0-)\ I >JI ^ -^-x J 
 
 ?A» ' <TiUQNYS ^3AIN,il 3\\V 
 
 
 vjcin ^UIBRAK ^UIBRARYQr 
 
 i^f j j®=j jM^ 
 
 I rt e=/ 
 
 IMNIHW^ 'JITViHO^ ^/OJITVOJO^ 
 
 v^lO AFCAIIFO/?^ ^OFCAllFOfyo 
 
 .Ill ■ fling 
 
 
 vvV.IIRC 
 
 R% ^clOS-ANCElfj> LIBRARY^ 
 
 ^3AIN(13WV N %0JI1V3 
 
 CAIIFO/?^ iCA1IF(%, 
 
 ^ahvmii 
 
 f)~f [Or-1 
 
 R % A^lOSANCFlfj-^
 
 vaan *owm. 
 
 
 
 INIVERtyj 
 
 JNV-SP- 
 
 ^lOSANCElfX^, 
 
 ^UIBRAIMfr. ^t-UBRARYfl/ 
 
 ■fr/HHAINIHWV* %HnV3-JO^ %0JnVDJO^ 
 
 .^MINIVERS'/A 
 
 ^UONYSO^ 
 
 INIVERS//, 
 
 J 
 
 ^lOS-ANGElfj^ 
 
 "fr/WBAINIUWv 
 
 ^OFCALjFO% ^OFCAllF(%, 
 
 c? 55 
 
 
 >&Aava8n# >&ahvmih^ 
 
 ^WE UNIVER5//> 
 
 =3 
 
 <Til33NYSO^ 
 
 BRAR> <^UIBRARY0/ 
 
 Z7\ 
 
 .\\tEllNIVERS/A 
 
 ^lOSANGElfr- 
 
 
 ^(HllVJ-JO^ <Tii30NVSO^ ^/HHAINIHlfc S ^OJI1V3JO^ 
 
 !AUFOfc^ ^OKALIFQR^ 
 
 fRl 
 
 ^EUNIVER% ^lOSANGElfr^ 
 
 
 <Tii33NV-S01^ 
 
 
 ^OKALIF(% 
 
 ^AavaaiH^ 
 
 
 ^lOSANCElfr- 
 
 % 
 
 *4sm\m$& 
 
 ^M-LIBRARYQ^ 
 
 %Oi\m^ 
 
 <^UlBRARY0/- 
 
 ^OJIWJJO^ 
 
 AWEUNIVERV/) 
 <Til3DNVS0l^ 
 
 ► £3 
 
 ■iS-ANCEL^ 
 
 
 
 
 ^OF-CAllFORto 
 
 ~M I £. 
 
 ^WEUNIVERto 
 
 
 d 
 
 
 
 
 ! W/A 
 
 ^lOSA 
 
 
 
 
 
 SJ ^ V ' » J
 
 THE 
 
 ANTIQUITIES 
 
 OF 
 
 FREE-MASONRY, 
 
 Sfc.
 
 THE 
 
 ANTIQUITIES 
 
 FREE-MASONRY ; 
 
 COMPRISING 
 
 I LUSTRATIONS OF THE 
 
 FIVE GRAND PERIODS OF MASONRY, 
 
 THE CREATION OF THE WORLD TO THE DEDICATION OF KIM; 
 SOLOMON'S TEMPLE. 
 
 By tiii: Rev. G. OLIVER, D.D., M.A.S.E. 
 
 Incumbent of the Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton .• P.D.P.O.M.for Lincolnshire , 
 Author of " The History of Initiation," " Star in the East," 8fc. Sfc. 
 
 \ m;\\ edition, 
 
 WITH LARGE ADDITIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 .' r </ larlv </ ayyiKia, f}v ^Kovcari 
 
 a- ipX'lCi "'" " ," ~"'/" '' ii.\.\//\nri;. 
 
 LONDON: 
 RICHARD SPENCER, 31 I, HIGH HOLBORN 
 
 1843.
 
 J. I.. COX .V SOX>, 
 I - Til THE HONOURABLE BAST-INDIA COMPANY, 
 
 74 & 75, Ct. Queen St. Lincoln's- Inn Fit-Ms.
 
 Stack 
 Annex 
 
 063 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The objections which have been so unceasingly 
 urged against the institution of Free-Masonry, ex- 
 cited in me, some years ago, a serious desire to 
 obviate the general and vague charges of envy 
 and prejudice, by some formal examination of the 
 grounds on which they are founded. Since this 
 duty has been impressed upon my mind, I have 
 preached and printed many sermons in my official 
 capacity of Provincial Grand Chaplain for the county 
 of Lincoln, the tendency of all which has been 
 chiefly directed towards this point. But I find, 
 that while I confine myself to answering peculiar 
 objections, I am only applying a partial remedy to 
 the evil. To stem the torrent which is opposed to 
 ii-. and effectually to divert the course of its stream. 
 is an undertaking of a more broad and extensive 
 nature : and it is only from an exposition of the 
 pun principles of the science, as it actually existed 
 in the primitive ages of the world, that a correct 
 idea of it- beneficial tendency can be conveyed to 
 the mind of those who look upon Masonry as another 
 name for licentiousness and excess. 
 
 A 
 
 2064079
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 Aii ancient manuscript, in the handwriting of 
 King Henry the Sixth, gives the following definition 
 of Masonry: " Ytt beeth the skylle of nature, the 
 understondynge of the myghte that ys hercynne ; 
 and its sondrye werckynges, sonderlyche, and skylle 
 of rectenynges, of waightes and metynges, and the 
 true manere of faconnynge al thyngos for mannes 
 use ; hcadlye, dwellynges, and buildynges of all 
 kyndes, and al odher thyngcs that make guddc to 
 manne." The same manuscript, which was preserved 
 in the Bodleian library, adds : " Maconnes havethe 
 alweys, yn everyche tyme, from tyme to tyme, com- 
 munycatedde to mankynde soche of her secrettes 
 as generallyche myghte be usefulle ; they hauethe 
 keped backe soche alleine as shulde be harmfulle 
 yff they corned ynn euylle haundes. Maconnes love 
 eidher odher myghtylye, and yt may not odherwise 
 be : for glide menne and true, kennynge eidher 
 odher to be such, doeth always love the more as 
 thay be more good." 1 
 
 It is truly said that Masonry unites mankind in 
 the indissoluble bonds of sincere affection ; and if 
 its nature and origin be minutely considered, it will 
 produce a perfect conviction, that when its funda- 
 mental principles are strictly adhered to, it cannot 
 
 1 The whole of this MS., with annotations by our countryman 
 the learned Mr. Locke, is published in Preston's " Illustrations of 
 Masonry;" Hutchinson's "Spirit of Masonry," and other Ma- 
 sonic works.
 
 PREFACE. VI 1 
 
 possibly be otherwise. It is not simply practical or 
 operative, but speculative or spiritual Masonry that 
 produces this desirable consummation. Our orna- 
 ments, furniture, and jewels are all highly emble- 
 matical of some greater and more noble purpose, 
 than the use to which they might be applied as 
 instruments of labour ; and in this view it is, that 
 though the light may shine brilliantly amidst the 
 darkness, yet it is evident that the darkness com- 
 prehendeth it not. 
 
 I cannot but think (and I say it with the utmost 
 deference, as it involves some of the most refined 
 and honourable feelings of human nature) that the 
 doubts of conscientious brethren, respecting the 
 propriety of committing Masonic investigations to 
 writing, have tended to impede the study of Ma- 
 sonry, and have prevented the science from carry- 
 ing that conviction which an opposite practice would 
 have commanded. 
 
 It is true we enjoy every benefit derivable from 
 oral communication, yet very great numbers of 
 worthy and good Masons, residing at a distance 
 from the metropolis, remain perfectly ignorant of 
 the progress of Masonry in the darker ages of the 
 world. This is an evil to which the Grand Lodge 
 is fully empowered to apply a remedy. Annual 
 prize essays on Masonic subjects, the establishment 
 of a respectable periodical magazine,' under the 
 
 Tlii^ deadentom bai been supplied by the establishment <>f 
 a 2
 
 VIII PREFACE. 
 
 immediate auspices of the Grand Lodge, or even 
 private encouragement or patronage to literary Ma- 
 Bons, which our noble and royal brethren arc well 
 competent to afford, would create a stimulus in 
 defence of the order, which might produce the most 
 beneficial results to Masonry; and would certainly 
 be a powerful and efficient means of removing a 
 portion of the unmerited disrespect which is sys- 
 tematically cast upon us by the uninitiated. 
 
 I am by no means prepared to admit the policy 
 of these scruples generally, which, indeed, appears 
 to have been a matter of regret to all good Ma- 
 sons, whose sentiments we have any opportunity 
 of becoming acquainted with. Dr. Anderson, who 
 wrote the History of Masonry by the command of the 
 Grand Lodge, and whose book was approved, both 
 in manuscript and print, by two separate decisions 
 of that body, 3 laments that " several valuable ma- 
 nuscripts concerning the fraternity, their lodges, 
 regulations, charges, secrets, and usages, particu- 
 larly one written by Mr. Nicholas Stone, the War- 
 den under Inigo Jones, //y/v too hastily Imrnt by 
 some scrupulous brothers, that these papers might 
 not fall into strange hands." 4 And to this the edi- 
 tor of the latest edition affixes a note, approved 
 
 the Freemason's Quarterly Review; a periodical which has re- 
 alized my most sanguine anticipations, by becoming the accredited 
 organ of the craft in every quarter of the globe. 
 
 3 March 25, 1722, and Jan. 17, 1723. 
 
 4 Edit. 1784, p. 207.
 
 PREFACE. IX 
 
 also by the Grand Lodge, in which he says, " the 
 rash act above related may be ascribed to a jea- 
 lousy in these orrr-scrupulous brethren, that com- 
 mit ting to print any thing relating to Masonry, 
 would be injurious to the interests of the craft : but 
 surd)/ suck an act offelo dc se could not proceed from 
 seal according to knowledge!" 
 
 I admit that there are many things in Masonry 
 which require to be sedulously concealed, and even 
 derive a superior value from such concealment ; but 
 I must contend that great advantages would accrue 
 from placing the general truths of Masonry before 
 the world, connected as they are with the funda- 
 mental principles of religion ; that thinking men, 
 though not admitted amongst us, may possess the 
 means of investigating our pretensions, without 
 being able to unravel the web in whose meshes our 
 peculiar secrets are carefully enfolded. 
 
 In this work the light actually shines in dark- 
 Qesfl. I have blended the whole theory with the 
 history of Masonry so minutely, that the mosi pene- 
 trating eye cannot discover a peculiar secret without 
 the legitimate key; and thai key is — Initiation. 
 I do not profess to reveal the secrets of Masonry, 
 or to convej an} improper knowledge to those who 
 are no( dignified with the name of Brother; nor 
 bare I any wish to be needlessly technical, <»r to 
 involve the subject more deeply in mystery than its 
 nature demands ; mj onl) desire is to place Masonry
 
 X PREFACE. 
 
 on tenable ground as a science, and to lend my feeble 
 aid, in the hope of Avipin^ off the opprobrium too 
 frequently attached to its practice by those who, 
 not devoid of candour in other respects, join incon- 
 siderately in the cry against Masonry, without re- 
 flecting on its claims, at least to respect, if not to 
 praise and veneration. It is not a proselyting sys- 
 tem, it is not made up of plots and conspiracies 
 against peace and social order; it interferes with no 
 other institution, moral or religious ; nor does it 
 take any part in the disputes and broils which pe- 
 riodically agitate and enfeeble the ecclesiastical or 
 political world. These negative merits should en- 
 title Masonry to some degree of consideration ; at 
 least they should protect it from that thoughtless 
 and indiscriminate censure with which it is too 
 frequently overwhelmed. Its positive merits I do 
 not press here, as they will be copiously unfolded 
 in the following pages, and will shew that our em- 
 ployment is neither puerile nor ridiculous ; but that 
 it consists in critical investigations of human science, 
 history, and religious truth, enlivened by the sweet 
 influences of social converse and mutual communi- 
 cation of happiness. 
 
 Without descending to minute particulars, this 
 may be illustrated in a few words. The well-known 
 symbols of Masonry are the square and compasses, 
 which convey the abstract means and end of the 
 science in the most clear and comprehensive man-
 
 PREFACE. XI 
 
 ner. The whole system of man's moral and social 
 duties lies on a level, so far as relates to his com- 
 merce with this world ; but his duties to God rise 
 into a perpendicular, which united emblems form a 
 perfect square. And hence the propriety of that 
 ornament to decorate the chief governor of the 
 craft, as it points out the high responsibility which 
 rests upon him, not only to teach, but also to 
 perform the great duties which we owe to God 
 and man. 5 The compasses not only describe the 
 widely-extended circle of Masonic benevolence, but 
 also represent the boundless power and eternal dura- 
 
 ' One of the charges of Masonry, which is recited by the mas- 
 ter immediately subsequent to the initiation of every candidate, 
 contains the following earnest exhortation : — 
 
 " As a Mason, I would first recommend to your most anxious 
 contemplation the volume of the Sacred Law, charging you to 
 consider it as the unerring standard of truth and justice, and to 
 regulate your actions by the divine precepts it contains. Therein 
 you will be taught the important duties you owe to God, your 
 neighbour, and yourself. To God, by never mentioning His 
 name but with that awe and reverence which are due from the 
 creature to his Creator ; by imploring His aid on all your lawful 
 undertakings, and by looking up to Him in every emergency for 
 comfort and support. To your neighbour, by acting with him 
 upon the square ; by rendering him every kind office which jus- 
 tice or mercy may require ; by relieving his distresses, and sooth- 
 ing his afflictions ; and by doing to him as in similar cases you 
 WOtlld \si>h him to do to you. And to yourself, by such a pru- 
 dent and well-regulated course of discipline as may best conduce 
 t<< the preservation of your corporeal and mental faculties in their 
 
 fullest energy ; thereby enabling you to exert the talents whciv- 
 
 witb God ha- blessed you, a- will to Hie glory a- t<> tin- welfare 
 of your fellow -creatu 1 1
 
 xii PREFACE. 
 
 tion of tin- Creator and Governor of the universe. 
 Ami thus it is clear that practical Masonry, in its 
 most extended sense, is but a line extending from 
 the beginning to the end of time, while speculative 
 Masonrv is a sphere without dimensions; it fills all 
 space, extends through all extent; its centre is every 
 where, and its circumference no where ; for Masonry 
 is the only order amongst mankind whose beginning 
 and end are equally involved in darkness. For as 
 practical human Masonry comprehends the whole 
 human race, wherever they may be dispersed under 
 the wide canopy of heaven, in one great scheme of 
 social benevolence, so speculative, divine Masonry, 
 comprehends the whole Creation, from the meanest 
 of God's works, through the progressive scale of 
 being, and the peopled regions of unlimited space, to 
 the heavenly mansions of eternal day. 
 
 1 have endeavoured, in the following disquisitions, 
 to define these two essential parts of Masonry as mi- 
 nutely as possible, because their separation led to 
 errors of the most deplorable and fatal nature, intro- 
 duced idolatry, with all its attendant train of defile- 
 ments, amongst mankind, and offered sacrifices to 
 the spirits of darkness on altars stained with human 
 gore. In successive ages of the world, Masonry al- 
 ternatel) emitted a brilliant lustre, or shrunk into 
 obscurity, as the varying shades of a deteriorated 
 worship might preponderate, or casually give way 
 before the effulgent blaze of truth. The five Periods
 
 PREFACE. Xlll 
 
 which I have selected for illustration, have been 
 equally distinguished by the Practice of Masonry, 
 considered in the perfect union of its operative and 
 speculative forms. This union is essential to Ma- 
 sonry ; and the component parts of each are so 
 blended in all its disquisitions, that they can only 
 be separated by a total renunciation of our belief in 
 the existence of a God, and the consequent rejection 
 of the doctrine of a future state. And these results 
 did always follow the unnatural severing of operative 
 and speculative Masonry. 
 
 These Periods occupy a space of three thousand 
 years ; and I have selected them for illustration, be- 
 cause it is generally believed that Masonry took its 
 rise at the building of King Solomon's Temple. To 
 shew that Masonry existed in its most perfect form 
 before that event, is a sufficient refutation of the 
 opinion. It is true the building and history of that 
 most celebrated edifice furnish matter for illustra- 
 tions of great interest among us, which spring from 
 various causes, and particularly as the two grand di- 
 visions of Masonry, which had been long separated, 
 became re-united at that period, and the art was 
 consequently revived, and Bhone in its full lustre. A 
 iiru arrangement of the system was at this time 
 rendered accessary by the occurrence of a most me- 
 lancholy event; which arrangement Masonry retains 
 
 to tlii-* ila\ . 
 
 The attempi which I have made, how imperfect
 
 xiv PREFACE. 
 
 soever, to vindicate Masonry from the sneers of eru- 
 dition, and the irreverent sallies of wit, may induce 
 others, possessing greater leisure and moro exten- 
 sive moans of information, to take up the pen in her 
 behalf. The incessant attention which the more 
 weighty and indispensable duties of my profession 
 demand, has left me little time for deep and elaborate 
 research. What I have produced is the mere off- 
 spring of relaxation ; and if it should stimulate others 
 to pursue the same track, my purpose will be fully ac- 
 complished : for Masonry, the more it is examined, 
 the more beautiful it becomes ; and, like the purga- 
 tion of a precious metal, it rises from each successive 
 ordeal with renewed claims to our admiration from 
 its augmented brilliancy and worth. 
 
 Masonry has no point, part, or secret, which does 
 not illustrate some valuable truth, or recommend 
 some amiable precept of religion. The furniture of 
 our pedestal plainly intimates that the object of all 
 our researches is the glory of God ; the end of all 
 our illustrations, happiness in a future state. The 
 many dignified names* which grace our annals, 
 
 * The following chronological list of Grand Masters and 
 Patrons, from the time of the Anglo-Saxons, will he a decisive 
 testimony that the order contains nothing repugnant to civil or 
 religious liherty : — 
 
 A.n. 
 
 597 Austin the Monk. 
 
 680 Bennet, Ahbot of Wirral. 
 
 856 St. Swithin.
 
 PREFACE. XV 
 
 sufficiently prove that our institution is of the most 
 social and beneficial tendency. No age has exceeded 
 the present in the extent of its illustrious patrons, 
 who dare not stoop to sanction vice, or lend their 
 influence to the promulgation of fraud and decep- 
 tion. The Royal Brothers, united in our behalf, 
 
 872 King Alfred. 
 
 900 Ethred, Prince of Mercia. 
 
 928 Athelstane. 
 
 957 Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury. 
 1041 Edward the Confessor. 
 1066 Gondulph, Bishop of Rochester. 
 1100 Henry I. 
 
 1135 Gilbert de Clare, Marquis of Pembroke. 
 1155 The Grand Master of the Templars. 
 1199 Peter de Colechurch. 
 1216 Peter de Rupibus, Bishop of Winchester. 
 1272 Walter Giffard, Archbishop of York. 
 1307 Walter Stapleton, Bishop of Exeter. 
 1327 Edward III. 
 
 1357 William a Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. 
 1375 Simon Langham, Abbot of Westminster. 
 1377 William a Wykeham, again. 
 1400 Thomas Fitz Allen, Earl of Surrey. 
 1413 Henry Chichely, Archbishop of Canterbury. 
 1443 William Waynfleet, Bishop of Winchester. 
 1471 Richard Beauehamp, Bishop of Salisbury. 
 1500 The Grand Master of the order of St. John. Henry VII. 
 
 Patron. 
 1502 Henry VII. 
 
 1515 Cardinal Wolsey. 
 
 L580 Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex. 
 
 1543 .John Touchctt, Lord Audley. 
 
 1549 Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset. 
 1552 John Poynet, Bishop of Winchester. 
 1560 Sir Thomat Backville. 
 1567 Sir Thomai Greshanij in t he South.
 
 XVI PREFACE. 
 
 afford an irresistible evidence that we arc not guilty 
 of disloyalty or treason ; and the universal diffusion 
 
 of Masonry at this day proclaims to the rest of 
 mankind, that its pedestal is Religion; its shaft. 
 Morality; and its capital, Virtue: the whole sur- 
 mounted by a beautiful entablature of universal 
 
 l.">67 Francis Russell, Earl of Bedford, in the North. 
 15S0 Charles Howard, Earl of Effingham. 
 1588 George Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon. 
 1603 King James I., Patron. 
 
 Inigo Jones, Grand Master. 
 
 1618 William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke. 
 1625 King Charles I. 
 1G30 Henry Danvers, Earl of Danby. 
 1633 Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel. 
 
 1 635 Francis Russell, Earl of Bedford. 
 
 1636 Inigo Jones, again. 
 
 1G43 Henry Jermyn, Earl of St. Albans. 
 1666 Thomas Savage, Earl of Rivers. 
 1674 George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. 
 1679 Henry Bennett, Earl of Arlington. 
 1685 Sir Christopher Wren. 
 169S Charles Lenox, Duke of Richmond. 
 
 Sir Christopher Wren, again. 
 
 1717 Anthony Sayer, Esq. 
 
 1718 George Payne, Esq. 
 
 1719 Dr. Desaguliers. 
 
 1720 George Payne, Esq., again. 
 
 1721 John, Duke of Montagu. 
 
 1 722 Philip, Duke of Wharton. 
 1 723 The Duke of Buccleugh. 
 
 1724 The Duke of Richmond. 
 1 7 2 5 The Earl of Abercorn. 
 
 1726 William O'Brian, Earl of Inchiquin. 
 
 1727 Lord Coleraine. 
 
 1 725 Lord Kingston, 
 
 1729 Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk.
 
 PREFACE. XVII 
 
 Charity ; that it strongly incites ns to " honour all 
 men, to love the brotherhood, to fear God, and to 
 honour the king." 
 
 Such a system, which occupies a situation at least 
 equally elevated with any human institution, is cal- 
 culated to expand our benevolence, to extinguish 
 animosities, and to destroy all unimportant differ- 
 ences amongst mankind. This, indeed, is the true 
 cement and intention of Masonry, which embraces 
 all the graces and perfections of holiness ; unites 
 
 1731 Lord Lovel. 
 
 1 732 Anthony Brown, Viscount Montacute. 
 
 1733 The Earl of Strathmore. 
 
 1734 The Earl of Crawford. 
 
 1735 Thomas Thynne, Viscount Weymouth. 
 173G John Cambell, Earl of Loudon. 
 
 1738 H. Brydges, Marquis of Carnarvon. 
 
 1739 Lord Raymond. 
 
 1740 The Earl of Kinton. 
 
 1741 The Earl of Morton. 
 
 1742 John Ward, Lord Dudley and Ward. 
 174.) James, Lord Cranstown. 
 
 1747 Lord Byron. 
 
 1752 John, Lord Carysfort. 
 
 1754 Marquis of Carnarvon, again. 
 
 1757 Sholto, Lord Aberdour. 
 
 17G2 Washington Shirley, Earl Ferrers. 
 
 17<i4 Lord Blaney. 
 
 17C7 Henry, Duke of Beaufort. 
 
 1772 Robert Edward, Lord Petre. 
 
 1777 George, Duke of Manchester. 
 
 17*2 H.K.H. Frederick, Duke of Cumberland. 
 
 1790 H.K.H. George, I'rince of Wales. 
 
 1813 H.K.H. Augustus Frederic, Duke of Sussex, at the Union 
 
 1843 The Karl of Zetland, Acting.
 
 XVI 11 PREFACE. 
 
 mankind in the strictest bonds of amity, as children 
 of a common parent ; and incessantly urges them 
 to ask that they may have, to seek and they shall 
 find, and to knock that the door may be opened 
 unto them. And this is the conclusion that Masonry 
 draws from all her illustrations : he who practises all 
 the virtues thus recommended in faith, will rejoice 
 in hofe, be in perfect charity with all mankind, 
 and finally receive a pass-word into the Grand 
 Lodge above, where peace, order, and harmony 
 eternally preside.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PERIOD I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chapter I. On Masonic Tradition 1 
 
 Chapter II. View of Masonry, as it existed from the Crea- 
 tion of the World to the time of Enoch 26 
 
 PERIOD II. 
 
 Chapter III. On the Origin of the Arts and Sciences 52 
 
 Chapter IV. View of Masonry from Enoch to the Uni- 
 versal Deluge 79 
 
 PERIOD III. 
 
 Chapter V. On the spurious, as contrasted with the true 
 
 Free-Masonry 91 
 
 Chapter VI. View of Masonry from the Universal Deluge 
 
 to the Offering of Isaac 125 
 
 PERIOD IV. 
 
 Chaptbb VII. On Symbolical Instruction 170 
 
 Cbaptbb VIII. View of Masonry from the Offering of Isaac 
 
 to the deliverance from Egyptian Captivity 1 84 
 
 PERIOD V. 
 
 ( ii.MTKii IX. On the Five Points of Fellowship 240 
 
 Chapter X. View of Masonry from the Deliverance to the 
 
 Dedication of King Solomon's Temple ... 255
 
 THE 
 
 ANTIQUITIES 
 
 F REE-MAS ON R Y. 
 
 PERIOD I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. 
 On Masonic Tradition. 
 
 " The true stress of tradition lies in an appeal to 
 the common sense of all mankind. It is a reliance 
 upon the testimony of men, considered as men, and 
 Dot as persons of this or that people or persuasion, 
 actuated by principles implanted in that nature 
 which tin- whole species partake of, and not in- 
 fluenced by the power of Buch as are peculiar to 
 any particular community or religion."' 
 
 On this principle have the traditions of Masonry 
 been transferred from father to son, along with the 
 knowledge of Grod*s eternal existence and the im- 
 
 1 Stanhope'i Boyle Led , 
 
 it
 
 Z ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 mortality of the soul. Before the time of Moses 
 tradition could scarcely err, and that legislator mo- 
 delled Masonry into so perfect a system, and circum- 
 scribed its mysteries by land-ma/rhs so significant 
 and unalterable, that from him its transmission was 
 little liable to perversion or error. 2 The length of 
 life, in the early ages of the world, was such, that 
 oral tradition in general might be safely relied on, 
 proceeding to Amram, the father of Moses, as it 
 did, from Joseph, who received it from Isaac, who 
 received it from Abraham, to whom it was communi- 
 cated by Shem, who had it from Lantech, and to 
 Lamech it was revealed by Adam. The Samaritan 
 Pentateuch makes the communication still more di- 
 rect, by placing Adam as contemporary with Noah. 
 
 Bishop Tomline inquires, with his usual penetra- 
 tion and judgment : — " Could the grandchildren of 
 
 2 Howard thinks it extraordinary that every remarkahle event 
 which actually occurred in the infancy of the world should have 
 been accurately preserved by idolatrous nations, how widely 
 soever they had departed from that peculiar people to whom the 
 conservation of the antediluvian history was committed. A son 
 of the first man was violently assaulted and slain by his brother, 
 as we are told by Moses. Accordingly, other nations have a 
 corresponding tradition. Sanchoniatho has recorded that a son 
 of Uranus was killed by his brothers. In Diodorus we find Hes- 
 perion meets a similar fate ; and the Persian annals represent 
 Siameck, the son of Cai Amurath, the first king of Persia, as 
 being killed by giants. (Thoughts on the Structure of the Globe, 
 p. 229.) There is, however, nothing very extraordinary in the 
 naked fact. The outline of the history of the antediluvian world 
 was known to the family of Noah, and consequently to their im- 
 mediate descendants, the Cuthites of Shinar. And when the 
 language was confounded, the memory of all the principal events 
 would remain, and be transmitted by every tribe which wandered 
 thence to people the distant parts of the earth.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 3 
 
 Jacob be ignorant of their own pedigree, and of the 
 time when they came into Egypt ? Can we think 
 that so many remarkable circumstances as attended 
 the selling and advancement of Joseph could be 
 forgotten in so short a time? Could Jacob be ig- 
 norant whence his grandfather Abraham came, 
 especially as he lived so long in the country himself, 
 and married into that branch of the family which 
 was remaining there ? Could Abraham be ignorant 
 of the flood, when he was contemporary with and 
 descended from Shem, one of the eight persons who 
 escaped in the ark? Could Shem be ignorant of 
 what passed before the flood, when Adam, the first 
 man, lived so near the time of Noah ? And could 
 Noah be ignorant of the creation and fall of man, 
 when he was contemporary with those who con- 
 versed with Adam ?" s 
 
 Oral tradition is fairly admissible when its sub- 
 ject contains nothing improbable or inconsistent 
 with Scripture or reason ; and the traditions of 
 Masonry, tried by this standard, will be possessed 
 of irresistible claims to our belief. But in matters 
 of religion, as we possess a book of revelation to 
 regulate our faith and practice, it must be care- 
 fully rejected, because the Scriptures contain every 
 thing necessary t<> salvation; and the passions and 
 contending interests of men would induce such nu- 
 merous perversions, ;i- would place our hopes on 
 too precarious a basis. A most remarkable instance 
 of tin- perversioE occurs in the extraordinary ob- 
 livion of God's power and providences, as well as 
 
 El. of Theol., pari I, ohap. l. 
 B 2
 
 4 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 the degeneracy of man. which so rapidly succeeded 
 the Deluge amongst the posterity of Ham. It 
 appears from the testimony of Sanchoniatho, whom 
 Eusebius and Theodoret speak of as an accurate 
 and faithful historian, that in the time of Thoth, 
 the bou of Mizraim, an acknowledgment of the 
 power of God in the creation of the world, and of 
 his vengeance against idolatrous pursuits displayed 
 in the universal Deluge, was disallowed and pro- 
 hibited. In his Cosmogony, which was professedly 
 compiled from the records of the Cabiri, the sons 
 of (Xo^ux) Melchizedek or Shem, the production 
 of the world is described as proceeding from a hete- 
 rogeneous mixture of wind, air and mud, or putre- 
 faction. After a visionary account of the creation, 
 the secretaries of Thoth are wholly silent about 
 the Deluge, which creates a suspicion that their 
 silence is rather the effect of design than igno- 
 rance ; for they acknowledge that Cronus (Ham) 
 was living after the death of his son Misor (Miz- 
 raim) ; and placed Thoth, the reputed author of 
 these Records, on the throne of his father, in 
 Egypt. Now as Ham was one of those who mi- 
 raculously escaped the general destruction, it can 
 scarcely be supposed that he would conceal so re- 
 markable an event from Thoth, who was his pri- 
 vate and confidential adviser. But as they intended 
 to erect themselves into objects of divine adoration, 4 
 they erased that great event from their Records, 
 
 4 " Cronus begat on Rhea seven sons, the youngest of which 
 was consecrated a god as soon as he was born !" — Sanch. in 
 Euseb. de Prcep. 1. 1, c. 10. This infant deity, according to the 
 best authorities, whs Muth, whom the Phoenicians call Pluto.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. O 
 
 lest mankind should be confirmed in their ad- 
 herence to the true worship, by the recollection of 
 so fearful a display of vengeance inflicted on the 
 human race for idolatrous practices. 
 
 The facts of the Creation, and the destruction 
 of mankind by a general Deluge, were however 
 too important to be buried in utter oblivion, even 
 by apostate nations ; 5 and, therefore, as they were 
 unequivocal testimonies of God's infinite power 
 and justice, they were hid under the impenetrable 
 veil of mystery, which overshadowed the know- 
 ledge of the one true God. Thus the elevation of 
 a ship formed a prominent ceremony in these 
 mysteries, which, though not explicitly applied to 
 that event, could have no significant reference to 
 any thing but Noah's salvation in the ark : and to 
 involve the subject still deeper in mystery and 
 darkness, innumerable fables were invented and 
 engrafted on the true account of that memorable 
 occurrence, which perplexed even the Epoptce 
 themselves ; and by directing their inquiries into 
 a false channel, prevented a discovery of the 
 truth. 9 
 
 4 The cosmogony of Hesiod is the most ancient system extant 
 amongst the Greeks. He makes Chaos precede Earth, Tartarus, 
 and Love, and the father of Darkness and Night ; who, in like 
 manner, were die progenitors of Day and Ether. Hut Night 
 was the mother of all ohnoxious qualities, as Discord, Old Age, 
 and Death. Then follow- a series of complicated theogonies, 
 which it is far from my intention to follow, including Qumeroua 
 allegorical • -, blended with the record of wild adventure; 
 
 all of which bare some remote symbolical reference to the pn 
 tion, at it is described by Moses. 
 " A coin uf Philip the elder, which was struck al Apamea
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Thus "was the knowledge of this event obscurely 
 transmitted in the heathen world. The Deluge 
 was a circumstance, which, though omitted in the 
 public records of many nations, was never wholly 
 lost. 7 Their theories were indeed much varied as 
 to the attendant circumstances, but oral tradition 
 
 or Cibotus, contained, on its reverse, an epitome of this history. 
 The reverse of most Asiatic coins relates to the religion and my- 
 thology of the places they were struck at. On the reverse of 
 this coin is delineated a kind of square machine floating upon 
 water. Through an opening in it are seen two persons, a man 
 and a woman, as low as the breast, and upon the head of the 
 woman is a veil. Over this ark is a triangular kind of pediment, 
 on which there sits a dove; and below it another, which seems 
 to flutter its wings, and hold in its mouth a small branch of a 
 tree. Before the machine is a man following a woman, who, by 
 their attitude, seem to have just quitted it, and have got upon 
 dry land. Upon the Ark itself, underneath the persons there 
 inclosed, is to be read, in distinct characters, NftE." — Bryant's 
 Myth. 
 
 7 Thus Berosus says : — " Xisuthrus did not disobey the divine 
 command, but built a vessel five furlongs in length, and two 
 furlongs in breadth ; and having got all things in readiness, put 
 on board his wife, children, and friends. After the flood was 
 at the height, and began to abate, Xisuthrus let out certain 
 birds (viz., a raven and a dove, Gen. viii., 7, 8), which finding 
 no place to rest on, returned again to the ship (ver. 9). After 
 some days (viz., seven days, ver. 10), he let out the birds again, 
 but they came back to the ship a second time, having their feet 
 daubed with mud (the dove with an olive branch in her mouth, 
 ver. 11) ; but being let out the third time, they returned no 
 more to the ship (ver. 12), whereby Xisuthrus understood that 
 dry land had appeared (ver. 13). Then he opened the side of the 
 ship, and seeing that it rested on a certain mountain (the summit 
 of Ararat, ver. 4), he went out of it with his wife, and daughter, 
 and Pilot ; and after he had worshipped the earth, and built an 
 altar, and sacrificed to the Gods (ver. 18-20), he, and those who 
 went out with him, disappeared."
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 7 
 
 was sufficient to preserve its memory alive. Not 
 only the Egyptians, with all the caution of their 
 early monarchs to suppress it, and, after them, the 
 Grecians and Romans, 8 and all other nations who 
 adopted their theology ; but the Chinese, the Ja- 
 panese, the Persians, the Hindoos, and even the 
 Indians of North and South America, have abundant 
 theories sufficiently circumstantial to evince that they 
 possess a traditional account of the Deluge of Noah. 9 
 Antediluvian Masonry depending in a great 
 measure upon oral tradition, from the paucity of 
 records ascending to these ages, some degree of 
 conjecture must necessarily be used; but these 
 conjectures, at all times, however distinguishable 
 from fact, being founded on the strongest and 
 most irrefragable supposition, will amount to nearly 
 the same thing as direct proof. 
 
 8 Lucian is equally explicit. He says — "The rivers swelled 
 and the sea rose to an unusual height, until the whole earth was 
 inundated ; and all living things perished, except Deucalion and 
 his friends, who alone were left preserved, on account of his wis- 
 dom and piety. His safety was ensured hy means of an ark 
 which he huilt, into which he embarked with his children and 
 their wives. Then there came to him swine, and horses, and 
 lions, and serpents, and other land animals, all in pairs. These 
 remained perfectly innoxious, and great unanimity prevailed 
 among them. So they remained in the ark so long as the water 
 prevailed. After this, the waters subsided into a great chasm in 
 the country of Hierapolis; and there Deucalion built altars, &C." 
 
 ' J Their respective theoriet are too copious to be cited here ; I 
 must therefore refer the curious mason to " Bryant's System of 
 Mythology," "Perron's Zcndavesta," " NieuhofFs Voyage to 
 Brazil," " Acosta'i History of the Indies," and " Faber'a Dis- 
 sertation "ii i he Mysteries of the Cabiri," where he will find this 
 subject fully treated mi.
 
 8 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 The knowledge of the ancient philosophers was 
 all traditionary. Even Pythagoras and Plato, 
 eminent as they were in those dark ages, can 
 scarcely be said to have broken the trammels, and 
 delivered any thing but what they received on the 
 authority of others ; for it was an industrious and 
 indefatigable collection of ancient traditions which 
 distinguished them from the rest of the world. 
 
 Tradition ought to be received as genuine, when 
 the parties delivering it are not suspected of being 
 themselves deceived, or of a wish to deceive their 
 successors. And this may be presumed of the 
 Hebrew Patriarchs, through whom alone Masonry is 
 asserted to have been truly transmitted ; for its de- 
 terioration and ultimate oblivion amongst idolaters 
 is unequivocally admitted. But if the Patriarchs 
 believed Masonry to contain some truths inseparably 
 connected with their religion, it is scarcely possible 
 to suppose they could be deceived in its application ; 
 nor can they be reasonably accused of a desire to 
 deceive posterity in a matter which was dignified 
 with the same high sanctions as their faith and 
 worship. Hence the traditions on this subject were 
 preserved and conveyed the more carefully, because 
 its essentials, even after the invention of letters, 
 could not be committed to writing. The channel 
 being pure, the stream was unadulterated. 
 
 " Ancient traditions have often afforded occasional 
 assistance to history, by stepping in to supply the 
 want of existing monuments and records ; and even 
 at this time, in remote countries, where letters are 
 little, if at all, known, common tradition hands down 
 past events with an artless sincerity, sometimes
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 9 
 
 wanting where such advantages are liable to be per- 
 verted for indirect purposes. But Masonic tradi- 
 tions stand upon much firmer ground ; the chief bond 
 of connection among Masons in all ages having been 
 Fidelity. It is well known that in former times, 
 while learning remained in few hands, the ancients 
 had several institutions for the cultivation of know- 
 ledge, concealed under doctrinal and ritual mysteries, 
 that were sacredly withheld from all who were not 
 initiated into a participation of the privileges they 
 led to, that they might not be prostituted to the 
 vulgar. Among these institutions may be ranked 
 that of Masonry ; and its value may be inferred 
 front Its surviving those revolutions of government, 
 religion, ami manners that hare swallowed a/> the rest. 
 Ami the traditions of so venerable an institution 
 claim an attention far superior to the loose oral 
 relations or epic songs of any uncultivated people 
 whatever." 10 
 
 Operative Masonry was cherished by the Egyp- 
 tian^, who received it from their great progenitor 
 Mizraim, 11 the grandson of Noah. He displayed 
 hi- Masonic skill and taste for the liberal arts, by 
 building the magnificent cities of Memphis and 
 Thebae Egyptiae: the latter called by the Greeks 
 Diospolis, and by the Jews Hammon No. We 
 leara also from hieroglyphica! inscriptions, which 
 -till exisl "ii Egyptian monuments, 11 that Speculative 
 
 North. Const, part 1, chap. 1. 
 
 " Thi- name is said by Bochartto be derived from the Syriac 
 word rvt Mizra, I 
 
 " The Lecturet of Bpineto bave thrown much lighl on this 
 subject. II< baa condensed, with great labour, a mast "i inter-
 
 10 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Masonry was originally known amongst that people, 
 though afterwards deteriorated to advance a different 
 interest — the propagation of idolatry. Our claims to 
 antiquity, however, do not rest upon the exclusive 
 authority of these inscriptions, though they are ad- 
 duced as a corroborative proof of the existence of 
 Masonry in the ages immediately posterior to the 
 Flood ; the principal evidences being found amongst 
 that people who preserved the true worship of God. 1 ' 
 
 esting matter from the publications of the Society of Antiquaries, 
 and of many learned individuals — the discoveries of Dr. Young — 
 the labours of the indefatigable Champollion — the monuments of 
 all sorts which have been imported into England — the great col- 
 lection of Egyptian Antiquities in the British Museum, and the 
 magnificent descriptions which travellers of all nations have given 
 of the majestic and wonderful ruins existing throughout Nubia 
 and Egypt ; and has thus rendered a service to literature which 
 will convey his name with honour to posterity. 
 
 13 Of these inscriptions candour obliges me to remark, that 
 their interpretation being rather equivocal, they are by no means a 
 certain criterion of Masonic truth ; particularly as the institution 
 is founded on those leges non scripta;, which are unattainable by 
 all mankind excepting the initiated. The tropical hieroglyphic, 
 used for general purposes, was easily comprehended ; but the 
 subsequent introduction of the tropical symbol cast the veil of 
 secrecy over their knowledge, and was employed for the purpose of 
 concealing their sacred mysteries from common observation. But 
 the tropical symbol was a Aery late improvement on the system of 
 hieroglyphical writing : for the proper hieroglyphic was used 
 many ages before the tropical symbol was invented, and possessed 
 a significant meaning generally understood, and adapted to the 
 same purpose as modern letters ; to perpetuate a knowledge of 
 past events, and to record the wisdom and experience of every 
 age, for the benefit of posterity. The early hieroglyphics being 
 of a very simple construction, their meaning was not of that 
 doubtful character which rendered the subsequent use of enig- 
 matic symbols so difficult of comprehension. And if Masonry
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 11 
 
 Our secrets embrace, in a comprehensive manner, 
 human science and divine knowledge ; they link 
 mankind together in the indissoluble chain of sin- 
 cere affection ; and, which is of far greater import, 
 they incite to the practice of those virtues which 
 may do much towards securing happiness in a future 
 state. It cannot then be denied that such valuable 
 secrets might be truly transmitted by oral tradition, 
 when it is admitted that the idolatrous mysteries 
 were actually transmitted through the same medium 
 for the space of two thousand years, and only sunk 
 into oblivion with the systems they were established 
 to uphold. Now Christianity, or the system of sal- 
 vation through the atonement of a crucified Me- 
 diator, was the main pillar of Masonry at the fall of 
 man ; and there is, therefore, every reason to believe 
 that it will exist until the final dissolution of all 
 sublunary things ; and shine together with perfected 
 Christianity, in the glorified state of blessedness for 
 ever and ever. 
 
 Masonic tradition could only be pure when 
 united with the true worship of God; and hence 
 it was miserably perverted amongst idolatrous 
 
 ; its claims to antiquity, as some have unlearnedly pretended, 
 on the unlimited construction which might he given to these 
 vague and inv>terious records, it would he impossible for the most 
 zealous and indefatigable Mason to trace tin science hack to the 
 antediluvian ages, amidst the darkness of ignorance and barbarity 
 which o v e rspr ead a L r reat portion of the globe, at various periods, 
 and under forbidden forms, from the Deluge to the full revelation 
 of Christianity. But the traditions of Masonry require not the 
 ami adventitious aid of ancii nt hieroglyphics : they pos- 
 sess an internal evidence of truth which no argument CBB 
 
 supersede, no sophism overwhelm, and no incredulity can dissipate.
 
 12 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 nations, until nothing remained, after this worship 
 was rejected, to serve the purposes of ambition and 
 pride, but the simple belief of the soul's existence in 
 a future state, together with the general principles 
 of operative Masonry. These were preserved amidst 
 the increasing degeneracy of mankind, and their 
 apostacy from God and true religion. 14 
 
 Stillingfleet lavs this down as an axiom : — " There 
 is no certain credibility in any ancient histories 
 which seem to contradict the Scriptures, nor any 
 ground of reason why we should assent to them 
 when tin 1 )/ differ from the Bible.'" 15 This observation 
 will equally apply to Free masonry. If its tra- 
 ditions were in any respect opposed to religion, or 
 its precepts at variance with the Holy Scriptures, it 
 ought to be rejected as unworthy of credibility or 
 attention. On this ground the cause of Masonry 
 rests, and it is a foundation firm and immoveable as 
 the basis of our holy faith ; for nothing can be per- 
 manent, nothing successful, except it be grounded 
 on religion. Hence, when idolatry assumed its em- 
 
 14 That the early idolaters believed in a resurrection and a fu- 
 ture state, is deducible from their practice of deifying dead men ; 
 for without a renewed existence they could not have been ex- 
 pected to aid their worshippers, either by conveying blessings 
 or averting misfortunes. But we are furnished with positive 
 authorities in proof of this fact. Herodotus informs us that the 
 Egyptians maintained the immortality of the soul. Tully says 
 that the widest of the heathen philosophers taught the same doc- 
 trine ; and Homer took it for granted that the soul's existence 
 in an after state, either of misery or happiness, according to the 
 deeds done in this life, was a doctrine universally admitted by 
 all the world. 
 
 14 Orig. Sacr., 1. 1, c. 1.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 13 
 
 phe over the world, the most sublime and beautiful 
 part of Masonry receded from the view ; and when 
 a false worship degenerated into little better than 
 atheism, it became obscured amidst the same mazes 
 of intellectual darkness, and, like certain mysterious 
 secrets^ was lost to heathen nations; until, by the 
 practice of Operative Masonry, in building an 
 actual edifice to the true God, future ages re- 
 covered it. 
 
 As a man loses not his reason, sensibility, or ac- 
 tivity of intellect by the loss of a limb, so Masonry, 
 though, amidst the increasing atheism of the world, 
 it suffered the loss of many noble members, was 
 never wholly obliterated. Enfeebled by the de- 
 generacy of mankind amongst apostate nations, its 
 essence was nevertheless preserved by that small 
 race of men who adhered to the genuine worship of 
 God. Hence, though one of its general grand di- 
 visions sunk with the knowledge of God, the other 
 suffered no material deterioration ; because, when 
 the former was finally restored by Jesus Christ, the 
 Latter, having received accessions of strength in 
 almost every age, was in the maturity of its vigour 
 and excellence. 
 
 Masonry was known and practised under the 
 name of Lux, or its equivalent in all languages 
 lived since the creation; and they who search for its 
 existence, in its true and spiritual form, amongst 
 idolatrous operative Masons in the early ages of the 
 world, maj expend much time to a fruitless purpose, 
 and help to confound our Bcience with many Bystems 
 
 :it variance with its great and prominent designs, 
 
 though apparently founded on the -rune basis. It
 
 14 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 is true that many eminent men professing the 
 science of Lux, which includes a knowledge of all 
 other sciences, applied it to an operative purpose, 
 and united in the construction of magnificent edi- 
 Bees : but as they chiefly sought their own private 
 interest or emolument, it is no wonder that the true 
 principles of Lux were sacrificed, founded as they 
 are on the belief and acknowledgment of one only 
 Supreme Being, the Creator and Governor of the 
 world, when these edifices were dedicated to de- 
 ceased mortals, or the host of heaven. 
 
 After the flood the true professors of Lux were 
 termed NoACHiDiE ; but the science itself retained 
 its primitive name for many centuries afterwards. 
 At the building of the temple by King Solomon, it 
 was known under this appellation, which certainly 
 remained for a considerable time subsequent to that 
 event ; for our science is recognized by Christ and 
 his apostles under this denomination, and it even 
 retains the name of Lux in our Latin records to 
 the present day. St. John, speaking in high com- 
 mendation of Jesus Christ, says, " He was the true 
 Light," 16 " and the Light shineth in darkness, and 
 the darkness comprchendeth it not." 17 This evan- 
 gelist, as the grand patron of Masonry, inculcates 
 the doctrines of our craft throughout the whole of 
 his writings ; and on every important appeal fails 
 not to use such expressions and phrases as apply 
 equally and jointly to Christianity and Masonry. 
 He considered them in the light of two twin sisters, 
 which would grow up together and moralize the 
 
 16 John i. 9. " Ibid. 5.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 15 
 
 world. His First General Epistle contains all the 
 sublime and spiritual part of our ordinary illustra- 
 tions. And our Saviour says of himself, " I am 
 the Light of the world." 18 And again more ex- 
 plicitly, " Yet a little while is the Light with you ; 
 walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come 
 upon you ; for he that walketh in darkness knoweth 
 not whither he goeth. While ye have Light, be- 
 lieve in the light, that ye may be the Children of 
 Light." '9 
 
 At the building of Solomon's Temple the sons of 
 light associated together, under an exalted professor 
 of Lux, to devote themselves to the service of the 
 true and living God ; but it does not hence follow 
 that the science was designated from the operative 
 pursuits embraced on that memorable occasion, for 
 the appellation of a science is seldom extracted 
 from any of its inferior branches. Its name was 
 more probably changed by some distinguished 
 founder of a Beet of philosophy amongst idolaters ; 
 because, as I have already observed, it was ac- 
 knowledged by Christ and his apostles under its 
 primitive designation. 
 
 The word Masonry, when first adopted, was 
 merely a corruption of Mso-H^avs™, sum in medio 
 cceli ; which name was applied to the science 
 aboul A.M. 3490; when Pythagoras, after travel- 
 ling over tin- whole world, made many additions 
 
 to the mysteries of liis native country, which he 
 
 purified from their gross abominations by the use 
 John viii. 12. John xii. 85, 36.
 
 16 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 of Lux, which he had Learned in Judea ; 20 and in 
 Greece Instituted a lodge of geometricians, on a 
 new principle, compounded from all the existing 
 systems of other nations. The aspirants were en- 
 joined a silence of five years previously to initia- 
 tion ; and they who could not endure this rigid 
 probation were publicly dismissed ; a tomb was 
 erected for them, and they were ever after consi- 
 dered as dead men. 81 
 
 This new institution in Greece would naturally 
 produce a Grecian appellation, as the inhabitants 
 were in the constant practice of naming, according 
 to the idiom of their own language, not only other 
 countries, but the sciences, and also eminent men ; 
 that the honour of each might be attributed to their 
 own nation. From this time, also, a more intimate 
 union took place between the speculative and ope- 
 rative professors ; and the beautiful columns, known 
 amongst us by the names of Wisdom, Strength, 
 and Beauty, were brought to perfection amongst 
 that people. Pythagoras also invented an invalu- 
 able proposition, which he called the Eup y xa, 
 because it forms a grand basis for all the laborious 
 calculations of operative architecture. This inde- 
 fatigable Mason carried his astronomical studies to 
 such perfection as absolutely to discover the true 
 system of the universe, by placing the sun in the 
 
 80 Aristobulus the Jew informs us {Clem. Alex. Strom. 1), 
 that Pythagoras transferred the Jewish doctrines and ceremonies 
 into his own system ; and this is confirmed by others. (Hermipp. 
 in Jos. con. Ap. lib. 1 ; Orig. con. Cels. lib. 1.) 
 
 31 Jambl. Vit. Pyth., c. 17.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 17 
 
 centre, round which the planets made their various 
 revolutions. From this system originated the name 
 of our science, Ms<r»pavsco ; and the representation 
 of the great luminary which invigorates all nature 
 with its beams, was placed in the centre of his 
 lodge, as an emblem of tlie union of speculative with 
 operatic- Masonry ; which had been before prac- 
 tised by King Solomon in the middle chamber of 
 his temple. 22 
 
 As the Grecian arts, manners, and language 
 became propagated throughout the world, their 
 system of Masonry, together with the name, ac- 
 companied them. The Druidical memoranda were 
 made in the Greek character, for the Druids had 
 been taught Masonry by Pythagoras himself, 23 who 
 had communicated its arcana to them, under the 
 name he had assigned to it in his own country. 
 This distinguished appellation {Ms(r*pav£co), in the 
 
 94 " Greece now abounded with the best architects, sculptors, 
 statuaries, painters, and other fine designers, most of them edu- 
 cated at the academies of Athens and Sicyon, who instructed 
 many artists and fellow-crafts to be the best operators upon 
 earth ; so that the nations of Asia and Africa, who had taught 
 the Greeks, were now taught by them. No country but Greece 
 could now boast of such nun as Myron, Phidias, Demon, Andro- 
 cides, Meton, Anaxagoras, Dipoenus and Scyllis, Glycon, Alca- 
 menes, Praxiteles, Polycletus, Lysippus, Peneus, Euphronor, 
 Perseus, Philostratus, Zeuxis, Apollodorus, Parbasius, Timanthes, 
 Bupompus, Pamphilus, Apelles, Artemones, Socrates, Eudoxus, 
 
 lOTUS, who WTOte of Masonry, and the excellent TheodoiUS 
 
 Cyrenaeus, who amplified geometry, and published the axl ana- 
 lytic, the master of the divine Plato, from whose school came 
 '/.< nocrates, and Aristotle, the preceptor of Alexander the Great. 
 ( North. ( k>nst., chap, 5, pari 1 .) 
 Alum Marcell.
 
 18 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 subsequent declension and oblivion of the science, 
 during the dark ages of barbarity and superstition, 
 might be corrupted into Masonry, as its remains, 
 being merely operative, were confined to a few 
 hands, and these artificers and working Masons. 
 
 Throughout this work I have used the appella- 
 tion Masonry as the acknowledged designation of 
 our science in its present form, though it Mas not 
 known by that name during any of the periods I 
 have attempted to elucidate. 
 
 The true definition of Masonry is, a science which 
 includes all others, and teaches mankind their duty to 
 God, their neighbour, and themselves. 2 * This defi- 
 nition evidently conveys two distinct ideas ; the 
 former of which is termed Operative, and the latter 
 Speculative Masonry. Architecture, being a 
 science of the greatest use and benefit to man in his 
 natural state, was principally cultivated by the 
 Masons of that race who had separated from the 
 faithful worshippers of God, and migrated into 
 distant realms, where, for want of an intercom- 
 munity with the Sons of Light, the noble science of 
 Masonry would soon be forgotten, and operative ar- 
 chitecture might, by their posterity, be mistaken for 
 the science of which it was, in reality, only a consti- 
 tuent part of an inferior division : and this mistake 
 Mould not be rectified, until a renewed association 
 Mith the true Masons convinced them practically of 
 their error, which M'as effected at the building of 
 
 2 + There are two other legitimate definitions of Masonry. 
 1 . It is a beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory, and 
 illustrated by symbols. 2. The study of science, and the practice 
 of virtue.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 19 
 
 King- Solomon's Temple. And hence it has hap- 
 pened that many excellent and well-meaning 
 tyfasons have been led to conclude, that operative 
 Masonry only was known and practised by our 
 ancient Brethren before the building of that sacred 
 edifice. 
 
 But, if religion be intimately connected with 
 Masonry, and essentially necessary to its existence, 
 then we must look for it under some unequivocal 
 and universal form. Now, operative architecture is 
 an insulated science, and depends on some others to 
 bring it to perfection ; therefore the perfection of 
 Masonry cannot be found in architecture alone ; and 
 this more particularly, because the most stately 
 structures of antiquity were erected by idolatrous 
 nations to the honour of false gods, and consequently 
 in defiance of the true God, and to the prejudice 
 of that religion on which we assert that Masonrv is 
 founded. It could not then be Lux or Masonry 
 which stimulated them to a renunciation of God, 
 but a perverted system, which bore but a slight and 
 fading resemblance to that science, which gradually 
 sunk into oblivion as idolatry was disseminated over 
 the face of the earth. Nor can the declension of 
 Masonry, in different ages, be attributed to any 
 other cause; for when the pure worship of the true 
 God was the most prevalent, we find Masonrv 
 
 blazing forth in its native and unsullied lustre. Thus 
 it Bhone aniiilst the darkness during the life of 
 Adam, of Enoch, and of \oali : thus it displayed its 
 radiance in tin- time of Abraham, Moses, and Solo- 
 mon; tlnis tin- Btrong traces of its existence are 
 
 discoverable in tin- time of Zerubbabel and Jesus 
 
 ( 2
 
 20 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Christ ; and thus it lias flourished in all ages when 
 sober religion has characterized the manners and in- 
 fluenced the morals of civil society. 
 
 We find that where architecture Mas cultivated as 
 an exclusive science, its professors became much 
 more expert than those nations who practised .Ma- 
 sonry as a universal system. Hence, when Solo- 
 mon had determined to erect a temple to the living 
 God, he was obliged to apply for assistance to the 
 Tyrians, who were at that time the most expert 
 architects in the world. It is true the Israelites 
 were not entirely ignorant of that art, having culti- 
 vated operative Masonry from the time that their 
 ancestors in Egypt built the cities of Pithom and 
 Raamses. At the building of this temple, the chief 
 architect was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, 
 and consequently an Israelite by his mother's side, 
 though his father was a man of Tyre. He had been 
 brought up under the patronage of Abibalus, the 
 father of Hiram, King of Tyre, and was beyond all 
 competition the best designer and artificer upon earth. 
 
 This temple was acknowledged by all nations to 
 be the utmost effort of human genius ; and that the 
 united excellencies of all the structures in the world 
 would have been inferior to it in beauty and splen- 
 dour, either for grandeur of design, or delicacy of 
 execution; which shews that, when speculative and 
 operative Masonry became thus united and blended 
 together under the wisest speculative Mason, the 
 strongest operative Mason, and the most beautiful de- 
 signer, and employed in such a laudable and sacred 
 undertaking, its superiority was fully manifested ; it 
 burst upon the world with irresistible sublimity,
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 21 
 
 and stood unrivalled amidst the proud and osten- 
 tatious productions of art which had previously 
 elicited the admiration of mankind. The massive 
 Tower of Babel, the gigantic pyramids of Egypt, ex- 
 ceeded it in solidity, but fell far short of it in mag- 
 nificence. The idolatrous temples of Jupiter, in 
 Tyre and Libyan Africa, of Dagon at Gaza, and 
 many others which had been regarded with wonder 
 and astonishment, faded into nothing before it ; and 
 the architects of those respective nations, forsaking 
 the principles of their former practice, resolved to 
 model their future works upon the improvements 
 exhibited in this famous structure. Hence Jeru- 
 salem became the resort of all other nations ; and 
 hence the true principles of ancient Lux became 
 more visibly disseminated subsequently to the build- 
 ing of this temple, which has induced a belief that 
 this epoch is the earliest date that can be assigned to 
 Masonry. It is indeed true that the initiated were, 
 at this time, declared free, and exempted from all 
 imposts, duties, and taxes, for them and their de- 
 Bcendants : for as the remnant of the Canaanites, 
 employed as labourers and bearers of burdens, were 
 associated with the free-born at the erection of this 
 edifice, a distinguishing epithet became necessary to 
 prevent confusion, a^ well as peculiar privileges to 
 excite emulation. This epithet was, accepted, and 
 the privileges were a perfect immunity from all con- 
 tributions to the service <>f the State. A similar 
 plan \\;i- pursued by Zerubbabel at the building of 
 tin- Becond temple, when Masonry was revived after 
 the Babylonish captivity. These occurrences affixed
 
 22 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 to Masons the honourable and permanent appella- 
 tions Of FREE and ACCEPTED. 
 
 But the union of speculative with operative Ma- 
 sonry produced advantages much more substantial. 
 The idolatrous nations of Tyre, Phoenicia, Carthage, 
 &c, were much addicted to the shocking and 
 abominable practice of human sacrifices, to avert a 
 general calamity. This barbarous custom, according 
 to the Rabbins, took its rise from the offering of 
 Isaac ; for Salomon makes God expostulate with 
 them in these words : " I never commanded that 
 you should sacrifice your sons or your daughters, 
 either by myself or my prophets ; nor did I intend 
 that Abraham should actually sacrifice his son ; but 
 the command was given to him to display his 
 rio-hteousness." 25 But I am rather inclined to think 
 that the practice originated long before the offering 
 of Isaac ; for Sanchoniatho records that Ham, " in 
 the time of a great plague, offered up his son Isoud 
 as a whole burnt offering to his father Ouranus or 
 Noah." 26 
 
 Our excellent brother Hiram Abiff, by the in- 
 
 25 Salomon Jarchi, in Jcr. vii. 31. The Carthaginians and 
 Phoenicians knowingly and wittingly themselves devoted their 
 own children ; and they that had none of their own, bought some 
 of poor people, and then sacrificed them like lambs or pigeons, 
 the poor mother standing by all the while, without either a sigh 
 or tear ; or if, by chance, she fetched a sigh, or let fall a tear, 
 she lost the price of her child, and it was nevertheless sacrificed. 
 All the places round the image were, in the meantime, filled with 
 the noise of the hautboys and tabors, to drown the poor infant's 
 crying." (Plut. de Superst.) 
 
 86 Sanch. in Euseb. Praep. Evan.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. '2'.] 
 
 fluence which he had acquired, not only over the 
 Tynans themselves, but also over their monarch, by 
 the superiority of his understanding, was successful 
 in abolishing this practice in his native country; 
 and the neighbouring nations who had visited Jeru- 
 salem for masonic instruction, were induced in a 
 great measure to relinquish a practice so destructive 
 of the true principles on which Masonry is founded. 
 These Masons, in gratitude to the memory of Hiram 
 AbitK and to perpetuate the love and affection of 
 bis wife (daughter to the noble Prince Adoniram), 
 who, from excess of grief at the untimely end of 
 her husband, terminated her own existence by 
 casting herself from the summit of a precipice, 
 erected three statues of cast brass ; one at Jeru- 
 salem, another at Joppa, and a third at Tyre : the 
 former of which remained until the final destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem and the Jewish polity by Titus 
 Vespasian. 
 
