C. L., Bishop of lowa, one of the 80 Luminaries, in his chap-

ter on Modern Templary History, p 145, says:
“The Templar must be a Christian* initiated in Holy “Baptism+ into the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, and if “consistent he should remember the words of his Master: “‘This do-—Take and eat My body and drink My b!ood—in “remembrance of Me.’ Founded on the Christian religion is * Does the Mason Knighi and Protestant Bishop mean the Christianity of
man or that of the Gospel and the Apostles ? tT’ Does hé mean the Baptism in the sense of the orthodox Christian, or the
baptism of FiRE spoken of in the Autobiography of Lucifer, or the baptism of which speaks R. Carlile,in his Manual of Freemasonry,Reeve & Turner, London, W.C. 196 Strand I know Masons who have used this manual, and Masons who sell it as one in use in Western Canada. We read in it : ‘Baptism—lIn the name of the Father, and of the Son and
“of the Holy Ghost, is first, to dip into Nature, or God the Father, for
“physical science, of which water isthe symbol. The second is to dip
“into Jesus Christ as the Fountain of moral science, of which water is
“still the symbol. And the third is to dip in the Holy Ghost for intel-
“lectual poetic inspiration, of which fire is the symbol. Hence Baptism
“by. water is symbolical of infant and adult education, and Baptism by
“fire signifies inspiration or the highest intellectual attainment of the
“Holy Ghost, belonging not to the many called, for all are called ; but “to the well organized few that are chosen.”
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“our oft repeated profession and, if Christ-like, nothing “Christian is foreign to us.”
Here is another important quotation from the Bishop of lowa :
“Besides, the thirst for vengeance on their unjust and “cruel oppressors could only be appeased by such an effort to “perpetuate the calumniated and proscribed Order....we “cannot but claim that even if a direct descent from the “Templar Order after its suppression by the Pope of Rome “and the King of France in the fourteenth century, cannot be “proved by historic documents, still there is reason to admit “the existence of a continuous connection, a practical succes- “sion,....making the modern Templary....the representa- ‘tive of the old Order.”
The modern Templars are the successors of the Medizval Templars and of the Kabalists, why should they not be actu- ated by a remnant of the same thirst for vengeance and profane the Christian mysteries ? But before we expose the High Priesthood of the English Craft, let us look at the novice preparing himself for the aping Masonic priesthood. We will quote from an indisputable British authority already quoted, the Text Book of Advanced Freemasonry. E. C. is the abbreviation for EMINENT COMMANDER :
“E. C.—To order, Sir Knights—DONE.
“(The Sir Knights stand to order, the novice takes the “skull and lighted taper as directed and proceeds slowly by “himself once round the encampment ; while the novice is “performing the year of penance a solemn dirge may be “played : when the novice has returned to the west he faces “the Eminent Commander, who addresses him as follows :
“E, C.—You now repeat after me the following impre- “cations :—
“E. C—May the spirit that once inhabited this skull “rise and testify against me if I ever wilfully betray my “obligation of a Knight Templar.
“E. C.—Seal it with your lips seven times on the skull.
“(The novice raises the skull to his lips and kisses it “seven times, which is then replaced on the sepulchre.)
“E C—May my light also be extinguished among men “as that of Judas Iscariot was for betraying his Lord and “Master, and as now I[ extinguish this light.
“(The novice blows out the light and the taper is re- “placed but not lighted.)”
Lee a |
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We read in the second part of the installation :
“E. C.—Worthy Bro., at your first admission you were “refreshed with bread and water; we now invite you to re- “fresh yourself with the cup of Memory,t which you will “dedicate to seven distinct Libations, you will repeat after eT soap E. C.—The next”—after the sixth—“is called the “Obligation toast, and is drunk from the S — ”—Skull— “and seals the rest of the libations ; seventh Libation: To “all Knight Templars wheresoever dispersed over the face of “earth and water, DRINK...... Prelate reads froin Revela- “tions, ch. 2nd, verse 17th.”
