Tyle.
Opening Prayer.
Most holy and glorious Lord God, the great Architect of the universe, the giver of all good gifts and graces! In Thy name we have assembled and in Thy name we desire to proceed in all our doings. Grant that the sublime principles of Freemasonry may so subdue every discordant passion within us, so harmonize and enrich our hearts with Thine own love and goodness, that the Lodge at this time may humbly reflect that order and beauty which reign forever before Thy throne! Amen!
Response: So mote it be!
Or,
Almighty and merciful God, hear us with indulgence, have pity for our weakness, and aid us with Thy strength. Help us to perform all our duties—to ourselves, to other men, and to Thee. Let the great flood of Masonic light flow over the world. Pardon us when we offend. When we go astray, lead us back to the true path; and help our feeble efforts to remove all obstacles to the final triumph of the great law of love; and, having faithfully performed our duty here below, wilt Thou receive us into Thy Celestial Lodge above, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Amen!
Response: So mote it be!
Closing Prayer.
Extemporaneous, or the following:
Supreme Architect of the Universe, accept our hearty thanks for the many mercies and blessings which Thy bounty has conferred upon us, and especially for this social intercourse with our brethren. Pardon, we beseech Thee, whatever Thou has seen amiss in us, and continue to us Thy protection and blessing. Make us sensible of our obligations to serve Thee, and may all our actions tend to Thy glory and our advancement in knowledge and virtue. Grant that the world—the little circle in which we move—may be better and happier for our having lived in it, and may we practice that Charity which is the bond of peace and the perfection of every virtue. Amen!
Response: So mote it be!
This charge may be used at closing:
Brethren: We are now about to quit this sacred retreat of friendship and virtue to mix again with the world. Amidst its concerns and employments, forget not the duties which you have heard so frequently inculcated and so forcibly, recommended in this lodge. Be diligent, prudent, temperate, discreet. Remember that around this altar you have promised to befriend and relieve every brother who shall need your assistance. You have promised, in the most friendly manner, to remind him of his errors and to aid his reformation. These generous principles are to extend further: Every human being has a claim upon your kind offices. Do good unto all. Recommend it more especially to the "household of the faithful." Finally, brethren, be ye all of one mind; live in peace; and may the God of Love and Peace delight to dwell with and bless you. Amen!
Response: So mote it be!
Benediction.
May the blessing of heaven rest upon us and all regular Masons! May brotherly love prevail and every moral and social virtue cement us. Amen!
Response: So mote it be!
W. M.—"Brother S. W., how should Masons meet?"
S. W.—"Upon the level of equality."
W. M.—"Brother J. W., how act?"
J. W.—"Upon the plumb of rectitude."
W. M.—"And part upon the square of morality. So may we ever meet, act and part, until we meet in the celestial lodge above."
ENTERED APPRENTICE.
S. D.: Mr. ——, we have learned from the declaration, over your signature, contained in your petition, somewhat of your motives in applying for admission into our ancient and honorable Fraternity; but, in order that you may not be misled as to the character or the purpose of the ceremonies in which you are about to engage, the Lodge addresses to you these preliminary words:
Freemasonry is far removed from all that is trivial, selfish and ungodly. Its structure is built upon the everlasting foundation of that God-given law—the Brotherhood of Man, in the family whose Father is God. Our ancient and honorable Fraternity welcomes to its doors and admits to its privileges worthy men of all creeds and of every race, but insists that all men shall stand upon an exact equality, and receive its instructions in a spirit of due humility, emphasizing in demeanor, in conduct, in ceremony and in language the helpless, groping nature of man at his birth and his needs of reliance upon Divine guidance through all the transactions of life. You will here be taught to divest your mind and conscience of all the vices and superfluities of life, and the Lodge into which you are now to be admitted expects you to divest yourself of all those worldly distinctions and equipments which are not in keeping with the humble, reverent and childlike attitude it is now your duty to assume, as all have done who have gone this way before you.
(Every candidate, previous to his reception, is required to give his free and full assent to the following interrogatories propounded by the S. D., in a room adjacent to the Lodge).
Do you seriously declare, upon your honor, that, unbiased by the improper solicitation of friends, and uninfluenced by mercenary motives, you freely and voluntarily offer yourself a candidate for the mysteries of Freemasonry?
Do you seriously declare, upon your honor, that you are prompted to solicit the privileges of Freemasonry by a favorable opinion conceived of the institution, a desire for knowledge, and a sincere wish of being serviceable to your fellow-creatures?
Do you seriously declare, upon your honor, that you will cheerfully conform to all the ancient usages and established customs of the Fraternity?