Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-07-18


,panncd wilma Beautiful bow in which
you may lcNd, " am the Resurrection
and The lIilc.' The separation III brief.
You viii soon meet again. We will
hope, tlat then you win find that for
giving grace has superseded the efficacy
Oh Chha' IAN 9aclamcuts, and meet your
nus band among the redeemed
Ana hero, also, me mourning parents
bowed With @r,cf and the iniirmities
of aee. can under tund Hour sorrow.
Experience has fought i, me. |, too,
Dave lost son. Not rs YOU have, but
I death did the same work. Yours was
spared To you many years. Ike was Il
kird. sooG SON. II he had lived all your
earthly wants and comforts. would have
/ been provided for. l'ut your Heavenly
Father has ,ailcn him. BE thankful
that you have had him so long, and
truS. Noulaclf with old ace 60 Him who
by the Prophet Isaiah has said, " And
even to your old age | am He; and even
60 boar hairs l will carry YOU And
cNclaim with the Psalmist " The Lord
gave and the Lord hath taken away
/ blessed be the name of the Lord
Members Of the Fraternity: Death
has again alarmed the outer door of the
lodge. lie has come in grim silence
and taken your late w. NJ. Norman has
No more VIII he cntor the Lodge Room
to shed the genial Influence OF his pres
cncc and present 10 YOU in his own per-
sou the tr0tCrn0i spirit Of the Order.
" High Twelve - has indeed come to
him all too soon, and we find ourselves
j surrounded with the " Matt0cl. ~ the
q" Coffin " the " GraVe;" the "Caesia -
and the EVcrgrccn.n The subject Of
thc Immortality Of The Soul embraced
80 strongly 10y the Order, is brought
home to US to-day with peculiar power.
Ii appeals To our deepest scn>ibiliticS
and calls for the most serious reflection.
The place which our Brother occupied
will be occupied by him no more for
ever. soon oar places in The Lodge will
be vacant. In view of these facts it be-
comes us to give special heed TO the loss
ons Of to-day. The Grand Architect Of
the Universe speaks to ua to-day in UNI
mis.atablc language pointing us TO this
cOtiincd body and an open tomb. There
too, we must lie. How soon we know
not. Are we prepared to lay aside the
badge OF Mason and go where only the
sign Of the cross With Il living faith in
the son of God can ensure us an entrance
into the Grand Lodge above?
The great moral principle of our Or
der are beautiful and sublme And so
far as thoY make us better men, better
members of s0ciety-better husbands
and fathers-tbey are good.
But they cannot save the soul alive.
They have their proper and important
place in the education and elevation of
the race, and combined in the true chris
tian faith will help to bridge the river
of death and introduce lis to immortal
ity. But, remember they cannot
stand atone.
When you come to lie upon bed of
death, you will find, when perhaps too
late, that we have been leaning upon Il
broken reed. If YOU would make the
principles of your Order eflicacious in
working out your present and eternal
happiness, you must see to it that you
: have Il great deal Of the Gospel OF Christ
mixed with them.
i The fact is, my Brethren, we are not
as good as we should be, and must be, TO
be prepared to be with our deceased
Brother We DO not live up to the light
we possess, hence, we are doubted as an
Order, and evil spoken of. Great moral
truths are constantly inculcated in our
minGs, but they fail 70 work in us, as
they should moral change. TEMPER
ANCE, MORALITY and BROTH ERLY LOVE
are inscribed upon our CARPET, but to
make them etlicacious they must be in
8cr6cd upon tie heart and carried into
practice. We are taught to subdue our
passions, and cultivate all those af1ec-
tons which are ennobling to man, but
these teachings are vain, and worse
than vain if we fail to heed them The
" PLUMB the "SQUAREu and the
" LEVEL" are ever before us, admonish-
ing us to walk upriGhtly in our several
stations before God and man, squaring
our actions by the square of virtue, and
ever to remember that we are trav-
cling upon the Level of Time to that
undiscovered country from whose bourne
no traveller returns. Brothers! | speak
plainly. This is no time for me to utter
uncertain sounds. speak to you over
this coffin, and the remains Of one of
our number on its way to the grave.
My relation to you, and fraternai affec-
tlon for you urge me to impress upon
you the lessons Of the hour. Let us take
it home to our hearts, and go forth from
this impressive scene, these mournful
surroundings, resolved by Gods help to
live moreas true men and Masons should
live that we may be abundantly prepar-
ed to pass away when the master calls.