“By the influence of Mark
Master Degree, the work of every operative mason was distinctly
known. The perfect stones were received with acclamations; while
those that were deficient were rejected with disdain. The
arrangement proved a superior stimulus to exertion, which accounts
for the high finish which the temple subsequently acquired.”
Oliver's Historical Landmarks.
SYMBOLICAL DESIGN.
The degree of Mark Master, which
is the fourth in the masonic series, is, historically considered, of
the utmost importance, since we are informed that, by its influence,
each operative mason, at the building of King Solomon's temple, was
known and distinguished, and the disorder and confusion, which might
otherwise have attended so immense an undertaking, was completely
prevented, and not only the craftsmen themselves, but every part of
their workmanship was discriminated with the greatest nicety and the
utmost facility. If defects were found, the overseers, by the help
of this degree, were enabled, without difficulty, to ascertain who
was the faulty workman; so that all deficiencies might be remedied,
without injuring the credit or diminishing the reward of the
industrious and faithful among the craft. [Webb, Thomas.
Freemason's Monitor, edit. 1808. p. 84 et seq.]
Not less useful is it in its
symbolic signification. As illustrative of the Fellow Craft's degree,
it is particularly directed to the inculcation of order, regularity,
and discipline. It teaches us that we should discharge all the
duties of our several stations with precision and punctuality; that
the work of our hands and the thoughts of our hearts should be good
and true—not unfinished and imperfect—not sinful and
defective—but such as the Great Overseer and Judge of heaven
and earth will see fit to approve as a worthy oblation from his
creatures. If the Fellow Craft's degree is devoted to the
inculcation of learning, that of Mark Master is intended to instruct
us how that learning can most usefully and judiciously be employed
for our own honor and the profit of others. It holds forth to the
desponding the encouraging thought, that although our motives may
sometimes be misinterpreted by our erring fellow-mortals, our
attainments be underrated, and our reputations be traduced by the
envious and malicious, there is One, at least, who sees not with the
eyes of man, but may yet make that stone which the builders rejected
the head of the corner. The intimate connection, then, between the
second and fourth degrees of Masonry is this, that while one
inculcates the necessary exercise of all the duties of life, the
other teaches the importance of performing them with systematic
regularity. The true Mark Master is a type of that man, mentioned in
the sacred parable, who received from his Master this approving
language: “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joys of thy Lord.”
HISTORICAL SUMMARY.
We
learn, from the traditions of Freemasonry, that the order of Mark
Masters, at the temple of Solomon, was selected from the great body
of the Fellow Crafts.
According
to these traditions, there were two divisions of the Fellow Crafts.
The first, or higher class, worked in the quarries, in finishing the
stones, or, as we may say, in our lectures, “in hewing,
squaring, and numbering” them; and that each one might be
enabled to designate his own work, he was in possession of a mark
which he placed upon the stones prepared by him. Hence, this class
of Fellow Crafts were called Mark Masters, and received their pay
from the Senior Grand Warden, whom some suppose to have been
Adoniram, the brother-in-law of Hiram Abif, and the first of the
Provosts and Judges. These Fellow Crafts received their pay in
money, at the rate of a half shekel of silver per day, equal to about
twenty-five cents. They were paid weekly, at the sixth hour of the
sixth day of the week, that is to say, on Friday, at noon. And this
hour appears to have been chosen, because, as we are taught in the
third degree, at noon, or high twelve, the Craft were always called
from labor to refreshment, and hence the payment of their wages at
that hour would not interfere with, or retard the progress of, the
work. And Friday was selected as the day, because the following one
was the Sabbath, or day of rest, when all labor was suspended.
But the other and larger
division of the Fellow Crafts, being younger and more inexperienced
men, and with less skill and knowledge, were not advanced to the
grade of Mark Masters. These were not, therefore, in possession of a
mark. They proved their claim to reward by another token, and, after
that part of the edifice was completed, received their wages in the
middle chamber of the temple, being paid in corn, wine, and oil,
agreeably to the stipulation of King Solomon with Hiram of Tyre.
LODGE OF MARK MASTERS.
The
symbolic color of the Mark degree is purple. The apron is of white
lamb-skin, edged with purple, and the collar of purple, edged with
gold. But as Mark lodges are no longer independent bodies, but
always held under the warrant of a Royal Arch Chapter, the collars,
aprons and jewels of the Chapter are generally made use of in
conferring the Mark degree.
