The Mysteries of Free Masonry Part 13

Supreme Architect of universal nature, who, by Thine Almighty Word, didst speak into being the stupendous arch of heaven! And for the instruction and pleasure of Thy rational creatures, didst adorn us with greater and lesser lights, thereby magnifying Thy power, and endearing Thy goodness unto the sons of men. We humbly adore and wors.h.i.+p Thine unspeakable perfection! We bless Thee, that when man had fallen from his innocence and happiness, Thou didst leave him the powers of reasoning, and capacity of improvement and of pleasure. We thank Thee, that amidst the pains and calamities of our present state, so many means of refreshment and satisfaction are reserved to us while traveling the RUGGED PATH of life: especially would we, at this time, render Thee our thanksgiving and praise for the inst.i.tution, as members of which we are, at this time, a.s.sembled, and for all the pleasures we have derived from it. We thank Thee, that the few here a.s.sembled before Thee, have been favored with new inducements, and been laid under new and stronger obligations of virtue and holiness. May these obligations, O Blessed Father! have their full effect upon us.

Teach us, we pray Thee, the true reverence of Thy great, mighty, and terrible name. Inspire us with a firm and unshaken resolution in our virtuous pursuits. Give us grace diligently to search Thy word in the book of nature, wherein the duties of our high vocation are inculcated with divine authority. May the solemnity of the ceremonies of our inst.i.tution be duly impressed on our minds, and have a happy and lasting effect on our lives! O Thou, who didst aforetime appear unto Thy servant Moses IN A FLAME OF FIRE OUT OF THE MIDST OF A BUSH, enkindle, we beseech Thee, in each of our hearts, a flame of devotion to Thee, of love to each other, and of charity to all mankind. May all Thy miracles and mighty works fill us with Thy dread, and Thy goodness impress us with the love of Thy holy name. May HOLINESS TO THE LORD be engraven upon all our thoughts, words, and actions. May the incense of piety ascend continually unto Thee from the altar of our hearts, and burn day and night, as a sacrifice of sweet-smelling savor, well pleasing unto Thee. And since sin has destroyed within us the first temple of purity and innocence, may Thy heavenly grace guide and a.s.sist us in rebuilding a SECOND TEMPLE of reformation, and may the glory of this latter house be greater than the glory of the former! Amen. So mote it be.

Q. After the prayer what followed? A. We were again caused to travel three times around the room, during which the following pa.s.sage of Scripture was read, and we were shown a representation of the bush that burned and was not consumed:

Exodus iii. 1-6. "Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back side of the desert, and came to the mountain of G.o.d, even to h.o.r.eb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush, and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, G.o.d called unto him out of the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And He said Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the G.o.d of thy father, the G.o.d of Abraham, the G.o.d of Isaac, and the G.o.d of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon G.o.d."

Q. What followed? A. We again traveled, while the following pa.s.sage was read:

2 Chron x.x.xvi. 11-20. "Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did THAT WHICH WAS evil in the sight of the Lord, his G.o.d, AND humbled not himself before Jeremiah, the prophet, SPEAKING from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, and he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord G.o.d of Israel. Moreover, all the chiefs of the priests and the people transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen: and polluted the house of the Lord which He had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord G.o.d of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, rising up betimes and sending; because He had compa.s.sion on His people, and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of G.o.d, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till THERE WAS no remedy.

Therefore he brought upon him the King of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compa.s.sion on young men or maidens, old men, or him that stooped for age; he gave them all unto his hand. And all the vessels of the house of G.o.d, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and treasures of the king, and of his princes; all THESE he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of G.o.d, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons, until the reign of the kingdom of Persia."

At the close of this there was a representation of the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and the carrying captive of the children of Israel to Babylon. We were seized, bound in chains, and confined in a dungeon.

Q. What followed? A. We heard rejoicing, as of good news; the proclamation of Cyrus, King of Persia, was read in our hearing.

Ezra i. 1-3. "Now in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, King of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus, King of Persia, the Lord G.o.d of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Who is there among you of all his people? His G.o.d be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord G.o.d of Israel, which is in Jerusalem."

Q. What was then said to you? A. We were unbound and requested to go up to Jerusalem to a.s.sist in rebuilding the Temple, but objected, as we had no pa.s.s by which to make ourselves known to our brethren.

