The
Relation of Masonry to the Bible
By
Reverend Dan W. Silver
Member
of Fairview Lodge #339 A.F.&A.M. Grand Lodge of North Carolina
When
M. L. Williams called and asked me and asked me to speak at this meeting he
asked me to speak on the subject of: The Relation of Masonry to the Bible.
Then at a later date (after I had started the work on the topic given to
me by Brother Williams) when I received your Trestle-Board, I found that I was
to speak on the subject of: The Relation of Masonry and Religion to the
Church. Now where do I go?
And where do I begin? On either subject, you can speak for hours on end, and I
am sure you do not want to be here that long.
However, if you will permit me I plan to touch on both subjects.My
life would not have been a complete life without the Holy Bible.
The Bible was a part of my life from the time I was born, until the
moment I stand before you. I was
born into a Christian home where the Bible and the Church was a real part of my
life. In early childhood, the Bible
or the Church did not mean a great deal to me.
At least, I did not think that they were meaning much to me.
When I became a teenager and found myself in the Navy, and many, many
miles from home, with my life in danger, I found that the Bible, the Church and
things I had looked on as small things became important.
It was in these days that the Holy Bible became the most important
thing in the world. I found in it
the real reason for living, the desire to live and the correct way to live.
My early introduction to the Bible began to pay off.
As time passed, I found myself with a home of my own and the Holy
Bible then was a real part of the home that God had granted me
to begin. It was in these early
years that I began working with men who wore a fraternity pin that I knew to be
the badge of a Mason. My wife had
been raised in a home that was supported by Masons so through both influences, I
found myself wanting to be a part of that Secret Order that I believe was doing
so much for those who needed their help. On
being introduced to the Grand Order of Masonry, almost 25 years ago, I found
that the Masons already knew about this wonderful book called the Bible.
In fact, I found out that Masonry would not be Masonry without the Holy
Bible. In the center of every
lodge, the Holy Bible is displayed and no lodge can carry out its work in
Masonry unless the Holy Bible is opened and used.
Now with this instruction, let me lead you to what I believe the Holy
Bible should mean to us as Free Masons in 1974.
Each
Mason is urged, "… to direct his steps through life by the Light he
shall find in the Bible". The
Masons' chief objective in life, therefore, should be to obtain as much of that
Light as is possible. The problem
lies in the fact that most of want to be a Mason, to wear the badge of a Mason,
to fellowship as a Mason, but we do not want to pay the price to study the Light
of Masonry. Then, another problem
is the fact that many of us do not know how to go about receiving more Light
from the Great Light of all Masons. So
the Problem seems to be, not do we have the Light, but do we use the Light.
The Bible is upon our Altar, I have come to know that we use it in our
Degree Work, in symbolic ways. But
to really learn and use the Light of Masons inside its covers, "Seek and
ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other
things shall be added unto you". These
words meant, for one thing, that in our search for Truth and Light, we must
first find Him "… in whom we put our
trust".
Here
it is 1974 and we live in a fast, hurry-up world.
Someone has described it as hurry, worry, bury.
Look for a moment at how we live. We
get up in the morning and run away through a group of people to the place we
work. We begin our day with the
usual "good morning", then we wait until the mid-morning break, then
it is a wait until our lunch hour, then the afternoon break and then back until
the mad rush home. Then, it is the
same way that it has been before; every night is the same as the night before.
Do you see what I'm saying? We
spend each day about as we spent the day before. It is still the same old
"2 by 6". We do not
really seek "more Light in Masonry".
In fact, we have the Light, but the light is not usually used.
The opportunities of being to our fellowmen, a light that burns because
of the Great Light, is not usually shown to those around us.
Let me get personal now. Do
those with whom you work and have business dealings know that you are a Mason
you wear a ring, or do they know you are a Mason because of candle you have
refused to hide under a bushel? The
candle of Masonry must burn because it has been lighted by The Great Light of
Masonry. Did your first burn and
then go out? Is it possible that it
would burn if you spent more time with the Great Light of Masonry?
To
me, I found that at one time in my life I was crying out for more Light in
Masonry. Some days passed, and
along with most of you found that seemed to end.
Was it because suddenly we thought we had found all the Light? Sometimes
the desire to reach a goal is really better than the goal itself.
That is to say, on the way to the goal, we learn, but when we get there,
we quit learning - we have arrived. So
in 1974, I believe we have forgotten that in the center of our lodge is the
Great Light of all Masons. Maybe
what we need is to ask ourselves some things about this Light.
What is "The Great Light of Masonry", and what does it
do? Someone has said,
"The Great Light of Masonry (the Bible) is beyond other lights as the river
is beyond a drop of water, as the sun is beyond a candle, as the mountain is
beyond the grain of sand. It is the
fountain in which Martyrs have cooled their faces, the pillow upon which the
Saints of all ages have rested their hearts; it breaks the fetters of the slave,
keeps Masons in due bounds of all mankind, takes the pain out of parting, takes
the sting out of death, takes the gloom out of the grave and gives us hope that
it is steadfast and sure". Folks,
that is a little look at the Great Light of All Masons, but it is a Great, Great
Light because -
I.
