Sermon.

SERMON .

DELIVERED on tho occasion of the meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of South Wales ( Eastern Division ) , on Wednesday 4 th inst ., by the Rev . tho Vicar of Aberdaro . " The people conld not discern the noise of the shout of joy for the noise of the weeping . "—EZRA III ., 13 .

IT is always so in this old world . The weeping overcomes the joy . The day of happiness ia overshadowed by a thought of sorrow . The cries and lamentations over blessings forfeited by sin are moro prominent than grateful praise . The gloomy past damps and disfigures tho bright present and hopeful future . These old men of whom we read in this chapter as outdoing in their wailing the joyfnl

shout of the young had good cause for sorrow . They remembered , as we are told , the old temple , the greatest glory of their greatest prosperity , a wonder to the whole world , a monument of past history . They remembered a glorious building , where they had assembled for their daily devotions , full of treasures , replete with symbols of the Divine Presence , rich in all the appurtenances of their religion . Yet

thoy knew how the gold and silver sanctified to their God had been carried offby a foreign conqueror , God having fulfilled his terrible judgment of profaning his sanctuary . The golden candlestick of 7 branches , the oheinbims of the Mercy Seat , pillars inlaid with gold and silver , all had been lost in tho common ruin of the nation . Nothing could replace them to tho old men . The liberal grants of Cyrus , the

special effort of their nation , were as nothing compared to the past , when the preparations of mighty David were taken up and enhanced by Solomon , his mightier Son . The loss of these outward glories , this tangible wealth of the old Temple , doubtless weighed upon the minds of the old men , but there was more than this . It was not only in size and splendour that it fell short , for it was of the same

dimensions , and , though not as gorgeous , it was very rich and beautiful . What the old men missed now , was that which constituted the main glory of Solomon ' s Temple ,, apart from external splendour . There was now no Shekinab , or visible glory of Divine Presence on the Mercy Seat . There was now no altar of undying fire ; for that fire had been quenched . Doubtless the presence of the Almighty seemed

less real to them now . No Shekinah ; no holy fire ; no Urim and Thummim . Those very things by which God ' s presence had been shown most were gone . They had even now evidence of His being with them , but the special marks of His favour were missing . This second Temple was , indeed , to be more honoured by His presence , for when Christ in human form came into ifc the glory of tho

latter house did indeed far exceed the glory of the former , and the loss of prestige and its comparative poverty were more than compen . sated . But the old men saw only the bitter past , not the bright future . They thought of those days of captivity , when their harps hung idle on the willows of Babylon . Had they not hushed the Lord ' s song in a strange land , and wept in a foreign country afc the

remembrance of Jerusalem ? These old men did well to weep . There was also a shout of joy . The young , who had seen no better , were glad to see these goodly preparations—glad to be restored to their national worship , which was the very life of their land . They were all energy and hopefulness . They knew now that it was not for their destruction or embitterment that they had been out off from the

blessings of the true worship of the true God , but thafc it was a chastening , and that it was now over—the clouds of captivity were blown away , and the full sun of Divine favour was shining upon them . His restored people . Their first oare was to build an altar ; the school of sorrow had taught them to begin with God . The forced want of the blessings of religion had shown their value . So their joy

found its outlet , not only in shouting , but in building and worshipping . They were anxious to confirm and strengthen the blessings of their restoration in that ono way which could preserve them ; by bindin « them up in Divine worship , by glorifying His holy na » e in works begun , continued , and ended in Him . Weeping , then , and rejoiciug —there was cause for both—but the weeping prevailed . The cause

of the captivity over which those elders wept had been sin , sepa . ration from God ; God ' s favour forfeited by unholy kings and disobedient people . Strange gods—Baal and Ashtaroth—gods of the heathen , gods of their own making , had usurped the place of the one true God . Kings had done evil in the sight of God , despite the warnings of His prophets . Holy places had been defiled .

and the true worship dishonoured . Perhaps , too , these elders had been themselves good and faithful , and yefc unable to avere tho responsibility of the times they lived in , and thafc made their cup even more bitter . They had seen the forefathers of these young men as glad , as hopeful , as energetically devotional as they . Would ifc nofc soon die away ? Would there not be another destruction , another

captivity , despite present ardour and exultation ? Often too , old and experienced men , who look npon the world , as it were , from a standpoint outside , and see the ebb and flow of its cares and joys . Things do not present the same aspect as to those who are carried along in the rush of the times . Their eyes fixed on some near object , their ears filled with the turmoil around them . The neutral looker on may

see cause for weeping—some seem always to see ifc . The whole earth is a mere lazaretto to them , full of despair and hopeless misery . We cannot but think that it is presumption to take this view of God ' s bright creation . Doubtless God ' s creatures , created for good and blessed , do not fulfil the divine ends for which they were created . The discordant voice of sin mars the harmony of crration . The whole creation in ono sense groans and travails . Yet

these words are not spoken of the mind , which is itself its own tormentor , or of thafc distorted vision which makes all views of comfort hideous and unreal . " A merry heart , " says the wise man , " doeth good like a medicine , bnt a wounded spirit drieth the bones . " There is a duty of cheerfulness which is too often neglected ; there are impulses and motives of joy which are nofc to be stifled and smothered . Yefc there ia cause for weeping . and these old men had

