IV. Goodly tree, serpent and horse, bounding hart.

The respective numbers of the twelve tribes thus ar- rayed for march or battle are thus given, (Num. iii) :
1 54,400 74,600 57,400
II 59,300 46,500 45,650
III 32,200 40,500 35,400
IV 41,500 62,700 53,400
THE SILVER TRUMPETS. — The military signals for this grand army were made upon two silver trumpets. These were made of "an whole piece" of metal, and used for the calling of the assembly and for the journeying of the camps.
A certain signal upon one trumpet was for the princes, "the heads of the thousands of Israel," to assemble themselves together " at the, door of the tabernacle of the congregation."
An alarm blast, blown once, was the signal for Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, who were on the east, to move forward.
An alarm blast, blown twice, was the signal for Reuben, Simeon, and Gad, who were on the south, to move for- ward. But when the congregation was to be gathered together, they should blow, but should not sound an alarm. The sons of Aaron, the priests, should blow with the trumpets, and they should be to them " for an ordi- nance forever, throughout their generations."
148 THE EOYAL ARCH MASON.
LET YOUH LIGHT SHINE
" Let your light shine," the Master said,
To bless benighted man; The light and truth my Word hath spread,
Are yours to spread again."
We come. 0 Lord, with willing mind,
That knowledge to display; Enlighten us, by nature blind,
And gladly we'll obey.
THE VEILS OF THE TABERNACLE.
In the American system of the ROYAL ARCH, great prominence is given to the veils or curtains of the Tab- ernacle. These are made and set up, as nearly as pos- sible, in imitation of those prepared in the wilderness by direct inspiration from God; also, those afterward con- structed under the directions of Solomon, of which the description is, "He made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubim thereon." (2 Chron., iii.)
The Tabernacle, of which the veils or curtains were used as drapery, was built for God, partly to be the pal- ace of his presence as the King of Israel, and partly as the place of the most solemn acts of public worship. It was constructed with extraordinary magnificence in every part, according to the express instruction of Jehovah, and evidently with typical design and use. The means of building it were furnished in superabundance by the voluntary contributions of the people. The oversight of the work was intrusted to Bezaleel and Aholiab, each of
THE VEILS OF THE TABERNACLE. 149
whom was endowed with supernatural skill for that pur- pose, and who bore the same relation to this structure which the Operative Grand Master Hiram bore to the Temple of Solomon. The plan, size, material, furniture, etc., to the most minute particulars, were revealed to Moses upon Mount Sinai. The whole space inclosed for the Tabernacle was one hundred and fifty feet by sev- enty-five. This space was surrounded by fine linen cur- tains, nearly eight feet in height, and hung from brazen •or copper pillars. They were secured by rods or cords, fastened to the top, and stretched so as to fasten to wooden or metal pins in the ground. Twenty of these pillars or columns were on each side, and ten on each end. The entrance or gate of the court was closed with a curtain of different color and texture from the rest, stretched on four of the pillars, and so hung as to be drawn up or let down at pleasure.
At the upper part or western end of this inclosure, and facing the entrance, was the Tabernacle, properly so called, of which all that we have thus far described was but the fencing. This Tabernacle proper was forty-five by fifteen feet, and fifteen feet high. The sides and rear were inclosed with boards, the front was open. Over the top was thrown a rich, gorgeous fabric, of various materials, the connection and disposition of which, as well as of the other parts of the covering, were prescribed with the utmost minuteness. The entrance or door of the Tabernacle was covered with a beautifully-embroid- ered curtain, suspended on five columns. The interior was subdivided into two apartments, and separated, each from the other, by a richly-wrought curtain, hanging entirely across, and reaching from the top to the bot-
150 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
torn. This was called the veil, or second veil, because the first entrance was also curtained. The outer apart- ment was called the Holy Place or Sanctuary, or the first Tabernacle, and the inner was the second Taber- nacle or the Most Holy Place, or the Holiest of all. The Tabernacle and its court were finished with perfect exactness, according to the pattern or model supernatu- rally revealed to Moses. And it is estimated that the silver and gold used in its construction, to say nothing of the brass or copper, the wood, the curtains and can- opies, the furniture, etc., amounted to an almost incred- ible sum. When it was finished, it was consecrated, with very solemn and imposing rites, to the service of Jehovah.
As all this was used, with more or less exactness, in the construction of Solomon's Temple, afterward in that by Zerubbabel, of which the Degree of ROYAL ARCH MASON particularly treats, and still later in that by Herod, made forever memorable by the visits of Jesus Christ, a sketch of the use and history of the first Tab- ernacle is appended:
While passing through the wilderness, the Tabernacle was always pitched in the midst of the camp. The tents of the Levites and priests surrounded it in appointed order, and at some distance from them the residue of the tribes, in four great divisions, consisting of three tribes each, and each division with its appropriate name and standard, or banner. On the east was Judah, assisted by Issachar and Zebulun; on the south Reuben, assisted by Simeon and Gad; on the west Ephraim, assisted by Manasseh and Benjamin; on the north Dan, assisted by Asher and Naphtali. The symbolical banners, relative
THE HUMAN BODY A TABERNACLE. 151
numbers of the tribes, etc., are minutely given upon another page in this volume.
The Tabernacle and its furniture were so constructed as to be conveniently taken down, transported, and set up again; and particular individuals or classes had their respective duties assigned to them. Every encampment, to the number of forty-two, and every removal, and even the order of the march, were directed expressly by Jeho- vah. On the day the Tabernacle was completed, God revealed himself in a cloud which overshadowed and filled it. By this cloud assuming the shape of a pillar or column, their subsequent course was governed. When it rested over the tent, the people always rested; and when it moved, the Tabernacle was taken down, and the entire host of Israel followed wherever it led. In the night this cloud became bright, like a pillar of fire, and preceded them in like manner.
When the journeyings of the people ended, and they entered Canaan, the Tabernacle was erected at Gilgal, where it continued until the country was subdued; thenco it was removed to Shiloh, where it stood between three hundred and four hundred years. It was thence removed to Nob, and thence, in the reign of David, to Gibeon, where it stood at the commencement of Solomon's reign. When the Temple was finished, the sacred fabric, with its vessels and furniture, described on another page, was removed into it; and there its history is lost.
THE HUMAN BODY A TABERNACLE. — It is a common and beautiful figure of speech, especially in the New Testament, to describe the human body as a tabernacle of clay. One of the Christian poets carries the allegory
152 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
to a charming point when he describes the pious man as nightly pitching his tent
"A day's inarch nearer home."
In the same spirit the following lines have been com- posed:
The Craft, in days gone by,
Drew from their mystery The mightiest truths God ever gave to men;
They whispered in the ear
Bowed down with solemn fear, "The dead, the buried dead, shall live again 1"
0 wondrous, wondrous Word ! i No other rites afford This precious heritage, this matchless truth;
Though gone from weeping eyes,
Though in the dust he lies, Our friend, our brother, shall renew his youth.
And we who yet remain,
Shall meet our dead again — Shall give the hand that thrilled within our grasp
The token of our faith,
Unchanged by time and death, • And breast to breast his faithful form shall clasp.
But who, 0 gracious God,
The power shall afford ? Who, with omnipotence, shall break the tomb f
What Morning Star shall rise
To chase from sealed eyes The long-oppressing darkness and the gloom?
Lo ! at the mystic shrine The answer — 'tis Divine; Lo! where the tracing-board doth plainly tell:
THE ALTAB. 153
"Over the horrid tomb, Its bondage and its gloom, The Lion of the Tribe of Judali shall prevail!"
Then hopefully we bend
Above our sleeping friend, And, hopeful, cast the green sprigs o'er his head;
'T is but a fleeting hour —
The Omnipotent hath power, And He will raise our brother from the dead.
THE ALTAE,
The use of the Altar in the ceremonies of the ROYAL ARCH is even more impressive than in other grades. Under the Jewish law, an altar was a structure appro- priated exclusively to the offering of sacrifices. Though sacrifices were offered before the Flood, the word altar does not occur until the time of Noah's departure from the Ark.
Altars were of various forms, and at first very rude in their construction, being nothing more, probably, than a square heap of stones or a mound of earth. The altar upon which Jacob made an offering at Bethel was the single stone which had served him for a pillow during the night. The altar which Moses was commanded to build was to be made of earth ; or, if made of stone, it was expressly required to be rough, the use of a tool being regarded as polluting. It was also to be without steps.
In the ancient patterns of altars, although the struc-* tures are different, yet we observe upon the most of them a projection upward at each corner, representing the true
154 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
figure of the. horns, used, probably, to confine the victims. This should be imitated upon the Masonic Altar.
The altars required in the Jewish worship, from which so much of the allegory of the ROYAL ARCH is borrowed, were the Altar of Burnt-offering, or the Brazen Altar. and the Altar of Incense, or the Golden Altar. The first stood directly in front of the principal entrance of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. It was made of shittim- wood, which is doubtless the Masonic Acacia, one of the llnest emblems upon the Trestle-board of Freemasonry. It was seven feet six inches square, and four feet six inches high. It was hollow, and covered or overlaid with plates of brass. The horns upon each corner were of wood, overlaid in the same way. A grate or net-work of brass was also attached to it, either to hold the fire or to support a hearth of earth. The furniture of the altar was all of brass, and consisted of a shovel, a pan, skins or vessels for receiving the blood of the victims, and hooks for turning the sacrifice. At each corner of the altar was a brass ring, and there were also two staves or rods, overlaid with brass, which passed through these rings, and served for carrying the altar from place to place.
The fire used upon this altar was divinely sent and perpetually maintained. The altar was a place of con- stant sacrifice; fresh blood was shed upon it continually, and the smoke of the burning sacrifice ascended up with- out interruption toward heaven. In the first Temple the Altar of Burnt- offering occupied the same relative posi- tion as in the Tabernacle : it was thirty feet square, and fifteen feet high. In the Temple of Zerubbabel it was still larger and more beautiful than in the first.
THE BURNING BUSH. 155
The Altar of Incense stood within the Holy Place, near the inmost veil. It was eighteen inches square, and twice as high, constructed like the other. The top, sides, and horns were overlaid with pure gold, and it was finished around the upper surface with a crown or border. The rings and rods were like the other, gold being used instead of brass. Incense was burned every morning and even- ing upon it, but no other offerings. Only once a year, when the Priest made atonement, was it stained with blood.
THE BURNING BUSH.
There are few incidents in the early Scriptures more remarkable or significant than that in which the emblem of the Burning Bush figures. It is described in the third chapter of Exodus :
"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 God, even to Horeb.
"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 burnt.
"And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God 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
156 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thoti standest is holy ground.
"Moreover he said, I am the GoS of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face : for he was afraid to look upon God."
This remarkable display of Omnipotent power was the preamble to a most important declaration to Moses ; viz., that God had looked with a pitying eye upon the sorrows of his people, bondsmen in Egypt ; that the time of their deliverance was now nigh at hand, and that he, Moses, was the chosen instrument in the hand of God to bring them forth from slavery.
Perhaps the ineffable brightness of the Godhead was never so clearly poured upon mortal vision as in that memorable transaction which this symbol is designed to signify. We know that " no man can see God face to face and live;" therefore the prophet hid his face, unable to sustain the bright effulgence of uncreated glory. It is but a natural deduction, from this circumstance, to teach that, in order to gain admission into the heavenly mount, burning with far greater brilliancy than that which dazzled the wanderer on the back side of the desert, we must be purified by fire.
As this was the beginning of the career of Moses as the Lawgiver and Leader of the hosts of Israel, it will be proper to add that the history of his official life for the forty years following is the history of the Jewish nation from the close of their bondage in Egypt to their approach to the land of promise. The miracles God wrought by his hands ; his frequent opportunities of
THE BURNING BUSH. 157
communing immediately with* the Divine Majesty; the wonderful displays he witnessed of the power and glory of Jehovah, and his connection with the grand and signi- ficant system of religious rites and ceremonies, which is called after him the Mosaic ritual or dispensation; the severity of the rebukes he suifered in consequence of a single sinful act ; his extraordinary meekness ; the singu- lar manner of his death ; and the fact that he is the his- torian of ages and events so remote and so intensely interesting to us in our various relations, prospects, and ' circumstances, all combine to make him, perhaps, the most extraordinary man that ever lived.
There is one use to be made of the Burning Bush as an emblem, too direct and striking to be overlooked. As this Bush, although on fire, was not consumed, so the Church of God, and, in the same allegory, the Masonic institution, though, from age to age, burning under the fires of persecution, have never been consumed. Nor can they be. God is in them — " the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" — and they can not be consumed.. In the Masons' Lodge His Word lies open, the center of attraction, the object to which all entering must approach. In the east of the Lodge, His initial shines forth, catching the eye of one entering when he raises it from the open Word. His name is ever invoked in prayers, covenants, lectures, instruc- tions. This, Bush, though burning, can never be con- sumed while God is in it.
Too much can not be written to impress on the minds of members of the Masonic institution, that without this theory of the continued presence of God in the meetings of the Craft, the whole structure, so elaborately con-
l58 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
etructed by the fathers, afld cemented from age to age by the devotion of the members, must fall to the ground. Without this theory, much of the emblems and other in- structions are without meaning. The following lines, written for the consecration service of a Masonic body, are appropriate here :
Lo, God is here ! our prayers prevail ;
In deeper reverence adore; Ask freely now, he will not fail
His largest, richest gifts to pour.
Ask by these emblems, old and true ;
Ask by the memories of the past; Ask by his own great name, for, lo,
His every promise there is cast!
Ask WISDOM, 'tis the chiefest thing;
Ask STRENGTH, such strength as God may yield; Ask BEAUTY from his throne to spring,
And grace the temple as we build.
Lord God most High, our Lodge we veil 1
'Tis consecrate with ancient care; 0, let thy Spirit ever dwell,
And guide the loving builders here 1
THE UNITY OF FKEEMASONS.
In close connection with the above remarks, follow those upon the unity of the Craft. This is an immediate effect of the presence of God in the Burning Bush. The following comment upon the 133d Psalm, so wonderfully adapted to Masonic use in every grade, is appended as he best effort of the sort extant :
THE UNITY OF FREEMASONS.
"We s&e in verse 1 what it is we are commanded; viz., to dwell together in unity. Not only not to quarrel and devour each other, but to delight in each other with mutual endearments, and promote each other's welfare with mutual services. See, also, how commendable it is : 4 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is.' Good in itself, because agreeable to God's will — the conformity of earth to heaven. Good for us, for our honor and comfort; pleasant and pleasing to God and good men. A rare thing, and therefore commendable. An amiable thing, that will attract our hearts. An exemplary thing, which, where it is, is to be imitated by us with holy emulation.
" The pleasantness of it is illustrated in verse 2. It is fragrant as the holy anointing oil which was strongly perfumed, and diffused its odors, to the great delight of all the bystanders, when it was poured upon the head of Aaron or his successor, the high-priest, so plentifully that it ran down the face, even to the tfollar or binding of the garment. This was holy ointment ; such must our brotherly love be with a pure heart devoted to God. We must love them that are begotten ' for His sake that begat.3 This ointment was a composition made up by a Divine dispensatory. God appointed the ingre- dients and the quantities. Thus believers are ' taught, of God to love one another.' It is a grace of His work- ing in us.
" It was very precious, and the like of it was not to be made for any common use. Thus holy love is, in the sight of God, of great price ; and that is precious indeed which is so in God's sight. It was grateful both to Aaron himself and to all about him. So is holy love;
l.t)0 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
it is like ' ointment and perfume which rejoice the heart/ Aaron and his sons were not admitted to minister unto the Lord till they were anointed with this ointment ; nor are our services acceptable to God without this holy love. If we have it not, we are nothing.
" It is said in the third verse to be fructifying. It is profitable as well as pleasing. It is 'as the dew;' it brings abundance of blessings along with it, as numerous as the drops of dew. It cools the scorching heat of men's passions as the evening dews cool the air and re- fresh the earth. It contributes very much to our fruit- fulness in every thing that is good. It moistens the heart, and makes it tender and fit to receive the good seed of the Word ; as, on the contrary, malice and bit- terness unfit us to receive it. It is ' as the dew of Her- nion,' a common hill; for brotherly love is the beauty and benefit of civil societies ; scencled upon the mountains of Zion/ a holy liili, for it contributes greatly to the fruitfulness of sacred societies. Both Hermon and Zion will wither without this dew. It is said of the dew, * that it tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.' Nor should our love for our brethren stay for theirs to us — that is publican's love — but go before it ; that is Divine Z0t j.
" The proof of the excellency of brotherly love is given in the fourth verse. Loving people are blessed people ; for they are blessed of God, and therefore blessed indeed. There where brethren dwell together in unity the Lord commands the blessing, a complicated blessing, including all blessings. It is God's prerogative to command the blessings ; man can but beg a blessing. Blessings/ ac- cording to the promise, are commanded blessings, for
THE LAND OF PALESTINE, 161
He has ' commanded His covenant forever/ Blessings that take effect are commanded blessings, for ' He speaks, and it is done.'
" They are everlastingly blessed. The blessing which God commands on them that dwell in love is 6 life for evermore ;' that is the blessing of blessings. They that dwell in love not only dwell in God, but do already dwell in heaven. As the perfection of love is the blessedness of heaven, so the sincerity of love is the earnest of that blessedness. They that live in love and peace, shall have the God of love and peace with them now, and they shall be with him shortly, with him forever, in the world of love and peace. How good, then, it is, and how pleasant ! "
THE LAND OF PALESTINE.
All the localities described in the Masonic lectures are connected with Palestine or the countries — Egypt and Chaldea — contiguous thereto. This makes it neces- sary, in a course of instruction like this, to give a sketch of what is familiarly termed " the Holy Land."
