The herald., 1895-04-15
MASONRY AND PROPHECY
Rev. Thomson on ,Christ's FuIfiIIment Of
Masonic Prophecy
Yet to Comc-Scrvices of the Various
Religious Organizations

At the Church of the Unity yesterday
the members OF Occur de Lion command
cry, Knights Templar, Joined in the
Easter services. An elaborate musical
programme was presented and sermon
appropriate to the occasion was delivered
by the pastor. Rev. J. S. Thomson.
Christ's Fulfllment of Masonic Proph-
ecy was the theme and the text was.
Il am not come to destroy the law or the
prophets, but to fulfill. Mat
! thew 5:l7
| Freemasonry represents the oldest reli-
| gious organization in the world. Its great
age is a proof of its truth and vitality.
/ for it has suffered the bittercst persecu-
ton for thousands of years. It's princi-
pies are eternal. Its three fundamental
! principles are the unity of God. thu i'm
mortality of the soul, and the golden rule.
1t is absolutely non-sectarian. 1t was the
first organization to recognize fully lib
erty, equality and fraternity. 1t existed
when tner, were no Bibles and no tenn
pies. In very ancient times people eX
pressed great fear and sorrow when the
sun seemed to be defeated by darkness OH
the I'D Of December, but there was great
rejoicing on the 18th of December. when
the days began to grow longer, and a
new year was promised to the world
Christs spirit came from ano 5her plan
ct, because the tenant of human body,
and his life has become the light OF the
world in the vast regions of morals and
religion. He is the victorious son OF
Righteousness. The magi saw his star in
the east, and heavenly choir sang songs
at his birth. That birth fulfilled astron-
omic and Masonic prophecy. Our ances-
tors suffered much munger in the print
tive springtimes. when the stars of the
husbandmen were obscure. They had to
keep Lent in reality. We keep it very
comfortably. Christ tasted once for forty
days in the wilderness before taking the
three degrees of Essenism, to which order
John the Baptist belonged. In his three
victories over his three temptations he full
filled the symbolic prophecy OF Masonry
the spiritual triumph OF the human spirit
over passion. Among the Hndus, Per-
rial universe was represented as an egg. 1t
contained not only the four elements,
earth, air, fire and water, but also the
ten qualities, will, wisdom, intelligence,
benignity, beauty, victory, glory, perma-
nence, empire. In the beginning a ray OF
light from the Godhead entered this won
derful egg, and the egg was opened and
the material universe was born. This egg
appears in the mouths of the symbolic
gods in Masonic temples and statues of
antiquity. The gospel of Christ represents
this egg and His divine life is the ray of
lSHb NlllCLI Will tHc pOullcdt.
The cup as a symbol has been a prom
inent feature in ancient mysteries. In
the mysteries of Isis and Eleusis. the cup
is u sacred vessel and refers to the con-
stellation, crater or cup in the heavens.
1t is the urn out of which God pours
blessings or woes, upon the earth; A
great deal is said about it in the book of
Revelation. When the spirit descended
from its home it had to drink the cup of
oblivion SO that it might forget its FORM |
err glorious home. Then tile human spirit |
drank another cup which made it abhor
the illusions OF matter. Joseph Pha |
raoh'a prime miniser, had a cup with |
which he OWNED as priest and prince |
of Egypt Christ asked the two ambitious |
brothers if they could drink out of His |
cup. He OWNED with the cup at the last |
supper. He prayed about it in the gar
den. 1t signifies mental suffering as con-
trasted with physical suffering. Christ's |
den, not upon the cross So Christ's
suffering gives significance to the constel-
lation. to Joseph's cup. to the Masonic
cup. The cross as symbol of heroic
suffering is thousands of years older than
krishna and EBuddha
ruins of temples in all parts of the world.
The cross with a serpent around it in
Egyptian symbolism signifies the hidden
wisdom of eternal life, the very central
doctrine of Christ's gospel. His life
surely fulfilled this symbolic prophecy of
ancient Masonry. Easter is movable
festival. 1t may occur on any one Of
the thirty-five days from the 21st of
March till the Goth of April. It's occur
renee was originally determined by the
of the stars. So the greatest
event in Christian history has an astro-
nomic reference. Bacchus Osiris, Her
,ules, Hiram, Ceres arose from the dead.
Masonry from the first has strven to
show the possibility of the resurrection.
The resurrection is a principal doctrine
IF Freemasonry. The rising of the sun
rom the winter sostice, the upspringing
IF vegetation in spring, and the sym
all found their fulfillment
n the glorious resurrection of Christ. If
Knights Templars lived according to
heir principles, they would be the fore
most Christians of our age.