The Portland daily press., 1900-04-16
SIR KNIGHTS WORSHIP.


Continued from Tenth Page.
II is MOI . suhssituts for religion. IL can
not be. Ths Mason who makes Of mason
~ a religion does not know what religion
IL, and the non mason who SAYS masonry
10 religion does not know what mason
~ IL. me one Il Ignorant Of religion aad
the other u Ignorant OF pasonry. There
IL no eonfiict between them. Christianity
IL divine revelation. Masonry Is the
reelection Of that revelation In beautiful
symhois. The Christian man win be 9
better Mason beesuss Of his spiritual life
causing MIN to see deeper meaning In
all Its advancing ritual than otherwise
be could sss snd the sincere Mss,n will
soon discover HE need OF spiritual life
to conplets In his character what the
symboiio lessons teach. Masonry 10 Ike
. panorama OF the Alps. Christianity 10
the Airs which when ons has seen he
will enjoy the panorama all the more.
1hs text 10 one Of the symbolic pictures
OF both Christianity and Masonry. what
q prophetic symbol 10 has proved TO bel
1.-THE stone which the builders rejected
has become ths centre Of The worlds his
tory. All time IL reokoned from him. AL
dates revolve around bis name. he whom
ter Of all philosophy and Of tbs worlds
thinkinr. Ne whom 6rseian art and
Keenan, culture laughed ct, has become
the center OF all highest art In song and
with tire brush. He whom kings despised
and looked upon with scorn has shaken
and 10 shaking the thrones Of the world:
he whom the religl GUS teachers - sctsd
has hee eme the center Of the worlds re-
Iizions discussion and the heart OF the
worlds rsiirious life. He whom only q
few loving hearts worshipped ON the fifst
Easter morn, IL now worshippsd By more
than two hundred millions Of souls and
honored BY two hundred millions more.
When men ask, where are the DEEPEST
purest and ccmpletsst ethical teachings,
We point them TO the words OF him
whom the builders rejected and tell them
to read his .iSermon on the Mount :"
whsn men ask, where II an example OF q
perfect life. that We may know what q
the builders reiroted rs the only ons who
has lived without sin. when men ask,
how shall We come into harmony with
Gcd, reason and revelation have but one
answer, through him whom the builders
rejected. who loved us and gave himself
for %, who is the way, the truth aud the
ifs." when men looking at human bis
tory, ask the secret OF the orld's pro-
gresslon, Of England more than Egypt,
and OF America more than China, We can
only point to him whom the builders re-
jsoted. his cross leads civilization, he is
the head Of the new humanity. When
uen in the deep, universal CRY OF their
souls, ask, is the soul immortal aud when
they turn to human reason and lind no
final answer, and to natural scienos and
lind no final answer, and TO human
speculation whits only mooks them; then
We point TO him, whom ths builders re-
jscted, who on the frat Easter morn oon-
quered death and the grave and who is
himself the resurrection and the life and
ID himself the only and nnal answer to
the humanities great question. does death
end ell! He brought LIE and immortal
" to light. This Eister day 10 the
worlds confession that 'eASa stone
which this builders REJECTED" has become
"the head Of the corner" The arch IL
God Is found. No where else 10 the sym
bolic lesson Of the text more wonderfully
illustrated than In this day. The church
sings her Triumphant songs OF faith and
hope round the world and masonry
teaches it In the beauties Of her ritual.
The great lesson which comes to us from
the conquered tomb, from the shouting
church from every degree of masonry, is,
that every step In life should be into a
higher life. Man was not simply made to
be but TO become more and more forever.
Listen TO the voice which speaks from the
evolution Of the world oat Of chaotic star
Of dust into its present unfcliing power
and beauty. The lower rising into the
higher, on, on. on through the measure
less ages. che form Of 'ifs coming into q
higher form and eliminating In man as
God's highest thought In creation.
Read tins same lesson from human hfs-
tory as yon notice barbarian coming up
into sem barbarism ana semi-barbarism
risisg into lower civilization and lower
civilization coming into higher civiliza-
ticn and thus ever on, preparing the way
through him and for him, "whoIn the
builders rejected" to become the "head OF
the corner aud the king Of nations. Such
10 God's law. In nature and In history.
Read 1t also In Book Of Divine Revsla-
tion, which 10 ever upon the Masonic a i
tar, the constant progression OF God's
thought for man from the giving OF the
Ter Commandments to tbe rising OF our
Lord into the unseen giories and from
the choosing Of Abraham to the visions
OF st. John, progressive reievatton.
This the supreme Lesson OF Easter. the
coming into . higher life, she triumph OF
the spiritual over the IN sterial. This the
plan OF G ID, the everlasting advancement
Of the race 10 him aud through him
"whom the builders rejected" Looking
back, notice how the world has rolled on,
aud when the unborn ages shall have
come. 1t will still have rolled on as 10 uoh
poyouu tuo NTcsohs 81 tno p%e9ehe - W.
yond the past
The triumphs of natural science are
bat symbols of the victories OF spiritual
truth. They clasp hands In revealing
Gods pan for humanity. The world
never rolls back. but always on. History.
science. religion, never turn back but
ever move on. The Christian man can
always say with Whittier,
II feel the earth move sunward,
join the great march onward,
And take by faith while living
My freehold Of Thanksgiving"
The Kingdom OF God must come, moth
ing can prevent It, Ths powers OF evil In
certain places and at certain times may
ssem to be gaining upon the good, but a.
We glance back over the ages the march
OF tina osnturies has been onward and M
ward. This law of constant PROCESSION go
beautifully taught In every degree OF Ma
sonfy, In every Law or nature, In every
book OF the written revelation and In the
victory Of Easter, speaks to the tndivid-
ual soul Is well as TO the racs.. Human ity
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