The extreme length of the country, measured from Dan to Beersheba, is about one hundred and eighty miles. Its average breadth is fifty, from the Mediterranean Sea to the deserts on the east. The area of the country is not far from twelve thousand miles, which is about the size of Vermont, to which State .it also approximates in shape and ruggedness.
There is no district on the face of the earth that con- tains so many and such sudden transitions as Palestine. It is at once a land of mountains, plains, and valleys. 11
162 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
In the north, the Lebanon Mountains divide into two parallel ranges. The western range has summits of thirteen thousand feet. It is broken by the River Leontes, opposite Tyre ; decreases in height but ex- pands in breadth to Nazareth, where it is again broken by the Plain of Esdrselon. Rising again into the hills of Samaria, this range continues thirty-three miles, and is, for *the third time, broken by the Plain of Shechem, near Mount Gerizim. Rising again into the hills of Ephraim, of Benjamin, and of Judah, it finally termin- ates in the deserts to the south.
The eastern range includes Mount Hermon, ten thou- sand feet high ; sweeps from thence round the Sea of Galilee eastward into the mountains of Bashan, Gilead, Ammon, Moab, and Edom, and terminates in the hills of Arabia Petrea, at the head of the Bay of Akabah. These two parallel ranges, covering, as they do, four- fifths of the whole country, form the most prominent features in Palestine. The valley that separates them, called Coelesyria, is three hundred and fifty miles in length, and from seven to ten miles broad, serving as the bed of the Orontes, the Litany, and the Jordan.
The greater portion of the towns and cities of Pales- tine were situated in the hilly country. This was for protection, in a country always subject to invasion. Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, Bethel, Sliiloh, and Sa- maria are instances of this.
Although at present Palestine is but thinly inhabited, its soil poorly cultivated, and the state of society uncivil- ized in the extreme, yet* in the days when the name and the law of God were respected, this was one of the most populous, civilized, and fruitful nations upon earth.
THE LAND OF PALESTINE. 163
There is almost an air of extravagance in the inspired description of Palestine. Its marvelous richness ; its cattle upon a thousand hills ; its metallic wealth ; its abounding pastures ; its people, numerous, strong, and respected throughout the earth, all these combined to make it the chosen nation of the world. The hills were terraced to their very tops for purposes of cultivation. The numerous springs and fountains were used to irri- gate, to the last drop, the soil around. The rains* of heaven were collected in great pools and cisterns, of which the remains every-where attract the eye to the present day. And, under the guidance of the wisest sages, the arts of agriculture, commerce, and architect- ure made Palestine a coveted land, ages before Greece and Rome sprung from obscurity.
Such was the beautiful territory from which the peo- ple, consequent upon their conquest by Nebuchadnezzar, were banished, to become exiles in an unfriendly land.* The story of their calamity is a sad one. Divided into two nations, under Rehoboam, B. C. 971, the national power and reputation of Israel were henceforth dimin- ished by internecine wars. Shishak, King of Egypt, in- vaded the country only foul' years after the death of Solo- mon, captured Jerusalem, and plundered the Temple. One hundred and forty-five years afterward, the northern tribes invaded the southern, captured Jerusalem, and inflicted great destruction upon it. From these misfor- tunes, however, Judah had recovered, when, in the year B. C. 588, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, assisted by all the surrounding nations, who were his tributaries, brought overwhelming numbers against Judah, and it succumbed. The Scriptural account is as follows :
f-0- THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
" Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jeru- salem : and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.
" Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to- Babylon.
" Nebuchadnezzar also carried off the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.
"Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem : and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.
"And King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with 'the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem,
"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 God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord.
"And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear ly God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel.
" Moreover all the chief of the priests, and r the people, transgressed very much after all the abomina- tions of the heathen ; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
" And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by
THE LAND OF PALESTINE. 165
his mer^engers, rising up betimes, and sending ; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling- place :
" But they mocked the messengers of God, and de- spised 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 them the King of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age : he gave them all into his hand.
"And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the king and of his princes ; all these he brought to Babylon.
"And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.
"All them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon ; where they were servants to him and to his sons, until the reign of the kingdom of Persia :
"To fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths : for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years." — 2 Chron., xxxvi.
In the 2d Book of Kings, further particulars of this terrible and crushing calamity are given. The siege of Jerusalem lasted eighteen months :
" The famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
10*5 THE ROYAL ARCH MAS05.
" And the city was broken up, and all the men of war tied by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden : and the king (Zedekiah) went the way toward the plain (of Jericho).
"And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho : and all his army were scattered from him.
" So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah ; and they gave judgment upon him.
"And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.'7
The great pillars, Jachin and Boaz, which stood 'east- ward from the Temple, were broken in pieces, and carried to Babylon ; the better portion of the people taken into exile, and the poor of the land only left to be vine-dressers and husbandmen. Thus lay the Holy Land — the kingdom extinct, the country Wasted, the fenced cities dismantled, and the nation in captivity. A provincial government was established, under the Baby- lonish government. This event occurred four hundred and sixty-eight years after David began to reign in Hebron, threp hundred and eighty-eight years after the revolt of the ten tribes under Rehoboam, and one hun- dred and thirty-four years after the downfall of the rival nation thus formed.
The journey of the exiles to Babylon was, upon some accounts, the most pathetic event recorded in the annals of history. The distance, upon a direct line, was but six hundred miles, but taking the journey, extended by
THE LAND OF PALESTINE. 167
the necessity of water, fuel, 'and forage, it was not less than eight hundred. From Jerusalem, through Bethel and Shiloh, forty miles to Samaria, was a hilly region, hard, indeed, to the bare and lacerated feet of princes, rulers, delicate females, and old age. A short rest in the fertile plains of Samaria, and then another hilly region of thirty miles was interposed to. the beautiful plain of Esdraelon, the richest and most fertile in Pales- tine— the scene of the national glories under Barak, Gideon, and other mighty men of Israel. Another more painful pilgrimage, of one hundred miles and upward followed, to the region of Damascus. Then began the desert, arid, torrid, and solitary. A long stretch of this, during which thousands of the captives, doubtless, left their bones by the wayside, brought the exiles to Pal- myra, or Tad m or in the Wilderness. This splendid resting-place in the desert was their last reminder of the Jewish King Solomon, its builder.
From Palmyra, over the almost interminable deserts, to the river Euphrates, and now the bitterness of their journey began to be assuaged. The comforts of life were more freely bestowed ; more attention was given to the little ones, and to the sick. Their conquerors ap- portioned them off, according to rules of consanguinity, iu the fertile tracts and flourishing towns of Chaldea. God did not forsake his people in those distant parts. Prophets, such as Daniel and Ezekiel,' gave them com- fortable hopes of pardon and release. Esther, one of their kindred, was made queen, and they received great benefits from her royal favor. In fact, their condition was one of comparative honor and comfort. By many stupendous miracles, their God became known and feared
168 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
throughout the empire, and by important services ren- dered to the state by those Jews who held high offices, the royal favor was the more readily moved toward the nation. Their idolatry, which had been marked by the Divine eye as the worst of the long catalogue of their offenses, was effectually cured, and whatever faults the Jews may have committed after their release from cap- tivity, during the remainder of their existence as a na- tion, that of idolatry can not be charged against them. In our next chapter we describe their return to Jeru- salem.
THE EETUEN HOME.
In the forty-ninth year from the destruction of Jeru- salem, and the sixty-seventh year of the captivity, in the year B. C. 539, the Babylonish monarchy was overthrown by Cyrus, the young prince of Persia, commander of the combined forces of the Medes and Persians. His uncle, Darius, took the kingdom and thus founded the Medo-Persian Empire, as foretold by the Prophet Daniel. The Babylonian Empire had existed eighty-four years, having been founded B. C. 623. Darius lived but two years after the establishment of his power in Babylon, dying in the sixty-ninth year of the captivity. He was succeeded by Cyrus. This man had been distinctly men- tioned by name in the prophecy of Isaiah, made and recorded more than a hundred years before he was born. It had been predicted of him that he should both over- throw the Babylonish monarchy and restore the Jews to their native land and their former privileges.
In the first year of the reign of Cyrus and the seven-
THE RETURN HOME. 169
tieth of the captivity, he issued a proclamation through- out his empire, granting a release to all the Jewish cap- tives, with full privileges to return to Palestine, rebuild Jerusalem, and resuscitate the nation. At the same time he restored all the sacred vessels of the Temple, which had been carried away by Nebuchadnezzar, and made other provisions for the immediate accomplishment of the objects of the royal edict.
THE FIFTEEN STAGES OF THE RETURN JOURNEY. — It is a Rabbinical tradition, that on the return journey the people made fifteen prominent stages, each being term- inated by a halt of sufficient duration for rest and re- freshment : and that the short Psalms, from 120 to 134, inclusive, were sung respectively upon those occasions. The First Stage opens with the expression, " In my distress I cried unto the Lord;" the Second Stage, by this, " I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from wrhence cometh my help ;" the Third Stage, " I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go unto the house of the Lord;" the Fourth Stage, "Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes, 0 Thou that dwellest in the heavens ;" the Fifth Stage, "If it had not been for the Lord, who was on our side ;" the Sixth Stage, " They that trust in the Lord, shall be as Mount Zion, which can not be removed, but abideth forever ;" the Seventh Stage, " When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream ;" the Eighth Stage, " Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it ;" the Ninth Stage, "Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord, that walketh in his ways ;" the Tenth Stage, " Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say ;" the Eleventh Stage, " Out of the
170 THE EOYAL AKCH MASON.
deptns have I cried unto Thee, 0 Lord;" the Twelfth Stage, " Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty ;" the Thirteenth Stage, "Lord, remember David and all his afflictions ;" the Fourteenth Stage, " Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell to- gether in unity ;" the Fifteenth and last Stage, " Be- hold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord."
Before following the Jews from the place of their long exile in Chaldea, it is proper here to quote the whole of the 137th Psalm, as giving evidence of their commend- able constancy amidst the most untoward circumstances :
"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, we wept, When we remembered Zion.
" We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
" For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song ; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
"How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?
"If I forget thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right hand for- get her cunning.
"If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
"Remember, 0 Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
"0 daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed;
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happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
" Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones."
THE NATIONAL BEREAVEMENT. — The excessive sorrow that afflicted the minds of the Jews at the loss of their country can not be thoroughly appreciated, unless we take into consideration the facts that these people had possessed Palestine for twelve hundred years, counting from the entrance of Abraham;, that their religious pol- ity was thoroughly identified with it, and that their hopes of the Messiah, who should restore to the world all that had been lost in the expulsion from Eden, were locally connected with Bethlehem-Judah, and other designated spots. The lamentations of which the Prophet Jeremiah was the mouthpiece are not an extravagant expression of the national sorrow. Although uttered only as pre- dictions, they foreshadowed the grievous facts that should follow. In this terrible exhibit of human distress we find such passages as these:
" How doth the city sit solitary that was full of peo- ple ! how is she become as a widow ! She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are in her cheeks. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her ; they are be- come her enemies. She dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest. Her children are gone into cap- tivity before the enemy. From the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed. Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed. All her people sigh;
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they seek bread. See if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow. The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of thee.
" The Lord hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion ; he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying. The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground and keep silence. The children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city. They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? All that pass by, clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The Perfection of beauty, The Joy of the whole earth? The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst; the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. The punishment of the in- iquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom. They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger.
" Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. ' We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows. Our necks are under persecution : we labor, and have no rest. Our skin was black as an oven be- cause of the terrible famine. They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah. Princes are hanged up by their hand : the faces of elders were not honored. The joy of our heart is ceased ; our dance is turned into mourning. The crown is fallen from our head. 0 Lord, thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us." — Lamentations.
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In vivid contrast with this condition of humiliation and distress was the national joy that broke forth upon the proclamation of Cyrus, to which the Lord stirred up his spirit. It was in these words :
"Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God 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 hia people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jeru- salem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourn- eth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the free-will offering for the house of God which is in Jeru- salem."— Ezra, i.
An expedition of the returning exiles was formed by Zerubbabel, a descendant of the royal house of David, and by Joshua, the high-priest. Zerubbabel was in- vested by the king with all the functions of the Gov- ernor of Judea. This colony amounted to about fifty thousand persons. These took with them the vessels of the house of the Lord, being " thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, thirty basins of gold, silver basins of a second sort, four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. All the vessels of gold and silver were five thousand and four hundred." (Ezra, i.) The Jews, who for various reasons remained behind, strengthened the hands of their
174 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
rude, zealous friends with "money, goods, beasts, and precious things, besides, all that was willingly offered." This made the caravan to include seven hundred and thirty-six horses, two hundred and forty-five mules, four hundred and thirty-five camels, and six thousand seven hundred and twenty asses. The money contributed by the more liberal of the Jews is summed up at sixty-one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pounds of silver.
So, joyfully they set forth upon the return journey by the same route which their sorrowing and suffering fathers had traveled fifty-one years before. Arrived at Palestine, their first care, after looking up their former homes, and making necessary provisions for their future support, was to rebuild the Temple. In the second year of their coming, Zerubbabel and Joshua, who had taken the supervision, set forward the workmen in the house of God.
"And when the builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their ap- parel, (described upon another page,) with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cynbals, to praise the Lord after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord ; because he is good, for his mercy endureth forever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when ther praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites, and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this
THE RETURN HOME. 175
house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people : for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off." — Ezra, iii.
With all this favorable beginning, however, it was nine- teen years before the cape-stone was set in the edifice. The Samaritans, between whom and the Jews there had long existed an implacable hatred, weakened their hands, troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, through the reign of Cyrus and his successors to that of Darius. Ahasuerus was moved by their malicious representations to cause the building to cease, nor was it until the second year of the reign of Darius that it was resumed. That mon- arch decreed that no more hindrance should be made to the work, but that money should be given from the royal treasury toward the cost, and young bullocks, rams, and lambs for the burnt-offerings: also wheat, salt, wine, and oil. The royal edict was thus summed up :
Whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this. And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made this decree; let it be done with speed." — Ezra, vi.
176 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
RETURNED HOME.
Upon the last page is described the earnestness with which the Jews acted upon the proclamation of Cyrus, A similar zeal was aroused by the edict of Darius. To encourage them in their work, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah were raised up. They approached them in the name of the God of Israel. The former severely re- buked the disposition of the people to lie supine under the frowns of King Ahasuerus, and commanded them, " Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house," promising them the Divine aid. " I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former."
Zechariah brought good word, and comfortable word from God, saying :
" I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies ; mine house shall be built in it ; my cities, through prosperity, shall yet be spread abroad, and the Lord shall yet com- fort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.
" The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundations of this house ; his hands shall also finish it.
"They that are far off shall come, and build in the temple of the Lord : and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God." *
A second installment of Jews from Babylon came up, under the command of Ezra, seventy-seven years after
RETURNED HOME. 177
the first. Ezra came with full powers from the king to reestablish the authority of the law of Moses. This second colony numbered about seven thousand. The journey occupied exactly four months, by which we can estimate the difficulties and impediments of the way, even under favorable circumstances.
The king, Artaxerxes Longimanus, issued an edict, exceedingly liberal in its character, and ending in these impressive words :
"And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment." — Ezra, vii.
Thirteen years later, B. C. 444, the third installment of the nation came up, under Nehemiah. He had re- ceived intelligence at Babylon of the decline of the Jew- ish colony, and obtained a commission from the same monarch, Artaxerxes Longimanus, who had favored Ezra, to visit Jerusalem and rectify the disordered state of affairs. The walls of the city had not been rebuilt, and although the temple was finished, and probably walled in, yet the undefended condition of the people at large subjected them to great reproach and persecution from surrounding nations, the Samaritans taking the lead. Nehemiah was appointed governor for twelve years, with full powers to rebuild the city and restore the ancient fortifications. His arrival was one hundred and twelve years subsequent to that of Zerubbabel. At .the expiration of the term of his first commission, he 12
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was reappointed, and continued to serve in that capacity until about the year B. C. 420. During the latter years of his government lived Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets. Besides these three principal col- onies that returned from Babylon to repeople the land, whose loss they had so grievously deplored, we may justly suppose that many thousands of Jews took the opportunity to return to their fatherland by caravans of merchants coming from the east, or in other smaller companies of returning Jews.
The Jewish nation continued subject to the Persian power until its overthrow by Alexander, the Macedonian, B. C. 331. In all, they had maintained their allegiance to Persia two hundred and eight years. In the division of Alexander's empire, Palestine fell to Ptolemy Lagus. They were subject to the Greek-Egyptian and the Greek- Syrian monarchs one hundred and fifty-eight years, and until the year B. C. 143. Then they regained their independence by virtue of a royal grant from Demetrius Nicator, king of the Greek-Syrian empire, and held it eighty years; viz., till the year B. C. 63, when Judea was made a Roman province by Pompey. They were still, however, permitted to have governors of their -own nation until the time of Christ. In the year A. D. 9, a Roman governor was appointed, tribute was paid directly to Rome, the power of life and death was taken away, and justice administered in the name and by the laws of Rome. Jerusalem ceased to be the capital of Palestine. In the year A. D. 70, the city of Jerusalem was once more totally razed to the ground by Titus, the Roman general, after a siege and series of assaults, in which more than a million of Jews perished. From this stroke
RETURNED HOME. 179
the nation has never recovered. Scattered throughout the earth, exiles, down-trodden, suffered to live in small numbers at Jerusalem, but to enjoy no naturalization or political rights, the Jewish people remain standing monu- ments of the truth of Scripture. The importance of the study of these holy books to the ROYAL ARCH MASON can not be exaggerated.
0, early search the Scriptures! 'tis the dew
On morning leaves; 'tis the young rose's bloom; 'Tis the bright tinge of m-orning; 'tis the hue That doth on cheek of conscious virtue come; 'Tis all that gratifies the sight, To see this sacred Book aright.
