Invocation.
And may the Lord, the giver of every good and perfect gift, bless the
brethren here assembled, in all their lawful undertakings, and grant to
each one of them, in needful supply, the corn of nourishment, the wine
of refreshment, and the oil of joy. Amen.
Response: So mote it be.
The Lodge is then covered, and the Grand Master retires to his chair.
The following or an appropriate original oration may then be delivered,
and the ceremonies conclude with music:
Brethren: The ceremonies we have performed are not unmeaning rites, nor
the amusing pageants of an idle hour, but have a solemn and instructive
import. Suffer me to point it out to you, and to impress upon your minds
the ennobling sentiments they are so well adapted to convey.
This Hall, designed and built by Wisdom, supported by Strength, and
adorned in Beauty, we are first to consecrate in the name of the great
Jehovah; which teaches us, in all our works, begun and finished, to
acknowledge, adore, and magnify Him. It reminds us, also, in His fear to
enter the door of the Lodge, to put our trust in him while passing its
trials, and to hope in Him for the reward of its labors.
Let, then, its altar be devoted to His service, and its lofty arch
resound with His praise! May the eye which seeth in secret witness here
the sincere and unaffected piety which withdraws from the engagements of
the world to silence and privacy, that it may be exercised with less
interruption and less ostentation.
Our march round the Lodge reminds us of the travels of human life, in
which Masonry is an enlightened, a safe, and a pleasant path. Its
tesselated pavement of Mosaic-work intimates to us the chequered
diversity and uncertainty of human affairs. Our step is time; our
progression, eternity.
Following our ancient Constitutions, with mystic rites we dedicate this
Hall to the honor of Freemasonry.
Our best attachments are due to the Craft. In its prosperity, we find
our joy; and, in paying it honor, we honor ourselves. But its worth
transcends our encomiums, and its glory will outsound our praise.
Brethren: It is our pride that we have our names on the records of
Freemasonry. May it be our high ambition that they should shed a luster
on the immortal page!
The hall is also dedicated to Virtue.
This worthy appropriation will always be duly regarded while the moral
duties which our sublime lectures inculcate, with affecting and
impressive pertinency, are cherished in our hearts and illustrated in
our lives.
As Freemasonry aims to enliven the spirit of Philanthropy, and promote
the cause of Charity, so we dedicate this Hall to Universal Benevolence;
in the assurance that every brother will dedicate his affections and his
abilities to the same generous purpose; that while he displays a warm
and cordial affection to those who are of the Fraternity, he will extend
his benevolent regards and good wishes to the whole family of mankind.
Such, my brethren, is the significant meaning of the solemn rites we
have just performed, because such are the peculiar duties of every
Lodge. I need not enlarge upon them now, nor show how they diverge, as
rays from a center, to enlighten, to improve, and to cheer the whole
circle of life. Their import and their application is familiar to you
all. In their knowledge and their exercise may you fulfill the high
purposes of the Masonic Institution.
How many pleasing considerations, my brethren, attend the present
interview! While in almost every other association of men, political
animosities, contentions, and wars interrupt the progress of Humanity
and the cause of Benevolence, it is our distinguished privilege to dwell
together in peace, and engage in plans to perfect individual and social
happiness. While in many other nations our Order is viewed by
politicians with suspicion, and by the ignorant with apprehension, in
this country its members are too much respected, and its principles too
well known, to make it the object of jealousy or mistrust. Our private
assemblies are unmolested; and our public celebrations attract a more
general approbation of the Fraternity. Indeed, its importance, its
credit, and, we trust, its usefulness, are advancing to a height unknown
in any former age. The present occasion gives fresh evidence of the
increasing affection of its friends; and this noble apartment, fitted up
in a style of such elegance and convenience, does honor to Freemasonry,
as well as reflects the highest credit on the respectable Lodge for
whose accommodation and at whose expense it is erected.
We offer our best congratulations to the Worshipful Master, Wardens,
Officers, and Members of ...... Lodge. We commend their zeal, and hope
it will meet with the most ample recompense. May their Hall be the happy
resort of Piety, Virtue, and Benevolence! May it be protected from
accident, and long remain a monument of their attachment to Freemasonry!
May their Lodge continue to flourish; their union to strengthen; and
their happiness to abound!--And when they, and we all, shall be removed
from the labors of the earthly Lodge, may we be admitted to the
brotherhood of the perfect, in the building of God, the Hall not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens!
The Grand Lodge is again formed in procession, as at first, returns to
the room where it was opened, and is closed in ample form.