Q. What followed? A. The third chapter of Exodus, 13th and 14th verses, were read to us:

"And Moses said unto G.o.d, Behold! when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, the G.o.d of your fathers hath sent me unto you, and they shall say to me, what is his name? What shall I say to them? And G.o.d said unto Moses, I AM, THAT I AM. And thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

We were directed to use the words, "I AM, THAT I AM" as a pa.s.s-word.

Q. What followed? A. We arose to go up to Jerusalem, and traveled over hills and valleys, rough and rugged ways, for many days; during which time, as we stopped occasionally, to rest and refresh ourselves, the following pa.s.sages from the Psalms were read in our hearing for our consolation and encouragement [Psalms cxli, cxlii, cxliii]:

Psalm cxli. "Lord, I cry unto Thee; Make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice. Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense, and the lifting up of hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity. Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness: and let Him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil. Mine eyes are unto Thee, O G.o.d the Lord; in Thee is my trust; leave not my soul dest.i.tute. Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while that I withal escape.

Psalm cxlii. I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I showed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked, have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me; refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto Thee, O Lord; I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. Attend unto my cry, for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.

Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Thy name.

Psalm cxliii. Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications; in Thy faithfulness answer me, and in Thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with Thy servant; for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath made me to dwell in darkness.

Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. Hear me speedily, O Lord; my spirit faileth; hide not Thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear Thy loving kindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust; cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto Thee. Bring my soul out of trouble, and of Thy mercy cut off mine enemies; for I am Thy servant."

At length we arrived at Jerusalem, and presented ourselves at the first Veil of the Tabernacle.

Q. What was there said to you? A. The Master of the first Veil demanded of us, "Who comes there? Who dares approach this outer Veil of our sacred Tabernacle? Who comes here?"

Q. Your answer? A. Three weary travelers from Babylon. They then demanded of us who we were, and what were our intentions.

Q. Your answer? A. We are your own brethren and kindred of the tribe of Benjamin; we are the descendants of those n.o.ble families of Giblemites, who wrought so hard at the building of the first temple, were present at its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, by him carried away captive to Babylon, where we remained servants to him and his sons till the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia, by whose order we were liberated, and are now returned to a.s.sist in rebuilding the house of the Lord, without expectation of fee or reward.

Q. What further was demanded, of you? A. The pa.s.s-word, "I am, that I am." After giving which, the Master of the Veil, a.s.sured of his full confidence in us as worthy brethren, commended us for our zeal and gave us the token and words to enable us to pa.s.s the second Veil.

Q. What are they? A. The token is an imitation of that which Moses was commanded to exhibit to the children of Israel, casting his rod upon the ground it became a serpent, and putting forth his hand and taking it again by the tail, it became a rod in his hand. The words are these, "SHEM, HAM, and j.a.pHETH."

Q. What followed? A. We were conducted to the second Veil, where the same questions were asked, and answers returned as before, with the addition of the pa.s.s-words and token given at the first Veil.

Q. What followed? A. The Master of the second Veil told us that we must be true and lawful brethren to pa.s.s thus far, but further we could not go without his pa.s.s and token, which he accordingly gave to us.

Q. What are they? A. The words are SHEM, j.a.pHETH, and ADONIRAM; the token is putting the hand in the bosom, plucking it out again, in imitation of the second sign which Moses was directed to make to the Israelites, when putting his hand into his bosom and taking it out again, it became leprous as snow.

Q. How were you then disposed of? A. We were conducted onwards to the third Veil, when the same questions were asked, and answers returned as before, with the addition of the token and words last received.

Q. What followed? A. The Master of the third Veil then gave us the sign, words, and signet, to enable us to pa.s.s the fourth Veil, to the presence of the Grand Council.

Q. What are the words, sign, and signet? A. The words are j.a.pHETH, SHEM, NOAH; the sign, pouring water upon the ground, in imitation of Moses, who poured water upon the ground and it became blood; the signet is called the signet of truth, and is Zerrubbabel. It alludes to this pa.s.sage, "In that day I will take thee, O Zerrubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, and will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee." [See Haggai, chap. ii. ver. 23.]