0, fondly search the Scriptures ! 'tis the voice
Of loved ones gone forever; 'tis the song That calls to memory childhood's perished joys 'Tis the blest anthem of the angel-throng; 'T is all that gratifies the ear, This sacred Book aright to hear.
0, deeply search the Scriptures! 'tis the mine
Of purest gold and gems of richest sort; 'T is life's full sustenance of corn and wine ; 'Tis raiment, clean and white, from heaven brought; 'T is wealth beyond all we can crave, This sacred Book aright to have.
For here, 0 here, the loved departed !
The Man of Sorrows, slain for us, Speaks to the worn and broken-hearted, And tells us, " I have borne the curse ! Redeemed thee from the power of death, And sanctified thy parting breath."
That in bright worlds, depictured here, Are "many mansions," ample room,
180 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
Where Christ our Savior waits to cheer, And bid us welcome from the tomb: Where many a friend we counted lost, Is singing with the heavenly host.
This is the one, the appointed way,
Through which the Holy Ghost doth speak; 0, walk therein, through life's brief clay, And treasures of salvation seek ; Assured there is no other ford Through Jordan's billows save THE WORD.
THE CITY OF JERUSALEM.
Jerusalem ! the City of Peace ! Zion ! the perfection of beauty ! the joy of the whole earth ! the City of David ! the central point of sacred history, around which revolve all that is historical, all that is symbolical, all that is solemn, grand, or pathetic in the dealings of God with men. The Holy Place ! the type of a heavenly city, upon whose eternal glories Ezeki'el, Daniel, and John have exhausted their descriptive powers !
Jerusalem ! how vividly comes over the mind the memory of that fine old hymn, one of the old-est in our language, one of the finest in any language :
Jerusalem! my happy home!
0, how I long for thee ! When shall my sorrows have an end?
Thy joys when shall I see?
This was the capital of the Jewish kingdom for eleven hundred years. It was the scene of the most extraordinary events that have occurred in the annals
THE CITY OF JERUSALEM, 181
of the human race — events in which men and angels have, and must forever have, the deepest interest. It was the place selected by the Almighty for his earthly dwelling, and here his glory was rendered visible. Here David sat and tuned his harp, and sung the praises of Jehovah. Hither the tribes came up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. Here enraptured prophets saw bright visions of the world above, and received messages from on high for guilty men. Here our Lord and Savior came in the form of a servant, and groaned and wept, and poured out his soul even unto death, to re- deem us from sin, and to save us from the pains of hell. Here, too, the wrath of an incensed God has fallen upon his chosen people, and has laid waste his heritage.
No place upon earth has such a history. For three thousand five hundred years the hills round about Jeru- salem have been the scene of mortal strife. The echoes of these mountains have resounded to the war-cries of a hundred nations. Seventeen times has the city been destroyed, and as often rebuilt — now a place of luxury and grandeur, and now a place of silence and desola- tion.
It was here that Melchizedek met and welcomed the patriarch as he was returning from the defeat of the four kings, at Hobah. Here Abraham returned, forty- two years afterward, upon a mission the most pathetic that can affect a parent's heart. Here David reared an altar when the plague was stayed. And here, as the crowning glory of all, was reared the Sacred Fane, which is equally the object of interest to ROYAL ARCH as to all other classes of Freemasons.
182 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
PASSING THE YEILS.
One of the most forcible and instructive lessons m the whole Masonic system is that inculcated in the drama of the ROYAL ARCH DEGREE, under the general term of "Returning from Babylon to Jerusalem." Under the guise of a difficult and painful pilgrimage, in which the travelers are buoyed up by the sense of duty and the hope of reward, the whole lesson of human life is con- veyed, surrounded with trials and perplexities, but pre- senting the highest injunctions of duty as a stimulus, and offering the most exalted rewards at the end. It is this which, more than any other, makes the lessons of the ROYAL ARCH MASON sublime.
The first of the difficulties of the return journey were the trials of the road itself. Upon other pages we have given, in our description of the journey to Babylon, sketches of the road rendered painful by sharp hills, arid deserts, and interminable distances. This is equally ap- plicable here. Although the traveler had not the fitter accompaniments of chains, cruel guards, and hunger, yet no one can pass over the long way of eight hundred miles from Babylon to Jerusalem, even under favorable circumstances, without intense suffering. The introduc- tion of the following Psalms at this stage of the drama is highly appropriate:
"Lord, I cry unto thee : make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense ; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
"Set a watch, 0 Lord, before my mouth; keep the
PASSING THE VEILS. 183
door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity : and let me not eat of their dainties.
"Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities. When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.
"Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth. But mine eyes are unto thee, 0 God the Lord: in thee is my trust ; leave not my soul destitute.
" Keep ni£ from the snare which they have laid foi me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape." — Psalm cxli.
"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 shewed 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, 0 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
i^4 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name : the righteous shall compass me about ; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me." — Psalm cxlii.
"Hear my prayer, 0 Lord; give ear to my supplica- tions; in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy right- eousness. And enter not into judgment with thy serv- ant; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
"For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me ; my heart within me is desolate.
"I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto thee ; my soul thirsteth after thee as a thirsty land. Selah.
"Hear me speedily, 0 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-kind- ness 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. Deliver me, 0 Lord, from mine enemies : I flee unto thee to hide me.
"Teach me to obey thy will; for thou art my God: thy Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
" Quicken me, 0 Lord, for thy name's sake ; for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul : for I am thy servant." — Psalm cxliii,
The traverse of the long and weary wilderness and
PASSING THE VEILS. 185
the mountain-passes being accomplished, trials of a moral and religious character are suggested in the drama of the ROYAL ARCH. So many of the Jews had intermarried with their conquerors that great numbers of the people had lost the distinctive characteristic of the nation — a pure genealogy — and were necessarily rejected when they should offer themselves for a work that admitted none but the pure and undefiled. Before leaving Baby- lon, careful examinations had been made of the genea- logical claims of every family, and those whose record was unquestioned were furnished with tests, by means of which they should have recognition of the High-Priest at Jerusalem. Of these the Royal Arch traditions are full. What the nature of those tests was can not, of course, be explained here.
Arrived at Jerusalem, where a tabernacle had been temporarily pitched among the Temple-ruins upon the Holy Hill, every person offering himself for the work was subjected to necessary examinations preparatory to his enrollment among the faithful.
Recurrence is now had to the history of Moses in his work of convincing the Egyptians and the Hebrews of his Divinely-appointed mission. Jehovah condescended to bestow upon him evidences of his power ; Moses' rod was transformed to a serpent. When we enter into the world and discover around us the effects of the artifice of the tempter in the garden, and when we behold this arch-apostate transformed into a serpent, we have passed the first veil of our existence. The serpent referred to above was perpetuated as a Jewish symbol by Moses, who, in a terrible irruption of those venomous creatures into his camp, made a Brazen Serpent and set it upon
386 THE HOYAL ARCH MASON.
a pole, that it might be seen from all parts of the camp, and then whoever was bitten was healed by simply look- ing at the brazen figure.
A second miracle was employed by Jehovah to strengthen the faith of Moses. He was directed to put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out it was leprous as snow. On being commanded to put it the second time into his bosom and withdraw it, it was turned again as his other flesh. At the close of life, when we are called from this probationary scene and prostrated in the pallid leprosy of death, the second veil is drawn behind us. The leprosy is a loathsome and infectious disease, still prevalent in Oriental countries, corresponding in its general characteristics with the lep- rosy of former ages. The bones and the marrow are so pervaded with the virus of the disease that the joints of the hands and feet lose their power, the limbs of the body fall together, and the whole system assumes a most deformed and shocking appearance. There is at this day a small village of lepers, numbering in all about two hundred, on the outside of the southern wall of Jerusa- lem, near the Sion Gate. Their homes are miserable huts, low, dark, and loathsome. Allowed to marry only with each other, their offspring retain their health until arrived at the period of puberty, when the fatal disease makes its appearance, spreads over the system, ulti- mately reaches some vital organ, and the unhappy victim dies.
Among the miracles by which Moses convinced Pha- raoh of the Divine appointment of his mission, that of taking water from the river Nile, and turning it into blood by pouring it upon the dry land, was one of the
PASSING THE VEILS. 187
most stupendous. In the morning of the Resurrection, when the slumbering ashes shall revive, and we learn that the words of the woman of Tekoa are ^untrue, wherein she said " we are as water spilt upon the ground, which can not be gathered up," then shall the third veil be parted from us. The effect of this miracle was tre- mendous ; the great river of Egypt was turned to blood.
The leader and governor of the first grand colony from Babylon was Prince Zerubbabel. In his name all the proceedings were had; the care of the sacred vessels intrusted to the Jews by King Cyrus, the money, pro- visions, etc., rested upon him. It follows that none could be accepted at Jerusalem save those who had come up under his patronage. The righteous in the last day will have the stamp of the signet of Heaven upon their fore- heads, and be received by the Captain of their salvation. The prophet Haggai gives clear evidence of the Divine acceptance in which Zerubbabel was held when he says, 44 In that day will I take thee, 0 Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will take thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee." A signet was usually a ring, with some inscription upon it, used as a seal, by the delivery or transfer of which the highest offices in the kingdom were bestowed. The word is used figuratively in the Bible to denote an act, or token, or process of confirmation.
We have already alluded to the circumstance which had impaired the legitimacy of so many of the Jewish people. When Esther was made Queen by the King of Persia, though exalted to great honor, yet her line was thus rendered illegitimate according to the Jewish theory; her children could not inherit with their fathers. The
188 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
lineage of every family, or list of ancestors, was pre- served by the Jews with extraordinary care — not only because it was through Abraham that the privileges of the Jewish Church were transmitted, but chiefly because of the deep interest which was felt in the predictions concerning the Messiah, and the tribe or family fr~m which he should spring. When, therefore, any presented themselves at the tabernacle among the ruins who could not distinctly trace up their descent, they were scornfully rejected. We have evidences of this in the contempt with which the services of the Samaritans were refused by Zerubbabel, who said : " Ye have nothing to do with us to build our house unto our God;" and in the case of a number of the children of priests " who sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore were they, as pol- luted, put from the priesthood." — Ezra, ii.
These sharp tests to which God's people were put, secured workmen of fidelity and zeal. No part of the labor, however arduous, servile, or protracted, was dis- tasteful to them, and they entered upon the work with a determination that could have but one result — perfect success.
THE HIGH-PRIEST, KING, AND SCRIBE.
THE HIGH-PRIEST. — The three principal officers of the ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER, as the system is practiced in the United States, are known as the High-Priest, King, and Scribe. Upon the return of the captives from Babylon, Jeshua was High-Priest, a man full of fervency
THE KING. 189
and zeal, who took a leading part at Jerusalem in re- building the altar of the Lord, and offering burnt-offer- ings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. It is further recorded of this devoted servant of the Most High, that " In the second year of their coming into the house of God at Jerusalem, in the sec- ond month, began . . . Jeshua the son of Jozadak, . . , and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and up- ward to set forward the work of the house of the Lord." " Then stood Jeshua with his sons ... to set forward the workmen in the house of God." — Ezra, iii.
A further instance of the enlightened zeal of Jeshua is seen in his refusing the application of the Samaritans and others who proffered to build the Temple with them. The High-Priest, knowing their illegitimacy, sternly re- plied : " Ye -have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us."— Ezra, iv.
THE KING. — The King in a ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER represents Zerubbabel, one of the most distinguished characters described in Scripture. So prominent a part did he take during the period under consideration, in leading the first colony of Jews that returned from the captivity of Babylon, in preserving the sacred vessels intrusted by Cyrus to his charge, in laying the founda- tion-stone and cape-stone of the Temple, and in restoring the ancient religious rites of the nation, that the second Temple is familiarly styled Zerubbabel'a, as the first is called Solomon's Temple. In the prophesy of Zechariah
190 THE ROYAL AKCH
he is made the special subject of a Divine message. " This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might or power, but by my spirit. Who art thou, 0 great mountain? before Zerubbabel thon shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things ? for they shall re- joice and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerub- babel."— Zechariah, iv.
An affecting evidence of the Divine approval of this man is found in various passages in Haggai, a prophet sent with cheering tidings to Jeshua and Zerubbabel at a time when the people had begun to show signs of dis- couragement. Concerning the latter, Haggai said: "I will take thee, 0 Zerubbabel, my servant, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts."
THE SCRIBE. — The Scribe in a ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER, according to the American system, represents the prophet Haggai, to whom allusions have been made above. This celebrated personage is supposed to have been born during the captivity, and to have returned with Zerub- babel from Babylon. His prophesy ranks as the thirty- seventh in the order of the books of the Old Testament. It is principally composed of keen reproof and affecting exhortations respecting the building of the second tem- ple, which the people had abandoned for fourteen or
THE SCRIBE, 191
fifteen years, because of the opposition and intrigue of their enemies ; and it also contains predictions of Christ and the universal establishment of his kingdom.
It is supposed that the glory of the temple, which is predicted by Haggai with great clearness, was to be oc- casioned by the coming of Christ; though Herod made important alterations in it, still the temple of Zerubbabel was always regarded as the second temple, and Christ, the Desire of all nations, did appear and teach in it.
The Book of Haggai well deserves to be read — it is very brief — at every meeting of a ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER. As a specimen of the symbolical style and nervous lan- guage with which the man of God urged forward his companions to their duty. of rebuilding the temple and city, see the following :
"In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying: Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy ? And the priests answered and said, No. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean ? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean. And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord: since those days were,
192 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
when one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten; when one came to the press-fat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty. I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labors of your hanc[s; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord. Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of. the Lord's temple was laid, consider it. Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig-tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive-tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you." — Haggai, ii.
OFFICIAL DUTIES. — The official duties of these three prominent officers of the ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER respect- ively are made as nearly as possible in analogy with those of the Jewish dispensation. The High-Priest is solemnly inducted with the following prayer :
"Most Holy and glorious Lord God, the Great High- Priest of heaven and earth, we approach thee with rever- ence, and implore thy blessings on the Companion ap- pointed to preside over this assembly, and now prostrate before thee. Fill his heart with fear, that his tongue and actions may pronounce thy glory. Make him steadfast in thy service. Grant him firmness of mind; animate his heart and strengthen his endeavors. May he teach thy judgments and thy laws; and may the incense he shall put before thee, upon thine altar, prove an acceptable sacrifice unto thee. Bless him, 0 Lord, and bless the work of his hands. Accept us in mercy. Hear thou, from heaven, thy dwelling-place, and forgive our trans-
OFFICIAL DUTIES. 193
gressions. Glory be to God the Father, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen."
The High-Priest is then invested with the miter, breast-plate, and robe : the former reminding him of the dignity of his office and its inscription, "Holiness to the Lord" — of his dependence upon God; the breast-plate teaching him his responsibility to the laws of Royal Arch Masonry, and that its honor should ever be near his heart; the robes teaching him, by their symbolical colors, every grace and virtue that can beautify the hu- man mind,
The King is taught by his scarlet robe, an emblem of imperial dignity, that paternal concern which he should feel for the welfare of his Chapter, and the ar- dent zeal with which he should endeavor to promote its prosperity; and by his crown, that to reign sovereign in the hearts and affections of men is made grateful to a generous mind, than to rule over their lives and fortunes, and that to do this with honor and satisfaction he must subject his own passions and prejudices to the dominion of reason and charity.
The Scribe is taught by his purple robe, an emblem of union, that the harmony and unanimity of the Chap- tei must be his care, and that he must endeavor to es- tablish a permanent union among all degrees and orders in Masonry.
In the conclusion of the respective charges, a general address is delivered to the officers, as follows:
"Precept and example should ever advance with equal 13
194 THE ROYAL ARCH SIASON.
pace. Those moral duties which you are required to teach unto others you should never neglect to practice your- selves. Do you desire that the demeanor of your equals and inferiors toward you should be marked with defer- ence and respect? Be sure, then, that you omit no op- portunity of furnishing them with examples in your own conduct toward your superiors. Do you desire to obtain instruction from those who are more wise or better in- formed than yourselves? Be sure, then, that you are always ready to impart of your knowledge to those within your sphere who stand in need of and are en- titled to receive it. Do you desire distinction among your Companions ? Be sure, then, that your claims to preferment are founded upon superior attainments. Let no ambitious passion be suffered to induce you to envy or supplant a companion who may be considered as better qualified for promotion than yourselves; but rather let a laudable emulation induce you to strive to excel each other in improvement and discipline, ever remem- bering that he who faithfully performs his duty, even in a subordinate or private station, is as justly entitled to esteem and respect as he who is invested with supreme authority."
In further allusion to these characters, the Scriptural accounts of the office of High-Priest established him as the head of the Jewish priesthood. All the mole de- scendants of Aaron were by divine appointment conse- crated to the priesthood; and the first-born of the family, in regular succession, was consecrated in the same man- ner to the office of High-Priest. The office was origi- nally held for life, but this, as well as the right of the
THE SPIRIT OF THE WORK. 195
firstborn, were disregarded in the latter ages of the Jewish nation. The High-Priest's most solemn, peculiar, and exclusive duty was to officiate in the Most Holy Place on the great day of atonement. He might at any time perform the duties assigned to the ordinary priests, but this one could be performed by himself alone. The High-Priest is supposed to have had an assistant to oc- cupy his place in case of his incompetency from sick- ness, defilement, or otherwise.
The title King is that of a ruler. It is often applied in Scripture to the chief of a tribe, or the ruler of a single town or city. The title is preeminently applied to Jehovah and to our blessed Savior.
The term Scribe is first given to the king's secretary or messenger, and to such as excelled in the use of the pen; but, in time, it came to mean simply a learned man. It was the peculiar office of the priests and Levites not only to study the book of the law with great diligence, and to read and explain it to the congregation, but to transcribe it and to multiply copies among the nation at large. The scribes and the doctors of the law are terms often applied to the same class of people.
