Written by Rev. John L. Hairston, Editor
The Quill and The Sword
The Quill and The Sword
What is “Prophetic”?
The term, “Prophetic”,
commonly alludes to the FORE-TELLING of future events; there is an added dimension
of the interpretation of the past to provide solutions for the present
circumstances. The Great Light of the Volume of Sacred Law provides the
framework to explain this “gift” of interpreting history to expose the ailments
of the present circumstances, and place the present in its real context that
will initiate the process of healing. According to 1 Corinthians 12:8, this
prophetic gift is called the Word of Wisdom and Knowledge and differs from the
gift of prophecy in that it doesn’t entail the foretelling of the future, but
rather, interpreting the past and present to derive healing and CHANGE. As a
Commissioned and Ordained Minister, a prophetic vessel for the Great Architect
of the Universe, a historian and a disciple of the Philosophy of Freemasonry, I
offer a Prophetic view of an excerpt from The Grand Master’s Annual Address of
1924; in hopes that those who have eyes to see will see, and those who have
ears to hear will hear.
Grand Master’s Annual
Address 1924 (M.W. C. W. Davis, GM)
“…But it is not given
to every man to be eloquent in speech or rhetorical in rendition, and with full
knowledge of my own shortcomings, I shall confine myself to at least two of
those liberal arts: Grammar, because I intend to speak correctly and logicly,
because that is a direct inquiry into Truth. I shall make no allusions to the
mistakes of the head as being contrary to the intentions of the heart. I
appreciate too well the God-given attribute which I possess, in common with all
mankind, to express myself according to the dictates of my own conscience
“Should I fail to make
mention of all the working tools of our profession, I shall endeavor to apply
them. I shall not make use of the Tyler’s implement however, only as a symbol
of Truth, which cuts like a two-edged sword. I bring you the truth and the
“truth shall make you free.
“One year ago I was
elected as your Grand Master, under circumstances rather peculiar, in a Grand
Lodge of Masons. Had I aspired for the honor of that great and dignified
office, and the brethren seemed willing to accord me that honor in return for
long and meritorious service, I would have been happy in the thought that our
Masonry was responsive to its sublime teachings in that everything must come by
merit. But in this instance I had done the Grand Lodge little or no service,
and I had no aspiration for office. I was selected to serve because a dire
emergency existed. As one brother expressed it, I was used to “let the bars
down.” How this inelegant figure of speech found its way into Masonry, I cannot
say, but its application seems plain.
“These so-called “bars”
represent the sum total of achievement of this Grand Lodge from the time when
its founders allowed themselves to be tempted by the lure of ambition for power
and place. These Masons of an earlier day, inspired by all the lofty ideals of
which masonry boasts, and being desirous of propagating our Art on the Pacific
Coast, and, like Prince Hall, “chaffing under the fetters” of distant Sovereign
Grand Lodges, which placed certain limitations upon their endeavors, made a
determined stride for freedom and sovereign rights by organizing and perfecting
their own vineyard, whereby they might sow the seeds of masonry and reap the
harvest of their Masonic labor unhindered by any restriction save that imposed
by the Constitutions and Landmarks of the Fraternity.
“All went well until
the question of leadership came up for consideration. It was there that the
first ruffian “Ambition”, appeared to block the way of honest endeavor,
followed closely by a second “Competition”, and by the union of these two, one
more deadly and dangerous than the rest was born, “Politics”, and then and
there a blow was struck at our embryo organization from which it has never
recovered.
“Torn and divided by
this evil thing which had crept among them, it was five years before there was
any hope of union. In the meantime this lusty child Politics had assumed
enormous proportions, guided and controlled by ambitious men who had acquired
considerable skill in its manipulations. It was not long before a machine was
built up for the purpose of holding and maintaining power and place and
control; and Masonry was divided into two classes: a ruling class and a
suffering class; and Aristocracy and a Democracy.
“Thus were the “Bars”
raised up against every moral progress, and we find ourselves after 20 years of
existence, and at the close of 6 years of successive elections to office, made
possible only by the power of this political machine, on the brink of
disruption, the Craft divided, hate taking the place of love; confusion and
disorder; the very traditional tragedy of the Temple being enacted in our
midst.
“The crucial time had
arrived, the long-suffering masses had at last awakened to the fact that
Masonry knows no rulers; that Masonry is ruled by Law alone. It is recorded
that Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, he did not drive them out.
The ruler keeps his subjects in ignorance lest they discover their freedom. He demands
loyalty, a thing which can only be bought with love. The stupid devotion of a
few followers is his only dependence for safety. Masonry has no time for such
wasted devotion.
