was referred to God the Father instead of God the Son; forgetting, as Bishop Horsley observes, that "Christ, the Deliverer, whose coming was announced by the prophet Malachi, was no other than the JEHOVAH of the Old Testament. Jehovah by his angels delivered the Israelites from their Egyptian bondage; and the same Jehovah came in person to his Temple, to effect the greater and more general deliverance, of which the former was an imperfect type." The above changes were made under the idea that masonry, being cosmopolite, ought not to entertain any peculiar religious tenets, lest, instead of being based on the broad foundation of universality, it should dwindle into sectarianism. But, without reminding you, that so far from being a religious sect, Christianity, if we are to believe the Jewish or Christian Scriptures, is an universal religion, which is destined to spread over the whole earth, and to embrace every created people in one fold under one shepherd-the substitution of Moses and Solomon for the two Saint Johns, is in fact producing and perpetuating the very evil which the alteration was professedly introduced to avoid-it is identifying the Order with a peculiar religion, which, though true at its original promulgation, was superseded by its divine author when the Sceptre had departed from Judah. At this period the religious atmosphere was enlightened by THE BIRTH OF LIGHT, in the appearance of Shilohthe Day Star from on high-a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of the people of Israel; who introduced a new Covenant, of which the religion of the Jews was a type or symbol; except that as the Mosaic dispensation was temporary, that of Christ was general, for all nations, and everlasting, for all ages. We live in strange, eventful times. Were our forefathers to rise from their graves, they would hold up their hands in astonishment, and pronounce it to be a different world from that which they had left behind them half a century ago. The work of locomotion, for which they were indebted to the power of living animals, is now effected by means of steam produced from a mineral dug out of the bowels of the earth; and even our artificial light, for which, at that period, a dead animal contributed various portions of its body, is also the result of a different combination of the same material. The science of Chymistry has been the parent of both. And by the aid of another science, Electricity, we are enabled to hold familiar converse with friends at incredible distances, without any fear of interruption or disappointment by the miscarriage of letters, or the unfaithfulness or death of messengers. A taste for the fine arts is propagated throughout the whole population by Schools of Design; and a knowledge of general literature is diffused by means of itinerant lecturers, whose disquisitions are calculated to improve the reasoning faculty, and elevate the mind of man to its proper station, as a rational being created for immortality. Amidst all this mass of moral and physical good, it behoves us, Free and Accepted Masons, to consider whether the Order we profess and admire is in a progressive state commensurate with the gigantic strides by which other sciences are advancing. The strife is antagonistic; and if we mean to gain the prize-if we have any ambition to win the applause of our contemporaries here, or to share in the rewards of successful diligence hereafter, we must forget those things that are behind, and reaching forth towards those things which are before, we must press forward towards the mark. The Landmarks of masonry are necessarily stationary; for by a fundamental law of the Craft, they cannot be altered. To the Lectures, therefore, we must look for. an evidence of the progressive improvement of the Order. And, accordingly, between the years 1717 and 1817, we have had six different arrangements of the Lectures, each being an improvement on its predecessor. But from 1814 to 1849, during which period such vast and momentous discoveries in science have been accomplished, our means of social improvement pursue the same unvaried round; and I am not cognizant that the Lectures have received a single alteration under the sanction of the Grand Lodge. If this apathy should unfortunately be of much longer duration, Freemasonry will soon be behind the times; and I am afraid its claim to a very remote origin will scarcely save it from neglect. A consummation which every true lover of the Order will most cordially deprecate. The doctrines contained in the ordinary disquisitions of our lodges, I have endeavoured to embody in the fol lowing Lecture, which I trust you will accept as an offering of fraternal friendship and gratitude for kindnesses received; and by so doing you will confer an additional obligation on, Dear Brethren, Your faithful and obedient Servant, SCOPWICK VICARAGE, September 1, 1849. GEO. OLIVER, D.D., Honorary Member of the Lodge. Lecture the Fourth. An examination of the Doctrines contained in the Lodge Lectures. "When to the Lodge we go, that happy place, "Rewarde the just, be steadfast, true, and plaine, KING JAMES I. THE Lectures of Masonry contain an extensive reference to a system of moral duties, applicable to every station of life, and to all situations in which a Mason can possibly be placed, although the explanations are not so ample and diffusive as might be wished. They apply in general to the duties which we owe to God, our neighbour, and ourselves; including brief dissertations on the theological and cardinal virtues; on Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth; and a variety of other subjects connected with Bible history; for above all other means of promoting the interests of morality amongst the Brotherhood, it is felt that the influence of religion is the most efficient and certain; and hence the system is based on the knowledge and acknowledgment of a God who is |