Lodges
of Mark Masters are “dedicated to Hiram, the Builder.” A
candidate receiving this degree is said to be “advanced to the
honorary degree of a Mark Master.”
CHARGE AT THE OPENING OF A LODGE OF MARK MASTERS.
Wherefore,
brethren, lay aside all malice, and guile, and hypocrisies, and
envies, and all evil speakings.
If
so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious, to whom coming as
unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and
precious; ye also as living stones, be ye built up a spiritual house,
an holy priesthood, to offer up sacrifices acceptable to God.
Wherefore,
also, it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion, for a
foundation, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure
foundation; he that believeth, shall not make haste to pass it over.
Unto you, therefore, which believe, it is an honor; and even to them
which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the
same is made the head of the corner.
Brethren,
this is the will of God, that with well-doing ye put to silence the
ignorance of foolish men. As free, and not using your liberty for a
cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honor all men;
love the brotherhood; fear God.
The
passages of Scripture here selected are peculiarly appropriate to
this degree. The repeated references to the “living stone,”
to the “tried stone,” the “precious cornerstone,”
and more especially to “the stone which the builders
disallowed,” are intended to impress the mind not only with the
essential ceremonies of the degree, but also with its most important
and significant symbol. The passages are taken, with slight but
necessary modifications, from the 2nd chapter of the First Epistle of
Peter and the 28th chapter of Isaiah.
LECTURE.
The
lecture on the fourth degree of Masonry is divided into two sections,
each of which is appropriately exemplified by a corresponding section
of the ritual of initiation.
FIRST SECTION.
The
first section exemplifies the regularity and good order that were
observed by the craftsmen at the building of the temple, illustrates
the method by which the idle and unworthy were detected and punished,
and displays the legend which recounts one of the principal events
which characterizes this degree.
The
attention of the neophyte is particularly directed, in the ceremonies
of this section, to the materials of which the temple was
constructed, the place whence they were obtained, and the method in
which they were inspected and approved, or rejected.
WORKMEN FROM THE QUARRIES.
The
materials of which the temple of King Solomon was principally
constructed consisted of the compact mountain limestone which is
almost the entire geological formation of Palestine, and which rises
above the surface in the rocky hillocks on which the city of
Jerusalem is built.
This
stone is very solid, of a nearly white color, and capable of
receiving a remarkable polish. [A writer in the “Boston
Traveller,” who visited the quarries beneath Jerusalem,
describes the stones as being “extremely soft and pliable,
nearly white, and very easily worked, but, like the stones of Malta
and Paris, hardening by exposure.”]
Ancient
quarries of this rock still abound in the Holy Land, and, although
long since disused, present the internal evidence of having been
employed for purposes of building. One of them, beneath the city of
Jerusalem, and undoubtedly the very quarry from which Solomon
obtained most of his material, has been but lately discovered. Mr.
Prime, who visited this quarry in 1856, speaks of it thus:
“That
the whole was a quarry was amply evident. The unfinished stone, the
marks of places whence many had been taken, the galleries, in the
ends of which were marked out the blocks to be cut, and the vast
masses cut, but never removed, all showed sufficiently the effect of
the cutting. But date or inscription we looked in vain for, and
conjecture is left free here. I wandered hour after hour through the
vast halls, seeking some evidence of their origin.
One thing to me is very
manifest. There has been solid stone taken from this excavation
sufficient to build the walls of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon.
The size of many of the stones taken from here appears to be very
great. I know of no place to which the stone can have been carried
but to these works, and I know of no other quarries in the
neighborhood from which the great stone of the walls would seem to
have come. These two connected ideas impelled me strongly towards
the belief that this was the ancient quarry whence the city was
built, and when the magnitude of the excavation between the two
opposing hills and of this cavern is considered, it is, to say the
least of it, a difficult question to answer, what has become of the
stone once here, on any other theory than that I have suggested.”
[Prime, William. Tent Life in the Holy Land. p. 113.]
This
quarry has received, in modern days, the name of the “Cave of
Jeremiah.” It is situated on the Hill of Acra, west of the
temple.
Another
modern traveler says: “I have roamed abroad over the
surrounding hills, even to Mizpeh, where Samuel testified, and into
the long, deep limestone quarries beneath Jerusalem itself, whence
Solomon obtained those splendid slabs, the origin of which has been
so long unknown. It is but four years since the existence of this
immense subterranean cavern was known to travelers. I have
penetrated it for near half a mile, and seen there many large stones
already cut, which were prepared for work, but were never removed.