Sermon.

a oanse . God was nofc so near them . What was the new building worth without his sanctifying presence ? To the young it was something to be allowed to return to God ' s worship , however shorn of its glory—they felt less the past . Let onr lesson to-day be this : The presence of God , however manifested , means , and alone means , happiness . We , weak and fallible as wo are , find oursolvss helped in religion and

in Masonry by the use of sign and symbol , and we cannot afford to despise these aids . It is true that God dwelleth nofc in Temples made by hands , yet He has , in one sense , His habitation and His house . There is a place where His honour abideth . As we associate the most sacred blessings of home , its love and endearments , with places and things , so too with the far more sacred

blessings of religion . Some places , some things , call moro vividly to the mind the presence of God . Let those who have never known such associations go their way and shout over each new attraction . But let us who feel the special significanca of certain places , forms and things , be jealous of their being disparaged ; and not let ourselves be carried away by something more new , moro exciting , perhaps more

attractive . Let ifc be something sad and sorrowful for na to see some great element of holinpss wanting in onr religion , or in onr Craffc . Let what we miss be what these old men missed , the assuring sign of God ' s presence . We shall do well to copy both the young men and the old—the old who wopt over tho deficiency of the worship , tho young who spent their energies in his service , labouring with gavel ,

and square , and compasses , and plumb-line , to build His temple . Ifc may be that now or sometime the weeping will prevail over the joy shout , but let the glory of God be the canse of either . Nofc selfish sorrow , not the pang caused by a taste not flattered , or a whim nofc gratified , but God first and last , God first to be worshipped , God first to be worked for , God first to be missed . —South Wales Daily Newa .

The Dublin Freeman's Journal , whose care for the wel . fare of mankind in general , and Freemasonry in particular , is well known , has the following : — " Royalty and Masonry are becoming great friends . The Whitehall Review tells us thafc on the 25 th of the present month the Grand Lodge of England will proceed to elect its officers for the new Masonic

year . The Prince of Wales will , of course , be re-elected Grand Master , and we have reason to believe thafc his Eoyal Highness will nominate , either personally or through the Earl of Carnarvon ( Pro Grand Master ) H . R . H . the Duke of Connaught as Senior Grand Warden and H . R . H . Prince Leopold aa Junior Grand Warden . Three of the Queen ' s sons , one of them being the future Ruler of the United

Kingdom , will be members of a secret society if this programme be carried out . We lament this abuse of privilege in the interests of morality and society . The Royal family can have no need for the sort of work which chiefly occupies Masonic intelligence , bnt the society is undoubtedly strengthened by the addition of such disciples . We know quite well thafc a Prince of the blood in England has perhaps less

power than any ordinary peer of the realm : but the Prince of Wales is a notable exception to this rule . In time be will be a factor of incomparable influence in the State ; and if he is to do his duty even-handedly to all his subjects , he had need to be free from trammels of which his subjects at large cannot know the grip . We have had too many cases in which Masonry had been employed for

something more and something less than fraternity , and in high places . The Christian religion includes all the laws which can make men brothers !; and if it be insufficient for this purpose , in view of certain mental developments , we hardly think the gap can be filled by the puissance of a secret oath , a bounteous guzzledom , a morality which maintains an inner society by feeding on society at largo , and a supply of millinery and gimcrackery worthy of the middle ages . "

The Morning Advertiser states : —The assertion thafc Herr . Yon-Daohroeden , the Master of tho Grand Lodge of Froemasons of Prussia ( Grosse Landesloge ) who is at Rome , has become a convert to Roman Catholicism is declared by his deputy in office , Herr Gaartz , on tho authority of a telegram received by him from Herr . Von . Dachroeden . to be an infamous falsehood .

The members of the Neville Dramatic School will give a performance in aid of the funds of the Newport Market Refuge and Industrial School , on Saturday morning , 28 th April . On which occasion will be performed the celebrated play , by J . Sheridan Knowles , of the " Hunchback .

Periodical Literature

PERIODICAL LITERATURE

All Books intended for Review should be addressed to the Editor of The Freemason ' s Chronicle , 67 Barbican , E . C . No . 14 of Picturesque Europe , is richer than usual in the quality of its engravings . Only two or three relate to English scenery , aud

these two or three suffice to complete the portion of the work devoted to Old English Homes . The rest of the number is descriptive of scenery on the West Coast of Ireland . Among the bast of the illustrations in this section of the work , are the engravings of " Rocks near Kilkee , " two views of the " Giants Causeway , "

" the Subterranean Passage of tho Mask , " " Carrigan Head , " " View from Moyne Abbey , " " ' One Man ' s Pass' Donegal , " and " Dunluce Castle . " The principal engraving is the work of R . Henshel Wood , from a picture by H . Fenn , of " Rock afc Eoss . " We may add thafc the Title and Index to volume are now ready , price sixpence , and also cloth cases for binding , price 5 s .