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General Ahiman Rezon, by Daniel Sickels, [1868], at sacred-texts.com
"In the ceremonial of the Third Degree the last grand mystery is attempted to be illustrated in a forcible and peculiar manner, showing, by striking analogy, that the Master Mason cannot be deemed perfect in the glorious science until by the cultivation of his intellectual powers he has gained such moral government of his passions, such serenity of mind, that in synonymous apposition with mastership in operative art his thoughts, like his actions, have become as useful as human intelligence will permit; and that, having passed through the trials of life with fortitude and faith, he is fitted for that grand, solemn, and mysterious consummation by which alone he can become acquainted with the great security of Eternity. Unlike the Entered Apprentice and Fellow-Craft, who each anticipate improvement as they advance, the Master Mason can learn nothing beyond the Third Degree; his hopes, therefore, with his thoughts and wishes, should be directed to the Grand Lodge above, where the world's great Architect lives and reigns forever. The ceremonial and the lecture beautifully illustrate this all. engrossing subject, and the conclusion we arrive at is that youth properly directed leads us to honorable and virtuous maturity, and that the life of man regulated by morality, faith and justice, will be rewarded at its closing hour by the prospect of Eternal Bliss."—DR. CRUCEFIX.