 The distinguishing excellence of our ancient bre- 
 thren was the silence or secrecy they religiously 
 observed respecting the mysteries of our science. 
 except to those whom they found worthy of a par- 
 ticipation in them, by a previous trial and /n-ol/ti- 
 fimi : they were imparted only to those who were 
 free-bofn <in<l wt II reported of. 
 
 The true way of gaining a knowledge of these 
 
 secrete ie pointed oul by Jesus Christ in his Sermon 
 
 on the Mount : u A.6TR, And it slmll be <jir<n i/oit ; 
 
 seek, and ye shall find ; knock, mul it slmll be opened 
 unto you." And M*is was an advice Venerable for 
 
 M Matt. vii. 7.
 
 24 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 its antiquity, though used by philosophical paganism 
 to direct the inquiries of its disciples to human 
 learning. " Philosophy," says Shuckford, " was not 
 disputative until it came into Greece ; the ancient 
 professors had no controversies about it ; they re- 
 ceived what was handed down to them, and out of 
 the treasure of their traditions imparted to others ; 
 and the principles they went upon to teach or to 
 learn by were not to search into the nature of 
 things, or to consider what they could find by philo- 
 sophical examination, but ' Ask, and it skull be told 
 you ; search the records of antiquity, and you shall 
 find what you inquire after.' These were the 
 maxims and directions of their studies." 2 " 
 
 Hence something more than the mere forms of 
 initiation is required to constitute a good Mason ; 
 for every one is not acquainted with the true secrets 
 of Masonry who has been initiated into the order. 
 What ability has denied to one, another loses by 
 indolence. Honour and probity, diligence and 
 assiduity, truth and fidelity, years, learning and 
 experience, are unitedly necessary to constitute " a 
 good and virtuous Mason" for Masonry is the 
 perfection of all the arts and sciences. As a 
 knowledge of medicine, astronomy, morality, and 
 legislation formed the great essentials of the an- 
 cient mysteries, so faith, hope, and charity, tempe- 
 rance, fortitude, prudence, and justice, united with 
 grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, 
 music, and astronomy, form constituent parts of 
 the one science of Masonry, which has been held 
 
 88 Connect. Prcf. vol. 1.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 25 
 
 in the greatest estimation in every age of the 
 world: has been honoured with the approbation 
 and public patronage of kings, peers, and prelates, 
 and still shines with unabated lustre, — the per- 
 fection of human nature, supported by the high 
 and unequivocal sanction of revealed truth.
 
 26 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CONTAINING SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS. 
 
 View of Masonry, as it existed from the Creation of the World 
 to the time of Enoch. 
 
 " From the commencement of the world," says 
 the celebrated Preston, " we may trace the founda- 
 tion of Masonry. Ever since symmetry began, and 
 harmony displayed her charms, our Order has had a 
 being." 1 But ancient Masonic traditions say, and 
 I think justly, that our science existed before the 
 creation of this globe, and was diffused amidst the 
 numerous systems with which the grand empyreum 
 of universal space is furnished. The great Archi- 
 tect of the universe was the founder of Masonry; 
 and it would be the province of bigotry alone to 
 confine II is beneficent revelations to so small a 
 portion of created things as the limited dimen- 
 sions of our earth contains. But there existed in 
 infinite space numberless worlds, before our earth 
 was (oi'ined out of chaos; for it would derogate 
 from the attributes of an eternal and self-existent 
 God, to conceive that this great and glorious Being 
 had remained inanimate, and in an useless and 
 
 1 Preston's Illustrations, book i. sec. 3. In the fifteenth 
 edition of this excellent publication, with the history of the 
 Craft appended, by the author of this work, the details of 
 Free-Masonry are brought down to the year 1841.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 27 
 
 dormant state, until the commencement of our 
 history, about 5,800 years ago. Now though we 
 cannot comprehend the nature of that eternity 
 which existed prior to the creation of this globe, 
 yet we art' certain that our system does not com- 
 prehend the whole of God's created works. With 
 him a thousand years are but as one day ; 2 what 
 then is the short and contracted period which forms 
 the bound of our insignificant ball ? If we open 
 our capacities, and take an enlarged view of space, 
 beyond the reach of our actual investigation, can 
 we be so blind and faithless as to conceive that it 
 is all vacant and unemployed, when almost every 
 optical improvement demonstrates, by new disco- 
 veries, the existence of worlds piled on worlds, too 
 far remote for human art to measure ? 
 
 These orbs were surely not made for ornament 
 alone, but for use; and as they possess every re- 
 quisite for the support of animal life, there can 
 be do doubt but they have been created for the 
 residence of intelligent beings, of the same capa- 
 cities perhaps as ourselves; probably of the same 
 nature, and certainly intended for the same im- 
 mortal destination. On these, or some of them, 
 the Creator has bestowed his blessings from all 
 eternity. They have been possessed of all the 
 privileges we enjoy, millions of ages before this 
 globe which we inhabit was reduced from nothing 
 into it- solid form: privileges perhaps superior to 
 any we can boast, for who can limit the power of 
 God to confer gifts upon bis creatures? Amongst 
 
 1 2 Peter, iii. 8.
 
 28 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 the most valuable of these was speculative Ma- 
 Bonry: for where there exist created beings, there 
 must exist some knowledge of a Creator, and some 
 principle of reverence to Him who can save ami 
 who can destroy. And speculative Masonry is no- 
 thing else but a system of ethics, founded on the 
 belief of a God, the creator, preserver, and re- 
 deemer; which inculcates a strict observance of 
 the duties we owe to each other, inspires in the 
 soul a veneration for the author of its being, and 
 incites to the pure worship of the Creator. 
 
 It may indeed be replied, " If this be true, why 
 is it not recorded in the Holy Scriptures ?" These 
 Books were written, after the apostacy of man. 
 with no other view than to promote his salvation, 
 bv explaining the nature of that transgression 
 which introduced death into the world, and made 
 all the posterity of Adam obnoxious to divine 
 wrath ; and pointing out the remedy for sin in 
 the person of Jesus Christ. This being the chief 
 end of Revelation, it would have added little to 
 the furtherance of that grand object to have en- 
 tered into metaphysical disquisitions on the nature 
 and extent of God's works before the creation of 
 man. The Scriptures, however, are not wholly 
 silent on this head. They proclaim the existence 
 of God before the worlds were made ; 3 and that 
 Great Being himself declares, that " when the 
 foundations of this globe w r ere laid, the morning 
 stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted 
 for joy."* The stars referred to in this passage are 
 
 3 Hebrews i. 2 ; Psalm xciii. 2, &c. * Job xxxviii. 7.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 20 
 
 prc-exi stent worlds, and the sons of God are the 
 angels of heaven. But to admit that our "lobe 
 was the first-fruits of God's power, is to destroy 
 our most valuable expectations: for this admission 
 would deny to God the attribute of eternity, and 
 deprive man of his faith and hope; for a Being 
 could not be worshipped, with full confidence in 
 his power to save to the uttermost, if he possessed 
 any trait of imperfection. 
 
 There existed also another order of beings before 
 the earth was created, who had once been angels of 
 light, and were expelled the society of heaven for 
 disobedience. 5 And this is a great and undeniable 
 testimony of the pure existence of light and truth, 
 and their determined opposition to darkness and 
 error, in times too far remote for human calculation. 
 The angels, who kept their first estate, continually 
 offer up their praises to the eternal I AM, in an un- 
 restrained melody of "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God 
 Almighty, which was and is and is to come." 6 In 
 Buch pure Masonic employment were the angels en- 
 gaged before the creation of the world ; and in such 
 employment will they be engaged to all eternity, 
 augmented by that glorious assembly, who, having 
 worshipped God <>n earth, shall be placed on the 
 right-hand of the Judge, in the greal and terrible 
 day of the Lord. 
 
 In the beginning of this material world the great 
 Creator sent forth his word, and called all things out 
 of chaos into being.' He laid the foundations of 
 
 5 Jade 6, and Rev. xii. '■>. ,; Revelations iv. 1. 
 
 Maimonidea says, "The world is like an immense animal, aa 
 Plato termi it, and it i- impossible to have heavens without earth,
 
 ;}() ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 this earth OD such a solid basis, that they cannot be 
 moved; he constructed the beautiful fabric of the 
 universe without the assistance of awe, hammer, or 
 metal t<><>l I lighted, wanned, and ornamented as it is 
 with all its luminous attendant orbs. His work was 
 performed in six successive days, and the seventh 
 was proclaimed an eternal sabbath. This division of 
 time into seven parts does not imply that God pos- 
 sessed not the power of calling his works into imme- 
 diate existence, but it affords a striking example of 
 the wisdom, strength, and beauty resulting from 
 a methodical arrangement of time and labour; and 
 to impress on his creatures the propriety and neces- 
 sity of apportioning one-sevcntli part of their time to 
 tlic purposes of rest and devotion. Hence in the 
 sacred compacts between God and man, the seventh 
 day was uniformly appointed to be kept holy, be- 
 cause, a public and external worship being instituted, 
 a certain and specified time was necessary for its 
 performance ; and in the Mosaic dispensation the 
 seventh year was a year of rest ; and each climateric, 
 or the recurrence of seven times seven years, Mas 
 celebrated by a solemn jubilee to the Lord. 
 
 On the first day God created light, to convince 
 the future man that without light it is impossible to 
 accomplish any beneficent or useful undertaking. 
 On this day the necessary division of labour and re- 
 freshment Mas made by the appointment of day and 
 night. This light Mas created in the easterwpaxt of 
 
 or earth without heavens ; for the earth, being the centre of the 
 circumference of the heavens, and the heavens, being the cir- 
 cumference encircling it on every side, where there is one there 
 must be the other."
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 31 
 
 the hemisphere, and was, according to Aquinas, 
 Lumen informe^ quod quarto die formation est. 8 
 
 On the second day creation was expanded ; the 
 higher and lower regions of the air were formed ; the 
 earth was surrounded with an atmosphere adapted 
 to its nature and qualities, for the refraction and re- 
 flection of light, and for the preservation of animal 
 life. The clouds, which are denominated the waters 
 above the firmament, were appointed as vehicles to 
 collect the vapours of the earth, and condense them 
 into the form of fruitful and nourishing mists or 
 showers, that it might bring forth its luxurious pro- 
 ductions for the benefit of man. 
 
 On the third day the earth was separated from 
 the waters, and filled with herbage fitted to the use 
 of its intended inhabitants. When the all-powerful 
 Word was issued forth, plants and trees sprung up, 
 in all their beauty and all their variety, from the 
 majestic oak to the lowly acacia. The forests put 
 forth their strength to afford shelter for quadrupeds 
 as well as the feathered race, and timber for the 
 future use of man. The hills and valleys displayed 
 their exuberant herbage, for nutriment to the 
 animal creation; enlivened with ornamental flowers, 
 wIiom- fragrance perfumed the atmosphere, and 
 heightened the ripening charms of nature. Trees 
 lades with fruit, or bursting into bloom, shewed the 
 all-provident care of a bounteous Creator, who brings 
 every thing to maturity in its season, for the pro- 
 
 asive use of his creatures. 
 
 8 A(|. Sum. p. i. (|. 70, ;irt. 1 .
 
 ))2 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 The fourth day 8 was employed in the formation 
 of the planets, which were placed in the heavens, 
 
 9 A question has arisen as to the length of time which each of 
 these days occupied. The inquiry is invested with much interest, 
 hut from what data can we solve it ? Geologists say respecting 
 the formation of chalk : — " Many ages before man existed ani- 
 malcules were busied in tropical seas, in forming enormous coral 
 reefs, which in time were worn down into powder by the action of 
 the waves. That powder, laid in beds along the floor of the 
 ocean, afterwards covered over with layers of mud and sand, 
 formed the strata of chalk which we now see raised above the 
 level of the sea, and operating as a natural filter and reservoir for 
 supplying water for the use of the human inhabitants of the 
 earth." (Chambers's Journal, 1843, p. 55.) The enormous 
 length of time which is necessary to bring coal to perfection is 
 another proof of the vast space which has elapsed since God 
 said, " Let the dry land appear!" The Bishop of London says 
 in his sermons : — " As we are not called upon by Scripture 
 to admit, so neither are we required to deny the supposition that 
 the matter without form and void, out of which this globe of 
 earth was framed, may have consisted of the wrecks and relics 
 of more ancient worlds, created and destroyed by the same Al- 
 mighty power which called our world into being, and will one day 
 cause it to pass away. Thus, while the Bible reveals to us the 
 moral history and destiny of our race, and teaches us that man 
 and other living things have been placed but a few thousand 
 years upon the earth, the physical monuments of our globe bear 
 witness to the same truth ; and as astronomy unfolds to us 
 myriads of worlds, not spoken of in the sacred records, geology 
 in like manner proves, not by arguments drawn from analogy, 
 but by the incontrovertible evidence of physical phenomena, that 
 there were former conditions of our planet, separated from each 
 other by vast intervals of time, during which this world was 
 teeming with life, ere man, and the animals which are his con- 
 temporaries, had been called into being." A thousand years, in 
 the sight of God, are but as one day. And what are thousands 
 of thousands ? The inquiry is too vast and too mysterious for 
 human comprehension. We must believe and adore.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 33 
 
 glittering like the brilliant lustre of precious stones 
 in a superb diadem, and in disposing the two great 
 lights of heaven so as not only to promote the 
 benefit and happiness of mankind by the light and 
 heat emanating from their beams, but to mark the 
 progress of time, and to divide it into regular pe- 
 riods of days, months, and years. These two great 
 luminaries rule and govern the universe with such 
 amazing regularity, that the returns of day and 
 night, summer and winter, are precisely known, and 
 the purposes of civil life answered to the utmost 
 extent of human wants or wishes. The sun and 
 moon, with the attendant planets which decorate 
 our system, were formed at this late period of the 
 creation to shew that they are created beings, and 
 not gods ; that man, being apprized of this, might 
 not fall into idolatry, by giving that honour to the 
 creature which is due only to the Creator; for, 
 though the sun and moon are justly esteemed the 
 two great lights of heaven, they are but instruments 
 in the hands of God to convey his blessings to the 
 world: and if they be converted into objects of 
 adoration, they become vehicles of the greatest 
 darkness. The sun rises in the east to open the day 
 with a mild and gonial influence, and all nature re- 
 joice- in the appearance of hi-> beams. He gains 
 bis meridian in the south, and shines with full 
 Btrength upon the earth, invigorating animate and 
 
 inanimate matter with the perfection of his ripening 
 qualities. With declining Btrength he Bets in the 
 west to close the day, leaving mankind al rest from 
 their accumulated and diversified labours. This is 
 a proper type of the three most prominent stages 
 
 i)
 
 :! I ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 in the life of man, Infancy, manhood, and old age, 
 The first stage is characterized by the blush of in- 
 nocence, pure as the tints which gild the eastern 
 portals of the day. The heart rejoices in the un- 
 suspecting integrity of its own unblemished virtue, 
 nor fears deceit, because it knows no guile. Man- 
 hood succeeds ; the ripening intellect arrives at the 
 meridian of its power, and either conveys blessings 
 Or curses on all within the sphere of its influence. 
 His strength decays at the approach of old age, bis 
 sun is setting in the west ; and, enfeebled by sick- 
 ness or bodily infirmity, death threatens to close his 
 variegated day ; and happy is he if the setting 
 splendours of his sun gild his departing moments 
 with the gentle tints of hope, and close his short 
 career in peace, harmony, and brotherly love. 
 
 This globe was yet without inhabitants to enjoy 
 the bounties of its Creator; 10 for Providence did 
 not form living creatures until nutriment was pro- 
 vided for their support ; on the fifth day, therefore, 
 
 10 An eastern romance, entitled Caherman Name, or Ca- 
 herman's History, introduces that hero in conversation with the 
 monstrous hird or griffin, Simurgh, who tells him that she had 
 already lived to see the earth seven times filled with creatures, 
 and seven times reduced to a perfect void ; that the age of Adam 
 would last seven thousand years ; when the present race of men 
 would be extinguished, and their place supplied by creatures 
 of another form and more perfect nature, with whom the world 
 would end. She declared that she had then seen twelve periods, 
 each of seven thousand years, but was denied the knowledge of 
 the term of her own existence. And Sadi, a Persian moralist of 
 the first class, praises Providence for providing so bountifully for 
 all his creatures, that " even the Simurgh, notwithstanding her 
 immense size, finds, on the mountains of Kaf, sufficient for her 
 sustenance." (Hale's Anal. Chron., vol. iv. p. -29.)
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 35 
 
 the waters and the air were furnished with their 
 scaly and their feathered inhabitants. When the 
 word was given, " Let the waters bring forth abun- 
 dantly the moving creature that hath life," the 
 ocean swelled with the accumulation of its new in- 
 habitants, and all the monsters of the deep, suddenly 
 bursting into life, and astonished at their own ex- 
 istence, pierced through the yielding element which 
 enclosed them, and in trackless paths explored its 
 copious recesses in search of nourishment and places 
 of repose. The winged fowl at God's command 
 rose into life ; and all these creatures were ordered 
 to replenish the waters and the earth with their 
 respective species. 
 
 On the sixth day Creation was completed. The 
 powerful Word was uttered, " Let the earth bring 
 forth the living creature;" the earth, obedient to 
 His command who made it, instantly yields cattle 
 and creeping things, and beasts of every kind. Its 
 bowels open; the lordly lion, the fierce tiger, the 
 unwieldy elephant, the gigantic serpent, burst forth 
 in full-grown strength ; the timid animals scud to 
 their hiding places. The wild beasts seek the 
 forest ; and there, deeply embosomed in its imper- 
 vious recesses, bury themselves in shade and obi 
 Bcurity. Every creature instinctively seeks shelter 
 
 and protection in its natural abodes, and all unite 
 
 to proclaim the glorj of their Creator by silent 
 mark- of gral itude and praise. 
 
 Still the magnificent structure of this universe, 
 furnished with every requisite for ornament and 
 use, was incomplete. It wanted a lord, endowed 
 with power and dignified with reason, t<> held all 
 
 D 2
 
 :5<; ANTIQUITIES or 
 
 creatures in subjection. Last of all, therefore, God 
 created man. and placed him on the earth, as Lord 
 of the Creation : he gave him universal and un- 
 limited dominion over every thing that moveth upon 
 the earth ; he endowed him with the use of speech, 
 gave him an immortal soul, and, during the forty 
 years 11 that he is supposed to have sojourned in 
 Paradise, communicated to him every thing neces- 
 sary to his happiness; explained to him the several 
 works of the Creation, and pointed out to him the 
 seventh day as a Sabbath, or a day peculiarly conse- 
 crated to the solemn purposes of rest and devotion. 
 Thus finished, furnished, and decorated, the Al- 
 mighty Architect reviewed His workmanship, and 
 pronounced it good ; and then it was solemnly dedi- 
 cated by the hallelujahs of heaven. The angelic 
 host, in choral symphonies, welcomed Him to His 
 t In-one in the Grand Lodge above, and all heaven 
 rejoiced at the perfection of created things. 
 
 The seventh day was sanctified as an eternal Sab- 
 bath, because God rested on that day from the 
 work of Creation. He did not rest, in the com- 
 monly accepted sense of the word, from a sensation 
 of weariness, because Omnipotence is not susceptible 
 of the privations and sufferings attached to human 
 nature in its degraded state ; but that, from this 
 example, man might be induced to appropriate one 
 day in seven to rest and worship, and to keep up a 
 perpetual remembrance of the division of time, and 
 the events which took place at the creation of the 
 
 11 Some say forty ; others a hundred years ; and perhaps the 
 latter would he the more probable date. (Vide Hale's Chron. 
 vol. ii. p. !).)
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 37 
 
 world : for, before the invention of letters, some 
 unequivocal institution was necessary, to prevent 
 these important circumstances from being buried in 
 oblivion. 
 
 Placed in the garden of Eden, Adam -was made 
 acquainted with the nature of his tenure, and taught, 
 with the worship of his Maker, that science which 
 is now termed Masonry. This constituted his chief 
 happiness in Paradise, and was his only consolation 
 after his unhappy fall. To increase his comforts, 
 every other part of the Creation corresponded in a 
 high degree with the superiority of his own mind. 
 The whole compass of this material world was, in- 
 deed, before Adam's unhappy fall, infinitely nearer 
 to immortality, and consequently, its progressive 
 changes, in advancing to celestial perfection, would 
 have been inconceivably less perceptible, and even 
 attended with pleasure at every gradation ; instead 
 of those frightful appearances, heart-rending sepa- 
 rations, and horrible convulsions by which every 
 natural change is now accompanied and effected. 
 Still the charms of nature were exceeded by hu- 
 man dignity and grace. A companion was pro- 
 vided for the first man, in whom were united every 
 perfection and every charm which can decorate 
 her species; and thus, amongst the works of the 
 ( Ireation, 
 
 " Two of far nobler shape, erect and tall, 
 Godlike erect, with native honour clad 
 In naked majesty, seem'd lords of all: 
 And worthy seem'd ; for in their looks divine 
 
 The image of their glorious Maker shone, 
 Truth, wisdom, sanctitude severe and pun-
 
 38 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 (Severe, but in true filial freedom placed), 
 Whence true authority in men; though both 
 Not equal, a;? their sex not equal seem'd : 
 For contemplation he and valour form'd ; 
 For softness she and sweet attractive grace. 
 Adam, the goodliest man of men since born 
 His sons; the fairest of her daughters Eve." 12 
 
 In this state, enjoying almost unlimited faculties 
 of comprehension, the first created pair were the 
 companions of angels, and in full communion with 
 God. What wants, what wishes could remain to 
 render the felicity of these favourites of heaven 
 more perfect and complete? Enjoying every in- 
 dulgence, and possessing every advantage of which 
 their nature was capable, with promises and pros- 
 pects of increasing happiness and boundless bless- 
 ings ; scarcely confined by any restraint, or, if 
 restraint it may be termed, the most trifling pos- 
 sible ; warned of their danger, guarded against 
 temptation, encouraged by rewards, and alarmed 
 by the denunciations of punishment, it can scarcely 
 be conceived possible that even an angel of the 
 highest order could be able to prevail on them, 
 under all these awful sanctions, to forfeit the pro- 
 tection of their God, by a renunciation of the sanc- 
 tity with which they were endowed. The state of 
 perfection in which our first parents were created, 
 with all the blessings they enjoyed in Paradise, were 
 suspended on the observance of a single condition. 
 The one only prohibition which was prescribed as 
 the test and confirmation of their happiness, proved 
 the avenue to their misery : for as immortality was 
 
 " Milt. Par. Lost, book 4.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 39 
 
 the promised reward of their obedience, so death 
 was the threatened punishment of their sin. In 
 this primitive state of purity our great progenitor 
 lived, it is presumed, for some years, constantly 
 employed in acts of gratitude and devotion to his 
 Maker ; the adoration of whom, as it was the end 
 of his Creation, formed the principal delight of his 
 existence. 
 
 The perfection in which Adam was created has 
 been disputed by many authors, both ancient and 
 modern ; and some have ventured to pronounce that 
 he and his earliest posterity, were absolute savages, 
 unendowed even with the gift of speech. 
 
 But Adam's knowledge was not of the confined 
 nature which has been imagined, because God pro- 
 nounced all his works, amongst which the Lord of 
 the Creation was of course included, to be very 
 good. Now the expression very good when used by 
 a divine and perfectly intelligent Being, must cer- 
 tainly imply something more than an ordinary and 
 comparative degree of knowledge. Adam was the 
 work of God, and God's works cannot be charged 
 with imperfection. Anatomists, in every age, make 
 new discoveries which prove the excellence and per- 
 fection of the human body: but the mind is the 
 noblest part of man, and it will scarcely be assumed 
 that God would exhaust his gifts upon the body, and 
 leave the mind barren and desolate. Tn Paradise 
 
 he wa- the perfection of God's created works, be- 
 
 cause every thing was placed under his dominion; 
 l*i it it may be conjectured that after the fall, when 
 the whole creation became deformed with bul he
 
 H» ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 might be changed from his original state, and lose a 
 portion of that knowledge which he enjoyed in the 
 immediate communication with God and angels. 
 
 He might, indeed, forfeit, with his purity, the ines- 
 timable gift of divine inspiration, but he would cer- 
 tainly retain a recollection of those degrees of 
 knowledge which are within the compass of human 
 capacity. Amongst the rest, or as a general desig- 
 nation, common to them all, he retained a perfect 
 recollection of that speculative science which is now 
 termed Freemasonry. 
 
 The happiness of our first parents in the garden 
 of Eden was too profound, not to excite the envy of 
 that malignant spirit, 13 who had been doomed to 
 eternal punishment and despair ; stimulated, as it 
 was, by resentment against the Most High, whose 
 favour he had for ever forfeited. With a view 
 therefore, of destroying the felicity of our pro- 
 genitors, and through them of defeating man's 
 obedience for ever, he assumed the form of a ser- 
 pent, applied himself to the companion of Adam, 
 and with plausible arguments and fair speeches suc- 
 ceeded in convincing her, that the prohibition of 
 
 13 Dean, when speaking of the poetical fiction of winged 
 dragons, as guardians of treasure, and protectors of female inno- 
 cence, says, singularly enough, " the malevolent actions of the 
 paradisiacal serpent had a colouring given by heathen myco- 
 logists diametrically opposite to the reality. The seducer of Eve 
 is thus perversely termed the protector of maiden virtue ; and 
 the tempter, who induced her to pluck the forbidden fruit, is the 
 guardian of the golden apples in the garden of the Hesperides. So 
 powerful is the prince of this world to delude his victims." 
 (Worsh. of Scrp. p. 21.)
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 41 
 
 God was made with the selfish intention of monopo- 
 lizing immortality and power; 1 * and that instead of 
 death being the result of disobedience, eternal life and 
 ever-increasing happiness would be communicated, 
 and man would assuredly become equally powerful 
 with God himself. Seduced by these specious de- 
 clarations, the mother of all Masons violated the 
 sacred injunctions of God, and through her entreaties, 
 Adam followed the pernicious example, and both 
 miserably fell from a state of innocence and purity, 
 to experience all the bitter fruits of sin; toil and 
 labour, misery and death. 15 On this unhappy dere- 
 liction from purity are founded some of those cha- 
 racteristic insignia of Masonry, which convey a lasting 
 
 14 " The most remarkable remembrance," says Dean, " of the 
 power of the paradisiacal serpent is displayed in the position 
 which he retains in Tartarus. A cunodracontic Cerberus guards the 
 gates; serpents are coiled upon the chariot wheels of Proserpine ; 
 serpents pave the abyss of torment ; and even serpents constitute 
 the caduceus of Mercury, the talisman which he holds when he 
 conveys the soul to Tartarus. The image of the serpent is 
 stamped upon every mythological fable connected with the realms 
 of Pluto. Is it not then probable, that in the universal symbol 
 of heathen idolatry we recognize the universal object of primitive 
 worship — The Serpent of Paradise ?" 
 
 14 The Talmudists and Cabalists believe the history of Adam 
 and Eve was a fact, according to the recital ; then, taking it 
 allegorically, they continue, the serpent means carnal desire ; that 
 generally deceives the weakesl part or matter, represented by Eve, 
 who led Adam with her, that is, the mind; then they proceed to 
 the protologic and mural, shewing how much harm is dour, 
 and lias been introduced into the world, from punning carnal 
 pleasure- and -cn-ual appetites, and finally, on this they form the 
 anagogir, that the serpent was Samael, an unclean evil spirit 
 that spoke within her: in this way. the same text combines all 
 
 the four meaning . (Concil. ii. 269.)
 
 42 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 remembrance of our degenerate state, as well as the 
 glorious promise of redemption. These tokens 
 were unnecessary when man was in a state of per- 
 fection; but after the fall they were practised by 
 Adam, and are considered as the immoveable land- 
 marks of the order unto this day. The five events 
 attending this transgression and expulsion from 
 Paradise ; viz. the transfjress'n»i, shame, sentence, 
 prayer, and promise, are distinguished among Masons 
 by such significant tokens of reverence, penitence, 
 sympathy, fatigue, and faith, that the unhappy con- 
 sequences of the three former, as well as the hope 
 derived to mankind from the two latter, can never 
 be blotted from the recollection. 
 
 Expelled from Paradise, into a world cursed for 
 their sake, our first parents must have sunk under 
 the effects of this terrible change, if the promise had 
 not lent them support under the extremity of 
 misery. 16 Their calamities were great, but faith 
 and hope supplied them with fortitude to endure 
 the penalty of their disobedience. Their first object, 
 on passing from ineffable light to temporary dark- 
 ness, was to clothe themselves with the skins of 
 beasts slain in sacrifice, according to the immediate 
 command of God. 
 
 One grand principle of ancient Masonry was to 
 preserve alive in men's minds the true knowledge of 
 God, and the great idea of an atonement for sin by 
 animal sacrifices ; typical of the one sacrifice of the 
 Lamb without spot, as a propitiation for the sins of 
 the whole world. This was the animating idea 
 
 16 Grotius (in Eccles. xxv. 15) observes — in capite serpentis 
 vis maximc mali.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 4o 
 
 which increased men's faith, wheresoever Masonry 
 Was practised ; an idea "which was never entirely 
 obliterated, even amongst the idolatrous nations, by 
 whom our science was most deplorably prostituted, 
 and reduced to something worse than the shadow of 
 its image. Hence Abel's sacrifice was more ac- 
 ceptable than that of Cain, because it was an animal 
 sacrifice, and offered conformably to the divine ap- 
 pointment ; while that of Cain, being unbloody, was 
 an abomination, because it did not contain any re- 
 ference to the atonement of Christ, without which 
 all sacrifices and offerings were unacceptable to God : 
 for " without shedding of blood there could be no 
 remission," 1 " " for it is the blood that maketh atone- 
 ment for the soul." 18 It was the object, therefore, 
 of our ancient brethren to preserve, through the 
 medium of our institution, a lively remembrance 
 of the great object of their faith and hope, that 
 the result might be pleasing to God, and produce 
 an unfeigned charity to all mankind. 
 
 The wants and calls of nature impelled our first 
 parents to labour for their subsistence ; and the 
 inclemency of the seasons called for habitations 
 to shelter them from heat and cold ; from the 
 scorching fervour of the meridian sun, and from 
 the overwhelming influence of midnight damps. 
 arising from mists and vapours with which the 
 earth \\.;- watered. Here they cultivated the 
 barren ground, and with infinite fatigue procured 
 their daily food. Cheered by the divine goodness. 
 
 however, and penetrated with gratitude and love 
 11 Hebrews ix. •_''_'. " Leviticus ivii. II.
 
 44 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 to the great Father of Mercy, they never again 
 deviated from the path of purity and devotion. 
 The principles of speculative Masonry, which had 
 been communicated to Adam in Paradise, were 
 never forsaken, even after having tasted the 
 bitter fruit of the forbidden tree ; and as his 
 progeny increased, he communicated to them the 
 divine precepts and injunctions which were en- 
 folded in that pure and sublime science. When 
 men became numerous upon the earth, the evil 
 spirit of darkness was very busily engaged in the 
 corruption of their morals ; and succeeded in 
 working up the malevolent passions in the heart 
 of Cain, until he apostatized from Masonry, and 
 slew his brother Abel. God expostulated with 
 the fratricide on the heinous nature of his sin, and 
 justified himself from the imputation of being the 
 author of evil ; He pronounced an additional curse 
 on Cain and his posterity, and declared that the 
 ground should not henceforth yield to him its 
 strength, though cultivated with the utmost labour 
 and ingenuity. The principles, in which he had 
 been educated, thus forsaken, he was banished 
 from his kindred, and sent forth as a fugitive 
 and a vagabond ; protected, however, from per- 
 sonal violence, by a peculiar mark, which was 
 acknowledged by all mankind. 19 
 
 19 "This mark was a sign or token that no one should kill 
 him. The ridiculous conjectures upon this point have been 
 almost without number. Some imagine that God imprest a 
 letter upon his forehead : and others have been so curious in 
 their inquiries a.* to pretend to tell what the letter was. A 
 letter of the word Abel Bay some ; the four letters of Jehovah
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 45 
 
 Being thus, by the mercy of God, protected from 
 tlif summary vengeance of his fellow men, Cain 
 migrated from the residence of his parents, as 
 many of Adam's posterity had done before him, 
 and planted a colony in the land of Nod. Here 
 his race forsook every good and laudable pursuit, 
 along with Masonry, and degenerated into every 
 species of impurity and wickedness ; though there 
 were a few of his immediate descendants who 
 retained so much virtue as to exert the faint 
 remains of their Masonic talents for the benefit 
 of mankind. Thus Jabal, the sixth in descent 
 from Cain, invented the use of tents; Jubal, his 
 brother, invented music, and Tubal Cain, his half- 
 brother, invented the art of forging or working 
 metals. Here Cain, with the assistance of these 
 artists, reduced the knowledge he had acquired 
 from Adam to practice, and constructed a city, 
 which he named Hanoch, after his eldest son. 20 
 
 say others ; or a letter expressing his repentance, say a third 
 sort of writers. There have been some that imagined that 
 Abel's dog was appointed to go with him wherever he went, to 
 warn people not to kill him ; but this does not come up to the 
 humour of a mark set upon Cain ; and therefore other writers 
 rather think his face and forehead were leprous ; others that his 
 mark tu a wild aspect and terrible rolling eyes; others say that 
 he waa subject to a terrible trembling, so as to be scarcely able 
 to get his food tu his mouth ; a notion taken from the LXX, 
 who translate " fugitive and vagabond," c-thu* **/ rpipu*. Ami 
 
 there are BOme writers that have improved this COUCeil by adding 
 that wherever he went the earth shook and trembled round about 
 him. But there IS another notion of Cain's mark, a- good a- any 
 of the rest, viz. that lie had a horn fixed on his forehead, to teach 
 
 men to avoid him !" (Shuckford's Connect., book I.) 
 
 *o "The invention of building i- by Moses attributed to Cain
 
 4G ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 The family of Cain lived in much fear of the 
 reel of Adam's posterity, who they conjectured 
 would revenge the death of Abel upon them when 
 a favourable opportunity should present itself. 
 Lamed) was the first who endeavoured to remove 
 their apprehensions, and proposed a fortification as 
 the most certain means of safety. By his advice, 
 Cain, with the assistance of Jabal and Tubal Cain, 
 encompassed his city with walls, as a place of 
 refuge, in case of interruption from the people 
 around them. This city, being the first practical 
 exertion of operative Masonry, was necessarily ill— 
 constructed, and probably worse defended. The 
 habitations were merely tents or huts, which 
 served, indeed, to shelter them from the in- 
 clemency of the seasons, but whose conveniences 
 were little superior to the dens and caves which 
 had hitherto been used as their places of domestic 
 retreat, The only great advantage derived from 
 the construction of this city vv r as that of associa- 
 tion, from which many important benefits resulted. 
 
 and his issue : for it is certain he must have had many hands to 
 join with him when he built the first city. But in what year, or 
 rather century of his life this was done, we are not informed ; 
 only we have reason to judge that he lived as many years as his 
 brother Seth, which were 912 ; and he might build this city, 
 such as it was, in any part of his time after his son's birtb, 
 agreeably to the Mosaical history. We may suppose, therefore, 
 that he did it when he was about seven or eight hundred years 
 old, and had seen seven or eight generations descended from 
 him ; each of which was in such numbers increased, as was not 
 only sufficient to build it, but to inhabit and defend it. In so 
 much time, all the arts might easily be invented which were 
 requisite to such an undertaking." (Cumb. Sanch.)
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 47 
 
 The blessings of superior civilization might ensue, 
 in a well-regulated commonwealth, from a union 
 of interests and a reciprocity of benefits : which 
 could never be obtained while men depended on 
 their own isolated exertions for the necessaries 
 of life ; and existed, if not in absolute enmity 
 with all others of their species, at least without 
 the conviction that each occasional companion or 
 associate was a firm and constant friend. And 
 if, in this solitary mode of living, the duty of 
 laving up stores of provision and comfort for the 
 winter were neglected, in that inclement season 
 the improvident individual must inevitably perish 
 with cold and hunger ; unless, with the strong arm 
 of violence and injustice, he wrested the miserable 
 pittance from his more provident neighbour. This, 
 we are assured by Diodorus Sicilus," 1 was frequently 
 the case ; and hence homicide was very common 
 among the antediluvians, and was the particular 
 species of violence which elicited the wrath of God 
 to sweep them from the earth. 
 
 But by the formation of a society or compact, in 
 which the bond was mutual security, those evils 
 might have been prevented ; the social virtues of 
 the heart might display themselves, traces of civil 
 government might be visible, to restrain the impe- 
 tuosity of human passion : and some notions of the 
 moral LrovoriiiiH'iit of the universe, by a Superior 
 
 Being, become Impressed upon their minds, and 
 possess a genial influence on their morals. Unfor- 
 tunately the commonwealth of rlanoch enjoyed but 
 
 •i Lib. l.
 
 -IS ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 few of these benefits, from a want of regularity in its 
 founder. Rough and inhospitable himself, his pos- 
 terity were fierce and ungovernable, and more dis- 
 tinguished by violence and licentiousness, than peace 
 and social order. They had either forgotten God, 
 or were wilfully disposed to act in direct opposition 
 to his commands. Their hostility to the divine 
 Author of their being' announces the decay of pri- 
 mitive Masonry amongst them ; and their subsequent 
 degeneracy shews how the human heart may be 
 debased, when divested of these true principles, 
 which so strongly stimulate to virtue and holiness. 
 
 After this public renunciation of God's laws, vice 
 rapidly increased, until it brought on man's destruc- 
 tion. Lamech, who appears to have possessed great 
 influence in the city of Ilanoch, introduced the evil 
 of bigamy ; and the effects of his example increased 
 to such a degree, that, before the flood, there existed 
 amongst his posterity an indiscriminate community 
 of wives, as well as a bestial intercourse with each 
 other. 22 Holy Scripture has not recorded their mon- 
 strous enormities: and as Masonry was at length 
 wholly given up by this race, T return to the line of 
 Seth, amongst whom it was yet cultivated, and its 
 precepts obeyed. 
 
 Seth, the son of Adam, was educated by his father 
 in the strictest principles of piety and devotion ; and 
 when he arrived at years of maturity was admitted 
 to a participation in the mysteries of Masonry, to 
 which study he applied himself with the most dili- 
 gent assiduity. The progress he made in this 
 
 53 Euseb. Eccl. Hist., 1. i. c. 2.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 40 
 
 science is folly demonstrated by the purity of bis 
 life. Associating with himself tbe most virtuous 
 men of his age, they formed lodges, and discussed the 
 great principles of Masonry with freedom, fer- 
 vency, and zeal. These Masons, in a few cen- 
 turies, made such progress in tbe science, that they 
 received from their contemporaries the appellation of 
 Sons of Light, or Sons of God. Their system of 
 Masonry was purely theological: its illustrations 
 explained the nature and attributes of God, the 
 creation of the world, and the unhappy fall of man. 
 It pointed out the difference between moral good 
 and evil, and compared the happiness of Paradise 
 with the pain, disease, and misery of this wretched 
 world ; that the mind might be incited to avoid a 
 much greater punishment, and aspire to the enjoy- 
 ment of a much higher degree of happiness in a 
 future state. It inculcated the precepts of religion, 
 and the necessity of divine worship ; the sanctifi- 
 cation of the seventh day, with other particulars 
 which every Mason is acquainted with, who is master 
 of our inimitable Fellow Craft's Lecture. 
 
 From general illustrations of God's attributes, 
 these indefatigable Masons proceeded to the study 
 and investigation of God's created works. Ofthese 
 the celestial orbs appeared the most prominent and 
 splendid, and were, therefore, contemplated with an 
 eagerness of research which produced the most impor- 
 tant results. The rudiments of Astronomy, were not 
 only formed in these early ages, but the science was 
 carried to some degree of perfectioE ; and certainly 
 inspired a sublime idea of that glorious Being, who 
 
 i:
 
 50 ANTKU'ITIES OF 
 
 could create and govern so vast and complicated a 
 machine. 
 
 The Jewish Rabbins, in describing the holiness of 
 this race while engaged in these pursuits, present to 
 the view a true and beautiful picture of the results 
 of Masonry, when practised in its native purity. 
 Separated, by the divine economy, from the re- 
 bellious race of Cain, they preserved the primitive 
 sanctity of their progenitors until about the year 
 of the world 500. Their occupations were purely 
 spiritual, for they lived almost solely on the spon- 
 taneous productions of nature. The laws and mo- 
 tions of the celestial bodies constituted their chief 
 study, and their usual amusement consisted in sing- 
 ing of psalms to God. Endued with that benign 
 principle which we term charity, the passions of 
 envy, hatred, and revenge found no place amongst 
 them ; injustice and deceit were banished from their 
 society ; sincerity and plain-dealing were their dis- 
 tinguishing characteristics ; and they lived, daily 
 ripening for that state which is enlightened by the 
 presence of God for evermore. To the purity of 
 these Sons of God our most excellent patron, St. 
 John the Evangelist, compared that of the Christian 
 converts. He addresses them by the same appel- 
 lation, and contrasts their conduct with that of the 
 wicked, whom he compares with the unrighteous 
 race of Cain. 83 
 
 Seth continued to preside over these sacred as- 
 semblies until the time of Enoch ; and finding that 
 
 53 1st Ep. iii. 1-12.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 51 
 
 the spirit of God was in that highly favoured in- 
 dividual, and that he excelled his brethren in 
 wisdom and knowledge, he installed him Grand 
 Superintendent in his stead ; happy to leave the 
 science under the direction of so excellent a pro- 
 tector. 

 
 T>2 ANTIQITTIES OF 
 
 PERIOD II. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 On the Origin of the Arts and Sciences. 
 
 It has been already explained that Masonry is 
 divided into two distinct parts, operative and 
 SPECULATIVE; the latter and most noble portion of 
 which declined amongst the descendants of Ham 
 and Japheth, when they renounced the worship of 
 the true God, and degenerated into idolatry. They 
 cherished, however, the former division, amidst all 
 the fluctuations of their fortune, and diversities of 
 modes of faith and worship. The corruptions which 
 gradually debased the moral principle in man did 
 not check his ardour in the pursuit of science, or 
 restrain the avidity with which he cultivated wis- 
 dom, and the love of every useful art. The Egyp- 
 tians were celebrated for geometry, the Phoenicians 
 for the perfection of their arithmetical calculations, 
 the Chaldeans for their knowledge of astronomy, 
 and the Cretans for music. 
 
 The island of Crete, which was planted in the 
 ages anterior to Abraham, so far excelled in the cul- 
 tivation of the fine arts, that men of learning and
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 53 
 
 research, from other countries, visited this people 
 to reap the benefit of their improvements. 1 Under 
 the patronage and genial encouragement of their 
 kings, they excelled not only in music, but also in 
 medicine, and the arts of civil and social life f they 
 carried the art of working in brass and metals to a 
 greater perfection than any nation had done before 
 them ; s they communicated their knowledge very 
 freely to other nations who applied for it, and even 
 appointed public teachers, whose office was to pre- 
 serve their acquirements pure and free from so- 
 phisticated adulterations. These teachers were 
 appointed by an edict of the state, and heavy pe- 
 nalties were denounced upon any person who should 
 attempt to give instruction in the sciences without 
 this authority.* 
 
 Yet even when mankind had degenerated into 
 perfect religious indifference, and would scarcely ac- 
 knowledge that God was the supreme architect of 
 the world, or of the human structure, but deduced 
 the original of all things from a fortuitous con- 
 course of atoms, they still encouraged the fine arts, 
 and advanced them to a high degree of perfection. 
 Hence the age of Augustus, the most dark and 
 ambiguous with respect to religion, was esteemed 
 the brightest era of time with respect to flic extent 
 
 1 Diog. Laert. * Diodor. Sicul. 
 
 3 Zenop. ck Institut. Cyri. 
 
 1 Tbni Prometheus was condemned for inculcating the art of 
 forging metal-, without being duly invested with authority from 
 the deputies legally appointed to grant it. (Plato in Protag.) He 
 vrai pronounced a seducer of the people, and Buffered banishment 
 for violating the laws of hu country.
 
 54 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 of* human Learning, and the perfection of human 
 science. 
 
 THE SEVEN LIBERAL SCIENCES, 
 
 Originally invented by Masons, 5 were transmitted 
 almost solely through their indefatigable zeal, be- 
 fore the invention of printing. These sciences were 
 much cultivated by the idolatrous nations, though 
 they erred in not applying their attainments to the 
 knowledge and worship of the Supreme Creator 
 and Governor of the world, which is the only true 
 end of every scientific pursuit. The study of the 
 seven liberal sciences constituted the usual course of 
 instruction prescribed by philosophers for the higher 
 classes of mankind, and this course was termed en- 
 cyclopedia, or instruction in a cycle. 6 
 
 * A Record, which is preserved in the Bodleian Library, and 
 was written about the latter end of the fifteenth century, thus 
 particularizes the arts invented by Masons. 
 
 " Quest. Whatte artes haveth the Maconnes techedde man- 
 kynde ? 
 
 " Answ. The artes, Agricultura, Architectura, Astronomia, 
 Geometri, Numeres, Musica, Poesie, Kymistrye, Governmente, 
 and Relygyonne. 
 
 " Quest. Howe commethe Maconnes more teachers than odher 
 menne ? 
 
 " Answ. The hemselfe haveth alleine in arte of fyndynge newe 
 artes, whyche arte the ffyrste Maconnes receaved from Godde ; by 
 the whyche they fyndethe whatte artes hem plesethe ; and the 
 treu way of techynge the same. Whatt odher menne doethe 
 ffynde out, ys onelyche bey chaunce." 
 
 6 The professors of the spurious Freemasonry, it must be ad- 
 mitted, were the most perfectly acquainted with the pursuits of 
 human science. Dr. Willet says, " The heathen were the first 
 inventors of almost all human arts ; as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle 
 of philosophy ; Euclid, Archimedes, Ptolma?us, of the mathe-
 
 FREE-MASONRY. .">,"> 
 
 The high antiquity of these and other philoso- 
 phical attainments shews the avidity with which our 
 ancient brethren pursued knowledge, even after 
 they had deviated from the true worship of God. 
 To trace these sciences back to their original may 
 be counted an adventurous task ; but if, amidst the 
 doubtful evidence which remains of these times, we 
 Hnd strong presumptive proof that they were in the 
 exclusive possession of Masons in the most early 
 ages of the world, it will shew that Masonry is not 
 a negative institution, but that it is of some actual 
 benefit to mankind. 
 
 GRAMMAR 
 
 " Teaches the proper arrangement of words according to the 
 idiom or dialect of any particular people, and that excellency of 
 pronunciation which enahles us to speak or write a language with 
 accuracy, agreeahly to reason and correct usage." 7 
 
 It is highly probable that there existed a great 
 variety of dialects before the Flood, which would 
 cause some general elements to be both useful and 
 necessary tor a beneficial intercourse amongst man- 
 kind. The migration of Cain into distant parts 
 would separate his family from the rest of the world 
 
 matics ; Isocrates, Demosthenes, Cicero, of rhetoric ; Homer, 
 Pindarus, Virgil, of poetry; Herodotus, Thucydidcs, Livius, of 
 history. Now none of these professions arc to be found among 
 the pagans and infidels, hut they flourish only among Christians. 
 The learned books and writings of Justin Martyr, Tertullian, 
 Clemen Origen, Arnobius, Lactantius, Cyprian, 
 
 Hierom, Augustine, with the rest, do evidently Bhew how the 
 spoils of Egypt arc now possessed only by the people of God." 
 
 apla in Bxod. p. 1 65.) 
 
 1 Lect. of Masonry, Vide Preston's "Illustrations."
 
 56 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 for some ages; and the exclusive pursuits in which 
 they were engaged would materially alter the origi- 
 nal language: for new wants and new acquirements 
 Mould demand new names and phrases, which, being 
 adopted from fancy or accident, Mould in a few 
 years change the character of the language alto- 
 gether. The same causes would produce an altera- 
 tion in the language of every tribe which lived 
 separate from the general settlement of Adam; and 
 repeated migrations doubtless took place, even 
 during the life-time of that patriarch, from the 
 rapid increase of the human race, under the ad- 
 vantages of antediluvian longevity, which, without 
 intercourse, must of necessity produce so many 
 radical changes in the primitive language, as to fill 
 the world with new and differing dialects, as infinite 
 as the numerous tribes who might plant colonics in 
 every part of the habitable globe. 
 
 Before the time of Enoch, neighbouring tribes 
 had established a social intercourse with each other, 
 which, by the invention of boats, might in some 
 cases be extended to a considerable distance over 
 the sea, having for its basis mutual wants and mu- 
 tual conveniences. This intercourse rendered some 
 simple medium necessary for the better interpreta- 
 tion of strange languages. An object so desirable 
 became the universal study; and it Mas at length 
 effected by Enoch, who invented an alphabet to per- 
 petuate sounds, and with it adopted some general 
 rules for fixing the character of language ; and this 
 was grammar, which had indeed been long used 
 before such a science Mas actually known in its 
 proper and specific form. Its essence was coeval
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 57 
 
 with language ; for the use of speech includes the 
 art of arranging words in such order as to convey 
 an intelligible meaning. The invention of letters 
 would naturally inspire the idea of converting this 
 faculty into a science ; and hence its most simple 
 elements may be ascribed to Enoch. 
 
 This alphabet acquiring increased accessions of 
 grammatical improvement before the translation of 
 Enoch, was committed by that excellent Patriarch 
 to Methusaleh, and by him to Noah, with whom it 
 survived the Flood, and was transmitted by him 
 and his sons to all the generations of the world. 
 Noah carried his alphabet to China, where, in the 
 hands of a jealous and suspicious people, it under- 
 went changes without improvement. With the 
 descendants of Shem, it continued to improve, 
 until it arrived at the perfection which the Hebrew 
 dialect so early attained. The Persian language 
 was founded by his son Elam, and is evidently 
 a dialect of the Hebrew. The thirteen sons of 
 Joktan carried the same language and alphabet 
 into Arabia, where, unpossessed of literary genius, 
 its inhabitants suffered it to assume a new character, 
 which, though nervous and bold, retained its original 
 simplicity. This was the dialect in which the Book 
 of Job is said to have been written. By Ham and 
 hifl BOD Mi/raini, this alphabet was conveyed to 
 
 Egypt, whose philosophers and priests, in process 
 of time, substituted hieroglyphical for alphabetical 
 characters, that their attainments might be kept 
 secret from the mass of mankind." The Egyptian 
 
 ' "Although the alphabet published by Champollion contained
 
 58 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Cadmus, improving upon the general principles 
 of alphabetical knowledge, conceived the idea of 
 adapting an alphabet peculiar to the characteristic 
 principles of every distinct language. He intro- 
 duced a new alphabet, consisting of sixteen letters, 
 into (! recce, and for this reason is considered by 
 many as the inventor of letters. The descendants 
 of Japheth carried the same alphabet and the same 
 language into the more remote parts of the world. 
 varying into different shades, as new tribes were 
 formed, and fresh migrations emanated from the 
 colonies planted by the parent stock. 9 
 
 After the invention of letters, it would not be 
 long before the difference between substances and 
 qualities, action and passion, &c, would be marked 
 by some peculiar designation, and this improving 
 into a system, would define the precise limits of 
 every national language, and an unerring standard 
 would be produced, by which the inequalities of a 
 wild or barbarous dialect might be reduced into 
 symmetry and order. 
 
 only 134 hieroglyphical characters, which are, strictly speaking, 
 phonetic, yet he has found out the real meaning and import of 
 730 more signs, some of which are symbolical, and others figura- 
 tive ; so that the whole number of all hieroglyphical characters, 
 of even* description, amounts to S64. Some of these are from 
 birds, beasts, fishes, insects, parts of the human body, celestial 
 appearances, geometrical figures, tools and instruments of trade, 
 &c. &c." (Spineto, Lect. 3.) 
 
 9 " The Greek, the Latin, and the Sanscrit languages," says 
 Sir W. Jones, " bear so great a resemblance to each other, that 
 no philologer could examine them all three without believing 
 them to have sprung from some common source, which perhaps 
 no longer exists." (Asiat. Researches, vol. i.)
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 59 
 
 KHETORIC. 
 
 " Rhetoric teaches us to speak copiously and fluently on any 
 subject ; not merely with propriety alone, but with all the advan- 
 tages of force and elegance : wisely contriving to captivate the 
 hearer by strength of argument and beauty of expression, whether 
 it be to entreat or exhort, to admonish or applaud." 
 
 LOGIC 
 
 " Logic teaches us to guide our reason discretionally in the 
 general knowledge of things, and directs our inquiries after 
 truth. It consists of a regular train of argument, whence we 
 infer, deduce, and conclude, according to certain premises laid 
 down, admitted, or granted; and in it are employed the faculties 
 of conceiving, judging, reasoning, and disposing, all of which 
 are naturally led from one gradation to another, till the point 
 in question is finally determined." 10 
 
 Rhetoric, according to Aristotle, is a kind of 
 scion growing out of logic ; n and these are corre- 
 spondent the one to the other. 12 Like grammar, 
 they naturally spring from language: for the rudest 
 savages will use different powers of language to 
 express love and hatred; accusation, persuasion, or 
 defence. Hence these sciences existed in the very 
 first ages, unrestricted by rule or method, and 
 governed only by the passions and affections of 
 those who used them. Primitive argumentation 
 was rude and unombellished, and directed solely 
 to the purpose in view. A striking instance of 
 this i< exhibited in Cain's defence against the 
 accusation of God. At firsl he Bternly denies 
 any knowledge of the fate of his In-other; but, 
 to qualify thi^ bold falsehood, ho resorts to sub- 
 terfuge: "Am I my brother's keeper?" When Ins 
 
 10 Mat. Lect. " Khet. 1. i. <■. 2. '■ [bid. I. i. <•. I.
 
 60 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 sci it once is pronounced, ho endeavours, by a sub- 
 dued language, to awaken the pity of his Judge, in 
 mitigation of punishment : "And Cain said unto 
 the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 
 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the 
 face of the earth, and from thy face shall I be hid ; 
 and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the 
 earth ; and it shall come to pass that every one 
 that findeth me shall slay me." 13 Another specimen 
 of this sort of rhetoric occurs in the address of 
 Laniech to his wives ; and these are sufficient to 
 shew the originality of these sciences. The inven- 
 tion of letters might lend an assisting hand to their 
 improvement ; but it was not until many other 
 refinements were introduced into the world, that 
 they were arranged into the form of regular sys- 
 tems, and governed by specific laws. 
 
 These sciences were much cultivated by the 
 early Masons, and vigorous efforts were made, in 
 every age, to attain superior excellence in those 
 acquirements which conveyed a decided superiority 
 over the passions of men. By the practice of these 
 sciences, Thoth, the son of Mizraim, acquired much 
 of his celebrity : for he was an able rhetorician ; and 
 even received the appellation of Hermes for his 
 superior skill in logical disquisitions. 14 The per- 
 suasive eloquence of Abraham was celebrated 
 throughout the world ; and, from the specimen 
 recorded by Moses, 15 his fame was not undeserved. 
 In this respect, Aaron is spoken of in terms of high 
 
 13 Gen. iv. 13, 14. M Tcrtul. de Cor. Fcst. 
 
 u Gen. xviii. 23, ad fin.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 61 
 
 commendation by God himself; 16 and hence we may 
 deduce that these sciences were already recognized, 
 and reduced, at least, to an elementary form. 
 
 ARITHMETIC. 
 
 "Arithmetic teaches the powers and properties of numbers, 
 which is variously effected by letters, tables, figures, and instru- 
 ments. By this art, reasons and demonstrations are given for 
 finding out any certain number, whose relation or affinity to an- 
 other is already known or discovered." 17 
 
 This science, according to Gale, 18 had its origin 
 with God himself; because the first computation of 
 time is made by the Deity at the creation. 1 ^ 
 
 Some authors are of opinion that, in the first ages 
 of the world, arithmetic proceeded no farther than 
 counting the fingers of the left hand, which was the 
 tie fill's ultra of notation ; and here it remained 
 without any advances for many centuries; and that 
 even at the time of the Odyssey it had scarcely ad- 
 vanced further; for Proteus is there said to number 
 his herd by Jives. But surely this reasoning is very 
 insufficient; for if a sabbath was instituted at the 
 en -at ion, and a day of rest was ordained to succeed 
 every six days of labour, it must be admitted that 
 Adam was acquainted with the art of numbering by 
 sevens', and as there existed no visible objects to 
 guide and assisl him in this calculation, it must have 
 been effected by the exercise of his reason and inge- 
 nuity. And it' this conjecture be true it maybe 
 reasonably supposed thai his knowledge of this 
 science extended much farther. The computations, 
 
 "• Bxod. iv. 14. " Mas. Lect. 
 
 I our! of tli«- Gentiles. Gen. ii. 2, •'<.
 
 02 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 as we are assured from the only legitimate source of 
 information which we possess respecting the know- 
 ledge of those very remote ages, were similar to the 
 mode in use at this day ; viz. by tens ; and of this we 
 have :i very satisfactory evidence in the prophecy of 
 Enoch : " Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand 
 of his saints," &c. 20 The construction of the Ark, ac- 
 cording to certain specified dimensions, proves that 
 Noah was acquainted with the more abstruse calcu- 
 lations attached to space and symmetry. 
 
 It may be generally asserted that wheresoever 
 Masons were congregated for any particular purpose, 
 there arithmetic was known and practised. The 
 proportions of an edifice could not be correctly 
 ascertained without a knowledge of figures ; and 
 calculations could not be effected without the aid of 
 arithmetic. Besides, as the riches of mankind con- 
 sisted, in those early times, of flocks and herds, some 
 knowledge of numbers was absolutely necessary to 
 form a standard of comparative wealth, by which the 
 strength or power of a particular tribe could alone 
 be estimated. 
 
 After the Flood we find arithmetic much culti- 
 vated ; and the patriarch Abraham eminently distin- 
 guished for a competent knowledge of this science, 
 which he taught, in conjunction with other illu- 
 minated attainments, to his family and friends. 21 
 
 20 Jude 14. 
 
 !1 His calculation of just men, proposed to the Almighty as a 
 test or condition on which was to be suspended the safety of 
 Sodom, and the rest of the cities threatened with destruction, 
 was made by tens ; and the same method prevailed amongst the 
 relations of Abraham when they delivered Rebekka as the wife
 
 FREE-MASONRY. G3 
 
 Abraham introduced arithmetic as a science into 
 Egypt, and the philosophers were so fully impressed 
 with its transcendant advantages, as to make it an 
 object of incessant application. They blended it 
 with the mysteries of their religion and politics, and 
 in after-ages their general elucidations were effected 
 by the assistance of arithmetic. From Egypt it 
 spread to other parts of the world ; and Pythagoras, 
 who investigated its properties with a more than 
 common assiduity, pronounced it to be an attain- 
 ment more than human, and publicly asserted, that 
 a knowledge of numbers was a knowledge of God. 
 
 GEOMETRY. 
 
 " Geometry treats of the powers and properties of magnitudes 
 in general, where length, hreadth, and thickness are considered, 
 from a point to a line, from a line to a superficies, and from a 
 superficies to a solid."" 
 
 According to Joscphus, geometry was known to 
 the antediluvians. " Providence," says he, "found 
 it necessary, for the promotion of virtue, and for 
 cultivating the study and improvement of astronomy 
 and geometry, to give a long date to the life of man ; 
 for, agreeably to the computation of the great year, 
 no less a space of time than six hundred years \\:is 
 required for making accurate experiments in those 
 sciences.'* 83 As geometry is a science on which all 
 others depend, this conjecture of the Jewish historian 
 
 of Isaac; they prayed thai she mighl be the mother of thousands 
 (jf million- -, which shews that this science bad, at that time, at- 
 tained full perfection in one of it- component part- ■. for no better 
 method bai been since devised of expressing an infinitely extended 
 notation 
 
 Mas. Li et. " 3 Ant. I. i. c. 4.
 
 G4 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 is undoubtedly correct; for Cain could scarcely 
 practise architecture with any degree of success 
 without the aid of geometry; nor could lie apply 
 himself to apportion and divide the land of Nod 
 amongst Ins children," 4 had he not possessed some 
 knowledge of this fundamental science. 
 
 After the Flood we have positive evidence of the 
 use to which these sciences were applied. Not to 
 mention the negative proofs displayed in those 
 gigantic monuments erected by the most ancient 
 inhabitants of the post-diluvian world ; the old con- 
 stitutions of Masonry affirm that Abraham was 
 an eminent geometrician, and communicated this 
 science to the free-born only. 
 