This new discovery is one of the greatest wonders of Jerusalem. It
seems to extend under the temple itself, and the stones were all
finished and dressed there, and then raised up at the very spot for
their appropriation.” [Christian Witness, Sept. 11, 1857.]
It
is evident, therefore, that the quarries whence the Mark Masters
obtained their materials were situated in the immediate vicinity of
the temple.
Stones of a finer quality were
also obtained from the mountains of Lebanon, and were prepared by the
workmen of Hiram, King of Tyre.
GOOD WORK — TRUE WORK — SQUARE WORK.
The
work of all the materials brought up for the building of the
temple was required to be good, true, and square, and such only,
our traditions inform us, were the overseers authorized to receive.
Good
work—made of the best materials, not defective, but
accurately and neatly finished, and thus fit and suitable, by its
workmanlike appearance, for a place in the magnificent building for
which it was intended.
True
work—right to precision in all its dimensions and surfaces,
neither too long nor too short, too thick nor too thin, but level on
its top and bottom, and perpendicular on its sides, so as to be
exactly conformable to the copy or pattern which had been inscribed
by the master builder on his trestle-board.
Square
work—that the joints of the stones might be accurately
adapted, and each part fitted with such exact nicety that the whole,
when completed, might seem to be “rather the workmanship of the
Supreme Architect than of mere human hands.”
And
all this is in conformity not only with the traditions of Masonry,
but with the teachings of the Scriptures, which inform us that “the
house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before
it was brought thither; so that there was neither hammer nor axe, nor
any tool of iron, heard in the house while it was in building.”
[1 Kings 6:7. The writer in the “Boston Traveller,”
quoted, says, when speaking of the quarry beneath Jerusalem, “the
heaps of chippings which lie about show that the stone was dressed on
the spot, which accords with the account of the building of the
temple.”]
THE REGULAR MARK OF THE CRAFT.
Oliver says that, at the
building of the temple, certain men were employed to mark the
materials as they came out of the hands of the workmen, that no false
mark might be placed upon an imperfect stone, and to enable them to
be put together with greater facility and precision, when conveyed
from the quarries to the holy mountain of Moriah. This is not
exactly the tradition. Each workman placed his own mark upon his own
materials, so that the workmanship of every mason might be readily
distinguished, and praise or blame be justly awarded. These marks,
according to the lectures, consisted of mathematical figures,
squares, angles, lines, and perpendiculars, and hence any figure of a
different kind would not be deemed “the regular mark of the
craft.” A similar custom was practised by the masons of the
middle ages, and many of the stones, both inside and outside of the
cathedrals and other buildings of that period were thus marked. Mr.
Godwin, in a communication to the Society of Antiquaries, says, that
“in his opinion, these marks, if collected and compared, might
assist in connecting the various bands of operatives, who, under the
protection of the Church—mystically united—spread
themselves over Europe during the middle ages, and are known as
Freemasons.”
THE SIXTH HOUR OF THE SIXTH DAY OF THE WEEK.
The
Jews divided the day into twelve hours, commencing at sun-rise and
ending at sun-set. The hours, therefore, varied in length with the
variations of the seasons. Mid-day was, however, always the sixth
hour, and sun-set the twelfth. At the equinoxes, for
instance, when the sun rose at six o'clock, the hours of the day were
apportioned as follows: Seven o'clock was the first hour; eight, the
second; nine, the third; ten, the fourth; eleven, the fifth; and
twelve, the sixth. The sixth hour, or “high twelve,” was
appropriately selected as the time of paying the craft their wages,
because, being then called from labor to refreshment, the progress of
the work was not impeded by the interruption of paying the workmen,
which would have been the case at any other time.
The week commencing on Sunday,
and ending on Saturday, or the Sabbath, the sixth day was accordingly
Friday, and hence 12 o'clock, noon, on Friday, is the time designated
by “the sixth hour of the sixth day of the week.” The
labors of the week were then concluded, and the rest of the time, to
sunset or the twelfth hour, was probably occupied in paying off the
workmen.