Q. What followed? A. We then pa.s.sed to the fourth Veil, where, after answering the same questions, and giving the sign, words, and signet last received, we were admitted to the presence of the Grand Council, where the High Priest made the same demands as were made at the Veils, and received the same answers.

Q. What did the High Priest further demand of you? A. The signs from Entered Apprentice to Most Excellent Master in succession.

Q. What did he then say to you? A. He said we were truly three worthy Most Excellent Masters, commended us for our zeal and disinterestedness, and asked what part of the work we were willing to undertake.

Q. Your answer? A. That we were willing to undertake any service, however servile or dangerous, for the sake of forwarding so great and n.o.ble an undertaking.

Q. What followed? A. We were then furnished with a pick-axe, spade and crow, and were directed to repair to the northwest corner of the ruins of the old temple and commence removing the rubbish, to lay the foundation of the new, and to observe and preserve everything of importance and report to the Grand Council. We accordingly repaired to the place, and after laboring several days, we discovered what seemed a rock, but on striking it with the crow, it gave a hollow sound, and upon closer examination, we discovered in it an iron ring, by help of which we succeeded in removing it from its place, when we found it to be the keystone of an arch, and through the aperture there appeared to be an immense vault curiously arched. We then took the stone and repaired to the Grand Council, and presented it for their inspection.

Q. What did the Grand Council then say to you? A. They told us that the stone contained the mark of our ancient Grand Master, Hiram Abiff; that it was truly a fortunate discovery, and that without doubt the vault contained things of the utmost consequence to the craft. They then directed us to repair again to the place and continue our researches.

Q. What followed? A. We returned again to the place and agreed that one of our number should descend by means of a rope, the middle of which was fixed firmly around his body, and if he wished to descend, he was to pull the rope in his right hand, if to ascend, that in his left. He accordingly descended, and in groping about, he found what appeared to be some ancient jewels, but the air becoming offensive, he pulled the rope in his left hand, and was immediately drawn out. We then repaired to the Grand Council, made our report, and presented the articles found, which they p.r.o.nounced the jewels of our three ancient Grand Masters, Solomon, Hiram, and Hiram Abiff. They commended us highly for our zeal and fidelity, a.s.sured us that it was a fortunate discovery, that it would probably lead to still more important ones, and that our disinterested perseverance should not go unrewarded. They directed us to repair again to the place, and make what further discoveries lay in our power.

Q. What followed? A. We again returned to the place, and let down one of our companions as before. The sun having now reached its meridian height, darted its rays to the inmost recesses of the vault, and enabled him to discover a small chest or box, curiously wrought; but the air becoming exceedingly offensive, he gave the sign, and was immediately drawn out. We immediately repaired to the Grand Council and presented our discovery. On examination, the Grand Council p.r.o.nounced it to be the ARK OF THE COVENANT, which was deposited in the vault by our ancient Grand Master for safe keeping. On inspecting it more closely, they found a key with which they opened it. The High Priest then took from it a book, which he opened, and read as follows:

Gen. i. 1-3. "In the beginning G.o.d created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of G.o.d moved upon the face of the waters. And G.o.d said, Let there be light, and there was light."

Deut. x.x.xi. 24-26. "And it came to pa.s.s when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your G.o.d, that it may be there for a witness against thee."

Ex. xxv. 21. "And thou shalt put the mercy-seat above, upon the ark, and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee."

He then declared it to be the book of the law upon which the Grand Council, in an ecstasy of joy, exclaimed three times, "Long lost, now found, holiness to the Lord;" at the same time drawing their hands across their foreheads.

Q. What further was found in the ark? A. A small vessel containing a substance, which, after the Council had examined, and the High Priest again read from the book of the law, Ex. xvi. 32-34, he p.r.o.nounced to be manna:

"And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commanded; fill an omer of the manna to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord to be kept for your generations. As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the testimony, to be kept for a token."

The High Priest then took a rod from the ark, which, after he had read the following pa.s.sage,

Numb. xvii. 10. "And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token."

He p.r.o.nounced to be Aaron's rod, which budded and blossomed as the rose.

Q. Was there anything further found in the ark? A. There was a key to the ineffable characters belonging to this degree, as follows

--|--|--| --|--|--|X