ALMIGHTY JEHOVAH!

Descend now and fill

This lodge with thy glory,
Our hearts with good-will!
Preside at our meetings,

Assist us to find

True pleasure in teaching

Good-will to mankind.

Thy wisdom inspired the great institution,
Thy strength shall support it till nature expire;
And when the creation shall fall into ruin,

Its beauty shall rise through the midst of the fire!

The following, which is a portion of the prayer of King Solomon at the dedication of the temple, may be used during this part of the ceremony:

PRAYER.

And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David, my father. But will God indeed dwell oa the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have built. Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplica tion, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee to-day that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer whit a thy

servant shall make toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people, Israel, when they shall pray toward this place; and hear thou in heaven, thy dwelling-place; and when thou hearest, forgive. So mote it be. Amen.

The following is read with solemn ceremonies:

II. CHRONICLES Vii. 1-4.

Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house. And the priest could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house.

And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshiped, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

THE FIRE FROM HEAVEN,

The following passages from Bro. Scott's "Analogy," * may be advantageously read by the masonic student in reference to this period of the ceremonies:

"It was when Solomon had made an end of praying, that the fire came down from heaven; but it was before the fire came down that the cloud of God's glory descended, and that the Almighty was made manifest in the sanctum sanctorum. It was on the day of dedication, and the year of dedication was a jubilee. The silver trumpets had ushered it in amidst the rejoicing of all the people. The elders of Israel had been assembled in the devoted city of Jerusalem. Solomon had summoned them to meet together for a holy purpose. The stately temple was completed. It towered in all its grandeur. It was the wonder and admiration of the world. The craftsmen were all present at the dedication.

They had no more occasion for level or plumb-line,
For trowel or gavel, for compass or square.

"Their work was all finished, and the ark of the covenant was about to be brought up 'out of the city of David, which is Zion.' How sublime and surpassingly grand were the cere monies of dedication. 'And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.' And the tabernacle was carried up also, and all the holy vessels that were in it. Then the sacrifices commenced. All the congregation of Israel took part in the ceremonies. The sheep and the oxen to be sacrificed were numberless. When the ark was borne into 'the oracle of the house, to the most holy place,' the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place and covered the ark and the staves thereof. And when it was safely seated, Almighty Jehovah descended and filled the house with his glory. Yes, the Lord was visible there; and well might the wisest of men, in the The Analogy of Ancient Craft Masonry to Natural and Revealed Reli. gion, by Charles Scott, A.M., p. 217.

presence of all the congregation of Israel, pour out a fervent and most eloquent prayer to Him for his multiplied blessings. What a mighty assembly had gathered together! The Lord of heaven and earth was there. And never before had such eloquence fallen from the lips of Solomon. His prayer is a specimen of true devotion, and of what a wise man can do and say, 'when out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.' "That ever memorable occasion is celebrated in our lodges. It is the ground-work of one of its most beautiful degrees. It has been celebrated for thousands of generations, and is hallowed in the memory of the craft. And may we not, with propriety,say that the splendid and eloquent prayer of our Grand Master, although it is not expressly incorporated into the regular body of masonry, constitutes, by implication, a portion of our institution? If we are correct in the opinion that our order was perfected at the completion of the temple, or even established after that period, but associated with the progress of that building and dedication, then we may very reasonably contend that every rite or event connected with it affords a subject for masonic study and investigation.”

There is also an eloquent description of the scene commemorated in this degree in Dr. Jarvis's "Church of the Redeemned," pp. 166-168, which the masonic student may read with advantage and pleasure.

THE RECEPTION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT. Masonic tradition informs us that when the temple had been completed and dedicated, and the cape-stone celebrated, King Solomon received and acknowledged the most expert of the craftsmen as Most Excellent Masters; he invested them with power to travel into foreign countries in search of employment, and charged them to dispense light and truth to ail uninformed brethren; but to those who chose to remain he furnished employment in keeping the temple in repair.

CHARGE

TO BE READ TO A MOST EXCELLENT MASTER AFTER HIS RECEPTION.

BROTHER-Your admittance to this degree of masonry is a proof of the good opinion the brethren of this lodge entertain of your masonic abilities. Let this consideration induce you to be careful of forfeiting, by misconduct and inattention to our rules, that esteem which has raised you to the rank you now possess.

It is one of your great duties as a Most Excellent Master, to dispense light and truth to the uninformed mason; and I need not remind you of the impossibility of complying with this obligation, without possessing an accurate acquaintance with the lec tures of each degree.

If you are not already completely conversant in all the degrees heretofore conferred on you, remember, that an indulgence, prompted by a belief that you will apply yourself with double diligence to make yourself so, has induced the brethren to accept you.

Let it therefore be your unremitting study to acquire such a degree of knowledge and information as shall enable you to discharge with propriety the various duties incumbent on you, and to preserve unsullied, the title now conferred upon you, of a MOST EXCELLENT MASTER.