THE SPIRIT OF THE WORK.
The spirit of freedom, fervency, and zeal with which the labors of the ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER are supposed to be conducted, is conveyed in the following extracts from Paul's stirring exhortation to the Church at Thessalonica. This passage is statedly used in every Chapter of ROYAL ARCH MASONS:
196 THE EOYAL ARCH MASON.
"Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received from us. For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us : for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; neither did we eat any man's bread for naught; but wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us.
"For even when we were with you, this we com- manded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
"For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy-bodies.
"Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
"But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing.
"And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
"Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
"Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.
"The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle : so I write.
" The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." — 2 Thessalonians, iii.
These exhortations convey the whole theory of the
THE SPIRIT OF THE WORK. .197
ROYAL ARCH. The Veils of the Sanctuary, which make so prominent a display in the Chapter, suggest the most expansive benevolence, the most endearing union, the most transcendent zeal, the most spotless purity. The high value given to the Law ever open upon the Altar, the sight of the Ark, with its impressed traditions, the Pauline exhortations so charged with the very spirit of Divine love — all these combine to make the dramatic ex- ercises healthful to the soul and conscience.
The following lines are among the older odes appro- priated to this grade:
Joy, the Sacred Law is found :
Now the Temple stands complete; ' Gladly let us gather round
Where the Pontiff holds his seat.
Now he spreads the volume wide,
Opening forth the leaves to-day; And the Monarch by his side
Gazes on the bright display.
Joy, the Secret Vault is found ;
Full the sunbeams fall within, Pointing darkly under ground,
To the treasure we would win.
They have brought it back to light,
And again it cheers the earth; All its leaves are purely bright,
Thriving in their newest worth.
This shall be the sacred Mark
Which shall guide us to the skieaj
Bearing like a holy Ark All the hearts who love to rise.
198 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
This shall be the Corner-stone Which the builders threw away,
But was found the only one Fitted for the Arch's stay.
This shall be the Gavel true,
At whose sound the crowd shall bend,
Giving to the Law its due;
This shall be the faithful friend.
This the Token that shall bring Kindness to the rich and poor;
Hastening on, on angel's wing, To the lone and darksome door.
. This shall crown the mighty Arch
When the Temple springs on high, And the Brethren bend their march Wafting Incense to the sky.
Then the solemn strain shall swell From the bosom and the tongue,
And the Master's glory tell In the harmony of song.
Here the exile, o'er the waste,
Trudging homeward shall repose;
All his toil and danger past,
Here his long sojournings close.
Entering through the Sacred Veils To the holy cell he bends;
Then, as sinking nature fails, Hope in glad fruition ends.
THE ROBES OF THE HIGH-PRIEST.
In our sketch of the official duties of the High-Priest, a brief allusion was made to the emblematical bearing
THE ROBES OF THE HIGH-PRIEST. 199
rff his robes: "They taught him, by these symbolical col- ors, every grace and virtue that can beautify the human mind." Much is said in Scripture relative to the splen- did and costly costume of the High-Priest. It was maeh more magnificent than that of the inferior order of priests. A description of it is best given in the words of Scripture :
" And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made clothes of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the Lord com- manded Moses.
"And he made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine-twined linen.
"And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.
"They made shoulder-pieces for it, to couple it to- gether : by the two edges was it coupled together.
" And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen ; as the Lord commanded Moses.
"And they wrought onyx-stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel.
" And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses.
"And he made the breast-plate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod ; of golc^ blue, and purple, and t, and fine twined linen.
.200 . THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
"It was four-square; they made the breast-plate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled." — Exodus, xxxix.
In addition to this description, which is elaborated in the subsequent verses, we may add that the ephod con- sisted of two plates, the one covering the back, the other the breast, both being united upon the two shoulders. It is sometimes described as having been thrown over the shoulders and hanging down before, crossed upon the breast. Upon the place where it crossed the breast was the breast-plzlte. This was a piece of embroidered work about ten inches square, with a front and lining to answer as a pouch. It was adorned with precious stones, described below. The upper corners were fastened to the ephod, from which it was not to be loosed : the two lower corners to the girdle. The breast-plate was called the Memorial, because it reminded the priest of his rep- resentative character in relation to the Twelve Tribes, and it was called the Breast-plate of Judgment, prob- ably because worn by him who was instrumentally the fountain of judgment and justice to the Jewish Church.
The miter, or head-dress, was formed of eight yards of fine linen in circular folds, and inscribed in front, upon a plate of pure gold, the words " Holiness to the Lord/'
The terms "Urim and Thummim" are associated with the breast-plate; but whether they denoted some Divine manifestation made in or upon the breast-plate itself, or whether it was a visible appendage to the breast-plate, indicating its peculiar and sacred use in this respect, is
THE ROBES OF THE HIGH-PKIEST. 201
not known. The words literally signify "Lights and Perfections." The utmost that can be satisfactorily known respecting the subject is, that it was a manner or thing through which a knowledge of the Divine will was sought and conveyed. The twelve stones in the breast-plate were a sardius, topaz, carbuncle, the first row; emerald, sapphire, diamond, second row; ligure, agate, amethyst, third row; beryl, onyx, jasper, fourth and lower row.
Viewing these grand and enlivening symbolisms, the "enlightened Freemason can not but wish his lot had been, cast in the days when Freemasons were operative as well as speculative, and when God spoke through the myste- rious TJrim and Thummim as a man speaketh to his neighbor, face to face. In that spirit the following lines are offered:
Give me the Faith my fathers had,
When home-worn ties were cast, In stern contempt, forever back,
Like chaff upon the blast. These prayers, lip-measured, leave me chill, As icy fount sends icy rill; No passion bidding nature start, No fire struck out to warm the heart; There's nothing left to make me glad, Give me the Faith my fathers had.
A patriot now is bought and sold
For price; but give to me The hopes that traced the hearts of old —
My fathers' Liberty.
What's fine-drawn speech and wordy war? A candle-ray to freedom's star I
202 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
The hand to hilt, the sword abroad, The flag to heaven, the heart to God, These are the tokens I would see; Give me my fathers' Liberty.
Give my fathers' walk below: No artful mind was theirs, To compass kindred hearts about
With treachery and snares ; No nets of artifice they spread To lure the innocent to tread ; Life's blessings they so freely shared, Life's fears they boldly met and dared; A blameless life, a death sublime, These were the things of olden time.
Give me the friendships that entwined
The upright trunks of yore, The tendrils that so sweetly vined
In beauty and in power. My heart is sad to think this earth, With all its jo}', with all its mirth, Has lost the chain our fathers wove—- The chain of holy, holy love ; Has lost the path our fathers trod—- The path that led them up to God.
0, then, bring back the palmy days
Of innocence and truth, When honesty was in its prime,
And selfishness in youth ; When man allowed to man his place, When probity unbared its face, When Justice poised an equal scale, When faith sang through the dying wail; Away, this age of care and crime — Give me the days of olden time !
THE TEMPLES UPON MOUNT MORIAH. 203
THE TEMPLES UPON MOUNT MOEIAH.
All that can be known of the Temple of Zerubbabel is, that, in style of architecture, it was as nearly as pos- sible a copy of that which had been destroyed by Nebu- chadnezzar nearly ninety years before. This Temple, in general form, resembled the Tabernacle, elaborately de- scribed upon another page. It was a substitute for the Tabernacle, which was only adapted to a wayfaring peo- ple, and was the great center of the same system of ceremonial worship. It was built upon Mount Moriah. This was one summit of a range of hills, ,the general name of which was Mount Sion. Beginning on the north, the ridge bears the name of Bezetha, then Mo- riah, then Ophel, the latter running down to the junc- tion of the ravine termed the Tyropoeon with the valley of Jehoshaphat. Mount Moriah has an altitude of about four hundred feet above the valley on the east.
The idea of building a Temple was suggested to the mind of David by the contemplation of his own good fortune, the general state of prosperity to which his country had arrived, and his fraternal relations with the Phoenician King Hiram, whose dominions afforded suit- able wood and his subjects suitable workmen for the edifice. It became to David an object of lively and un- ceasing interest; and although he was not permitted by the Almighty to take a single step in its erection, yet he collected during the latter years of his reign precious metals to the value of many billions of dollars, besides immense quantities of brass, iron, stone, lumber, etc., and secured skillful artificers for every branch of the
204 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
work. He also furnished the design, plan, and location o'f the building, in all which he was Divinely instructed.
The. superintendence of the building was committed to his wise son Solomon, who in the fourth year of his reign laid the foundation-stone and began the work. Of laborers, native and foreign, there were in all 183,600. 30,000 of these were Jews, who worked in rotation — 10,000 a month. 153,600 of them were Phoenicians; viz., 70,000 bearers of burdens, 80,000 hewers in wood and stone, and 3,600 overseers. The parts were all pre- pared at a distance from the site of the building, and when they were brought together, the whole immense structure was erected without the sound of ax, hammer, or any tool of iron. At the end of seven and one-half years it stood complete in all its splendor, the glory of Jerusalem, and the most magnificent edifice in the world.
The Temple, like the Tabernacle, had its front toward the east. The porch or portico extended across the whole front, projecting fifteen feet from the main build- ing, and rising to the height of one hundred and eighty feet. Upon the sides and rear of the main building was an additional building of three stories, each nearly eight feet high. This structure was about half the height of the Temple, and, though built against the walls, was not fastened into them. It was divided into apartments like chambers, which opened into the gallery that surrounded it. There was a flight of stairs on the south side which led into the second story, and another leading from the second into the third. The whole building and its en- virons were entered by two courts. The inner court, called the Court before the Temple, or the Court of the Priests, corresponded generally with the Court of the
THE TEMPLES UPON MOUNT MORIAII. 205
Tabernacle, as did also the sacred apartments, furniture, and utensils.
The Temple of Solomon was destroyed by Nebuchad- nezzar, four hundred and twenty-four years after its completion. A second edifice, in breadth and 'height twice the size of Solomon's, was erected by Zerubbabel, being completed seventy-three years after the destruction of the last. But this lacked five -great essentials of the other; viz., the Ark, the Mercy-seat, the Sacred Fire, the Urim and Thummim, and the visible revelation of the Divine glory, termed the Sheekinah. It was never blessed, either, with the spirit of prophesy like the former. This Temple stood without alteration for nearly five hundred years, when it became much decayed, and Herod the Great undertook its restoration. So large were the alterations made that it was in effect almost a new structure. He began the work seventeen years be- fore Christ, and in less than ten years completed the main edifice, so that it could be occupied. The whole work occupied forty-six years.
The dimensions and description of this Temple are recorded in history with considerable minuteness. The outer wall, inclosing the whole, was about one-eighth of a mile square, and stood nearly forty feet about the ground. This wall being built up from the valley be- neath, was, in places, six hundred or even seven hundred feet in height. In these walls were seven massive and costly gates, each fifteen feet wide and thirty high; an additional one in the east, termed the Beautiful Gate, was seventy-five feet high, of the finest metal, highly polished, and richly adorned. Piazzas stood against the wall clear around the hill, supported on the back by the
206 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
wall itself, in front by a double row of columns ; on the south side the supports were three rows of columns. The porch on the east side was called Solomon's.
The larger part of the area within these walls was vacant ground, completely paved with marble, and called the Court of the Gentiles, because all classes of persons were at liberty to enter it; but beyond the wall which separated this from the. next court none but Jews could pass, under penalty of death.
The second court was inclosed by a wall, and termed the Court of the Women, because this was the nearest approach to the Temple that women could make, save when they brought a sacrifice. Here was the treasury, and this was the place where some of our Savior's most impressive discourses were delivered.
The next court toward the Sanctuary was the Court of Israel. The outer half of this court, which was separated from the inner by a low railing, was entered by common Israelite's to attend upon particular services of religion; but the inner half, next to the Sanctuary, was called the Court of the Priests, into which none save the tribe of Levi could enter, unless when he came to offer his sacri- fice before the altar. Even our Savior, who was of the tribe of Judah, had no privileges here more than the most ordinary Israelite; and wherever it is recorded of him that he entered the Temple, must be understood as confined to the outer part of the Court of Israel. Within the Court of the Priests stood the Altar of Burnt-Offer- ing and the Brazen Laver.
Next came the Sanctuary, the materials of which were beautiful and costly beyond description. It was ninety feefc high, ninety feet long, and thirty feet wide, divided
THE TEMPLES UPON MOUNT MORIAH. 207
into two compartments, separated from each other by a curtain or veil. One of these was termed the Holy Place, which occupied sixty feet of the whole length, and in which were the altar of incense, the golden candle- stick, and the table of shew-bread; the other was the Most Holy Place, which measured thirty feet each way. Around the Sanctuary, on all sides except in front, was a structure of three stories high, like that attached to the first Temple, as before described, and a vast Porch extended along the front. The Porch was one hundred and fifty feet long, thirty wide, and at its highest eleva- tion nearly one hundred and eighty feet. The majestic entrance to this Porch was one hundred and thirty-five feet by thirty-seven; it had no door.
This Temple was razed to its foundations by the Ro- mans A. D. 70-1, and the site of it was made like a planed field.
The present inclosure of Mount Moriah, measured on four sides, is, on the east, 1,523J feet; south, 916; west, 1,600; north, 1,038. The surface of the hill has a gen- eral declination toward the south and east. The walls at their base are about nine feet thick, and average fifty feet in height; at the south-east corner, seventy-seven feet. The walls rise twelve to fifteen feet above the hill. In the east wall is a magnificent gate, fifty -five feet wide, long since closed; no other gate appears in the east or south wralls. The west wall has eight gates, the north three. There are three principal edifices within the Temple area, all being used for purposes of religion by the Turks. One near the south-western corner is termed Mosque El-Aksa. It is two hundred and eighty feet long by one hundred and eighty-three broad, and at its high-
208 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
est rises to about seventy feet. A domed building in the south-east corner is termed Sidna Issa. A number of smaller edifices are along the southern wall.
In the center, and traditionally over the site once occupied by the Temples of Solomon, Zerubbabel, and Herod successively, is Kubbet es-Sakhrah, or the Mosque of Omar. This stands upon a marble-paved platform ten feet high, which is ascended through eight portals, of Saracenic style, some of which are truly elegant. The Mosque is one hundred and seventy feet in diameter, and the same in height. The lower story or main body of the building is a true octagon, sixty-seven feet on a side and forty -six feet high; the central and elevated portion is circular. There are four doors and four porches, each facing a cardinal point, the southern one affording the main entrance. Immediately beneath the center of the dome is a singular object, being a portion of the original rock, which every-where else was levelled off when the surface of the mountain was first prepared under the eye of Solomon. This venerable relic, for what purpose left can only be conjectured, is sixty feet long from north to south, and fifty-five broad. Rising five feet above the marble platform, described above, the body of this frag- ment is about fifteen feet high. In its south-east corner is an apartment, chiseled from the solid rock, fifteen feet square and eight feet high, with a roof five feet thick; below this there is reason to believe another such excavation exists, such, perhaps, as the traditions of ROYAL ARCH MASONRY suggest.
To this, then, have the ancient glories of Mount Mo- riah come! after alternations of nearly three thousand years, Jerusalem having been seventeen times destroyed
FURNITURE OF THE SANCTUARY. 209
and rebuilt, all the wealth, the talent, the free-will offer- ings, the religious fervor, and the Masonic traditions of a hundred generations are reduced to a few semi-heathen mosques, a false ritual of worship, a ruined city, and a desolate land. How long, 0 Lord, how long?
FURNITURE OF THE SANCTUARY.
A collection of Masonic implements, furniture, jewels, etc., is a synopsis, emblematically conveyed, of the whole purpose of the Masonic Institution. These things remind the officers of their power and jurisdiction, warning them not to abuse their position, limiting their jurisdiction, and prescribing their conduct. They afford to them, and equally to the membership, copious topics of advice. A brother of any grade may descant upon the excellence of the Holy Writings as a rule of life, for those writings teach us that, being born upon a level, we should act upon a square, circumscribe our desires within the compass of nature's gifts poured from the horn of Divine plenty. He may learn therefrom to walk uprightly, suffering neither the pressure of poverty nor the avarice of riches to tempt the heart, even for a moment, to swerve from the line of rectitude suspended before them from the center of heaven. The division of time into equal and regular portions is to him a sure rule for securing the greatest good from the opportunities that are daily af- forded him. The subjection of his passions and desires is too clearly taught to be misunderstood, and from his entrance through the north-western portals of the Lodge to the hour when he is carried by a sorrowing brother- hood to his final resting-place, every thing around him 14
210 THE ROYAL ARCH MASOX.
in Lodge, Chapter, Council, and Commandery, is a con- stant admonition of death, and the necessity for an early preparation.
THE ARK. — In the grades of Most Excellent Master, ROYAL ARCH MASON, and others following, the Ark be- comes a prominent emblem. The original of this was constructed by Moses while on the way from Egypt to Canaan. It was a small chest made for a specific pur- pose, by the express command of Jehovah. It was three feet and nine inches long, two feet and three inches wide, the same in height. It was made of shittim wood, which is the Masonic Acacia, playing so important a part in the drama of the Master Mason, and was covered with plates of gold. A border or crown of gold encircled it near the top, and it was surmounted by the mercy-seat, which was of 'solid gold, and answered the purpose of a cover or lid to the ark. It will be seen by this descrip- tion, which is a literal transcript from Biblical accounts, how unlike the proper form is the Ark usually found in our ROYAL ARCH assemblies. On each end of the mercy- seat was placed a golden image, representing a cherub facing upward and bending down over the Ark. Two wings of gold were attached to the body of the Ark on each side, through which passed the staves or poles that were used in carrying it from place to place. These were made of the same wood with the Ark, and overlaid in the same manner.
