The apron is taken from the coffin and handed to the Master; and while
the coffin is being lowered into the grave, either of the following
funeral dirges may be sung--the one used, to be selected and announced
before leaving the lodge-room:
Funeral Dirge.
Air--Pleyel's Hymn.
Solemn strikes the funeral chime,
Notes of our departing time,
As we journey here below
Through a pilgrimage of woe.
Mortals, now indulge a tear,
For Mortality is here;
See how wide her trophies wave,
O'er the slumber of the grave!
Here another guest we bring;
Seraphs of celestial wing,
To our funeral altar come,
Waft our friend and brother home.
Lord of all! below--above--
Fill our hearts with truth and love;
When dissolves our earthly tie,
Take us to Thy lodge on high.
Hark, From the Tombs.
Hark, from the tombs, a doleful sound,
Mine ears attend the cry:
"Ye living men; come view the ground
Where you must shortly lie.
"Princes, this clay must be your bed,
In spite of all your towers;
The tall, the wise, the reverend head
Must lie as low as ours."
Great God! Is this our certain doom?
And are we still secure?
Still walking downward to the tomb,
And yet prepared no more?
Grant us the power of quick'ning grace,
To fit our souls to fly;
Then, when we drop this dying flesh,
We'll rise above the sky.
At the conclusion of the singing, the Master, displaying the apron,
continues:
The Lambskin, or white leathern apron, is an emblem of innocence, and
the badge of a Mason; more honorable than the crown of royalty, or the
emblazoned insignia of princely orders, when worthily worn.
The Master drops the apron into the grave.
Our brother was worthy of its distinction, and it shall bear witness to
his virtues, and our confidence in the sincerity of his profession.
W. M.: (Taking off his white glove and holding it up.) This Glove is a
symbol of fidelity and is emblematic of that Masonic friendship which
bound us to him whose tenement of clay now lies before us. It reminds us
that while these mortal eyes shall see him not again, yet, by the
practice of the tenets of our noble order and a firm faith and steadfast
trust in the Supreme Architect, we hope to clasp once more his vanished
hand in friendship and in love. (Deposits glove.) Those whom virtue
unites, death can never separate.
The Master, displaying an evergreen sprig, continues:
The Evergreen is emblematic of our Faith in Immortality.
This green sprig is the symbol of that vital spark of our being which
continues to glow more divinely when the breath leaves the body, and can
never, never, never die.
The Master drops the evergreen in the grave, and the Brothers each make
a similar deposit, with as little confusion as possible.
If the place is convenient, they march around the grave in a line. When
all are again settled in their places, the public Grand Honors are given
by three times three.
The will of God is accomplished; so mote it be. Amen.
The Master then continues:
Change is the universal law of mortality, and the theme of every page of
its history. Here we view the most striking illustration of change that
can be presented to mortal eyes, minds and hearts. Ties of fraternity,
friendship, love, all broken, and earthly pursuits, hopes and affections
laid waste by death. Let us profit by this example of the uncertainty of
the world, and resolve to live honest, pure and worshipful lives in
daily preparation for the summons that will, sooner or later, surely
come. It came to our brother, whose remains we have here laid away to
rest eternal, and reminds us that we, too, are mortal--subject to the
universal law. Our brother is dead, and cannot speak for himself. Let us
defend his good name. Frailties he may have had, as what mortal man has
not? To err is human, charity is Divine, and judgment is with the
Almighty and All-Merciful. In this resting place of the body, virtues
only are remembered, and sweet memories bloom.
All must pass through the Shadow of Death, and each one must make the
dark journey without the companionship of earthly friend. Let us all
hasten to secure the passport of an upright life, to the glories of a
better land. Unto the grave we have resigned the body of our brother.
The Master scatters a handful of earth in the grave.
Earth to earth; dust to dust (the S. W. scatters dirt in the grave);
ashes to ashes (the J. W. scatters dirt in the grave); there to remain
until the dawn of that resplendent day, when again, the morning stars
shall sing together, and all the sons of God shall shout for joy.
Prayer by the Chaplain.
Chaplain: Almighty and eternal God, in whom we live and move, and have
our being--and before whom all men must appear, in the judgment day to
give an account of their deeds in life, we, who are daily exposed to the
flying shafts of death, and now surround the grave of our fallen
brother, most earnestly beseech Thee to impress deeply on our minds the
solemnities of this day, as well as the lamentable occurrence that has
occasioned them. Here may we be forcibly reminded that in the midst of
life we are in death, and that whatever elevation of character we may
have obtained, however upright and square the course we have pursued,
yet shortly we must all submit as victims of its destroying power, and
endure the humbling level of the tomb, until the last loud trump shall
sound the summons of our resurrection from mortality and corruption.
May we have Thy divine assistance, O merciful God, to redeem our
mis-spent time; and in the discharge of our important duties Thou has
assigned us, in the erection of our moral edifice, may we have wisdom
from on high to direct us, strength commensurate with our task to
support us, and the beauty of holiness to adorn and render all our
performances acceptable in Thy sight. And when our work is done, and our
bodies mingle with the mother earth, may our souls, disengaged from
their cumbrous dust, flourish and bloom in eternal day; and enjoy that
rest which Thou hast prepared for all good and faithful servants, in
that spiritual house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens,
through the great Redeemer. Amen.
So mote it be. Amen.
Fill grave.
W. M.: Soft and safe, my brother, be this thy earthly bed. Bright and
glorious be thy rising from it. In the glorious morning of the
resurrection may thy body spring again into newness of life, to live
forever in the home of the blest. Until then, dear brother, farewell.
Benediction.
Chaplain: The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face to shine
upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up the light of his
countenance and give us peace. Amen.