 Diodorus, Proclus, and others, attributed the in- 
 vention of geometry to the operative Masons of 
 Egypt, under the direction of Mizraim and Thoth. 
 It is certain that the early Egyptians were well 
 versed in this science, which they applied to astro- 
 nomy and all the liberal arts. They found it parti- 
 cularly serviceable in ascertaining the situation of 
 landmarks, which formed the boundaries of their 
 respective estates, usually obliterated and destroyed 
 by the annual inundations of the river Nile. 
 
 Herodotus records the practice of geometry in the 
 reign of Sesostris, to whom, indeed, he attributes the 
 invention of this science. " Sesostris," says this his- 
 torian, " made a regular distribution of the lands of 
 Egypt. He assigned to every Egyptian a square 
 piece of ground ; and his revenues were drawn from 
 the rent which every individual annually paid him. 
 
 M Ibid. 1. i. c. 3.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. Of) 
 
 Whoever was a sufferer by the inundation of the 
 Nile was permitted to make the king acquainted 
 with his loss. Certain officers were appointed to 
 inquire into the particulars of the injury, that no man 
 might be taxed beyond his ability. It may not be 
 improbable to suppose," adds Herodotus, "that this 
 \\:i< the origin of geometry."'-" 5 
 
 " The study of geometry among the Egyptians 
 owed its original to necessity; for the river Nile 
 being swelled with the showers falling in Ethiopia, 
 and thence annually overflowing the country of 
 Egypt, and by its violence overturning all the marks 
 they had to distinguish their lands, made it neces>aiv 
 for them, upon every abatement of the flood, to 
 survey their lands, to find out every one his own by 
 the quantity of the ground upon the survey ; the 
 necessity of which put them upon a more diligent 
 inquiry into that study, that thereby they might at- 
 tain to some exactness in that which was to be of 
 such necessary, constant, and perpetual use." 26 
 
 The precise description of the promised land, 
 which was surveyed and marked out by unequivocal 
 boundary-lines, proves Moses to have had a mathe- 
 matical knowledge, which was a part of the learning 
 of the Egyptians in which he was skilled. 27 
 
 Pythagoras, who introduced Masonry into Eng- 
 land, was taught the elements of geometry in 
 Egypt, 88 which he reduced to a regular science. OH 
 
 Beloe, Buterp. ""' Ori^- Sac, book ii. r. ■_>. 
 
 " Climb. Orig., Trad 3. 
 
 We learn from Diodonu Siculus, thai the ancient poeta and 
 philosopher! resorted to Egypt for the purpose <>i learning their 
 ind acquiring every peciei of useful knowledge from that 
 people. ' Bu« b. Praep, Bvan., I. 10.) 
 
 i
 
 66 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 fixed find certain principles. He taught that a geo- 
 metric point corresponded with a unit in arith- 
 metic; a line with two; a superficies with //mr, and 
 a .W/r/ with /o<w. A principle still preserved 
 amongst Masons, and inculcated in the second 
 lecture. 
 
 " After Pythagoras, geometry became the darling 
 study of the Greeks; and their learned men applied 
 its principles to mechanical purposes in general, as 
 well as to operations in stone or brick. And as 
 Masonry kept pace with geometry, so many lodges 
 appeared, especially in the Grecian republics, where 
 liberty, trade, and learning flourished ; as at Sicyon, 
 Athens, Corinth, and the cities of Ionia, till they 
 perfected their beautiful Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian 
 orders. From this time we date the strict union 
 between the free and accepted Masons, which has 
 subsisted ever since in all regular lodges." 2 9 
 
 Plato entertained so exalted an opinion of geo- 
 metry, that he inscribed on the portal of his school, 
 " Let no one ignorant of geometry enter here ;" 
 thus making geometry an introduction to the study 
 of philosophy. 
 
 Euclid, a zealous and indefatigable Mason, ap- 
 plied himself sedulously to the exclusive study of 
 this science. He collected all the existing works 
 of ancient mathematicians ; reduced geometry into 
 order and regularity ; and brought it to a degree 
 of perfection, which has been exceeded only by a 
 truly Masonic genius of our own nation, whose mo- 
 desty declined the laurels which his merits entitled 
 
 ~° Anderson's Hist, of Masonry, edit. 1784, p. 41.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. <i7 
 
 him to wear; and the illustrious name of Sir Isaac 
 Newton will elicit the admiration of mankind so 
 long as nature follows her accustomed course, and 
 the frame of this world is governed bv her laws. 
 
 Under this head may be properly classed the 
 science of architecture, which is " the art of building 
 edifices proper for habitation or defence. Although 
 architecture, in its utmost latitude, may be defined 
 a mathematical science, containing rules for de- 
 signing and raising all sorts of structures, according 
 to geometrical proportion, yet in its ordinary ac- 
 ceptation it is applied only to the construction of 
 such buildings as are necessary for the purposes of 
 civil life." 30 It is divided into three parts: civil 
 architecture, military architecture, or fortification, 
 and naval architecture, or ship-building. 31 As the 
 former of these divisions appears more intimately 
 connected with Masonry, as an institution of peace, 
 harmony, and brotherly love. I shall confine my 
 brief notices exclusively to it. 
 
 30 Mas. Lect. 
 
 31 Naval architecture appears to have been practised before the 
 flood ; and originated in the use of shapeless masses of floating 
 timber, of sufficient buoyancy to sustain the weight of the adven- 
 turous individual who possessed the courage to intrust himself to 
 -neb a frail and uncertain support. In the fourth century of the 
 world, a great-grandson of Cain, as we are informed by an an- 
 cient writer, projected the design of crossing rivers by meant oi 
 raft-. Hi- first effort was simply to fell a tree, lop its branches, 
 
 and cast the trunk into the water, on wliirli lie committed lihu- 
 
 self to the mercy of the wav» - and currents. This rude and danger- 
 on- navigation was improved by Tubal Cain, who invented the 
 axe and other iron tool.-. He constructed a slight boat orcanoi foi 
 tin- purpose of fishing, and U said to have been the first man who 
 iiy tailed, 
 
 i 2
 
 68 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Civil architecture, we certainly know, was prac- 
 tised before the Flood, though we arc ignorant of 
 
 the precise nature of their buildings, as the Flood 
 destroyed every antediluvian monument, except one 
 of the pillars of Enoch. We have positive evi- 
 dence, from the Books of Moses, that .label built 
 tents, and afterwards, probably, Cain built a city: 
 for, " in the space of nine hundred years assigned 
 to his life, he might live with, and make use of to 
 build his city, those whom Sanchoniatho names in 
 the fifth and seventh generations from Protogonus ; 
 viz. in the fifth Memrumus, who also in Greek is 
 called Hypsuranius. He made houses about Palae- 
 tyrus, compassed and covered with ordinary reeds. 
 rushes, and the paper-reed. In his seventh gene- 
 ration, he puts Chrysor, whom he affirms to be the 
 Hephaistus of the Greeks, and the Latin Vulcanus, 
 ami his brother, the inventor of bricks, tiles, and 
 walls. These men joined together will easily do 
 all that belongs to the building of one or many 
 cities." 32 
 
 Very early after the Flood, architecture was con- 
 siderably advanced. The most noble monuments of 
 antiquity, the pyramids,' 53 obelisks, and the gigantic 
 Sphynx, 34 added to those mighty efforts of human 
 
 32 Cumb. Sanch. p. 230. 
 
 33 For a description of the pyramids, &c, consult the new edi- 
 tion of the History of Initiation, p. 32. 
 
 3* This monstrous statue, formed with a virgin's head and a 
 lion's body, was symbolical of the overflowing of the Nile, which 
 happened when the sun was in the signs of Leo and Virgo. 
 It had its name from this circumstance ; for the word sphynx, in 
 the Chaldean language, signifies to overflow. This monument of
 
 FREE -MASONRY. 09 
 
 genius displayed in the Tower of Babel, the won- 
 ders of the eity of Babylon, the Egyptian labyrinth, 
 &c, assure us of the great perfection to which this 
 science was carried in the most early ages of the 
 world. The primitive inhabitants of Ethiopia, who 
 received their knowledge of Masonry from Cush, 
 the grandson of Noah, erected monuments of art 
 which remain to this day. 35 
 
 " Music teaches the art of forming concords so as to compose 
 delightful harmony, by a mathematical and proportional arrange- 
 ment of acute, grave, and mixed sounds. This art, by a series 
 of experiments, is reduced to a demonstrative science, with 
 respect to tones and the intervals of sound. It inquires into 
 the nature of concords and discords, and enables us to find out 
 the proportions between them by numbers." 36 
 
 Music, the next in order of the seven liberal 
 sciences, was successfully cultivated by the idola- 
 trous nations, as well as the true worshippers of 
 God, and has been a general Masonic pursuit from 
 the time of its invention in the most early ages. 
 This science was practised before the Flood ; for 
 
 Egyptian assiduity, which will exist as long as the world shall 
 endure, was cut out of a solid rock, and intended as a sepulchre 
 for King Amasis. 
 
 35 Bruce tells us of obelisks, pillars, and prodigious fragments 
 of colossal statues of the Dog Star, which are of the highest an- 
 tiquity, and are still to be seen in this country : and adds, that 
 " the Cnshites, with unparalleled industry, and with instruments 
 utterly unknown to us, formed to themselves commodious yet 
 vrondi rfnl habitations, in the heart of mountains of granite and 
 
 marble, Which i< main entire in great DUmberfl to this day, anil 
 
 promise to do bo till the consummation of all things."
 
 <0 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Moses informs us that .Tubal, the son of Lamech, 
 "was the father of all such as handle the harp 
 and organ :" s and this is all we know, with any 
 degree of certainty, of the origin and use of 
 musical instruments before the Flood. Thoth or 
 Hermes is Baid, by Apollodorus, to have invented 
 music. 38 His invention of the lyre was the effect 
 of accident. Striking his foot against a dead 
 tortoise, on the banks of the river Nile, whose 
 cartilages were distended across the shell, and 
 dried by the heat of the sun, the concussion pro- 
 duced a distinct and continuous sound. Impressed 
 with this idea, he constructed an instrument in the 
 form of a tortoise, and strung it with the dried 
 sinews of animals. 39 This instrument consisted of 
 three strings ; to improve which, Apollo (who was 
 c< (temporary with Hermes, for he is said to be the 
 rhut of Moses, and was esteemed the most able 
 musician of antiquity) added a fourth ; a fifth was 
 added by Corebus ; a sixth by Hiagnus ; a seventh 
 by Terpander ; and Pythagoras increased the num- 
 ber of strings to eight, and practised the method 
 of tuning diatonically. This great man afterwards 
 made an instrument with fifteen strings, which 
 completed the double octave, and 1 lis system 
 
 37 Gen. Lv. 21. 
 
 38 " No one person ought strictly to be called the inventor of 
 an art which seems to be natural to, and coeval with, the human 
 species ; but the Egyptian Mercury is, without doubt, entitled 
 to the praise of having made striking improvements in music, as 
 well as of having advanced, in various respects, the civilization 
 of the people, whose government was chiefly committed to his 
 
 (Morison.) 
 33 Apollodorus.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 71 
 
 became at length distinguished by the appellation 
 of the Pythagorean System. In process of time, 
 the system was perfected by the introduction of the 
 Chromatic and Enharmonic Scales ; the former by 
 Timotheus, and the latter by Olympus. 40 
 
 The extraordinary effects produced by music on 
 the passions of men in ancient times caused it to be 
 much used in religious ceremonies. From Egypt 
 the science was carried by the children of Israel 
 into Canaan ; and so attached were they to it, that 
 every rite of their worship was accompanied with 
 music. The priests were necessarily musicians ; 
 and the assistance of a musical instrument was a 
 usual accompaniment to the delivery of prophecies, 
 to express more feelingly the sentiment of joy or 
 terror which they Mere intended to inspire. 
 
 The ancient Lodges of Free-Masons, whether 
 congregated on the highest of hills or in the lowest 
 of valleys, were opened and closed, as we have reason 
 t<> believe, with solemn music, as well as solemn 
 prayer ; and at the dedication of King Solomon's 
 Temple, as we are informed by Josephus, there 
 were present twenty thousand musicians. 
 
 At this day our meetings, dignified by literary 
 research and scientific illustration, are enlivened 
 by the enchanting power of music, which lends a 
 portion of refinement to our more social and relaxed 
 
 * Busebhu relates ('I'- Prep. Evan, 1. 2, c. 1) that Osiris, 
 
 when lie travelled about the world to plant colonies and civilize 
 mankind, bad with him, a- companions, Apollo and Pan, a- well 
 
 ,i- nine Virgini irated tor their respective talent- a- to be 
 
 rardi termed, in Greece, the Nine Muses, because of the 
 ■ .I their voices and instruments
 
 7- ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 pursuits, and adds a charm to Masonry, which leaves 
 no sting behind. 
 
 ASTRONOMY. 
 
 " Astronomy is that divine art by which we are taught to read 
 the wisdom, strength, and beauty of the Almighty Creator in 
 those sacred pages the celestial hemisphere. Assisted by astro- 
 nomy, we can observe the motions, measure the distances, com- 
 prehend the magnitudes, and calculate the periods and eclipses of 
 the heavenly bodies : by it we learn the use of the globes, the 
 system of the world, and the preliminary law of nature. While 
 we are employed in the study of this science, we must perceive 
 unparalleled instances of wisdom and goodness, and through the 
 whole creation trace the glorious Author by his works." 41 
 
 Philosophy and astronomy, as we learn from 
 Strabo, were cultivated by the Egyptians, 1 * who 
 kept their mysteries secret from all but the ini- 
 tiated ; this practice they derived from Thoth, their 
 second monarch, whose wisdom exalted him to the 
 confidence of his grandfather, Ham. Now, as Egypt 
 is one of the most ancient nations in the world of 
 
 41 Mas. Lect. 
 
 42 " The orders and motions of the stars," says Diodorus, "are 
 observed at least as industriously by the Egyptians as by any 
 other people whatever ; and they keep records of the motions of 
 each for an incredible number of years ; the study of this science 
 having been, from the remotest times, an object of national ambi- 
 tion with them. They have also most punctually observed the 
 motions and periods and stations of the planets, as w r ell as the 
 power which they possess with respect to the nativities of animals, 
 and what good or evil influences they exert ; and they frequently 
 foretell what is to happen to a man throughout his life ; and not 
 uncommonly predict a failure of crops or an abundance, and the 
 occurrence of epidemic diseases among men or beasts. They fore- 
 see, also, carthcpiakcs and floods, and the appearance of comets, 
 and a variety of other things which appear impossible to the 
 multitude."
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 73 
 
 which we have any authentic records, to Egypt we 
 must look for the early perfection of many sciences 
 which have not been noticed in the Mosaic Re- 
 cords. 
 
 The science of astronomy was certainly invented 
 by the posterity of Seth, though the Jewish Rabbins 
 insist that it was revealed to Adam by God him- 
 self. Josephus does not sanction this hypothesis ; 
 he merely observes, " That the children of Seth 
 were the first persons who studied the motions and 
 influences of the heavenly bodies." 43 But Eupole- 
 mus absolutely ascribes the invention of astronomy 
 to Enoch: 44 and it is thought, from an observation 
 of Josephus, that the antediluvians were acquainted 
 with the grand period of six hundred years, in 
 which the heavenly bodies return to the same rela- 
 tive situation. 
 
 Shuckford says — " Noah must be well apprized 
 of the usefulness of this study, having lived six 
 hundred years before the Flood ; and he was, with- 
 out doubt, well acquainted with all the arts of life 
 that had been invented in the first world; and this 
 of observing the stars had been one of them ; so 
 that ho could not only apprize his children of the 
 necessity of, but also put them into some method of 
 prosecuting those studies." 4S 
 
 After the Flood, therefore, the lino of Ham were 
 |p\ no means ignorant of this science; on the con- 
 trary, the Phcenicians and Egyptians attained a verj 
 early knowledge of the planets as distinct from the 
 
 43 Ant. I. 1, e. •'{. <4 Euaeb. Pnep. Evan. 1. !', c. 17. 
 
 1 Con. Bk. 6.
 
 7 1 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 stars; and even arranged the clusters of stars into 
 constellations, by which they are in the present day 
 distinguished. 40 
 
 Chronologers tell us that the first celestial obser- 
 vations after the Flood were made immediately Bub- 
 sequent to the erection of the Tower of Babel ; 
 and this seems to be confirmed by what Porphyry 
 tells us. that when Alexander took Babylon, he 
 found in that city astronomical observations for 
 nineteen hundred and three years; and this brings 
 them within fifteen years of the building of Babel. 47 
 
 "Berosus, who collected the ancient Chaldean 
 
 46 Thus Cronus, or Ham, was consecrated into the planet 
 Saturn. (Euseh. de Praep. 1. 1, c. 10.) Thoth, or Athothes, was 
 consecrated into Mercury. (Erat. Cat. c. 23.) The bodies, accord- 
 ing to Plutarch, of Osiris, Isis, Typhon, &c, were worshipped on 
 earth, and their souls shone as the stars in heaven. Isis was 
 called the Dog-star ; Orus appeared in the constellation known 
 by the name of Orion, and Typhon in Ursa Major. (De Isid.) 
 
 47 The subdivision of the day into hours was not known to 
 Moses ; and consequently the Egyptians, prior to his time, were 
 ignorant of it. According to Herodotus, the Babylonian priests 
 first divided the day into twenty-four equal parts; and, subsequently, 
 their neighbours, the Chaldeans, who were much addicted to astro- 
 logical speculations, assigned to the days of the week the planetary 
 names which they still retain. Conceiving that every hour of the 
 day was under the influence of its governing planet, by a rotary 
 motion, they appropriated to each day the name of the planet 
 which appeared to govern the first hour of it ; whence the names 
 of the days had an astronomical origin. The method was this. 
 Beginning with the first day after the creation, and arranging the 
 planets thus — Sol, Venus, Mercury, Luna, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, 
 they named the first day after the sun. Thus Venus would 
 govern the second, ninth, sixteenth, and twenty-third hours ; 
 Mercury, the third, tenth, seventeenth, and twenty-fourth; which 
 would consequently give to Luna the first hour of the second day; 
 which was hence named Dies Luna? ; and so on of the rest.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 75 
 
 monuments, and published treatises of their astro- 
 nomy and philosophy, gave an account, in his history, 
 of a man among the Chaldeans in the tenth genera- 
 tion after the Flood, 'who was righteous, and great, 
 and skilful in the celestial science ;' 48 which cha- 
 racter agrees with that of Abraham, who is said by 
 Josephus to have taught the Egyptians astronomy 
 and arithmetic, of which sciences they were utterly 
 ignorant before his time. 41 ' 
 
 The investigations in this chapter are calculated 
 to shew, that the science of Masonry, which em- 
 braces every branch of human learning, and applies 
 each to the only end which can make men truly 
 useful here, or happy hereafter, the glory of God ; 
 was practised amongst the descendants of Ham and 
 Japheth so far only as its operative nature extended ; 
 tor they stopped short at the portal of that most 
 sublime and spiritual edifice, " a building not made 
 with hands, eternal in the heavens." 50 Hence, at 
 the coining of Christ to restore the primitive reli- 
 gion, and with it the essence of speculative Masonry, 
 the idolatrous worship sunk to decay, and all the 
 works founded on its basis mouldered into dust and 
 ruins. At his birth, the popular legend accredited 
 amongsl the idolaters was, that the groves and 
 temples consecrated to demoniacal worship echoed 
 with the most tremendous howlings; the waves of 
 
 tin' adjacent BeaS BWelled with an unusual agitation; 
 
 the priests, overwhelmed with awe inquired of their 
 oracles the causes which produced these alarming 
 
 .1 . A ii t . 1. I , c. 7 " Up. Tomfihe. 
 
 ' 2 Cor. v. I.
 
 76 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 and supernatural phenomena ; when a voice was 
 said to answer — "Our reign is expired. We are 
 struck dumb by the appearance of a superior 
 power!" 81 However this may be, the fatal shock 
 which idolatry received by the appearance of Jesus 
 Christ on earth is attested by evidence of a much 
 more certain and specific character; the public 
 confession of demons expelled by Our Saviour from 
 possessed individuals (as recorded by the Evange- 
 lists), whose uniform cry was, Torment us not ! 
 We know and acknowledge thee to be the Son of 
 God. And nearly four centuries after this, when 
 Julian, in his attempt to restore the idolatrous 
 worship, urged the oracle of Apollo, at Daphne, to 
 declare the cause of his silence, the God replied, by 
 his priests, that he was prevented from answering 
 by the bones of a Christian saint which were 
 buried adjacent to the temple. The bones were 
 removed by Julian's order, and the temple was soon 
 after destroyed by a fire from heaven. 
 
 The triumph of Christianity over Idolatry and 
 Judaism is amply corroborated by the conduct of 
 this apostate emperor, in his impious attempt to 
 frustrate the prophecy of Jesus Christ, and rebuild 
 
 51 Vide Suidas, voce Delphi. Plut. Defect. Orac. And our own 
 Milton says : — 
 
 The oracles are dumb ; 
 No voice or hideous hum 
 
 Runs through the arched roof, in words deceiving. 
 Apollo, from his shrine, 
 Can no more divine, 
 
 With hollow shriek the steep of Delphoe having. 
 No nightly trance, or breathed spell, 
 Inspires the pale-eyed priest from the prophetic cell.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 77 
 
 the Temple of Jerusalem. The miraculous inter- 
 position of heaven to prevent the execution of this 
 project, and assert the truth of Christianity, is re- 
 corded by Christian, Jewish, and Pagan writers. 
 Gregory Nazianzen thus expresses himself on this 
 mysterious subject: "The Jews set about the work 
 of rebuilding with great attention, and pushed on 
 the project with the utmost labour and application. 
 But when now driven from their work by a violent 
 whirlwind and a sudden earthquake, they fled to- 
 gether for refuge to a certain neighbouring church. 
 There are who say, the church refused them en- 
 trance, and that, when they came to the doors, 
 which were wide open but a moment before, they 
 found them on a sudden closed by a secret and 
 invisible hand. As they strove to force their way 
 in by violence, the Fire, which burst from the foun- 
 dations of the temple, met awl stopped them ; awl oar 
 part it burnt and destroyed, awl another it desperately 
 maimed, leaving them a living monument of God's 
 condemnation and wrath against sinners." "The 
 day after the earthquake," adds the Rabbin Geda- 
 liah ben Joseph Iechajah, "a dreadful fire foil from 
 heaven, which molted all the Iron Tools and Instru- 
 ments employed about the work; and destroyed 
 many, nay. incredible numbers of the Jews." And 
 the truth of this statement is confirmed by the 
 confes8iou of Ammianus Marcellinus, Julian's pro- 
 fessed Pagan apologist, who describes this miracle 
 in the following words: "Julian committed the 
 conduct of this atl'air to Alypius of Antioch, who 
 formerly had been lieutenant in Britain. When, 
 therefore, this Alypius had sei himself t<» the vigor-
 
 78 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 ous execution of his charge, in which lie had all the 
 assistance that the governor of the province could 
 afford him, horrible balls of fire breaking out Dear 
 t la- foundations withfrequent and reiterated attacks, 
 rendered the place, from time to time, inaccessible 
 to the scorched and blasted workmen ; and the vic- 
 torious element continuing in this manner, obsti- 
 nately and resolutely bent, as it were, to drive them 
 to a distance, Alypius thought it best to give over 
 the enterprise." 52 
 
 The particular stone in the foundation from which 
 these terrible flames issued, is said, by old Masons, 
 to be the same which Jacob used for a resting- 
 place when journeying towards Padanaram in Meso- 
 potamia. 53 
 
 M Vid. Warb. Julian, p. 45. 
 
 5J See the Freemason's Quarterly Review for 1841, p. 2G9.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 79 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ( ( >NTAINING NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SIX YEARS. 
 
 View of Masonry from Enoch to the Universal Deluge. 
 
 The great and prominent truth to be illustrated 
 in these views of ancient Masonry is, that religion, 
 or the genuine worship of God. was the chief object 
 of Masonic practice in the primitive ages of the 
 world. And this may be deduced from the exist- 
 ence of pure Masonry at the present day; for, had 
 it been erected on any other foundation but the 
 glory of God, — had it been instituted solely to exalt 
 human wisdom, or to promote human greatness, — 
 it would have been but as a flitting sunbeam, which 
 passeth away and leaves no trace behind. 
 
 Religion was the only foundation on which our 
 ( hrder could be securely placed ; for no institution 
 can be firm or permanent which is not supported 
 by the favour and protection of the Deity. Ever) 
 thing merely human must inevitably decay and 
 crumble to ruins before the all-devouring hand of 
 
 time. 
 
 " The doud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces* 
 
 The solemn temples, the greal globe itself, 
 Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, 
 And, like the baseless fabric of a rision, 
 
 I . 'c not ;i wreck behind. 1 
 
 But the word of God, and every thing rounded on 
 1 Shaks. Temp.
 
 80 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 that basis, shall never fail. Even " the hea- 
 vens shall pass away with a great noise, and the 
 elements shall melt with fervent heat ; the earth 
 also, and the works that are therein, shall be burnt 
 up;" 2 but Masonry, pure and uncontaminated with 
 earthly abominations, shall triumph over the general 
 and universal dissolution, and shall cement the Host 
 of Heaven in a holy union and communion to all 
 eternity. 
 
 Before Enoch assumed the superintendence of our 
 Order, there appears to have been some intermixture 
 of the two lines of Seth and Cain, for the world 
 does not exhibit so bright an aspect as during the 
 last period. Adam, however, was yet living, and his 
 authority "was sufficient to restrain the race over 
 which he possessed the supreme government, as 
 king, priest, and prophet, from those rash and vio- 
 lent deeds, which, after his death, deformed the face 
 of nature. 
 
 Enoch prosecuted his scientific researches with 
 indefatigable industry, and communicated his dis- 
 coveries to his brethren. The line of Seth were 
 indeed less eminent than the Cainites for mechanical 
 arts, because their attention had been devoted to 
 more sublime pursuits. They practised very suc- 
 cessfully the speculative sciences which form a con- 
 stituent part of Masonry. The celestial bodies were 
 objects of their constant investigation. In the 
 science of astronomy Enoch made many improve- 
 ments ; and it is thought that he was acquainted 
 with the grand period of six hundred years, at the 
 expiration of which, the sun and moon return to the 
 
 2 2 Pet. iii. 10.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 81 
 
 precise situation which they occupied at the begin- 
 ning of it. Other sciences were invented and per- 
 fected by Enoch, which tend to illustrate God's 
 attributes and perfections ; and hence this extraor- 
 dinary patriarch earned a distinguished reputation, 
 which will endure, both amongst Masons and Chris- 
 tians, until the frame of this world shall be shook in 
 pieces by the voice of the archangel and the trump 
 of God. * 
 
 But the study of human science was not the sole 
 intention of God in the creation of man. He formed 
 him for a nobler purpose ; and these studies were 
 but secondary considerations, springing as natural 
 effects from natural causes. Of this truth we have 
 had abundant proofs, in the view we have already 
 taken of the origin of the sciences. For it appears 
 that the idolatrous nations were not deficient in 
 scientific knowledge, though they had renounced 
 their allegiance to the true God. 
 
 Enoch practised Masonry, of which he was now 
 installed Grand Master, with Buch effect, that God 
 vouchsafed, by immediate revelation. to communicate 
 to liim some peculiar mysteries, in token of his ap- 
 probation. The most valuable of these, according 
 to old traditions, was that SACRED NAME OR WORD, 
 
 which demands our utmost veneration, and enables 
 man to reflect ou the goodness el* his Maker with 
 renewed sentiments of reverence and devotion. 
 
 The degeneracy of mankind increasing. Enoch 
 exhorted them to turn from their unrighteous ways, 
 and imitate the purity of* their forefathers. He 
 pressed upon them the nature of their obligations ; 
 he reiterated their dutj to God and man; but the
 
 82 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 fascinations of pleasure had so intoxicated their 
 senses, that the sober admonitions of reason and 
 duty were little regarded. He therefore called a 
 special assembly of Masons in whom he could con- 
 fide, and in the presence of Adam, Setli, Jared his 
 father, and Methusaleh his son, lie enumerated the 
 accumulating wickedness of man, and the enormous 
 evils which were desolating the earth ; and implored 
 their advice and assistance in stemming the torrent of 
 impiety which threatened a universal corruption. It 
 was here Adam communicated that terrible pro- 
 phecy, that all mankind, except a few just persons, 
 should so far swerve from their allegiance to God, as 
 to cause the destruction of all created things by 
 water and fire. 3 
 
 3 " The tablet of the last judgment," says Dr. Young, " which 
 is so well illustrated by the testimony of Diodorus, concerning 
 the funerals of the Egyptians, is found near the end of almost all 
 the manuscripts upon papyrus that are so frequently discovered 
 in the coffins of the mummies, and among others in Lord Mount- 
 norris's hieratic manuscript, printed in the collection of the 
 Egyptian Society. The great deity sits on the left, holding the 
 hook and the whip or fan ; his name and titles are generally 
 placed over him. Before him is a kind of mace, supporting some- 
 thing like the skin of a leopard ; then a female Cerberus, and on a 
 shelf over her head, the tetrad of termini, which have been 
 already distinguished by the names ' Tetrarcha,' ' Anubis,' • Ma- 
 cedo,' and ' Hieracion,' each having had his appropriate deno- 
 mination written over his head. Behind the Cerberus stands 
 Thoth, with his style and tablet, having just begun to write. 
 Over his head, in two columns, we find his name and titles, in- 
 cluding his designation as a scribe. The balance follows, with a 
 little baboon as a kind of genius sitting on it. Under the beam 
 stand Cteristes and Hyperion, supposed by Mr. Champollion to 
 be Anubis and Horus, who are employed in adjusting the equi- 
 poise ; but their names in this manuscript are omitted. The five
 
 FREE-MASONRY. S3 
 
 From this information Enoch formed his plans for 
 preserving the knowledge he had acquired, amidst 
 the devastation necessarily attending the predicted 
 calamity. The sacred mysteries committed to his 
 charge occupied his first and most anxious solici- 
 tude. Being inspired by his Maker, and in com- 
 memoration of a wonderful vision on the holy moun- 
 tain, in which these sublime secrets were revealed to 
 him, he built a temple in the bowels of the earth, 
 the entrance to which was through nine several 
 porches, each supported by a pair of pillars, and 
 curiously concealed from human observation. The 
 perpendicular depth of this temple was eighty-one 
 feet from the surface. Enoch, Jared, and Methu- 
 saleh were the three architects who constructed this 
 subterranean edifice; but the two latter were not 
 acquainted with the secret motives which influenced 
 Enoch in causing this cavern to be duff. The arches 
 wcif formed in the bowels of a mountain, which was 
 afterwards denominated Calvary, in the land of Ca- 
 naan ; and the temple was dedicated to the living 
 God 
 
 columns over the balance are only remarkable as containing, in 
 this instance, the characteristic phrase, or the name of the de- 
 ceased, intermixed with other characters. Beyond the balance 
 stands a female holding tin Bceptre of I-i-, who seems t<> he called 
 Rhea, the wife of the >uii. She is looking hack at tlic personage, 
 
 who holds up hi- hand as a mark of respect, and who IS identified 
 
 as tin- deceased, by the name simply placed over him, without 
 cordium. He i- followed by a second goddess, who is also 
 holding nji her hands in token of respect, and whose name looks 
 nification of honour and glory, unless it i> simply in- 
 tended to signify a divine priestess, I" l< aging to the ordi c of tin 
 Pterophori, mentioned on the Rosette stoni 
 
 G 2
 
 8 I ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 He then made a plate of gold in the form of an 
 equilateral triangle, each of whose sides was eighteen 
 inches; which he enriched with precious stones, and 
 encrusted it on a triangular agate of the same di- 
 mensions. On this plate he engraved the ineffable 
 characters he had seen in his vision; and alone, in 
 silenee and solitude, he descended through the nine 
 portals into the temple, and placed this invaluable 
 treasure upon a cubical pedestal of white marble. 
 
 When the temple was completed, Enoch made 
 nine secret doors of stone, and placed them at the 
 entrance of the portals, with an iron ring inserted in 
 each for the facility of raising, in case any wise ami 
 good man of future ages should be led to explore the 
 secret recesses of this sepulchral vault. He then 
 closed up the whole, that the secrets there deposited 
 might remain in perfect security amidst the antici- 
 pated destruction of mankind; for the contents of 
 this temple were not entrusted to any human being. 
 Enoch paid occasional visits to the temple, for the 
 purpose of offering up his prayers and thanksgivings 
 in a peculiar manner to the God who had vouchsafed 
 to him alone such distinguished favours. 
 
 As the world increased in wickedness, and the 
 threatened destruction visibly approached nearer and 
 nearer, Enoch, trembling for the fate of those useful 
 arts and sciences which he had invented or improved, 
 proceeded without delay to provide for their trans- 
 mission to future ages : for the accomplishment of 
 which, his knowledge of letters lent the greatest 
 facility. Upon a high mountain, therefore, he erected 
 two great pillars, one of marble and another of 
 brass, to preserve the true principles of science for
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 85 
 
 the benefit of a future world; the former of which 
 he conceived would withstand fire and the latter 
 water. On these he engraved the elements of the 
 libera] sciences, including Masonry; and also a noti- 
 fication that he had concealed a valuable treasure in 
 the bowels of the earth, which contained the essence 
 and end of Masonry, and was consecrated to the 
 only true and living God. Let him that hath wisdom 
 find it ! 
 
 Enoch perceiving that men did not reform, from 
 his repeated exhortations, instituted that form of 
 excommunication known amongst the primitive 
 Christians by the name of Maranatha, being de- 
 rived from Maran, the Lord, and Ath, fire. After 
 giving them a solemn warning of the dreadful 
 punishment which awaited their obdurate iniquity, 
 he resigned the government to his son Lamech ; and 
 on his fervent petition for death, it pleased God to 
 translate him from the Lodge on earth to the 
 Lodge above, where his piety was rewarded with 
 everlasting glory. His farewell exhortation was 
 calculated to awaken mankind from their lethargy, 
 if they had not been dead to every impulse but 
 that of vice. "Behold," says he, "the Lord 
 cometh, with ten thousand of his saints, to exe- 
 cute judgment upon all, and to convince all that 
 are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds 
 which they have ungodly committed, and of all 
 their hard Bpeeches which ungodlj sinners have 
 spoken against him." 4 
 
 Being liberated from a monitor whom tlie\ 
 
 regarded with some degree of awe mid reverence, 
 • Jade, 14, 15.
 
 S(i ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 iiiaiikiiKi proceeded to the unlimited gratification 
 of their rebellious passions, without fear of re- 
 st mint. 
 
 The fascinations held out by the Cainites were 
 t<><» powerful for the children of Seth to resist, and 
 their minds became rapidly tainted with the abomi- 
 nations of idolatry ; they worshipped the host of 
 heaven ; they erected shrines to the honour of 
 imaginary rural deities ; and at length Tulxil Gain 
 was exalted to the dignity of a god, under the 
 appellation of Vulcan. This was the first instance 
 of a mortal being deified, and it took place in 
 the seventh generation from Adam. 8 To this god 
 the Egyptians afterwards assigned the attributes 
 of prescience, power, and unlimited duration or 
 immortality. While the reign of other gods was 
 confined within certain and specific limits, the 
 reign of Vulcan was declared without end. 
 
 Lamcch, unable to stem the torrent of depravity, 
 placed the government in the hands of Noah, who 
 endeavoured to restore the principles of Charity, 
 or love of God and man, which appeared to be in 
 danger of universal deterioration. To accomplish 
 this purpose, he did not confine his Lectures to the 
 private and select assemblies of immediate friends. 
 but publicly denounced the judgments of God 
 against those wicked practices to which they w T ere 
 inordinately addicted, and at the same time per- 
 suaded them, by the most affectionate exhortations, 
 to keep their pulsions within compass, to adore their 
 Creator, and to act upon the square with all their 
 fellow-creatures. 
 
 5 Sanch. in Euseb. Pnep. Evan. 1. 1, c. 10.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 81 
 
 In the first ages of the antediluvian world, all 
 men lived in the enjoyment of unrestrained free- 
 dom, and it was impossible for any person to be 
 reduced to a state of bondage : and this was one 
 of the primitive laws of civil society, as many 
 writers arc of opinion. Personal slavery, which, 
 according to Cicero, means the devotion of an 
 abject mind, which has no will of its own, is sup- 
 posed to have begun amongst that race of people 
 whom the Scriptures denominate giants. By the 
 hand of violence' they assaulted and made slaves of 
 men and women, whom they kept in a degrading 
 state <>t' servitude, and compelled to administer to 
 their pleasures or their vices. This was so terrible 
 an innovation in the divine economy, and so de- 
 structive of the principles of Masonry, that Noah 
 laboured with incessant diligence and assiduity to 
 restore the primitive laws against slavery, and pre- 
 vent amongst mankind an unnatural traffic in their 
 
 OWll species. 
 
 Mankind, thus besotted with their lusts, and 
 advancing by rapid but almost imperceptible grada- 
 tions to the utmost extent of wickedness, slighted 
 the precepts of wisdom and experience ; even Noah 
 himself was derided, ami esteemed little superior to 
 a visionary enthusiast. Foreseeing, therefore, the 
 world's destruction to be inevitable, lie proclaimed 
 himself clear of their blood, and offered up hi^ 
 prayers to God for the salvation of his house. The 
 prayer of Noah was heard, for he had found grace 
 in the eyes of the Lord. Ami God said unto Noah. 
 •The end of all flesh is come before me; for the 
 '.nth is idled with violence through them; ami
 
 Sh ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 behold 1 will destroy them with the earth ! Make 
 thee an ark of gopher wood : rooms slialt thou make 
 in the ark, and slialt pitch it within and without 
 with pitch. And this is the fashion which tliou slialt 
 make it of: — the length of the ark shall be three 
 hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and 
 the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thon 
 make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it 
 above ; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the 
 side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories 
 shalt thon make it. c And behold I, even I, do 
 bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy 
 all flesh wherein is the breath of life from under 
 heaven, and every thing- that is in the earth shall 
 die. But with thee will I establish my covenant, 
 and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy 
 sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. 
 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every 
 sort shalt thou bring into the ark to keep them 
 alive with thee." 7 
 
 In obedience to the commands of God, Noah 
 began the work, and proceeded in it amidst the 
 ridicule and derision of mankind ; who slighted his 
 warnings, despised his promises, and even threatened 
 
 6 The ark of Noah is a superb specimen of the perfection to 
 which the art of naval architecture attained hefore the Flood. It 
 has indeed been asserted that the description given by Moses 
 was figurative ; — that it was impossible to construct a machine 
 of treble the dimensions of a first-rate man-of-war, which would 
 have answered the intended purpose. But the futility of this 
 reasoning is evinced by the corroborating testimony of heathen 
 authors, not only respecting the ark itself; but also in reference 
 to other ancient vessels, of equal, if not superior bulk. 
 
 7 Gen. vi. 8—19.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 89 
 
 to recompense with personal violence his benevolent 
 intentions towards them. The ark was finished in 
 three periods of forty years each, which Mas the 
 term to which God limited human life after this 
 event. 8 At the expiration of one hundred and 
 twenty years, Noah, with his family, entered into the 
 ark, with the clean beasts by sevens, and the un- 
 clean by pairs. 
 
 " In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the 
 second month, the seventeenth day of the month, 
 the same day were all the fountains of the greal 
 deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were 
 opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty 
 days and forty nights; and the waters prevailed 
 exceedingly upon the earth, and all the hi£h hills 
 that were under the whole heaven were covered. 
 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail, and 
 
 8 Jos. Ant. 1. 1, c. 4. 
 
 9 The form and dimensions of the ark have afforded much 
 speculation amongst the learned, who have almost unanimously- 
 pronounced its capacity too small, according to the common mode 
 of calculation, to contain the numher of animals which went into 
 it. But Bishop Wilkins shews, that, by taking the cubit at 
 eighteen inches, the ark was rather too large than otherwise. 
 Thifl learned prelate concludes, that there were only seventy-two 
 Bpeciea of quadrupeds in the ark; the carnivorous animals, he 
 computes, would not occupy more room, or consume a greater 
 quantity of food, than twenty-seven wolves, and for these about 
 one thousand eight hundred sheep would be sufficient for food. The 
 
 inder would take up no more room than two hundred and 
 
 eighty Oxen, and would consume about 109,500 ton- of bay. 
 
 These would not be sufficient for the capacity of the two firsl 
 
 -, as it would allow a space of upwards of sixteen square 
 
 fl ■ t lor each animal; and Noah and his family, with every Species 
 of winged fowl, WOUld leave room, in the third story, for the 
 
 i iffioi .-, i„ nuiderabli spat i i * • ■ ■ n rcist .
 
 90 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 the mountains were covered. And every living 
 substance was destroyed which was upon the face of 
 tin 1 ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping 
 things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were 
 destroyed from the earth; and Noah only remained 
 alive, and they that were with him in the ark. And 
 the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and 
 fifty days." 10 
 
 This great convulsion of nature not only destroyed 
 all created flesh (and the antediluvian world is sup- 
 posed to have contained two millions of millions of 
 souls), but washed away and obliterated almost every 
 vestige of the works of art. Scarcely a building, or 
 the remains of a building, was left, to mark the spot 
 where human greatness or human folly had reared 
 the proud monument of emptiness and vanity ; even 
 the brazen pillar of Enoch gave way before the 
 overwhelming torrent of destruction, which even 
 removed mountains and shook rocks from their solid 
 base. But God preserved the pillar of stone, and by 
 this means the state of Masonry, before the Flood 
 was transmitted to posterity. 
 
 10 Gen. vii. 11, 12, 19, 20, 23, 24.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 91 
 
 PERIOD III. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 On the Idolatrous Mysteries, as contrasted with Free-Masonry. 
 
 The mysteries practised by idolatrous nations 
 were nothing else but the secret solemnities of di- 
 vine worship, and were invented to cast a solemn 
 veil over their rites, which might sanction and re- 
 commend the worship of false gods to those who, 
 without some splendid and imposing stimulus, might 
 be disinclined to renounce the true God, and em- 
 brace the worship of idols. 1 These mysteries, avow- 
 edly established on the same basis as Masonry, were 
 secretly intended to produce an effect quite the 
 reverse; for they were instituted with the express 
 design of making our science subservient to the 
 very worsl and mosl degrading practices of idolatry. 
 Hence the two institutions have born frequently 
 confounded together; and Masonry becomes stig- 
 matized with infidelity, it' not atheism, and charged 
 with renouncing everj scriptural doctrine contained 
 in the genuine fountain of revealed truth. A com- 
 
 1 And they did accordingly produce ;i mosl astonishing effeel 
 upon the minds of an ignorant and superstitious people ; and by 
 their means, the power of the priesthood was extended to the 
 
 in
 
 92 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 parison between the mysteries of idolatry and ge- 
 nuine Masonry will shew how far the latter was 
 practised in these institutions, and will distinctly 
 mark the line of separation which distinguishes the 
 
 one from the other. 
 
 The Eleusinian, the Orphic, the Bacchic, and all 
 those innumerable mysteries practised by the hea- 
 then in every age, were instituted to perpetuate a 
 remembrance of the events which occurred at the 
 universal Deluge, and to preserve the knowledge of 
 a future state of rewards and punishments. But, 
 while inculcating that true doctrine, they added 
 many false and pernicious tenets, which perverted 
 both its nature and end. " They taught," says 
 Warburton, "that the initiated should be happier 
 than all other mortals in a future state; that while 
 the souls of the profane, at their leaving the body, 
 stuck fast in mire and filth, and remained in dark- 
 ness, the souls of the initiated winged their flight 
 directly to the happy islands, and the habitations of 
 the gods." 2 
 
 Now Masonry does not inculcate any such doc- 
 trine 4 . Its design is thus concisely and truly defined 
 in Arnold's dictionary. "Masonry," says that lexi- 
 cographer, " is a moral Order, instituted with the 
 praiseworthy design of recalling to our remembrance 
 the most sublime truths in the midst of the most 
 innocent and social pleasures, founded on liberality, 
 brotherly love, and charity." 
 
 The idolatrous mysteries date their origin from 
 the Cabviri? and Thoth, who were certainly Masons ; 
 
 - Div. Leg. 1. 2, s. 4. 
 
 8 Diod. Sic. 1. 1. It is an undoubted fact, that the mysteries
 
 PREE-MASONRY. !b"! 
 
 but, forsaking the pure channel of God's worship. 
 they sunk into the grossest defilements of idolatry, 
 and founded, on the pattern of our eraft, an institu- 
 tion calculated to make the worship of imaginary 
 deities fascinating and permanent. In the time 
 when the pastor kings reigned over Egypt, many 
 noble Egyptians, with their families and attendants, 
 migrated into other countries, and disseminated 
 throughout the world the improvements in the mys- 
 teries of that superstitious nation. Masonry origi- 
 nated with God; like that eternal Being, it existed 
 before time was, and shall exist when time shall be 
 no more. 
 
 The former and the latter degrees of the ancient 
 idolatrous mysteries were inconsistent, and even 
 positively contradicted each other: those of Ma- 
 sonry are a regular and progressive series ; each 
 
 were derived from some institution previously in existence, al- 
 though learned men are not agreed respecting their origin. An 
 opinion, supported by great ingenuity, has been propagated in 
 our own day, that they were established to commemorate the 
 general deluge ; and thifl conjecture is partly true ; as a reference 
 to the diluvian ogdoad, and the events attending that great con- 
 vulsion of nature, were undoubtedly preserved in these celebrated 
 institutions. But these were not the only facts of which the 
 spurious Free-masonry was the depository. Other authors, equally 
 talented, have dated its origin from the establishment of the Levi- 
 tical dispensation; arguing from the presumption that all the 
 heathen deities may be resolved into an identity with the Jewish 
 
 lawgiver. Others have ventured to pronounce that it was insti- 
 tuted to prest rve tin- doctrine of reward- and punishments. How 
 (roe soever all these opinions may lie in detail, they are only 
 branches of tin- real intention of the spurious Free-masonry, 
 which \\;i- intended to perpetuate a memory of the chief facts 
 and doctrine - that um designed by Providence to form the basic 
 of a universal religion.
 
 94 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 superior degree strengthening and confirming the 
 preceding, until we arrive at a perfect knowledge 
 of the truth: aptly compared to the steps of a lad- 
 der, by each of which we advance nearer to "a 
 building not made with hands, eternal in the hea- 
 vens." 
 
 To the nocturnal celebration of these mysteries 
 women 1 were admitted; a practice which led to the 
 most shocking abuses, and the indiscriminate prac- 
 tice of licentiousness and vice. And this was soon 
 carried to such a dreadful pitch of shameless pro- 
 fligacy, that the xrsig and QaXhog were actually 
 exposed 5 and carried about in public procession ! In 
 
 4 " At the celebration of these solemn festivals the women were 
 carried to Eleusis in covered waggons, which were dragged along 
 very slowly, by way of imitating the carrying of corn in harvest. 
 The middle days of the Thesmophoria were observed with pecu- 
 liar solemnity : they sat all day upon the ground, near the statue 
 of Ceres, keeping fast and lamenting." — (Note 1 2,Beloe'sHerodot., 
 Erato.) 
 
 4 " From the idea of the patriarch Noah being the father, and 
 the ark the mother of mankind, united, perhaps, with some 
 traditional remembrance of the crime of Ham, I doubt not but 
 that the whole of the detestable Phallic orgies derived their exist- 
 ence. They were early introduced into the Cabiric, or Diluvian 
 mysteries ; and the abominations which accompanied them called 
 forth the loudest and most pointed invectives from Arnobius and 
 Clemens Alexandrinus. The Ionim, or Yonijas of Deucalion, 
 brought them to the temple of the Syrian goddess Atargatis, and 
 erected a number of Phalli in the area before the vestibule, for the 
 special purpose of commemorating the events of the Deluge. 
 Twice each year, in allusion to that dreadful catastrophe, a person 
 climbed to the top of one of the Phalli, where he remained seven 
 days, the precise period which elapsed between each time of 
 Noah's sending forth the dove. Lastly, the same indecencies 
 were practised in the rites of the Cabiric Ceres, as in those of
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 95 
 
 Masonic Lodges such abuses are effectually guarded 
 against by the exclusion of females. 
 
 In the early ages of Christianity the mysteries 
 were inimical to the propagation of the Gospel, and 
 the Mystagogu.es branded every Christian with the 
 appellation of an atheist. 6 Masonry revived with the 
 appearance of Christ in the world, and flourished 
 abundantly in the first ages of the Gospel, under 
 the sacred patronage of apostles, evangelists, and 
 martyrs. 
 
 The legend preserved in the Eleusinian mysteries 
 is briefly as follows : — 
 
 Osiris, King of Egypt, willing to confer an inde- 
 privable benefit on all the nations around him, by 
 communicating to them the arts of civilization, left 
 the government of his kingdom to the care of his 
 wife, Tsis, who was the same with Demeter or 
 
 Bacchus, Osiris, and Maha Deva ; her deluded votaries vied with 
 each other in a studied obscenity of language, and her nocturnal 
 orgies were contaminated with the grossest lasciviousness." — 
 (Faber, Mys. Cab., c. 8.) 
 
 6 Initiation was so dominant in the minds of the heathen, that 
 they termed the sacrament of introduction into Christianity — 
 initiation ; and they charged the Christians with initiating their 
 converts, de ca>de infantis et sanguine. Subsequently, they 
 accused the ( Ihristians of the same obscenity in their holy Bervicea 
 a- they were themselves accustomed to — de adoratis sacerdotis 
 virilibus ; and charged them with the horrid practices used by the 
 Bacchantes at the celebration of the Dionusiaca. Qlic post 
 multas epolas, uhi convivium caluit, at incestae libidini ebrietatis 
 rsit, canis, qui candelabra nexus est, jactu ossulse ultra 
 spatinm lima, qua vinctus est, ad impetum el saltum provocatur. 
 .'im-to conscio lumine, impudentibustenebria aexus 
 infandse cupiditatis involvunl per incertum sortia. El si qod omnes 
 opera, conscientU tamea pariter incesti; quoniam voto univer- 
 ■orum appetitur, quicquid accidere potest in actu aingulorum.
 
 90 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Ceres," and made an expedition of three years to 
 effect his benevolent purpose. On his return, he 
 fell a sacrifice to the intrigues of his brother Typhon, 
 who had formed a conspiracy, in his absence, to 
 destroy him and usurp his throne. At a grand 
 entertainment, to which Osiris was invited to meet 
 the conspirators, Typhon produced a valuable chest, 
 richly adorned with work of gold, and promised to 
 give it to any person present whose body it should 
 most conveniently hold. Osiris was tempted to try 
 the experiment; out was no sooner laid in the chest 
 than it was nailed down and thrown into the river." 
 The body of Osiris, thus committed to the mercy of 
 winds and waves, was cast up at Byblus, in Phoe- 
 nicia, and left at the foot of a tamarind tree. Isis, 
 in the extremity of sorrow and despair at the loss 
 of her husband, set out in company with Thoth, and 
 traversed the earth in search of the body, making the 
 air re-echo with her lamentations. After encounter- 
 ing the most extraordinary adventures, they at length 
 gained possession of her husband's corse, with which 
 she returned to Egypt, in great joy, intending to give 
 it a splendid interment. By the treachery of Typhon,' 1 
 
 7 Herod. Euterpe. 
 
 6 This was the aphanism of the mysteries. The first persons 
 who discovered the ahove transaction were Pan and the Satyrs, 
 who communicated the intelligence to the Egyptian people ; and 
 they were overwhelmed with horror and amazement at the 
 intelligence. Hence the word panic. 
 
 9 When sorcerers invoked spirits unsuccessfully, they used to 
 threaten, as the most powerful incantation they could use, that if 
 the spirits refused to answer, they would reveal the mysteries, and 
 deliver the members of Osiris to Typhon. — (Porph. apud Euseb. 
 de Pra?p. Evan. 1. 5, c. G.)
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 97 
 
 she was again deprived of the body, which was 
 severed into fourteen parts, and deposited in as 
 many different places. 10 Isis, with unparalleled zeal 
 and perseverance, undertook a second journey to 
 search for these scattered remnants ; and, after con- 
 siderable fatigue and disappointment, succeeded in 
 finding every part, and buried them in the several 
 places where they were discovered ; erecting an altar 
 over every grave to mark the place where her hus- 
 band's remains were deposited. 11 
 
 The rites founded on this legend were the abomi- 
 nations shewn by the Lord to the prophet Ezekiel, 
 in his vision at Jerusalem. " He said unto me, 
 ' Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater 
 abominations that they do.' Then he brought me 
 to the door of the gate of the Lord's house, which 
 was toward the north ; and behold, there sat women 
 weeping for Tammuz. Then said he unto me, 
 
 10 Plutarch (De Isid. p. 93) informs us, that by the dismem- 
 bering of Osiris into fourteen parts, was typified the several 
 phases of the moon during her increase and decrease. Diodorus 
 further says (1. 1, c. 2), that while the days of lamentation for 
 the aphanism at his tomb continued, it was customary for the 
 priests to pour libations of milk from three hundred and sixty 
 vessels, in evident allusion to the number of days in the primitive 
 year, before the intercalation took place. And it is rccordi d by 
 the same author, that within the pyramid of Ismandes was a 
 circle of gold three hundred and sixty-five mints in thickness, on 
 which the days of the improved year witc inscribed "it equal com- 
 partments, with a description of the rising and setting of the 
 stars, and other curious particulars. 
 
 " It wa- then proclaimed thai Osiris was risen again from tin- 
 dead ; and the mo-t < Ktravagaut demonstration- of jo\ «n 
 
 to express the sincere delight of tin- Mysta on tin- into r» sting 
 -ion. This was tin , ure$i$, 
 
 n
 
 98 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 • I last thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet 
 again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than 
 these.' And he brought me into the inner court of 
 the Lord's house; and behold, at the door of the 
 temple of the Lord, between the porch and the 
 altar, were about five-and-twenty men, with their 
 backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces 
 towards the east; and they worshipped the sun to- 
 wards the east." 12 
 
 " These solemnities were chiefly observed between 
 the Byblienses and the Alexandrini. The manner 
 
 18 Ezekiel, viii. 13—16. 
 
 " The month which we call June, was by the Hebrews called 
 Tamu z, and the entrance of the sun into the sign Cancer was, in 
 the Jews' astronomy, termed Tecupha? Tamuz, the revolution of 
 Tamuz. Concerning Adonis, whom sometimes ancient authors 
 call Osoris, there are two things remarkable : utpavia-fcog, the death 
 or loss of Adonis ; and i'v^i<rig, the finding of him again. As there 
 was great lamentation at his loss, especially amongst the women, 
 so there was great joy at his finding. By the death, or loss of 
 Adonis, we are to understand the departure of the sun ; by his 
 finding again, we are to understand his return. Now he seems 
 to depart twice in a year : first, when he is in the tropic of 
 Cancer, in the farthest degree northward ; secondly, when he is 
 in the tropic of Capricorn, in the farthest degree southward ; 
 answerable unto these two departures, which may be termed 
 ^«>icpi, disparitions, or losses of the sun; there are two returns 
 immediately succeeding, which may be termed i'v^ts-us, the finding, 
 or new appearance of the sun. Hence we may note that though 
 the Egyptians celebrated their Adonia in the month of November, 
 when the sun began to be farthest southward ; and the house of 
 Juda theirs in the month of June, when the sun was farthest 
 northward ; yet both were for the same reasons, and in substance 
 they agreed. And of this the prophet Ezekiel is thought to 
 have spoken (Ezek. viii. 14), 'There sat women weeping for 
 Tamuz.' " (Godwyn's Moses and Aaron, 1. iv. c. 2.)
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 99 
 
 was thus : when the Byblienses solemnized the 
 death or loss of Adonis, at that time the Alexan- 
 dria wrote a letter ; this letter was enclosed in 
 an ark of bulrushes ;" therein they signified that 
 Adonis, whom they lamented, was found again ; 
 this ark being, after the performance of certain 
 rites and ceremonies, committed to the sea, forth- 
 with it was carried by the stream to Byblus ; upon 
 the receipt thereof, the lamentation of the women 
 was turned into joy. Others say, that this lamenta- 
 tion was performed over an image, in the night 
 season ; and when they had sufficiently lamented, a 
 candle was brought into the room, (which ceremony 
 might mystically signify the return of the sun) ; 
 then the priest, with a soft voice, muttered this 
 form of words : ' Trust ye in God, for out of pain 
 salvation is come unto us.' There are likewise of 
 the Jews that say their Tamuz was an image whoso 
 eyes they filled with lead, which lead being melted 
 by the means of fire under it, the imago itself 
 seemed to weep." 1 * 
 
 The recital and mimic performances of the ad- 
 ventures of Isis in search of her husband's body, 
 constituted a part of the ceremony of initiation 
 into the-"- mysteries. The wildness and terror of 
 the Bcenes exhibited to the aspirants' new, con- 
 
 13 The prophet [saiah bad U eye to this Custom, ill xviii. 2. 
 
 ■ Qodwyn'i Moses and Aaron, 1. iv. <•. •-'. Hence was Bzekdel 
 carried to tin- north door of the temple, to behold the women 
 w ee p in g , <•-<•., because the north was the most unpropitioua 
 aspect, ;i- the Mm darts no rays from thai quarter to enlighten 
 our heaoisphere, 
 
 ii 2
 
 100 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 veyed a species of horror to the mind calculated to 
 encourage the natural ferocity of their temper, and 
 to suppress and extinguish those mild and amiable 
 feelings of humanity which unite the soul of man 
 in communion with his God. 15 
 
 14 I have collected all the principal interpretations of this 
 extraordinary legend, and the evidence tends to establish an 
 astronomical reference. But though this was doubtless true at 
 a later period, I am persuaded that at its original adaptation to 
 the Spurious Freemasonry, it had an allusion to a real event 
 which happened in the earliest ages of the world ; and I also 
 think that the legend of our third degree referred to the same 
 transaction. It is impossible on such a subject to be explicit. 
 There is an essay in MS., on the historical part of our Master 
 Mason's degree, in the archives of the Royal Arch Chapter of 
 Edinburgh, No. 1, in which it is interpreted astronomically. 
 Hut though the paper is profoundly learned and ingenious, I am 
 bound to express my dissent from the doctrines which it con- 
 tains. The French Encyclopaedists, of the last century, pursued 
 their astronomical conceits until it led them to Atheism. Our 
 holy religion was pronounced an astronomical allegory — Jesus 
 Christ being the sun, the twelve apostles the twelve signs of the 
 zodiac, &c. The intelligent Mason who communicated the above 
 essay to me, concludes in the following words : " If I have made 
 myself understood, you will be able to trace my views on both 
 the spurious and modern or blue Masonry. The spurious un- 
 questionably arose from distorted traditions of the deluge, and 
 gradually assumed (at least in some countries) the form of 
 Tsabaism. The wise king could not endure such abominations, 
 and, with the assistance of H.A.B., not only purged them of 
 their idolatrous rites, but altered the whole to suit the then state 
 of the heavens. He struck a vital blow at the pagan super- 
 stitions of the Gentiles who accompanied H.A.B., in so far as 
 he shewed that their religion and rites, to be founded on truth, 
 must be continually changing ; while the worship of the One 
 God was fixed. The whole thus became a pure unsullied astro- 
 nomical lecture to commemorate the event then in progress."
 