In the Ark Moses placed a golden pot, containing three quarts of manna ; Aaron's rod, which miraculously bud- ded, blossomed, and yielded fruit at once; and the tables of the testimony, otherwise called the tables of the Ten Commandments. But we learn, from 1 Kings, viii, that
THE ARK. 211
when it was placed in the Sanctum Sanctorum of Solo- man's Temple, " there was nothing in the Ark, save the two tables of stone."
On the mercy-seat, which surmounted the Ark, rested the awful and mysterious symbol of the Divine presence.
The Temple of Zerubbabel did not contain the Ark. Whether it was seized among the spoils when the city was sacked, or whether it was secreted and afterward destroyed, history does not inform us. The traditions of Freemasonry only partially supply this hiatus in Scrip- ture account.
Some comment upon the original contents of the Ark may be expected. The Holy Writings have been alluded to in various parts of this work. As the term was under- stood by Moses, it comprised only the Ten Commandments. As successive additions were made by himself, by Samuel, by Ezra, and perhaps others, the Holy Writings increased in number to embrace thirty-nine different works under the Old Dispensation. The New Testament Scriptures, numbering twenty-seven works, makes the complete cat- alogue of sixty-six. The older portion was conveniently divided by Jewish authors into the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. In American Lodges and Chapters the connected series of Old and New Testament Scriptures are always used; but the opened pages are invariably in the Old Testament. An account of the loss of the Holy Writings during the later years of the Jewish monarchy,^ and of their recovery under the good king Josiah, is given in 2 Chronicles, xxxiv. The Pot of Manna is re- ferred to in Exodus, xvi: "Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread
212 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
wherewith I have kept 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." This manna was a substance miraculously furnished to the children of Israel on their journey through the wil- derness, and designed as a substitute for bread, the ma- terial for which they could not raise during their journey- ings. It is called "the bread rained from heaven."
The most remarkable things about the manna of the Israelites were, that double the quantity was supplied on the sixth day of the week, so that no one need break the Sabbath by going out in search of it; that on the Sabbath no manna fell from heaven ; and that what they kept from the sixth to the seventh day remained sweet, while that kept from any other became offensive. All three of these miracles were wrought to attest the sanc- tity of the Sabbath. It is described as a small, round thing, as small as the hoar-frost on the ground, like co- riander-seed, white, and the taste of it like wafers made with honey. It was ground in mills or beaten in a mor- tar, then placed in pans, in the shape of cakes, and baked. In gathering this food, each person was permitted to take what was necessary for his own use, not exceeding an omer, or about three quarts, for each member the family. If more was collected, the surplus was distributed to those who had less.
For forty years this miraculous supply of food was furnished daily to between three and four millions of people. It ceased while they were encamped at Gilgal,
THE KEY. 213
immediately after they had celebrated the passover for tfie first time in the land of promise.
The emblem of Aaron's Rod is suggestive to a Free- mason of the progress of nature from youth to man- hood, and from manhood to trembling decrepitude. Soon do the buds of infancy bloom on the cheek of youth; soon are the blossoms of time succeeded by the fruits of eternity.
THE KEY.
The emblem of the Key may be improved to impress upon the mind of a ROYAL ARCH MASON the importance of those secrets which have been transmitted through thirty centuries, amidst bitter persecutions, for the benefit of the Sons of Light. As we have thus received them, untarnished by the touch of profane curiosity, and un- impaired by the revolution of time and human events, so must we deliver them, in all their purity and perfection, to the brethren who shall come after us, confident that they will never be divulged to the unworthy. The Key is an emblem often referred to in Scripture.
THE THREE SQUARES.
Allusion has been made upon another page to the use of these emblems. The traditions of Freemasonry are uniform, that the greatest possible care was exercised at the building of the Temple of Solomon, that every block should be made of exact dimensions to fill a specified place in the wall. Nor was it left to the fidelity and vigilance of one man, or the skill and implement of one man, to decide upon this; three persons at least passed
214 THE ROYAL ARCH' MASOH.
judgment upon every ashlar before it went into the hands of him who was to cement it within the wall. The emblematical application of this is too apparent to need explanation. In practice no person can be ad- mitted a member of the Masonic Order in any grade until he has passed the trying square of every person present at the ballot-test; a single objection would be fatal to his admission.
THE WORKING TOOLS.
Since the fiat of Heaven has gone forth, In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, it becomes us cheerfully to submit, laboring industriously in our respective call- ings. Labor is honorable, and to none more so than those who properly comprehend the theory of this grade. The pickax, crowbar, and spade are emblems suggesting to our minds the source from which come our food, me- tallic wealth, fuel, and other necessaries of life. They remind us, too, that we are of the earth, earthy, and that our bodies, when the purpose is accomplished for which we were placed on earth, will return to dust.
THE FAITHFUL REMEMBRANCE.
WE'LL lay thee down where thou shalt sleep
All tenderly and brotherly, And woman's eyes with ours shall weep
The -precious drops of sympathy; We'll spread above the cedar boughs,
Whose emerald hue and rich perfume Shall make thee deem thy resting-place
A downy bed, and not a tonib.
THE ORDER OF HIGH-PRIESTHOOD. 215
That breast which hath supplied
Thy wants from earliest infancy, Shall open fondly and supply
Unbroken rest and sleep to thee; Each spring the flower-roots shall send up
Their painted emblems toward the sky, To bid thee wait upon thy. couch
A little longer patiently.
"We'll not forget thee, we who stay
To work a little longer here; Thy name, thy faith, thy love shall lie
On memory's tablets bright and clear; And when o'erwearied by the toil
Of life our heavy limbs shall be, We'll come, and one by one lie down
Upon dear mother earth with thee.
There we will slumber by thy side;
There, reunited 'neath the sod, We'll wait, nor doubt in His good time
To feel the raising hand of God; To be translated from this earth,
This land of sorrow and complaints, To the Celestial Lodge above,
Whose Master is the King of Saints !
THE ORDER OF HIGH-PRIESTHOOD.
Although no one is entitled to receive the Order of High-Priesthood save a ROYAL ARCH MASON who has been regularly elected to preside over a Chapter of ROYAL ARCH MASONS, yet there is so much in relation , to it that will interest the Masonic reader, that we ap- pend a synopsis of the theory, purposes, and instruc- tions of the Decree. It bears the same relation to the
216 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
Capitular system of Masonry that the Degree of Past Master bears to the Symbolical.
The Degree is conferred in a Council of High-Priests, of which the officers are President, Vice-President, Chap- lain, Treasurer, Secretary, Master of Ceremonies, Con- ductor, Herald, and Sentinel. There is nothing in the robes, jewels, or decorations distinct from those em- ployed in a Royal Arch Chapter. Not less than three members must be present to participate in the ceremo- nies.
The drama has reference to circumstances which oc- curred in the life of the Patriarch Abraham. In an in- vasion of the country around the Dead Sea by four east- ern kings, his nephew Lot had be6n taken prisoner. Upon being informed of this, Abraham gathered what force was at his command, pursued the marauders, over- took them at Hobah, north of Damascus, and rescued Lot out of their hands. Returning to his abode, near Hebron, he was saluted, as he passed by Jerusalem, with blessings and good cheer from the venerable Melchisedec, Priest of the Most High God, who abode there. It has ever been one of the hidden problems of Scripture his- tory who this man was, a mystery still further obscured by the strange language of Paul, who, in Hebrews vii, describes him, in symbolical terms, as "without father, without mother, without descent, having neither begin- ning of days nor end of life." But the theory that Melchisedec was Shem, the oldest son of Noah, who is supposed to have been alive at this period, has able sup- porters, and is the most likely of all.
In acknowledgment of the priestly dignity and more than Oriental hospitality of Melchisedec, displayed to-
THE ORDER OF HIGH-PRIESTHOOD. 217
ward him "at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale," Abraham paid him tithes of all the property he had rescued from the marauders, and received from his hands this sublime benediction: "Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be the most high God which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand."
As this is the oldest formula of a priestly benediction extant, the circumstance is made the foundation of an impressive and instructive Degree, whose covenants are prepared with uncommon force, whose means of recogni- tion are exceedingly practicable and brief, and which, by teaching respect to the name of the Most High, benevo- lence to suffering brethren, and the duty of curbing those passions which tend to evil, is worthy of more study than it has heretofore received. The accompanying prayer is worthy of the connection :
"0 thou supreme High-Priest of heaven and earth, enlighten us, we beseech thee, with the knowledge of thy truth, and grant that the members of this conven- tion, and all others who are teachers in Israel, may be endowed with wisdom to understand and to explain the mysteries of our Order. Be with us in all our assem- blies; guide us in the paths of rectitude, and enable us to keep all thy statutes and commandments while life shall last, and finally bring us to the true knowledge of thy holy and mighty name."
The prayer at anointing the candidate is equally ap- propriate :
218 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
"0 Thou, who doth bless the fruitage of the olive and the vine to man's use, and doth give him refreshment and joy for his labor, bless now in a spiritual sense, we entreat thee, this application of oil and wine, that they may represent the times of refreshment from on high which thou wilt bestow upon thy faithful laborers in the moral vineyard. Give to all thy workmen courage and strength. Increase their zeal. Awaken them to the value of thy promises, that when the toils of life are ended they may hear thy welcome plaudits, good and faithful servants; enter ye into the joy of your Lord.' Amen."
The benediction employed in this, grade of High- Priesthood is the Aaronic blessing:
"The Lord bless thee and help thee; the Lord. make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."
THE MYSTIC WORD.
The following is the oldest effusion extant, prepared to accompany the conferring of the grade of Royal Arch according to the American system. The suggestions and allusions to the esoterical matters of the grade are suf- ficiently obvious to the informed companion:
When Orient wisdom beamed serene,
And pillowed strength arose, When beauty tinged the glowing scene,
And faith her mansion chose,
THE ORDER OF HIGH-PRIESTHOOD. 219
Exulting hands the fabric viewed,
Mysterious powers adored, And high the triple union stood
That gave. the Mystic Word.
Pale envy withered at the sight
And frowning o'er the pile, Called murder up from realms of light,
To blast the glorious toil. With ruffian outrage joined in woe,
They form the league abhorred, And wounded science felt the blow
That crushed the Mystic Word.
Concealment from sequestered care
On sable pinions (lew, And o'er the sacrilegious grave
Her veil impervious threw; The associate band in solemn slate
The awful loss deplored, And wisdom mourned the ruthless fate
That whelmed the Mystic Word.
At length through time's expanded sphere
Fair science speeds her way; And warmed by truth's refulgence clear,
Reflects the kindred ray. A second fabric's towering height
Proclaims the sign restored, From whose foundation brought to light
Is drawn the Mystic Word.
To depths obscure the favored trine
A dreary course engage Till through the Arch the ray divine
Illumes the sacred page: From the wide wonders of this blaze
Our ancient signs restored, The ROYAL ARCH alone displays
The long-lost MYSTIC WORD !
220 THE ROYAL A&CH MASON.
THE VAULTS UNDER THE TEMPLE.
It has ever been a tradition among Jewish writers, and woven into various Masonic Degrees, that the hill termed Moriah, upon which the Temple stood, is exca- vated in vaults for mysterious purposes. Travelers, from Bishop Arculf, who visited Jerusalem near the close of the sixth century, down to the present time, have given tales of the native residents embodying allusions to this fact, but no one has furnished the world with a distinct account until within a few years. Dr. James T. Barclay, an American missionary, first discovered the opening to an immense series of excavations, which he has described in his City of the Great King, published in 1858. These caves open near the Damascus Gate, in the north- ern wall of the city, the entrance being under the wall, which is ten feet thick. The outer apartment is more than one thousand feet in diameter, the rock being all quarried out by art, and used doubtless in the construc- tion of the city, the walls, and the Temple. Many blocks are still lying upon the floor of the quarry, squared and prepared for the builders' hands ; others are partly cut from the wall, as if the workmen were called away before their task was finished. This quarry being considerably higher in its lowest place than the ground upon which the Temple stood, explains a ready method for moving down by a gentle descent the heavy material used in that work. The work of quarrying was apparently effected by an instrument resembling a pick -ax, with a broad, chisel-shaped end, as the spaces between the blocks were not more than four inches wide, in which it would be
THE VAULTS UNDER THE TEMPLE. 221
impossible for a man to work with a chisel and mallet. After being cut away at each side arid at the bottom, a lever was probably inserted, and the combined force of three or four men could easily pry the block away from the rock behind. The stone is extremely soft and fria- ble, nearly white, and very easily worked, but, like the stone of Malta and Paris, it hardens upon exposure. The marks of the cutting-instrument are as plainly defined as if the workman had but just ceased from his labor. The extreme length of this quarry, as far as explored, from the city wall, is not less than a quarter of a mile.
Under the site of the Temple are excavations remain- ing as remarkable as the building itself. Perhaps every portion of the Sacred Hill is thus undermined, although up to the present period only a portion has been ex- plored. In the south-west corner of the Hill there is a broad avenue under ground, two hundred and fifty-nine feet long, forty- two wide, and thirty high. At the end of this, a flight of nine steps leads downward to another hall, fifty feet long and forty wide, supported in the cen- ter by a pillar cut from a single stone, twenty-one feet high and six in diameter. It is probable that further galleries will be found connecting this cavern with others upon the hills westward. In the south-east cor- ner is a series of caves, including a vault, supported by fifteen rows of columns, making an apartment three hundred and nineteen feet by two hundred and fifty. Immediately under the ancient Temple is a cave twenty feet by six, near which, at the depth of sixty or seventy feet, is a cistern capable of holding two million gallons of water! Concerning this immense reservoir, a writer says : " There is nothing remaining of all the works of
222 THE ROYAL ARCH MASON.
Solomon which so impressively reflects his wonderful intellect as this lake under the Temple."
It is only of late years that a thorough and systematic course of explorations above and beneath Jerusalem has been commenced. Fanaticism and barbarous exclu- sion are fast giving way before the light of civilization, and it can not be long until the Turkish rulers will sub- mit to the various arguments of steel and gold urged upon them by throwing open the city to explorers. Then will be seen that the traditions of Freemasonry, which so Jong preserved important topographical, architectural, and religious knowledge concerning the ancient Hill, are well founded, and it is not beyond the bounds of credi- bility that discoveries await us as important in the ad- vancement of Masonic Science as in general information.
THE THIRD ORDER Uf FREEMASONRY.
THE CRYPTIC DEGREES:
CONSISTING OF
»
THE ROYAL MASTER
AND
THE SELECT MASTER.
THESE two Degrees are conferred, according to the American system, in a Council of Cryptic Masonry. The ballot is taken in the Second or Select Master's Degree; the same rules of balloting being observed as in the Symbolical Lodge.
All discipline exercised, by a Lodge or Chapter re- quiring suspension and expulsion is indorsed by the Council without inquiry. The Council has also its own code of discipline for offenses against its laws.
Not less than nine nor more than twenty-seven mem- bers can open, work, or close a Council of Cryptic Masonry.
THE ROYAL MASTER.
WHAT AFTER DEATH?
WE can predict, from day to day, Some things will meet us on life's way; But who, of all that draw life's breath, Can shadow what is after death ?
When spring awakes we look for flowers, And leafy boughs and genial bowers ; The flowery spring rewards our faith; What shall we look for after deathl
When autumn spreads its sober skies, With open laps we wait the prize; We catch the showering fruits beneath ; What fruitage for us after death ?
We trace the infant through each Of youth, of manhood, and of age; Each stage confirms our previous faith— What grade awaits him after death ?
Such the reflections of this grade; Such question here is freely made; Life's SECRET lies beneath, beneath, 'T is only yielded after death I
THE EOYAL MASTEK.
THE THEORY OF THE DEGREE OF ROYAL MASTER.
THE Degree of ROYAL MASTER is the beginning of a third series, of which the Symbolical Degrees and the Capitular or Chapitral Degrees -are the first two. As a distinctive title, that of Cryptic Degrees has been gen- erally adopted, as referring to the introduction of caves- or caverns peculiar to this system. The Ritual is simple, but expressive. The introduction of the Cryptic De- grees into this country dates from a period about twenty years subsequent to that of the Royal Arch. The rule was then established that none but Royal Arch Masons should receive it. As a grade, it is preparatory to that of Select Master, bearing the same relation to it which the Degree of Entered Apprentice bears to that of Fel- low Craft. Its means of recognition are used as a con- venient and expeditious method of examining a Royal Arch Companion. The title of the organization in which the Degrees of Royal and Select Master are conferred, is Council of Royal and Select Masters. In a Council not more than nine nor less than twenty-seven members can take part at a time; if more be present, they are supernumerary. The government of Councils is in-
227
228 THE ROYAL MASTER.
trusted to Grand Councils of Cryptic Masonry, of which there is one in nearly every State.
Mr. Cole informs us that in 1817 the Degree of ROYAL MASTER was " considered as merely preparatory, and usually conferred immediately before the solemn cere- mony of exaltation to the Royal Arch." At that period it was conferred with the Degree of "Ark Master or Noachite," both being considered of equal authority. The latter has become obsolete in this country.
PRAYER. — The frequent repetition of prayer, in all the Masonic grades, is peculiarly calculated to impress the memory with our constant obligation to piety and devo- tion. Were the benefactions of Providence but partially or unfrequently enjoyed, perhaps we might forget that return of gratitude which is the only remuneration in our power to make ; but his benefits are new every morning and fresh every moment, and surely our per- petual thanksgiving should ascend to heaven.
The voice of the Temple the tidings of love, That speaks of the Master who reigneth above; His glory, His glory in the highest who dwells, And Good-will to man, is the burden it tells.
Come, Brethren, in chorus,
Prolong the glad tidings, No duty so sweet as the hymning of God;
His faith each professing,
His knowledge possessing, Exalt each the blessing His grace hath bestowed.