An
important lesson is here allegorically taught, which may be
communicated in the sublime language of Brother Albert Pike:
“Be
careful, my brother, that thou receive no wages, here or elsewhere,
that are not thy due. For if thou dost, thou wrongest some one, by
taking that which in God's chancery belongs to Him;—and whether
that which thou takest thus, be wealth, or rank, or influence, or
reputation.”
SECOND SECTION.
In
this section the Mark Master is instructed in the origin and history
of the degree. By a symbolical lesson, of impressive character, he
is taught the duty of aiding a distressed brother. A variety of
interesting circumstances connected with the building of King
Solomon's temple are detailed, and the marks of distinction which
were in use among our ancient brethren are explained.
The Symbolic allusion of the
Indenting Chisel and the Mallet is one of the first
things to which the attention of the candidate is directed.
The
Chisel and Mallet are used by operative masons to hew, cut, carve,
and indent their work; but, as Mark Masters, we are taught to
employ them for a more noble and glorious purpose; they teach us to
hew, cut, carve, and indent the principles of morality and virtue on
our minds.
The
following passages of Scripture are here appropriately introduced.
“The stone which the
builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.” —
Psalms 118:22.
“Did ye never read in the
Scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected is become the head
of the corner?” — Matthew 21:42.
“And have you not read
this Scripture, the stone which the builders rejected is become the
head of the corner?” — Mark 12:10.
“What is this then, that
is written, the stone which the builders rejected is become the head
of the corner?” — Luke 20:17.
THE MARK.
The
Mark, whose peculiar use should be here practically exemplified, is
the appropriate jewel of a Mark Master. It is made of gold or
silver, usually of the former metal, and must be in the form of a
keystone. On the obverse or front surface the device or “mark”
selected by the owner must be engraved, within a circle composed of
the following letters: H. T. W. S. S. T. K. S. On the reverse or
posterior surface, the name of the owner, the name of his chapter,
and the date of his advancement, may be inscribed, although this is
not absolutely necessary. The “mark” consists of the
device and surrounding inscription on the obverse.
It
is not requisite that the device or mark should be of a strictly
masonic character, although masonic emblems are frequently selected
in preference to other subjects. As soon as adopted it should be
drawn or described in a book kept by the chapter for that purpose,
and it is then said to be “recorded in the Book of Marks,”
after which time it can never be changed by the possessor for any
other, or altered in the slightest degree, but remains as his “mark”
to the day of his death.
This
mark is not a mere ornamental appendage of the degree, but is a
sacred token of the rites of friendship and brotherly love, and its
presentation at any time by the owner to another Mark Master, would
claim, from the latter, certain acts of friendship, which are of
solemn obligation among the fraternity. A mark thus presented, for
the purpose of obtaining a favor, is said to be pledged; though
remaining in the possession of the owner, it ceases, for any actual
purposes of advantage, to be his property; nor can it be again used
by him, until, either by the return of the favor, or the consent of
the benefactor, it has been redeemed; for it is a positive law of the
order, that no Mark Master shall “pledge his mark a second time
until he has redeemed it from its previous pledge.” By this
wise provision, the unworthy are prevented from making an improper
use of this valuable token, or from levying contributions on their
hospitable brethren.
The
use of a similar token was of great antiquity among the Greeks and
Romans. With the former people, when a host had entertained a
stranger, who was about to depart, he broke a die in two, one half of
which he himself retained, while the other half was presented to the
guest, so that if, at any future period, they, or any of their
descendants, should meet again, a means of recognition was
established, and the hospitable connection was renewed, or its favors
returned. Among the Romans a similar custom prevailed, and the mark
or die was called tessera hospitalis, or “the hospitable
token.” It descended from father to son, and the claim of
friendly assistance that it had established could only be abolished
by a formal renunciation, and the breaking of the tessera to pieces.
[See an interesting Masonic tale, entitled “The Broken
Tessera,” in Morris, Robert. Lights and Shadows of
Freemasonry. pp. 239-242.]
The
primitive Christians used a similar token, on which the initials of
the Greek words for Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were inscribed. It
served in the place of a certificate of Christian membership, and,
being carried by them from town to town, secured the assistance and
protection of their brethren.
THE JEWISH SHEKEL.