 FREE-MASONRY- 101 
 
 The following is a brief description of the cere- 
 monies attending the initiation of candidates into 
 these mysteries : 
 
 The aspirants were required to be men of the 
 strictest morality and virtue, of spotless reputation, 
 and eminent for their piety and devotion to the 
 Gods. As a preparation to some of these mysteries, 
 particularly the rites of Mithras, celebrated in Per- 
 sia, a probation of seven years was enjoined, the last 
 fifty days of which period was employed in acts 
 of austerity, in fasting and prayer, amidst the most 
 rigorous extremes of heat and cold, hunger and 
 nakedness, and not unfrequently the severe inflic- 
 tion of whips and scourges. Previously to initia- 
 tion they were habited in new garments, expressive 
 of the new life they were about to commence ; 
 and, after a public procession of matrons, and some 
 trifling introductory ceremonies, they were admitted 
 within the hallowed walls of the cavern 10 where 
 
 16 Mr. Faber is of opinion, and I think the conjecture is too 
 reasonable to be lightly rejected, that St. Patrick's purgatory, 
 the pyramid at New Grange, the temple of Muidhr in the small 
 island off Sligo, together with the Cornish Tolmen, Stonehenge, 
 and the stupendous natural cave of Castleton in Derbyshire, were 
 all places destined for the celebration of the Phallic- worship. 
 With respect to the latter, I beg leave to quote his own words, 
 which appear to carry conviction with them : " With regard to 
 the interior of the Derbyshire cavern, lam persuaded that any 
 cends into it, after having iir.-t attentively perused 
 .-.til hook of the .Km id, will be not a little surprised at its 
 singular resemblance to the Hades of the mysteries, though the 
 terriiie machinery, once introduced into it, exists no longer. 
 Yon tir-t enter into an immense and magnificent natural cave, 
 
 the whole of which, however, is perfectly visible by the dusky 
 
 tight admitted through itv nohle gateway, from this '-a\. roa
 
 102 ANTIUUITIES OF 
 
 those orgies were celebrated at dead of night. 17 
 The Hierophant, habited like the Creator, then 
 pronounced the tremendous sentence of exclusion 
 to the uninitiated, sxag, exag e<rre SsGrjXoi, on which 
 the doors were closed, and the rites commenced. 
 A sacred hymn was chanted ; 18 and the wanderings 
 
 are conducted to a small narrow door ; having passed through 
 which, you rapidly descend, till you find yourself upon the brink 
 of a subterraneous river. Over the river you are ferried in a 
 small boat ; and, after reaching the opposite side, you continue 
 your course along its bank, through an alternate succession of 
 narrow passages and lofty caverns. At length you arrive at a 
 beautiful arched grotto of very large dimensions, in the centre 
 of which rises a natural rock, which you are surprised to find 
 illuminated ready for your reception. The rock itself is occu- 
 pied by a number of persons, who had previously entered for that 
 purpose ; and your ears are forthwith saluted by a variety of wild 
 songs, which forcibly remind you of the old popular superstition 
 respecting elves and fairies. I have little doubt but that this is 
 done pursuant to an immemorial custom ; all traditions respect- 
 ing the origin and import of which have, however, long been 
 obliterated from the minds of the guides." (Faber, Mys. Cab. 
 c. 10.) 
 
 17 There was at Alexandria an ancient temple, dedicated to 
 Serapis, which, for the stateliness of the building, the excellence 
 of its architecture, and the magnificence of its details, was said 
 to have been the most admirable spectacle in the world. After 
 the establishment of Christianity, Bishop Theophilus begged it 
 of the emperor, with the intention of converting it into a church. 
 Workmen were set on to clear away the rubbish ; and they 
 found many dark vaults and caverns, where the rites of the 
 spurious Freemasonry had been celebrated ; out of which they 
 brought many " detestable and obscene images and utensils, 
 which they publicly exposed to the scorn and derision of the 
 people." 
 
 18 This hymn, according to Warburton, may be translated as 
 follows : "1 will declare a secret to the initiated, but let the 
 doors be shut against the profane. But thou, Musaeus, the
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 103 
 
 of Ceres, with her lamentations for the loss of her 
 daughter Proserpine, or of Isis for Osiris, or Venus 
 for Adonis, or Rhea for Bacchus; all these being but 
 typical of the same event, were represented in mimic 
 show. A burning brand was furiously waved round 
 the MysttB, accompanied with dreadful shrieks and 
 frantic gestures, to represent the roaring and tumult 
 of Mount Etna, where it was said that Cars, with a 
 serpent twined round her body, kindled a pine tree. 
 that her search might not be interrupted by the 
 darkness of the night. A representation of a corpse 
 laid in an ark hollowed out of a pine tree, was placed 
 in view, and the death was lamented with loud and 
 incessant waitings. 19 An awful pause succeeded this 
 
 offspring of fair Selene, attend carefully to my song ; for I shall 
 speak of important truths. Suffer not, therefore, the former 
 prepossessions of your mind to deprive you of that happy life 
 which the knowledge of these mysterious truths will procure 
 you. But look on the divine nature, incessantly contemplate it, 
 and govern well the mind and heart. Go on in the right way, 
 and see the sole Governor of the World. He is One, and of 
 himself alone ; and to that one all things owe their being. He 
 operates through all, was never seen hy mortal eyes, hut does 
 himself see every thing." (Div. Leg. vol. 1, p. 154.) 
 
 " The legend of the mysteries has hecn thus explained hy Mr. 
 Maurice. The ceremony of inclosing Osiris in his coffin or chest, 
 in memory of his having been thus concealed by Typhon, their 
 known symbol of the ocean, took place precisely upon the 17th 
 day of the 2nd month after the autumnal equinox ; that is, in 
 fact, upon the very day in which the true O-iris, or Noah, entered 
 the ark ; whieh in Seripture it said to have taken place in the 
 
 600th year of Noah'- life, on the second month, and on the 17th 
 day of that month. Some understand, by hi- being inclosed in 
 
 the coffin, nothing further than an eelip-e of the sun. He was 
 
 -aid to have reigned twenty-eighl year-, alluding to the different 
 : light which appear in t In: moon, and to the number of
 
 104 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 clamour, which afforded the mystagogue an opportu- 
 nity to deliver a lecture on the origin and symbols of 
 idolatry; 20 after which the pageants of their gods, 
 surrounded with beams of light, were exhibited, in 
 tlu' style, as I conceive, of our modern phantasma- 
 goria or magic lantern. All this was performed in 
 the gloom of darkness, in allusion to the darkness of 
 the ark, which contained only one small window ; 
 aud emblematical also of the darkness of the grave, 
 in the intermediate state between death and the 
 resurrection. Tremendous thunderings and noises 21 
 
 days in which she performs her course round the earth. Plutarch 
 says that the Egyptian priests, in their astronomical phraseology, 
 resemble the Indian Brahmins, for a year, in their mythological 
 phrase, is here put for a day ; and to live twenty- eight days, is 
 synonymous to reigning twenty-eight years. 
 
 80 The historical part of the Eleusinian mysteries comprised an 
 explanation of the formation of the world out of chaos ; the pro- 
 duction of men and animals ; fabulous accounts of their gods and 
 heroes ; the origin of sacrifices, with other illustrations all point- 
 ing to the same end, the propagation of idolatry. The historical 
 part of Masonry commences with the creation of the world ; no- 
 tices the translation of Enoch, the deluge, the rejection of Ishmael, 
 the sacrifice of Isaac, the journey of Jacob to Padanarum, the deli- 
 very of the children of Israel from Egypt, the erection of a taber- 
 nacle in the wilderness for the sacred purposes of divine worship, 
 the building of the temple of Solomon and Zerubbabel, the invin- 
 cible zeal and perseverance of the two great parallels of Masonry 
 and Religion, who sprang up to enlighten and adorn the era in 
 which Jesus Christ appeared amongst mankind, and many other 
 important particulars, perfectly corresponding with the history of 
 Moses, and all tending to promote the glory of God, peace on 
 earth, and good-will towards men. 
 
 21 The priests of antiquity possessed considerable knowledge of 
 the physical sciences. Pliny mentions the use of imitative thun- 
 der in the Egyptian labyrinth, as an engine of terror. In Cham- 
 bers's Journal (1841, p. 388), the following sensible observations
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 105 
 
 occasionally broke through the solemn silence, and 
 every object was introduced which could possibly 
 inspire terror and dismay. Their benefactors or 
 national gods were represented as existing- in Ely- 
 sium, enjoying eternal youth and never-ending plea- 
 sure; 22 whilst wicked men, termed the offspring of 
 T yphon or the devil, 83 were exhibited in the darkest 
 
 on this subject occur : " The principles which govern the rever- 
 beration of sound are so easily to be apprehended by an acute 
 observer, that however absurd may have been the exoteric doc- 
 trines of the priests with regard to echo, we can scarcely suppose 
 them to have been ignorant, if not of its true nature, at least of 
 the laws by which it is governed ; and adding this to the fact, 
 that under peculiar circumstances, an echo has been returned 
 from the clouds, there will be found few more efficient instruments 
 of delusion and terror." 
 
 ss The emblem was a phoenix, — a bird which they were told 
 lived 500 years, at the expiration of which time it was consumed 
 by an internal fire, and a young bird produced from its ashes. 
 Tacitus describes the phoenix as a singular bird, consecrated to 
 the sun, and distinguished by its rich appearance and variegated 
 colours from all others. It was said to be seen, sometimes in 
 Egypt, because the canicular cycle was invented there : and first 
 in the reign of Sesostris, because this cycle began July 20, B. C. 
 l'.)'2'2; and was probably registered among other astronomical 
 observations on the zodiac of Osymandes, which was one of the 
 titles of that prince. 
 
 73 According to the description which is given of Typhon, by 
 Keightley, in his Grecian mythology, be was the onspring of 
 Taxtami and Earth. "His stature, out-topping the mountains, 
 reached the sky; 1 1 1 — head often touched the star-; one band ex« 
 tend d to the east, the other to the weal ; hi- lege and feel were 
 .1- of snakes; hi- body was covered with feathers, bis hair 
 
 and heard -trcanieil in tin; blast : fire flashed from bit eve.-. He 
 
 burled glowing rock-, with loud criei and hissing, againsl heaven ; 
 
 and Storm and llaine ru-hed I'roin hi- month." The fabled dcni"ii 
 of the Hart/ mountain \\. •. to this.
 
 106 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 shades of Tartarus, tormented with the punishment 
 of fire and brimstone. Here the mystagogue ex- 
 patiated on the benefits of virtue, and the dreadful 
 nature of vice. These scenes were relieved and 
 diversified with plaintive music and the burning of 
 rich perfumes, which were calculated to affect the 
 senses, and spread a softness over the mind. The 
 mvstsc, however, were not suffered long to enjoy the 
 agreeable sensations thus produced; the apparatus of 
 terror was now unfolded in all its appalling forms. 
 Hideous spectres flitted before them, who rent the 
 air with dreadful cries and acclamations. The furies, 
 whose heads were covered with coils of hissing 
 snakes, rushed forward in wild disorder, followed 
 by Cerberus with his three heads, whose fearful 
 barkings and bowlings struck the hearts of the 
 mysta; cold with astonishment and horror. 
 
 " Of various forms, unnumber'd spectres more, 
 Centaurs and double shapes besiege the door. 
 Before the passage horrid Hydra stands, 
 And Briareus, with his hundred hands ; 
 Gorgons, Geryon with his triple frame, 
 And vain Chimsera vomits empty flame." 
 
 Dryden's ^Eneid, 1. 6. 
 
 Scenes of Elysium and Tartarus were rapidly 
 exhibited ; darkness was succeeded by the most 
 brilliant glare of light, which was as suddenly extin- 
 guished to make room for the blackest darkness. 
 Pompous processions, 24 accompanied by the elevation 
 
 24 Captain Wilford, speaking of the penance which Mahadeva 
 imposed on himself, of carrying the dead body of his wife in so- 
 lemn procession seven times round the world, — which was the 
 origin of the processions in the spurious Free-masonry, observes, 
 that " when any accident happens to the gods, they generally set
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 107 
 
 of the Phallus, and all the gross indecencies which 
 more particularly marked this part of the ceremony, 
 passed in review before the astonished eyes of the 
 aspirants; who were invested with the peaceful 
 olive branch as a mark of protection amidst all the 
 dangers which might assail them; commemorative of 
 the branch brought by Noah's dove, which convinced 
 him that the waters had subsided. Beautiful and 
 enchanting views were introduced, enlivened by all 
 the variety of landscape ; where distant music gra- 
 dually swelled into the full tide of harmony, and the 
 sacred hymns of Orpheus were chanted by nume- 
 rous unseen voices," whose varying measures roused 
 
 off at full speed, going seven times round the world, howling all 
 the way most woefully." In reference to which, when certain priests 
 opened the temple of Apollo at Delos, for religious worship, they 
 consecrated the whole precinct hy a procession seven times round 
 the island. (Callim. Hymn. 249.) 
 
 * 5 " The knowledge of acoustics professed by the ancients, is 
 shewn to have been very considerable, by the numerous marvels 
 reported of the oracles of old, the contrivances effecting which 
 have, in many cases, been discovered. Being a faculty dependent 
 on man's physical constitution, the counterfeiting of sounds, or 
 ventriloquism, must doubtless have been a customary practice 
 with the priests. At the command of the gymnosophists of 
 Upper Egypt, a tree spoke to Apollonius. The voice was dis- 
 tinct, but weak, and similar to the voice of a woman. Though 
 the weakness would indicate the concealment of the speaker (a 
 child, most probably) in the tree, yet a knowledge of the art of 
 M. Alexandre would have accomplished the trick, even without 
 
 ting to -uch means. Bui the common stratagem in the case 
 of oracular images and heads was simply the dexterous conceal- 
 menl of some party in or near the image. Theophflus, bishop of 
 Alexandria, exposed the cheats of the pagan priesthood by shew- 
 ing thai their talking Statues were hollow within, and coimiuini- 
 
 cated with dark passages in the walls. At Pompeii, at tins hour, 
 such] irevisibli in thi sanctuaries of the temp]
 
 108 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 the heart with fury, or sunk it to despair. Tin's 
 ■was termed celestial music, and the pupils were 
 thus confirmed in the superstitious worship of false 
 gods. At length the body being restored, their 
 former grief was turned into joy ; and, amidst loud 
 acclamations, its return to life was celebrated with 
 every demonstration of pleasure. 86 The Hierophant 
 addressed to the mystae a verse denoting a speedy 
 termination of their troubles, and entered upon an 
 exposition of the design and end of the institution 
 into which they had been initiated. 
 
 The secrets inculcated in the lesser mysteries, or 
 the inferior degrees, consisted principally in abstruse 
 disquisitions on the origin of the universe, the arcana 
 of hieroglyphical knowledge, 27 under which many 
 
 86 When the sun, advancing towards the vernal equinox, en- 
 tered the sign Pisces ; or, in the language of the spurious Free- 
 masonry, when Osiris was about to be raised from his tomb, 
 Typhon was represented as being so overcome with rage, bellow- 
 ing furiously, and emitting flames of fire from his eyes and mouth, 
 as to frighten the celestials out of their senses ; and to escape the 
 effects of his resentment they found it necessary to transform 
 themselves into various shapes ; and amongst the rest, Venus and 
 Cupid became fishes, and were placed in the Zodiac by their wor- 
 shippers. 
 
 27 Ramsay, in his travels of Cyrus, gives the following explana- 
 tion of the Egyptian hieroglyphics, which he says, " are to be 
 found with the explications here given of them in Plutarch, Iam- 
 blichus, Damascius, and Horus Apollo, quoted by Kircher and 
 Cudworth. The temple was consecrated to the goddess Isis, and 
 built in an oval form, to represent the egg of the world; over the 
 great gate was this inscription, to the goddess who is one, and who 
 is all. The altar was a great obelisk of porphyry, on which were 
 engraven several hieroglyphics, containing the secrets of the 
 Egyptian religion. Towards the top appeared three dark clouds, 
 which seemed to meet in a point ; somewhat lower, a tree planted
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1 09 
 
 valuable and sublime truths were said to be sha- 
 dowed; plausible theories of religion and worship 
 
 in a muddy marsh, upon whose branches, which reached up to 
 the clouds, sat a hawk ; by the side of this tree was a winged 
 globe, with a serpent coming out of it ; at the bottom of all, a 
 crocodile, without a tongue, hid itself in the waters of an abyss, a 
 sphynx at the same time walking upon the surface. On one side 
 of tliis altar stood the statue of the goddess, covered with a veil, 
 upon which were represented the figures of the celestial and ter- 
 restrial bodies ; on the other side was the statue of Harpocrates, 
 holding one hand upon his mouth, and pointing to the goddess 
 with the other. The high-priest, clothed in his pontifical robes, 
 explained the meaning of these symbols before he began the 
 sacrifice. ' We adore,' said he, ' no other but the great Ammon, 
 that is to say, the unknown God ; we consider him sometimes as 
 he is in himself, and at other times as manifested by nature. In 
 the first sense we call him Eicton, Emeph, Ptha, Life, Light, and 
 Love ; all whose operations, thoughts, and affections being con- 
 centrated in himself, he remains in his solitary unity incompre- 
 hensible to mortals ; thus considered, we adore him only by 
 silence, or by the name of incomprehensible darkness thrice re- 
 peated ; and we represent him by the clouds which you see to- 
 wards the top of the obelisk. Then we consider him, as he has 
 manifested himself in the multiplicity of nature, by a diffusive 
 goodness that communicates itself everywhere, by a sovereign 
 wisdom which forms within itself the ideas of all things, and by 
 an infinite power that produces, animates, preserves, and governs 
 whatever lias a being. We call these three forms of the divinity, 
 Osiris, [sis, Orus, and we represent them by many different sym- 
 bols : sometimes by an hawk, which having of all birds the most 
 piercing eye, and the most rapid flight, serves to express the 
 divine intelli'_ r ence and activity. This bird sits upon the top of 
 a tnc, to signify that the eternal nature i- infinitely exalted above 
 matter, which i- as dirt in comparison of the pure essence of the 
 Deity. The globe di note- the indivisible unity without beginning 
 or end: the serpenl the supreme wisdom, and the wingi that 
 
 active spirit which animate- and gives life to all. The crocodile, 
 which appear- under a deep water, and without a tongue, repre- 
 
 ienti the greal Osirii hidden in the abyss of nature, and doing all
 
 110 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 adapted to their peculiar system of idolatry; and 
 on the nature and attributes of each particular god. 
 But after a probation of four years, 28 the mysta? 
 were admitted to a participation in the arrop^ra 
 or ineffable secrets. A knowledge of the general 
 deluge and the salvation of Noah and his three sons 
 in the ark, with all the circumstances attending that 
 remarkable event, were communicated ; the mystoe 
 were taught that the gods they worshipped had been 
 mere mortals like themselves, 29 and had not the 
 most distant claim to the rites of divine worship ; 
 but for reasons of state that delusion was necessary 
 to be preserved amongst the people. The unity of 
 the Godhead was then inculcated, together with the 
 doctrine of a future state of rewards and punish- 
 ments. And when these secrets had been com- 
 municated, together with the system of morality 
 conveyed in emblematical and hieroglyphical sym- 
 bols, the perfect mystae were termed Epoptae, which 
 
 in a profound silence ; but you see walking in the circuit of this 
 abyss, a sphynx, which, being half man and half lion, signifies the 
 wisdom and strength of the two other principles. Lastly, the 
 goddess Isis, covered with a veil, and having, as you see, this in- 
 scription on her pedestal, / am all that is, has been, or shall be, 
 and no mortal can remove the veil that covers me, declares, that uni- 
 versal nature is but a veil which covers the Divinity, and that no 
 one can behold the splendour of his pure and naked essence. The 
 posture of the God Harpocrates denotes, that we ought never to 
 speak of the incomprehensible essence of Isis, but only of her 
 manifestations." 
 
 23 Clem. Alex. Strom. 5. 
 
 29 And not only were dead men worshipped, but brutes and 
 insects and reptiles ; dogs, cats, crocodiles, and snakes ; nay, 
 even leeks, and garlic and onions. O sanctas gentes quibus ha>c 
 nascuntur in hortis numina !
 
 FREE-MASONRY. Ill 
 
 implies that they see every thing truly and without 
 disguise. After all the rites of initiation were com- 
 pleted, they were termed regenerate;^ the words 
 
 30 " It is worthy of observation, that an idea seems always to 
 have prevailed among the initiated, that the groundwork of their 
 mysteries was a sort of wonderful regeneration, or new-birth. 
 Hence were instituted the singular rites of the Taurobolium and 
 the Criobolium, of which the following account is given us by 
 Prudentius. When the day set apart for the consecration of 
 the high-priest arrived, he descended, arrayed in his pontifical 
 robes, into a pit which had previously been dug for that purpose. 
 Above the pit was a kind of floor, the boards of which were per- 
 forated with an infinite number of holes. Upon this floor they 
 led a bull crowned with a chaplet of flowers, and there cut his 
 throat. The reeking blood, descending upon the boards, fell in 
 showers through the holes into the pit ; and was received by the 
 priest upon his head, his bod}-, and his raiment. When all the 
 blood was drained, the victim was removed, and the high-priest 
 came out. It was a horrible spectacle to see him in this plight, 
 his head covered with blood, clotted drops sticking to his beard, 
 and all his garment distained : and yet, as soon as he appeared, 
 he was received with a general congratulation; and the assem- 
 bled multitudes, not daring to approach his person, adored him 
 at a distance, esteeming him a man awfully pure and holy. This 
 baptism of blood was conceived to regenerate those upon whom 
 it was conferred ; and, in token of such regeneration, they wore 
 their blood-stained clothes as long as possible." (Faber, Mys. 
 Cab. c. 10.) But this mysterious regeneration was usually con- 
 veyed by passing through a small cavity composed of consecrated 
 pactre, which was to represent the door of the ark, through which 
 the Noachida issued after the waters of the deluge had subsided, 
 which in the phraseology of the mysteries, was t< rmed a new or 
 
 BeCOIld birth ; and which after the general introduction of the 
 
 Phallic worship, was designsted bysymboli and perpetuated by 
 disgustingly filthy and obscene, hut ch a r ac teristic of the 
 degradation to which humanity might he reduced, after the true 
 worship of God had been renounced to make way for the intro- 
 duction of an anrestndned and impure worship, which canonized
 
 112 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 K07J and O^Tra^ were intrusted to them, and they 
 were dismissed. 31 
 
 Though I cannot contrast with the above, by a 
 particular description, the sober and rational cere- 
 monies in use amongst Masons, 88 yet I can assure 
 my readers, that Masonry admits not a single rite, 
 which may not be defended on the pure principles 
 of Scripture and reason. 35 The ceremonies of the 
 
 vice, and erected temples to the grossest and most disgraceful of 
 human passions and propensities. 
 
 sl It appears clear that while, in one sense, the aphanism and 
 euresis of Osiris referred to the departure and re-appearance of 
 the sun, in another they typified the inclosure of Noah in the 
 ark and his suhsequent liberation, thus uniting, in these extra- 
 ordinary celebrations, the arkite and the sabian idolatry, or death 
 in Adam and life in Christ. The fiction that Adonis spent one 
 half of the year in the embraces of Venus, and the other in those 
 of Proserpine, alluded to the sun's continuing six months in the 
 northern signs of the zodiac, and six months in the southern. 
 
 32 By the constitutions of Masonry, the persons craving to be 
 admitted members of a Ledge, must be " good and true men, 
 free born, and of mature and discreet age ; no bondmen, no 
 women, no immoral or scandalous men, but of good report." 
 And each candidate, previously to admission, is obliged to sign a 
 declaration couched in the following terms, and addressed to the 
 master and wardens of the Lodge. " I, A. B., being free by 
 birth, and of the full age of twenty-one years, do declare, that 
 unbiassed by the improper solicitation of friends, and uninfluenced 
 by mercenary or other unworthy motives, I freely and voluntarily 
 offer myself a candidate for the mysteries of Masonry ; that I am 
 prompted by a favourable opinion conceived of the institution, 
 and a desire of knowledge ; and that I will cheerfully conform to 
 all the ancient usages and established customs of the Order. 
 Witness my hand, &c." 
 
 33 The system of morality taught amongst Masons is briefly 
 set forth in the following extracts from an Ancient Charge : "As 
 you have now passed through the ceremonies of your initiation,
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 131 
 
 Order are calculated to expand the mind with piety 
 and devotion, and to lead it by imperceptible de- 
 errees to a union with its Maker. 
 
 o 
 
 There is indeed some degree of resemblance, in 
 respect of the moral duties inculcated by each, as 
 well as in the purity required from candidates for 
 
 allow me to congratulate you on being admitted a member of our 
 ancient and honourable Society. No institution can boast a more 
 solid foundation than that on which Free-masonry rests : — the 
 
 PRACTICE OF SOCIAL AND MORAL VIRTUE. As a MASON, I WOldd 
 
 first recommend to your most serious contemplation the volume 
 of the Sacred Law ; charging you to consider it as the unerring 
 standard of truth and justice, and to regulate your actions by the 
 divine precepts it contains, &c. As a citizen of the world, I am 
 next to enjoin you to be exemplary in the discharge of your civil 
 duties, by never proposing, or at all countenancing, any act that 
 may have a tendency to subvert the peace and good order of so- 
 ciety, &c. As an individual, I am further to recommend the 
 practice of every domestic, as well as public virtue. Let Pru- 
 dence direct vou ! Temperance chasten you! Fortitude sup- 
 port you! and Justice be the guide of all your actions! Be 
 especially careful to maintain, in their fullest splendour, those 
 truly Masonic ornaments — Benevolence and Charity. Still. 
 however, a> a Mason, there are other excellences of character to 
 which your attention may be peculiarly and forcibly directed. 
 Among the foremost of these are, secrecy, fidelity, and obedience, 
 ike. : and, as a la>t general recommendation, let me exhort you 
 to dedicate yourself to such pursuits as may enable you to be« 
 come useful to mankind; that you would more especially devote 
 your leisure boura to the Btudy of such of the liberal arte and 
 sciences aa may Lie within the compass of your attainment ; and 
 that, without neglecting the ordinary duties of your station, you 
 would consider yourself called upon to make a daily advancement 
 in Masonic knowledge." The whole of this excellent cl 
 which i- now generally used in our Lodges, may h< found in the 
 la-t edition ol Pn iton't Illustration! 
 
 i
 
 1 14 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 initiation. 1 " Not that T believe the inculcation of vir- 
 tue to idolaters was likely to produce any salutary 
 effects. For example being more powerful than pre- 
 cept, the practical vices of a single god were sufficient 
 to produce a proportion of mora) evil, which could 
 never be obviated by the theoretical incitements to 
 virtue proceeding from all the philosophers and 
 mystagogues in the universe. But, however, in 
 some points the two institutions agreed, it only 
 proves that the one was founded on the general 
 principles of the other. Their discrepancies, already 
 noticed, are too evident and irreconcilable, to sanc- 
 tion the hypothesis, that these mysteries were the 
 Masonry of ancient times. 
 
 36 The precepts taught in the Eleusinian mysteries, which, as 
 they ultimately swallowed up all the rest, may be considered as a 
 fair specimen of the whole, were principally these : " They per- 
 petually inculcated, that it was the chief business of the myste- 
 ries to restore the soul to its original purity ; they made every 
 thing tend to shew the necessity of virtue. ' Thus,' says Epic- 
 tetus, ' the mysteries become useful ; thus we seize the true 
 spirit of them, that every thing therein was instituted by the 
 ancients for instruction and amendment of life.' In pursuance 
 of this scheme, it was required in the aspirant to the mysteries, 
 that he should be of an unblemished and virtuous character, and free 
 even from the suspicion of any notorious crime : for the discovery 
 of which he was severely interrogated. On this account, Sue- 
 tonius tells us, ' that when Nero, after the murder of his mother, 
 took a journey into Greece, and had a mind to be present at the 
 celebration of the Eleusinian mysteries, the conscience of thi s 
 parricide deterred him from it.' So the good Emperor M. Anto- 
 nius, when he would purge himself to the world of the death of 
 AvidiusCassius, chose to be initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries • 
 it being notorious to all, that none were admitted to their partici- 
 pation who laboured under the just suspicion of any heinous im-
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1 1 ."> 
 
 This degree of resemblance, however, cannot assi- 
 milate Masonry with the worship of false gods: for, 
 though idolatry might, and did, imitate the true 
 worship in all practicable points, it could not, for 
 that reason alone, be deemed the true religion : and 
 ctsteris paribus, though the mysteries here spoken of 
 might be founded upon the ancient practice of Ma- 
 sonry, its members, while worshipping the creature, 
 could not preserve the purity of that Order whoso 
 sole foundation is the unsophisticated worship of the 
 ( Jreator. 
 
 It has been observed, that the Epoptse were 
 taught, when admitted to the greater mysteries, 
 that the deities generally worshipped were but dead 
 men, who had been deified on account of some real 
 or imaginary benefit which they had rendered to 
 mankind: and that the only true God was ONE, 37 the 
 creator and preserver of all things. As these mys- 
 teries became universally disseminated amongst man- 
 kind, an altar was publicly erected to the Divine 
 
 Being tauffht in the ouTropprira. bv the advice el' 
 © © ii'. 
 
 Epimenedes, during the time of a destructive pesti- 
 lence; but their ideas respecting his nature and 
 attributes were bo very confused mid obscure, even 
 
 morality. The initiated were enjoined, during the celebration of 
 the mysteries, the greatest parity and highest el< vation of mind. 
 ■ W'Ikm you sacrifice or pray, 1 Bays Epictetua in Arrian, 'go with 
 a prepared purity of mind, and with disposition iously 
 
 d a- are required of you when you approach the ancienl 
 ad mysteries. 1 And Proclus tells us, 'thai the mysteries 
 
 and initiation! drew thi la of men from a material, sensual, 
 
 and merely human life, and joined them in communion with the 
 gods.' " — ( Div. I-i sg. 1. 2, ». 4.) 
 
 .fU.tOV£'/0<;.
 
 1 1(1 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 in a city celebrated for religious knowledge, and de- 
 nominated by Sophocles 'A&jwov r&v fleofyoyro)!/, 88 that 
 this altar was inscribed " To the unknown God!" 
 And this opinion of the Athenians was so very po- 
 pular, that the neighbouring nations used to swear 
 by tiim that was unknown at Athens: N^ rov ev 
 'Afrqvais ayvaxrrov : * yet the communication of this 
 limited knowledge was esteemed the only means 
 of combating the practice of vice proceeding 
 from the contagions example of their libidinous 
 deities. 
 
 These mysteries were received with the greatest 
 avidity by all nations ; they were supposed to be a 
 potent and effectual charm to prevent or avert cala- 
 mities; 40 and individuals were taught that all the 
 
 38 Electra, Act ii. S. 1. so Lucian in Philopatride. 
 
 40 The Druids, who practised the Cabiric mysteries, presented 
 the initiated with an amulet, called anguinum ovum, whose pro- 
 perties were to make the possessor fortunate in all his undertak- 
 ings ; to procure him the most exalted patronage, and to give him 
 a decided advantage over his antagonists in every contest for su- 
 periority. This egg was produced from the saliva of a large ball 
 of serpents closely interwoven together ; and, being impelled into 
 the air by the hissing of the serpents, was received in its fall on 
 a pure white cloth, held by a horseman, who was obliged to retire 
 precipitately from the spot, to escape the fury of the serpents, 
 who usually pursued him until they were impeded by a river, which 
 they were unable to cross. The virtues of this egg were then put 
 to the test : it was enchased in gold ; and being cast into the 
 water, if genuine, it would swim against the most rapid stream. 
 Precisely of the same nature were the magical amulets of the 
 Basilideans (a sect of visionaries who flourished in the second 
 century from Christ), called Abraxas, which, they asserted, was 
 the sacred and incommunicable name of God, the Author of the 
 circle of 3G5 days ; and hence they were supposed to worship the
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 
 
 117 
 
 initiated should receive divine honours after death,*' 
 and their souls be assuredly received into the blest 
 
 sun, whose annual course was accomplished in that period. The 
 numerical computation is as follows : 
 
 A, 1 
 
 B, 2 
 P, 100 
 A, 1 
 U, GO 
 A, 1 
 2, 200 
 
 365 
 
 From Abraxas, s;iy they, comes Logos (the word); from Logos, 
 Phronesis (prudence); from Phronesis, Sophia and Dynamis (wis- 
 dom and strength); and so on to the above number of ob'."). This 
 Word, which is of the same signification with Abracadabra, was 
 the name of a god worshipped by the Syrians, and was used as a 
 charm to prevent misfortune. 
 
 In a circle, the emblematical representation of a year, was in- 
 scribed triangularly this Word, winch was supposed to convey 
 perpetual health and happiness, and protection from temporal 
 dangers. 
 
 " At istoph.
 
 118 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 abode of the gods k8 Hence arose that groat anxiety 
 for initiation, which produced such immense profits 
 that, in a time of scarcity, the public treasury of 
 Athens Mas amply replenished from the emoluments 
 arising out of these mysteries. 
 
 In the dark history of the heathen world, we dis- 
 cover few appearances of Masonry, except in Egypt, 
 Greece, Phoenicia, and Rome ; idolatrous fable, and 
 improbable mythologies, supply the place of truth 
 and reason ; and it is a remarkable evidence of the 
 connection of Masonry with religion, that, in pro- 
 portion as the knowledge and worship of the true 
 God has declined in all the countries of the earth, 
 Masonry has also receded from the view, as the 
 glorious light of the sun vanishes before the dark- 
 ness of the night. And it may be safely added, 
 that no certain traces of genuine Masonry have 
 Ik en found to exist in any country, or amongst any 
 people, who have altogether renounced the true 
 worship of God, and set up an idol in his stead. 
 
 The mysteries, which were esteemed as a plausible 
 substitute for Masonry, attained such an influence 
 
 Some of these gems have heen preserved. " Joseph Scaliger had 
 one of them in his possession, and the excellent Peireskius very 
 many. Amulets they were, and symbols too of their deities, 
 whose names of Abraxas, Michael, Gabriel, Ouriel, Raphael, 
 Ananael, Prosoraiel, Yabsoe (names of their gods, and their seven 
 angels, the presidents of their seven heavens), were inscribed on 
 them, together with the figures of men, beasts, fowls, plants, 
 stars ; the schemes of which may be seen in Pignorius. Abraxas 
 is represented with a human body, with buckler and whip, or 
 sword in hand, as ensigns of power; and with serpents as feet." 
 —(Tenison's Idolatry. Consult the F. Q. R. for 1S40, p. 307.) 
 " Plato Pheed.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 11!) 
 
 over the minds of men, that even the great moralist 
 Isocrates confessed that the mysteries were what 
 human nature principally stands in need of. 43 And 
 almost all the philosophers of antiquity speak highl) 
 
 of their original purity, and the great and beneficial 
 effects they were calculated to produce both to 
 states and individuals. Socrates approved of them, 
 though he long refused to be initiated; Tnlly gave 
 them the highest character, in a moral and political 
 point of view; and Plutarch** could say, that "their 
 m\ thologies contained nothing weak, unreasonable, 
 or superstitious; but that, under every fable was 
 hid some moral, historical, or philosophical truth." 4 
 
 43 Paneg. 4 * De Isid. et Osir. p. 353. 
 
 4i Lucian is describing the initiations when he makes Menippus 
 relate to Philonides the terrors of the infernal regions, which he 
 says he himself witnessed. He then morahzes with great beauty. 
 " Comparing human life," says he, " to the initiation processions, 
 where Fortune, acting the Choragus, disposes all things, and puts 
 on the several habits of those who walk in it ; to one she gives 
 the tiara, appoints him satraps, and crowns him with a diadem ; 
 another .-he clothes in the garb of a slave; one she adorns and 
 make- beautiful; another .-he makes deformed and ridiculous, for 
 the spectacle must have variety ; often, even in the middle of the 
 ceremonv, will she change the dresses of some, and not permit 
 them to go through the rite- as tiny Bet out. Croesus -la- forced 
 to take the habit of a slave ; to Meandrius, who had long walked 
 in the procession a- a servant, Bhe transferred the monarch] "i 
 PolycrateS, and suffered hiin for awhile to strut in the royal robe. 
 
 When, at length, th< ceremony ends, every one gives back bis 
 garment, and Laying it aside, together with Ids body, becomei 
 ju-t as be was before, and in nothing differing from his neigh, 
 hours. Some, when Fortune came to strip them of their i"l»-. 
 foolish enough to murmur ami he angry, refusing to give 
 back what wa- hut I. nt them for a rime, as if they had been de- 
 prived of something which tiny considered u then own,
 
 120 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 In the history of an idolatrous nation, the declen- 
 sion of Masonry may be very accurately defined, as 
 its decay is visibly connected with the corruptions 
 of religion. At the dispersion from Babel, the 
 original planters of nations carried with them a 
 knowledge of the principles of our science, more or 
 less deteriorated, according to the practice of their 
 former associates ; but in no one instance entirely 
 lost. After these planters were settled in their 
 respective colonies, we behold the unceasing efforts of 
 the Cabiri used to pervert it from its original inten- 
 tion, and make it subservient to their own private 
 views of aggrandisement. These innovations brought 
 on idolatry; every nation had its favourite deity; 
 and, in after ages, these gods became incorporated, 
 and hosts of mediators were worshipped by many 
 individual nations, till at length the meanest rep- 
 tiles, and even inanimate stocks and stones, were 
 worshipped as gods ; and, in the time of Hesiod, the 
 world contained no less than thirty thousand ob- 
 jects of Pagan adoration. Amidst such a gross 
 defection from God's worship, it is no wonder that 
 Masonry, clothed in purity and perfection, should 
 hide her face in shame and sorrow ; it is no wonder 
 that they should reject her as a meddling and un- 
 welcome intruder, when, faithful to her trust, she 
 denounced judgments against their apostasy: over- 
 threw their idols with contumely, and pointed out 
 charity, or universal brotherly love, as the medium 
 through which they might attain to the knowledge 
 and love of their Maker. 
 
 The Eleusinian mysteries were transmitted by 
 oral tradition, for a period of more than two thou-
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 121 
 
 sand years, and continued until the reign of Theodo- 
 sius, who gave the finishing blow to idolatry, and all 
 it- accompaniments, throughout his extensive em- 
 pire. Their secrets were never committed publicly to 
 writing except in the very latest ages, when their 
 abominable practices brought them into disreputes 
 and accelerated their dissolution. 46 
 
 How very sacred the ancients deemed these mys- 
 teries, appears from the following passages in Apol- 
 lonius Khodius : 
 
 " To Sarnothrace, Electra's isle, they steer. 
 That there initiated in rites divine, 
 Safe they might sail the navigable brine. 
 But, muse, presume not of these rites to tell : 
 Farewell, dread isle ! dire deities, farewell ! 
 Let not my verse these mysteries explain : 
 To name is impious, to reveal profane." 
 
 Fawkes. 
 
 The mysteries in every nation were committed t<> 
 the custody of the priests. 17 The Bramins of India 
 were wonderfully tenacious of their Becrets, and, de- 
 viating from the practice of other nations, concealed 
 
 *° Warburton says, that the mysteries are laid open, and the 
 tedious forms of initiation fully deseribed by Virgil (Enbis, lib. (i). 
 
 M And they held the minds of men in the most deplorable 
 thraldom. " Amongsl the proudest and wisest," says Mills, 
 •■ within the borders of Paganism, there did not live a man unen- 
 slaved by these delusions. The soothsayer, the interpreter of 
 dreams, the sacrificer, the seller of the remnants and dust of the 
 dead, the miserable pretender to magic; these were the true 
 i lib i - of mankind, these were the sceptre-bearers, to whom em- 
 n themselves were but as menials j they laughed at authority, 
 tinsel at nought, and sapped the foundations ol ever] state, 
 
 bj sapping Ma vigour of the national mind.'
 
 122 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 them from all the world except those who aspired to 
 the sacerdotal dignity. Their secrecy was so severely 
 maintained, that death was the certain punishment 
 tor the slightest breach of faith. The Hindoos were 
 idolaters, yet the general truths of religion ran ob- 
 scurely through their system of false worship. They 
 represented the Supreme Being under a threefold 
 symbol. They believed that "God created the 
 world ; that he is eternal, omnipotent, knowing all 
 things, and present everywhere." They admit the 
 reality of a future state, though their theory on this 
 point is somewhat vague and fanciful. The three- 
 fold symbol evidently shews that these idolaters had 
 some general ideas respecting the doctrine of the 
 Trinity; which appears, indeed, to have run through 
 all the systems of false as well as true worship in 
 every age of the world. Suidas informs us that 
 the name of Trismegistus was given to Thoth or 
 Hermes 48 "because he taught the doctrine of the 
 Trinity." 
 
 48 It is impossible to clear away the mists in which the 
 history of the triple Hermes is involved. The poets identify 
 him with Mercury. Bishop Cumberland makes him the same 
 as Thoth, the son of Mizraim. Bryant, from the Chro- 
 nicon Paschale, pronounces him to be the patriarch Joseph. 
 Some think his name of Trismegistus, or thrice greatest, was 
 imposed, because, like the Jewish patriarchs, he combined in his 
 own person the threefold offices of king, priest, and prophet ; 
 and hence the theory which professes to explain all the pheno- 
 mena of nature from the three chemical principles, salt, sulphur, 
 and mercury, is called the Hermetical philosophy. Suidas, how- 
 ever, says that the name of Trismegistus was given him because he 
 taught the doctrine of the Trinity- Faber considers him an ima- 
 ginary mythological character, and derives his name from Ar-Mon,
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 123 
 
 Stanhope Bays : " Some very learned heathens have 
 made approaches to this doctrine, under the names 
 of one or good, mind or cause, and soul, sometimes 
 called the soul of the world, at other times the bou! 
 above the world. The same have been again dis- 
 tinguished by infinite goodness, infinite wisdom, and 
 infinite love : but these distinctions are not made 
 to imply three different principles, but as united in 
 one common principle or universal cause. The firsl 
 of these was said to he derived from none : the 
 second to be derived from the first; the third from 
 the other two. In the production of the world, the 
 first was the original mover; the second was the 
 architect; the third was the giver of life: but 
 still all these were affirmed to have but one operation, 
 
 the deity of the lunari-arkite mountain. Hammer considers him 
 to have been Enoch, and says, " Hermes was the first king of the 
 ancient Egyptians, and is evidently the Hermes Trismegistus of 
 ' . Greeks, and possibly the same with the triple Kama of the 
 Indians. The old kings of Egypt are comprehended by or under 
 the name of Pharaohs. The Oriental historians divide them 
 into three dynasties ; viz. 1, the Hermesian; 2, the Pharaohs; 
 and 3, the Coptic, or properly Egyptian kings. To the first, ami 
 particularly to Hermes, the threefold himself, they ascribe the 
 tombs, catacombs, temple-, palao b, pyramids, obelisks, sphj axes, 
 and all the royal, funeral, religious, and astronomical monuments 
 which astonish the traveller in Upper Egypt; hut, incapable of 
 distinguishing tin in, or of finding out their trim appropriation, they 
 
 believe all of them to have been constructed for the purpose of 
 hiding treasures, of raising Bpirits, of telling fortunes and future 
 i ming chemical operations, of attracting affection, 
 of repelling evils, or of indicating approaching i oemies ; and they 
 call tin m, according to these supposed purpose b, treasure cham- 
 conjuring buildings, astrological tables, alchemical monu- 
 ments, magical spells, tali-man-, and magic alarm-poets.
 
 1-^ ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 and all things to be produced by the common consent 
 of the three." 49 
 
 Every Mason Mill folly comprehend this reasoning, 
 because it is nearly allied to a most beautiful illustra- 
 tion contained in the first Lecture of Masonry. 
 
 •» 9 Boyle, Lect.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 125 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 CONTAINING FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SEVEN 
 
 YEARS. 
 
 View of Masonry from the Universal Deluge to the Offering of 
 Isaae. 
 
 Noah remained in the ark while the waters 
 inundated the world, for the space of six months, 
 at the expiration of which time the ark rested on 
 Ararat, a mountain in Armenia. After remaining 
 about three months in that situation, Noah sent out 
 a raven 1 and a dove, that he might ascertain whe- 
 ther the waters had subsided. The birds very soon 
 returned to the ark, unable, from the prevalence <>t' 
 the waters, to find a place of rest. At tin- cud of 
 seven days he gent forth the dove a second time. 
 which returned to the ark with an olive leaf in her 
 mouth, as a token of peace and reconciliation with 
 God; ami the olive branch has consequently been 
 adopted as a symbol of peace by every nation under 
 the -mi. When -even days were again expired, he 
 vent forth tin- dove a third time, which returned 
 
 to hi in Hi i n lore; In 'iicc Noah concluded that the 
 
 1 \[ re birds of evil omen. When they appeared about 
 
 :m armv, they were objects of terror, particularly if they came 
 croaking "n '!"■ left hand. Pliny says that tin- worst omeni were 
 riven i>v ti.' in when they made s harsh -"it "t uoisi rattli 
 their throati ai it tiny u<-r<- chokii
 
 L26 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 waters were dissipated from off the face of the 
 earth; and at the end of twelve months and ten 
 days Prom his entering die ark, he left it on the 
 summit of the mountain, and all the creatures in it 
 were soon dispersed over the earth. 8 
 
 The first act of Noah, after Ins escape from the 
 general destruction of all created flesh, Mas an act 
 of gratitude and devotion to his Great Preserver. 
 He erected an altar and offered a burnt offering of 
 every clean beast and fowl. Here God covenanted 
 with Noah, that he would no more destroy the world 
 by water, and placed a rainbow in the clouds as a 
 token, which was to remain as a perpetual memento 
 of His most gracious promise. 3 
 
 The assurances of preservation delivered to Noah 
 were accompanied by an injunction to observe cer- 
 
 2 " In the time of Josephus, there was a city in Armenia which 
 he calls A7n>/3otTYi£iov, or the place of descent : it is called by Pto- 
 lemy, Naxuana ; by Moses, Choronensis Idsheuan ; and at the 
 place itself it was called Nach- Idsheuan, which signifies the first 
 place of descent. This city was a lasting monument of the pre- 
 servation of Noah in the ark, upon the top of that mountain at 
 whose foot it was built, as the first city or town after the flood." 
 — (Bishop Tomline's Theol., pt. i. c. 1.) 
 
 3 A phenomenon, so remarkable and so frequently recurring 
 amidst excessive rains, serves to impress this assurance firmly on 
 our minds. The appearance of this bow is said to excite very 
 extraordinary sensations upon the Jews, even to this day. Super- 
 stitiously imagining the sacred name of God to be visibly dis- 
 played in the rainbow, they turn from it in the utmost veneration, 
 lest they should behold the majesty of God, whom no one may see 
 and live : and after an humble confession of their sins, they ac- 
 knowledge themselves worthy to be cut off by a similar visitation, 
 and celebrate His clemency who spares them, while deformed by 
 a series of accumulated transgressions.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 127 
 
 tain precepts, which the Jewish Rabbins say were 
 seven:* — 1. Judgment; or punishment for the com- 
 mission of unnatural crimes. 2. Blessings; parti- 
 cularly the institution of the Sabbath, and praising 
 the name of God. :>. Against the practice of idol- 
 atry. 4. Uncovering- our own nakedness forbidden. 
 5. Punishment for shedding the blood of our fellow 
 creatures. 6. Against theft, fraud, and dissimula- 
 tion : and the seventh forbade eating the flesh of a 
 beast, taken from it before it was dead.' 
 
 In process of time the unnatural conduct of Ham 
 elicited lii^ father's curse. lie denounced judg- 
 ments upon his posterity- and particularly on Ca- 
 naan, which were inflicted with unremitting ven- 
 geance. 6 
 
 • Maimonides informs us that Adam had six precepts given 
 him after the fall; which were — 1. Against idolatry- "-'■ Against 
 blasphemy. 3. Against murder. 4. Against adultery. 5. Against 
 stealing. 6. To appoint judges to enforce these precepts. These, 
 he adds, were enjoined on Noah, with this addition, that he should 
 not cut off any portion of a living animal and cat it. 
 
 s Sheindler in Pentaglot. 
 
 r < The curse of a father, in ancient times, was deemed an inex- 
 piable misfortune. Heathen nation- were impressed with an idea, 
 that one principal commission of the Furies was, to execute ven- 
 geance on wayward children, lying under the parental curse. In 
 ges, the descendants of < tanaan became addicted to the very 
 worst species of idolatry, ami rificed their sons and their 
 
 daughters on the impious altar- of false and impure deities. (Dent. 
 xii. :il .) They practised the most monstrous and unnatural vices, 
 and los1 every vestige of that pure science which places a restraint 
 on all unruly lu-t- and passions. Tin \ were guilty of incest, 
 sodomy, and ev.rv kind of bestiality. (Levit. iviii.) Thus when 
 the (sraeliti prang from Shem, had been delivered from 
 
 their Egyptian bondage, and brought with them the science "i 
 Masonry, which they practised under the auspices of theii
 
 1*28 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 His immediate posterity partook largely of their 
 progenitor's perversity; stimulated probably by the 
 curse. They removed by gradual migrations from 
 east to west, until they found themselves on the 
 plains of Shinar, about :i century after the Deluge. 7 
 
 master Joshua, who succeeded Moses in that high office, the 
 effects of Noah's curse hecame visible ; for the Canaanitcs were 
 destroyed or driven out of the land, to experience ever}' privation 
 and misery in strange lands, where human foot had never before 
 trod. And those that escaped destruction, and remained in the 
 land, were made hewers of wood and drawers of water to the 
 Israelites. They who fled and planted other nations ohtained no 
 continuance of rest or peace. The Tyrians were destroyed by 
 Alexander, a descendant of Japheth ; and the Carthaginians by 
 the Romans, who were of the same original. And the miserable 
 remains of this unhappy people are slaves to the Turkish nation, 
 descendants also from the same patriarch. " Egypt was the land 
 of Ham, as it is often called in Scripture, and for many years it 
 was a great and flourishing kingdom ; but it was subdued by 
 the Persians, who descended from Shem, and afterwards by the 
 Grecians, who descended from Japheth ; and from that time to 
 this it hath constantly been in subjection to some or other of the 
 posterity of Shem or Japheth. The whole continent of Africa 
 was peopled principally by the children of Ham; and for how 
 many ages have the better parts of that country lain under the 
 dominion of the Romans, and then of the Saracens, and now of 
 the Turks ! In what wickedness, ignorance, barbarity, slavery, 
 misery, live most of the inhabitants ! And of the poor negroes, 
 how many hundreds every year are sold and bought like beasts in 
 the market, and conveyed from one quarter of the world to do the 
 work of beasts in another ! Nothing can be more complete than 
 the execution of the sentence upon Ham as well as Canaan !" 
 (Newton on the Proph., Diss. 1.) 
 
 7 To enter on the origin and planting of nations, would be a 
 discussion too wide and uncertain for the limits that could be 
 assigned to it in a work of this nature. Nor is it necessary. I 
 may, however, remark, that India and Egypt were the great school* 
 of the world. Here all wisdom and learning were concentrated, at a
 
 FREE-MASONRY. | •_> J I 
 
 The children of Japheth principally accompanied 
 them ; and on these immense plains they laid the 
 foundation of a mighty kingdom, -which, under the 
 name of the Babylonian Monarchy, continued in a 
 flourishing state for many centuries. Here they 
 formed the great project of erecting a Tower, 
 whose height and magnitude should be a sufficient 
 protection against any future inundation of the 
 world. 
 
 A part of the race of Shem, who had been induced 
 to join in the migrations of mankind under their 
 respective patriarchs, were united with Ham and 
 Japheth in the construction of this Tower. They 
 did not, however, suspect what was the secret design 
 of Nimrod, and therefore engaged in the work from 
 principles of public utility, and without imagining 
 that any evil consequences would result. The build- 
 ing was erected to the honour of false gods, as well 
 as to prevent dispersion. It was composed of enor- 
 mous bricks dried in the sun, each being l!>! feet 
 in length, 15 feet broad, and 7\ feet in thickness. 
 These bricks were cemented by slime or bitumen, 1 
 which was rendered by time as hard as the sub- 
 stance of the brick. Three years were occupied in 
 
 period when ignorance and barbarism characterized almost every 
 other people ; and even in the most early tunes, Egypt senl oul 
 her colonies in'" divert tuitions, for their civilization ami improve** 
 
 ment ; not only under the conduct of ( Isiris, I >anaie, and ( lecrops, 
 
 but under many other chiefs ; and Bupolemus, in Busebius, 
 
 (Pra]i. Evan. 1. ''. 26), "Mosei WBI the firsl Wise man win. im- 
 parted Egyptian literature to the Hebrews, from whom it pa 
 to the Phenicians." 
 
 * Gen. xi. .''..
 
 130 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 making these bricks, though the greatest part of 
 mankind Mere employed in the work.9 
 
 The most probable dimensions of this building 
 are those proposed by Anderson in his History of 
 Masonry : " The foundation is reported to have 
 been a square of half a mile in compass ; and the 
 building to have consisted of eight square towers, 
 rising in stages above each other, with an ascending 
 passage on the outside, all the way up to an obser- 
 vatory on the top, which was 600 feet from the 
 ground. 10 In the grand tower were apartments with 
 
 9 Many improbable and groundless conjectures have been 
 offered respecting the magnitude of this celebrated edifice. Je- 
 rome says, from the testimony of ocular demonstration, that it was 
 four miles high, and of proportionable dimensions in bulk. Some 
 Oriental writers have pronounced it to be at least twelve miles in 
 altitude ; and one author, in particular, is bold enough to make it 
 5,000 miles high ! This building, it is true, must necessarily 
 have been of very large dimensions, considering the number of 
 people who were engaged in it upwards of forty years (Syncel. 
 Chron.). Yet these preposterous accounts exceed all the bounds 
 of human credibility. 
 
 »o Such was the opinion of Dr. Anderson, and I adopted it 
 without consideration in the first edition of this work. On ma- 
 ture deliberation I am inclined to think it erroneous. The first 
 huts which were erected for the habitation of man, are supposed 
 by Vitruvius to have been built on a circular base, as we know 
 the cabins of the primitive Britons were, with a post in the centre 
 to support the roof. This form would not sustain any material 
 alteration before the flood ; and the first colonizers of every country, 
 after the dispersion, used, with one consent, the same convenient 
 plan in the construction of their domestic habitations. It is reason- 
 able to infer, therefore, that the tower of Babel, at which they were 
 all engaged before they were sent off to colonize the world, partook 
 of this figure. Being emblematical of the spiral flame, it was 
 dedicated to the sun, as the great agent, according to their belief,
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 131 
 
 arched roofs, supported by pillars, 75 feet high, in- 
 tended for a temple, in which the idolatrous worship 
 of the god Belus was afterwards performed." 11 In 
 the interior of the bottom story was a cavern in 
 which the Cabiric mysteries were celebrated. 
 
 To prevent the select people from imbibing the 
 idolatrous sentiments which God foresaw would bo 
 rapidly and widely propagated, he resolved to dis- 
 perse mankind over the face of the earth. The 
 families then in existence appear to have formed one 
 great community, each governed by its respective 
 patriarch, and compacted together under one mo- 
 narch, with the exception of Noah and his adherents, 
 who had already colonized China. As the building 
 of this town- advanced, men became more confident 
 of their own power and importance, and [ess in- 
 clined to yield obedience to the seven precepts of 
 Noah. Each father of a family, as private.' interest 
 or inclination might prompt, assumed to himself the 
 power of legislating for his immediate followers; 
 and. departing from primitive usage, adopted such 
 rites of divine worship as were best suited to the 
 new and local object of his adoration. The variety 
 of forms which idolatry would assume, under such 
 
 circumstances, would lead to a direct oblivion of 
 the true God and religion; and the fascinations of 
 
 employed in drying up the wain- of the deluge. Verstegan bat 
 given a plate of thii edifice in the title-page of bis " Restitution of 
 • il Intelligence in Antiquities;" and it i- there represented 
 frustum of a cone with seven gradations: Calmel baa fol- 
 lowed this author, and bat also introduced ;m engraving with the 
 ame design. (See the Signs and Symbols, p. 17-';.) 
 nth. I ons. pad l , c. ■_'. 
 
 B •_'
 
 132 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 novelty being almost irresistible to human nature in 
 its degenerate state, lli< v righteous line <>f Shem was 
 threatened with contamination; and thus the know- 
 ledge of God might have been totally lost. 12 
 
 To preserve, therefore, a remembrance of himself 
 upon earth, the Deity gave to every division of ido- 
 latry a separate language; the line of Shem alone 
 retaining the primitive speech of mankind; this im- 
 pelled the disappointed architects to wander in search 
 of other settlements, where an uniformity of lan- 
 guage might unite them in some bond of society. 
 
 It is thought that, at the dispersion, there were 
 only three languages essentially different, which were 
 exclusively appropriated to the three distinct poste- 
 rities of Shem, Japheth, and Ham. And, if this 
 be admitted, the ensuing variety of tongues will 
 not be difficult to account for. The posterity of 
 these original patriarchs having migrated to some 
 distance from each other, and forming separate com- 
 munities, as they encountered different obstacles and 
 experienced a different fortune, every circumstance 
 which produced a shade of variety would be digni- 
 fied with a new appellation, varying with the various 
 fancies and dispositions of their respective leaders. 
 These new phrases, though at first only casual and 
 adventitious, would in time give a new character to 
 the original language, which would at length become 
 
 12 It is recorded (Sanch. in Euseb. de Pra?p. 1. 1, c. 10), that 
 Shem married into the family of Ham; an union which produced 
 those three extraordinary men named Axieros, Axiokcrsa, and 
 Axiokersos, or the three mighty ones, who, with indefatigable 
 industry, disseminated the practice of idolatry throughout the 
 then known world.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1 33 
 
 changed both in idiom and words. And hence every 
 nation would be distinguished by its own peculiar 
 dialect. This rendered the adoption of signs and 
 tokens absolutely necessary, as an universal language, 
 by the use of which they might occasionally com- 
 municate with each other, amidst all the variety and 
 change of speech. 
 
 " The migration from Shinar commenced titty- 
 three years after they began to build the tower, or 
 one hundred and fifty-four years after the Flood; 
 and they wont off at various times, travelling north, 
 south, cast, and west, with their Masonical skill, and 
 found the good use of it in settling their colonies. 
 From Shinar the science and the art wore carried to 
 the distant parts of the earth, notwithstanding the 
 confusion of dialects, by the Masonic practice of 
 conversing without speaking, and of knowing each 
 other by signs and tokens; which expedient, accord- 
 ing i>> an old tradition, they contrived upon tin- dis- 
 persion, in case any of them should meet in distant 
 part- who had boon before in Shinar." 13 
 
 This great event made Buch a terrible impression 
 on the minds of* all the workmen concerned in this 
 building, that they kept a- near to each other and 
 to their original settlement as possible, apprehensive 
 <>| -'line further and more signal judgments, until 
 increasing numbers compelled them to extend their 
 mi Lrrat i« >i i-, and seek for refuge in more extensive 
 regions, where their accumulating population might 
 be less Likelj t'» prove incommodious; and ;i general 
 tradition remains, distinct from the writings of 
 
 N I ■ I i. . | Ml I 1 . '
 
 134 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Moses, in every country to which they migrated 
 from Sliinar." 
 
 " There are other reasons of the dispersion of 
 mankind into the several countries of the known 
 world, than those that are most commonly offered 
 to us, and they arc these : the fruitf ulness of many 
 countries above others, as Egypt, Canaan, Greece, 
 and of Asia Minor, besides the islands, were known 
 to Noah and his sons before the Flood, and there- 
 fore they would acquaint their offspring therewith, 
 which would naturally excite in them a desire to be 
 early possessed of those fertile lands, which could 
 not be without first removing from their old habi- 
 tations." 13 
 
 An old Eastern tradition specifies that Noah, a 
 short time previously to his death, made a formal 
 division of the earth between his three sons, and 
 bound them by oath not to encroach on each other's 
 territories ; but there does not appear any founda- 
 tion for such a supposition ; for after enumerating 
 the seventy primitive nations springing from Noah, 
 
 14 Abydenus, the Assyrian, says : " The first men of the earth, 
 being of gigantic form, and insolent in strength, despised tbeir 
 gods, and undertook a tower where Babylon now stands ; but 
 when the building had nearly reached the heavens, the gods, as- 
 sisted by the winds, threw down the edifice upon them. Hence 
 the ruins were called Babylon. Till this time all mankind bad 
 the same speech, but now the offended gods brought upon them a 
 clamorous confusion of tongues." (Euseb. Prsep. Evan. 1. 9, c. 14.) 
 Eupolemus, from Alexander Polyhistor, says the same thing. 
 (Euseb. ut supra, c. 17.) The Sibylline oracles give a similar 
 testimony to the same truth. And many ancient authors indi- 
 rectly allude to the ruin and devastation occasioned by the gene- 
 ral dispersion of mankind from the plains of Shinar. 
 