The meeting of a Lodge of ROYAL MASTERS is, in strictness, a religious ceremony. It can not be regu- larly opened or closed without prayer. The book of Holy Scriptures is an essential part of its furniture,
RECOGNITIONS. 229
•without which no work can be done or instruction at- tempted. Blasphemy is deemed a heinous offense against the precepts of this grade. The Lodge of ROYAL MAS- TERS is, theoretically, a beacon-light, throwing abroad its rays, as from a mountain summit.
A city set upon a hill
." Can not be hid;
Exposed to every eye, it will
Over surrounding plain and vale
An influence shed; And spread the light of peace afar, Or blight the land with horrid war.
This ROYAL LODGE is planted so,
For high display; It is a Beacon-light to show Life's weary wanderers as they go
The better way;
To show by ties of earthly love, How perfect is the Lodge above.
B« this your labor, ROYAL FRIENDS,
While laboring here; Borrow from him who kindly lends The heavenly ladder that ascends
The higher sphere; And let the world your progress see, Upward by Faith, Hope, Charity!
RECOGNITIONS. — The members of this branch possess infallible means of recognition, equally applicable to the grades preceding. They are unchangeable, consistent with each other, and with a general plan, and they form a part of the instruction communicated to every ROYAL MASTER upon his reception into the Lodge. A visitor
230 THE ROYAL MASTER.
endeavoring to enter without a competent knowledge of these is viewed as an impostor, and contemptuously re- jected; a visitor possessing them is hailed as a ROYAL MASTER, and welcomed accordingly.
Yet the outside world are not to suppose that the mere possession of a few private formulas of word and gesture are sufficient to entitle a person to conceive himself a brother. No. These are but the sequalce of initiation. The whole system is far more elaborate, comprising a petition for initiation, avouchals, and rec- ommendations, cautious inspection of moral character, and of physical and mental qualifications, the ballot thorough and secret, the reception traditional and im- pressive, and a series of covenants, than which noth- ing can be better devised to bind the conscience of a man to good thoughts and good works. These, accom- panied with elaborate ritualisms, lead, in the end, to the communication of appropriate means of recognition, so arranged that while they suggest to the memory the peculiar secrets of the grade, are a constant reminder of its covenants and duties, and the punishment sym- bolically predicted of those who willfully violate and neg- lect them.
The means of recognition may be compared, in their unchangeableness and allegorical character, to the Pil- lars of King Solomon's Porch. The raising Pillars and Obelisks was a custom of the eastern nations, and of Egypt in particular; the use of which, we are told, was to record the extent of dominion and the tributes of nations subject to the Egyptian empire, etc., or in com- memoration of memorable events. Diodorus tells us that Sesostris signalized his reign by the erection of two
SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES. 231
obelisks, which were cut with a design to acquaint pos- terity of the extent of his power, and the number of the nations he had conquered. Augustus, according to the report of Pliny, transported one of these obelisks to Rome, and placed it in the Campus Martius. Pliny says the Egyptians were the first devisers of such move- ments, and that Mestres, King of Heliopolis, erected the first. Marsham and others attribute the invention to Sesostris. The obelisk of Shannesis exceeded all that had preceded it; Constantine, and Constans, his son, caused it to be moved to Rome, where it remains, the noblest piece of Egyptian antiquity existing in the world. Solomon had pursued this custom in erecting his pillars in the porch of the Temple, which he designed should be a memorial to the Jews as they entered the Holy Place, to warn their minds with confidence and faith by this record of the promises made by the Lord unto his father David, and which were repeated unto him in a vision, in which the voice of God proclaimed, "I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for- ever."
SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES. — The use of Scriptural pas sages in the Rituals of Masonry has a twofold applica- tion. It conveys to the initiate the peculiar instructions of the grade, often in the most forcible and direct man- ner, while it gives a clue to the memory in recalling the means of recognition. In this double sense the follow- ing passages are appropriate to the degree of ROYAL MASTER :
"And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will
232 THE KOYAL MASTER.
dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. . "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain : for the for- mer things are passed away.
" And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
" And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
"And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. the first and the last.
" Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." — Revela. xxi and xxii.
"And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shew-bread was, and the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold; and the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the censers, of pure gold; and the hinges of gold both for the doors of the inner house, to-wit, of the temple. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he had made king Solomon for the house of the Lord." — 1 Kings, vii.
THE CHERUBIM. 233
"Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
"He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteous- ness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.
"He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.
"In whose eyes a vile person is contemned: but he honoreth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
"He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved." — Psalms, xv.
THE CHERUBIM.
THE consideration of the Cherubim as the most sacred emblem in the Mosaic Ceremonial is a part of the Rituals of the ROYAL MASTER. A group of Cherubims, in allu- sion to those that stood in the Holy of Holies, forms a proper emblem of this grade. The Cherub was a figure composed of various creatures, as a man, an ox, an eagle, or a lion. The first mention of the Cherubs is in Gene- sis, iii, 24, where the figure is not described; but their office was, with a flaming sword, to keep or guard the way of the tree of life. The two Cherubs which Moses was commanded to make, at the ends of the mercy-seat, were to be of beaten work of gold; and their wings were to extend over the mercy-seat, their faces toward each other, and between them was the residence of the Deity. (Ex- odus, xxv.) The Cherubs in Bzekiel's vision had each four heads or faces, the hands of a man and wings. The
234 THE ROYAL MASTER.
four faces were the face of a bull, that of a man, that of a lion, and that of an eagle. They had the likeness of a man. (Ezekiel, iv and ix.) In 2 Samuel, xxii, 11, and Psalm xviii, Jehovah is represented as riding on a Cherub and flying on the wings of the wind. In the ce- lestial hierarchy Cherubs are represented as spirits next in order to Seraphs. The hieroglyphical and emblem- atical figures embroidered on the veils of the Tabernacle are called Cherubs of curious or skillful work. (Exo- dus, xxvi.)
The Scriptural accounts of the position of the Cheru- bims are precise :
"He set the Cherubims within the inner-house: and they stretched forth the wings of the Cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other Cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house." — 1 Kings, vi.
This should be an accurate guide to ROYAL MASTERS in the use of this emblem in their Lodges.
THE THOUGHT OF DEATH. — There is no portion of the Ritual of ROYAL MASTER so impressive as the solemn thought of death, so aptly introduced. " The young may die, the old must die," is said with an impressiveness that is very affecting. To the most of men the end of life is anticipated with horror, insomuch that thousands of mankind would relinquish the opportunity of gaining an inheritance " incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away," if the present life could be immortal. Not
THE THOUGHT OF DEATH. 235
so with the truly good man. He anticipates a season of rest and relief from mortal labors, when the grosser implements of sublunary arts shall be suspended in the desolated halls of mortality that the harps of angels may employ his hands forever. There, there will be no more occasion for level or plumb-line, for trowel or gavel, for compass or square. On the perfect level of eternity neither weakness nor envy will jeopardize the good man's bright career, nor will he need an emblem of rec- titude while the example of sister-spirits is ever before him. The cement of heavenly love will be spread by the hand of Deity, and no imperfection will require the force of art to remove it. Infinitely broad will be the circle of duty, and no brother will be disposed to over- leap its boundaries, for all will be kept within the angle of perfection by Him who is able " to keep us from fall- ing" and present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. There the General Grand Lodge of immortality will hold an endless communica- tion, consisting of the fraternity of the accepted of God.
By the pallid hue of those
Whose sweet blushes mocked the rose;
By the fixed, unmeaning eye,
Sparkled once so cheerfully;
By the cold damps on the brow,
By the tongue, discordant now;
By the gasp and laboring breath,
What, 0 tell us, what is death ?
By the vacancy of heart, Where the lost one had a part; By the yearnings to retrieve Treasures hidden in the grave;
236 THE ROYAL MASTER.
By the future, hopeless all, Wrapped as in a funeral pall; By the links that rust beneath, What, 0 tell us, what is death0
By the echoes swelled around, Sigh and moan and sorrow-sound; By the grave that, opened nigh, Cruel, yields us no reply; By the silent King, whose dart Seeks and finds the mortal part; We may know, no human breath
Can inform us what is death!
•
But the grave has spoken loud; Once was raised the gloomy shroud, When the stone was rolled away, When the earth in frenzied play Shook her pillars to awake Him who suffered for our sake; When the veil's deep fissure showed All the mysteries of God !
Tell us, then, thou sink of hope, What is He that breaks thee up? Mortal, from my chambers dim Christ arose, inquire of him ! Hark unto the earnest cry, Notes celestial make reply: Christian, unto thee 't is given — Death's a passage unto Heaven!
THE CUNNING WORKMAN. — In all the Masonic Degrees that relate to the building of the first Temple, particu- larly those of the Fellow Craft, the Master Mason, the Mark Master, the Royal Master, and the Select Master, there is much said in praise of the skill, assiduity, and fidelity of one known in the Scripture accounts as Hi-
THE CUNNING WORKMAN. 287
ram, the Widow's Son. The Biblical narrative concern- ing this remarkable man is as follows :
"And Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.
"He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass; and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cun- ning to work all works in brass. And he came to Solo- mon, and wrought all his work." — 1 Kings, vii.
" Now I have sent a cunning man, endued with under- standing, of Huram my father's.
" The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skillful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson ; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father." 2 Chronicles, ii.
This man, to the description of whose scientific knowl- edge and experienced art more space is given than to any other character in the Old Testament save Moses and Daniel, was intrusted with all the works in brass, the pillars Jachin and Boaz, the molten sea, the ten vases, the ten lavers, the pots, the shovels, and the ba- sins of the Temple. In- addition to these, it may safely be affirmed that the general superintendence of the en- tire erection was placed in his charge; the preparation of the veils, the engravings of all kinds, the settings of gems and precious stones, the construction of the ivory
238 THE ROYAL MASTER,
throne, the substructures of the Temple, the Cherubims, and, in brief, the whole work to which so much time, labor, genius, and expenditure were given. In this view, he was the most remarkable man, considered as a prac- tical mechanic, or, as the Scriptures term it, " cunning workman," that the world ever produced. It is as nat- ural to attribute to the Divine Providence the great qualities of the Builder Hiram as those of the Monarch Solomon; and it is difficult to see how such a work could have been constructed at all but for his superin- tendence.
The Scriptures and Church traditions are silent as to the ultimate history of the "cunning workman." Tra- ditions connected with the apocryphal systems of " the Scotch Rite" describe him as returning to Phoenicia and constructing various temples after the completion of Solomon's, but the tradition of the Master Mason's De- gree is positive that he did not outlive the completion of his clief-d'cewvre upon Mount Moriah. The circum- stances of his death, as detailed in the Master's Lodge, are particularly interesting to the ROYAL MASTER, who is made acquainted with many amiable traits of his char- acter, and exhorted to use him as a model of piety, industry, and fidelity to truth. In the capacity of a model, "the Widow's Son" is the most prominent figure in the Masonic Rituals. Every thing connected with his career while at Jerusalem — his wonderful assiduity to business, his frugality, his artistic skill, his accuracy in adapting means to ends, his modesty in his daily con- tact with kings, his unflinching attachment to discipline, without which so great a work must have miscarried, and, best of all, his fidelity to his trust as a speculative
THE CUNNING WORKMAN. 239
workman in a structure that was to survive the ruin of the Temple and the nation — all these are traits in the model character of Hiram. In many respects he is a prototype of the " Man of Galilee," whose Reign of Peace was prefigured by the period of King Solomon, and who, as Chief Architect of a religious structure that will defy eternity to shake it from its base, is the head of all speculative architecture ; whose traditions are the history of the Church militant, and into whose glorious edifice we also, as " the fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God, are built upon the founda- tion of the apostles and prophets, JESUS CHRIST himself being the chief corner-stone, in whom all the building being fitly framed together, groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord." From these thoughts we naturally deduce the moral that Masonry was never intended to displace or supersede Christianity. It may, and often does, sub- serve the interests of the Cross, but can never fill its place or answer its ends. So far from setting up any such pretensions, it distinctly and unequivocally avows the contrary; and he who trusts to the moral power of Freemasonry for the revolution of his moral nature, the subjugation of his evil passions, arid for a blissful im- mortality, poorly understands the ground-work of the Order, and works a fatal, unpardonable fraud upon himself.
THE SELECT MASTER.
16
AT MIDNIGHT AS AT NOON.
AT midnight as at noon
The ancient worthies met : The glances of the moon
Beheld those laborers late; Nor till the glancing moon was high Did any lay his Trowel by.
Each felt a weight of care, A solemn charge o'erspread;
Each toiled in earnest there, With busy hand and head;
And to the deep and faithful cave
These midnight craft a secret gave.
In whom the fire burns bright,
At midnight as at noon, All secrets come to light
Beneath the glancing moon: Nor till the glancing moon is high, Must any lay his Trowel by.
THE SELECT MASTER.
THEORETICAL SKETCH OF NINE DEGREES.
THE system of accumulated Degrees is so popular in the United States, that it is rare to find a Master Mason who has not taken the " Higher Degrees," or who is not preparing to do so. This shows that it is not for prac- tical purposes alone that our countrymen pursue Free- masonry— for all that is practical in the system is contained in the first three Grades — but for dramatic en- joyment and for those eclectic purposes which are sub- served by the "Higher Degrees." This fact demands that we should, upon this last page, give a synopsis of the entire system of Nine Degrees usually accepted as a series of Grades in American Masonry.
1. THE ENTERED APPRENTICE. — This is the founda- tion-stone of the whole system; it is the trial Degree. Not less than seven must be associated together in a Lodge to confer it. The theory of it is trial and moral discipline. The working tools or practical symbols are the Twenty-four-inch Gauge and the Gavel. The in- structions are Faith, Hope, and Charity; Brotherly
243
244 THE SELECT MASTER.
Love, Relief, and Truth ; Temperance, Fortitude, Pru- dence, and Justice.
2. THE FELLOW CRAFT.— This is the complement of the preceding Degree; it is the Apprentice turned Jour- neyman. Not less than five must be associated together in a Lodge to confer it. The theory of it is ability to shape perfect work. The working tools or practical sym- bols are the Plumb, Square, and Level. The instruc- tions are the Attentive Ear, the Instructive Tongue, and the Faithful Breast.
3. THE MASTER MASON. — This is the governing Grade of the two preceding; it is the Fellow Craft placed in command of his fellows. Not less than three must be associated together in a Lodge to confer it. The theory of it is ability to govern in the love and fear of God. The working tool or practical symbol is the Trowel. The instructions are Friendship, Morality, and Brotherly Love.
4. THE MARK MASTER. — This is the complement, in ritualism, of the Fellow Craft; it is the Fellow Craft made skillful. Not less than eight must be associated together in a Lodge to ^confer it. The theory of it is good labor merits good ivages. The working tools or practical symbols are the Chisel and Mallet.
5. THE PAST MASTER. — This is the governing Grade of the four preceding; it is the Master Mason fitted to command a Lodge or many Lodges. Not less than three must be associated together in a Lodge to confer it.
SKETCH OF NINE DEGREES. 245
The theory of it is that a Masonic governor has three guides to discipline; viz., the Law of God, the Grand Lodge Constitution, and the By-Laws of his own Lodge.
6. THE MOST EXCELLENT MASTER. — This is closely connected with the Master Mason's Grade. Not less than two must be associated together in a Lodge to confer it. The theory of it is fervent devotion to God. The work- ing or practical symbol is the Pot of Incense.
7. THE ROYAL ARCH MASON. — This is a continuation of the Master Mason; it is the Master Mason placed under circumstances of exile, hard pilgrimage, persecu- tion, and excessive labor. Not less than nine must asso- ciate together in a Chapter to confer it. The theory of it is unbounded devotion to God. The working tools, or practical symbols are the Pickax, Spade, and Crow- bar. The instructions are Freedom, Fervency, and Zeal.
8. THE ROYAL MASTER. — This is a recurrence to the Grade of Fellow Craft; it is the Fellow Craft urgent for more light. Not less than nine nor more than twenty- seven must associate together in a Council to confer it. The theory of it is ardent cravings for Masonic instruc- tion.
9. THE SELECT MASTER. — This is the complement of the Grade of Royal Master; it is the Royal Master sat- isfied with light. Not less than nine nor more than twenty-seven must associate together in a Council to confer it. The theory of it is Justice and Mercy at ac-
246 THE SELECT MASTER,
cord. The working tools or practical emblems, both for this and the preceding grade, are the Trowel within the
Triangle.
To sum up the theories, or central rays, of these nine grades, they are:
1. Trial and moral discipline.
2. Ability to shape perfect work.
3. Ability to govern in the love and fear of God.
4. Good labor merits good wages.
5. The three fundamental guides to discipline.
6. Fervent devotion to God.
7. Unbounded devotion to God.
8. Ardent cravings for Masonic instruction.
9. Justice and mercy at accord.
These are all good lessons, whose contemplation can not fail to improve the mind, soften the heart, restrain prejudices, increase the virtues, and fit the soul for higher labors in the Lodge above. In each Degree, the necessity and duty of prayer are impressed upon the mind of the novitiate, being as clearly important to the aged as to the young, on the borders of the grave as in the flower of manhood. It was pointed out to man, in the earliest ages of the world, as a suitable medium of communion between earth and heaven. It was the "Ladder of the Patriarch," on which angels descend to minister to the happiness of men. Its three rounds are adapted to the flight of the soul to its immortal man- sions. Its benefits are immeasurable, and its obligatory force is commensurate with probationary being. It can never be useless or unimportant, till we have passed through the veils to repose on the bosom of our Maker.
COVENANTS-RECOGNITIONS-QUALIFICATIONS. 247
COVENANTS. — There is also to each grade a series of Covenants, of which, in the cautious spirit of American Masonry, we can say but little. They are derived from Holy Writ, strongly enjoined upon the novitiate, and repeated with variations of language and sentiment in each Degree. They are such as none but a conscien- tious man, walking and working in the fear of God, can keep.