It abides forever - It never shall go out.
"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of our God
shall stand forever". A human
being writes a book, puts it on sale and it becomes the best seller.
A few thousand copies are sold, before long, this book is forgotten, and
another takes its place. The Bible
is inspired by God Himself and year after year, it makes the
bestseller list. It burns bright,
bright and brighter. It alone is
the abiding book. Every effort to
destroy the Big Book has failed. Every
effort to put out the light has only caused it to burn brighter and attract
others to its burning power. Voltaire
said "One hundred years from now the Bible and Christ will be
forgotten". But here is the
irony of it in this case; the very room in which he spoke these words is now
used as a Bible storehouse. Hitler,
in World War II said, "Destroy every Jew and as you finish with them kill
the Christians. If you get rid of
the Bible, the book they live by, then they are dead people anyway".
Isn't it strange that every effort the Light of Masonry has failed?
No, not at all! "Heaven
and Earth shall pass away but My Word shall abide forever".
II. This book is the Great Light in Masonry because - It is a revelation from God. What do we mean
by revelation? I believe revelation
is two things:
i.
A Light gives a revelation of what is in front of you on a dark night.
The things that you are approaching become a fact
or a reality.
ii.
A Light gives a revelation of what is behind you; turn the light around
and you can see the things that you have passed.
III.
But a revelation is more than that.
Here is a family in Florida. The
son grows up and goes to California, three thousand miles away.
Once a month his Mother writes him a letter.
She reveals the things that are going on at home and the thoughts of her
own heart. She tells of the
sickness in the family, the death of a neighbor, the birth of a new baby and the
wedding of friends. We call these
things human revelation. I believe
that God wanted to send a message to people.
So, God breathed on certain men and inspired them to write
the Bible. He revealed how the
world was made and His own great thoughts were put into the book.
The book tells of the life and death of the men of old.
It tells of mans sins and Gods love and how to be free from
those sins. It tells how to live
and how to treat men. It tells how
to be a Mason and how to stay in "due bounds of all mankind".
It tells about Heaven and Hell. This
is a Divine Light. This is a
"Lamp unto our feet". If
you want to know how to be a Mason - Go to the Bible, "Gods
Holy Word" and the Light of Masonry. It
is Gods word. You
will never go wrong.
IV.
This book is the Great Light in Masonry because - It has a hopeful
message for life after death. Here
is a great question: "Is there any life after death"?
Where is the answer? Only in
one place, the Bible. Why do we
find that answer only in the Bible? Because
God is the only one knows about the future life.
He wrote the book and gave us our only hopeful message about life after
death. What is the message?
"They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun
smite them". (Isaiah
49:10)
"I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live". (John
11:25)
The Big Book is simply telling us that if we believe in Him - then one
day we will have "a house not made with hands, but eternal in the
heavens".
V.
It
is the Great Light in Masonry because - It keeps its freshness.
You may go to the Bible and get blessing and power from it, but you
cannot exhaust it. The more you
believe it, the more power you receive. It
imparts energy, but never loses strength. The
Psalmist said, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin
against thee". (Psalm
119:11)
If
we have the Bible in our hearts, we have something fresh to use daily.
If the heart is full of His love, the devil cannot get in.
Eve let the devil get in and she began to doubt Gods word.
If we do not fill our hearts with Him and His truths, Satan will come in
and wreck our lives. A Mason was
traveling in an airplane and a person who had noticed his ring wanted to argue
about Masons and what they believed. (No
one can argue about Masonry unless he is a Mason.)
The Mason prayed, "Oh! God, I am no good at this; help
me out". The skeptic of
Masonry began to criticize the Lodge and the Mason remembered scripture that he
had heard in the Lodge, and began quoting that scripture.
Finally, the skeptic moved to another seat saying, "I can't do
anything with you". The Great
Light of all Masons had won the battle. If
you are a true Mason then the Bible is on your side.
You will always be victorious.
VI.
The Bible is the Great Light of Masons because - It changes men and
nations. "Blessed is the
Nation whose God is the Lord". (Psalm
33:12)
Our
Nation is what it is today because of the Bible.
I am just a little tired of hearing men and women cut our nation to
pieces. I still get a great feeling
when I see the flag. And yes, I
must say that I don't think much of those burn the flag or misuse it.
Our Nation is not what it should be, but brethren, I believe that it is
the best in the world. And, I
believe the reason it is the best is because of the Holy Bible that is
ours to read, ours to study and ours to live by.
Thanks be unto God for His Holy Word.
The Bible does change man. I
stand before you tonight a different person because of the Word of God.
Let me tell you a quick story:
Many
years ago, I met my wife. Somewhere
along the way, I kissed the girl. I
have not been the same since.
One
day I knelt at an Altar. I kissed
the pages of the Holy Bible. Folks,
I have not been the same since.
I
have changed!
References
The
Holy Bible
The
Holy Book Upon Our Altar -
Robert L. Pugh, Past Grand Master
The
Gospel According to Matthew
- G. Campbell Morgan
Tools
for Bible Study - Kelly
Miller
N.
C. Lodge Manual - Charles F.
Bahnson
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