American Old Time Song Lyrics: 07 Masonic Song
Theater, Music-Hall, Nostalgic, Irish & Historic Old Songs, Volume 7
MASONIC SONG.
Come, Sisters and Brothers, dear friends and all others,
Who wish the great secrets of Masons to know,
Though close your inspection and great the objection,
I mean the whole Art in fair detail to show.
Though some this Art harp at-yet look on our Carpet,
And hear me the mystical emblems explain:-
The first on its border will show this great Order,
And ne'er be deserving your censure again.
The Almighty Being, an Eye that's all-seeing,
Presents a fair emblem and first to the view:
And teaches directly to walk circumspectly
In all our vocations while life passing through.
The Sun brightly shining-the pale Moon declining,-
The Stars faintly twinkling, in silence obey
The great wondrous Power, who fills the dark hour,
Of night's deepest gloom with the fulness of day.
Then falling before him, the Saints all adore him,
And Angel, Arch-Angel and Cherubim bow;
Celestial their graces, while veiling their faces,-
Are emblems of Masons performing their vow.
Made fast to his Cable, which shows us unable,
Unbound, through life's tempest to manage our Ark;
While passion and rancor, without that sheet-anchor
Of Hope, in the breakers would shatter the bark.
The pilgrim next marches down through the nine Arches,
Whose light against light forms the Triangle blaze;
And on the blest pages, concealed for ages,
He looks, fil'd with wonder, delight and amaze.
The Jewels, all golden, are next here beholden.
The Plumb-Line and Level, the Compass and Square;
With lights shining brightly, all teaching uprightly,
To keep in due bounds and our duty declare.
The Rough-Stone and Gavel denote when we travel
Through life's toilsome road, in the hot burning ray,
With Hammers and Sledg"s of reason, the edges
Of hard, flinty passions are beaten away.
The Trowel, to cover our faults and smooth over
A lasting cement of true brotherly love;
Then nothing's more binding or more worth our minding,
An emblem of Chanty sent from above.
The Rule is to measure, for labor and pleasure,
Our time-and one-third gives to God and our friend;
One-third for refection, for sleep and reflection,
And one in hard labor it gives us to spend.
Keys show our endeavor to lock up forever
That Science the spiritual pen doth record
Upon our heart's table-and thereby be able
To offer sweet Incense from thence to the Lord.
Of great Architecture, five Orders our lecture;
A five-pointed Star and the great letter G.
With language emphatic does call emblematic,
Of all the great Orders in Geometry.
The mind this enlightens-our prospects it brightens,
Siuce Order is known to be heaven's first law,
On which we are founded and all our hopes grounded,
Designed in close friendship each warm heart to draw.
The insect so busy, the Bee-Hive, it is a
Fair emblem of industry-thence we may learn,
That, sooner or later, the great hive of nature
Will cast off the drone, who his bread will not earn.
No tent to o'ershade him, while troubles invade him
When weighed in the Balance of sorrow and woe;
The Sword it shall slay him, nor Justice enclay him,
In all whom he meets, shall like Cain find a foe.
To teach us our duty. Strength, Wisdom and Beauty,
Denote in these Pillars our Fabric shall stand
The great wreck of matter, when volcanoes totter
The mouutains to pieces, o'erwhelming the land.
The Steps slowly bending, the way for ascending
The chambers more high-and the floor of our Hall
That's chequer'd all over, shows each soaring rover
That ventures too far on our Pavements, must fall.
The swift-winged Glasses show how old Time passes
And mows down all ages with weapons so keen;
Presenting his Coffin, in which we move off in,
When Death drops the curtain and closes the scene.
But while the grave's yawning, the day-star adorning.
As shown by the Green Tree that spreads over the Tomb,
The Scape Ooat and Banner display in what manner
Our hope in a Saviour dispels all the gloom.
The numbers of 7, 3. 5, 8, 11,
Are emblems of God and His great Trinity;
Saint, Angel and Spirit, who Heaven inherit,
Ascend Jacob's ladder with rounds only three.
But hear the conclusion-it is no delusion-
The whole of our Secrets in this are combin'd;
Without more detention or number invention,
It is peace upon earth and good will to mankind.