 14 Cumb. Orig. Tract, 4.
 
 FREE-MASONBY. 135 
 
 Moses says expressly, " These are the families of the 
 sons of Noah, after their generations, in their na- 
 tions ; and by these were the nations divided in the 
 earth after the Flood.*' ' 
 
 It is remarkable, however, that, with very few 
 exceptions, the dispersed workmen migrated to dif- 
 ferent situations, according to their respective pedi- 
 grees. The descendants of Shem continuing in 
 Asia, of Ham penetrating into Africa, and of Ja- 
 pheth into Europe; and in the several divisions of 
 the earth which they respectively peopled, exercised 
 those principles which were recommended by their 
 leaders. Ham built Byblus in Phoenicia, previously 
 to the general migration of his posterity into Africa; 
 and. after having remained there many years, visited 
 his children in their new settlements, and ultimately 
 retired to that city as a place of settled residence : 
 his eldest son, Cush, who had originally colonized 
 that portion of land encompassed by the river Gihon, 
 was induced to retire, and form a new colony, when 
 his country had become subject to the arbitrary 
 government instituted by his son Nimrod; he there- 
 fore travelled south-westward, and founded that 
 country known by the name of Ethiopia. Mi/raim 
 settled in Kgypt, and exercised the art of operative 
 Masonry with considerable effect, in building the 
 cities of Memphis and I )i<»-|><>lis. 17 Phut penetrated 
 
 '• Gen. x. 32. 
 I. n : pie were indebted to Egypl for the rudiment! of 
 literature and icience. The colonizer* did qoI contenl themselves 
 with merely engrafting upon the savage stock a love for the cul 
 tiv;itinn of human arti ; « i j « i mechanical inventions, by which in« 
 tiu-t r\ i- rewarded with additional comforti and enjoyment! un<
 
 13G ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 into the heart of Africa, with his followers, about 
 the same time ; and his youngest son, Canaan, built 
 the cities of Hebron and Zoan, in the land called 
 after his own name, immediately after the dispersion. 
 Such were the situations chosen by Ham and his 
 sons for the seat of their respective governments. 
 His grandsons were also assiduously employed in 
 
 known before their arrival, but improved the influence arising 
 from these causes by a revision of their sacred code ; for the tradi- 
 tions of Shinar were never entirely lost by any of the migrating 
 tribes which were driven by necessity from those fertile plains to 
 colonize and people the globe. Historical or religious truths — 
 indeed language itself — in these early ages, were all poetical ; and 
 poetry retains its hold upon the mind in every change or reverse 
 of fortune, with little prospect of deterioration. They formed the 
 nursery song of the tender mother ; and the social enjoyments of 
 mankind were accompanied by their repetition. Hence the pre- 
 servation of these important facts may be rationally accounted 
 for, however, from the operation of various causes, a solitary or 
 detached tribe might have forfeited its relish for the arts of social 
 life, and degenerated into a savage state ; for religion is natural 
 to the mind of man ; and objects of worship were presented to his 
 imagination in all the great productions of nature, as the deity 
 of their Cuthite ancestors. 
 
 Such indigenous gods would occupy the Elysium or Tartarus 
 of all uncivilized tribes as were most congenial to their climate or 
 pursuits. A warlike tribe would clothe its deity with terror ; if 
 agricultural, it would derive its gods from the earth or the sea- 
 sons of the year ; but in all cases, while it retained its primitive 
 simplicity, the worship would consist of but few rites, and those 
 merely propitiatory. But when the above changes were wrought 
 by colonization, the simple rites of divine worship would become 
 impregnated with the leaven of foreign superstitions. To what 
 extent these innovations might accelerate the debasement of reli- 
 gious truth I am not now to examine ; I merely state what I con- 
 ceive to be the fact ; and if that be established, the natural and 
 inevitable result will hereafter appear.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 137 
 
 promoting the great work of dispersion. Nimrod, 
 the son of Cnsh, retired from Babel, or Babylon, to 
 avoid the inundations with which that city was an- 
 noyed ; built the city of Nineveh, and founded the 
 great Assyrian Empire. The other descendants of 
 Cush spread over Arabia Felix and Ethiopia. The 
 sons of Mizraim established so many nations known 
 by their names in Lower Egypt. The Ludim, or 
 Libyans ; the Anamim, or inhabitants of Delta ; the 
 Pathrusim, or inhabitants of Thebais ; and the 
 Caphtorim. Naphtuhim settled at Memphis in 
 Upper Egypt; and Philistim planted the country 
 between Canaan and the Mediterranean sea; and 
 his descendants were the Philistines. Phut peopled 
 the northern borders of the Persian Gulf, and the 
 children of Canaan settled in Phoenicia. Sidon 
 built a city and called it by his own name ; his 
 other sons founded nations known by their respec- 
 tive names, which were afterwards destroyed by the 
 children of Israel. 
 
 "The posterity of Japheth inhabit Europe, Asia 
 Minor, Media, a part of Armenia, Iberia, Albania, 
 the vast regions of the north, which formerly the 
 Scythians, but now the Tartars, |iusm'-: to say 
 nothing of the Now World (America), into which, 
 it i- mosl probable, they migrated by the straits of 
 
 man. 
 
 Japheth led his colony into Arcadia, and they 
 
 afterwards named the Pelasgi," because their 
 
 principal migrations were performed by Bea(iriXayo$ I. 
 
 ■ ., , i I umb. Orig. |>. 277.
 
 138 ANTIUUITIES OF 
 
 Not long after this the Sicyonian kingdom, in the 
 same region, was founded by ^Egialeus, in whose 
 reign the oracle of Dodona was set up by an Egyp- 
 tian priestess, who had been taken captive by the 
 Phoenicians and sold into Greece. Tims early 
 was Masonry prostituted amongst the posterity of 
 Japheth. Gomer, Magog, Tubal, and Meshech dis- 
 persed with their colonies to the north part of Syria. 
 Their chief city was called Magog, and afterwards 
 Ilierapolis, or the sacred city. Askanez, the son of 
 Gomer, established the kingdom of Armenia, and 
 probably Phrygia. 20 Togarmoth, another of his sons, 
 placed himself near the country planted by his 
 father. Javan was king of the Ionians, afterwards 
 called the Athenians, and Greece ; his son Elishah 
 reigned in Peloponnesus; whose descendants were 
 celebrated for the blue, purple, and crimson dye. 21 
 Tarshish retired into Spain ; his posterity traded in 
 silver, iron, tin, and lead. 22 Kittim reigned in a 
 part of Italy ; the excellence of his posterity w T as 
 chiefly in works of ivory. 23 Dodanim advanced far- 
 ther north, and took possession of France ; and 
 hence Great Britain and the northern part of Europe 
 were peopled. 24 
 
 Shem settled in Salem, and was afterwards its 
 monarch, under the name of Melchizedek. He 
 lived to an old age, and preserved the principles of 
 Masonry amongst his descendants, until he ultimately 
 committed them unsullied into the custody of Abra- 
 ham, who was upwards of one hundred and fifty 
 
 20 Boch. Phaleg. 1. 3, c. 9. 21 Ezek. xxvii. 7. 
 
 22 Ibid. 12. « ibid. 6. 24 Bochart.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. I3l> 
 
 years old when Shem died. His posterity spread 
 over the vast continent of Asia, except such part as 
 had already been colonized by Noah, and amongst a 
 certain select portion of his descendants, the know- 
 ledge of Masonry was never wholly lost. 
 
 Elam planted Persia, which soon became a great 
 and flourishing nation. Ashur, after building Ur of 
 the Chaldees, which became the residence of his 
 brother Arphaxad, succeeded Nimrod in the govern- 
 ment of Assyria, which was so named after him ; 
 and continued for many successive centuries in the 
 plenitude of its vigour. Arphaxad settled with his 
 colony in Ur of the Chaldees, which was situated in 
 Mesopotamia; and here his descendants, deluded 
 by the fascinations of the Cabiric rites, sunk into 
 idolatry, and renounced the practice of Masonry 
 altogether. Lud was the planter of the Lydians 
 in Asia Minor. Aram planted some part of Syria, 
 but the particular situation of his colony is un- 
 certain. 
 
 Bber was the father of God's chosen people the 
 Hebrews, to whose custody the sacred oracles were 
 afterwards committed, and who preserved a know- 
 ledge of HIS name when all the rest of the world 
 were polluted with the grossest defilements of 
 idolatry. His sou Joktan led a colony beyond 
 Mount Afesha; and his thirteen Bons Bpread over 
 Mount Sephar, and penetrated into India; but 
 Pelee and bis descendants continued at Ur, and 
 lived amongst the idolatrous Chaldeans, until the 
 time of Terah, the father of Abraham, when the 
 Chaldeans drove them out of I heir land, and wrested 
 their possessions from them, because they openh
 
 140 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 renounced the worship of idols, and returned to 
 their allegiance to the true God.-'' 
 
 Thus were the different quarters of the world 
 peopled by the descendants of Noah, the patriarch 
 himself founding the empire of China; and thus was 
 our science disseminated and spread over the earth. 
 It-* spirit, amongst many of these nations, continued 
 to invigorate the minds of men, and it sunk into ob- 
 livion by gradual and almost imperceptible degrees ; 
 amongst others, more bold and enterprising, it served 
 only as a model for new systems, where, divested of 
 its native purity, it was perverted to advocate and 
 support a cause diametrically opposite, and decidedly 
 hostile to the views of its Divine Author, in its 
 original establishment. It assumed in these nations 
 a daring character, and was invested with an abso- 
 lute and undisputed authority over the lives and 
 property of its deluded votaries. It boldly pro- 
 claimed idolatry to be the genuine and primitive 
 worship, and inflicted the most severe punishments 
 on all who refused to acknowledge its sovereign 
 
 25 The Phliasians had a temple without an idol, or any visible 
 object of adoration, for which they professed to have a special rea- 
 son, but asserted that it was incommunicable. (Pausan. Corinth.) 
 Here then we have a testimony that some traces of our science 
 were visible in a Grecian city, amongst the posterity of Shem : for 
 Phlius was built by Haram, the elder brother of Abraham ; and 
 perhaps this small tract in Peloponnesus was the only part of 
 Greece where any part of Shem's posterity settled. This penin- 
 sula had been very early corrupted, for the mysteries of the Cabiri 
 were established there by Magog or his immediate descendants, 
 which paved the way for the worship of idols ; and this worship 
 is the most certain test of the deterioration of ancient Masonry, 
 which inculcated as an indispensable duty the worship of one 
 God, unconnected with any visible symbol.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 141 
 
 authority, or to practise the duties prescribed by its 
 dogmatical laws. 
 
 The patriarch Shem continued, until the time of 
 his death, to practise those principles of the Masonic 
 science which he had learned of Lamech, Methu- 
 saleh, and Noah before the Flood. He communi- 
 cated to his immediate descendants the mysteries of 
 Enoch's pillar, and hence his sons, the Cabin, 86 be- 
 came fraught with that knowledge which rendered 
 them so celebrated throughout the world. At their 
 migration, they entered into a solemn league with 
 Thotli, or Pathrusim, the son of Mizraim, who was 
 intent on converting the imperfect knowledge of 
 Masonry, which lie had learned from Ham, to his own 
 individual advantage. Finding the sons of Shem in 
 possession of that information to which he so ar- 
 dently aspired, he eagerly embraced their offers of 
 friendship and mutual amity, and even gave them a 
 share in the government of Egypt. Their ambition 
 being thus excited, little further was necessary to 
 engage the prostitution of their acomirements to the 
 furtherance of any scheme dictated by their patron, 
 the powerful king of Egypt. The great end to be 
 accomplished was their own apotheosis; and this 
 could scarcely be effected but through the medium 
 of superstition. To awaken this feeling, and enthral 
 the mind mosl successfully, it was determined, after 
 
 w The Cahiri are made the bom of Shem by h daughter of 
 Ham by Sanchoniatho ; and, it i- believed by the learned Bishop 
 Cumberland, justly. They were said to lie time in number, 
 : ,-, Axiokersa, and Axiokersos, which, according to Bit 
 [aaac Newton (Chron. p. 157), correspond with Ceres, Proser- 
 pine, ami Pluto i bul some say their number was sii : ami add to 
 these, ( 'a -in ill H-. Jove, and Dionysius. (VideCumb. ( Wg. p. 335.)
 
 142 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 mature deliberation, to institute mysteries founded 
 on the plan of Masonry. This produced the desired 
 effect. The numerous rites and imposing ceremo- 
 nies attached to these mysteries were celebrated 
 in the most secret places, and covered with the 
 shades of midnight. Confined at first to a select few, 
 they were treated in public with such a high degree 
 of veneration, that it was accounted almost an inex- 
 piable crime to mention them. These precautions, 
 artfully used, infused into the multitude a supersti- 
 tious awe, and a dread which they could neither ac- 
 count for nor define ; and caused them to shudder 
 with involuntary dismay, if these solemnities were 
 named. It was then suggested that these feelings 
 were inspired by the superior and invisible beings, 
 under whose immediate protection the mysteries 
 were placed. The people admitted the inference to 
 be just, because they were unable to assign a more 
 probable cause as the source of their inherent ter- 
 rors. The scheme succeeded but too well. Founded 
 on the same general principles with ancient Ma- 
 sonry, the mysteries were modelled so as to serve 
 the very worst purposes of idolatry ; and through 
 their influence idolatry assumed a gross and bestial 
 form, even in the early ages of the Egyptian mo- 
 narchy. 
 
 To disseminate the newly-established mysteries, 
 and extend the influence of idolatry in other coun- 
 tries, the Cabiri travelled through Egypt, Asia, and 
 Greece ; c7 and in all lodges or societies which had 
 
 27 And to accelerate their conveyance to various parts of the 
 earth, a ■xXticv, or ship, with masts, sails, oars, and other requi- 
 sites for directing its motions and influencing its speed, was huilt.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 143 
 
 preserved any remembrance of Masonry they intro- 
 duced amongst the Noachida? their sophisticated 
 innovations, and by their extraordinary attainments, 
 and insinuating maimers, were generally successful 
 in blending ancient Masonry with their mysteries ; 
 so that the true import of our science was but ob- 
 scurely conveyed, if conveyed at all, amidst the 
 multiplication of absurd and unintelligible cere- 
 monies. To dissipate all suspicious doubts, and to 
 make their impositions the more palatable, they 
 taught, that all who were initiated into their mys- 
 teries were under the protection of the gods, and 
 consequently were exempt from every danger, whe- 
 ther of fire or water, the sword or famine. Such 
 promises, enforced by the information communicatee! 
 to these nations by the Cabiri, impressed the inha- 
 bitants with such a veneration for their persons, that 
 they were deified, as if by mutual consent ; and the 
 mysteries promulgated by them were termed " The 
 Rites of Dn Cabiri." 
 
 These men, I should conjecture, were the first 
 priests who officiated in open violation of the 
 
 This vessel was an object of astonishment and terror to the in- 
 habitants of those strange countries which they visited, and 
 caused these extraordinary men to be received with the utmost 
 respect and veneration. The ship was taken for a living animal ; 
 and hence originated the fables of winged dragons, griffins, flying 
 citadel.-, and m< n transformed into birds and Ashes. The winged 
 Pegasus was nothing but a ship with sails, and hence said to be 
 
 the oflapring of Neptune A name was imposed <>n tin 
 
 when it was launched, which could not afterwards in- changed ; 
 for it • rally the sacred appellation or emblem of a tute- 
 
 lary deity i and the ship being purified with brimstonei wai 
 ritually consecrated to the god, under whose protection it was 
 for ever placed.
 
 144 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 patriarchal privileges attached to primogeniture ; 
 
 and by means of superstition, added to the influence 
 of their mysteries, they gained such an ascendancy 
 over the minds of the people who embraced their 
 systems, as to be allowed to make what regulations 
 they pleased in the civil and religious polity of 
 states and empires ; and after death, to be wor- 
 shipped as the greatest and most powerful gods. 
 Thoth, their patron, enjoyed an equal share of 
 celebrity, for he was also worshipped under the 
 name of Anubis ; hieroglyphically designated by a 
 dog's head, to signify his watchfulness, and the 
 quick scent of his understanding. Osiris and Isis 
 were consecrated into the sun and moon, and Ham 
 into the planet Saturn.™ The Cabiri laid the foun- 
 dation of the high rank and dignity which the 
 priesthood enjoyed in Egypt ; and their plans Mere 
 so rapidly improved by their successors, that before 
 the time of Joseph, the priests had one-third of the 
 land allotted for their subsistence, exempted from 
 all imposts, duties, and taxes ; and their persons 
 were accounted sacred as the gods they worshipped. 
 The population of Europe was commenced by 
 the posterity of Japheth, who carried with them 
 a knowledge of the genial science of Masonry, 
 which they inherited from their progenitor, who 
 had practised it before the Flood. This knowledge 
 was not perhaps unadulterated with a tinge of the 
 Cabiric mysteries ; for Pausanius C9 informs us that 
 
 88 The beautiful constellation, whose " sweet influences " are 
 mentioned by the Deity himself (Job xxxviii. 31), was named 
 from the priestesses of Dodona, Peleiades, or Doves. 
 
 88 Bcetic, p. 300.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 14."> 
 
 Ceres, who, according to the best authorities, 30 is 
 the same with Isis, the wife of Osiris or Mizraim, 
 and the daughter of Prometheus, or Magog, the son 
 of Japheth, initiated her father into the mysteries 
 of the Dii Cabiri, and accompanied him in the 
 propagation of them throughout Macedonia, Attica, 
 and Boeotia. Three of the sons of Japheth ex- 
 tended their wanderings even to the north of 
 Europe ; Magog at length ended his life in Scy- 
 thia, Tubal in Spain, and Gomer in France or 
 Britain. 
 
 The Pelasgi wandered as far as Ireland, and 
 brought with them the Cabiric mysteries, to which 
 they were inordinately devoted. And there yet 
 remain in that country several monuments of anti- 
 quity which were erected for the express purpose of 
 the secret celebration of these rites. 31 
 
 Thus were these rites disseminated throughout 
 Europe by the posterity of Japheth, and reached 
 the distant isles in the north, amongst which were 
 Great Britain and Ireland j 38 and thus was the 
 science of Masonry overwhelmed with an incon- 
 
 30 Diod. Sicul. in Euseb. Praep. Evan. 
 
 31 Vide Faber on the Cabiri, c. 10. 
 
 32 The Phoenicians established the earliest commerce with our 
 island. They were the greatest navigators of ancient times, and 
 traded to all parts of the world then known. Herodotus, the 
 great father of history, professed some doubts respecting this 
 fad , because the marini n assi rted that, during their voyage round 
 the coast of Africa, tin v came to a place where the shadows fell 
 to the south ; a phenomenon so contrary to the historian's expe- 
 rience, as induced him to question the truth of the voyage alto« 
 gether. 
 
 i.
 
 14(3 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 gruous mass of Buperstition. But every thing in 
 these ages was prostituted to serve the purposes of 
 idolativ: yet though the true religion and Masonry 
 were overturned, the false Mere founded on pre- 
 cisely the same principles, but with a different end 
 in view. The idolatrous worship had its oraeles, 
 priests, altars, sacrifices, purifications, and temples. 
 bearing a very close resemblance, both in external 
 appearance and internal economv, to the ordinances 
 of the true religion. And the mysteries, in like 
 manner, had their solemn initiations, their distin- 
 guishing signs and tokens, their systems of morality, 
 their philosophical disquisitions, and other rites and 
 ceremonies peculiar to the science of Masonry, but 
 perverted to impure purposes by the secretaries of 
 Thoth. And in the same proportion as the true 
 religion was faintly disseminated in idolatrous na- 
 tions, the true science of Masonry was recognized 
 in the Cabiric mysteries ; until, in after-ages, the 
 shades of truth grew lighter and lighter, and were 
 almost lost at the coming of Christ to restore the 
 purity of both. 
 
 The Cabiri very studiously inculcated the Wue 
 principles of operative Masonry, because they 
 assisted the views of their own aggrandizement, 
 and their disciples appear to have greedily imbibed 
 the knowledge thus communicated. They travelled 
 round the inhabited w 7 orld, as did also Ham and his 
 sister Astarte, as well as Mizraim, in various direc- 
 tions, for the purpose of making their systems uni- 
 versal. Stately structures arose in every country 
 which they visited ; and many nations, under the 
 immediate superintendence of these extraordinary
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 147 
 
 men, made a rapid progress in philosophical pursuits : 
 their knowledge of naval architecture enabled them 
 to extend their improvements to distant continents 
 and islands, and the principles of operative Masonry 
 very early extended their influence to almost all 
 parts of the habitable globe. 
 
 It is evident that, before the call of Abraham to 
 restore the true worship along with the purity of 
 Masonry, the efforts of the Cabiri, in conjunction 
 with Thoth and others, had succeeded in substi- 
 tuting their mysteries for truth amongst the poste- 
 rity of Shem, as well as of Ham and Japheth, 
 which they might do the more readily, from their 
 intimate connection with that race, as descending 
 from Shem themselves, though their mother was a 
 daughter of Ham, who was the King of Byblus. 
 
 A short time after the deification of Thoth and 
 the Cabiri, Abraham was born ; 33 a man who was 
 destined to impede the rapid progress of idolatry, 
 to reduce the influence of the Cabiric mysteries, and 
 to advance the interests of true Masonry and reli- 
 gion amongst mankind. The exertions of Abraham 
 to promote the genuine worship of God are finely 
 contrasted with the restless activity of Thoth and 
 hi- secretaries to propagate the pernicious mysteries 
 
 M At the birth of Abraham, mankind had attained to a high 
 degree of comparative refinement. Powerful kingdoms were 
 established; gn bad been built; regular armies wire 
 
 maintained i mankind already witnessed the pomp of courts and 
 the luxury of individual! . Pharaob appeared surrounded with his 
 princes ; Abimi li ch came atfc tided with the captain of bis bos1 ; 
 the use of coined money was introduced, and Abraham himself 
 became rich in gold and silver, in tents, and Rocks, and herds 
 (Spineto, Led on Flierogl., j>. .''.74.) 
 
 L 2
 
 148 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 of idolatry. Brought up amongst the Chaldeans, 
 ami his parents and friends interested in the success 
 of idolatry, he Mas early initiated into the mysteries 
 used by the Chaldeans, and studied their oaropp^ra 
 with the most indefatigable industry and perse- 
 verance. The wild and improbable mythologies 
 there displayed, appeared, to his superior under- 
 standing, inconsistent with the truth, and contra- 
 dictory to each other, lie analyzed, with a philo- 
 sophical eye, their bold cosmogonies, and wondered 
 how the earth could make itself, or be produced 
 by a fortuitous mixture of winds, and chaos, and 
 muddy atoms ; his knowledge of astronomy enabled 
 him to take a correct survey of the celestial system, 
 and he proposed to his own mind these startling 
 questions : Can the immense orbs which beautify 
 and adorn the spangled canopy of heaven be formed 
 out of nothing, be suspended in the air without any 
 visible support, and perform their courses with such 
 order and regularity from the sole effect of chance ? 
 Did chance ever produce a minor work since the 
 Creation? how then could this imaginary cause 
 produce so august and stupendous a system as this 
 universe contains ? The cosmogony being false, he 
 began to entertain doubts respecting the purity of 
 the system altogether; and at length was quite 
 dissatisfied with the popular motives for its esta- 
 blishment, and the doctrines which it taught. 
 
 In this state of uncertainty, he consulted with 
 the priests and hierophants ; but they were too 
 much interested in the success of their own impos- 
 tures to satisfy his doubts, even if they had been 
 able. Hearing that the old patriarch Shem was
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 149 
 
 living at Salem, he applied to him for assistance 
 and information. The patriarch, on exam i nation, 
 finding him worthy and of good report, admitted 
 him to a participation of those invaluable secrets, 
 which pointed to the one true God, the creator of 
 the universe, as the sole object of adoration. He 
 communicated the true system of the creation, and 
 the history of the world before the Flood ; shewed 
 that that great judgment was brought on the world 
 for the sins of its inhabitants ; revealed the seven 
 precepts of Noah, as the conditions of God's cove- 
 nant with man; imparted the origin of sacrifices, 
 and the most acceptable offering which can be made 
 by man; cautioned his pupil against the mischiefs 
 of idolatry, and finally received him as one of the 
 Noachida?, or faithful followers of Noah. 
 
 Having studied Masonry under Sheni with un- 
 abated diligence and assiduity, until he was a perfect 
 master of the art, he communicated with a select 
 ffu of his own family, who retained some indistinct 
 remembrance of Masonry, though much adulterated 
 and obscured by innovations of Cabiric introduction, 
 and i ire vailed on them to renounce the worship of 
 idols, though his father was an idol-maker." 
 
 H The manner in which Terah was reclaimed i.- thus told by 
 theJewi-h Rabbins: — Abraham intend into his repository during 
 hi- absence, and hewed all the statues in pieces with an axe, ex- 
 cept the largest, in whose hands lie placed the weapon. When 
 his father returned, he angrily inquired who had been the cause 
 ,,i" ;dl this devastation. Abraham answered that, the gods had 
 been quarrelling who should enjoy an offering of flour which had 
 bo ii pr< ■ ated; and that, to put an end to the contest, the most 
 powerful amongst them had cut the reel t" pieces with the axe in 
 
 hi- hand. TV rah replied, that the StatlM W88 inanimate, and Could
 
 150 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Thus successful in his own family, Abraham en- 
 deavoured bo extend the benefit to his more distant 
 relations, and was strenuous in his exertions to re- 
 store the true principles of Masonry, as the most 
 effectual means of leading men's minds, by gentle 
 and imperceptible degrees, to the true worship of 
 God. This was an attempt replete with danger in 
 those ages of violence and arbitrary power. The 
 vengeance of the Chaldeans was elicited against the 
 innovator, and they applied to the King of Assyria 
 to stand forward in defence of their religion, which 
 was openly threatened with destruction. The au- 
 thority which Abraham possessed was scarcely suffi- 
 cient to protect him from the fury of this potent 
 monarch. Trembling for his own sovereignty, if 
 the mysteries by which his despotism was upheld 
 were exposed to public execration, he overwhelmed 
 the patriarch with every species of persecution, and 
 condemned him to perish by fire. He escaped this 
 judgment by a precipitate flight. 35 
 
 not possibly accomplish such an undertaking. His son, on this, 
 urged the impropriety of worshipping images which, by his own 
 acknowledgment, could neither act nor speak. This argument, 
 enforced by other considerations, produced a salutary effect on 
 Terah, who appeared convinced of the wickedness of idolatry, 
 and he and his family renounced the worship of false gods ; and 
 by the influence of Abraham, through the medium of our science, 
 returned to the worship of the God of Heaven. 
 
 K The Talmudists relate this incident as follows : — Abraham, 
 having come to Ur of the Chaldees from his native country Haran, 
 found that they worshipped the sun, and adored it as God, and 
 were ignorant of the First Cause. As was his custom, he argued 
 with the heads of the city ; and having demonstrated their errror 
 to them, and that the sun was only a minister and one of the 
 instruments of the Almighty Creator, the king resolved to seize
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1 5 I 
 
 Thus expelled from their native country by the 
 hand of violence, Terah, with Abraham his son, Lot 
 his grandson, and others who acknowledged the God 
 of their fathers, took refuge in the land afterwards 
 called Haran, in honour of their relative of that 
 name, who died before they migrated from Ur. 
 They remained in this country, in the peaceable 
 practice of our rites, for about five years : but the 
 fascinations of the Cabiric rites, strengthened by the 
 force of ancient prepossessions and the practice of 
 their neighbours, caused Terah and his son Nahor, 
 wh<» had long oscillated between the two opinions, 
 to decide at length in favour of the splendid error: 
 and they deviated from the practice of piety to the 
 
 him, and he was imprisoned for some days. In the meanwhile 
 he continued his arguments ; and the king, fearing that he might 
 bring over his subjects to his religion, and thereby occasion him 
 the loss of his sceptre, confiscated his property and banished 
 him to the confines of the East ; and as, being an apostate from 
 idolatry, he was cursed by all those people, God assured him of his 
 favour, saying, " I will bless them that bless thee, and I will curse 
 him who curseth thee ;" so that, although lie was then under the 
 malediction of his enemies, the time would come when all nations 
 would bless his name, as we now see fulfilled ; for not alone Israel, 
 but many nations of the world, say, on blessing any one, " God 
 put upon thee the blessing of Abraham." Maimonides relates 
 this story in his Guide, testifying that he had Been it in (untile 
 chronicles and books; but our sages, in the Ghiemaraof Pesahim 
 
 ami Batra, Tana debe Kliahu, anil various parts of Kabot, hold 
 tliat Niuirod, Kinu r of Babylon, had Abraham thrown into the lire 
 (as a punishment for his opinion-), and that God, either directly 
 or by means of the angel Michael, took him from it uninjured, a- 
 
 beequently did with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. This 
 
 is continued by the IVrakim of Rabbi Kliezer, \\h". treating on 
 
 a trials oi Abraham, nl.it>- tbis a- one. (Concil., vol. i. 
 I, 58.)
 
 152 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 true God, and returned to their superstitions. 36 The 
 Almighty, therefore, selected Abraham for the sub- 
 ject of a peculiar revelation; he separated him from 
 his kindred, and with promises of superior blessed- 
 ness to himself and his posterity, he sent him forth, 
 accompanied by his nephew Lot, into the land of 
 Canaan, the place he had selected for his own pecu- 
 liar residence ; and the scene on which his glory was 
 to be displayed to the world. 
 
 Abraham, believing the promises of God, obeyed 
 the divine command, without knowing where he 
 went, or what dangers he might encounter in enter- 
 ing on the possession of a land to which he had no 
 claim by inheritance. Here he dwelt in tents with 
 his family, looking for " a city which hath founda- 
 tions, whose builder and maker is God." 8T And 
 here God renewed the ancient covenant, which ap- 
 peared to be lost amongst mankind. 
 
 After a residence of about three years in this 
 country, Abraham was stimulated with a desire to 
 propagate his knowledge, and assert the honour of 
 God in other countries, which were deeply impreg- 
 nated with the defilements of idolatry. In the first 
 rank of corrupted nations stood Egypt, and thither 
 he resolved to go. Animated with the hopes of 
 vindicating and restoring the worship of God, he in- 
 troduced himself to the priests by his knowledge of 
 the mysteries acquired in the land of Chaldea, and 
 endeavoured to convince them of the great absurdity 
 of their cosmogony, and the dishonour they did to 
 God by encouraging the worship of dead men. He 
 
 J6 Josh. xxiv. 2. * Heb. xi. 8-10.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 153 
 
 exhibited the superior advantages of the science 
 which he practised, and even initiated some of them 
 into its mysteries. But the temporal honours and 
 emoluments they enjoyed were too valuable to be 
 relinquished for a science whose rewards were de- 
 ferred to a future state. The favour and counte- 
 nance of their monarch, and the influence they had 
 acquired in his councils, were objects of too great 
 importance, even with the most learned and con- 
 scientious of them, to be changed, probably, for 
 persecution or deatli ; and therefore, though they 
 esteemed Abraham as a man of most extraordinary 
 erudition and ability, they declined embracing his 
 Bystems for reforming their religion and worship. 38 
 
 Abraham became so eminent throughout the world 
 for his piety and learning, that from his example the 
 kings of the surrounding nations, untainted with the 
 stubborn policy of Egypt, were incited to study 
 deeply the mysteries of their national religion. 
 But it was generally too much interwoven with the 
 selfish designs of priests and hierophants to be 
 renounced for a system of inferior splendour, though 
 of greater purity and truth; and few nations wore 
 actually led to embrace the true religion through the 
 principles of Masonry communicated by Abraham. 
 
 The Persians were descended from Shein through 
 
 hi- -on Elam, ;in<l adhered to those principles for 
 some time after they became :i distinct nation; 
 until, either by the Cabiri themselves or their de- 
 scendants, they won- Beduced into the worship of the 
 
 -mi. moon, and -tar-. I>\ the fascinating mysteries oi 
 
 " Niinl. Daauw.i is Buseb. Prep. Bvan.
 
 154 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 these eminent men. The patriarch Abraham had 
 the honour to convince them of their own erroneous 
 practice. 39 He reformed amongst them the rites of 
 Masonry, and converted them to the worship of God, 
 their creator. The fame of his opposition to the 
 Chaldean mysteries, the credit he had acquired in 
 his disputations with the Egyptian priests, as well 
 as his knowledge of ancient Masonry, had reached 
 Persia; which induced some learned Persians to pay 
 hi in a visit, for the purpose of studying a science 
 so much celebrated. Abraham complied with their 
 wishes, and taught them the superiority of Masonry 
 over the absurd rites of idolatry ; shewed them how 
 the light sinned amidst the darkness of the hea- 
 then world, which the darkness could not possibly 
 comprehend ; and imparted many valuable theolo- 
 gical and philosophical secrets, to regulate their 
 faith and practice, and wean them from the super- 
 stitious mysteries of their own depraved worship. 
 
 On their return, these men succeeded in restoring 
 the primitive religion, which, however, retained its 
 influence only a very short time ; for the wild and 
 marvellous fables of error being more fascinating 
 than the sober dictates of truth, they became more 
 enamoured with the license of their former follies, 
 after having reluctantly submitted to the restraints 
 imposed by reason and religion. The disquisitions 
 of Abraham on the comparative merits of light and 
 darkness being misunderstood, were perverted to 
 lend a sanction to new and improbable superstitions. 
 So great was the avidity with which they returned 
 
 39 Hyde, Ilel. Veter. Pers.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 155 
 
 to their former errors, that, not content with prac- 
 tising Zabiism, they added to it the horrid and 
 unnatural rites of Magiism ; which embraced the 
 acknowledgment of a God called Yazdan, or Light, 
 who had existed from all eternity; in opposition 
 to an evil demon, called Ahraman, or Darkness, to 
 whom they ascribed every evil that fell upon them. 
 
 The prophecy of Enoch being communicated to 
 them, that the Lord should be revealed in the latter 
 days, in flaming fire, to take vengeance on the 
 worshippers of false gods, they miserably prostituted 
 this great truth to advance the interests of super- 
 stition, and worshipped fire as the representative of 
 Yazdan, or Light : hence their priests were called 
 Magi, which signifies worshippers of fire. The 
 Cabiric mysteries were remodelled in Persia by 
 Zoroaster, and consecrated to the sun under the 
 appellation of Mithras; 40 and this worship, sup- 
 ported by these rites, remained in Persia long after 
 the introduction of Christianity into the world. 
 
 lb -iv wv have a striking exemplification of the 
 proneness of mankind to embrace a splendid error, 
 rather than sober truth. The Cabiric rites, com- 
 bining magnificence with mysterious secrecy, were 
 received with unqualified and even tumultuous ap- 
 probation, by almost every people to whom they 
 were proposed; while the sedate and unassuming 
 
 science which taught the placid worship of i 
 
 God, unadorned with Bumptuous statues or imposing 
 embellishments, was rejected by all mankind, except 
 b Belect portion of the descendants of Abraham. 
 
 4 .--. . thi I [ufcorj "t Initiation, new i dit. p
 
 156 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Abraham returned from the land of Egypt, and 
 settled at Mamre, after dividing the unoccupied 
 land in Canaan with his nephew Lot, and built 
 an altar to the Lord, for the more convenient prac- 
 tice of the rites of his religion. About this time 
 the Assyrians made war upon the cities of the 
 Plain, which were become the residence of Lot, 
 ami not only obtained a complete victory over their 
 kings, but took Lot and all his family and sub- 
 stance, and carried them away, with the purpose 
 of selling them as slaves. Abraham received early 
 intelligence of the captivity of his relations, and 
 arming his followers, pursued the Assyrians, and 
 overtook the rear of their army, which had charge 
 of the prisoners, at Dan. With the small force 
 he had suddenly collected he immediately attacked 
 the enemy with courage and resolution, and res- 
 cued the prisoners and spoil out of their hands. 
 Melchizedek or Shem resided at Salem, and main- 
 tained the true patriarchal dignity of king, priest, 
 and prophet, living in the immediate practice of 
 our science, and the genuine worship of the most 
 high God. Hearing of Abraham's success, he went 
 out ceremoniously to meet him on his return ; 
 publicly applauded his courage and conduct, and 
 rewarded him with a solemn benediction, in his offi- 
 cial capacity of a true and regularly constituted 
 priest of the true God. 
 
 A short time after this transaction, which con- 
 ferred on Abraham a great share of reputation 
 amongst the nations around him, God promised him 
 a son, in answer to his prayers, whose posterity 
 should be as the stars of heaven for multitude; and
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 157 
 
 covenanted to give his seed the land of Canaan for 
 an inheritance. 
 
 Sarah his wife continuing barren, Abraham took 
 her maid Hagar for his concubine, 41 and she bare 
 him Ishmael. whom Abraham acknowledged as the 
 child of promise ; and he was not undeceived till 
 Ishmael was twelve or thirteen years of age. The 
 Lord Jehovah appeared to him, and declared that 
 the child to whose posterity he had promised the 
 land of Canaan should be born of Sarah his wife; 
 but that Ishmael also should be the father of a great 
 nation. 
 
 The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, having 
 degenerated from the principles inculcated by Noah, 
 were addicted to every species of abominable wick- 
 edness. Jehovah appeared to Abraham in the 
 plains of Mamre, 42 and renewed the promise of a 
 
 ♦' " We need not refer to profane history," says Dr. Taylor, 
 " for proofs of the connection between the ancient Egyptians and 
 the various nomad races of shepherd kings, to which the Hebrews 
 belonged. Abraham, the founder of their race, visited Egypt, 
 and entered into friendly relations with its ruler. Hagar, and 
 perhaps other natives of Egypt, accompanied him on his return 
 to Canaan. There is even reason to believe that, during this 
 visit, lie profited by the learning of the Egyptians; for the records 
 of his family history become much more ample and minute 
 in their details, after the account of the patriarch's visit to 
 Egypt." (Monuments of Egypt, p. 2.) 
 
 *'' A curious legend is related by the Rabbi Bliezer respecting 
 this visit. He says, thai when Abraham wenl to fetch s call 
 from the herd, the animal took refuge In a cave ; that in following 
 it, he discovered the sepulchn of Adam and Eve; and saw their 
 bodies in full pre s e r vation, with lamps burning, which sent forth 
 ;i delicious perfume. Abraham afterwards proposed to purchase 
 tin- ground where this cave was rituato d i bul the owners, Know-
 
 158 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 son by his wife. He further revealed the heavy 
 judgments about to be inflicted on that devoted city, 
 of which Lot was an inhabitant, for the accumulated 
 sins of its population. Abraham, trembling for the 
 safety <>f his own connections, undertook to inter- 
 cede for the salvation of the city, and received an 
 a— u ranee that if ten men, unpolluted with the pre- 
 vailing vices of the city, could be found amongst its 
 inhabitants, their virtues should redeem the rest. 
 The conditions of this test could not be complied 
 with ; and after the safety of Lot, his wife, and two 
 daughters was provided for, the cities were utterly 
 destroyed by fire from heaven ; and the very site 
 swallowed up, and converted into a lake of the most 
 pestilential qualities. 
 
 Abraham now removed to Gerar, a Philistine city, 
 with his family: and Abimelech, its monarch, being 
 struck with the beauty of Sarah, proposed to marry 
 her, as the sister of Abraham. He appears to have 
 possessed some knowledge of that science which 
 teaches the worship of God in spirit and truth ; for 
 when he thus erred in coveting the wife of Abraham, 
 God vouchsafed to appear to him in a dream, and 
 
 ing that his descendants were to occupy the land, refused their 
 consent, except on the condition of his swearing that they, i. e. 
 the Jebusites, should not be dispossessed. Abraham took the 
 required oath, which they engraved on two bronze images, and 
 placed in the fortress, which acted as talismans for their preser- 
 vation. Hence, in the time of David, the Jebusites said, " Ex- 
 cept thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come 
 in hither" (2 Sam. v. 6) ; alluding to these images, which had 
 eyes, but did not see, and feet, but could not walk. Joab took 
 away the images, and the Jebusites became tributary.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 159 
 
 expostulated with him on his violation of the laws of 
 hospitality, in endeavouring to deprive the sojourner 
 of his wife. But Abimelech, terrified at the recol- 
 lection of the judgments God had inflicted on the 
 cities of the Plain, appealed to the Lord in defence 
 of his integrity, and was justified ; for God said, " I 
 know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy 
 heart, for I also withheld thee from Binning against 
 
 © © 
 
 me : therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 
 Now. therefore, restore the man his wife; for he is 
 
 a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt 
 live; and if thou restore her not, know thou, that 
 thou shalt surely die, and all that are thine." 41 And 
 God recommended him to cultivate the friendship of 
 Abraham, by whom he should learn more perfectly 
 the true way of His worship and reasonable service 
 Abimelech profited by this vision, and with the 
 assistance of Phicol, his chief captain, prevailed on 
 Abraham to enter into covenant with him, that he 
 might be successful in all his public and private un- 
 dertakings. The sio;n and token of this covenant 
 
 © « 
 
 were seven ewe lambs, the word Beersheba; and it 
 was ratified by the solemn obligation of an oath. 
 
 Sarah was now delivered of the child of promise, 
 in tlic hundredth your of Abraham's age, whom he 
 named Esaac, and circumcised on the eighth day. 
 The birth of this child proved a cause of rejection, 
 both to rlagar and [shmael. In this remarkable 
 transaction between Abraham and \\\< Egyptian 
 servant i- displayed the difference between bond 
 ami free. Abraham made a grand festival at the 
 
 43 Gen. nx. i': 7.
 
 1 GO ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 weaning of his son Isaac, because he was the child 
 of promise, and born of a free woman. But Ish- 
 mael, horn of a bond-maid, and brought up under 
 her direction, was addicted to many vicious habits, 
 arising <>nt of the contaminated education of his 
 mother in Egypt. At this great least, Sarah de- 
 tected [shmael mocking and perplexing her son, on 
 account of the great preparations that were making 
 to celebrate his ablactation. Fearing lest Isaac 
 should be contaminated by the effects of evil ex- 
 ample, she conjured Abraham to cast out the bond- 
 woman and her son ; and urged, as an incitement to 
 this apparent act of injustice, that the son of the 
 bond-woman could not unite in the inheritance with 
 her son Isaac. She knew that from the loins of 
 Isaac should issue a great and mighty people, who 
 should serve the Lord with freedom, fervency, and 
 zeal, and in whom all the nations of the earth 
 should be blessed ; and feared that, if the two 
 youths should be brought up together, Isaac might 
 imperceptibly imbibe some of Ishmael's depraved 
 and slavish principles, being apprehensive that the 
 minds of slaves contained a species of contamination 
 and servility, distinct from the honourable and un- 
 corrupted mould in which the mind of the free- 
 born is formed and brought to maturity. Influenced 
 by these considerations, she urged the dismissal of 
 Ishmael with great warmth and earnestness. The 
 severity of this request, however, raised some degree 
 of compunction in the breast of Abraham ; and with 
 all the tenderness and solicitude which a parent 
 feels for the preservation of his offspring, he hesi- 
 tated to comply with his wife's injunctions, and put
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 161 
 
 up his petitions to God for advice and assistance in 
 this trying extremity. But the Lord, who had 
 pronounced that Ishmael should be a wild man, his 
 hand against every man, and every man's hand 
 against him,** thought proper to divest him of 
 Abraham's protection, that he might be prepared 
 to convey a peculiar character to his posterity, and 
 to rely on his own exertions alone for support in 
 every extremity of his fortune. Hence, Abraham 
 was commanded to send away Hagar and her son, 
 because in Isaac alone the promises of peculiar 
 blessedness centred. Hagar and Ishmael were 
 therefore banished from his presence, and all his 
 property and substance were inherited by Isaac; 
 together with the privileges of birthright, the sa- 
 cerdotal, prophetical, and regal functions over his 
 family. 45 
 
 The typical sacrifice which Abraham was di- 
 rected to make upon the summit of Mount Moriah 
 is the next Masonic transaction which the history 
 of the world displays in thi> period, and is one of the 
 three grand offerings which have consecrated the floor 
 <>t* a Mason's lodge. 46 
 
 M Gen. xvi. 12. 
 
 45 Ishmael was at least fifteen years of age when he left his 
 father's house, and was very expert with his bow. He procured 
 a plentiful supply of provision in the desert of Beersheba bj 
 archery; and water was miraculously supplied in this barren 
 by tin visible interference of God himself, who continued 
 hi- protection until the descendanta of Ishmael became a very 
 numerous and powerful people. 
 
 *' The true notion of a sacrifice is, an offering, by an author- 
 ized person, oi tome animal, first killed ami then placed upon an 
 ;ilt:ir, and consumed by fire, ;i an humble acknowledgment of 
 
 M
 
 K>*2 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 The sacrifice of Isaac was ;i sacrifice of atone- 
 ment, and, according to the rites of the patriarchal 
 worship, if he had been offered, he must have fallen 
 by tlu 1 hand of his father. Isaac had attained the 
 twenty-fifth year of his age, and by the BWeetness of 
 his disposition, and urbanity of his manners, had not 
 only endeared himself to his aged parents, but had 
 conciliated the affections of all his kinsfolk and 
 acquaintance. But at this period, when Abraham 
 hoped to close his career with joy, in the assurance 
 of leaving his inheritance in the possession of a son 
 who would keep the commandments of God and 
 practise that mode of pure worship recommended 
 by the Deity himself, he unexpectedly received this 
 paralyzing command : " Take now thy son, thine 
 only son Isaac whom thou lovest, and get thee into 
 the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt- 
 offering upon one of the mountains which I will 
 tell thee of!" 47 Abraham, though doubtless sur- 
 prised at such a peremptory order, suppressed the 
 tenderness of parental feeling, and obeyed the divine 
 injunction. " He rose up early in the morning, 
 and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men 
 with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood 
 for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto 
 the place of which God had told him;"4s reflecting 
 on the chequered and variegated scenes of this sub- 
 lunary state of existence. 
 
 The obedience of Abraham, in offering his son, 
 
 God's power and goodness to mankind, in their creation and 
 preservation from evil ; or as a full atonement for the defilements 
 of sin. 
 
 M Gen. xxii. 2. -»s Gen. xxii. 3.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1(33 
 
 was founded on the strictest belief in the power 
 and promises of God ; for though it had been de- 
 clared that in Isaac all the nations of the earth 
 should be blessed, yet, when he had built an altar 
 on Mount Moriah, he fearlessly bound Isaac and 
 laid him thereon, and stretched forth his arm to 
 slay him, " accounting that God was able to raise 
 him up, even from the dead ; from whence also 
 he received him in a figure." 49 It pleased the 
 Lord, however, after the faith of Abraham had been 
 proved by his obedience, to arrest his outstretched 
 arm, and to provide a more agreeable victim in the 
 Btead of Isaac, pointing out a ram entangled in a 
 thicket by his horns, as a substitute for the human 
 sicrifice he was about to offer. 
 
 By this transaction, Abraham was made ac- 
 quainted with the mystery of human redemption ; 50 
 he saw the day of Christ and was glad. 51 And this 
 is a complete answer to those who assort thai 
 Masonry contains no Christianity ; for this promi- 
 
 45 Heb. xi. 19. 
 
 This was the proper type and representation of the death of 
 Christ. Isaac was born of Sarah, contrary to the common course 
 of nature, and Jesus Christ was so born of a pure virgin. Three 
 dav- elapsed from the command to sacrifice Isaac (from which time 
 Abraham looked on him as dead) and the offering, when ho was. 
 a- it were, restored to life; and precisely the Bame time elapsed 
 between the actual death and resurrection « ,t" Christ. Isaac 
 
 carried tin- wood to the top of Moriah for his own Sacrifice; and 
 Christ bare tin- CTOSB on which he was to he -u-|>cnded to the 
 
 summit of Calvary, an adjoining mountain. Isaac submitted 
 without a murmur to be hound and laid on the altar for sacrifice i 
 and Christ voluntarily offered up hi- lite upon tin cross, ;i- an 
 eternal sacrifice arid propitiation tor tin sine of the world. 
 John i in 
 
 \i 2
 
 164 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 nent illustration of Masonry, the offering of Isaac, 
 was the most significant typo of the blessings to be 
 conveyed to man by the influence of Christianity, 
 that was ever revealed to a human being. Indeed, 
 Christianity is the perfection of our institution; for, 
 if the great duties of Christianity be, as its Divine 
 Author has assured us, the performance of our duty 
 to God, our neighbour, and oursclf, 52 it has directly 
 the same tendency as Masonry, which inculcates, as 
 an object of primary importance, the performance 
 of precisely the same duties. Christianity recom- 
 mends love to God, 53 the sacred Trinity in Unity; 
 so does Masonry. Christianity inculcates brotherly 
 love, 54 relief, 55 and truth; 56 Masonry inculcates the 
 same thing. Christianity and Masonry unite in 
 enforcing the necessity of faith, hope, and charity ; 
 and both say, " the greatest of these is charity." 51 
 The four cardinal virtues, temperance, fortitude, 
 prudence, and justice, are amongst the number of 
 both their objects of general illustration ; and both 
 equally enforce the necessity of a holy life, through 
 faith in a mediator, from the most awful subjects of 
 contemplation which can impress a human being, 
 viz. death, resurrection, and an eternal existence in 
 a future state of happiness or misery, to be deter- 
 mined by the deeds done in this probationary state. 
 Who, then, shall say that Masonry contains no 
 Christianity ? Or rather, who shall assert that its 
 illustrations are not principally Christian ? For, if 
 the virtues and doctrines I have enumerated be 
 
 52 Mark xii. 33. ™ 1st Epist. St. John. 
 
 54 1 John iv. 21. •" Acts iv. 34, 37. 
 
 w 2 Cor. xhi. 8. ■« 1 Cor. xiii. 13.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. l<i.~> 
 
 Christian virtues and doctrines, they are also Ma- 
 sonic ; nay, they contain, with their parallels, the 
 whole system of speculative Masonry ; and I do not 
 know, were Masonry minutely analyzed, that it 
 contains a single illustration which does not enforce 
 a Christian doctrine, or recommend a Christian 
 virtue. If Masonry contain no Christianity, why 
 are our Lodges dedicated to Saint John the Evan- 
 gelist ?58 and why are our solemn attestations rati- 
 
 58 The old Lectures of Masonry ask, "What is the chief reason 
 why our Lodges are dedicated to St. John ? — In the time of the 
 Palestine wars, the Masonic knights, having united with those of 
 St. John of Jerusalem to fight against the infidels, they placed 
 themselves under the protection of that saint ; and proving 
 victorious in battle, they agreed, after returning thanks to God, 
 that the Lodges of Masons should for ever he dedicated to God 
 and holy St. John." I regret to add that the reformers of our 
 Lectures have banished the two great parallels with the holy 
 Lodge at Jerusalem from the system of Free- Masonry ; and with 
 them all the accompanying references to Christianity ; an inno- 
 vation which ought not to have received any public sanction. 
 Our American brethren are more just to the memory of the two 
 parallels ; and I quote with pleasure a paragraph from the Prize 
 Essay of Comp. Blanchard Powers, published in the American 
 Masonic Register for January, 1842. " Shall we call your atten- 
 tion once more to the notice of our Patron Saints ? What an 
 example of devotednese to the cause of religion did those two 
 sainted Masons exhibit! The elder John was so aloof to the 
 pageantry of the world, that his raiment was of camel's hair, and 
 his meat loeu-ts and wild honey; hut his voice w;i- heard in the 
 
 wilderness of Judea — Repent, lor tin- kingdom of heaven is at 
 hand. Tin- younger John waa ool Lest indefatigable in promoting 
 
 the true caUM of religion ; and his life was absorbed and -wallow, d 
 lip in th<- lore of hi- divine master. Their virtues are worthy 
 of imitation, and their examples were noble and praisi worthy. 
 
 Their namet will descend to the latest generations, as the first 
 mo-t eminent Christian patrons of ancient Craft Masonry." 
 Alas! the] have been banished by authority from English Pre<
 
 166 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Bed by an appeal to the truth of God declared in the 
 ( rospels? 
 
 But it is said that no institutions can assimilate 
 "whose origins are not coeval ; and as Masonry was 
 introduced on this globe at its first creation, and 
 Christianity four thousand years afterwards, it follows 
 that Masonry and Christianity cannot be assimilated 
 as sister institutions. 
 
 Masonry ; whose Lectures omit all reference to " Him that was 
 taken up to the pinnacle of the holy temple." They omit the 
 interpretation of the five steps, representing the birth, life, death, 
 resurrection, and ascension of our Saviour ; the reference of the 
 eleven steps to the number of the apostles after Judas had been 
 excluded ; and other Christian allusions in the Craft Lectures 
 have been carefully expunged. And the references in the 11. A. 
 to the promise of a Redeemer at the Fall — the prophecy of Shilo, 
 &c, have all been designedly withdrawn. Why is this? I am 
 afraid no satisfactory reply can be afforded. I take this oppor- 
 tunity of declaring, most explicitly, that if I had not been fully 
 convinced that Free-Masonry is a system of Christian ethics ; — 
 that it contributes its aid to point the way to the Grand Lodge 
 above, through the cross of Christ, I should never have been 
 found among the number of its advocates. Fortunately, the 
 general orders of the Grand Lodge enable every brother to retain 
 those old landmarks at his pleasure ; and it is to be hoped that, in 
 this Christian country, few Masters of Lodges will be induced to 
 abandon them. In the year 1819 the Duke of Sussex, in an 
 address to the brethren in Grand Lodge, immediately after the 
 revised Lectures had been promulgated, said — " That it was his 
 opinion, that so long as the Master of any Lodge observed 
 exactly the landmarks of the Craft, he was at liberty 7 to give the 
 Lectures in the language best suited to the character of the Lodge 
 over which he presided. And that any Master of a Lodge, on 
 visiting another Lodge, and approving of the Lectures delivered 
 therein, is at liberty to promulgate the same from the Chair in 
 his own Lodge, provided he has previously perfected himself in 
 the instructions of the Master in the aforesaid Lodge." (Quarterly 
 Cum., Dec. 1819.)
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 107 
 
 To say nothing of the major, the minor of this 
 argument is untrue. Masonry, to the inhabitants 
 
 of this globe, was indeed coeval with its creation ; 
 but the same may be said of Christianity, if the 
 Scriptures are to be believed; for they ascribe the 
 salvation of mankind, both under the patriarchal 
 and the Mosaic dispensations, to faith in Jesus 
 Christ. It was through faith in the promised Mes- 
 siah that Enoch was translated. By the exercise of 
 the same faith, Noah was saved amidst the general 
 destruction of the world. By the same faith, Abra- 
 ham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and all others 
 celebrated for their piety in the Old Testament, 
 wore approved, and obtained a good report, though 
 they received not the promises, which rested in 
 Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. 59 Hence 
 it may be deduced, that the only true and perma- 
 nent religion, from the creation of this globe, is 
 what we now term Christianity; and if Masonry be 
 founded on that universal system of religion which 
 is calculated to make men good and virtuous, it 
 iiium be assimilated with Christianity, as the only 
 existing religion which encourages the kindly affec- 
 tions of the human heart. 
 
 Tt is true that Masonry is not confined exclusively 
 t<. Christianity, but embraces all that is groat and 
 
 good in every religion under the sun. because it 
 
 confines its excitements to the practice of morality, 
 
 whatever the system of faith may bo; because it is 
 an institution of charity 01 brotherly l<>\e. and is 
 not. consequently, b Bystem of faith, but of practice;
 
 1G8 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 but it docs not embrace, or lend the most indirect 
 sanction to, any religious institution which diverges, 
 in the smallest degree, from the systematic worship 
 of one God, the Creator and Governor of the world. 
 But Masonry is more peculiarly adapted to the 
 genius of the Christian than any other religion, 
 because in Christianity nothing is erroneous; and if 
 Masonry be actually the beautiful system we believe 
 and acknowledge it to be, it can only be assimilated 
 with a pure religion. The professors of other reli- 
 gions may indeed urge the same plea, but as truth 
 must have some irrefutable standard of reference, 
 our claims are founded on the most ancient and 
 most singularly protected books in the world ; books 
 which carry an internal evidence of their authen- 
 ticity, which no force of argument has been able to 
 remove. In a word, the existence of Masonry in 
 these times, purified from the defilements which it 
 contracted by an incorporation with false systems of 
 worship, in every age, and amongst every people for 
 many successive centuries, sufficiently evinces that 
 its origin was pure ; and that, though debased by 
 idolatry, amidst the moral darkness which obscured 
 the world during the long reign of superstition, 
 when the true religion laid prostrate the usurpations 
 of idolatrous worship, Masonry hailed the great work 
 of reformation, and appeared amongst mankind pure 
 and bright as in the days of Enoch, Abraham, Moses, 
 or Solomon. 
 
 The conclusion then is this : Masonry on our 
 globe was coeval with true religion, which we now 
 call Christianity; was originally considered a beau- 
 tiful handmaid to religion, and from this belief was
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1G9 
 
 incorporated by the descendants of Noah into every 
 new system formed by the varying fancies of vicious 
 and designing men ; hence its universality as a 
 speculative or an operative pursuit; its essence con- 
 tinued visible amidst the fluctuations of all religious 
 systems, and was more or less expanded as they 
 approximated to, or diverged from, the only true 
 plan of divine worship.
 
 I 70 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 P B R I I) I \. 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 On Symbolical Instruction. 
 
 The great end and design of Masonry is to make 
 men virtuous and happy by the inculcation of moral 
 precepts, enforced by the most engaging consider- 
 ations that can be presented to the mind. The 
 medium of instruction used by our ancient brethren, 
 and still preserved pure and unimpaired, Mas by 
 visible symbols, in which precepts of morality were 
 curiously enfolded, and veiled from common obser- 
 vation. Thus, in the Egyptian hieroglyphics, a 
 child, an old man, a hawk, a fish, and a river-horse, 
 properly arranged, were intended to express this 
 precept : " Let all mankind, from youth to old age, 
 know that the gods hate impudence." 1 
 
 1 The discoveries which have heen made in Egypt since the first 
 edition of this work was printed have rendered the above inter- 
 pretation questionable. Spineto says, " Our knowledge of hiero- 
 glyphics amounted literally to nothing, when the French govern- 
 ment sent an expedition into Egypt, most liberally provided with 
 a select body of antiquaries and architects, surveyors, naturalists, 
 and draughtsmen, to discover, copy, and carry away all that was 
 fitted to explain the scientific and literary knowledge of that 
 country. On their return, they published a splendid account of
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 171 
 
 " In this hieroglyphic system, the hero gods not 
 only represented and Mere symbols of the supreme 
 gods and subordinate deities, but they had eaeh their 
 animal symbol, to represent their peculiar power, 
 energy, and administration; and their figures were 
 compounded of one part or other of their symbols, 
 to express more sensibly the natural effects of divine 
 energy attributed to them. Thus Osiris, when he 
 represented the power and all-seeing providence of 
 the supreme being, had a human body with a hawk's 
 head, and a sceptre in hi* hand, and decorated with 
 the other regalia or ensigns of royalty. Orus was 
 represented with a staff or pillar, the capital of 
 which was surmounted by the head of the upupa, to 
 signify, by the variegated feathers of that bird, the 
 beautiful variety of the Creation. In one of his 
 hands he held a lituus, to denote the harmony of 
 the system; and a gnomon in the other, to shew 
 the perfect proportion of its parts. Behind him 
 was a triangle inscribed hi a circle, to signify that 
 the world was made by the unerring wisdom of 
 God. He had sometimes a cornucopia in his hand, 
 to denote the fertility and production of the earth." 8 
 
 their labours, in which all the perfection and elegance which can 
 
 possibly belong to printing and engraving have been exhibited ; 
 
 and nothing can exceed the fidelity and exactness with which the 
 
 several Mss. and inscriptions have been represented." From this 
 
 : the interpretation <>!' Egyptian hieroglyphics has assumed 
 
 rm of a system; and ChampoUion ha- furnished a regular 
 
 glyphical characters, which are capable of being 
 
 ii-«d phonetically, or BS the letter- of an alphabet, and apply t.. 
 
 ,,,,,. t ,,t the '■;, i - of hieroglyphics which occur on the monument! 
 of that country, (See tin Theocratic Philosophy, p. 128.) 
 
 1 Smith - I '.-( and .V. I Maonry.
 
 172 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 This method of communicating instruction Mas 
 absolutely necessary in the Pythagorean school 
 where each probationer was enjoined a five years 1 
 silence. A great precept of this school was xudfxwu 
 a7rs;£so-(5aj, abstain from beans. This was principally 
 intended as a persuasive to continence, and to re- 
 frain from the contagion of illicit amours : for Py- 
 thagoras inculcated science upon his disciples as the 
 best incentive to the practice of moral virtue. This 
 emblematical species of instruction was equally de- 
 licate and just, and served to inspire the mind with 
 the noble ardour of emulation, and love of truth and 
 virtue. The precepts of Pythagoras were, indeed, 
 all veiled in allegory : for Jamblichus saith, 3 "He 
 used to propound an infinite number of significations 
 to his disciples by short and pithy sentences, in a 
 symbolical manner. The most divine Pythagoras 
 wrapped up sparks of truth, for such as could kindle 
 them, in a concise way of speech, treasuring up in 
 hidden sentences most abundant theories, as <£*V/njs, 
 Worrig, friendship, equality; xorrixog, world or heaven, 
 and the famous word fetractys."* 
 
 3 Jamblichus, cap. 29, p. 146. 
 
 4 Some of the most celebrated symbols of Pythagoras are thus 
 explained by Jamblichus: — " Sacrifice and worship barefoot," 
 signifies that, in the worship of God, we ought to divest ourselves 
 of those passions which degrade our nature, and go into his pre- 
 sence pure and uncontaminated by any human defilement. 
 " Keep a tongue of good report, following the gods," carries its 
 own explanation with it. " Take off your right shoe first, but 
 put your left foot first into the basin," is an earnest recommenda- 
 tion to prudence and activity ; that good actions may be per- 
 formed, and bad ones rejected. " Pass not over a balance," re- 
 commends justice and temperance in every pursuit. " Engrave
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1 7 
 
 /O 
 
 " The first Hermes," says the Chevalier Ramsay, 
 " invented the ingenious art of expressing all sorts 
 of sounds by the different combinations of a few 
 letters ; an invention most wonderful for its sim- 
 plicity, but not sufficiently admired, because it is 
 common : besides this manner of writing, there was 
 another, which was consecrated to divine things, and 
 which few persons understood. Trismegistus ex- 
 pressed the virtues and the passions of the soul, the 
 actions and the attributes of the gods, by the figures 
 of animals, insects, plants, stars, and divers other 
 symbolical characters: hence it is, that sphynxes, 
 serpents, birds, and crocodiles were placed in their 
 ancient temples, and upon their obelisks; but these 
 were not the objects of their worship. Trismegistus 
 concealed the mysteries of religion under hierogly- 
 phics and allegories, and exposed nothing to the 
 eyes of the vulgar but the beauties of his morality. 
 This has been the method of the sages in all times, 
 and of the great legislators in all countries : these 
 divine men were sensible that corrupted minds could 
 have no relish lor heavenly truths till the heart was 
 purified from its passions; for which reason they 
 spread over religion a secret veil, which opens ami 
 vanishes when the eves of the understanding are 
 able tn support its brightness." s 
 
 not tin- image "/ God in a riiiir," refers to tin- immateriality of the 
 
 gods, who ought to he worshipped without any visible symbol, 
 " 'Jake not every one by the ri^ht hand," thai is, contract nut 
 friendship with the uninitiated, hut confine your esteem to those 
 
 who, by long trial and probation, have been found faithful and 
 
 worthy of your confidence. 
 J Travel* of ( \ rus, 1. 'A.
 