The
value of a mark is said to be “a Jewish half shekel of silver,
or twenty-five cents in the currency of this country.” The
shekel of silver was a weight of great antiquity among the Jews, its
value being about a half dollar. It is more than probable that there
was a coin of fixed value in the days of Solomon, but the earliest
specimens which have reached the present times, and are to be found
in the cabinets of collectors, are of the coinage of Simon Maccabeus,
issued about the year 144 B. C. Of these, we generally find, on the
obverse, the sacred pot of manna, with the inscription, “Shekel
Israel,” in the old Samaritan character; on the reverse, the
rod of Aaron, having three buds, with the inscription, “Ierushalem
Kadoshah,” or Jerusalem the Holy, in a similar character.
We
learn from the Book of Exodus that every Israelite above twenty years
of age was compelled to pay an annual poll-tax of half a shekel, as a
contribution to the sanctuary, which was hence called “the
offering of the Lord.” The consecration of the Jewish half
shekel of silver to so holy a purpose as the support of the sanctuary
and the temple, is undoubtedly the reason why it has been adopted in
Masonry as the value of the Mark.
JOPPA.
Certain
passages of Scripture are here referred to as explanatory of the
subsequent investiture with important secrets of the degree.
“And we will cut wood out
of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need; and we will bring it to thee
in floats by sea, to Joppa, and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.”
— 2 Chronicles 2:16.
A
circumstance of great interest in the account of Joppa, so far as
relates to this degree, is its difficulty as a port of entrance.
Josephus, in describing it, says: “Joppa is not naturally a
haven, for it ends in a rough shore, where all the rest of it is
strait, but the two ends bend towards each other, where there are
deep precipices and great stones, that jet out into the sea, and
where the chains wherewith Andromeda was bound have left their
impressions, which attest the antiquity of that fable. But the north
wind opposes and beats upon the shore, and dashes mighty waves
against the rocks which receive them, and renders the haven very
dangerous.” [Josephus, Flavius. The Wars of the Jews.
b. III, ch. IX, sec. 3, pp. 537-538.]
Dr.
Kitto says: “The fact is, the port is so dangerous, from
exposure to the open sea, that the surf often rolls in with the
utmost violence, and even so lately as 1842, a lieutenant and some
sailors were lost in pulling to the shore from the English steamer
that lay in the harbor.” [Kitto, John. Scripture Lands, p. 179.]
The same author, in describing
the situation of the town, says: “It chiefly faces the north,
and the buildings appear, from the steepness of the site, as if
standing upon one another.” And again: “From the
steepness of the site, many of the streets are connected by flights
of steps, and the one that runs along the sea-wall is the most clean
and regular of the whole.”
The
Baron Geramb, a Trappist Monk, who visited the Holy Land in 1842,
gives the following incident in connection with this subject:
“Yesterday
morning, at day-break, boats pulled off and surrounded the vessel to
take us to the town (of Joppa), the access to which is difficult, on
account of the numerous rocks that present to view their bare flanks.
The walls were covered with spectators, attracted by curiosity.
The boats being much lower than the bridge, upon which one is obliged
to climb, and, having no ladder, the landing is not effected without
danger. More than once it has happened that passengers, in springing
out, have broken their limbs, and we might have met with the like
accident, if several persons had not hastened to our assistance.”
[de Geramb, Marie-Joseph. A Pilgrimage to Palestine, vol. I. p. 47.]
There
can, therefore, be no doubt of the steepness of the shore at Joppa,
and of the difficulty and danger to which the workmen, who navigated
the floats from Tyre must have been exposed in landing; and the
authorities that we have quoted, wonderfully confirm the probability
of the tradition on the subject contained in the Mark Master's
degree.
“Then he brought me back
the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary, which looketh toward
the east; and it was shut. And the Lord said unto me, Son of man,
mark well, and behold with thine eyes and hear with thine ears, all
that I say unto thee, concerning all the ordinances of the house of
the Lord, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of
the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.” —
Ezekiel 44:1, 5.
THE WORKING TOOLS.
The
Chisel and Mallet are the working tools of a Mark Master, and are
thus symbolically explained:
The
CHISEL morally demonstrates the advantages of discipline and
education. The mind, like the diamond in its original state, is rude
and unpolished; but as the effect of the chisel on the external coat
soon presents to view the latent beauties of the diamond, so
education discovers the latent virtues of the mind, and draws them
forth to range the large field of matter and space, to display the
summit of human knowledge, our duty to God and to man.
