"A Mason's Charge"

My Brother, upon reflection, you will remember that among the first things which you discovered in the Lodge, on being brought to Light as a Mason, was the Holy Bible open on the Altar.    You were told that it is our Volume of the Sacred Law and the Great Light of the Lodge.   Upon It you took your obligation as a Mason, and you were exhorted to make it the rule of you faith and your guide in the practice of  Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth, which are the aims of our ancient Order.

 At each step in your advancement you will be reminded that the Bible is the wisest teacher of man, directing his feet to the Temple of virtue in which alone he can find liberty and peace.   Words from the Bible are heard as we enter upon each of the Degrees, its truth adds lustre to every tool and symbol of the Lodge, its light is to the Glory of the Craft.   To defend, preserve, and obey the Bible is the first duty of every Mason, from the highest Officer to the humblest workman.

Wise men of every creed agree that in the Bible are to be found those truths of faith and laws of morality upon which to build an upright character.   Since it is the purpose of Masonry to lead men to righteousness, it opens the Bible on its Altars, with the injunction to all its sons to study it diligently, to learn the whole duty of man upon Earth and his hope of a life hereafter, urging each to follow the Light he there shall find, and as he there shall find it.

Our Craft adopts no one system of dogma, nor does it permit the discussion of sectarian issues within its Lodges;  “as what never yet conduced to the welfare of the Lodge, nor ever will.”

Instead, it encourages each man to be steadfast in the faith his heart loves best, and to allow all his Brethren the same right.   Like a mother it takes us by the hand, leads us to the Altar, and points to the open Bible,  the corner-stone of our faith.  The keystone of our Hope- keep it as a treasure, live with it as a friend.   Its truths are holy.   Its laws are binding, its spirit is the breath of God.   Read it often, follow it honestly, trust it utterly; and learn that the duty of man is to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with his God.
                              
For many years, the above address was recited by the Chaplain of the Five Orders’ Lodge when he presented The Holy Bible to the Candidate at the conclusion of his Initiation Ceremony.    The source of the address is from The Holy Bible with The Oxford Bible Concordance  for Masonic Use.