 174 ANTIQUITIES <>F 
 
 The same system of instruction was practised by 
 the .Jews under the patriarchal, as well as under the 
 Mosaic dispensation. The prophecies were fre- 
 quently delivered symbolically. Thus the Holy 
 Land is termed God's vineyard by Isaiah and other 
 prophets. The hiding of Jeremiah's girdle implied 
 the destruction of idolaters,* 5 as the breaking of a 
 bottle did that of Jerusalem in general. 7 Ezekiel 
 pourtrayed the filthiness of the .Jews by the scum of 
 a boiling pot, a and the union of Judah and Israel 
 by joining together two sticks. 9 The series of pro- 
 phecies uttered by Daniel, comprehending every 
 material transaction which should take place in the 
 world to the end of time, are all delivered in the 
 same manner : and the Founder of Christianity ex- 
 plained to his disciples the mysteries shadowed be- 
 neath his symbols, but he spake unto the rest of the 
 world in parables, which, without embracing his 
 faith, they were unable to understand. 10 
 
 To fill the mind with images which may present 
 themselves in every transaction of life, which, if evil, 
 may call loudly upon the conscience to shun the 
 danger, is surely Yi medium not to be despised, par- 
 ticularly when recommended by such high and une- 
 quivocal sanctions. When engaged in sinful prac- 
 tices, if any object appear in which is wrapped up a 
 familiar precept, indicating the punishment of sin, 
 how insignificant soever that object may appear to 
 an eye unenlightened by the rays which burn around 
 it; if it rouse the sinner to a sense of his duty, and 
 
 G Jer. xiii. 7 Ibid. xix. « Ezek. xxiv. 
 
 9 Ibid, xxxvii. l(i. 10 Murk iv. 11.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 17") 
 
 cause him to abandon his evil pursuits, it has per- 
 formed a service over which angels shall rejoice, 
 though fastidious mortals may ridicule such a me- 
 dium, and pronounce it trifling and absurd. 
 
 The uninitiated may urge the absurdity of squares 
 and compasses, mallets and chisels, because, being 
 mere instruments of labour, they do not present 
 immediately to the mind any visible tendency to the 
 cultivation of moral virtue. But were the useful 
 lesson-- they contain openly displayed and fully com- 
 prehended. Masonry would no longer be an object 
 of ridicule or aspersion, but would occupy the first 
 rank amongst those human sciences which con- 
 fessedly promote the benefit of mankind. From the 
 chequered groundwork of a Mason's lodge to its 
 splendid and celestial covering, it contains no point, 
 part, or secret which does not convey a fund of 
 valuable information. The Mason in his full clothing 
 is a st liking emblem of integrity, and a perfect 
 model of wisdom, strength, and beauty. The white 
 apron, gloves, and wand, which are characteristic of 
 his profession, have a direct reference to the inno- 
 cence and purity with which he ought to be in- 
 vested, by an adherence to the invaluable Lessons 
 which they contain. In all ages, and amongst all 
 people, whiterobes have boon assumed as character- 
 istic of innocence and purity. Such were the robes 
 worn by the priests of Egypt and Greece, the Druids 
 of Gaul and Britain, the Bramins of India, the 
 Gymnosophists of Persia, &c. And in such gar- 
 ments, under the Christian dispensation, were the 
 catechumens habited after baptism, to express the
 
 176 ANTIQUITIKS OF 
 
 purity they had obtained through the performance 
 of that initiatory rite. 
 
 The universal extent of our Lodge, referring to 
 the unlimited obligation of Masonry, is well ex- 
 pressed by Zophar in his Masonic address to Job: 
 " It is as high as heaven, deeper than hell ; the 
 measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader 
 than the sea." 11 It stands due cast and west, that 
 its governors may behold the rising and the setting 
 of the sun, with sentiments of devotion and gra- 
 titude to Him who appointed that luminary as a 
 blessing to his creatures. Its peculiar situation is 
 in the vale of Jehosaphat. The highest of hills or 
 the lowest of valleys was in ancient times accounted 
 most sacred. Thus tradition placed the peculiar re- 
 sidence of God on the summit of Mount Horeb ; and 
 Ezekicl declares that " on the top of the mountain 
 the whole limit thereof round shall be most holy." 12 
 The Bible, square, and compass point out the sacred 
 source of his faith, and the rectitude of his practice ; 
 for while the former, which is always open in the 
 Lodge, is considered the rule and standard of his 
 faith and hope, the two latter have the same refer- 
 ence to his life and actions. The Bible is the sacred 
 compact between God and man ; for in that holy 
 book the divine will in essentials is so clearly re- 
 vealed that he w T ho runs may read ; and the way 
 of salvation is so explicitly pointed out, that the 
 sojourner shall not err therein. The compass is 
 appropriated to the Grand Master, as the supreme 
 
 " Job xi. 8, 9. »« Ezek. xliii. 12.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1 77 
 
 governor of the institution, because it is the mosl 
 comprehensive and useful instrument in forming 
 plans and designs, which belong- exclusively to his 
 province ; for on the art and judgment with which 
 he applies this instrument depend the general beauty 
 and harmony of the whole. The square belongs to 
 the brethren in general, because their obligations are 
 founded upon, and they are consequently bound to 
 square their actions by, the principles of virtue and 
 right reason. From these visible symbols Masonry 
 teaches, in its beautiful and expressive phrase- 
 ology, to keep within compass, and act upon the 
 square with all mankind, but more particularly with 
 brethren. And this is consistent with the teaching 
 of Christianity. St. Paul has interpreted this pre- 
 cept in his truly Masonic address to the Galatians : 
 " As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good 
 unto all men, especially unto them who are of the 
 household of faith." 13 
 
 The jewels, both moveable and immoveable, have 
 a significant reference to what is most dear and 
 valuable to man in this mortal state ; exposed, as 
 he is, to sorrow, sickness, pain, and adversity. The 
 square is an instrument by which truth and perfec- 
 tion are attained in all manner of architecture ; and 
 consequently recommends morality and justice in all 
 our commerce with mankind. The level is an em- 
 blem of equality, and demonstrates, thai as we are 
 descended from the same stock, partake of the Bame 
 nature and Bhare the same hope, we oughl Btrictly 
 
 Gal. \i. 10.
 
 178 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 to render unto others the same measure of kindness 
 and affection which, in similar circumstances, we 
 should require of them. The plumb is an emblem 
 of integrity, and admonishes to walk uprightly in 
 
 our station ; to hold the scale of justice in equal 
 poise ; to observe the happy medium between in- 
 temperance and rigid self-denial ; and to make our 
 passions and prejudices coincide with the straight 
 line of duty. The tracing hoard refers to the cor- 
 rect plans and designs traced by the great Architect 
 of the Universe in the Holy Bible, which constitute 
 the summit and perfection of a Mason's faith and 
 hope. We have also other emblematical jewels, to 
 denote the mind of man in its progress from infancy 
 to old age, from ignorance to knowledge. In the 
 dawn of life, uncultivated nature feels its own 
 inferiority, and is like a rough and shapeless stone 
 newly taken from the quarry, which requires the 
 skilful hand of patient industry to mould it into 
 form. Manhood succeeds, and the ripening facul- 
 ties, emulating perfection, press on with diligence 
 and assiduity, to the great object of rational attain- 
 ment. And when old age comes on, the placid 
 mind, reflecting on a well-spent life, devoted to acts 
 of piety and virtue, looks forward to another and a 
 better state of existence, where, infinitely perfect, 
 it will be filled with the fulness of God. This state 
 of mind may be aptly compared to a well-wrought 
 and highly-polished cubical stoned accurately exact 
 
 M The immoveable jewels, according to our ancient brethren, 
 were called the tressle board, the rough ashler, and the broached 
 thurnel.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1 70 
 
 in all its lines and angles; which, though minutely 
 tried with the square and compass, will be pro- 
 nounced good, perfect, and complete. 
 
 That most brilliant virtue prudence is represented 
 in a Mason's Lodge by a blazing star, which is placed 
 in the centre that every Mason's eye may be upon it, 
 to expand his heart and influence his actions ; that 
 his conscience may never condemn him for exceed- 
 ing the bounds which prudence prescribes, and that 
 he may always be animated with the cheering reflec- 
 tion of its unqualified approbation. The starry zone 
 of prudence, like the broad and spangled ecliptic, 
 illuminated with studs of brilliant stars, which cir- 
 cumscribes the universe, forms the sacred envelope 
 of all human virtues. 
 
 The groundwork of a Lodge points out the recur- 
 rence of prosperity and adversity with which the life 
 of man is variegated and chequered ; and administers 
 the most soothing consolation under the pressure of 
 calamity or affliction. It displays the God of all 
 comfort in hi^ dispensations of mercy and justice: 
 and shews that however man may be exalted above 
 his species hereon earth, while blest with prosperity 
 and animated with strength, and health, and spi- 
 rits, in the humble grave all are on a level, deatb 
 destroying all human distinctions, for the dust of 
 the mosl potent monarch is net distinguishable 
 from the dust of the lowly pauper. Thus is hu- 
 mility inculcated; and thus are we instructed to 
 submit with cheerful resignation to the dispensa- 
 tions of Providence; assured that the hand which 
 gives can ;il-«> takeaway. This is a subjeel which 
 affords ample scope for illustration, and has a rank 
 
 • 2
 
 180 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 assigned to it in the Lodge commensurate with its 
 high and paramount importance. 
 
 The covering of a Lodge; is that superb canopy 
 spread over it by the Almighty Creator of all 
 things. The bine, purple, and crimson covering 
 of the first temple erected to the exclusive worship 
 of God by Moses in the wilderness, was a striking 
 symbol of this splendid arch, illuminated with the 
 rays of that great and burning luminary which 
 conveys life, light, and motion to all earthly things. 
 The qround and covering are connected by means 
 of a ladder consisting of three )>rineipa! steps, and 
 resting on the Holy Bible ; by which every Mason, 
 who firmly exercises the virtues they represent, 
 hopes to leave behind the unsatisfactory pursuits of 
 mortality ; and mount, with the angels in Jacob's 
 vision, to a better country, even the holy city of 
 God. 
 
 These three principal steps have a direct reference 
 to three theological virtues, Faith, Hope, and 
 Charity, of which Charity possesses the highest 
 and most distinguished rank : and the reason of 
 this will be evident, if we distinctly consider the 
 exclusive properties of these virtues, and deduce 
 from thence the incomparable excellence of uni- 
 versal charity. 
 
 Faith is a firm and sincere assent to the funda- 
 mental truths of religion, the being of a God, the 
 divinity of Christ, the saviour and judge of mankind, 
 a future state of rewards and punishments, and the 
 means and conditions of avoiding the one and 
 securing the other. This faith, as the true basis of 
 all religion, is the first incentive to holiness ; and
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 181 
 
 through its medium we are justified, accepted, and 
 finally received. 
 
 Hope is an earnest and well-assured expectation 
 of escaping - threatened dangers, and obtaining pro- 
 mised rewards. The simple act of faith, or belief, 
 in the existence of a heaven to reward, and a hell to 
 punish, without knowing how to obtain the former 
 and avoid the latter, would be a state of suspense, 
 dark and appalling as the shades of midnight, with- 
 out a ray to cheer us in our passage through the 
 gloomy vale: hence arise the consolations of hope, 
 which prompt us to a steady perseverance in the path 
 of duty, that we may finally surmount all impeding 
 obstacles, and receive the eternal rewards of our 
 virtuous endeavours. 
 
 Charity, in its greatest latitude, is an ardent 
 love of God, united with an unfeigned affection for 
 all his creatures. The love of God naturally inspires 
 the love of our brother, 1 * created by the same archi- 
 tect, formed of the same clay, springing from the 
 -aim" common parent, and cemented by the most 
 indissoluble tics. The love of our brother is one of 
 tin- principal conditions of our initiation into God's 
 friendship, who is the lather and generous preserver 
 of us all. Hence, if the vivifying beams of God's 
 love be not sheil abroad in the heart, there will 
 exist little fraternal affection; but the commoa 
 bond of Masonry and religion being violated, there 
 
 can bo no hopes of good fruit proceeding from v,, 
 
 impure a Btock, and thus both are calumniated from 
 the vicious conduct of Borne of their professors. 
 Charit) is not capable of u more restricted Bense; 
 
 1 1 John i\. 20.
 
 182 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 for, if it be disunited from the love of God, and 
 understood simply of brotherly love, it would be a 
 virtue of inferior rank, 16 and must yield precedence 
 to both faith and hope. But consider charity in 
 its most extended signification, as the pure and 
 unfeigned love of God and man, and the doctrine 
 of Masonry, corroborated by the argument of Saint 
 Paul, 17 will be fully understood and admitted : and 
 this argument lends a most powerful and decisive 
 sanction to Masonry, which, shielded by the une- 
 quivocal support of such a high authority, can never 
 be overthrown by the united force of prejudice and 
 passion. 
 
 A comparison of these virtues will shew, more 
 distinctly, why Charity is so pre-eminently exalted 
 above the other two. 
 
 Faith is the evidence of things not seen, the 
 substance of things hoped for. Charity is the 
 sublimity of faith and hope, and may be denomi- 
 nated a grand and beautiful entablature of good 
 
 16 And yet, even in this restricted view, Masonic charity will 
 maintain its ascendancy, as is well expressed by Brother the Rev. 
 Salem Town, Grand Chaplain of the Grand Chapter of New 
 York. He says, " We cannot fail to perceive what has preserved 
 the purity and secured the perpetuity of the Masonic institution, 
 and maintained that striking uniformity in carrying out its moral 
 and benevolent objects. If we recur to matters of fact, cither in 
 principle or practice, we arrive at the same conclusion. As the 
 objects of Masonic charity never vary in any age or country, and 
 the evils to be cured, or misfortunes to be relieved, always require 
 the same remedy, at least in kind, the laws of our moral nature, 
 and the sympathies of our hearts, present an uniform succession 
 of kindred motives, which always prompt to kindred acts of bene- 
 volent effort." (Amer. Mas. Heg., vol. 3, No. 18.) 
 
 17 1 Cor. xiii.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1 ^o 
 
 works, supported by the strong pillar of hope, and 
 founded upon the wise and broad pedestal of faith. 
 From this uncontaminated source we are supplied 
 with wisdom from above, which sheds its light like 
 the blazing star in the centre of heaven's glorious 
 arch, with strength to support us while treading the 
 mosaic pavement of this uncertain life, chequered 
 with the variegated scenes of good and evil, and 
 with beauty like a rich tesselated border of 
 brilliant stars, to adorn our good works, which, 
 shining before men, may tend to the glory of our 
 Father who is in heaven. 
 
 Faith is the basis of religion ; it points to duty 
 and reward, clearly presents to view the means of 
 obtaining the promises, strongly obligates the con- 
 science and inclines the will to compliance. Thus 
 we ascend the first step of the Masonic Ladder. 
 Hope is a column raised on the basis of faith that 
 God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that dili- 
 gently seek him : this consoling assurance adds 
 rigour to the performance of duty, quickens the 
 pursuit after happiness, circumscribes our wishes 
 within the compass of God's promises, and enables 
 us to will the second step. Charity is the orna- 
 mented capital which completes the fabric, even 
 the THIRD and BUBLIME STEP, embosomed in clouds 
 
 and encircled with rays of everlasting glory.
 
 I $4 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CONTAINING THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY YEARS. 
 
 View of Masonry from the Offering of Isaac to the Deliverance 
 from Egyptian Captivity. 
 
 The opening of this period displays Masonry as 
 inculcating the principles of Christianity still more 
 unequivocally and distinctly, if faith, hope, and 
 charity be considered as Christian virtues ; for 
 amongst Masons they are referred to a transaction 
 which illuminates this age of the world ; and by 
 which all good Masons hope to arrive at a building 
 not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 
 
 Abraham buried his wife Sarah in a sepulchre in 
 the field of Machpelah, at the age of one hundred 
 and twenty-seven years. He endeavoured to con- 
 sole himself for her loss by obtaining a wife for his 
 son Isaac ; ! and bound his steward by a most solemn 
 
 1 In those ages an oath was used on all solemn and extraordi- 
 nary occasions. It was considered as an awful acknowledgment 
 of the universal presence of God, as well as of his supremacy over 
 all created things, including a belief that he has power to avenge 
 himself on all who shall violate such a solemn appeal to his truth 
 and justice ; and soliciting help from God implies also a desire to 
 avoid the penalty, by a firm resolution to observe the prescribed 
 condition. In primitive times, men sware by lifting up their 
 hands to heaven (Gen. xiv. 22) ; by putting their hand under 
 another's thigh (Gen. xxiv. 2, and xlvii. 29) ; by imprecation
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 185 
 
 oath to procure one amongst his own kindred in the 
 land of Mesopotamia. His commission was success- 
 ful, and he returned with Rebecca, the daughter 
 of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, Abraham's brother. 
 
 The mysteries and worship of idolatry, notwith- 
 standing their rapid progress by the indefatigable 
 zeal of Ham, Mizraim, Isis, and Ashtaroth, with 
 their able coadjutors the Cabiri. had not wholly 
 superseded Masonry at this period in Arabia De- 
 Berta ; for Job publicly renounces both the one and 
 the other in the presence of his friends, and acknow- 
 ledges the practice of them worthy of punishment. 9 
 The conclusion of his speech, in answer to Bildad 
 tin' Shuhite, contains a -cries of Masonic duties, all 
 of which he solemnly declares he has uniformly exe- 
 cuted. 3 And hence his integrity excited the resent- 
 ment of Satan, whose ordinances he had despised 
 and rejected. "Job and his friends worshipped the 
 one true God in sincerity and truth; and their reli- 
 gious knowledge was in general such as might have 
 been derived from the early patriarchs." 4 He reite- 
 rates the doctrines and duties of .Masonry through- 
 out the whole <»f his expostulations. In opposition 
 to the multiplicity of gods, taught in the lesser 
 mysteries, he appeals to the brute creation for an 
 acknowledgment of one God, the creator and pre- 
 server <>f all things. "Ask the beasts, and they 
 
 i. xiv. 44, l Kings xx. 10) ; and by standing before thealtai 
 CI KiiiLr- viii. 31 ). "1*1 i i - last method of making an oath \\;>- in 
 ase also amongst the idolatrous nations, particularly the Athe- 
 the Romans, and the Carthaginians. 
 Job xxxi. 26 — 28. '' Il>i<i. xxxi. li to end. 
 
 ■* Bishop Tomlini - Th» ol., par. l . c. 2.
 
 18G ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 shall teach thee ; and the fowls of the air, and they 
 shall tell thee: or speak to the earth, and it shall 
 teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare 
 unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the 
 hand of the Lord hath wrought this?" 5 
 
 After the death of Abraham, Rebecca bore 
 unto Isaac twin children, Esau and Jacob; 6 of 
 whom it had been predicted, that the elder should 
 serve the younger. 7 Esau, of a wandering and un- 
 settled disposition, avoided the society of his own 
 kindred ; associated with the inhabitants of Canaan, 
 and with the Hittites ; and probably his wanderings 
 might occasionally extend to Egypt. lie was, how- 
 ever, early initiated into, and tainted with, the idola- 
 trous rites of the neighbouring nations ; and gra- 
 dually seceded from the God of his fathers. His 
 indifference to the rights of primogeniture, which 
 included the sacred office of priest or sacrificer to 
 his family, induced him to dispose of them for a 
 trifling consideration : he was, therefore, rejected 
 by God, termed a " profane person," 8 because he 
 
 5 Job xii. 7 — 9. 
 
 6 The Talmudists say that Isaac was a second Adam, and re- 
 sembled him in every thing. Adam had two sons, Cain and Abel; 
 and when Abel died he had Seth in his stead, so that he always 
 had two sons. Isaac also had two sons, Esau and Jacob ; and 
 like to Cain, who was a child of sin, became a murderer, Esau 
 was a shedder of blood, according to Solomon Jarchi. Abel being 
 kind-hearted, offered sheep and lambs, which are symbols of in- 
 nocence and benevolence ; and Jacob dwelt in tents, and was a 
 lover of peace and tranquillity. Thus Cain and Esau were de- 
 praved and iniquitous — Abel and .Jacob good and beloved. (See 
 the Concil. vol. i. p. 73.) 
 
 7 Gen. xxv. 23. fc Heb. xii. Hi.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1 S7 
 
 Blighted that privilege which gave him undisputed 
 dominion over the spiritual as well as the temporal 
 affairs of his brethren: but Jacob, who adhered to 
 our science as revived by Abraham and practised by 
 Isaac, received the approbation of God, and was 
 suffered to obtain, not only Esau's birthright, but 
 also his father's blessing. 
 
 Isaac secretly encouraged a partiality for his 
 eldest son, in whom he might conceive the promises 
 centred ; and hoped, notwithstanding he had de- 
 viated from the faith of his fathers, that the bless- 
 ing of Abraham might descend through him. But 
 Rebecca, grieved at the preference given to Esau, 
 who had already taken wives from among the Hit- 
 tites, and given in other respects strong symptoms of 
 apostacy, hoped to find means of obtaining for her 
 son Jacob his father's blessing. Apprized, therefore, 
 of Isaac's intention to confer on Esau the greal 
 privilege of his birthright, and hearing him give 
 directions for a collation of venison as a preparatory 
 ceremony to imparting his final blessing, by policy 
 she obtained for Jacob the rights and privileges of 
 primogeniture, which were solemnly conveyed and 
 ratified by the irrevocable covenant, to which God 
 himself was a witness. 
 
 Esau was exasperated almost to madness at being 
 thus supplanted a Becond time by his brother, and 
 only waited until the death of [saac to execute his 
 resentment upon Jacob, and avenge, by a *\i'n\ of 
 violence, the privileges he had lust; for he had be- 
 come lull; sensible <>f their value and consequent. 
 Hi- mother, to avert the threatened danger, sent 
 Jacob to Padanaram, a distant countn in the land
 
 188 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 of Mesopotamia, that he might remain in safety 
 under the protection of his maternal uncle Laban. 
 A fugitive from his own country, alone and friend- 
 less, overcome with the bodily exertion of his jour- 
 ney, augmented by anxiety of mind, he laid himself 
 down to rest at a place called Luz, with the cold 
 earth for his bed, a stone for his pillow, and the 
 cloudy canopy of heaven for his covering. Here it 
 pleased the Lord to impart that comfort which his 
 situation so imperiously demanded ; and which Mas 
 conveyed to his senses through the medium of a 
 most extraordinary vision. 9 He thought he saw a 
 ladder, composed of staves or rounds innumerable ; 
 whose foot was placed on the earth, but whose top 
 extended to heaven, and was enclouded with a ra- 
 diant circle of celestial glory. On this ladder the 
 angels of God appeared as the authorized ministers 
 of his dispensations of justice and mercy. Some 
 were ascending to receive divine commissions from 
 the fountain of all goodness, and others were de- 
 scending to execute these commissions on the earth. 
 Suddenly there appeared, amidst the beams of glory 
 which encircled the ladder's top, the Almighty Archi- 
 tect of the universe in person ; who addressed the 
 sleeping Jacob in words full of peace and consola- 
 tion : " I AM the Lord God of Abraham thy father, 
 and the God of Isaac : the land whereon thou liest, 
 to thee will I give it, and to thy seed, and thy seed 
 shall be as the dust of the earth ; and thou shalt 
 spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to 
 
 9 The three most remarkable visions recorded in Scripture, are, 
 this of the Ladder, the vision of the Burning Bush, and that of the 
 Ancient of Days vouchsafed to Daniel.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. lSJ) 
 
 the north, and to the south : and in thee and in thy 
 seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 
 And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in 
 all places whither thon goest, and will bring thee 
 again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until 
 I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." 10 
 
 This ladder was a type of Christ, who is the only 
 way by which a created mortal can attain the king- 
 dom of God ; for no one can ascend up into heaven, 
 but through him who came down from heaven. Its 
 staves or rounds point out the innumerable duties 
 man is called on to perform on his journey from 
 this world to a better. The most prominent of 
 these, and from which all the rest emanate like rays 
 diverging from a common centre, are the three 
 theological virtues, Faith, Hope, and Charity. These 
 virtues are of the greatest estimation amongst Ma- 
 sons, for they form the grand and fundamental basis 
 of their profession. 
 
 When .Jacob awoke, lie consecrated the place, 
 which he conceived to lie the house of God and 
 the gate of heaven, by the name of Bethel; lie sel 
 up the stone on which his head had reclined for a 
 pillar of testimony; and vowed a vow, saving, "If 
 God will he with nif. and will keep nie in this way 
 that I go. and will give nie bread to eat, and rai- 
 ment to put on. SO that 1 eonie again tb niv 
 
 father's house in peace, then shall the Lord he my 
 God, ami this '•tone which I have set up for a pillar 
 shall be God's house; and of all that thon shall rive 
 
 me I will BUrelygive the tenth unto thee."" 
 
 Jacob married Laban's two daughters in Padan- 
 Gen. xxviii. L3 — 15. " Gen. xxviii. 20—22.
 
 190 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 aram, and, through the blessing of God, acquired 
 great possessions while in the humble capacity of 
 shepherd to his uncle. At length he was seized 
 with an ardent desire of returning to his own 
 country; and, despairing to obtain permission, he 
 departed secretly with all his substance. Laban 
 followed him in great anger; but being admonished 
 of God, he entered into a solemn league with Jacob 
 of mutual peace and amity, and set up a pillar at 
 Galeed as a sacred boundary to defend their pos- 
 sessions from hostile encroachment. 
 
 Being thus relieved from the fear of Laban, Jacob 
 began to entertain alarming apprehensions for the 
 reception he was likely to meet with from his 
 brother Esau, who had acquired authority amongst 
 the Horites, a powerful and barbarous people who 
 inhabited Mount Seir. These fears were much in- 
 creased when his messengers reported that Esau was 
 on his way to meet him, at the head of four bundled 
 armed men. He concluded that the hour of ven- 
 geance was arrived, and gave himself up for lost. 
 After preferring the most solemn petitions to God 
 for assistance in this extraordinary pressure of 
 dreaded calamity, he devised an expedient which he 
 hoped would appease his brother's anger, and disarm 
 his resentment. He separated his company into two 
 divisions, that one might endeavour to escape by 
 flight, if the other should be destroyed ; he then 
 selected a choice present of his best flocks and 
 herds, and sent them before in separate droves, 
 removed his wives and children and women-ser- 
 vants over the brook Jabbok, and remained that 
 night alone.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 191 
 
 To alleviate his distress, God vouchsafed to give 
 him a most extraordinary sign or token. The same 
 divine personage whom he had before seen at Bethel, 
 appeared to him in the form of a man, and wrestled 
 with him all that night; but could not prevail 
 against him. At break of day the angel gave up the 
 contest, and changed his name to Israel, because he 
 had power both with God and man : and assured 
 him that, as he had not been vanquished in that 
 trial, so should he remain unsubdued amidst all the 
 apparent dangers which might afterwards assail 
 him. 
 
 The brothers met in the course of that day, and 
 a scene of the most affectionate tenderness passed 
 between them. When the first ebullitions had sub- 
 sided, Esau invited Jacob and his family to reside at 
 Seir, which he thought proper to decline, under the 
 apprehension that his flocks and herds might Buffer 
 by travelling through that mountainous country. 
 Esau, therefore, returned to his own land, and .Jacob 
 proceeded towards Canaan. 
 
 Jacob had promised to worship God at Bethel, on 
 his return from Syria, and this promise was faith- 
 fully performed. The Lord, therefore, renewed the 
 ancient covenant with him, and confirmed the 
 promise of giving to his posterity the laud of 
 
 Canaan for an inheritance. .Jacob afterwards re- 
 moved to Hebron, where his father still lived, 
 and though old. ami labouring under the afflic- 
 tion of total blindness, continued to practise that 
 science which we cull Masonry. 
 
 Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, had died in
 
 19*2 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 childbed of Benjamin, which afflicting circumstance, 
 united with other troubles of a domestic nature, had 
 partly alienated his mind from his family. His 
 daughter Dinah had been ravished by the Kins: of 
 Shechem, for which his sons Simeon and Levi stimu- 
 lated their brethren to the slaughter of that people. 
 Reuben had defiled his bed by lying with his con- 
 cubine Bilhah at Edar, which was detected by Jo- 
 seph, which, added to the dissensions of his children, 
 had almost made him weary of his life: he, there- 
 fore, secluded himself from their society as much as 
 possible ; and his sole enjoyment appeared to be in 
 the education of his son Joseph, whom he loved 
 more tenderly than his other sons, from the resem- 
 blance he bore to his deceased mother. 
 
 He bestowed more than ordinary pains in illus- 
 trating the objects embraced by the science of 
 Masonry : he taught him the love of God to man in 
 his creation and preservation, and to himself and his 
 forefathers in particular, by selecting them to be the 
 means of propagating the true religion upon earth, 
 and the medium through whom all the nations of 
 the earth should be blessed ; he described the wick- 
 edness of the antediluvian world, and the equity of 
 God's vengeance in their destruction by an universal 
 Deluge : he instructed him in all the mysteries of 
 Providence, and shewed him how God had rejected 
 the idolatrous nations for their irreligion, and had 
 given them over to the sword and pestilence : he 
 solicitously taught him the arts of social life, ex- 
 plained to him the system of the universe, shewed 
 him the stars in their courses, and pointed out the
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 193 
 
 divine hand which had placed them in the firma- 
 ment and directed all their motions; expatiated on 
 the origin of sacrifices, and the imminent peril of 
 deviating from the express commands of God, exem- 
 plified in the punishment of Cain and the judg- 
 ments which had been inflicted on the Gentile world; 
 denounced the curses of heaven on adultery and 
 fornication, and cautioned him against contracting 
 the moral defilement resulting from such pernicious 
 practices : advised him to part with //is life rather 
 titan part with his honour, and hid him guard against 
 a breach of the laws of hospitality. 
 
 He added to these instructions, the knowledge of 
 his duty to God, his neighbour, and himself, and 
 the exercise of that universal benevolence or charity 
 which constitutes the purest emanation of the Deity: 
 he taught his son the difficult task of forgiving 
 injuries, and of doing to others as he would have 
 them do to him : he neglected not to inculcate the 
 duty of self-government, including a strict regard to 
 temperance in his habits, as well as his passions, to 
 fortitude regulated by prudence, and to justice both 
 distributive and communicative : he shewed the 
 necessity of a rigid adherence to truth, as the grand 
 and immutable test of moral virtue; and to mercy, 
 a- the dignified attribute of heaven : lie taught him 
 
 Becrecy and brotherly love, and bade him never to 
 violate the sacred deposits of friendship, which would 
 be even worse than the villainy of an assassin, who 
 stabs bis adversary when unarmed and not Buspicious 
 of ;i foe; t<> sympathize with the afflicted, to com- 
 passionate their sorrows, :n id to relieve their distress, 
 were duties he taught him to regard as indispensable.
 
 194 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 In fine, he stored the mind of his son with every 
 precept which might be useful in prosperity or ad- 
 versity; cither in his commerce with God or man. 
 
 By a series of such instructions, Joseph excelled 
 all his brethren in the knowledge of Masonry, 
 which excited their envy and hatred in the highest 
 degree. This was increased by the recital of some 
 dreams which indicated his superiority ; 12 and they 
 resolved to accomplish his destruction. His death 
 was decreed ; but some of his brethren relenting, he 
 was sold to the Ishmaelites, who disposed of him to 
 Potiphar, a chief officer in the court of Thusimares, 
 king of Lower Egypt. 
 
 The knowledge which Joseph had acquired from 
 the sedulous industry of his father, assisted, doubtless, 
 by his grandfather Isaac, who was living when he 
 was sold into slavery, proved of infinite service to 
 him in Egypt. He resisted the attempts of Poti- 
 phar's wife on his chastity, 13 and suffered imprison- 
 
 15 In one of these dreams, the sun, moon, and stars bowed down 
 before him ; which they interpreted as referring to themselves. 
 Vallancey, Hales, and others conjecture, that as the dream really 
 referred to himself and his brothers, the corresponding signs of 
 the Zodiac, according to the prophecy of Jacob, just before his 
 death, were — 
 
 Aries Naphtali. Libra ) -p. 
 
 Taurus ... Issachar. Scorpio ... J 
 
 Gemini ... Simeon & Levi. Sagittarius Joseph. 
 
 Cancer ... Zebulon. Capricornus ... Benjamin. 
 
 Leo Judah. Aquarius Reuben. 
 
 Virgo Asher. Pisces Gad. 
 
 13 " Mohammed, in his Koran, gives us a long history of 
 Joseph, stuffed with many fabulous circumstances, which the 
 Eastern people have still more enlarged upon. The Moham- 
 medans pretend to have several books of his amours with
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 195 
 
 ment rather than violate the marriage tie. Here 
 God revealed to him the interpretation of two 
 remarkable dreams, which introduced him to the 
 notice of the king, and eventually raised him to a 
 very dignified rank in the kingdom. In his exalta- 
 tion his knowledge of the social arts was of peculiar 
 service to himself, as well as beneficial to the Egyp- 
 tians ; and the authority he acquired in consequence 
 was equal, if not superior, to that of the king him- 
 self. 
 
 The superiority of true Masonry over that which 
 had been deteriorated by the corruptions of idolatry, 
 is fully evidenced from the estimation those few 
 were held in who practised it in purity, when acci- 
 dent or design led them into idolatrous nations. 
 Thus Abraham was honoured by Jauias, the fifth 
 pastor king of Lower Egypt, the very centre of 
 false and corrupted Masonry. And Joseph, who 
 excelled in the knowledge of this science, was so 
 highly distinguished by the same people, that they 
 requested him to accept the supreme government 
 of tin- fraternity, and to restore the primitive purity 
 of ancient Masonry, that they might be reconciled 
 to the God thev had renounced. He was therefore 
 
 J 
 
 installed their grand master, and Thusimare- placed 
 him over all the land of Egypt, acknowledging that 
 the spirit of the true God wa> in him. 14 
 
 ZeleOcah, Pharaoh's daughter, bia master Potiphar'a wife, which 
 they make ue of to kindle the love of God in their bear! 
 i>< ■inL r , among them, what the Canticlei arc with the Jewi and 
 Christian! — bo allegory of the love of God and a pion-- aoul." 
 (Univ. Hist, vol ii. p. 279 I 
 m Gen. xli. 
 
 ,. •>
 
 1 00 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Under his superintendence, the learning of Egypt 
 was much purified and advanced. He communicated 
 
 wisdom to her rulers and chief men, 15 and gave an 
 impulse to their studies, which they had never 
 before experienced. Encouraged by new and un- 
 looked-for discoveries, the Egyptian priests pur- 
 sued their scientific researches with diligence and 
 success. 
 
 Being appointed grand master of Masons, Joseph 
 took up his residence at Heliopolis, which possessed 
 the most celebrated college in Egypt for wisdom 
 and learning, 10 and married Asenath, the daughter 
 of Potipherah, the priest, or prince of that city. 
 The dignity of Joseph's office is forcibly expressed 
 in the popular cry of Abrcch, translated in our Bibles 
 — "bow the knee;" 17 but actually signifying tender 
 father : father to the king ; and the nature of his 
 office is equally designated bythe appellation assigned 
 to it by Pharaoh, ZAPHNATHrAANEAH, 18 a revcaler of 
 secrets. 
 
 Joseph now entered with great diligence and 
 assiduity on the active duties of grand master and 
 viceroy over all the land of Egypt. His prudence 
 and discretion during the years preceding an ex- 
 pected famine dictated a remedy for so dreadful a 
 scourge. He erected public granaries, and laid up 
 
 15 Psalm cv. 22. '6 Herod. 1. 2, c. 3. 
 
 17 Gen. xli. 43 ; and vide Marg. Trans. 
 
 18 This is not a Hebrew word, as some Rabbins have con- 
 jectured. It is true, the former part may be derived from Zaphan, 
 to hide ; but the latter is, I believe, not to be found in the Hebrew 
 language. Jerome thinks it refers to the Redeemer ; but it is 
 generally rendered as above.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. l!»7 
 
 a fifth part of every year's produce in store, as a 
 certain provision when the famine should arrive. 19 
 Here Joseph displayed that knowledge and wisdom 
 which he had received from his father. He divided 
 the Masons into lodges, and placed over each an 
 expert master, to direct its operations, and to be 
 responsible for every act of negligence or error 
 committed by the brethren under his superintend- 
 ence. Over the whole he placed the most eminent 
 and skilful architects, reserving to himself the 
 general direction of the works, and the supreme 
 authority vested in him by Thusimares. From the 
 excellency of the arrangements and the regularity 
 of the proceedings, these extensive edifices were 
 carried on with amazing rapidity, and were prepared 
 to receive the allotted stores at the end of the first 
 year. 
 
 During the famine, Joseph had an opportunity of 
 practising that divine quality, inculcated so earnestly 
 by his father as the ornament and perfection of 
 Masonry, brotherly love. His brethren, who had 
 threatened his life, and had actually sold him into 
 slavery, pressed by the wants and calls of nature, 
 appeared before him in the guise of humble suppli- 
 ant- at his foot-tool, to beg a supply of corn, that 
 
 ig «• 'j'i 1( . Egyptians paid great attention to the storing of their 
 
 com. The granarii -s appear to have been public buildings ; they 
 
 presented on the- monuments aa of vast extent, and il de« 
 
 that their roofs are generally arched. 
 
 Indeed, when we see the vast extent of these stores, as repre- 
 
 d "ii the monuments, we cannot doubt that they would 
 
 contain sufficient corn to Supply the want-, not only of I 
 
 hut the neie;hhouriuL r nation-, during thl I \' \ • .n - of fain inc." 
 
 (Taylor's Mon. of Bgypt, p, II.)
 
 198 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 themselves and their children might not perish by 
 famine. Joseph knew them, and beheld the accom- 
 plishment of his dream. Acquainted with the per- 
 versity of their hearts, he forbore to reveal himself, 
 until he had ascertained whether adversity had 
 taught them that wisdom which precept had failed 
 to inculcate. After a full probation of their present 
 sentiments and feeling, he was fully convinced of 
 their remorse for past transgressions ; and, dismiss- 
 ing his attendants, he gave his brethren a token, 
 which none but Masons are possessed of, and said, 
 " I am Joseph your brother ! Doth my father yet 
 live?" Their fears and compunction were only 
 equalled by their astonishment at finding Joseph in 
 such an exalted situation, after having represented 
 him as dead for the space of twenty-two years. In 
 the true spirit of Masonry, Joseph gave them the 
 right hand of fellowship, dispelled their apprehen- 
 sions, and administered comfort, by assuring them 
 that he harboured no resentment for what they had 
 done, because he considered them as instruments in 
 the hands of a superintending Providence, to save 
 them from perishing with hunger. 
 
 They were invited, with their father and his 
 whole family, consisting of seventy persons, to re- 
 side in Egypt ; and Thusimares gave them an ex- 
 clusive province of his empire for their habitation, 
 where they continued to practise the rites of their 
 religion in peace and harmony, under the direction 
 of the venerable patriarch Jacob, until the time of 
 his death ; which event took place about seventeen 
 years after he had settled in the land of Goshen. 
 
 The brethren of Joseph, fearing lest the hitherto
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 199 
 
 stifled emotions of resentment should burst forth 
 and accomplish their destruction, now they were 
 left unprotected by the sanction of their father's 
 presence, despatched an embassy, soliciting pardon 
 and forgiveness. Joseph's reply was correspondent 
 with the education he had received. Reminding 
 them of the sacred principles in which they had been 
 nurtured, he assured them that those principles 
 were too firmly rooted in his heart to permit him to 
 return evil for evil. He advised them to persevere 
 in the worship of Him who created and governs the 
 world ; and while they relied on that Grand Pillar 
 for protection, they need not dread any interruption 
 from him, or from the people of that land over 
 which he held the viceroyalty. 
 
 Joseph retained his dignity eighty years, during 
 the reigns of four successive monarchs, and died 
 at the advanced age of one hundred and ten years, 
 regretted both by prince and people for his unparal- 
 leled wisdom and universal philanthropy. He stu- 
 died the best interests of the people, as connected 
 with the prosperity of the crown ; was distinguished 
 as an eminent legislator, in a land celebrated for 
 its excellence in the science of legislation; and 
 raised Egypt to a rank in the scale of nations which 
 it had never before attained. 
 
 A ft i t the <l<';itli of .Joseph, the Israelites re- 
 mained in Egypt until they became so numerous 
 that the inhabitants began to entertain apprehen- 
 sions for their owe Bafety ; for the miseries their 
 ancestors had suffered under the Pastors' [ron K<>d 
 gave them a fearful presentiment of what might be 
 their own unhappy lot if the Israelites should rebels
 
 •JOO ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 and bring them under subjection to their authority. 
 The lawless hand of power was therefore raised 
 against the unhappy descendants of Jacob. Heavy 
 burdens were imposed, in hopes that their numbers 
 might be reduced, and their spirits broken, by de- 
 grading employments and rigorous exactions. Dis- 
 tinguished by a difference of apparel, as a badge of 
 slavery, 20 they were compelled to work at public 
 buildings, and actually fortified Pelusium, and con- 
 structed the cities of Raamses and Pi thorn. 21 These 
 oppressive measures, however, were productive of 
 much benefit to the Israelites ; for their native 
 genius being thus brought into action, they acquired 
 a competent knowledge of operative architecture ; 
 and by studying the most eminent productions of 
 that people, they became qualified for an indepen- 
 dent inheritance in the promised land. And the 
 knowledge thus acquired was fully displayed in the 
 wilderness, by the construction of a Tabernacle for 
 divine worship, under the direction of Aholiab and 
 Bezaleel. 
 
 But the more the children of Israel were afflicted, 
 the more they multiplied and grew. 22 To accom- 
 plish the utter destruction of this race of people, 
 therefore, the king issued an edict, commanding all 
 the male children of the Hebrews to be cast into 
 
 20 Eupol. in Euseb. de Pnep. Evan. 
 
 21 Josephus says, the Israelites were wrought beyond their 
 strength. They not only made brick, but were employed to dig 
 trenches and ditches to hold the water during the inundations of 
 the river ; they also built cities and pyramids. (Jos. Ant. 1, 2, 
 c. 5.) 
 
 88 Exod. i. 12.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 2( 1 1 
 
 the river, for they did not fear any danger from the 
 other sex. The Jewish females being fairer than 
 the Egyptian women, and excelling in the arts of 
 spinning and needle-work, thev were preserved to 
 minister to the pleasures and to conduce to the 
 emolument of their unfeeling masters. 23 
 
 About this period, Jochabed, the wife of Amram, 
 the grandson of Levi, Mas delivered of a male child ; 
 and dreading the consequences of that cruel decree 
 which devoted her son to death, contrived for the 
 space of three months to secrete him from public 
 observation ; but when she was certain that a dis- 
 covery must inevitably take place, " she took for 
 him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime 
 and with pitch, and put the child therein ; and she 
 laid it in the flags by the river's brink," 2 * and with 
 many prayers left him to the direction of Providence. 
 He was discovered by Thermutis, the daughter of 
 the king of Egypt, who was fascinated with the 
 child, as the most divine beauty beamed in his 
 countenance. 23 She took him under her immediate 
 protection, and named him Moses, from the cirenm- 
 stance of his miraculous preservation, the word beino- 
 derive*! either from mos, water, and iscs, saved;-" or 
 from massah, to draw out.' 7 Thermutis, under the 
 
 direction of an especial providence, placed him under 
 
 the care <»r lii^ own mother, and. .-it a proper age, 
 removed him thence, and educated him as her own 
 -mi. Under the guardianship of the priests, he was 
 instructed in all the learning of Egypt, and attained 
 
 Pereriua. 4 Bxod. u. •;. Acl - mi. 20. 
 
 Jos. Ant. I. j. .-. u. Oaiander.
 
 202 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 considerable proficiency in the sacred mysteries of 
 their religion. 28 
 
 Thus prepared for the extraordinary service to 
 which he was afterwards called by the Almighty, 
 he became the admiration of Pharaoh and his court. 
 Having no male issue, the king solemnly pronounced 
 Moses as his successor to the throne of Egypt ; but, 
 being now made acquainted with his extraction, and 
 with the peculiar circumstances which introduced 
 him to the daughter of Pharaoh, he declined this 
 distinguished honour, in full expectation of the 
 deliverance of Israel : for God had promised to 
 give them possession of the land of Canaan, in the 
 fourth generation after their entrance into Egypt, 
 which was accomplished in the person of Moses : 
 for Levi was the son of Jacob, Kohath of Levi, 
 Amram of Kohath, and Moses of Am ram. The 
 specified period of four hundred and thirty years 
 from Abraham's first arrival in Canaan being also 
 nearly expired, 29 Moses was induced to hope for the 
 speedy performance of the divine promise. 
 
 Destined to purify Masonry and religion from the 
 
 28 And there can be no doubt but the Egyptians were a very- 
 learned and intelligent people. Moses was instructed in the 
 seven liberal sciences ; a knowledge of hieroglyphics, as Aristeus 
 says ; and in all the abstruse mysteries of their religion. 
 
 2 9 St. Paul correctly computes this period of 430 years, from 
 the promise made to Abraham, to the promulgation of the law by 
 Moses ; thus, — 
 
 From the promise to the birth of Jacob 85 years 
 
 From thence to their entrance into Egypt 130 
 
 And thence to the Exodus 215 
 
 Making a total of exactly 430 years.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 203 
 
 filth which had accumulated over them in successive 
 generations, many particulars met in him which had 
 distinguished the most holy men of old. Enoch was 
 the seventh generation from Adam ; Moses was the 
 seventh from Abraham. Enoch walked with God, 
 and Moses had several personal conferences with 
 the same Great Being. The name of God was 
 revealed to Enoch ; so was it also to Moses. Noah 
 was saved in an ark ; so was Moses ; and the same 
 word, tebath, is used alike for both. 
 
 An Egyptian soothsayer had predicted, that a 
 Hebrew child should be born during the reign of 
 the present monarch, who should prove a scourge 
 to the Egyptians, and exalt his own nation to great 
 glory: and this prediction was confirmed to Amram 
 in a vision a short time before the birth of Moses. 
 When he came to man's estate, after having received 
 a princely education, he displayed the most brilliant 
 talents, both as a legislator and a warrior: his intre- 
 pidity and personal bravery, his coolness and conduct 
 in the midst of danger, excited the envy of the 
 Egyptian princes; and the same soothsayer unhesi- 
 tatingly pronounced Moses to be the person who 
 should bring destruction upon Egypt. A confede- 
 racy was formed against him, and his death was 
 clamorously demanded, a- a sacrifice t<> the welfare 
 of their country; bui tin- influence of Thermutis 
 was sufficient to preserve him from tin- open ma- 
 chinations of h i> enemies, and it was onlj by the 
 exercise • >(' the most consummate policy (hat the 
 lung was at length prevailed on t<> consent to Ins 
 death, when a plausible pretext Bhould arise t" 
 justifj thai cruel measure.
 
 •204 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 This pretext soon arrived. The chief study and 
 employment of Moses was to relieve his Hebrew 
 brethren from the burdens imposed by their un- 
 feeling task-masters;"' and by his exalted situation 
 and high authority he was enabled to render them 
 the most essential services. One day he witnessed a 
 transaction which elicited his personal resentment : 
 he beheld an Egyptian overseer wantonly punish 
 one of his countrymen on the slightest provocation, 
 Moses immediately drew his sword in defence of 
 natural justice, and succeeded in slaying the tyran- 
 nical Egyptian, whose body he buried in the sand, 
 and hoped the transaction was unobserved, as it 
 would subject him to the vengeance of the king, 
 whose servant he had slain. The circumstance was, 
 however, reported at court, with many aggravations, 
 
 30 The contrast between the Egyptians and Hebrews would tend 
 to augment their dissatisfaction. For while the latter were op- 
 pressed, starved, scourged, and compelled to labour like beasts of 
 burden, the former " neglected nothing which could tend to pro- 
 mote festivity ; — music, songs, dancing, feats of agility, and 
 games of chance, filled up the interval between the coming of 
 the guests and the serving of the feast. Visitors of high rank 
 arrived in palanquins or chariots, escorted by numerous attend- 
 ants, some of whom acted the part of running footmen, as was 
 once the fashion in England. Wine and some light confections 
 were served up before dinner, and the guests were entertained 
 with music and dancing until the tables were set. In general, 
 there was a separate table or tray laid before every guest, and 
 the number and variety of dishes were proportioned to the rank 
 of each. This helps to explain a curious circumstance in the 
 account of the entertainment given by Joseph to his brethren, on 
 their second visit to the Egyptian court : — And he took and sent 
 messes unto them from before him ; but Benjamin's mess was 
 five times so much as any of theirs." (Taylor, ut supra, p. 1G9.)
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 205 
 
 and Moses was ordered into custody. An early in- 
 telligence of liis danger convinced Moses that lie 
 
 could only obtain safety by flight ; he therefore 
 took refuge in the land of Midian, where he was 
 soon distinguished by Jethro, its prince or priest. 31 
 
 Moses had been initiated into the spurious Free- 
 masonry of the Egyptians, to which privilege he 
 was entitled by his adopted relation to the royal 
 family. It was during a series of discourses on the 
 nature and tendency of these mysteries with Jethro, 
 who had acquired a competent knowledge of their 
 design and end in the course of his education for 
 the priesthood, at the celebrated College of Mem- 
 phis, that Jethro became convinced of the divine 
 appropriation of Moses to the accomplishment of 
 some important undertaking. This belief was much 
 strengthened by the miraculous manner in which 
 the mysterious rod of Adam was placed in his 
 hands, by whose apparent agency he wrought all his 
 miracles in Egypt. Encouraged by these super- 
 natural tokens of a divine interference, Jethro gave 
 Moses his daughter Zipporah in marriage, and com- 
 municated to him, as the last and best endowment 
 
 31 The legendary account of Moses's escape is thus given by 
 Jewish Rabbins. When it was discovered that be bad killed the 
 Egyptian, he was apprehended and brought before Pharaoh, who 
 demanded tin- reason of thai act of violence towards one of bis 
 servants in the discharge of his duty. Moses boldly avowed its 
 
 • . and undauntedly declared that he bad hut inflicted due 
 
 punishment on a notorious and tyrannical offender. Exasperated 
 
 at so open an avowal of guilt, Pharaoh condemned him to imme- 
 diate death; but the executioner was, -truck with hlindm - and 
 Pharaoh with idiocy, BO that he had no pOWei to prevent the 
 
 escape of his prisoner, who fled into the land of Midian.
 
 20(j ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 he could bestow, the sublime secrets of Masonry, 
 which opened the understanding of Moses to things 
 of far superior import, and infinitely preferable to 
 any thing inculcated in the mysteries of idolatry. 
 These secrets pointed, not only to one God, the 
 Creator, but to the true method of rendering a ser- 
 vice acceptable to Him ; not only to a future state 
 of rewards and punishments, but to the way by 
 which reward may be attained and punishment 
 avoided. By this science Jethro, in the midst of an 
 idolatrous nation, was enlightened with the truth, 
 and performed services approved of God. 
 
 At the end of forty years God vouchsafed to 
 Moses a direct testimony of his approbation, by 
 inspiring him with a perfect knowledge of that 
 science which inculcates, as the chief excellence of 
 man, piety and devotion to God. He resided with 
 Jethro in the humble capacity of a shepherd. Such 
 is the mutability of human life, that Moses, holding 
 the exalted rank of a prince and leader in a dig- 
 nified and powerful nation, was now obliged to em- 
 brace a profession which he had been taught to 
 consider highly dishonourable, if not an absolute 
 abomination. 32 He appears to have relinquished 
 all expectations of deliverance, after a suspense of 
 forty years' duration, and had probably given up the 
 idea of again visiting the Israelites in Egypt, as he 
 had been rejected from all share of temporal go- 
 vernment among them. 
 
 Employed in his usual avocation of tending his 
 father's sheep, he drove them to the back side of the 
 
 32 Gen. xlvi. :i4.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 207 
 
 desert, and came to the Mount of Horeb, which, by 
 an ancient tradition, was considered the peculiar 
 residence of God on earth, and was, therefore, re- 
 garded by the inhabitants of Midian with such a 
 high degree of reverence, that they dared not to 
 approach it on any occasion. To this solitary and 
 unfrequented spot Moses often resorted for the pur- 
 poses of study and contemplation. At the foot of 
 the mountain Moses one dav was seated, reflecting 
 on the wonderful works of God, when, raising him- 
 self from the musing posture in which he had been 
 placed, he beheld a particular bush burning with 
 fire, without any visible appearance of decay. The 
 traditionary accounts of the mountain immediately 
 recurred to his recollection, and he felt some symp- 
 toms of alarm ; but, confiding in the integrity of his 
 heart, he approached the spot with awe and reve- 
 rence. Here, after being taught how to advance 
 without polluting holy ground, God revealed himself 
 to Moses, and instructed him in some significant 
 ceremonies, which are still used in our Lodges: here 
 he communicated to him HIS SACRED NAME, 
 inspired him to work miracles, taught him the mira- 
 culous powers which he had vested in the rod. com- 
 missioned him to mirage his brother Aaron as an 
 associate, gave him a new bign or token, and sent 
 him forth as an authorized minister of I lis divine 
 will and pleasure, to displaj the almighty power 
 of God in the land of Buperstition, t<» deliver his 
 people from the galling and oppressive yoke of 
 Egyptian Blavery, and directed him, when the Is- 
 raelites had escaped from the tyrannj of Egypt, to 
 offer hi> firel sacrifice on that holv mountain.
 
 *J()S ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 An unshaken confidence was thus excited iu the 
 mind of Moses of the superiority of the true God 
 over the Egyptian deities, and nothing but this 
 confidence could have induced him to return into 
 Egypt, on so vast and dangerous an undertaking, 
 and in the face of every impeding obstacle. But 
 the prescribed period of their captivity being now 
 expired, Moses, nothing doubting but God was able 
 to perform the promise made to Abraham, ventured 
 into the presence of Pharaoh with a certain assu- 
 rance of success. 
 
 Such is a general view of the transactions which 
 took place at the mission of Moses ; but as a 
 divine communication was at this time made, 
 which unequivocally assimilates Masonry with reli- 
 gion, it may be useful to take a more minute view 
 of the circumstances attending this important 
 event. 
 
 Horeb and Sinai were two eminences on the 
 same mountain, which was celebrated for seven par- 
 ticular transactions, connected with the great deli- 
 verance from Egyptian bondage. 1. The vision of 
 the Burning Bush. 2. The opening of the Holy 
 Lodge. 3. The drawing forth water by a stroke 
 of Moses's rod. 4. The elevation of Moses's hands, 
 while the children of Israel, under the command of 
 Joshua, vanquished the Amalekites. 5. The deli- 
 very of the law amidst thunderings and lightnings 
 and noises. 6. Here Moses fasted forty days and 
 forty nights, and, on his return, found the people 
 performing the idolatrous ceremonies of Egypt, and 
 brake the two tables of stone containing the deca- 
 logue, or moral law. And, 7. Here the ceremonial
 
 FREE-MASONRY. *2< )! I 
 
 law was delivered, as well as the pattern and dimen- 
 sions of the tabernacle. 
 
 This mountain was covered with shrubs, or bushes, 
 
 called seneh, which arc described as being full of 
 strong thorns, and so thick that a bird can scarcely 
 penetrate through them ; and hence it is said to 
 have derived the name of Sinai. 33 One of these 
 bushes Mose*. discovered en fire, and his philosophy 
 ci mid not account for a phenomenon so contrary to 
 the established laws of nature. The essential pro- 
 perties of fire are to burn and give light ; but God, 
 by a supernatural exertion of His power, took away 
 its destroying quality ; and hence, though the bush 
 actually burned with fire, yet it was not consumed. 
 Thus the only essential property that remained was 
 LUX, or light; a type of that true worship which 
 was now about to be placed on so strong a basis, 
 that no innovations of idolatry would be able to 
 prevail against it. 
 
 Moses drew near to investigate the causes which 
 produced this extraordinary appearance: but lest 
 lie should presume too far, and pollute himself by 
 approaching the Divine presence without due pre- 
 paration, God called to him in a voice which the 
 Hebrews think bore a striking resemblance to that 
 of Amram, his father, "'Moses, Moses!' And he 
 said, 'Here am I.' And he said, 'Draw not nigh 
 hither: put oil' thy Bhoee from oil" thy feet; 8 * for 
 
 33 IVnriu-. 
 
 ■ J. pri ts, whether Jewish or heathen, always approached 
 i Deity with their feet uncovered; and r<<h\'j barefoot was a 
 ngn of sorrow and contrition of heart. (2 Sam. \\- 30.) Ami 
 
 their desolation by taking off their 
 shoes. I I-:'i- NX- 2. )
 
 210 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.' "35 
 The custom of taking off the slides, among the 
 Hebrews, signified the ratification of a bargain, or 
 contract, wherein all right to a possession Mas 
 yielded up, or renounced ; but this command was 
 issued to Moses, that by obedience he might shew 
 his veneration for a place sanctified by the imme- 
 diate presence of God. Moses immediately took 
 his shoes from off his feet, and placed his hand hi jure 
 his eyes, 36 as a sign of sympathetic reverence and 
 humility. 
 
 The Almighty, by the same voice issuing from 
 the flame, declared that the time was at length 
 arrived Avhen, with a mighty hand and with an 
 outstretched arm, he would deliver his persecuted 
 people from slavery, and give them possession of 
 the land of Canaan, as he had promised his servant 
 Abraham ; and that he should intrust to him the 
 conduct of the Israelites in their escape. Moses 
 professed a ready obedience to the commands of 
 God ; but entertained some doubts of his ability to 
 accomplish so great an undertaking, particularly as 
 the Israelites had rejected his mediation before his 
 departure from Egypt. But God furnished him 
 with a sign, that the captive people would not only 
 accept his interference, but also that his efforts for 
 their deliverance, sanctioned by His Divine authority 
 and protected by His power, should be crowned 
 with success. He commanded Moses to cast his 
 rod upon the ground, which, to his surprise and 
 terror, became a serpent, and, elevating its hissing 
 crest, assumed a posture of immediate attack. Moses 
 
 35 Exod. iii. 4, .'>. 3G Exod. iii. G.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 211 
 
 was directed to take it bv the tail, and it again 
 became a rod in his hand. 
 
 The transformation of Moses' rod into a serpent 
 had a reference to events of the greatest importance 
 to man. As our first parents were beguiled by the 
 devil in the form of a serpent, so that miraculous 
 rod, which had its origin in the garden of Eden, 
 and is supposed by the Jewish Rabbins to have 
 been one of the ten things created on the evening 
 of the first Sabbath, was changed into a serpent, as 
 a sign to confirm the promise of delivering a select 
 portion of their posterity from Egyptian bondage. 
 This rod also referred to the mighty work about to 
 be accomplished in Egvp* : for as the rod of Moses' 
 government was fearful as the attack of a serpent 
 to the Egyptians, so it was a sceptre of righteous- 
 ness to the children of Israel. It was called the 
 rod of God, 37 and used by Aaron in Egypt, and 
 by Moses in the wilderness. It was a sign of the 
 divine authority, and a visible demonstration of 
 (ind'v power; ' ; used to confound the pretended 
 skill of the magicians, to show the Omnipotence of 
 the Deity, and to humble the pride of Pharaoh, 
 when he beheld mighty wonders wrought by so 
 apparently contemptible an agent as a Bhepherd's 
 staff. 39 But, above all, this rod metamorphosed was 
 a type of Christ's death, to which indeed all Masonry 
 ultimate!]) points; for as 1>\ a serpent death came 
 into the world, so by the death of the Son of God 
 the Berpent, or Satan, was fully vanquished and 
 trodden under foot. Thus Moses lilted up the 
 
 Exod. iv. •_"). Pellican. 
 