The
MALLET morally teaches us to correct irregularities, and to reduce
man to a proper level; so that, by quiet deportment he may, in the
school of discipline, learn to be content. What the mallet is to the
workman, enlightened reason is to the passions: it curbs ambition,
it depresses envy, it moderates anger, and it encourages good
dispositions; whence arises among, good masons that comely order,
“Which nothing earthly
gives, or can destroy, The soul's
calm sunshine, and the heartfelt joy.”
THE KEYSTONE.
The
following passages of Scripture are here appropriately introduced:
“This is the stone which
was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head stone of
the corner.” — Acts 4:11.
“To him that overcometh,
will I give to eat of the hidden manna; and I will give him a white
stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth,
saving he that receiveth it.” — Revelations 2:17.
“He that hath an ear to
hear, let him hear.” — Revelations 3:13.
SYMBOLISM OF THE KEYSTONE.
The
Keystone, in this degree, is evidently an allusion to the tessera
hospitales, or hospitable tokens, among the ancients, which have
already been spoken of, and which are thus described by Dr. Adam
Clarke:
“A
small oblong square piece of wood, bone, stone, or ivory, was taken,
and divided into two equal parts, on which each of the parties wrote
his own name, and then interchanged it with the other. This was
carefully preserved, and handed down, even to posterity, in the same
family; and by producing this when they traveled, it gave a mutual
claim to the bearers of kind reception and hospitable entertainment
at each other's houses.” [Clarke, Adam. New Testament with
Commentary and Critical Notes, vol. II. p. 930.]
In
the passage from the second chapter of Revelations, which is read
during the presentation of the Keystone, it is most probable that by
the “white stone” and the “new name,” St.
John referred to these tokens of alliance and friendship. With these
views, the symbolic allusion of the Keystone in the Mark degree is
very apparent. It is intended to denote the firm and friendly
alliance which exists between Mark Masters, and to indicate that by
the possession of this token, and the new name inscribed upon it, and
which is known only to those who have received it in the progress of
their initiation, a covenant has been instituted that, in all future
time, and under every circumstance of danger or distress, will secure
the kind and friendly assistance of those who are the possessors of
the same token. The Mark Master is thus, by the reception of this
mystic sign, adopted into the fraternity of all other Mark Masons,
and entitled to all the rights and privileges which belong
exclusively to the partakers in the meaning of the same significant
stone. The Keystone of a Mark Master is, therefore, the symbol of a
fraternal covenant among those who are engaged in the common search
after Divine Truth.
THE WAGES OF THE CRAFT.
The
traditions of Masonry respecting the wages of the workmen at the
temple, instruct us that there were two divisions of the Fellow
Crafts. The first, or higher class, were employed in the quarries,
in hewing, squaring and numbering the stones, and thus preparing them
for the builders' use; and that each one might be enabled to
designate his own work, and to determine the amount of compensation
which was due him, he was in possession of a mark, which he placed
upon all the materials prepared by him. Hence this class of Fellow
Crafts were called Mark Masters, and received their pay from the
Senior Grand Warden, whom some suppose to have been Adoniram, the
brother-in-law of Hiram Abif, and the first of the Provosts and
Judges. They received their pay in money, at the rate of a half
shekel of silver, equal to about twenty-five cents. They were paid
weekly, at the sixth hour of the sixth day of the week—that is
to say, on Friday, at noon.
The
second, and probably larger class of the Fellow Crafts were younger
and less experienced men, whose skill and knowledge were not such as
to entitle them to advancement to the grade of Mark Master. These
workmen were not, therefore, in possession of a mark, and proved
their right to reward by another token. They received their wages in
the middle chamber, and were paid in corn, wine, and oil, agreeably
to the stipulation of King Solomon with Hiram, King of Tyre.
The
promotion of a certain number of the Fellow Crafts to a higher
degree, which was to be considered as an honorarium, or reward
bestowed upon them for their superior skill and knowledge in their
profession, has occasioned this degree to receive the technical title
of “the honorary degree of a Mark Master,” a term which
Webb has in one place carelessly corrupted in to “honorable.”
THE PARABLE.
The
following passage from the Book of the Law is read:
“For the kingdom of heaven
is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in
the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had
agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his
vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others
standing idle in the market place, and said unto them, Go ye also
into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, I will give you. And
they went their way. And again he went out about the sixth and ninth
hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour, he went out and
found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here
all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us.
He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard and whatsoever is
right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the
vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them
their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they
came, that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every
man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should
have received more, and they likewise received every man a penny.
