is opened with the employment of certain ceremonies in which, that attention may be given to their symbolic as well as practical import, every member present is expected to take a part.
These ceremonies, which slightly differ in each of the degrees—but differ so slightly as not to affect their general character—may be considered in reference to the several purposes which they are designed to affect, to be divided into eight successive steps or parts.
1. The Master having signified his intention to proceed to the labors of the Lodge, every brother is expected to assume his necessary Masonic clothing, and, if an officer, the insignia of his office, and silently and decorously to repair to his appropriate station.
2. The next step in the ceremony is, with the usual precautions, to ascertain the right of each one to be present. It is scarcely necessary to say that in the performance of this duty, the officers who are charged with it should allow no one to remain who is not either well known to themselves or properly vouched for by some discreet and experienced brother.
3. Attention is next directed to the external avenues of the Lodge, and the officers within and without, who are intrusted with the performance of this important duty, are expected to execute it with care and fidelity.
4. By a wise provision, it is no sooner intimated to the Master that he may safely proceed, than he directs his attention to an inquiry into the knowledge possessed by his officers of the duties that they will be respectively called upon to perform.
5. Satisfied upon this point, the Master then announces, by formal proclamation, his intention to proceed to business; and mindful of the peaceful character of our Institution, he strictly forbids all immoral or unmasonic conduct whereby the harmony of the Lodge may be impeded, under no less a penalty than the by-laws may impose or a majority of the brethren present may see fit to inflict. Nor after this is any brother permitted to leave the Lodge during Lodge hours (that is, from the time of opening to that of closing), without having first obtained the Worshipful Master's permission.
6. Certain mystic rites, which can here be only alluded to, are then employed, by which each brother present signifies his concurrence in the ceremonies which have been celebrated, and his knowledge of the degree in which the Lodge is about to be opened.
7. It is a lesson which every Mason is taught at one of the earliest points of his initiation, that he should commence no important undertaking without first invoking the blessing of Deity. Hence the next step in the progress of the opening ceremonies is to address a prayer to the Supreme Architect of the Universe. This prayer, although offered by the Master, is to be participated in by every brother, and at its conclusion the audible response of "So mote it be: Amen," should be made by all present.
8. The Lodge is then declared, in the name of God and the Holy Saints John, to be opened in due form, on the first, second, or third degree of Masonry, as the case may be.
A Lodge is said to be opened in the name of God and the Holy Saints John, as a declaration of the sacred and religious purposes of our meeting, of our profound reverence for that Divine Being whose name and attributes should be the constant themes of our contemplation, and of our respect for those ancient patrons whom the traditions of Masonry have so intimately connected with the history of the Institution.
It is said to be opened in due form, to intimate that all that in necessary, appropriate, and usual in the ceremonies, all that the law requires or ancient usage renders indispensable, have been observed.
And it is said to be opened on, and not in, a certain degree (which latter expression is often incorrectly used), in reference rather to the speculative than to the legal character of the meeting; to indicate, not that the members are to be circumscribed in the limits of a particular degree, but that they are met together to unite in contemplation on the symbolic teachings and divine lessons, to inculcate which is the peculiar object of that degree.
The ceremony of closing varies but very slightly from that of opening. Of course the first and second steps which have already been enumerated as proper to be observed when the brethren first assemble together, are to be dispensed with when they are about to part, as being under those circumstances entirely unnecessary, and the proclamations and prayers which refer to opening must be varied when they are to be applied to the closing. But in all other respects the ceremonies are the same.
Note.—The usage in many jurisdictions permits a Lodge to be closed "in short form" on one degree, for the purpose of being opened in like manner on another degree. This is, however, only to be done when the object is to initiate, pass, or raise a candidate, or when the initiation in an inferior degree having been accomplished, it is necessary to resume labor on the third degree for the transaction of business. Thus the Lodge being open on the third degree, and it being proposed "to pass" a candidate who is in waiting, the Lodge of Masters may be closed "in short form," and a Lodge opened in like manner on the second degree. The "short form" consists in the omission of all the usual ceremony, except the proclamation by the Master and Wardens.
But a Lodge can never be opened at the beginning of a communication, nor finally closed at its termination, except "in due form."
FORMS OF PRAYER.
PRAYER AT OPENING.
Most holy and glorious Lord God, the great Architect of the Universe, the giver of all good gifts and graces: Thou hast promised that, "where two or three are gathered together in thy name, thou wilt be in the midst of them, and bless them." In thy name we assemble, most humbly beseeching thee to bless us in all our undertakings, that we may know and serve thee aright, and that all our actions may tend to thy glory, and to our advancement in knowledge and virtue. And we beseech thee, O Lord God, to bless our present assembling, and to illuminate our minds, that we may walk in the light of thy countenance; and when the trials of our probationary state are over, be admitted into THE TEMPLE "not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
Response by the Brethren.—So mote it be. Amen.
PRAYER AT CLOSING.
Supreme Architect of the Universe, accept our humble praises for the many mercies and blessings which thy bounty has conferred on us, and especially for this friendly and social intercourse. Pardon, we beseech thee, whatever thou hast seen amiss in us since we have been together; and continue to us thy presence, protection, and blessing. Make us sensible of the renewed obligations we are under to love thee supremely, and to be friendly to each other. May all our irregular passions be subdued, and may we daily increase in Faith, Hope, and Charity; but more especially in that Charity which is the bond of peace and the perfection of every virtue. May we so practice thy precepts, that we may finally obtain thy promises, and find an entrance through the gates into the temple and city of our God.
Response.—So mote it be. Amen.
BENEDICTION AT CLOSING.
May the blessing of Heaven rest upon us and all regular Masons! May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue cement us.
Response.—So mote it be. Amen.
In addition to the prayer, it is sometimes customary to use the following:
CHARGE