 Sinclair. 
 i' 2
 
 212 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 serpent in the wilderness, that as many as looked 
 on it might be healed of the wounds inflicted by 
 fiery serpents for their disobedient murmurings ; 
 
 and the death of Christ upon the cross, thus typi- 
 fied, was to deliver us from sin and death, and to 
 be a full satisfaction and atonement for the sins of 
 all mankind. 40 
 
 To give Moses a further assurance of his power 
 and protection, God commanded him to put his 
 hand into his bosom, which by that simple act con- 
 tracted a supernatural leprosy; but soon became 
 sound and healthy as the other. A small quantity 
 of water was also changed into blood at the word of 
 God. The astonishment of Moses was somewhat 
 allayed, and his faith confirmed by the assurance 
 that he should perform the same and greater 
 miracles in the land of Egypt, to induce Pharaoh 
 to set his captive brethren at liberty. 
 
 As a concluding confirmation of his mission, 
 Moses required to know in whose name he was to 
 
 40 The Talmudists say that Moses became possessed of this 
 rod in a very extraordinary manner. Walking one day in 
 Jethro's garden, and conversing with the priest of Midian about 
 the misery of the children of Israel in Egypt, he remarked a 
 peculiar staff which was set up in the garden without any visible- 
 design ; and, inquiring its use, attempted to take it up. In this 
 he succeeded, very much to the surprise of Jethro, as no one had 
 been hitherto able to remove it from the place where it had been 
 involuntarily planted. Moses took possession of the rod, after 
 Jethro had explained all the particulars relative to its preservation 
 from the time of Adam ; and it was directed by the Almighty, to 
 be used as the apparent agent of all his miracles. It was changed 
 into a serpent three several times. First at Horeb ; again in the 
 land of Goshen, before the congregation of the elders ; and lastly 
 in the court of Pharaoh.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 213 
 
 demand the liberation of the Israelites ; and the 
 Almighty condescended to reveal to him that awful 
 name which makes the pillars of the earth tremble. 
 This tremendous word is nirv ; translated, I AM 
 THAT I AM. 41 
 
 St. Jerome says 48 that there are several names 
 given to God in Scripture, but none is more ex- 
 pressive of his attributes than the name mn\ He is 
 called Elohim, 43 because he is strong-, mighty, and 
 powerful. Sabaotii, 44 or the God of Hosts. Elion, 45 
 Most High. Eheie or EI,*' from his eternal and 
 self-existent being. El Siiaddai, 47 Omnipotent.' 
 And Jah, 49 a contraction of Jehovah. The true 
 pronunciation of this word is said to have been lost 
 during the Babylonish Captivity. The Jews ab- 
 stained from using it on any occasion ; and sub- 
 stituted in its stead the word Adonai ; not only 
 from the dread of profanation, but because its use 
 was forbidden in the Levitical law, 50 under heavy 
 penalties. 
 
 41 "This name, as the fountain and root," say the Rabbins, 
 " produces all others, and itself is derived from none." It is said 
 in B* n -hit Raba, Yatcut, and other Jewish writings, to he one 
 of the highest names ; and was taught by the priests and wise 
 
 i. once in » v ii yean, to their equals in piety and virtue, from 
 
 the pronunciation of it being extremely difficult and secret. 
 
 < 2 Bpifl. L36 ad. Mareell. * J Gen. i. 
 
 «« Ps. lix. 5. "' (hn. xiv. 22. 
 
 «'• Exod. iii. 11- « 7 (nn. xvii. 1. 
 
 ■*" The Jewish doctora a--' rt that Jehovah is a nami of cle 
 iiieuev, hut Elohim i- a name of judgment. 
 
 ^ I*-. l.wiii. 4. "o Levit. xxiv. 16. 
 
 it though the Hebrews wen- bo particularly tenacious ol 
 this name, the idolatroui nation- becanv possi i d "i [[ , used it 
 1 1 in lii everj variation, and even inscribed ii on theii tempi*
 
 H 14 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 The name of God, here given to Moses, is well 
 expressed by St. John the Evangelist in his book of 
 Revelation, and clearly points out the eternity of 
 the godhead, and embraces unlimited and intermina- 
 ble space. It is termed by St. Augustine, nomen 
 incommutabilitatis, and shews God's perfections of 
 wisdom, omnipotence, and goodness. The first from 
 the incomprehensible excellence of the scheme of 
 man's redemption; the second in the power by 
 
 The great portal of the Egyptian temples was inscribed, Ego 
 Sum omne, quod fuit, quod est, quodque futurum est. / am, 
 whatsoever tvas, and is, and is to come. In the Temple of Apollo 
 at Delphos was written the essential name of God, EI. Plutarch 
 has written a book on this word, and determines its signification 
 to be, "the eternal and self-existent Being, who is denominated 
 God." The heathen nations, even at the most deplorable period 
 of their idolatry, uniformly asserted the superiority of some one 
 God above the rest, to whom they attributed the most perfect 
 attributes, and gave this sacred and comprehensive appellation. 
 It was a custom amongst these people, derived from the very 
 earliest times, to keep inviolably secret such names as were con- 
 sidered sacred. In the books which Thoth or Hermes left behind 
 him, these remarkable words are said to be found : " Wilt thou 
 see and behold the Deity ? Consider the sun, the moon, and the 
 course and order of the stars. His name is unspeakable ; incom- 
 municable : let Him be adored in silence!" In the city of 
 Rome a certain name was held in such reverence, by the com- 
 mand of the gods as was pretended, that for want of use it be- 
 came lost, and is not now known ; and a person named Marenus 
 Soranus was condemned to torture and death for having inciden- 
 tally pronounced it. (Solinus in Polyhist. de Roma. c. i.) Demo- 
 yorgon, an appellation given to the supreme God of the Gentiles, 
 was considered ineffable ; and it was believed that the whole 
 earth would tremble if that name were uttered. Erito, the sor- 
 ceress, to command the obedience of evil spirits, threatens to 
 pronounce this terrible name, as a potent charm which would 
 shake hell itself to the centre. (Lucan de Bel. Civ. 1. 6, \ I. 8.)
 
 FREE-MASONRY 
 
 215 
 
 which he is able as well as willing' to execute and 
 perform every gracious promise for man's benefit ; 
 and the third from the revelation of that beautiful 
 system of faith and practice whereby he enables 
 man to work out his own salvation. It declares his 
 infinity, and shews his immutability, being always 
 the same, without beginning and without end. 
 
 te 
 
 The ancient Jews discerned the mystery of tl__ 
 trinity in this name; * Jod, signifying the Father, 
 the first and only self-existent Being: n //>, the 
 Son: and ' Van, the Holt? Ghost, as proceeding 
 IV. i in the Father and the Son. It was composed 
 of three sorts of letters only, though denominated 
 7'/ tragrammaton ; for the letter n He recurs twice. 
 and was thoughl to have a mysterious reference to 
 the two distinct natures of Christ, the divine and
 
 21 G ANTIQUITIES OP 
 
 human. 58 This name was considered of so sublime 
 a nature as to be incommunicable; and is expressly 
 asserted to be so by Josephus." This belief might 
 originate in a dread lest the name should be pro- 
 faned bv the surrounding idolaters: who, notwith- 
 standing every precaution, gained a knowledge of it, 
 and designated their chief god by its corruption, 
 law, Iouo/a, &c. ; for it could not be expressed in 
 other lan<i'iuu>'es without circumlocution. Tt was 
 believed also that God created the world by this 
 letter n He, which is, in reality, the Word, or Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 This word or name was thought of such a mys- 
 terious construction that none but an inspired per- 
 son could pronounce it. 54 Many virtues were ascribed 
 to the letters which compose it; and to its possessor 
 
 52 " It is stated in the book of Zoar, that all creatures are de- 
 picted by this divine name. Look at man, and you will see that 
 the head has the form of ' ; the five fingers of the right hand, the 
 first n ; the five fingers of the left, the other n : and the line of 
 the body between them, the 1. Observe also the eagle. The 
 head is the ' ; the two wings are the two n's ; and the body in 
 the centre, the 1 ; by which they affirm that there is no animal or 
 plant in which the Ineffable Name is not depicted." (Concil. vol. 
 i. p. 111.) 
 
 53 Jos. Ant. 1. 2, c. 5. 
 
 54 Various reasons have been assigned for this opinion. Some 
 think that the right pronunciation was lost during the Babylonish 
 captivity, along with the purity of the Hebrew tongue. Others 
 say that its pronunciation was impracticable, because the letters 
 which compose it make no perfect sound. The fact is, that as 
 the Name of God was forbidden to be lightly or irreverently used, 
 the Jews, even in the reading of their Scriptures, substituted 
 another word for it ; and thus, in the course of time, the correct 
 pronunciation became doubtful.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 217 
 
 was attributed the power of working miracles and 
 curing inveterate diseases. 53 
 
 In a subsequent revelation, God said to Moses, 
 " I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto 
 Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my 
 name Jehovah was I not known unto them." 56 And 
 yet in Jacob's vision of the ladder God revealed to 
 him his name, as he had before done to his fore- 
 fathers Abraham and Isaac ; " I am Jehovah, the 
 God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. "57 
 And we have the most satisfactory evidence to prove 
 that this was the same name which God revealed to 
 Adam, and afterwards to Enoch. Shuckford savs. 
 with his usual penetration, "Our English transla- 
 tion of the latter part of the 3rd verse of the Cth 
 chapter of Exodus, ' but by my name Jehovah was 
 I not known unto them,' is undoubtedly a faulty 
 
 55 Hence the Jews urged against our Saviour, that this word 
 had been deposited in the Temple, and was guarded by two lions; 
 that it was placed there by Solomon at the erection of the first 
 Temple ; had remained undiscovered at the destruction of that 
 edifice by Nebuchadnezzar ; was not found at the building of the 
 second Temple by Zerubbabel ; and after remaining hid for more 
 than a thousand years, Jesus closed up the lion's mouths by 
 some power inherent in himself ; and furtively conveyed it 
 thence ; and that it was by the use of this omnipotent, all-power- 
 ful word, that his miracle-- were performed ! Thia is, however, 
 little more than an idle fancy. The sons of Sccva could perform 
 nothing by the use of thia word, though they had lull confidence 
 in its efficacy. (Acts iii. Hi.) The miracles of Jesua were nol 
 the effecta of an extraordinary arrangement <>i" letters into a word ; 
 but because he waa himself Jehovah, the lord and giver of life and 
 light to tin human race; for tin- same Being thai created the 
 universe, could alter it- course when the welfare of In- peopli 
 demanded •> aupt rnatural < x< rtion of his power. 
 
 Bxod. vi. X '' 7 (it n. \.\viii. 1 .;.
 
 218 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 translation; not rightly expressing what Moses 
 intended in this place. The best and most ac- 
 curate writers have remarked, that the latter part 
 of the verse should be read interrogatively, thus: 
 'by my name Jehovah was I not known unto 
 them?' If we take the sentence interrogatively, 
 every one will see that it plainly intimates that the 
 Lord had revealed himself to them by this name ; 
 which is agreeable to Moses' account of Abraham, 
 I suae, and Jacob's knowledge and worship of the 
 Deity : but to take the words without the interro- 
 gation, and suppose them to intend that the Lord 
 who appeared to Abraham was not known to him, 
 to Isaac, and to Jacob by his name Jehovah, cannot 
 be reconciled to some very express passages in the 
 book of Genesis." 58 
 
 The covenant with Abraham might be liable to 
 misconstruction, because he was the father of the 
 Ishmaelites, and other nations founded by the sons 
 of Keturah ; it was therefore renewed to Isaac. 
 But Isaac was the father of Esau, who founded the 
 nation of the Edomites ; and therefore the promise 
 was confirmed to Jacob, who was the father only of 
 the Twelve Tribes of Israel. These distinctions 
 were pointed out to Moses at the Burning Bush, as 
 an incentive to undertake the deliverance of the 
 Hebrews ; who, he was there assured, were God's 
 peculiar people, notwithstanding their present mi- 
 serable and degraded situation. 
 
 Moses having obtained the blessing of Jethro, 
 returned into Egypt, and found it governed by 
 Amenophis, a prince with whom he was unac- 
 
 58 Connect, book 9.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 219 
 
 qnainted; agreeably to the information which God 
 had given him at the bush. By the divine com- 
 mand Aaron met Moses in the wilderness, and 
 received the joyful intelligence that the hour of 
 deliverance was at hand. In obedience to the com- 
 mand of God, 59 Moses delivered to him that mira- 
 culous Rod, 60 as a token of his appropriation also to 
 the accomplishment of this great work ; which wa& 
 to end in their complete triumph, and the destruc- 
 tion of the Egyptian army, as intimated to Abraham 
 more than four hundred years before. 61 
 
 Aaron was an able rhetorician: and on this ac- 
 count was selected to be the associate of Moses, who 
 had pleaded his own imperfection of speech as most 
 unlikely to make an impression on the King of 
 
 Egypt* 
 
 19 Junius, in Exod. vii. 19. 
 
 00 This Rod was culled holy, not as the Jews imagine, hecausc 
 - four square, with the Tetr a grammaton -written on its sides; 
 but because God commanded Moses to work his miracles by its 
 agency. 
 
 " Gen. xv. 14. 
 
 - This defect is said to have arisen from an ordeal of fire which 
 had been imposed on him in Egypt when but a youth. Pharaoh 
 had selected him, as the adopted son of his daughter Thermutis, 
 to be his successor to the throne of Egypt ; and put the crown 
 upon hi- head as a token of hi- sincerity. Moses removed the 
 crown in haste, cast it on the ground, and trampled on it. (, 
 
 phus.) This action, though committed only by B petulant child, 
 
 astrued by the soothsayers into an evil omen for the na- 
 tion; and they conjured the king, a.- he valued hi- own safety, nr 
 the prosperity of hi> subjects, to put Moses to death. Thermutis 
 pleaded for hi>- life; and proposed to submit bis innocency to 
 any test. The inperstitious custom of trying innocence by ■ 
 ordeal was then in use amongst the Egyptians, and w;i~ 
 instantly applied to Most P< eriui I A red-hot cinder was
 
 220 ANTIQUITIES OK 
 
 Being a man of the greatest meekness and diffi- 
 dence, he u rued this imperfection as an impediment 
 which would doubtless operate to defeat the under- 
 taking, should he assume the arduous office of a 
 deliverer. But God chose him the rather for this 
 defect, that all the honour might be ascribed to 
 himself, and nothing to human exertion. 68 
 
 On their arrival in Egypt, they congregated the 
 heads of the twelve tribes as in a Grand Lodge ; 
 and Moses communicated the extraordinary circum- 
 stances, which produced a mysterious commission to 
 conduct the captive descendants of Jacob into the 
 promised land. The truth of these assertions was 
 proved by the miracles which God had authorized 
 him to perform ; and further evinced his claim to 
 be received amongst them as a deliverer sent in the 
 name of Jehovah. These unequivocal proofs of a 
 divine commission convinced the assembly of the 
 reality of Moses' pretensions ; " and when they 
 heard that the Lord had visited the children of 
 Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, 
 then they bowed their heads and worshipped." 6 * 
 
 Thus commissioned and endowed with super- 
 natural powers, Moses and Aaron appeared before 
 Amenophis, King of Egypt ;" and demanded per- 
 
 introduced into his mouth ; which hurnt the tip of his tongue, 
 and caused him to lisp or stammer in his speech. 
 
 63 Theodoret. 
 
 64 Exod. iv. 31. 
 
 a This king is said by Simlerus to have been the same with 
 Memnon ; whose image, holding a harp, was celebrated for emit- 
 ting sounds of joy at the rising of the sun, and of sorrow at his 
 setting.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 221 
 
 mission for the Israelites to go three days' 68 journey 
 into the wilderness to offer sacrifice to the Lord. 
 This request the king peremptorily denied, though 
 under their peculiar circumstances they were unable 
 to sacrifice in Egypt ; for they sacrificed such ani- 
 mals as the Egyptians worshipped. 67 "Ca?so ariete 
 velut," says Tacitus. " in contumeliam Ammonia : 
 bos quoque immolatur, quern Egyptii Apim eolunt." 
 Lest therefore he should elicit the vengeance of the 
 Egyptians," and bring on an open and violent per- 
 secution, he demanded leave to sacrifice in the wil- 
 derness ; for this tribute of gratitude was due to 
 the Almighty, as an act of religion, on the re- 
 establishment of the covenant. The request was 
 therefore perfectly reasonable, and Moses enforced 
 it in the name of the Lord Jehovah. 
 
 Amenophis evaded the appeal by denying the 
 authority of Jehovah, the God of the Israelites, 
 over him as the king of another people, and under 
 the especial protection of other gods. He there- 
 fore put tlic power of Jehovah to the test : and 
 opposed to it tli<' power <•(' the gods of Egypt. 
 
 A tremendous contest ensued between Moses a^ 
 the agenl of the true God, and the magicians as the 
 agents of the Egyptian gods. Moses, armed with 
 
 66 Pererius refers these three days' journey into the wilderness 
 to the three theological virtues, Faith, Hope, and Chabjtt. 
 " Bxod. viii. 
 
 Prom the monuments we may reasonably conjecture thai 
 
 Bgyptia&f were ;i happy and well-governed people in the 
 
 bing days of Pharaoh, for the artiste have represented the 
 
 popular sports and amusementi "t the lower orders, as well aa 
 
 theif daily occupations." (Taylor, ul supra, |>. 30.)
 
 222 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 that powerful rod which Adam was permitted to 
 take from the tree of knowledge, and which was 
 the acknowledged testimony of his divine commis- 
 sion, wrought in the presence of Pharaoh and his 
 court, at Tanis, an extraordinary miracle, as a proof 
 that his appeal to the God of Israel was not to be 
 slighted with impunity. The rod was cast by Aaron 
 upon the ground, and it immediately became a ser- 
 pent, twining- itself into folds to the consternation 
 of the whole court. Amenophis called for Jannes 
 and Jambres, 69 his magicians, who undertook to 
 
 59 A strange legend about Jannes and Jambres is told by 
 Palladius in his life of Macarius. These magicians, in the midst 
 of a grove of trees, and beside a fountain of water, built a mau- 
 soleum for their own interment, which by magical arts was placed 
 under the protection of evil spirits. Macarius having heard the 
 wonderful stories which were related of this fountain, determined 
 to visit the place, and prove the truth of these reports by ocular 
 demonstration. Having penetrated the external avenues of the 
 grove, he was encountered by seventy devils, who, witli much 
 grimace, threatened to attack him. Without giving way to fear, 
 he recommended himself to God, and these outre spirits of dark- 
 ness vanished away. Coming to the sepulchre, he was met by a 
 gigantic devil with clattering hoofs, and armed with a naked 
 sword, who attempted to drive him back, but without success. 
 Here he saw a brazen bucket, suspended by an iron chain, con- 
 sumed with rust ; and also some pomegranates and other fruit 
 dried up and wasted away. In what manner the enchantment 
 was dissolved, this author does not say ; but it appears unlikely 
 that this legion of tremendous devils would suffer Macarius to 
 explore their secret recesses with impunity, or permit him to 
 depart in safety, unless vanquished by some counter-charm more 
 potent than their own. The truth is : this and similar accounts 
 of the effects of enchantment might be wonderfully amusing in 
 an age of superstition. But these delusions are no more, and it 
 is now clearly understood and universally admitted, that no 
 miracle affecting the constituted order of things, has ever been
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 2'2?> 
 
 perform the same miracle. But the serpent of 
 Moses displayed his superiority by devouring the 
 serpents of the magicians. 70 Yet the king, confident 
 in the power of these men, and the knowledge he 
 had himself acquired of the mysteries of their reli- 
 gion, did not feel inclined to make any acknow- 
 ledgment derogatory to the homage due to his own 
 national gods ; or concession to a power, which, as 
 the tutelary deity of another people, and that peo- 
 ple his slaves, he held in the most sovereign eon- 
 tempt. To correct this error, God directed Moses 
 to stretch his rod over the waters of Egypt, which 
 should thus be turned into blood, and engender such 
 prodigious quantities of frogs, that the whole land of 
 Egypt should be infested. But these miracles being 
 also imitated by the enchanters, Pharaoh was con- 
 firmed in his hardihood, and positively refused to let 
 the children of Israel go. 
 
 The great superstition of Egypt was a belief in 
 judicial astrology and natural magic. 71 Tt was held 
 that the stare possessed a secret and potential in- 
 fluence over human ail'airs, and that every studious 
 man. deeply read in the mysteries of nature, as 
 Moses was known to be, might direct these in- 
 fluences at pleasure to produce any extraordinary 
 
 performed, from the creation of the world, by the assistance or 
 i n tervention of evil spirit*, without an especial commission from 
 on high. 
 
 l ■ ptian serpent* were a delusion of the devil, u 
 
 Justin Martyr >:u«l, tpectantium oculis prastigiaa offundebant, 
 
 1 Trismegistus said (Pymand. Arclep. 14.0 thai the Egyptian 
 
 d the art of constructing d< iti< b, or imag< a endued 
 
 with intelligence, which predicted future events, and interpreted 
 
 dreams,
 
 224 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 effect out of the common course of things. Hence 
 the King of Egypt required some more decisive 
 proofs of a divine interference, before he would 
 consent to relinquish so great a source of profit 
 and gratification as was afforded by his Israel it isli 
 slaves ; and persisted in his determination not to 
 set them free, until his whole nation was almost 
 depopulated and destroyed by a succession of deso- 
 lating judgments. He was willing to enter into a 
 compromise with Moses, under the immediate in- 
 fluence of his sufferings ; and promised to allow the 
 Israelites permission to sacrifice in Egypt, according 
 to the rites of their own religion, but would not 
 consent to let them depart into the wilderness. He 
 frequently relented, indeed, and cried out, "I have 
 sinned against the Lord ! The Lord is righteous, 
 and I and my people are wicked !" But his repent- 
 ance disappeared with the evil ; and it was not till 
 the whole land of Egypt felt the blow in their fami- 
 lies, that he consented to their departure. 
 
 The plagues inflicted on the Egyptians were of 
 such a nature as to point directly to the sacred 
 objects of their worship. In the opinion of Plia- 
 raoh the contest was between the tutelary deity of 
 the Hebrews, and his own national gods ; it was 
 therefore a righteous display of God's justice, to 
 shew the fallacy of his reliance on objects of worship 
 which were unable to protect themselves against 
 defilement, or the infliction of grievous calamities. 
 
 The first plague was directed against their great 
 god the river Nile ; its sacred waters were turned 
 into blood. There was a great propriety in this 
 dispensation; not only because the Egyptians held
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 225 
 
 that water was the first principle of all things, 7 ' but 
 
 because they paid divine honours to the Nile, and 
 superstitiously adored its inhabitants." Their coun- 
 try was greatly benefited by the annual overflowing 
 
 of this river, which thev conceived was owine to 
 the sacrifice every year performed on its banks in 
 honour of that divinity. Immediately before the ex- 
 pected inundation, solemn processions were formed; 
 the deity of the Nile was invoked with many super- 
 stitions ceremonies ; and, to render him propitious, 
 an immaculate virgin, richly attired and ornamented, 
 was cast into the river, as a sacrifice of atone- 
 ment. 74 
 
 This plague was also a judicial punishment for 
 their cruelty to the Hebrew children ; and served 
 as a fearful token to the Egyptians, that the time 
 was now arrived in which a dreadful retaliation 
 should be inflicted, for all the innocent blood which 
 had been shed in that river. 75 This is plainly re- 
 ferred to by St. John the Evangelist ; 76 and Josephus 
 says, "They who drank of it were afflicted with a 
 violent cholic; whilst to the Hebrews it was per- 
 fectly wholesome." 77 
 
 The second plague with which the Egyptians were 
 troubled, was, swarms of frogs, which came up from 
 
 " Pliilo. 
 
 be Egyptiam were induced to deify their river, because it 
 
 was the author of ;dl their abundance. Their chief dependence 
 
 '.n the Nile, they endeavoured to propitiate it by festivals 
 
 and sacrifices. Tine, the first plague must have been peculiarly 
 
 The ash diedj the waters 'tank, and the Egyptians 
 
 turned from it with disgust and loathing. 
 
 ' Herod. < lb. Lyran. Rev. wi. 6. 
 
 Anl 1. 2, c. 14.
 
 226 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 their sacred river, and filled their streets, their 
 houses, and even climbed up into their bed-rooms. 
 No place was free from thorn. They covered the 
 tables of refreshment, defiled their provisions, and 
 corrupted the water throughout the land of Egypt; 
 so that the very gods they held in veneration became 
 a pest and a nuisance. This terrible affliction pointed 
 also to their unnatural destruction of the innocents 
 in the river Nile, which now sent forth its reptiles 
 in such numbers as almost to destroy the inhabit- 
 ants. 
 
 The third plague of lice referred to Pharaoh's 
 cruelty to the Israelites themselves. He condemned 
 them to perpetual slavery, and that of the vilest 
 and most degrading nature ; to make brick from 
 the dust of the earth, and to erect buildings for his 
 convenience or pleasure. From the dust of the 
 earth, therefore, arose an annoyance, which must 
 convince them of God's power, who could so severely 
 afflict them by the most contemptible creatures. 78 
 This plague was also directed at their habitual clean- 
 liness, and fear of pollution. Herodotus says — 
 " that the Egyptians, and particularly the priests, 
 from a principle of cleanliness, shave every part of 
 their bodies on each third day, to prevent vermin, 
 or other impurity, from remaining about their per- 
 sons." 79 Hence to a people of such peculiar habits 
 and propensities, the plague of lice must have been 
 an evil of the greatest magnitude. 
 
 The fourth plague brought mingled swarms of 
 flies, which not only corrupted the earth, but 
 almost destroyed man and beast. It is supposed 
 
 78 Ps. lxxviii. 46. 79 Euterpe.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. li27 
 
 that they consisted not only of common flies, wasps, 
 gnats, hornets, &c, but also of venomous reptiles, 
 such as scorpions, asps, vipers, &c. The fly in 
 Egypt and Phoenicia received the honours of divine 
 worship : and one of their chief deities was deno- 
 minated Baal Zebub, which signifies the supreme 
 lord of flies. This was, therefore, a grievous judg- 
 ment, as it appeared to come under the sanction of 
 Baal Zebub, on whom they relied for protection from 
 every annoyance of that nature. 
 
 The fifth plague was less personally troublesome 
 to the inhabitants, for it was inflicted on their most 
 powerful gods. The bull, the ox and cow, the 
 sheep and goat. Mere supreme objects of adoration; 
 a murrain ^as, therefore, sent amongst them, to 
 shew the unstable support on which the Egyptians 
 rested : for if their gods could not protect them- 
 selves, much less could they render assistance to 
 their worshippers. 80 
 
 The sixth plague was inflicted on the Egyptians' 
 persons. Moses, by God's command, sprinkled hand- 
 mis of ashes into the air, which immediately formed 
 
 80 " We learn from the monuments, and from history, that the 
 fattening of cattle was extensively practised in the marshes, and 
 that in other places stall feeding was very common. This circum- 
 stance enables us to explain an apparent inconsistency in the 
 history of the ten plagues. We are told that all the cattle 
 of Egypt died in the plague of murrain ; but we read in the same 
 chapter that some cattle were destroyed by the plague of hail. 
 The contradiction vanishes whin we look to the limitation with 
 which tin; plague of murrain was announced; ' Behold, the hand 
 of the Lord is upon thy cuttle which i$ in the "field' The plague, 
 therefore, did not extend to the beasts which wen' in stalls and 
 enclosures, and th< m oonsequi ntlv survived to become the victims 
 of the plague of hail." — (Taylor, p, 48.) 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 a thick white cloud over all the land ; and which. 
 felling on the inhabitants, produced large ulcers, 
 attended with a burning pain, similar to that pro- 
 duced bj the application of a red-hot iron to the 
 naked flesh ; they spread over the whole body, and 
 swelling at length into one massive sore, caused the 
 most excruciating sufferings. 81 This calamity was 
 brought on by means of an agent intended to con- 
 vict the Egyptians of wanton cruelty to their Blaves, 
 for the ashes were taken from the furnace where 
 the Hebrews had been engaged in burning brick. 
 The magicians of Egypt, struck with these grievous 
 boils and blains, now became fully sensible of God's 
 power, and fled from the face of Moses, confessing 
 their inability to cope with him in the art of per- 
 forming miracles. 
 
 The seventh plague was a mighty tempest of 
 hail, 82 rain, thunder, and fire ; which appeared the 
 more dreadful to the inhabitants, as in that country 
 such phenomena were very rarely seen. This judg- 
 ment was directed against their superstitious worship 
 of the elements : for their gods were again converted 
 into ministers of destruction. 83 
 
 81 Philo. 
 
 82 " Such a visitation as the plague of hail must have been 
 wondrous in a land where hail is among the most uncommon 
 of phenomena, and at the same time one of the severest punish- 
 ments that could be inflicted on an agricultural country. The 
 Latins, who were far less dependent upon their harvest than the 
 Egyptians, called every severe affliction, calamitas, a word which 
 primarily signifies a storm, so severe as to break the stalks 
 (calami) of the standing corn." — (Taylor, p. 36.) 
 
 83 " And the flax and the barley was smitten, for the barley 
 was in the ear, and the flax was boiled ; but the wheat and the
 
 FREE-MASON R V . 22J I 
 
 The eighth plague is called the Lord's great 
 army, 84 and consisted of innumerable swarms of 
 locusts, cankerworms, caterpillars, and palmer- 
 worms, which filled their houses, and "covered the 
 face of the whole earth, so that the land Mas 
 darkened : and they did eat every herb of the land, 
 and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had 
 left, and there remained not any green thing in the 
 trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the 
 land of Egypt." 85 Nay, they even bit and killed the 
 inhabitants. 80 
 
 The ninth plague was a thick darkness over the 
 land of Egypt, which completely overwhelmed their 
 chief deity Osiris, or the Sun, which they adored as 
 the fountain of light. This was rendered more dis- 
 tressing by the appearance of horrible apparitions, 
 fearful sights, and Hitting shadows, which haunted 
 them incessantly, night and day. 87 Dreadful noises 
 assailed their ears, as of the roaring of a cataract, 
 the horrible yellings and barkings of wild beasts, 
 the hissing of serpents, and the whistling of winds, 
 succeeded by the melodious voice of birds, and afiffirra- 
 rated by the reproaches of an accusing conscience. 
 The darkness was so thick and palpable, that arti- 
 ficial lights could not penet rate through it; 89 and 
 consequently they were unable either to provide 
 subsistence, or t<> pursue their usual avocations for 
 
 rye were nol smitten, for they were nol grown up." (Exod. ix. 
 81, 82.) Egypt u;i ~ il vu 'y fruitful country, and the land pro- 
 duced a plentiful supply of corn in common seasons, by the over- 
 Sowing of the Nile, with merely a tlight degree "t cultivation by 
 the simple hand-plough. 
 
 • Jo ! ii. 25 Exod. x. 15. '" Wi .1. \n > 
 
 Wiad. xvii. i:.. Ibid. 9,11, 18, 19. Pbilo.
 
 230 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 the space of three days. " They saw not one ano- 
 ther, neither rose any from his place," 90 during this 
 period, which was passed in solitary confinement, 
 under the effects of bodily weakness, occasioned by 
 hunger and thirst, augmented by mental agony from 
 the dread of perishing with hunger, increased by the 
 appalling visions which flitted before their eyes, and 
 made them "swoon away" 91 with apprehension. 
 They who were in the field when the darkness sur- 
 prised them, could not return to their habitation, 
 but remained bound to the spot as with a chain. 92 
 
 During this period of overwhelming darkness, the 
 children of Israel had light in their dwellings ; a 
 striking emblem of that intellectual darkness which 
 overshadowed the heathen world, unblest with the 
 light of truth ; and of the children of the world, 
 who sit down in the region of darkness, and the 
 shadow of death, and reject that light which would 
 lead them to eternal life. So true is that observa- 
 tion of St. John, " The light shineth in darkness, 
 and the darkness comprehended it not." 93 
 
 The rod of Moses was the visible medium by 
 which these miracles were performed ; but lest it 
 should be believed that the virtue was in the rod 
 alone, God directed some of these miracles to be 
 performed without its assistance, and used other 
 agents, to convince mankind that it was only the 
 exertion of his Almighty power which diverted the 
 course of nature, and wrought the miraculous works 
 which preceded the great deliverance. Thus the 
 rod was not used in the fourth, fifth, sixth, ninth, 
 
 9° Exod. x. 23. ° l Wisd. xvii. 19. 
 
 '* Ibid. 17. 93 Johni. 5.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. L'o 1 
 
 and tenth plagues, but other means wore substituted: 
 as ashes in the sixth, the word of Moses in the 
 fourth and fifth, and the stretching forth of his hand 
 in the ninth plague, were sufficient to produce the 
 intended effect. 
 
 In these plagues it is remarkable, that those 
 which proceeded from the earth More produced by 
 the agency of Aaron, and those which came from 
 heaven by the agency of Moses; for which this 
 reason is given: Moses had been constituted Pha- 
 raoh's God, 94 and therefore was made the chief 
 minister to direct the extraordinary appearances of 
 the heavens. 
 
 During the continuance of these plagues, the 
 heart of Amenophis was a prey to the Mildest 
 agitation. Proud and ungovernable, his haughty 
 spirit Mas scarcely subdued by the recurrence of 
 such dreadful afflictions. He savored, he relented, 
 he attempted to compromise; but pride and passion 
 supplying the place of reason, his implacable resent- 
 ment against the supposed authors of his calamities 
 superseded the workings of conscience, and stilled 
 the risings of conviction; and when the < ■ 1 1 '< ■ « - 1 - «<t 
 one judgment were removed, ho dared tin- vengeance 
 of God to inflict another. Ili^ contempt for (ho 
 Almighty at length arose t<> desperation, ami. re- 
 fusing tn comply with the demands of Moses, he 
 commanded him. at tin- peril of his life, to see his 
 face no more. 
 
 God had reserved the mosl terrible displa) of his 
 power and justice \'<>v the tenth ami last plague t<> 
 
 id. vii. I .
 
 '2o'2 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 be inflicted on the Egyptians, and it was conse- 
 quently ushered in with appropriate solemnity. The 
 [sraelites were directed to institute a Passover, 
 which should be kept as a distinguishing rite of 
 their religion, and an everlasting memorial of their 
 deliverance from captivity, by the destruction of 
 the first-born in every family throughout the whole 
 land of Egypt, both of man and beast. Each He- 
 brew family, or ten persons, 95 was commanded to 
 kill a lamb, and to strike the two side posts and 
 upper door post of their dwelling with the blood ; 
 that the destroying angel might pass over the houses 
 thus marked for protection, while engaged in smit- 
 ing the first-born. The lamb was to be eaten in 
 haste, with loins girded, shoes on their feet, and a 
 staff in their hand, ready for immediate departure. 
 The Israelites were strictly commanded to confine 
 themselves to their respective dwellings ; lest, by a 
 promiscuous intercourse with the Egyptians, they 
 should become sharers in their calamity : for though 
 God knew his own people, and could have protected 
 them in any situation, yet he demanded implicit 
 obedience, and rather chose that they should owe 
 their safety to the blood of the Lamb. 
 
 This judgment was the more signal and terrible, 
 as it was inflicted on them immediately after the 
 darkness was removed, and while they were still 
 deeply impressed with the terrors of that visitation. 
 The lamb for the passover was killed on the tenth 
 day of the month, and ordered to be eaten on the 
 fourteenth. The darkness commenced on the ele- 
 
 Jos. de Bel. Jud. 1. 7, c. 17.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 233 
 
 venth, and ceased on the thirteenth. The last in- 
 terview of Pharaoh and Moses was on the morniinr 
 of the fourteenth; and at midnight the first-born 
 Mere slain. 
 
 When every thing 1 was thus formally prepared for 
 the departure of the Israelite^, and the Egyptians 
 were buried in profound repose, after the fatigue of 
 three days spent in indescribable agony, both of 
 body and mind, " it came to pass, that at midnight 
 the Lord smote all the first-born in the land of 
 Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on 
 his throne, unto the first-born of the captive that 
 was in the dungeon ; and all the first-born of cattle. 
 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his 
 servants, and all the Egyptians ; and there was a 
 great cry in Egypt : for there was not a house where 
 there was not one dead." 96 The inhabitants started 
 simultaneously from their beds, in the greatest 
 horror and consternation, and assembling round the 
 king's palace, clamorously demanded the dismissal 
 of the Israelites. Amenophis, at length subdued, 
 and trembling for his own life, acceded to their 
 proposal : and the people urgently petitioned the 
 causes of all their misfortunes to be gone, for they 
 were afraid the whole nation would become a sacri- 
 fice to the offended God of Israel. They did nol 
 spare their mosl valuable property ; but, to induce 
 their immediate departure, gave them silver, gold, 
 and raiment in great abundance, including blue, 
 purple, and scarlel Bilk, fine linen and precious 
 -tunc-: ;md with these the Tabernacle \\;i- after- 
 
 ' Exod. ui. 29, 30.
 
 234 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 wards adorned."' And even the king himself, with 
 all his boasted firmness and impiety, struck with the 
 extraordinary powers vested in Moses and Aaron, 
 called on them for a blessing before their departure \ 
 an evident acknowledgment of the superiority of 
 God over all created tilings. 
 
 The Israelites, bearing the bones of Joseph, de- 
 parted early in the morning, in sight of the Egypt- 
 ians, who were busily employed in burying their 
 dead. 98 They travelled with all their possessions 
 from llameses to Succoth, a distance of about 
 twelve miles ; and here Moses reviewed and num- 
 bered the people, and found with him 600,000 
 Israelites, besides children ; making, as it is thought 
 by learned writers, at least 1,500,000 souls." With 
 them Moses also found a mixed multitude of other 
 nations, avIio had followed this remarkable people 
 out of Egypt. This event happened 430 years 
 
 97 St. Augustine thinks that the mystical signification of these 
 valuable ornaments refers to the liberal arts invented or improved 
 by the heathen ; which were afterwards, by the judicious manage- 
 ment of wise and pious men, wrested from them, and converted 
 to the service of the true and living God, and made subservient 
 to the interests of religion. (August, de Doct. Christ. 1. 2, c. 4.) 
 Porphyry, in Eusebius, accuses Origen of " calling in the assist- 
 ance of Grecian learning to confirm the strange absurdities of 
 Jewish fable." (Euseb. Eccl. Hist. 1. 6, c. 13.) The liberal arts 
 and sciences were considered of such essential service to the pro- 
 pagation of Christianity, that Julian the Apostate enacted a law 
 prohibiting Christians from being instructed in human arts. 
 (Socrat. 1. 3, c. 10.) And the learning of the present day 
 abundantly shews that the spoils of Egypt and other heathen 
 nations are possessed now, in full perfection, only by the true 
 worshippers of God. 
 
 98 Num. xxxiii. 8 Tomline's Theol. p. 1, c. 3.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 235 
 
 after Abraham's vision in Canaan, and 215 years 
 from the entrance of Jacob into Egypt. 
 
 Thus did God by his servant Moses redeem the 
 Israelites from their Egyptian bondage, with a high 
 hand and with an outstretched arm ; marching 
 before thorn in a Pillar of a Cloud by day, and a 
 Pillar of Fire by night ; and the Deliverance was 
 finally perfected by a mighty wind, the agent of his 
 power. 
 
 The Egyptians, repenting that they had suffered 
 the Israelites, who were valuable servants, to depart, 
 and endued with an evil heart of unbelief, which 
 caused them to doubt the actual power of God, 
 even in the face of such tremendous judgments, 
 collected an immense army of GOO chariots, 1 50,000 
 horsemen, and 200,000 foot soldiers,- and followed 
 them, having, with the plagues, lost their impres- 
 sions of God's power, and consequently their reve- 
 rence for his name. Indeed, Amenophis appears in 
 reality to have been more in awe of Moses than of 
 any superior being; for "Moses was very great in 
 1 1 1 < • land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's ser- 
 vant-, and in the sight of the people."* 3 
 
 Tin- Israelites, by the direction and command of 
 God himself, were encamped before Pihahiroth, <>v 
 the Strail of Hiroth, between Migdol, a tower or 
 citadel of defence, erected on the borders of the 
 
 1 The Egyptian! prided themselves greatly on their war cha- 
 riots. They were li:_ r ht and -tnniL r , I j» ing constructed chiefly "i 
 metal, or covered with metal plates. Thus, in the [had — 
 Rich lilver platei In- thioing car unfold, 
 ll i r i, refulgent l< m ■ I old. 
 
 Jot. An( 1. 2, c. 15. i tod. \i. -'t.
 
 230 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Strait ;* and Baal Zephon, or Temple of Baal, 
 where was kept burning a holy fire, which served 
 also as a beacon to direct shipping in the dangerous 
 navigation of the Red Sea. In this temple Mas 
 kept a continual watch, as is implied in the name. 
 Thus were they encompassed on three sides by 
 fortresses, inaccessible mountains, and the Red 
 Sea; the isthmus between that sea and the Medi- 
 terranean being protected by the well-fortified city 
 of Pelusium, and other fortifications, which had 
 been erected by the Israelites themselves during 
 their oppression. 
 
 Arriving in sight of the Israelites, Amenophis 
 contemplated their defenceless situation with secret 
 delight, and concluded that the moment was arrived 
 in which he could take ample vengeance for all his 
 wrongs. Believing their escape to be impossible, 
 he encamped with his army behind the Israelites, 
 
 1 Josephus, quoting Lysimachus, says, that it was the opinion 
 of heathen nations that when the Israelites arrived at the ahove 
 place, " the night advancing, they deliberated how to act. They 
 made fires, and appointed sentinels ; and on the next night kept 
 a fast, to entreat pardon of the gods. On the following morning, 
 Moses recommended them to decamp, and proceed onwards 
 till they could be better accommodated ; but enjoined them to do 
 no good on their journey, not even so much as to give good 
 advice if it was asked ; and to destroy all the temples and altars 
 they met with. This advice being approved, the company pro- 
 ceeded through the wilderness, and after encountering great 
 hardships, came at length to a country well inhabited and culti- 
 vated. They behaved in a most barbarous manner to the inha- 
 bitants, whose temples they ravaged and burnt, and finally arrived 
 at a place now called Judea, where they built a city and called it 
 Hierosyla, the meaning of which is, the spoil of holy things." 
 
 1 Marsh. Can. Chron. p. 105.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. "J:!? 
 
 waiting only the approaching day to attack and put 
 them to the sword. But hi> career was now verar- 
 ing rapidly to its close. That remarkable pillar, 
 which accompanied the Children of Israel in their 
 flight, was by day a cloud only, to convince them of 
 the presence of their great deliverer. This cloud, 
 which was also a fire by night, placed itself between 
 the two encampments, and involved the Egyptian 
 host in impenetrable darkness, while it oommnni- 
 cated sufficient light to enable Moses and the Israel- 
 ites to pursue their destination. By the divine com- 
 mand, Moses stretched out his rod over the sea. and 
 a strong east wind arose, which divided the waters, 
 so that the Israelites marched through the sea on 
 dry land, Moses loading the way, and exhorting 
 them not to fear; for, said he, "the Egyptians 
 whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again 
 no more for ever." 
 
 The Egyptian army followed their course amidst 
 the darkness, determined either to compel them to 
 return, or utterly to destroy them ; and knew not 
 their danger until they were all inclosed within the 
 waters; for the waves, on the right hand and on the 
 left, were invisible, from the effects of that divine 
 cloud which overshadowed thorn. At length their 
 chariot wheels wore encumbered by the mud :it the 
 bottom of the sea, bo that they "drave heavily;" 
 which, obstructing the general movements of the 
 soldier-, reduced the whole army into confusion. 
 In tin- situation the cloud was removed, the morn- 
 ing light appeared, and they beheld the threatening 
 
 Bxod. \iv. 18.
 
 238 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 waves ready to burst upon them, and the Israelites 
 safe on the opposite shore. They were allowed but 
 little time to deliberate on the means of escaping 
 the calamitous death which they saw suspended over 
 their heads. They fled ; but what could flight ac- 
 complish for so unwieldy a body of chariots, horses, 
 and footmen, encumbered with armour; their ranks 
 broken, their chariot wheels entangled with each 
 other, and forcibly wrested off, and themselves para- 
 lyzed with confusion and dismay ! Harassed by a 
 long and expeditious march, after three days spent 
 without rest or refreshment, and alarmed at the 
 dreadful appearances before them, to augment 
 which the heavens sent forth all their artillery of 
 thunder, lightning, and rain, 7 their escape was alto- 
 gether impracticable. Besides all this, the Lord 
 looked upon them in anger, and infused a deadly 
 fear into their hearts, which made them irresolute 
 and wavering ; until Moses, who saw the Israelites 
 in safety, and all the host of the Egyptians inclosed 
 beyond the power of escaping, stretched his rod again 
 over the sea, and God by a strong west wind, sud- 
 denly brought the waters upon them with irresisti- 
 ble impetuosity, which utterly overwhelmed and 
 destroyed them, with their horses, and chariots, and 
 horsemen ; " and Israel saw the Egyptians dead 
 upon the sea shore." 8 
 
 ' Ps. lxxvii. 18. 
 
 8 Exod. xiv. 30. A confession in memory of this deliverance 
 was enjoined upon every one when offering his first fruits, in 
 these words : — " A Syrian ready to perish was my father ; and 
 he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and 
 became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous ; and the
 
 FREE-MASONRY. '239 
 
 Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us 
 hard bondage. And when we cried unto the Lord God of our 
 fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, 
 and our labour, and our oppression ; and the Lord brought us 
 forth out of Egypt, with a mighty hand, and with an out- 
 stretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and 
 with wonders ; and he hath brought us into this place, and hath 
 given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey." 
 (Deut. xxvi. 5 — 9.)
 
 240 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 PERIO D V. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 On the Five Points of Fellowship. 
 
 In every well-regulated society, some bond of 
 union, some reciprocal and mutual interchange of 
 benefits forms a distinguishing feature, which no 
 vicissitude of circumstances can remove. Masons 
 profess to be united in an indissoluble chain of sin- 
 cere affection, called the five points of fellowship ; 
 by which, when strictly adhered to, they are bound 
 heart and hand so firmly, that even death itself can- 
 not sever the solemn compact, because in another 
 and more glorified state those relations are per- 
 ceived and acknowledged, which have characterized 
 the union here on earth. These five points refer to 
 certain virtues requisite to be practised in this world 
 in order to the enjoyment of happiness in a future 
 state, and mark distinctly the difference between 
 virtue and vice. 
 
 1. BROTHERLY LOVE. 
 
 The first point is that on which all the rest 
 principally depend, for they are but emanations 
 from the great virtue of charity or brotherly love.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 241 
 
 Brotherly love is an active principle, which en- 
 closes all mankind in the same bond of reciprocal 
 union, however they be otherwise diversified by 
 
 birth, climate, or education. The inhabitants of 
 this globe proceed from a common parent, and 
 hence, how remote soever the connection may ap- 
 pear, all mankind are brothers, and as such arc 
 bound to execute the duties attached to this ten- 
 der and endearing tie. This general relationship 
 is not broken by distance, climate, form, or lan- 
 guage ; but all the world are brethren, and the 
 hand of mercy ought to be extended equally to the 
 destitute stranger, as to an immediate friend or 
 relative. Nay, the stranger, the fatherless, and the 
 widow, are superior objects of man's benevolence. 
 Masonry inculcates love to the human species as 
 the certain indication of uprightness ; it teaches 
 that without this love we are nothing. Though we 
 speak with the tongues of men and angels ; though 
 we have the gift of prophecy, and understand all 
 7iiv»teries and all knowledge; though we have faith 
 so that we could remove mountains ; though we 
 bestow all our goods to feed the poor, and though 
 we give our bodies to be burned, if we are not pos- 
 sessed of brotherly love, or charity, all this extent 
 of power, all these acquirements of knowledge, will 
 profit us nothing. The love of a Mason must be 
 
 pure both in principle and practice, unwarned by 
 prejudice <>r passion; unalterable in persecution, 
 
 Unabated amidM calumny, slander, ami detraction. 
 
 Pilling tlif heart with pious fervour and with holy 
 resolutions, ••\altiiiL r it from earth t" heaven, from a 
 perishable mortality to a celestial intercourse with 
 
 u
 
 242 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 the very source and essence of love; ennobling the 
 nature of man, and raising it to that sublime pitch 
 of excellence which alone can impart true satisfac- 
 tion under every species of adversity and pain. 
 Masons are bound by the most solemn obligations 
 to practise this virtue one towards another. Not 
 to rest satisfied with mere external acts of kindness, 
 which may be displayed without feeling any emo- 
 tions of the pure affection of brotherly love; but to 
 be the active friends of all mankind. 
 
 Such were the effects produced by this principle 
 amongst the early Christians, under the wise super- 
 intendence of St. John the Evangelist. Their 
 brotherly love exceeded all instances of recorded 
 attachment in former times. The accounts trans- 
 mitted to us of the affection which Christians bore 
 towards each other, in the ages immediately subse- 
 quent to Christ's death, would be incredible, were 
 they not fully attested. An affection so disinte- 
 rested and pure struck the heathen world with 
 astonishment ; they deemed it more than human, 
 and attributed a feeling which the practice of their 
 own philosophy could not attain, to the secret influ- 
 ence of magic. Each individual was considered in 
 the light of a brother, united by the tender ties of a 
 common faith and a common hope ; whole posses- 
 sions were given up to the relief of indigence ; 
 every selfish thought was banished, and the general 
 welfare of the community was the first wish of 
 their hearts, the first motive of their actions. This 
 was the incentive to great and glorious deeds. 
 " Some gave themselves up to bonds," says Cle- 
 ment, " that thereby they might free others from
 
 FREE-MASONRY. ■_' 1 j | 
 
 them. Others sold themselves into bondage, that 
 
 they might feed their brethren with the price of 
 themselves." But the testimonies to this effect are 
 not confined to Christian writers ; their heathen ad- 
 versaries unequivocally admitted the purity of their 
 fraternal attachment in its fullest extent. Hence 
 Julian, the apostate, that deadly and implacable foe 
 to the Christian name, as the most effectual method 
 of extirpating the new religion, commanded his 
 priests to model paganism after the same fashion : 
 for the universal benevolence of the Christian bre- 
 thren had become a current proverb, and "See how 
 these Christians love!" was the spontaneous tribute 
 paid to their integrity by every people amongst 
 whom they resided. 
 
 2. BENEVOLENCE. 
 
 The second point inculcates universal benevo- 
 lence, on the ground of obligation and duty. This 
 virtue does not consist merely in satisfying the 
 pecuniary wants of the virtuous distressed, or of 
 furnishing a friend with the loan of Bome necessary 
 comfort or convenience, in the hope of receiving an 
 equivalent; but comprehends the general capacity 
 of communicating happiness to our fellow-creatures, 
 including the practice of our relative duties to God, 
 our neighbour, and ourselves. 
 
 The first great and important duty of benevolence 
 should excite in our bosoms an unaffected venera- 
 tion to om Maker, whose bounteous goodness to his 
 creatures can never be compensated by all the exer- 
 tions in our power. What II<- has commanded, we 
 must perform. Prayer, praise, and thanksgiving, 
 
 b 2
 
 244 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 are His due ; and, if these be neglected, it is impos- 
 sible to expect His blessing. The name of this 
 awful Being is a sacred deposit, which ought never 
 to be irreverently pronounced with polluted lips ; 
 for the violations of this Word are threatened with 
 accompanying vengeance. If His almighty aid be 
 necessary to promote our success here, or happiness 
 hereafter, let us implore it humbly and sincerely, in 
 the hope that it will not be withdrawn when we are 
 most in need of it, in the hour of sickness or adver- 
 sity, persecution or death. 
 
 The preservation of order and social virtue in 
 civil society rests upon the obligations we are under 
 to keep up a constant interchange of mutual good 
 offices with our neighbour. They who are in the 
 habitual practice of benevolence experience an uni- 
 form gratification, and have within their bosoms a 
 certain source of pleasure, which selfish mortals can 
 never attain or enjoy. The glow of charity warms 
 their bosoms with unequivocal love to their fellow- 
 creatures, and they enjoy a foretaste of heaven upon 
 earth; they search for misery and distress in all 
 their appalling forms, and they administer comfort 
 from a pure principle of benevolence ; for the east 
 is not farther from the west, or the surface from the 
 centre, than pride and ostentation are from genuine 
 goodness and disinterested virtue. 
 
 But the exercise of this virtue does not end here. 
 Innumerable are the offices of kindness, indefinite 
 are the shades of affection which the practice of 
 benevolence necessarily assumes. Recommendations 
 of an unblemished character, expressions of good- 
 will, advice when under the influence of doubt.
 
 F R E V- M ASONRY. 24 5 
 
 civility and gentleness, as well as actual offices of 
 assistance, form distinguishing features of this vir- 
 tue, and these are in the power of all who have not 
 the means of performing substantial services. If, as 
 philosophers tell us, much of human misery is ideal, 
 he acts the part of a sincere friend who endeavours 
 to soothe conflicting passions to repose, to remove 
 the weight which presses on our spirits, and teaches 
 us to forget our woes by pointing to the opening 
 scenes of prosperity and joy. 
 
 The exercise of benevolence, then, may be prac- 
 tised every hour of our lives. It is an innocent and 
 laudable method of gaining the esteem of men, of 
 promoting universal good-will, of vanquishing the 
 turbulence of passion, of securing peace of mind, 
 and of laying up a store of satisfaction for old age, 
 which will make the end of life a scene of felicity 
 and contentment. 
 
 Our duty to ourselves, rendered almost perfect by 
 the practice of benevolence to our neighbour, may 
 be comprehended in a few words : not to prostitute 
 our humanity by intemperance, effeminacy, indo- 
 lence, or any of those vices which degrade man 
 below the brutes; but to cultivate health by exer- 
 cise, cleanliness, and regularity; to practise the four 
 cardinal virtues. Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, 
 and Justice; recollecting that man's happiness is 
 progressive, and depends entirely on himself whether 
 it increase or diminish ; for it is impossible to lmld 
 a stationary place in the mind s<» long as any portion 
 of activity remains; and if the mind become dor- 
 mant, and perfectly insensible to praise or dispraise, 
 virtue «'i' vice, we ma] be assured thai iis liappi-
 
 L'lti ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 ness is at the lowest ebb, and it becomes doubtful 
 whether the capacity for enjoying it be not wholly 
 expired. 
 
 It may therefore be concluded, that if happiness 
 be the object which man has in view in his com- 
 merce with the world, it can only be found in the 
 practice of virtue. 
 
 3. PRAYER. 
 
 The third point teaches us to bow our knees to 
 the Almighty Father of the universe, and pray for 
 blessings on ourselves, and on those united to us by 
 the nearest and dearest of ties. Prayer is a duty of 
 such paramount importance, as to involve conse- 
 quences the most awful and tremendous : if rightly 
 performed, it conveys a blessing; if wholly neg- 
 lected, it elicits a curse. 
 
 With this responsibility the Mason is fully im- 
 pressed, and therefore his Lodge is never opened 
 without a solemn appeal to the Deity, and a humble 
 supplication of his blessing; conscious that, if de- 
 prived of this, nothing that he may be engaged in 
 can reasonably be expected to prosper. Our ini- 
 tiations, and every other business, are founded on 
 the same appeal ; our pedestal is furnished with the 
 book of God's Word, which is considered the great 
 light of faith, to direct all our motions, and in- 
 spire us with the rich hopes which it contains ; our 
 Lodges are dedicated to God and holy St. John 
 the Evangelist ; and the unequivocal posture of one 
 of our most sacred ceremonies is, bended knees, 
 erect body, and faithful heart. 
 
 If a Mason's Lodge be built on holy ground,
 
 FREE-MASONKV. LM 7 
 
 and supported by wisdom, strength, and beauty; if 
 it be of that immeasurable extent, which has no 
 bound but the four quarters of the compass, and 
 covered with a cloudy canopy which can only be 
 penetrated by ascending the theological ladder; if 
 we commemorate the three grand offerings of an- 
 cient religion, and have in perpetual recurrence the 
 wonders of God in creation, redemption, and deli- 
 verance from temporal danger and affliction, it will 
 surely be admitted that our rites have a reference 
 beyond mere conviviality; that they are founded on 
 the most awful images in existence, a belief in a 
 God, and the doctrine of a future state of rewards 
 and punishments; that they are opened, conducted, 
 and closed with prayer; and hence that they 'must 
 leave an impression on the mind of every reflecting 
 brother of God's bene licence to man, and the conse- 
 quent necessity of a regular and uniform attendance 
 on His authorized worship. 
 
 4. SECRECY 
 "Of all the arts which Masons profess, the art of 
 secrecy particularly distinguishes them. Taciturnity 
 i>> a proof of wisdom, and is allowed to be of the 
 utmost importance in the differenl transactions of 
 life. 'I'lie best writers have declared it to be an art 
 of inestimable value; and thai it is agreeable to the 
 
 Deity himself may 1 asily conceived, from the 
 
 glorious example which lb' gives in concealing from 
 mankind tin- secrets of His providence. The wisest 
 of men cannot penetrate into the arcana of heaven, 
 nor can they divine to-day what to-morrow maj 
 bring forth." ' 
 
 1 Pre-. Illu . book Lii. -■
 
 248 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 A regard for this virtue has characterized every 
 nation and people of the world, from the earliest 
 times on record. There are many things which it 
 would be highly improper, and even criminal, to 
 communicate. To reveal the secrets of a friend, 
 confided to our care, would be worse than the trea- 
 chery of an assassin who stabs his adversary when 
 unarmed, and not the least suspicious of a foe. 
 
 The Egyptians venerated this virtue, and veiled 
 all their religion and politics under its impenetrable 
 mask. Origen tells us, that " their philosophers had 
 sublime notions with regard to the Divine nature, 
 which they kept secret, and never discovered to the 
 people but under the veil of fables and allegories." 2 
 Their god Harpocrates was represented with his 
 finger on his mouth, 3 and was painted full of eyes 
 and ears, to shew that every person may hear and 
 see, but they are not always at liberty to disclose 
 the information which they derive from the use of 
 those senses : this god was much honoured by the 
 Egyptians. 
 
 The Romans had a goddess, who was represented 
 with a finger on her lips, called Angerona ; and to 
 shew their respect for the virtue of taciturnity, they 
 offered sacrifices to her. 
 
 " All the eastern nations, the Persians, the In- 
 dians, the Syrians, concealed secret mysteries under 
 
 2 Orig. con. Cels. 1. 1, p. 11. 
 
 3 Recent discoveries in Egypt have rendered it doubtful whether 
 Harpocrates was the god of silence, which had been deduced by 
 Plutarch from the above posture. The sign of silence, according 
 to figures on the monuments, was by placing the whole hand over 
 the mouth.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 249 
 
 their religious fables. The wise men of all those 
 religions saw into the sense and true meaning of 
 them; whilst the vulgar and uninitiated went no 
 farther than the outward and visible symbol, and 
 so discerned only the bark by which they were co- 
 vered." 4 
 
 Pythagoras carried the virtue of secrecy so high, as 
 to demand from his scholars a probation of five years' 
 silence, accompanied with excess of abstinence and 
 mortification, before he would admit them to a par- 
 ticipation in the knowledge which he had acquired 
 by long experience, and a residence with the most 
 learned philosophers in every nation under heaven. 
 
 The Druids conveyed their instruction by secret 
 and enigmatical language : their philosophical know- 
 ledge was very extensive; but they had so strict a 
 regard for secrecy, that it was esteemed a crime 
 worthy of death to attempt to penetrate into their 
 mysteries. Their learning was communicated orally, 
 and in verse; and as no part of their instructions 
 was allowed to be committed to writing, the number 
 of verses which the memory must necessarily retain 
 was almost incredible. 
 
 "But," says the sceptic, "where is the necessity 
 of secrecy now ? If your institution be laudable as 
 you describe it. why not reveal it for the benefit of 
 mankind?' 1 I should as soon look for a Btar t<> fall 
 from tin- firmament, as for a caviller against Ma- 
 sonry to be satisfied, oven with a mathematical 
 demonstration. Tin- benefit- of Masonry can only 
 i>e enjoyed by their union with Becrecy. Lay these 
 
 * Orig. (<>n. (Vis. 1. 1, |>. 11.
 