RECOGNITIONS. — In these grades there is also a series of methods of recognition, arrangements of tests, words, gestures, etc., by which the brethren of the respective Degrees may mutually examine and be examined for all the purposes of the society, without liability to error. Of these, no more can be said in print.
QUALIFICATIONS. — A general summary of the qualifi- cations requisite to admission into any of these nine grades is thus given : It is formed out of the antiquated documents of Freemasonry extant, especially the '"An- cient Charges," a publication, the oldest in Masonic science, made by authority of the Grand Lodge of Eng- land, in 1723. An applicant for the honors and privi- leges, the duties and responsibilities of Masonry, must be:
1. A Man. "No woman."
2. Free, and Free-born. "No bondman." "The owner of a bondman might otherwise seize him, even in the Lodge." "Free-born." "No bondsman."
3. Of suitable age. " Of mature and discreet age."
4. Of good moral character. " Good and true men." "No immoral or scandalous men." "No thief, robber,
248 THE SELECT MASTER.
or murderer." "Utter no false oaths." "Must rever- ence God." "Must work honestly." "Do no evil." "Not commit whoredom." "No thief nor the aid of a thief." "True men to God and the Church." "Know no treason or treachery." "No common player at the cards, dice, hazard, or any other unlawful plays."
5. Born in honest wedlock. "No bastard." "De- scended of honest parents.''" "Of a good kindred." "Of honest parentage."
6. Of good public estimation. "Of good report." "No man under evil report." "Ignorance would dis- credit the Craft." " Honor is to be done to the Frater- nity by itinerant Masons." "False oaths would bring disgrace upon Masonry." "No persons shall be ac- cepted a Freemason but such as are of good reputa- tion."
7. Perfect in body. "A perfect youth, having no maim or defect in his body." "On no account receive a mutilated person." "His limbs must be quite entire and shapely ; it would be a stigma upon the Fraternity to initiate a halt or lame man." " Of limbs whole, as a man ought to be." "Able in all degrees, having his right limbs, as a man ought to have." " Of able body."
8. Of good mental powers. " If the Master discover that he is a Craftsman not so perfect as he should be, let him be at once discharged." "The Apprentice must be thoroughly instructed in the various points of the Masonic science." "He must keep the secrets intrusted to him."
9. Submissive to Masonic rule. "Willing to serve seven years." "An Apprentice must serve for smaller wages than a Fellow Craft." "He must exercise meek-
THEORY OF THE DEGREE OF SELECT MASTER. 249
ness." "He must avoid discord and contention." "He must be constrained to appear wheresoever he is sum- moned." "If he in any wise contend against the or- dinances of the Grand Lodge, he shall be made a sub- ject of Masonic punishment." "He shall conceal and hide."
From this summary, the entire code of Masonic dis- cipline and duty may be deduced. Nothing more per- fect has ever been presented by human hands for hu- man adoption, and so long as the labors of the Craft are performed upon this model, the Masonic Institution will stand a monument, from age to age, of social ties, mutual benefit, and moral perfection.
THE THEORY OF THE DEGREE OF SELECT MASTER.
The Degree of SELECT MASTER is the ninth and last of the series contemplated in the present volume. Be- yond it, there is one Degree in the Chivalric System, termed the Red-Gross Knight, which bears the same re- lation to the Royal Arch that the Royal Master's De- gree bears to the SELECT MASTER. But our present plan excludes it from this volume.
The Degree of SELECT MASTER, in beauty and im- pressiveness, does not lose in comparison with any other named in the present volume. Its drama is peculiarly interesting, suggesting to the mind the greatest doctrine of the Holy Scriptures; viz., the blending of mercy with justice. Mr. Webb's discription of it is as follows: "This Degree is the summit and perfection of .ancient Masonry; and without which, the history of the Royal
250 THE SELECT MASTER.
Arch can not be complete. It rationally accounts for the concealment and preservation of those essentials of the Craft which were brought to light at the erection of the second Temple, and which lay concealed from the Masonic eye four hundred and seventy years. Many particulars relative to those few who, for their superior skill, were selected to complete an important part of King Solomon's Temple are explained. And here, too, is ex- emplified an instance of justice and mercy by our ancient Patron toward one of the Craft, who was led to disobey his commands by an over-zealous attachment for the in- stitution. It ends with a description of a particular cir- cumstance which characterizes the Degree." Mr. Cole describes the Degree of SELECT MASTER as "filling up a chasm which every intelligent Royal Arch Mason has observed. Without it, it seems difficult, if not impossi- ble, to comprehend clearly some of the mysteries that belong to the august Degree of Royal Arch." He adds : " Such is the nature of this Degree, that we can not feel freedom to allude remotely to the nature of its secrets; we may, however, pronounce it the Key to the Arch." In 1817 it was conferred only in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, where it ranked as the Fifth Degree in the series, following next to that of Mark Master. In a sub- sequent page, Mr. Cole says : " Without the Degree of SELECT MASTER, that of Royal Arch discovers to the strict inquirer a chasm, the bottom of which, notwith- standing its native and artificial brilliancy, is enveloped in darkness."
So much being said in all the Degrees of Craft Ma- sonry relative to the city of Jerusalem, it will be proper here to give a more complete account of that remarka-
THEORY OF THE DEGREE OF SELECT MASTER. 251
ble place. Its history surpasses in vicissitudes that of any other upon earth. Seventeen times has it been destroyed and rebuilt. Every nation that has risen in the Oriental world, for nearly four thousand years, has invested and captured Jerusalem, and in turn yielded it to succeeding spoilers. The first notice that history affords us of this remarkable place, is in the account of Abraham pursuing the four kings to Hobah, and rescu- ing his nephew Lot from their hands. Returning to Hebron, which was his residence, he was met in the Vale of Shaveh by Melchizedek, the king of Salem, to whom he paid tithes of the spoil he had captured. At the same time he received from that prince a blessing, even the blessing of the Most High God, together with such refreshments as his wearied party needed. . Upon the conquest of Palestine by Joshua, Jerusalem was cast to the lot of Benjamin ; but the warriors of that tribe failing to seize it from the Jebusites, it fell to the people of Judah, upon whose boundary-line it stood, and whose superior prowess, under king David, wrested it from the hands of the enemy. David made it the Royal City and Metropolis of his kingdom. His son Solomon erected that wonderful and mysterious edifice, the Temple, upon its eastern eminence, Mount Moriah, and in the division of the kingdom, under Rehoboam, it remained the Me- tropolis of the Kingdom of Judah.
In the day of its highest splendor and prosperity its population exceeded a million of souls. The Jewish cer- emonial requiring all the people to appear in the Temple three times a year, Jerusalem was ever a thronged city and the great inland mart of the nation. The surround- ing hills, being terraced and irrigated, were covered with
252 THE SELECT MASTER.
the fruitful things of that latitude, grains, figs, olives and vines. The cattle grazed upon the thousand hills, affording food, clothing, and wealth to the inhabit- ants.
But glorious as was the temporal prosperity shared with Tyre, Sidon, the cities of Egypt, and other flourish^ ing emporiums, Jerusalem was more fortunate than any, in being the residence, the earthly home, of the Most High God. Jehovah, who had answered the supplica- tions of King Solomon in the Fire and the Cloud, condescended to abide upon the Mercy-seat under the cherubim, in the Most Holy Place. By oracles, by the mystic Urim and Thummim, by visions, voices, and dreams, he answered the prayers of the faithful through the Divinely-ordained Priesthood, and made his presence known to those who rightly sought him. This fact, well understood by the pious Jews, made Jerusalem the "joy of the whole earth" to them. It was the Sacred City, the one spiritual oasis in a wilderness of heathen super- stititions and impiety. From hence came forth the law. The Psalms of David were promulgated from this city. Ezra collated and composed the sacred canon here. Here for hundreds of years stood up, east of the Porch of the Temple, the grand pillars, Jachin and Boaz, the wonder and admiration of all beholders ; an assurance to all, in their very names, that in strength God had cove- nanted to establish the honor, the city, the kingdom, the law forever, provided Israel would continue to serve him as their Lawgiver and Ruler.
Such, then, was the City of the Great King; the per- fection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth. But, alas! how great has been her fall ! How doth the city sit sol-
CRYPTIC MASONRY. 253
itary that was full of people ! how is she become as a widow !
Reft of thy sons, amid thy foes forlorn,
Mourn, widowed Queen ! forgotten Sion, mourn !
Is this thy place, sad city, this thy throne,
Where the wild desert rears its craggy stone —
Where suns, unblest, their angry luster fling,
And way-worn pilgrims seek the scanty spring?
Where now thy pomp, which kings with envy viewed?
Where now thy might, which all these kings subdued?
No martial myriads muster in thy gate :
No suppliant nations in thy temple wait;
No prophet-bards, thy glittering courts among,
Wake the full lyre, and swell the tide of song;
But lawless force and meager want are there,
And the quick, darting eye of restless fear;
While cold oblivion, mid thy ruins laid,
Folds his dark wing beneath the ivy shade.
Jerusalem, now for more than a thousand years in possession of the infidel, is a miserable town, of less than ten thousand inhabitants, possessing not a wreck of its former glory. Temple, brazen pillars, palaces, all are gone. The very surface of the earth upon which pressed the feet of prophets, priests, and kings, is buried, in places, fifty feet deep beneath the debris of the former city, and, with the exception of a few great stones in the foundation- walls about Mount Moriah, it is impossible to point to an object fashioned by the hand of man, and affirmed with certainty, " this is the handiwork of the men of Solomon."
• CRYPTIC MASONRY. — The term " Cryptic Masonry," as applied to the two Degrees of the Council, is derived more especially from the SELECT MASTER. Descriptions
254 THE SELECT MASTER.
of some of the remarkable caves and substructures of King Solomon 3 Temple will be found upon subsequent pages. It is a pleasant tradition, illustrating this de- partment, that the body of the Wi&e King yet lies en- tombed within a crypt, in the bowels of the Sacred Mountain, and that his spirit is permitted to wander forth at midnight, and to visit for one hour the places made memorable by his wisdom, valor, benevolence, or piety, during his lifetime. Among all these, however, there is none which his spirit haunts with such tenacity as working Lodges of Freemasons. Wherever Gavels ring or Jewels gleam, past the midnight hour, the spirit of Solomon is. found, not visible to the eye, but appar- ent, it is said, to the well-informed, by the enlarged spirit of brotherly love animating .every breast. The following lines illustrate the thought:
KING SOLOMON'S MIDNIGHT VISIT.
IN a deep, rocky Cave great King Solomon lies,
Sealed up till the judgment from all prying eyes:
The Square on his breast, and his kingly brow crowned,
His Gavel and Scepter with filletings wound ;
At midnight, impatient, his spirit comes forth,
And haunts for a season the places of earth.
He flits like a thought to the chambers of kings;
To the plain where black battle has shaken his wings;
To the cave where the student his late vigil keeps;
To the cell where the prisoner hopelessly weeps :
But most where Freemasons their mystical round
Continue past midnight, King Solomon 's found. ^
0, then when the bell tolls low tivelve, do we hear A rustling, a whispering startle the ear ;
THE TWENTY-SEVEN WORKMEN. 255
A deep solemn murmur, while Crafts stand in awe, At something the eye of a mortal ne'er saw; We know it, we feel it, we welcome the King, Whose spirit takes part in the anthem we sing.
And then every heart beats responsive and warm; The Acacia blooms freshly, we heed not the storm; Our tapers are starlit, and lo ! from above, There seems as descending the form of a Dove ! 'T is the Emblem of Peace that King Solomon sends, To model and pattern the work of his friends.
His friends, loving brothers, when homeward you go Bear Peace in your bosoms-, let Peace sweetly flow 1 In concord, in friendship, in brotherly love, Be faithful, no emblem so true as the Dove; The world will confess then, with cheerful accord, You have met with King Solomon at midnight abroad!
THE TWENTY-SEVEN WORKMEN.
In the ranks of the faithful, whose biography is given with more or less minuteness in. the Holy Scriptures, there are Twenty-seven names especially worthy the reverence of SELECT MASTERS. They are named below in the order of their lives. Each in his day performed his part, Trowel in hand, girded about with white rai- ment as becometh the faithful of God, to spread the ce- ment upon the walls of moral architecture, and each is embalmed in the memory of all who revere virtue and fortitude devoted to a holy calling.
1. ADAM. — His birth was cotemporaneous with the creation of the world; he was the last and noblest of God's works. The victim of temptation, he was ban- ished from Eden and condemned to a toilsome lot, which
250 THE SELECT MASTER.
he bore patiently, and thus, by faith in a coming Mes- siah, was reinstated in the favor of God. He died B. C. 8074, aged 930 years.
2. ABEL. — Born B. C. 4001, he met with a shocking death at his brother's hands at the age of 126 years. In his meekness, his piety, attention to religious duty, and undeserved death, he is an emblem of 'one " whose blood speaketh better things than that of Abel."
3. ENOCH. — Born B. C. 3382, he was translated be- yond the persecutions of his enemies to the land of per- petual peace at the age of 365 years. "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found because God had translated him ; for before his translation he had his testimony that he pleased God.'3
4. NOAH.— Born B. C. 2948, this godly man, " being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house ; by the which he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith." He survived the flood 349 years, dying at the age of 950 years.
5. ABRAHAM. — This memorable character, the founder of the Jewish nation, was born in Chaldea, B. C. 1996, and died near Hebron, in Canaan, at the age of 175 years. "When called to go into a place which he should afterward receive for an inheritance, he obeyed; for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."
THE TWENTY-SEVEN WORKMEN. 257
6. ISAAC. — Born in the patriarchal abode at Beersheba, B. C. 1896, he lived a peaceable and quiet life, in the constant exercise of charity and benevolence, and died aged 180 years.
7. JACOB. — Born B. C. 1836, he lived a life of great vicissitudes, suffering much from the consequences of his own sins and the evil conduct of his children, yet ever trusting in God for pardon, and died in Egypt, in the arms of his beloved son Joseph, aged 147 years.
8. JOSEPH. — Born in Padan Aram, B. C. 1746, he was sold by his brothers as a slave, at the age of 17 years ; was taken to Egypt and became its governor at the youthful age of 30. A model son and brother, he brought down all his relatives to Egypt, where he pro- vided for their support, and died at the age of 110 years.
9. MOSES. — Born in a state of servitude in Egypt, B. C. 1571, he became at the age of 80 the. Lawgiver and Captain of his people, whom he conducted by an arduous and devious route to the land of their fathers, and expired on Mount Pisgah, in view of the Promised Land, at the age of 120 years.
10. AARON. — Born in Egypt, B. C. 1574, he was the Deputy and Spokesman of his greater brother Moses; assisted him in conducting the people and putting into operation their new laws and ceremonials, and died upon Mount Hor, in Edom, at the age of 122 years.
17
258 THE SELECT MASTER.
11. JOSHUA. — Born in Egypt, B. C. 1553, lie accom- panied the spies from Kadesh Barnea into Canaan, was faithful amidst all disasters, and upon the death of Moses took command of the hosts of Israel, and accom- plished the conquest of Palestine within about six years. He died, aged 110 years.
12. CALEB. — Born in Egypt, his career resembled that of Joshua. He was one of the spies who brought a good report to Moses. In the conquest of Canaan he fought a good fight, and was allotted Hebron and its surroundings for his inheritance.
13. BARAK. — A deliverer of Israel from the grievous oppressions of Sisera, he ruled his people in the fear of God for forty years.
14. GIDEON. — A follower in the chivalrous career of Barak, he rescued his country from the Midianites in a great battle at the well Harod, striking boldly in the name of the Lord.
15. JEPHTHAH. — The third in this band of national deliverers, he drove back the Ammonites, achieving a decisive victory at Aroer, and by his piety and valor gave peace to Israel, whom he ruled for six years.
16. SAMUEL. — Born at Ramathaim Zophim, B. C. 1155, he became the most eminent prophet and priest since the days of Moses. From early youth he had access to God, and by successive communications derived the Di- vine will by which he ruled his people Israel.
THE TWENTY-SEVEN WORKMEN. 259
17. DAVID. — Born at Bethlehem, B. C. 1085, he was from his youth " a man after God's own heart." Though at times overcome by temptation, his sins were not presump- tuous ; he submitted patiently to punishment, and poured forth his penitence and thanksgiving in his deathless Psalms. He died at the age of 71 years, and was buried on Mount Sion, where his sepulcher is shown to this day.
18. — SOLOMON. — Born B. C. 1033, he is the Founder of Speculative Masonry or Freemasonry, of which his Temple on Mount Moriah was equally the spiritual and the practical model. He was emphatically the Wise King, the Moralist, the Royal Patron of Science and the Arts. Eed into shocking follies, his old age recalled him to a purer life, and he died, it may be hoped, in the prospect of a better world.
•
19. HIRAM, KING OF TYRE. — The royal friend and provider of King Solomon, the Great Temple at Jerusa- lem was equally indebted to his munificent procurement of materials and his experienced skill in their distribu- tion.
20. HIRAM, THE BUILDER. — The Operative Grand Master and companion of two kings, was "a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, filled with all wisdom and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass; skillful to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put
2(JO THE SELECT MASTER.
to him." This is the man whose noble death in defense of his integrity stands as a Masonic example to all ages.
21. ADONIRAM. — This man was the royal Treasurer of Solomon, and an active participant in the erection of the mystic temple of Freemasonry.
22. ELIJAH. — The Tishbite of Gilead stands fore- most in the Old Testament Scriptures for nearness of access to the throne of Deity, for boldness of approach to kings, for powers of enduring hunger, thirst, and fa- tigue when upon the mission of God, and for the splen- dor of his departure, on one of the summits of Abarim, a in a chariot of fire and with horses of fire."
