fcripture is rehearsed at opening, accompanied by folemn 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 feas, and established it upon the floods. Who fhall afcend into the hill of the Lord? or who fhall ftand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his foul unto vanity, nor fworn deceitfully. He fhall receive the bleffing from the Lord, and righteoufnefs from the God of his falvation. This is the generation of them that feek him, that feek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlafting doors, and the King of Glory fhall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and

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