e before; they acquire a sacred character, and
in some instances a character absolutely divine. Such are the effects
imagined to be produced by religious dedication." [119]

The stone, therefore, thus properly constructed, is, when it is to be
deposited by the constituted authorities of our order, carefully examined
with the necessary implements of operative masonry,--the square, the
level, and the plumb,--and declared to be "well-formed, true, and trusty."
This is not a vain nor unmeaning ceremony. It teaches the mason that his
virtues are to be tested by temptation and trial, by suffering and
adversity, before they can be pronounced by the Master Builder of souls to
be materials worthy of the spiritual building of eternal life, fitted "as
living stones, for that house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens." But if he be faithful, and withstand these trials,--if he shall
come forth from these temptations and sufferings like pure gold from the
refiner's fire,--then, indeed, shall he be deemed "well-formed, true, and
trusty," and worthy to offer "unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."

In the ceremony of depositing the corner-stone, the sacred elements of
masonic consecration are then produced, and the stone is solemnly set
apart by pouring corn, wine, and oil upon its surface. Each of these
elements has a beautiful significance in our symbolism.

Collectively, they allude to the Corn of Nourishment, the Wine of
Refreshment, and the Oil of Joy, which are the promised rewards of a
faithful and diligent performance of duty, and often specifically refer to
the anticipated success of the undertaking whose incipiency they have
consecrated. They are, in fact, types and symbols of all those abundant
gifts of Divine Providence for which we are daily called upon to make an
offering of our thanks, and which are enumerated by King David, in his
catalogue of blessings, as "wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and
oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart."

"Wherefore, my brethren," says Harris, "do you carry _corn, wine, and oil_
in your processions, but to remind you that in the pilgrimage of human
life you are to impart a portion of your bread to feed the hungry, to send
a cup of your wine to cheer the sorrowful, and to pour the healing oil of
your consolation into the wounds which sickness hath made in the bodies,
or affliction rent in the hearts, of your fellow-travellers?" [120]