23. ELISHA. — The son of Shaphat, of Abel Meholath, became the successor -of Elijah and the possessor of his mantle. . He enjoyed, like him, the manifest favor of God. His miraculous powers proved his favor with Deity, which he ever exerted for the benefit of suffering humanity. In his day the nation of Israel, long divided into two king- doms, was fast hastening, by a course of idolatry and sin, to its own destruction, an event that might be de- layed, but could not be prevented by all the efforts of these prophets.
24. ZERUBBABEL. — A prince of the house of David, one of the captivity, who had kept his apron unspotted during the years of his exile, it was his happy portion to lead back the first portion of Judah to the land of their fathers. The destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchad- nezzar occurred B. C. 588. Zerubbabel, with his follow-
THE TWENTY-SEVEN WORKMEN.
ers, reached the ruined city fifty-two years afterward, laid the foundation of the second Temple two years later, and dedicated it B. C. 515, seventy-three years after its destruction.
25. EZRA. — Coming from Babylon to Jerusalem, he was made governor, B. C. 457, and acted in that capac- ity for twelve years. He then became engaged in col- lecting and publishing the Jewish Scriptures, and restor- ing the purity of the Jewish worship.
26. JUDAS MACCABEUS. — Made governor of Judea, B. C. 166, this man was the last of a long array of holy and valiant men who upheld their nation, always strug- gling against the greatest odds, preserved their religion from total destruction, and left upon record examples of undying interest.
27. JOHN THE EVANGELIST. — Born by the Sea of Gali- lee, and accustomed to the hardships and poverty of a fisherman's life, this man was raised, by faith in the Son of God, to the most commanding eminence among the Sons of Light. For his amiability he was styled "the beloved Disciple." After the tragedy upon Calvary he took charge of Mary, the mother of Jesus. He bore exile and tortures unflinchingly for Christ's sake, and expired at the ripe age of 100 years, the last and great- est of the Apostles.
These are the Twenty-seven whose names and history gleam forth from the pages of Scripture as the sun-rays from the eastern horizon, and who afford the laborers of
262 THE SELECT MASTER.
the Trowel every shade of example which human exigen- cies can demand.
CHRONOLOGY OF THE SCRIPTURES.
It is essential to the understanding of Bible facts that a careful and accurate table of chronological data should be accessible to the reader. Such a one is here appended :
B.C.
4004— Creation of the World.
4002— Birth of Cain.
4001— Birth of Abel.
3875— Murder of Abel.
3874— Birth of Seth.
3382— Birth of Enoch.
3317— Birth of Methusaleh.
3074— Death of Adam.
3017— Translation of Enoch.
2962— Death of Seth.
2948— Birth of SToah.
2468— The Deluge threatened.
2348— Death of Methusaleh.
2348— The Flood.
2347— Termination of the Flood.
2234— Building of Babel.
2234 — Confusion of Tongues and Dispersion.
2233 — Nimrod began the Assyrian Monarchy.
2188 — Mizraim began the Egyptian Monarchy.
1998— Death of Noah.
1996— Birth of Abraham.
1936 — Abraham called to Haran.
1921 — Abraham called to Canaan.
1913 — Abraham's Victory over the Kings.
1910— Birth of Ishmael.
1897 — God's Covenant with Abraham.
CHRONOLOGY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 263
B.C.
1896— Birth of Isaac.
1871— Isaac offered.
1859— Death of Sarah.
1856 — Isaac marries Rebecca.
1836 — Jacob and Esau born.
1821— Death of Abraham.
1759 — Jacob went to Padan.
1746 — Joseph born.
1739 — Jacob returned to Canaan.
1729 — Joseph sold as a Slave.
1716 — Joseph made Governor of Egypt
1716— Death of Isaac.
1706 — Jacob removed to Egypt.
1689— Death of Jacob.
1636— Death of Joseph.
1574— Birth of Aaron.
1571— Birth of Moses.
1553— Birth of Joshua.
1531 — Moses fled to Midian.
1491 — Moses commissioned.
1491 — Departure of Israelites from Egypt
1490 — The Law delivered on Sinai.
1452 — Death of Miriam.
1452— Death of Aaron.
1451— Death of Moses.
1451 — Israelites enter Canaan.
1443— Death of Joshua.
1155— Birth of Samuel.
1116— Death of Eli, the High-Priest
1095 — Saul anointed King.
1085— Birth of David.
1063 — David anointed King.
1055— Death of Saul.
1048 — David King over all Israel.
1047 — Jerusalem made*the Jewish Metropolis.
1033— Birth of Solomon.
1023— Death of Absalom.
204 THE SELECT MASTRK.
B.C.
1015 — Solomon crowned King. 014— Death of David. 004 — Completion of the Temple. 975— Rehoboam King. 958— Abijah King. 955 — Asa King. 614 — Jehoshaphat King. 892 — Jehoram King. 885— Ahaziah King. 878— Joash King. 839 — Amaziah King. 810— Uzziah King. 758— Jotham King. 742— Ahaz King. 726— Hezekiah King. 698— Manasseh King. 643 — Amon King. 641 — Josiah King. 610 — Jehoahaz King. 599 — Jehoiachin King. 599— Zedekiah King. 588 — Babylonian Captivity. 588 — Destruction of Jerusalem 538 — Babylon taken by Cyrus. 536 — Return of Captives to Jerusalem. 534 — Foundations laid of Second Temple. 529 — The work ordered to cease. 520 — Favorable Decree b.y Darius. 518 — Esther made Queen. 515 — Second Temple, completed. 510 — Hainan's Plot frustrated. 484 — Xerxes King of Persia. 464 — Artaxerxes Longimarius. 457 — Ezra sent to govern Jerusalem. 423— Darius Nothus.
335 — Alexander establishes the Grecian Empire 332— -Jaddus High-Priest
CHRONOLOGY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 265
B.C.
323— Death of Alexander.
320 — Jerusalem taken by Ptolemacus Lagus.
277 — Septuagint Version of Scriptures made.
170 — Jerusalem taken by Antiochus Epiphanes.
166 — Judas Maccabaeus Governor.
161 — Jonathan Governor.
135 — John Tlyrcanus.
107 — Judas High-Priest and King.
63 — Jerusalem taken by Pompey.
40— Herod the Great, King.
28 — Augustus Caesar Emperor of Borne.
18— Herod begins the Third Temple. 4 — Birth of John the Baptist 4— Birth of Jesus Christ
A.D.
1 — Birth of Jesus Christ. 12 — Jesus visits Jerusalem. 18 — Tiberias Emperor of Rome. 26 — Pontius Pilate Governor of Judea 29 — John the Baptist began his Ministry. 30 — Jesus baptized by John. 33 — Jesus was Crucified. 35 — Martyrdom of Stephen. 36— Saul Converted. 38 — Conversion of the Gentiles. 42 — Herod Agrippa King of Judea. 44 — James beheaded. 54 — Nero Emperor of Rome. 63 — Paul sent prisoner to Rome. 65 — Commencement of Jewish War. 66— Death of Paul.
70 — Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. 71 — The City and Temple razed to foundation* 79 — Titus Emperor of Rome. 81 — Domitian Emperor of Rome. 95 — John banished to Patmos. 96— John wrote Apocalypse.
266 THE SELECT MASTER.
A. D.
97 — John liberated from exile. 100— John died.
ANTIQUITY. — There are few subjects to which antiquity does not lend a charm. The meditative mind loves to dwell upon what bears the impress of ages long gone by. An indefinable charm lingers around aged things — the oak, through whose branches have whistled the winds of a thousand winters; the mountain, whose bald summit has warded off the thunderbolts of ages ; the stately pile of art, whose arches have echoed the footsteps of untold generations — and enchains the spirit as if by some magic spell. They connect us with the past, and tinge the mind with the solemn hues that color the distant. They extort an homage from the beholder that few things can. He who possesses a feeling soul will linger amid such scenes and objects with a pleasure mixed with grateful awe.
And if such is the power of antiquity when connect- ing us with things inanimate, how much more potent does it become when connecting us with the society of living, sentient beings of like feelings with ourselves! How sensitive the chord, how profound the feelings it awakens there ! We no longer feel ourselves existing only now, and as individuals, but to be living at each separate period of our society's duration, and to have our hearts swell with the feelings and our minds kindle with the thoughts of all our brethren before us. Is it strange, then, that the Freemason should read the his- tory of his ancient brethren with emotions? that he should love his Order all the better for being ancient, and render it an homage profounder and more devo-
ANTIQUITY. 2t»7
tional on that account? Had it been worthless it could never have become old. Things worthless do not so out- last the wastings of time ; do not triumph, age after age, over all the oppositions of power and intelligence, in- flamed by untiring hostility.
These thoughts are suggested to our minds in taking a chronological view like that afforded by the tables above. Measuring back from the Evangelist John, we mark a long array of names of men who have left their "footprints on the sands of time," and whose lives have been living monuments of the teachings of Freemasonry. A Society that flourished in the times of a Solomon, a Zerubbabel, a John — a light that shone with equal brill- iancy upon an Abraham, a Moses, a Samuel — is worthy of profoundest admiration, if only for its antiquity and its unchangeableness in a world so fickle as ours. To look at a table of eminent men in the earlier stages of history is to look upon the Freemasons' Roll.
The principles by which these fathers of the ancient Art were actuated were few, simple, sublime. They are all communicated, either in letter or spirit, in the Moral Law, the Ten Commandments. Upon these, as a basis, men of all nations, ages, faiths could harmonize, and can harmonize. To add new rules and injunctions to these is to destroy the very Society which it is pro- posed thus to amend. This the poet has truly expressed in the following lines:
The OLD is better; is it not the plan
By which the Wise in by-gone days contrived
To bind in willing fetters man to man And strangers in a sacred nearness lived?
268 THE SELECT MASTER.
Is there in modern wisdom aught like that Which 'midst the blood and carnage of the plain
Can calm man's fury, mitigate his hate, And join disrupted friends in love again ?
No: for three thousand years the smiles of heaven,
Smiles on whose sunbeams comes unmeasured joy, To this thrice-honored cement have been given,
This bond, this covenant, this sacred tie: It cornea to us full-laden : from the tomb
A countless host conspire to name its worth, Who sweetly sleep beneath the Acacia's bloom
And there is naught like Masonry on earth,
Then guard the venerable relic well;
Protect it, Masters, from the unholy hand; See that its emblems the same lessons tell
Sublime, through every age and every land: Be not a line erased ; the pen that drew
These matchless tracings was the Pen Divine: Infinite wisdom best for mortals knew;
God will preserve intact the grand design.
A
BEAUTIFUL AND ACCURATE ELEVATION
OF THE
TEMPLE OF SOLOMON,
TAKEN FROM THE
CELEBRATED MODEL
ERECTED BY COUNSELLOR SCHOTT, OF HAMBURG, ORNA- MENTED WITH THE MOST INTERESTING PASSAGES IN THE LIVES OP KING DAVID, AND SOLOMON, HIS SON.
TKI Temple of Solomon, in general form, resembled tho Tabernacle; in fact, it was a substitute for the Tabernacle, which was only adapted to a wayfaring people, and like it, the temple was the great center of the same system of ceremonial worship. It was built upon Mount Moria, which was one summit of a range of hills, the general name of which was Mount Zion. Beginning on the north, this ridge bears the name of Bezetha, then Moriah, then Ophel, the latter running down to the junction of the ravine termed the Tyro- peon, with the valley of Jehoshaphat. Mount Moriah has an altitude on the east of about four hundred feet above the valley.
TEMPLE OP SOLOMON.
The idea of building a temple was suggested to the mind of David by the contemplation of his own good fortune, the general state of prosperity to which his country had arrived, and his fraternal relations with the Phoenician king Hiram, whose dominions afforded suitable wood, and his subjects suitable workmen, foi the edifice. It became to David an object of lively and unceasing interest; and, although, he was not per- mitted by the Almighty to take a single step in its action, yet, during the latter years of his reign, he collected precious metals to the value of many millions of dollars, besides immense quantities of brass, iron, stone and other material, and secured skillful artificers for every branch of the work. He also furnished tho design, plan and location of the building — in all of which he was divinely instructed. The superintend- ence and erection of it was, however, committed to his wise son Solomon, who, in the fourth year of his reign, laid the foundation-stone and began the work.
Like the Tabernacle, the Temple had its front toward the east. The porch or portico extended across the whole front, projecting fifteen feet from the main build- ing. Upon the sides and rear of the main building was an additional building of three stories, each nearly eight feet high. This structure was about half the height of the Temple proper, and, though built against the walls was not fastened to them. It was divided into apartments like chambers, which opened into the gal- lery which surrounded it. There was a flight of stairs
TEMPLE OF SOLOMON.
on the south side which led into the second story, and another leading from the second into the third. The whole building and its environs were entered by two courts ; the inner court, called the court of the Priests, corresponds, generally, with the court of the Taber- nacle, as did also the sacred apartments, furniture, and utensils.
The structure, for beauty, magnificence, and expense, exceeded every building ever known to the world. It was built with large blocks of white marble, hewn in a very curious manner, and so joined together that they deceived the eye, and looked like one entire stone. Its inner walls, beams, posts, doors, floors, and ceilings were made of cedar wood, olive wood, and planks of fir, covered with plates of gold, engraved with marks of various characters, and adorned with precious jewels of many colors, disposed in a running order. The nails which fastened these plates were of gold, with heads of curious workmanship. The roof was of olive wood, covered with plates of gold which shone with such brightness as to dazzle the eyes of the beholder. The court in which the Temple stood, and those without it, were built on all sides with stately buildings and cloisters; and the gates entering therein were very beautiful and sumptuous.
The vessels consecrated to the perpetual use of the Temple were not less noble than the pile itself. Jo- sophus counts one hundred and forty thousand of them which were made of gold, and one million three hun-
TEMPLE OP SOLOMON.
drod and forty thousand of silver; ten thousand vest- ments of silk, with purple girdles, for the Priests, and two millions of purple vestments for singers. Thero were, likewise, two hundred trumpets, and forty thou- sand other musical instruments made use of in prais- ing God. By Yillalpandus's computation of the num- ber of talents of gold, silver, and brass laid out upon the Temple, the sum amounts to six thousand nine hundred and four millions, eight hundred and twenty- two thousand and five hundred pounds sterling; and the jewels are reckoned to exceed this sum; while ac- cording to Capel's reduction of the talents contained in the gold and silver vessels in the use of the Temple, the sum of the gold ones amounts to five hundred and forty -five millions, two hundred and ninety-six thou- sand, two hundred and three pounds and four shill- ings sterling, and the silver came to four hundred and thirty-nine millions, three hundred and forty -four thousand pounds sterling. Besides these, there were charges for other materials, and of ten thousand men per month in Lebanon to hew timber, seventy thousand to carry burdens, eighty thousand to hew stones, and three thousand three hundred overseers, who were all employed for seven years ; and to whom, besides their regular wages and food, Solomon gave, as a free gift, six millions seven hundred and thirty -three thousand, nine hundred and seventy-seven pounds sterling.
The treasure left by David, toward carrying on this work, is estimated by Villalpandus at nine hundred
TEMPLE OP SOLOMON.
and eleven millions, four hundred and sixteen thou- sand, two hundred and seven pounds sterling; to •which, if we add Solomon's annual revenue, his trading to Ophir for Gold, and the presents made him by all the earth, we are not surprised at his being able to complete this work in so expensive a manner ; nor can we, without impiety, question its surpassing all other structures, since we learn from 1 Chron. v: 23, that it was built by the express direction of God himself.
The most interesting portion of this structure was, however, the Sanctum Sanctorum, or Holy of Holies, which was a room thirty feet square and thirty feet high. The floor of this apartment was overlaid with gold, and the walls adorned with palm-trees and cher- ubim. The gold finish of this small apartment ab- sorbed four millions three hundred and twenty-seven pounds sterling. This most holy place was made on purpose to be a tabernacle for the Ark, which was placed in the middle of it between two cherubims of image work, each fifteen feet high, having their wings expanded each five cubits long, two of which touched the walls, while the other two met and touched each other exactly over the middle of the ark, their faces being turned inward in a worshiping posture. Tho Ark, called the "glory of Israel," was a small chest or coffer, three feet nine inches long, two feet three inches wide, and three feet three inches high. It was made of wood, excepting only the top or mercy- seat, but all overlaid with gold both inside and out,
TEMPLE OP SOLOMON.
and it had a ledge of gold surrounding it at the top into which, as into a socket, was let the cover called the " Mercy-seat.1' This mercy-seat was made of solid gold, the thickness of a hand's breadth. At tho two ends of it were two cherubim, looking inward toward each other, with their wings expanded, and embracing the whole circumference of the "mercy-seat," met on every side and in the middle. The whole of this "mercy-seat," it was affirmed by the Eabbins, was made out of one solid lump of gold, with neither rivets nor soldering of any of its parts. It was here the Shekinah or Divine Presence rested, and was visi- ble in the appearance of a cloud above it. From hence the Bathkoll issued and gave answers when God was consulted, and hence it is that God is said, in Scripture, to dwell between the cherubim — that is be- tween the cherubim on the mercy-seat — because there was the seat or throne of the visible appearance of God's glory among them.
This work was engraved at Boston, Mass., upon two steel plates, from the celebrated design of Chancellor Schott, of Hamburg, at a cost exceeding two thousand dollars. Nothing but an examination will afford a sufficient idea of the fund of instruction embodied in this work. The border designs, of which there are eight, the drawings sub- sidiary, of which there are four, and the scriptural and historical passages thickly interspersed, make it a perfect cyclopedia of the subject. The size of the plate is 24 by 42 inches, and the price is, for plain prints $2, and for colored $2.50 each. Where clubs of five or more unite, the prices will be $1.50 for plain, and $.2.00 for colored copies.
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