proof of love to Himself, what He asks is simply a loving care of His people, even of those who are weak and tempted and afflicted. "Feed My lambs. "Feed My lambs." "Feed My sheep." The love of Christ to His people is manifested here, as in His description of that awful day, when He shall separate the sheep from the goats, when He thus declares the reasons of His judgment: "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me" (Mat. xxv. 31-46).

And

We see then that the lamb as a symbol, leads us to thoughts calculated to fill the heart with comfort in the midst of afflictions, and to reanimate courage in the hour of felt weakness and imminent danger; thoughts which can brighten the darkness of the valley of the shadow of death itself, and call forth the joyful exclamation, "I will fear no evil," from every one who can say, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." if the lamb, being specially the symbol of innocence, teaches us, as we have seen, to live peaceful and harmless lives, injuring no one, either by word or deed; we may now also learn from these passages of Scripture which have been adduced to show how this symbol, duly contemplated, builds up the soul in comfort, confidence, and hope that the great duty of our lives is charity. It is not proposed here to expatiate on this subject; other symbols bring it before us, and in connection with them it has been and will be considered. But the same lessons are taught by many masonic symbols, and it is important that they should be in every instance pointed out, that from each in its turn, we may derive the greatest possible amount of benefit.

CHAPTER LXX.

MASONIC SYMBOLS.-THE POINT WITHIN A CIRCLE, WITH BIBLE, AND PARALLEL LINES.

A Circle with a point in its centre is a symbol which is interpreted in two different ways; but the interpretations, although distinct, are not conflicting, and the symbol may without impropriety be regarded as teaching two different lessons, and suggesting two different trains of thought. We shall ere long see, as we proceed, that distinct as the two interpretations of this symbol are, there is a link of connection between them, and that from the thoughts which belong to the one, the minds of men have been led to those which arise out of the other.

According to one interpretation of this symbol, it represents God as the centre of the universe, and thus reminds us that we are wholly dependent upon Him, always under the observation of His All-seeing eye, and subject to His will. The application of this, in reference to piety, and morality, is obvious.

According to another interpretation of this symbol, the point in the centre represents the individual man himself, and the circle marks the limits of that world to which his view extends, within which lies his sphere of action, from which manifold influences reach him, and in which his influence is exerted; the world which is peopled with human beings, acting and suffering like himself.

It may be supposed that man, destitute of the light of revelation and the teachings of religion, naturally regards himself as the centre of the whole system with which he has to do. He views everything with relation to himself and his own interests. And this, in a certain sense, must

always be the case, even with the most enlightened and pious; but with them considerations of duty come in along with considerations of mere interest. This will presently be more fully noticed, but in the meantime let us rather direct our attention to what may be deemed the natural progress of thought. He who has begun by assuming himself to be the centre of the whole system around him, must soon be constrained to acknowledge that he holds no such important position; that there are others like himself, having equal claim to it, so that his exclusive claim cannot reasonably be maintained. He finds also that there are many things over which he has no control whatever; and a problem presents itself to him to which there is no solution but in the acknowledgment of a great controlling power, of a being supreme over all. It may be that no human mind ever thus reached, apart from revelation or aid from without, to the discovery and perfect ascertainment of the great truth of the existence of one great God, the Creator, Preserver, and Ruler of the Universe: but through some stages of this process of thought, it is almost impossible that the mind should not pass; and in the necessity of this process of thought, we find a conclusive and irresistible argument in favour of the doctrine which lies at the very foundation of religion.

So much has been said already in former chapters of the great lessons taught by this symbol, according to the first of the two interpretations of it which have been stated, that it may be reckoned unnecessary to do more at present than merely allude to them. To regard God as occupying the central place in the universe, sustaining and governing all things, in the world of matter and in the world of mind, amongst the armies of heaven and amongst the children of men, is a sublime and ennobling thought, very delightful to every one who trusts in God and loves Him, whilst at the same time it is very humbling, utterly opposed to all human pride, and calculated to produce sentiments of lowly reverence and to lead to devout adoration.

The lessons taught by this symbol, according to the

second interpretation of it, although different, are not less important. It teaches us to consider how our interests are bound up with those of our fellow-creatures, and reminds us of our duties towards them, as well as of our duties towards God. To make the symbol more significant in this sense, it is common to depict not merely a circle with a point in its centre, but a Bible lying above the circle, touched by the circumference of the circle; and two vertical parallel lines, one on each side of the circle, touching it but not cutting it. The symbol thus becomes very expressive of the duty of man, of the bounds within which he must keep himself, and the guidance which he must seek for his conduct. The Bible placed above all, directs attention to the authority of God, and we are taught that we ought to regulate our lives according to His commandments; and that as we desire that our lives may be useful and happy, proceeding onwards to eternal happiness, we must devote ourselves to the study of God's Word. The two parallel lines are symbolic of St John the Baptist, and St John the Evangelist, the two "patron saints" of Freemasonry, than whose example no better was ever presented to men, save that of Him whose servants these were, and who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. Keeping ourselves within the limits indicated by the Bible, and by these two parallel lines, it has been often remarked by masonic writers, we cannot materially err. But it may be more strongly affirmed, that keeping within these lines we cannot err at all, in any matter of morality; although there would. still remain for us many questions of prudence, requiring the exercise of all our powers of reason for their determination. That no man does perfectly keep within the limits thus defined, is too certainly true; but every good man desires and endeavours to keep within them; and every worthy Mason, as he contemplates this symbol, feels this desire strengthened, and is animated to new endeavours, however he may feel that he has failed before.

The examples of the saints-of all good and holy men who have ever lived upon the earth-are extremely profitable to

us, if duly considered. "Be ye followers of me," says the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, "even as I also am o Christ" (1 Cor. xi. 1). "Brethren," he says in another Epistle, "be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so, as ye have us for an example" (Phil. iii. 17). There is no perfect example of virtue and holiness in the life of man upon the earth, but that of Him who was not mere man, the Lord of Glory. That example, above all others, we are called to follow, and in it, as in the moral law, to which it was perfectly conformed, we have the standard of perfection. But it is often of great advantage to us to have the example of one nearer to ourselves, in the sense of being a partaker not only of our human weakness, but of the corruption of our nature, and whose position also amongst men more closely resembles our own. Not only the examples of eminent saints, such as St John the Baptist, and St John the Evangelist, and the great Apostle of the Gentiles, may be contemplated with profit, but even those of our neighbours and acquaintances, in whom we perceive evidence of the same grace of God. The examples presented to us in the lives of good men, are in many of the circumstances of life more easily applicable for our guidance than the highest example itself, because we at once see their adaptation to our own circumstances, and learn from them how the great principles of morality are to be observed and applied by ourselves.

The old traditions of Masonry have led to the special recognition of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist, as examples to be studied and followed. There are no more admirable characters presented to our study in the inspired volume. In St John the Baptist we see an example of austere virtue. St John the Evangelist appears before us as the disciple whom Jesus loved, himself full of love. We are not from this, however, to infer that there was any difference between the characters of the two men, except such as arose from their natural constitution, the duties to which they were called, and the circumstances in which they were placed. Both exhibit the same high