And when they received it, they murmured against the good man of the
house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast
made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the
day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no
wrong; didst thou not agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is,
and go thy way; I will give unto this last even as unto thee. Is it
not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Is thine eye evil,
because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last:
for many be called, but few chosen.” — Matthew
20:1-16.
THE SYMBOLISM OF THE PARABLE.
There
is no passage of Scripture recited in any portion of our ritual which
is more appropriate to the ceremonies into which it is introduced,
than is this sublime parable of our Lord to the whole extent and
design of the Mark Master's Degree. We learn from it that the Grand
Architect of the Universe will make no distinction of persons in the
distribution of His beneficence, but will give alike to each who
sincerely seeks to obey the great law of His creation. Masonry
regards no man on account of his worldly wealth or honors. It is the
internal, and not the external qualifications that recommend a man to
be a mason. No matter what may be the distinctions of place or
office, the humblest shall receive as full a reward as the highest,
if he has labored faithfully and effectually in the task set before
him. And this arises from the very nature of the institution.
The lodge is the mason's
vineyard; his labor is study, and his wages are truth. The
youngest brother may, therefore, labor more earnestly than the
oldest, and thus receive more light in Masonry as the reward of his
earnest work. There was a young craftsman who had been idle all the
week, doing no work whatsoever—the symbol of the profane, who
has not yet been initiated into Masonry; yet, on the last day, at the
eleventh hour, he found in the quarries and brought into the temple
that stone which became the head of the corner. Thus did he more
service to the house of the Lord than all those who had labored from
the rising even to the setting of the sun, and yet who could offer no
more at the end of each day's work than the ordinary result of an
ordinary man's labor.
The
vineyard of Masonry is open to all. But he who works most
diligently, though he began the latest, shall not be below him who,
commencing earlier, has not put his whole heart into the task.
The
design of all Masonry is the search after TRUTH, and every one who
seeks to discover it, shall receive his reward in the attainment.
However we may have endured the heat and burden of the day, if we
have not labored wisely, with the true end in view—if our zeal
has not been tempered with judgment—though first at the
vineyard, we shall be last at the reward; for truth is to be found
only by him who looks for it earnestly, and whose search is directed
by wisdom, and supported by faithful courage and unfaltering zeal.
It is not the time that you have been a mason, but the way in which
that time has been employed, that will secure the prize of
intellectual light. He who, like the youthful craftsman in the
quarries, has made one discovery in masonic science, is of more
benefit as a member to the fraternity than he who, after long years,
has learned nothing more than his ritual, just as the keystone was of
infinitely more value than many ordinary blocks of stone.
So, then, let us all labor in
the vineyard and the quarry—in the lodge and in the study—so
that, being called as initiates to seek masonic truth, we also
may be chosen to find it.
CHARGE TO THE NEW MARK MASTER.
Brother: I congratulate you on
having been thought worthy of being advanced to this honorary degree
of Masonry. Permit me to impress it on your mind, that your
assiduity should ever be commensurate with your duties, which become
more and more extensive, as you advance in Masonry. In the honorable
character of Mark Master Mason, it is more particularly your duty to
endeavor to let your conduct in the lodge and among your brethren be
such as may stand the test of the Great Overseer's square; that you
may not, like the unfinished and imperfect work of the negligent and
unfaithful of former times, be rejected and thrown aside, as unfit
for that spiritual building—that house not made with
hands—eternal in the heavens.
While
such is your conduct, should misfortunes assail you, should friends
forsake you, should envy traduce your good name, and malice persecute
you, yet may you have confidence, that among Mark Master Masons you
will find friends who will administer relief to your distresses and
comfort to your afflictions, ever bearing in mind, as a consolation
under all the frowns of fortune, and as an encouragement to hope for
better prospects, that the stone which the builders rejected,
possessing merits to them unknown, became the chief stone of the
corner.
PRAYER AT THE CLOSING OF A LODGE OF MARK MASTERS.
Supreme Grand Architect of the
Universe, who sitteth on the throne of mercy, deign to view our
labors in the cause of virtue and humanity with the eye of
compassion; purify our hearts, and cause; us to know and serve thee
aright. Guide us in the paths of rectitude and honor; correct our
errors by the unerring square of thy wisdom, and enable us so to
practice the precepts of Masonry, that all our actions may be
acceptable in thy sight. So mote it be. Amen.