“Our bounden duty lies
only in one direction, and that is fidelity to the Order and its sublime
principles and not to any man’s personal ambitions.
“In sailing in the
Corrupt Sea of Politics, the shoals, reefs, and storms which are ever prevalent
in these dangerous waters, has left its tell-tale marks on the ship of Masonry
of this jurisdiction.”
The Prophetic
Perspective
Traditionally, the “three
ruffians” have alluded to intolerance, ignorance and tyranny, but Grand Master
C. W. Davis alluded them to Ambition, Competition and Politics. There is
nothing wrong with Ambition, Competition or Politics if they are applied in
their MORAL and PROPER context; when these harmless principles fall into the
hearts and minds of those who have not been truly reformed by the sublime
principles of Freemasonry, we find them used as weapons of disharmony and
discord; a cancer to any Order or organization.
As previously defined
in the opening paragraph of this article, the Prophetic is the gift or ability
to divine from the past and present Wisdom and Knowledge vital to the healing
and change of something or someone. As we have witnessed time again in the
annals of history and scripture that when a God-ordained entity falls from the
purpose for which it was intended, signs and words of prophetic warning comes
as a landmark by which we may return to the path and course of destiny. There
is no matter the level of justification of the culprits of the disharmony, no
matter in whether the general audience approves or believes the message
provided; the message is placed in the hearing of the people and the word is
full of purpose that will not be denied or hindered. There is only acceptance
and change/reform, or disregard and consequence.
The three “ruffians” of
Ambition, Competition and Politics have never truly been apprehended in the
Jurisdictions, they have only been cloaked in the hearts for a time until they
deem it most profitable for their reappearance. They hide in the hearts of
so-called masons who carry the burning embers of past feuds and old “customs”
that have never truly been extinguished in them; they then ignite the same in
other Brethren, and whisper the wind of corruption that the flames may catch
fire and spread in hopes of accomplishing their personal agendas.
How can we identify the
“three ruffians” of Ambition, Competition and Politics? By guide of the Volume
of Sacred Law, the book of Proverbs, chapter 6, verses 16-19:
“These six things doth
the LORD HATE: yea, seven are an ABOMINATION unto him: A PROUD LOOK, A LYING
TONGUE, AND HANDS THAT SHED THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT, A HEART THAT DEVISETH
WICKED IMAGINATIONS, FEET THAT BE SWIFT IN RUNNING TO MISCHIEF, A FALSE WITNESS
THAT SPEAKETH LIES, AND HE THAT SOWETH DISCORD AMONG BRETHREN.”
The three ruffians of
Ambition, Competition and Politics operate and function most effectively in the
environment created by the 7 abominations. These 7 abominations are the
instruments that murder and maim the conduct and character of brothers in
pursuit of vain ambitions, fueled by competition and politics. These ruffians
attempt to find rest in the hearing and hearts of the unsuspecting, cloaked as
whispered “words of counsel” and “wisdom of instruction”; they desire dark
corners, inner circles and any means of communication to work their witchcraft;
the sources of this discord never seeks direct confrontation with the object of
their works, but choose to operate in the darkness, out of sight of those who
carry the light of good judgment; if the substance of their actions are placed
in the scale of the Master’s charge and other obligations of Freemasonry, such
as, “reminding their brother of his faults in friendliest of manner” or “to
defend his character”, we will find a blatant violation of these instructions;
which when questioned as to the gross violation and disregard for our tenet
principles for more suitable Masonic conduct, you then become the object of
their works as well.
In the Legend, the
three culprits are apprehended at the command of the representation of DIVINE
WISDOM. It is divine wisdom that comes from the Supreme Architect of the
Universe, who has stated that we operate in decency and IN ORDER. Where we find
the flagrant operation of the three ruffians, we can find an organization that
has become disconnected from its DIVINE SOURCE, abandoning its true purpose to
become more infested with the cancer of vain AMBITIONS, trivial COMPETITIONS,
and dirty POLITICS.
As we make way into
another Annual Grand Communication, let us reassess whether we operate in the
spirit of the three ruffians of vain ambitions, trivial competitions and dirty
politics, or are we moving in the godly course of Brotherly love, Relief and
TRUTH. We are accountable for decisions and conduct, even if the consequence is
not immediate; think not that the arm of the Supreme Judge of all Souls has
weakened. The futile whispers of Ambition, Competition and Politics cannot
hinder or obstruct the course of Prophetic destiny, those whispers and
subsequent operations serve only to fall upon the heads of the sources of such
works.
Beautifully worded!
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