Whether or not there was a change on this point of the ritual -when it was revised in 1873, by command of the Grand Master, H.:. H.*. the Prince of Wales, we could not say, but this revised ritual was rejected by the Scotch Templars, and the one from which we have quoted is still “en vogue” among many Templars, who drink in the human skull their horrid libation. We read in the Light on Masonry, p. 182 :§
“What followed: I then took the cup (the upper part of “the human skull) in my hand and repeated after the Grand “Commander the following obligation: ‘This pure wine I “now take in testimony of my belief in the mortality of the “body and the immortality of the soul,—and may this liba- “tion appear as a witness against me both here and hereafter, “and as the sins of the world were laid upon the head of “the Saviour, so may all the sins committed by the person “whose skull this was, be heaped upon my head, in addition “to my own, should I ever knowingly and wilfully violate or “transgress any obligation-that I have heretofore taken, take
r “at this time or shall at any period take in relation to any “Degree of Masonry or Order of the Knighthood.’ This “candidate here not only deprecates the damnation of his “own soul for his own'sins, but also for the sins of another, “which is a double damnation; and all this in case of a “violation of any oath in Masonry. As, for instance, if he “ ‘speaks evil of a Brother Master Mason, behind his back or
t Is not this a sacreligious mimicry of the words of our Lord at the insti- tution of the Holy Eucharist: ‘‘Do this in commemoration of me?”
§ Quincy Adams, ex-President of the United States, in his address to the people of Massachussetts in 1333, said of this Light on Masonry : “To “that book and its author, permit me, my fellow citizens...... to offer a “tribute of respect, a tribute the more richly deserved, for the slanders “which Masonic benevolence and charity have showered upon them. “Elder David Bernard, a minister of the Baptist... .>+-a man of good
{ “repute and of blameless life and conversation .....
ee ee ee
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“before his face, or ‘wrongs him out of one cent....’ he is to “be doubly damned. Mr. Allyn”’—a well known Masonic writer—“remarks: ‘When I received this degree I objected “to drink from the human skull and to take the profane oath “required by the rules of the Order. I observed to the most “eminent that I supposed that that part of the ceremonies “would be dispensed with. The Sir Knights charged upon “me, and the most eminent said: ‘Pilgrim, you here see the “swords of your companions drawn to defend you in the dis- “charge of every duty we require of you. They are also “drawn to avenge any violation of the rules of our Order. “We expect you to proceed. A clergyman,an acquaintance “of mine, came forward and said: ‘Companion Allyn, this “part of the ceremonies is never dispensed with. I and all “the Sir Knights have drunk from that cup and taken the “fifth libation.’””—In the Yankee ritual there were only five libations instead of seven, as in the British ritual_—‘*‘I then “drank of the cup of double damnation.’ ”
In the British Empire and in the United States there is the Masonic Order of High Priesthood. In England it is one of the allied orders and no brother is admitted to it un- less he be an Installed Principal of a Royal Arch Chapter ; in the United States, they say, “unless he has been elected to i preside over a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons.” See Crowe’s ‘Hy the Master Mason’s Hand _ Book, p. 64, and the History by it the 80, pp. 638 to 642. There is a clause that “all the com- I “panions, except High Priests and Past High Priests are i} “requested to withdraw, while the new High Priest is solemnly i “bound to the performance of his duties; and after the per- Hi “formance of other necessary ceremonies not proper to be i “written, they are permitted to return.” Now, is not this a | very suspicious looking clause? The priestly duties to be performed in such a secret way that the Brethren and Com+
| I !
panions have to withdraw, with ceremonies not proper to be written are a mimic, sacrilegious, profane aping of the Biblical religious mysteries, if even they are not a sort of Black Mass. We read in the History by the 80: it
“In setting about the formation of an Order suitable for \ “the office of High Priest, what could be more natural or 1 “appropriate than to take the Scriptural history of the meet- “ing of Abraham with Melchisedeck, Priest of the Most High “God ; the circumstances which brought this meeting about ; “the bringing forth bread and wine; the blessing, etc.; and
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“the annointing of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood “under the Mosaic dispensation,..... We can illustrate this “point farther by reference to a note, found in an old ritual “of the ‘Mediterranean Pass’ as then—-and perhaps it may be “so now—conferred under the Grand Priory of England and “Wales, preparatory to the Order of Malta. That note read “as follows: ‘In some Priories the candidate partakes of “bread from the point of a sword ; and wine from a chalice “placed upon the blade handed to him by the prelate.’ “Again, in an old manuscript of the ritual of the Royal Grand “Conclave of Scotland, now also before me,” says Companion W. Hacker, “I find similar language used in the ritual of the “Templar Order. How well the thoughts contained in these “extracts have been worked into the Order of High Priest “every well-informed High Priest must very well unde tand Whar acach In these rituals, to which I have referred, I find these “expressions used: The skull to be laid open and all the “brains to be exposed to the scorching rays of the sun.”
We read in the same 80's History, p. 641, a resolution adopted in 1853: “That every newly elected High Priest “should, as soon as convenient, receive the Order of High “Priesthood, but his annointment as such is nov necessary to “his installation, or the full and entire discharge of all his “powers and duties as presiding officer of this Chapter.”