 250 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 secrets open to the world, and the charm would 
 cease to operate. They would become familiar as 
 
 the growth of a plant, .and like that incompre- 
 hensible phenomenon, would be neglected, and per- 
 haps despised. At the reformation of our Church 
 from the errors of popery, what could exceed the 
 curiosity of mankind to read and investigate the 
 hidden stores of the Bible, which had been a sealed 
 book for many centuries? and though it contains 
 secrets of far greater importance than those of Ma- 
 sonry, yet, curiosity being gratified, the rage is over, 
 and it is regarded with as much indifference by the 
 mass of mankind, as though it contained nothing 
 affecting man's temporal or eternal welfare. So 
 Masonry, were it made public, would probably be 
 neglected, because the stimulus would be wanting 
 from which it derives its chief popularity, if not its 
 principal importance. The secrets of Masonry are 
 open to the inspection of the worthy and the good 
 in every class of mankind. The page is displayed 
 before them, and if they refuse to read, it is too 
 much to hear them complain of ignorance, and to 
 revile a science which they want the inclination or 
 capacity to understand. 
 
 It is further objected, that the use we make of 
 the implements of architecture, as vehicles of se- 
 crecy, is frivolous, and unworthy the dignity of 
 human beings. 5 These implements are of no further 
 
 5 What number was amongst the Pythagoreans, geometrical 
 symbols are amongst Masons. " It led," says Pythagoras, " to 
 the knowledge of things divine and human ; the meditation of 
 death ; setting the mind at liberty, without which none can learn 
 or perceive any thing solid or true, by the help or benefit of sense,
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 251 
 
 benefit to us than as they convey a series of the 
 purest precepts of morality, and the most useful 
 instruction for the regulation of our conduct in 
 every circumstance and situation of life. In these 
 emblems our secrets are chiefly concealed ; and the 
 valuable lessons they contain, elevate them from the 
 character of mere instruments of labour, and the} 
 become jewels of inestimable value. 
 
 5. ON SLANDER. 
 
 The fifth point teaches us to support a brother's 
 character when he is absent, and consequently un- 
 able to defend himself from the tainted breath of 
 defamation. It forbids us to retail slanders dero- 
 gatory to our brother's reputation, which is a sacred 
 deposit, and if once wounded, ten thousand word- in 
 vindication will scarcely be sufficient to repair the 
 mischief which ten words have occasioned. 
 
 Masonry inculcates this lesson in every part and 
 point of every degree; aware that the evil conse- 
 quences of slander are innumerable, whether by 
 giving false testimony in a public cause, <>r by in- 
 juring our brother by private defamation. This 
 practice is the vilesi of all robberies. Injure his 
 property, and you may make him reparation; wound 
 hi- body an<l the physician may heal the wound; 
 
 lint if hi- Bacred reputation be touched, if In- good 
 name In- taken away, it can never be restored, but 
 may pursue hi- offspring afteT death, maj descend (<> 
 
 lor tin- mind, the divine pari <>f tin- soul, teeth all things, and 
 all tilings else are deaf and blind. (St<>l>. 6 
 
 Hie run. :«l\ . Kutiu.)
 
 252 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 his children's children, and blast their prospects to 
 the latest posterity. 
 
 Defamation is always wicked ; the defamer is 
 always despised. And what gratification can be 
 found in a practice which elicits universal con- 
 tempt? Can it be found in the lust of evil speak- 
 ing, and cutting up reputation, as with a sharp 
 razor? Can any gratification proceed from the 
 practice of private scandal at the expense of an- 
 other's character and honest fame? Does such a 
 practice add to the slanderer's peace of mind or 
 importance amongst his acquaintance? does it con- 
 fer a dignity not to be procured by other more inno- 
 cent means? A negative answer may be safely 
 given to these inquiries; and it is rather to be feared 
 that every honest and upright man will regard him 
 with the scrutinizing eye of jealous suspicion, and 
 shun him as a public nuisance. His deeds are baser 
 than those of the assassin, in proportion as a man's 
 unsullied fame is dearer to him than life. The 
 assassin kills the body of his enemy, and there the 
 mischief ends ; but the slanderer attacks the immor- 
 tal part of man, and inflicts a stab in the hope 
 of blighting his fame for ever. None can be safe 
 where slander finds admittance. The virtues wither 
 round him, and fade and die before his baneful 
 touch. His practices are made up of fraud and 
 artful treachery. He dares not to bring the bold 
 and open accusation, but looks and whispers death- 
 To misconstrue motives ; to place trifling inci- 
 dents in contemptible points of view ; to insi- 
 nuate by mysterious signs and broken sentences, 
 that " more is meant than meets the ear," are his
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 253 
 
 study and delight. They become, by the force 
 of habit, as necessary as the food which affords 
 him nourishment, and this for no other purpose 
 than the selfish aim of depriving his acquaintance of 
 that estimation from which he can derive no benefit, 
 and which can scarcely be restored by all the united 
 efforts of charity and benevolence : for evil reports 
 spread with unaccountable facility, and extend to 
 distant parts, where the evidences of their false- 
 hood will never be heard, and thus the record is 
 handed to posterity in all the decoration of unre- 
 futed truth. 
 
 But it must be observed, on the other hand, that 
 we are not bound to applaud the character and 
 conduct of bad men, merely to avoid the imputation 
 of illiberality. If the actions of a brother betray 
 baseness of heart; though it may not be commend- 
 able to magnify his vices, or make them a perpetual 
 topic of conversation, yet it would be equally inju- 
 dicious to praise him, or bear a testimony to virtues 
 which he does not possess. " None but a good man 
 deserves to be loved or praised by any one. He 
 who says of a bad man, whom he knows, and whom 
 all that know him know, to be a bad one, I have 
 reason to speak well of him, for he has been kind 
 to me, utters a detestable falsehood, and discovers 
 a base disposition.*' 8 The course to be adopted, 
 under these circumstances, is faithfully prescribed 
 
 in those lectures which form the Subjects of diM-iis- 
 
 sion at all our meetings. M Always Bpealt of a 
 
 brother as well in lii^ absence as in hi- presence; 
 
 l awoett.
 
 254 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 and even more particularly so, because when pre- 
 sent he has an opportunity of defending himself. 
 Never defame him yourself, nor suffer him to be 
 defamed by others, if in your power to prevent it; 
 and if his conduct be so dishonourable that you 
 unfortunately cannot speak well of him, adopt the 
 distinguishing virtue of our science, silence, or 
 secrecy." 7 
 
 If a brother be calumniated falsely, it becomes a 
 paramount duty to defend him in the face of the 
 world. He who stands boldly forward to rebut a 
 deliberate slander upon another's reputation, I re* 
 eard in the light of something more than a common 
 friend: he reduces to practice the dignified theories 
 of Masonry ; his benevolence is pure and unsullied 
 by human passion, and he richly merits the obliga- 
 tions of gratitude in this world, as he is in the hope 
 of receiving the approbation of his Judge in the 
 world to come. 
 
 Speak then no evil of your brother. If he have 
 virtues (and surely all have some), let them be the 
 theme of your discourse ; if he have faults (and who 
 is free from them ?), mention them not ; but in all 
 your commerce with your brethren or the world, 
 " supply the wants and relieve the necessities of 
 your brethren to the utmost of your power and 
 ability; on no account wrong them or see them 
 wronged, but timely apprize them of approaching 
 danger ; and view their interest as inseparable from 
 your own." 8 
 
 7 Mas. Lect. 8 Charge to the Second Degree.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 255 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 CONTAINING FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY- SEVEN 
 
 YEARS. 
 
 View of Masonry from the Deliverance to the Dedication of Kim/ 
 Solomon's Temple. 
 
 In every society, however constituted, some form 
 of government is necessary to preserve a spirit of 
 subordination amongst its members ; and to prevent 
 it from degenerating into contempt or oblivion. In 
 this respect, also, Masonry supports its claim to 
 respect and veneration. An argument favourable 
 to its beneficial tendency may be deduced from the 
 excellence of its government, which is founded 
 upon a pattern the most pure and perfect, the go- 
 vernment of the Jewish and Christian churches. 
 
 In the early ages of the world, every head of ;i 
 family united in his own person the threefold office 
 of prie>t. prophet, and king; and it was not until 
 tlie Mosaic dispensation was revealed that the con- 
 cerns of religion wore conducted by three distinct 
 officers, or orders of nun. 
 
 \i the Flood, there is an appearance of some- 
 thing like a regular government, consisting of three 
 distinct officers, who unitedlj formed the head of 
 the establishment, when organized in due form. 
 I»nt it was n"t iiniil the erection of the tabernacle
 
 25(3 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 that our craft was reduced to the perfect form 
 which it has ever since retained. Moses, when, by 
 the revelation of God, he was dividing the priest- 
 hood into three distinct heads, modelled Masonry 
 after the same fashion ; himself being grand master, 
 and Bezaleel and Aholiab grand wardens. 1 
 
 After prophecy had ceased, the teachers of Israel 
 continued to be distinguished under three several 
 appellations, each possessing distinct attributes ; viz. 
 wise men, scribes, and disputers. These were com- 
 prised by St. Paul in a single verse, when writing 
 to the Corinthians : " Where is the wise ? Where 
 is the scribe? Where is the disputer?" 
 
 This number, it should seem, constitutes perfec- 
 tion ; for the Christian church, of which all other 
 dispensations were only types and shadows, has 
 been placed under the same system of government. 
 Jesus Christ united the threefold office of the an- 
 cient patriarchs in his own person, for he was a 
 priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedec; who 
 w T as no other, according to the best authorities, 
 than the patriarch Shem, the son of Noah, the 
 king, priest, and prophet of his family ; and in that 
 capacity blessed Abraham, who was his child in the 
 ninth generation. These offices, however, were dis- 
 tributed by our Saviour, who divided the priestly 
 
 1 The false religions, which, indeed, were originally but perver- 
 sions of the true, acknowledged the same form of government ; 
 because the ingenuity of man could not discover any form more 
 firm and permanent than that which had been revealed from hea- 
 ven. Hence Thoth, the great founder of idolatry, after the Flood, 
 was surnamed Ter Maximus ; because he was Philosophus maxi- 
 mus, Sacerdos maximus, and Rex maximus. — (Alex. Neapolit. 1. 2, 
 e. 6.)
 
 F R K E-M A 8 N B Y . 2 5 7 
 
 dignity amongst three distinct orders of men, in 
 imitation of the temporary dispensation of Moses. 
 
 Hence, if the government of the Jewish church, 
 established under the immediate superintendence 
 of God, or if the Christian church, modelled by 
 Jesus Christ, be considered as specimens of perfec- 
 tion, the same must be admitted of Free-Masonry ; 
 as one of its orders, professedly not Christian, is 
 governed by a king, a priest, and a prophet, invested 
 with an equal dignity; and the rest <>f Masonry, 
 which inculcates the only true religion, is directed 
 by a mode of government equally perfect, and 
 equally unobjectionable. 
 
 W hen Moses had escaped from the snares of the 
 Egyptians, he conducted his charge towards Mount 
 Sinai, where he had received his commission from 
 God, intending to offer sacrifice on that spot, in 
 obedience to the divine command ; but his progress 
 was obstructed by the Amalekites, who entertained 
 many jealous fears respecting the movements of such 
 a large body of people ; against whom, however, they 
 hoped to wage successful war, encumbered as they 
 were with women and children, flocks and herds. 
 Four other nations joined in this enterprise against 
 the Israelites; tempted, most probably, by the hope 
 of an easy conquest and abundant Bpoils. 
 
 Tin- providence of God had prepared the Israel- 
 ites for this exigency, by casting op tin- dead bodies 
 of the Egyptians on the Bhores of tin- tied Sea; 
 tor the Israelites had retired from Egypl without 
 weapons or means of defence against the numerous 
 enemies they would probably have to contend with, 
 before thei should be peaoeabh Bettled in the pro-
 
 253 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 mised land. They spoiled the Egyptians of their 
 offensive and defensive armour, and thus became 
 prepared to meet every obstruction which might 
 impede their design of entering into Canaan. 
 
 Thus provided, Moses placed his army under the 
 command of Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in 
 every respect worthy of the distinction thus con- 
 ferred upon him. Moses, Aaron, and Hur ascended 
 the mountain, and the two armies rushed to the 
 onset with the utmost fury. Moses, in prayer and 
 supplication, elevated his rod towards heaven ; and 
 it Mas observed that whilst this extraordinary rod 
 was in this position, the Israelites successfully 
 mowed clown all before them. Fatigue at length 
 compelled Moses to lay down the rod, and the bat- 
 tle turned in favour of the enemy. Aaron and Hur 
 were therefore requested to assist Moses in support- 
 ing the rod, and the setting sun beheld the Amalek- 
 ites entirely defeated. The shattered remains of 
 their army effected their retreat amidst the dark- 
 ness of the night, leaving all their most valuable 
 property at the mercy of the victors. In comme- 
 moration of this decisive victory, Moses erected an 
 altar, which he called Jeh&oah-nissi, which signifies 
 Jehovah is my banner. 
 
 From hence the Israelites proceeded to Sinai, and 
 pitched their tents at the foot of the mountain. 
 Moses marked out a camp about the mount, and 
 remained here for rest and worship, according to 
 the directions he had received from God himself 
 when he revealed His sacred name. 2 After solemn 
 
 8 Here Moses erected an altar and twelve pillars, according to 
 the custom of the times. Some pillars were raised as memorials
 
 PREE-MASONRY. 259 
 
 sacrifice, Moses disposed the people according to 
 their tribes, and opened the first lodge of which 
 avc possess any certain tradition since the time of 
 Joseph. Here he held a solemn convocation to the 
 Lord; and the people returned thanks for their 
 miraculous deliverance, and entered into those 
 sacred and indissoluble vows, which implied un- 
 limited and universal obedience to the command- 
 ments of God. Over this lodge presided Moses, as 
 grand master; Joshua, as his deputy, and AholiaS 
 and Bezaleel, grand wardens." 1 
 
 Here he was visited by Jethro, to whom he had 
 been indebted, under the dispensation of heaven, for 
 his clear and perfected knowledge of our science, 
 which appears to have been preserved in a mosl 
 extraordinary manner by some distinguished indi- 
 vidual-, even in nations degraded by idolatrous 
 practices. Lot in the midst of Sodom practised 
 Masonry. The mixture of idolatry and Masonry 
 is perceptible in Laban. He worshipped Penates, 
 or household gods, and yet retained such a sense 
 of his allegiance to the tine God as to be favoured 
 with a celestial vision. Job was a true Mason 
 amidst an idolatrous people: and his addresses to 
 his friends may form a -rand synopsis of our pre- 
 sent lectures. Balaam was a true prophet, though 
 he lived in an idolatroii- nation. The Midianites 
 
 of the dead (Gen. \\w. J i . -..ine for altar- (Ibid. v. 16) i 
 
 tome t<<r tuperstitious uses, which were consecrated v> idoli 
 (Levit. xxvi. 1); and othen in remembrance of tome extraordi- 
 nan deliverance (Gen. xxviii. In. u wire tin- above pillara "t 
 
 North. < on-i. i'. l'..
 
 260 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 were idolaters, yet Jethro preserved his faith in the 
 true (rod pure and unsullied, through the medium 
 of Lux or Masonry. And he was held in such high 
 estimation, even by Moses, who was, beyond all 
 competition, the most learned man then existing in 
 the world, that he united himself to this priest by 
 the most tender ties of affection. 
 
 On this visit, though the actions of Moses were 
 directed by the immediate inspiration of God, he 
 preserved his usual reverence for Jethro. He ex- 
 plained to his father-in-law how God had effected 
 the miraculous deliverance of Israel with a high 
 hand and a stretched-out arm, and expatiated on 
 the mercies of Jehovah in the most animated terms. 
 Jethro rejoiced in the omnipotence of this great 
 and good Being, and offered up a solemn sacrifice 
 of thanksgiving, in his sacred character of a priest. 
 He gave Moses some weighty advice on the subject 
 of legislation and government ; in obedience to 
 which he divided the twelve tribes into separate 
 societies or lodges, over which he placed masters, 
 with certain specified powers, which they were pro- 
 hibited from exceeding, without a reference to him- 
 self, as the grand superintendent of the whole sys- 
 tem. After this, a great chapter, or grand assembly 
 of the tribes was instituted, consisting of six rulers 
 from each, of which Moses was the principal 
 governor. 
 
 In this place Moses was publicly ordained by the 
 command, sanctioned by the presence, and hallowed 
 by the visible acceptance of his God. He was first 
 charged with a message to the people, directing 
 them to assemble on the third day, purified from
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 2<>1 
 
 their uncleanness, to witness a solemn revelation of 
 laws, which should be binding on them and their 
 posterity. Since they were now about to be em- 
 bodied as a separate people, for the preservation of 
 the true worship of God amidst an idolatrous world, 
 some test of their obedience, as well as a code of 
 laws for their civil government, became necessary, 
 to secure their independence and to advance their 
 posterity. For the former purpose, and as a basi> 
 on which to found the latter, the Decalogue was 
 delivered to Moses from this mountain, together 
 with a full revelation of the principles requisite to 
 preserve them, under a perfect theocracv, from the 
 contaminations with which they might otherwise be 
 infected by the pernicious examples of the sur- 
 rounding nations. 
 
 God himself, therefore, condescended to rehearse 
 in their ears a summary of the moral and ceremo- 
 nial law, and promised a rich and continued succes- 
 sion of bless iiiL r - "ii their obedience; stimulated by 
 the denunciation of the most heavy judgments if 
 they should disobey the ordinances thus prescribed 
 for their observance. He had selected this people 
 to be a witness of himself in the midst of a world 
 already deformed by apostasy and the renuncia- 
 tion of every virtuous propensity, and t<» preserve 
 his worship uncontaminated by thus., superstitions 
 which the subtletj of tin- devil or the craft of man 
 
 bad introduced into the BVStemS, which, in the 
 
 patriarchal ages, were ordained t<» keep up a per- 
 petual knowledge of God, and the service most 
 acceptable to him. It became, therefore, necessan 
 to deliver a written law. that tin 1 plea of ignorance
 
 262 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 might Dot be preferred in palliation of guilt: "Lest 
 men should complain something was wanting, thai 
 was written on tables which was not in the heart." 4 
 The law was to prevent the prostitution of revealed 
 truth, when conveyed through the medium of tradi- 
 tion. 
 
 The moral law is divided into two distinct parts, 
 which were engraven on two separate tables ; " the 
 former declaring our duty to God, and the latter 
 our duty to our neighbour and ourselves."* And this 
 arrangement being the work of the Deity, is abso- 
 lutely perfect in all its parts. The opening of the 
 Decalogue is most solemn and impressive, for it dis- 
 plays that Sacred Name which comprehends every 
 thing excellent, every thing gracious, and every 
 thing lovely. The worship of God being inculcated 
 in the first table, shews that our first duty is owing 
 to the Great Author of our being. This elicits our 
 faith, stimulates our hope, and leads necessarily to 
 the performance of those practical duties, inculcated 
 by the second table, which exhibit our charity, that 
 most excellent of all human virtues, in its fairest 
 and most brilliant form. This, then, is a system of 
 perfection ; for, by the exercise of these virtues, 
 through the merits of Jehovah incarnate, we may 
 
 4 Ne sibi homines aliquid defuisse quererentur, scriptum est in 
 tabulis, quod in cordibus non legebant. (August, in Ps. lvii.) 
 
 5 The Decalogue contained ten commandments, four of which 
 were applied to God, and the remainder to man. It is singular 
 that the sacred name of God consisted of four letters, which, 
 according to the system of Pythagoras, proceed from a resolution 
 of the triad into the monad, a process which produced the num- 
 ber ten. Thus, l-J-2-|-3 + 4=10; and this number was 
 denominated heaven, because it constituted perfection.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 263 
 
 attain possession of an immortal inheritance in those 
 heavenly mansions of eternal felicity, veiled from 
 mortal eye by the starry firmament, into which the 
 great I AM shall bid ns enter, to enjoy the blessings 
 of that eternal Lodge which is irradiated with the 
 brightness of Him that sitteth on the throne. 
 
 But while Moses was with God in the mount, the 
 people had defiled themselves by idolatry. At their 
 deliverance from Egypt, a great number of men, 
 women, and children, from many idolatrous tribes, 
 had followed them to their encampment." Whether 
 cuii verted by the miracles, or merely desirous of 
 following the fortunes of this extraordinary people, 
 history does not inform us: but we may conjecture 
 that they were but irregular adventurers, unpos-i 
 sessed of any settled place of residence, and whom, 
 consequently, no change could injure. If we may 
 believe the Jews, it was owing to the pernicious 
 counsel of these strangers that their forefathers so 
 frequently tempted God, by their disobedience, to 
 inflict his chastisements upon them. Thus the 
 molten calf, which they had now erected a- an ob- 
 ject of divine worship,' has been imputed not -<> 
 much to the cupidity of their progenitors, as to the 
 sorceries of the Egyptian sojourners. 8 "Concerning 
 the -in of the Israelites," says Godwyn, '-in making 
 
 ■ Bxod. mi. a ■ Vide Theocr. Phil, p. 64. 
 
 mblicbns wrote a treatise to shew that idols were filled with 
 tin: divine atllatu- proceeding from the gods, after tiny were 
 farmed by the band of tin- workman. !!<• saya that they are in- 
 pematnral work-, and ipring from occult causes. In lupporf >>i 
 bii bypotheeM be ratetea a Dumber "i incredible itoriesi which 
 psiufdU) tax th. ci< dulity <.t bis readers.— (Phot. cod. 216.)
 
 204 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 this calf, or ox, the modem Jews do transfer the 
 fault upon certain proselyte Egyptians who came 
 forth with them; and they Bay that, when Aaron 
 cast their jewels into the fire, these Egyptians, con- 
 trary to their expectation, by their art magic, pro- 
 duced a calf; to which purpose they urge Aaron's 
 own words: ' I did cast the gold into the fire, and 
 thereof came this calf;' as if his act or will was 
 not with the making thereof, but of itself it made 
 itself."? 
 
 The tribes of Egyptian strangers who are accused 
 of inciting the Israelites to commit this wickedness 
 were partially incorporated with them, and dwelt 
 within the camp ; but the main body dwelt without 
 the camp, and were subjected to reproach and indig- 
 nity : these seized with avidity every opportunity of 
 inspiring the Israelites with a contempt for the theo- 
 cracy, and rebellion against its edicts and authority. 
 Hence, in every act of disobedience which merited 
 divine displeasure, the wrath of God was poured out 
 upon these strangers and such of the Israelites as 
 
 9 Mos. and Aar., 1. 4, c. 5. " Some of the Hebrews give this 
 ridiculous reason why the image of a calf was made rather than of 
 any other thing : When the Israelites were coming out of Egypt, 
 and intended to bring out Joseph's bones with them, they say the 
 river Nile had overflown the place where his bones were ; and so 
 Moses made the picture of a calf in a certain golden plate, which, 
 floating upon the water, shewed the place where Joseph's bones 
 lay; which plate, they say, was brought among other jewels to 
 Aaron, and cast into the fire, by virtue whereof the whole mass 
 of gold was turned into the shape of a calf : but it is most like 
 that Aaron, according to the desire of the people, made a calf like 
 unto the Egyptian god Apis, which they had seen the Egyptians 
 worship, and therefore they were drawn by the corrupt imitation of 
 them to have the image of a calf made." — ( Willct, in Ex. xxxii. 4.)
 
 FREB-MASONRY. 2G5 
 
 had become their associates, in opposition to the 
 express command of God, communicated through 
 their great legislator. 10 
 
 Against a people guilty of this wickedness the 
 anger of the Lord waxed hot, and He would utterly 
 have destroyed them, but for the intercession of 
 Moses, who was himself so violently agitated at the 
 sight of this monstrous idolatry, that he brake the 
 two tables of stone which he had in his hand, con- 
 taining the ten commandments. 
 
 The zeal which Moses displayed in purifying the 
 people from their abominations induced God to 
 pardon them for his sake, and to promise a renewal 
 of the Decalogue, and a sight of His glory. 
 
 On this occasion the Sacred Name of Jehovah 
 was proclaimed with ten different attributes, ex- 
 pressing as many divine properties, and God gave a 
 visible token of His immediate presence and pro- 
 tection, not only by thunderings and lightnings, the 
 cloud and thick darkness on the mount, which 
 caused even Moses himself to quake for fear, but bv 
 a diffusion of His glory over the countenance of the 
 legislator, so that, when he descended from the 
 mountain, the Israelites were dazzled with the celes- 
 tial brightness, and Moses was obliged to cover his 
 face with a veil, before they could converse with 
 him." 
 
 10 Num. xi. 1 — 4. 
 
 " " Now it pleased God to print such a majestyand shining glory 
 in Moses's countenance for these reasons: 1. God did he-tow this 
 gift u|)on Motet at ;i special sign of hi- favour and love toward 
 him. 2. By thi- the people might be assured thai tin- Lord had 
 heard Moses's prayers, and thai he would renew In- league with 
 them, and take then into lii« protection, 8. And by this meani
 
 266 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 As a means of securing the practice of Masonry, 
 and with it true religion, amongst the children of 
 Israel, until a prophet like himself should appear 
 amongst them, to expand its blessings and convey 
 them to all the nations of the earth, Moses convened 
 a general or grand assembly of all the Lodges, whe- 
 ther of speculative or operative Masonry, to consult 
 about erecting a tabernacle for divine worship, as ao 
 place since the creation of the world had been ex- 
 clusively appropriated to religion and dedicated to 
 the true God, which He had condescended to honour 
 with His immediate presence. 12 
 
 In obedience to the mandate of Moses, the mas- 
 ters of all the newly-formed Lodges, the principals 
 of the chapter, the princes of the tribes, with other 
 
 Moses should be had in greater reverence and reputation with the 
 people. 4. This was done also that the law itself should be held 
 to be glorious and honourable, the minister whereof was so glo- 
 rious. 5. Thereby was signified also the inward illumination 
 which Moses had, whereby he was able to shine unto them in 
 purencss of doctrine. 6. It also shewed what the righteousness 
 of the law is — only a shining of the face; i. e. of the external works 
 before men ; it cannot afford the inward and spiritual justice in 
 the sight of God." — (Willet, Hexapla in Exod. xxxiv.) 
 
 14 Before this period, the service of divine worship was per- 
 formed on altars erected in the open air, Thus Adam, Abel, 
 Seth, Enoch, and Noah had their several altars for sacrifice. 
 Abraham, in his wanderings, erected an altar in every place where 
 he remained for a short space of time stationary. At Moreh, 
 between Bethel and Ai, and in the plain of Mamre. Isaac had 
 an altar at Beersheba, and Jacob at Salem and Bethel. The an- 
 cient preparation for sacrifice was a baptization or washing, to 
 remind them how God had purged the defilements of the antedi- 
 luvian world by a deluge of water, which washed away every 
 vestige of idolatry. Hence water was used as a medium of puri- 
 fication.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1>(>7 
 
 Masons, assembled to receive the instructions of 
 their grand master. To this grand Lodge Moses 
 gave wise charges. He told them that it was the 
 will and pleasure of Almighty God that a tabernacle 
 should be erected in the midst of their cam]), which 
 He had promised to make His temporary residence 
 on earth. As the plan of this tabernacle had been 
 supcrnaturally revealed to him, he informed them 
 that God had chosen his wardens, Aholiab and Beza- 
 leel, as the principal architects and artificers in the 
 work, whom, therefore, by divine appointment, he 
 solemnly invested with full powers to superintend 
 the erection of the proposed edifice. To furnish 
 treasure for the work, he levied a tax of half a shekel 
 for every person above twenty years of age, 13 which 
 amounted to the sum of thirty-seven thousand seven 
 hundred and twenty-one pounds, seventeen shillings, 
 and sixpence of our money. This being incompe- 
 tent to complete the structure with its proposed 
 magnificence, Moses called upon them, according to 
 their tribes and families, to contribute voluntarily, 
 and with all possible despatch, as much gold, silver, 
 copper, precious stones, dyed wood, and sheep skins 
 of blue, purple, and crimson, shittim wood, and oil 
 and gpic( *s. ;t- might be necessary to complete the 
 
 13 The sum of half a shekel was enjoined on the Jews as a 
 
 contribution. The rich were not to give more, nor the poor less. 
 
 w\. 15.) The cabaliste ray thai this ordinance was to 
 
 avoid the evil-eye, called by the Latins fatcinatio. (Calepirj v. Fas- 
 
 cino.) Pedro .Mi xia give* several instances of the evil-eye drj ing 
 
 up some held-, and iniiiid;itiiiL. r Othen ; affecting newly-horn ;mi- 
 m.-ih, wrecking ihipSj &C Virgil rayfl (Eclog. iii.) — 
 
 w fa it nugii In- bewitched ilir woolly clams . ; 
 \\ h.it i-\ ii hi beheld tin tender lunbi
 
 208 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 work ; and gave directions to his wardens, and to 
 Joshua, his deputy, to arrange the operative Masons 
 of every denomination into Lodges, according to 
 their several occupations and abilities. Nothing 
 could exceed the enthusiasm of the people in con- 
 tributing their most valuable property to this under- 
 taking, and their liberality became at length so un- 
 bounded, that Moses was obliged to restrain it by 
 an express prohibition. 
 
 Every arrangement being made, and the mate- 
 rials provided, Moses intrusted to his wardens the 
 plan and dimensions of the tabernacle, as they had 
 been communicated by God himself, 14 and placed 
 in their hands the accumulated offerings of the 
 people, as materials for the sacred building. After 
 solemn prayer and sacrifice to God, Moses appointed 
 the seventh day as a day of rest, and commenced 
 the work with an awful feeling of respect and 
 solemn veneration. 
 
 The tabernacle, with its attendant ornaments, fur- 
 niture, and jewels, needs not a particular description 
 here, as it is so minutely laid down in the book of 
 Exodus. It was constructed of a white timber which 
 grew plentifully at Abel Shittim, and was hence 
 called Shittim-wood (Acacia korrida). The metals 
 used in its construction and ornament were confined 
 to gold, silver, and brass ; all the baser metals being 
 excluded. A space of ground or court was inclosed 
 
 14 It is thought by many authors (Rupert, Oleaster, and others), 
 that Moses not only had the tabernacle described to him very 
 minutely on the mount, but that a pattern was also shewn to him 
 of every article to be constructed for its use, as well as a repre- 
 sentation of the whole when completed.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 269 
 
 for its reception, in length one hundred and fifty 
 feet, and in breadth seventy-five feet. The taber- 
 nacle itself consisted of three divisions, which sym- 
 bolically referred to the three great churches of 
 God on earth and in heaven. The outer court 
 was emblematical of the Jewish church under the 
 Mosaic dispensation ; the holy place, of the church 
 of Christ ; and the sanctum sanctorum, of the 
 church triumphant in the skies. The three posts 
 in the sides of the outer court are considered by 
 Beda to represent the three theological virtues, 
 Faith, Hope, and Charity. 
 
 The two first divisions of the tabernacle were 
 accessible to the priests, and were furnished with a 
 small altar of incense, the table of shew-bread, and 
 the golden candlestick ; but the holy of holies, con- 
 taining the ark of the covenant, overshadowed by 
 the Shekinah, being the peculiar residence of the 
 Almighty, was only entered by the high priest, and 
 that after innumerable purifications. The floor of 
 this most holy place was composed of square stones 
 of an equal size, and placed alternately black and 
 white; which method of paving has, from this cir- 
 cumstance, been termed Mosaic. It was disposed 
 in this chequered and variegated form, to remind 
 the high priest of the vicissitudes of human life, 
 tlint he might not be puffed up with the pre-emi- 
 nence of liis dignified station; but in the midst of 
 prosperity to bo bumble, mock, patient, and ascribe 
 hi- distinction solely to the goodness of God. Pros- 
 perity and adversity, like the white and black m > 
 
 in this pavement, are equally intermingled in the 
 cup of human life, to -how that this world affords
 
 270 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 no permanent good ; that, however an individual 
 may be distinguished by birth, wealth, or hereditary 
 honours, death will speedily destroy the splendid 
 fascination and reduce all mankind to their primi- 
 tive level; and that, therefore, we ought to study 
 how to approach that perfection here, which shall 
 be revealed to us in the effulgent regions of eternal 
 light. 
 
 The ark of the covenant was a small wooden chest, 
 made of imperishable materials, and overlaid with 
 gold by Bezaleel, whose principal use was to support 
 the propitiatory, or mercy-seat, from whence the 
 oracular responses were delivered. It was used 
 also as a sacred repository to contain the two tables 
 of stone on which the Decalogue was inscribed by 
 the finger of God. It was about three feet three- 
 quarters in length, two feet and a quarter in breadth, 
 and two feet and a quarter high. The mercy-seat 
 was made of pure gold, and was of the same dimen- 
 sions as the upper surface of the ark. Upon the 
 mercy-seat were two cherubims of gold, with their 
 wings extended towards each other, forming a kind 
 of throne or chariot, on which the Shekinah rested ; 
 and hence the Lord is said to dwell between the 
 cherubims. 15 The upper extremity of the ark was 
 encircled with a crown of gold." 3 In or near the 
 
 15 Isai. xxxvii. 16; Ps. Ixxx. 1. 
 
 16 The account given of the structure of the tabernacle proves 
 that metallurgy must have been well understood in the days of 
 Moses ; and from the description of the golden calf, we may infer 
 that the casting of idols and statues was no uncommon practice. 
 Metal mirrors were in common use among the ancient Egyptians ; 
 they occasionally appear on the monuments, and are mentioned 
 by Moses in the account of the brazen doves (Exod. xxxviii. 8).
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 271 
 
 ark was afterwards laid up a small quantity of the 
 manna with which God miraculously sustained his 
 people in a barren wilderness forty years. 17 
 
 The ark itself was esteemed so sacred, that who- 
 ever looked upon it was instantly put to death. 
 Fifty thousand men of Bethshemesh were slain for 
 being guilty of this impiety. 18 It was an agent in 
 the performance of miracles. The river Jordan 
 was divided as soon as the feet of the priests who 
 bore the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, 
 so that the Israelites passed over dry-shod. 19 The 
 walls of Jericho fell down when the ark had en- 
 Silvering, as well as gilding, was practised in very ancient times, 
 and it is probable that some of the vases depicted on the monu- 
 ments were merely ware covered over with metal. — (Taylor's 
 Egypt. Mon., pp. 95 — 97.) 
 
 17 This food fell upon the ground like the hoar frost, and tasted 
 like wafers sweetened with honey. It derived its name from the 
 surprise of the people when they received their first supply. 
 They asked each other, Man ha? — What is this? And hence it 
 acquired and retained the name of manna. In commemoration of 
 this miraculous sustenance, an omer of the manna, containing 
 about three pints and a half, was deposited in a pot of gold, and 
 placed in the sanctum sanctorum, as an everlasting testimony 
 that they owed their preservation to the immediate providence of 
 God. St. Paul makes this manna a type of Christ, calling it 
 their spiritual meat (1 Cor. x. 3); and in many particulars they 
 agree. The manna was white — Christ was pure and unspotted ; 
 it came from heaven, so did Christ; it fell with the dew — Chlisl 
 at with him abundance of grace; the manna was sweet and 
 pleasant to the taste — Christ is sweet and pleasant to the soul; 
 the manna Ml every day — Christ will be with us to the * ad of 
 the world. When the Jews entered the promised land, the 
 manna and the use oi the gospel of Christ will oaaae 
 
 when we come into the other world, 
 
 •• 1 Sam. vi. 111. 
 
 Joah. iii. 1-4 — 17.
 
 '27- ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 compassed the city seven times;'' and when the 
 same ark was deposited in the temple of Dagon, 
 the idol fell prostrate from its pedestal, and was 
 shivered in pieces. 21 
 
 The holy garments worn by the high priest were 
 directed to be made of fine twined linen, of the 
 three colours, richly embroidered with gold. Two 
 onyx stones were placed upon the shoulders of the 
 ephod, set in ouches of gold, and the names of the 
 twelve tribes engraven on them according to seni- 
 ority. The stone on the right shoulder contained 
 the names of Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Dan, Nap- 
 thali, and Gad ; and that on the left shoulder the 
 names of Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim, Ma- 
 nasseh, and Benjamin. These two stones referred 
 to the two grand luminaries the sun and moon, for 
 as the former rules the day and the latter the night, 
 so these stones were intended to point out that 
 God, the maker of these luminaries, rules and 
 governs the whole world by His wisdom, strength, 
 and goodness ; and that the twelve tribes written 
 on these stones w r ere under the more especial pro- 
 tection of His superintending providence. 
 
 The breastplate was a square of nine inches, made 
 of the same materials as the ephod, and set with 
 twelve precious stones, three in each row, on which 
 were also engraved the names of the twelve tribes. 
 The colours of the banners were identified by these 
 stones, each tribe bearing the same colour as the 
 precious stone by which it was represented in the 
 high priest's breastplate. 
 
 *° Josh. vi. 20. «' 1 Sam. v. 4.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 278 
 
 The first stone was a ruby, or sardius. Its colour 
 was red, and it has a direct allusion to the fiery lust 
 of Reuben, who violated Bilhah, his father's concu- 
 bine, at Edar. 
 
 The second was a topaz," of a yellow colour, and 
 referred to Simeon, from his jaundiced and distem- 
 pered rage in the slaughter of the Shechemites. 
 
 The third was a carbuncle, a stone of such exceed- 
 in g brightness and glory, that it flames with crimson 
 light in a dark place. This referred to Judith, a 
 princely tribe, out of which sprang the Messiah, who 
 was the brightness of his Father's glory, and the 
 express image of his person. 83 
 
 The fourth stone in the breastplate was an eme- 
 rald. It was of a shining green colour, and repre- 
 sented the green serpent which Jacob in his prophecy 
 likened unto Dan. 
 
 The fifth stone was the sapphire. The colour of 
 this gem is sky blue, intermixed with sparkling 
 
 2S An old masonic tradition relates that, about four years before 
 the temple at Jerusalem was commenced, Hiram Abiff purchased 
 from some Arabian merchants several curious stones and shells, 
 which they informed him were discovered on the shores of the 
 Red Sea by some persons who had been shipwrecked. Hiram, 
 the king, hearing of this circumstance, deputed Hiram Abiff with 
 certain vessels t<; examine the place, for the purpose of making 
 further <li- Alter some experiments, he succeeded in 
 
 finding the topaz in great abundance, intermixed with other 
 
 of inferior value. This formed a valuable branch of fe 
 Thui the prophi I I I, speaking of the King of Tyre, 
 
 i- thy covering ; the sardius, topaz, and 
 imond . the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper i the sapphire, 
 Id, and the carbuncle, ;m<l gold." (Ezek. xxviii. 13 ) 
 m Heb. i. :{. 
 
 i
 
 274 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 gold spots; and was appropriated to the tribe of 
 Napktali. 
 
 The sixth was a diamond, and Mas appropriated 
 to the tribe of 6W. whose hardihood and invincible 
 courage were very aptly represented by a diamond, 
 which is the hardest and most impenetrable substance 
 in nature. In colour it was white, and transparent 
 like crystal. 
 
 The seventh stone was a turquoise, which is blue. 
 This gem is endued with the properties of amber, 
 and will attract light bodies to its surface. It is 
 resembled to Ashcr, from the multitude of blessings 
 with which that tribe was endowed. 
 
 The eighth Mas an achate, or agate, which is a 
 stone intermixed with many splendid colours, as 
 blue, green, red, and wiiiTE. On this was en- 
 graven the name of Issachar, mIiosc occupation 
 being husbandry, "was fitly represented by this stone 
 from the variety exhibited in the productions of 
 nature. 
 
 The ninth M r as the purple amethyst, referring to 
 the sails of shipping, which were of that colour ; and 
 hence it M r as applied to Zebulun, which tribe became 
 afterM 7 ards celebrated for the knoMledge and prac- 
 tice of navigation. 
 
 The tenth M 7 as the beryl. The colour of this gem 
 is sea green, and was referred to Ephraim, the son 
 of Joseph, whom Moses afterwards blessed with pre- 
 cious things from the depths below. 23 
 
 The eleventh Mas the onyx, of a flesh colour ; and 
 represented the tender affection of Joseph toMards 
 Manasseh. 
 
 23 Deut. xxxiii. 13.
 
 I 
 
 . ///,////. K 
 
 I
 
 w k ; Jl 
 
 ]■„/.,,„■„ i. 
 
 Simevtt
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 27") 
 
 The twelfth was the jasper. Its colour was a 
 transparent green*, spotted and veined with red. 
 Pliny says of the jasper, "tothabet virtutes, quot venas" 
 "it hath as many virtues as veins ;" and was hence 
 appropriated to Benjamin, whose virtues caused the 
 Lord to select this tribe as his peculiar residence, 
 when Israel had obtained full possession of the Holy 
 Land, and an universal peace pointed out the time 
 for erecting and dedicating a temple for the exclusive 
 purpose of His worship. 
 
 The tabernacle, under the judicious direction of 
 Bezaleel and Aholiab, was conducted with such 
 amazing despatch, that notwithstanding the variety 
 and exquisite richness of its ornaments, it was com- 
 pleted in seven months ; and dedicated on the first 
 day of the month Nisan, or Abib, about the middle 
 of March, A.M. 2514 ; and from hence was reckoned 
 the first month in the year: for, previously to this 
 time, the computation of their year began with the 
 month Tisri, or Ethanim. At this dedication it 
 pleased the Lord to give the Israelites a miraculous 
 token of liis approbation by a fire from heaven, like 
 a flash of lightning, consuming the sacrifice; and 
 :i cloud of glory which covered the tent of the con- 
 gregation, and filled the whole space occupied by the 
 tabernacle. 
 
 "The structure of the tabernacle, (In- sacerdotal 
 garments, and the various vessels and instruments 
 appertaining to the service of the altar, bear a st pik- 
 ing analogy to the -tincture of Che universe. The 
 three divisions of the tabernacle may be, with great 
 propriety, compared to the earth, the sea, and the 
 heaven-: tin- 1 welve months of the year are signified 
 
 i 2
 
 27<! ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 by the same number of loaves of Bhew-bread. The 
 Beven lamps over the branches of the golden candle- 
 stick refer to the Beven planets ; and the seventy 
 pieces of which the candlestick is composed, denote 
 the twelve si<nis of the zodiac/ 1 The colours which 
 an' wrought into the curtains, as well as tin' curtains 
 themselves, are intended to represent the four ele- 
 ments. The earth, from which the flax is produced, 
 may he considered as typified by the fine linen. The 
 sea is represented by the purple colour, which de- 
 rives its origin from the blood of the fish murex. 
 The violet colour is an emblem of the air, as the 
 crimson is of the fire. With respect to the garment 
 of the high priest, the linen of which it is composed 
 represents the whole earth, and its violet colour the 
 heavens. The pomegranates refer to the lightning, 
 and the noise of the bells to the thunder. The 
 ephod, with its four several colours, has a reference 
 to the very nature of the universe ; and the inter- 
 mixture of gold which we observe in it may, in 
 my opinion, be considered as regarding the rays of 
 the sun. The essen, or rationale, which is placed 
 in the middle of the garment, denotes the situation 
 of the sun, in the centre of the universe. The 
 girdle which passes round the body of the priest, 
 
 24 Tostatus thinks that the candlestick was set in the south, 
 because the light of the celestial bodies comes from that quarter ; 
 and because the planets move from east to west, and decline from 
 the equinoctial towards the south. The table with the shew- 
 bread being set in the north, because in the north part of the 
 world is plenty of corn and other fruits. The south side referred 
 to the Jews, who first received the light of divine knowledge ; and 
 the north signified the Christians, who were enlightened at a later 
 period of the world.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 'It i 
 
 is a symbol of the sea environing the earth. The 
 sun and moon may be supposed to be expressed by 
 the two sardonyx stones ; and either the twelve 
 months, or the twelve signs of the zodiac, by the 
 twelve other stones. The violet colour of the tiara 
 resembles heaven ; and it would have manifested a 
 great want of reverence to the Deity to have in- 
 scribed His Sacred Name on any other colour. 
 The splendour of the majesty of the Supreme Being 
 is signified by the triple crown, and the plate of 
 gold." 
 
 The tabernacle was erected due east mid west, in 
 reference to the rising and setting of the sun. 26 
 
 is Jos. Ant. 1. .3, c. 7. 
 
 M In opposition to this illustration, it has been urged that the 
 changes occasioned by the precession of the equinoxes have 
 altered the position of ancient buildings ; and that, if the eastern 
 and western points are to be determined by the rising and setting 
 of the sun, these edifices, being at variance with the points thus 
 ascertained, do not truly exemplify the position. It will be seen 
 at once that this objection is too replete with fallacy and subter- 
 fuge to need a passing remark. The terms east and west have 
 been honoured with peculiar notice ever since the world began, 
 and it is from the uniform practice of our ancient brethren that 
 we retain a regard for those points in all our ceremonies. The 
 garden of Eden wae placed in the east, and our first parents were 
 expelled toward.- the west. The ark of Enoch was placed due 
 ca.-t and west, a- were also the tabernacle of Moses, and the 
 temple of Solomon. Judah, the most distinguished of the 
 tribes, had the eastern part <>t' the camp assigned to him, as the 
 mosl honourable station. The Gospel was firsl published in the 
 tnd afterwards spread over the western pari of the globe. 
 Christ, if- divine author, was crucified with hie face t.> the 
 Christian churchet and Masonic lodges are built dui 
 and west, and thi eastern part in each is deemed tin' most sacred ; 
 and all int thi dead are conducted on t he same prin«
 
 278 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 This peculiar situation referred to the memorable 
 deliverance of the children of Israel from their 
 Egyptian bondage, and to the east and west winds, 
 which were the apparent causes of that division of 
 the Red Sea by which it was accomplished. 27 
 
 The tabernacle thus erected,'" and the Jewish 
 
 ciple. Whence then this perfect uniformity, from the creation 
 to the present time ? The same system is visible throughout the 
 works of nature, and must, therefore, be referred to the Great 
 Creator of all things. The sun, that great source of light and 
 heat, created for the benefit and convenience of man, rises in the 
 east to open the day, gains his meridian in the south, and retires 
 to set in the west, to close the labours of the day. The ancient 
 inhabitants of the world considered the east to be the face of the 
 world from this very appearance, and the west the back of it. 
 The first edifice appropriated to the exclusive purpose of divine 
 worship was the tabernacle ; and this, by God's immediate 
 direction, was placed due east and west ; and as the tabernacle 
 was only intended as a temporary substitute for a more perma- 
 nent building, constructed on the same model, when his people 
 should have obtained peaceable possession of the promised land. 
 it may be justly inferred that this practice is sanctioned by the 
 divine command. Our Saviour is denominated, by St. Luke, 
 Oriens ; and, therefore, the early Christians worshipped with 
 their faces to the east ; for they were taught to abjure Satan 
 towards the west, and covenant with Christ towards the east. 
 
 27 The miracles recorded in Scripture have generally been 
 effected by the mediate agency of natural causes. Thus the 
 Egyptian miracles were many of them performed by the stretching 
 forth of Aaron's rod ; the waters of the Red Sea divided by the 
 same means which produced an east and afterwards a west wind. 
 The bitter waters at Marah were corrected by putting into them 
 the branch of a tree, &c. &c. These were true miracles effected 
 by the almighty power of God, through the medium of natural 
 agents. 
 
 28 The tabernacle was said to be an emblem of the three world-, 
 the terrestrial, the celestial, and the angelic. It consisted of three
 
 TREE-MASONRY. 279 
 
 ritual fully established, the patriarchal institution 
 was dispensed with, and the right of primogeniture 
 to officiate at the altar was superseded by the appro- 
 priation of the tribe of Levi to that exclusive ser- 
 vice. This dispensation was made, lest during so 
 long a period as their sojourning was to continue, 
 the people might degenerate from His worship, and 
 embrace the Egyptian idolatry. And this was fur- 
 ther provided against by a perpetual symbol of 
 God's presence among them, in the pillar of a 
 cloud. 
 
 This remarkable pillar, which directed the Is- 
 raelites through the Red Sea, and attended them 
 during their journeyings in the wilderness, was 
 intended as a visible manifestation of the divine 
 presence, and a token that Jehovah was at hand 
 to render them a-si>tanec in all cases of difficulty 
 and distress. It assured them, at the commenci - 
 ment of every change of situation, that while they 
 implicitly relied on that grand pillar for protection, 
 they might safely rise, follow their Divine Leader, 
 and fear no danger: for while their faith was bo 
 firmly founded, they could certainly have nothing to 
 Pear. This pillar, which assumed the form of a 
 cIiukI by day, and a fire, which afforded light to the 
 
 —the court, the holy place, and the tanctum sanctorum. The 
 
 tir-t <•< ,nt ;iirn cl tin- altar, which \v;i- Constructed of earthy matter, 
 
 ed t<> the air in an uncovered place; having on it a continual 
 fire, and surrounded by water, the four elements of tin- tern stria] 
 world. 1 'Mud vai in tin- middle, and ri pn » nti d the firma- 
 ment, and contained the golden altar, the table, and candlestick ; 
 and the- third was the dwelling of tli( Mot High, who by the 
 medium ofangek condescended to communicate \\itli man.
 
 280 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 whole camp, by night, appeared ;it their very first 
 departure from Egypt, did not forsake them until 
 they came to the borders of the promised land, and 
 rendered them inestimable services whilst traversing 
 that vast and trackless desert. When the cloud 
 moved, the Israelites struck their tents and inarched 
 forward; when it rested, they pitched their tents, 
 and remained stationary, until the moving of the 
 pillar directed them again to change their situation. 
 It never altered its form, but, like Jacob's ladder, 
 its base was near the earth, and its top ascended to 
 the heavens. After the tabernacle was erected, it 
 took its station over the sanctum sanctorum, and 
 served to shade the whole camp from the intense 
 heat of the sun in that parched and inhospitable 
 climate.-' 
 
 The tabernacle being completed, the next care 
 of Moses Mas to reapnlate the tribes, and form each 
 into its proper order, as a constituent part of the 
 general force necessary to defend themselves against 
 the incursions of their hostile neighbours, as well as 
 to inflict the threatened vengeance on the inha- 
 bitants of Canaan. To accomplish this purpose, he 
 numbered the males according to their families, and 
 armed every one who had attained the age of twenty 
 years : he had been furnished with armour, both 
 offensive and defensive, by the special Providence of 
 God, in the destruction of the Egyptian army. 
 Commanders, or princes of tribes, were appointed by 
 Moses, and, on reviewing his army, he found it con- 
 sisted of 603,550 fighting men. Banners were ap- 
 
 29 Ps. cv. 3D. Num. xiv. 4. Ua\. iv. 5, G.
 
 FXEE-MASONRY. liNl 
 
 propriated to the several divisions, with devices 
 emblematical of the genius or disposition of each 
 tribe. 
 
 The form of the camp was a square, each side of 
 which was twelve miles; 30 and the tribes were placed 
 according to their degrees of consanguinity. Thus 
 the east, being the most honourable station, was 
 occupied by the tents of Judah, Issachar, and Zebu- 
 hui, the children of Leah. On the west were placed 
 the tribes ef Ephraim, Manasses, and Benjamin, the 
 descendants of Rachel. On the south Reuben and 
 Simeon, the sons of Leah, and Gad, the son of Zil- 
 pah, her handmaid. And on the north were sta- 
 tioned the tribes of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, the 
 descendants of Bilhah and Zilpah. The spaces 
 between each tribe were used for the transaction of 
 public and private business. The tabernacle, at- 
 tended by tin 1 cloud of glory, was placed in the 
 centre, about a mile from each tribe. The tribe 
 of Levi were distributed around the tabernacle 
 in every quarter. Moses. Anion, and the priests 
 in the east; the Gershonites in the west, the Ko- 
 hathites in the south, and the Merarites in the 
 north. 
 
 The disposition of this cam]) was so beautiful and 
 imposing, thai Balaam was struck with astonishment 
 at a dght bo magnificent and unexpected, and ex- 
 claimed in the spirit of prophecy, "Howgoodl) are 
 th\ tents, Jacob, and thy tabernacles, <> Israel' 
 
 As tin- valleys are they spread forth, as gardens bj 
 
 the river's side ,-i- the trees of lign aloes which the 
 
 I . . .11, ol Junul li. ben I fzii 1 in Num. ii, 3.
 
 282 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the 
 waters." » 
 
 "Every man of the children of Israel" was com- 
 manded " to pitch by his own standard with the 
 ensigns of their father's house." 32 In each quarter 
 of the camp was a principal standard or banner, 
 which unitedly bore a device emblematical of the 
 angelic nature. This is represented by the prophet 
 Ezekiel to be comprehended under the combined 
 figures of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. A 
 man to represent intelligence and understanding, a 
 lion to personify strength and power, an ox to de- 
 note the ministration of patience and assiduity, and 
 an eagle to denote the promptness and celerity with 
 which the Mill and pleasure of the Supreme are 
 executed. 33 
 
 The standard borne by Nahshon, the leader of the 
 tribe of Judah, and of the first great division of the 
 Israelites, who led the van on every expedition, was 
 emblazoned with the image of a lion couchant be- 
 
 31 Num. xxiv. 5, 6. 32 Ibid. ii. 2. 
 
 33 « Angeli ex hoc versu definiri possunt. Sunt enim Spiritus 
 intelligentes ut Homo ; potentes ut Leo ; ministratorii ut Bos ; et 
 celeres ut Aquila." (Tremel. in Ezek. i .) These several hiero- 
 glyphics are referred by many of the fathers (Jerom. in Matt, i.; 
 Gregory in Ezek. i. ; August., &c.) of the Christian church to the 
 four evangelists. The man is said to represent St. Matthew, 
 because his gospel commences with an account of the genealogy 
 of Christ, according to his human extraction. The lion is re- 
 ferred to St. Mark, because his gospel begins with the Vox claman- 
 tis, not unaptly compared to the roaring of a lion. The ox to 
 St. Luke, because he begins with the priest Zacharias ; and the 
 eagle to St. John, who, as with the wings of an eagle, soars aloft 
 in the spirit of inspiration, and commences his gospel with the 
 eternal divinity of Jesus Christ, the word of God.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. *2^o 
 
 tween a crown and sceptre; for Judah was a 
 
 princely tribe, according to the blessing of Jacob, 
 who declared that " his hand should be on the neck 
 of his enemies, and that his father's children should 
 bow down before him." " Judah is a lion's whelp," 
 said the dying patriarch, illuminated with the spirit 
 of prophecy ; w " from the prey, my son, thou art 
 gone up : he stooped down, he couched as a lion, 
 and as an old lion ; who shall rouse him up ? The 
 sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver 
 from between his feet, until Shilo come, and unto him 
 shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his 
 fole unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice 
 vine ; he washed his garments in wine, and his 
 clothes in the blood of grapes ; his eyes shall be red 
 with wine, and his teeth white with milk. 35 
 
 The country adjoining Jerusalem, appropriated to 
 this tribe, was a land of vineyards, and peculiarly 
 famous for the size and beauty of its grapes. 36 The 
 
 34 Gen. xlix. 8—12. 
 
 s 5 Here the sceptre was distinctly placed in the hands of Judah ; 
 and accordingly we find that from David, the second king of the 
 Israelites, to the Babylonish captivity, this tribe was never with- 
 out a sceptre. After this captivity, ( yrus placed the holy vessels 
 in the hands of Zernbbabel, who was a prince of Judah ; and there 
 the sceptre remained) until Herod, who was neither of their regal 
 line, nor yet a Jew, was constituted governor of Judea by the 
 Romans, in whose time the prophecy was completed by the advent 
 of Jeans Christ. Thu tribe produced many princes, who emi- 
 nently fulfilled this prediction, and literally trod upon the neckl 
 of their enemies; particularly Jesui Christ, who u denominated 
 the lion of the tribe of Judah, and will ultimately subdue all thinga 
 to himself; " for be must reign till be hath put all enemies undei 
 
 I ucb bat \n ■ a aid on thi \/< oi thi ■' ( anaan.
 
 28 I ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 banner of Essachar was borne by Nethaneel, the 
 prince and leader of his tribe, and Mas emblazoned 
 with a device representing a strong ass crouching 
 
 bet wren two burdens, 87 for Jacob had doomed his 
 posterity to strong and toilsome labour; 38 and this 
 people were accordingly very patient and assiduous 
 in the laborious employment of cultivating the 
 
 Bochardus reports that the country produces a fruit called the 
 apples of Paradise, which grow in a cluster like grapes, a hun- 
 dred together, each of the size of a hen's egg. When Foster vi- 
 sited Palestine, he met with a monk, who told him that he had 
 seen bunches of grapes growing in Hebron so large, that it 
 required two men to carry them. But these are exaggerations. 
 The clusters of grapes were doubtless large ; but, according to 
 the testimony of the most credible travellers, did not exceed ten or 
 twelve pounds each. They are of different colours — white, red, 
 and purple, but the latter are the most plentiful. 
 
 37 The authors of the Universal History give for the device on 
 Issachar's banner, the sun and moon ; and their decision is con- 
 firmed by some of the Jewish writers. But I may observe re- 
 specting the whole of these standards, that there are great doubts 
 about them. Sir T. Browne long since said, that the escutcheons 
 of the tribes do not, in every instance, correspond with the pro- 
 phecy of either Jacob or Moses. The Jewish Rabbins believe 
 that the four principal tribes bore on their standards the compo- 
 nent parts of the cherubim — a man, an ox, a lion, and an eagle. 
 But some doubts are entertained of this fact, as we shall see in a 
 subsequent note. The Targumists say that the banners were dis- 
 tinguished by colours, each being analogous to the corresponding 
 stone in the high priest's breastplate. They think also that the 
 name of each tribe was inscribed on its banner. Some determine 
 that they were distinguished by the signs of the zodiac, and the 
 months of the year ; and that the four chief standards bore for 
 their devices, Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, and were hal- 
 lowed with a letter of the Tetragrammaton, a sacred name of 
 God. 
 
 3 8 Gen. xlix. 1-1, 1.").
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 285 
 
 earth, and rather chose to submit to any extent of 
 impost*;, duties, and taxes, than forsake their beloved 
 quiet, and take up anus in defence of their natural 
 rights and privileges. The banner of Zebulun, 
 erected under the command of Eliab, bore a ship ; 
 for Jacob had predicted that Zebulun should dwell 
 at an haven of the sea, and he should be for an 
 haven for ships. 39 This prophecy was minutely ful- 
 filled; for the portion of Canaan allotted to this 
 tribe was on the coasts of the Mediterranean sea, 
 westward, and extended to the lake of Tiberias, to- 
 wards the east, where they followed the avocation 
 of mariners and fishermen. 
 
 The second grand division was led on by Elizur, a 
 prince of the tribe of Reuben, His banner was 
 distinguished by a man in the full vigour of his 
 strength, 40 because Reuben was the "first born of 
 Jacob, his might, and the beginning- of his strength.*'" 
 The privileges attached to primogeniture were for- 
 feited to this tribe by the misconduct of its pa- 
 triarch, who committed incest with his father's con- 
 cubine, and were transferred to the tribe of Judah. 
 The host of Simeon were headed by Shelumiel, who 
 bore a Btandard emblazoned with a sword, as " an 
 instrument of cruelty." 48 Simeon laboured under 
 bis father's curse for the pari he had taken, in con- 
 
 • ('•< ii. xlix. 13. 
 
 4 The Rabbi Manasseh Bmi Israel says the device was a 
 mandi 
 
 41 Gen. xlix. •'!. 
 
 41 Ibid. '>. The author! of the Universal History L r i\v ■ city, 
 and the Conciliator ■ tower, for the device on the bannei of 
 Simeon.
 
 286 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 junction with liis brother Levi, in the cruel and 
 unjustifiable slaughter of the Shechemites. Hence 
 the descendants of Levi had no inheritance amongst 
 their brethren, but were scattered abroad in forty- 
 eight cities throughout the land of Canaan ; and 
 Simeon was a tribe of schoolmasters, with an inhe- 
 ritance consisting only of a small portion of land in 
 the midst of the tribe of Judali. In process of time 
 this settlement became too small for their increasing 
 population, and they were obliged to take refuge 
 amongst the Idumeans. The tribe of Gad was led 
 by Eliasaph, and was designated by a troop of horse- 
 men ; for it had been predicted that " a troop should 
 overcome him, but that he should overcome at 
 last." 43 This prophecy was fulfilled by his situation 
 on the eastern side of Jordan, exposed to the attacks 
 of the Ammonites, who harassed the tribe by re- 
 peated incursions, until Jephtha ruled over Israel, 
 who repelled the invaders, carried the war into their 
 own country, and compelled them to sue for peace 
 on terms equally honourable and advantageous to 
 the tribe over which they had exercised their ty- 
 rannies. 
 
 The third grand division of the Israelites was 
 conducted by Elishama, the leader of the Ephraim- 
 ites. Ephraim, though only a younger son of one 
 of the patriarchs, was appointed to be a leader of 
 the tribes, in consequence of the peculiar blessing 
 of his grandfather. His standard bore the image of 
 an ox. The tribe of Manasseh was led by Gamaliel, 
 
 43 Gen. xlix. 19. De Loutherbourg, in his famous picture of 
 The Standards, gives to the tribe of Gad a field covered with 
 stars.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 1287 
 
 and the banner was emblazoned with a luxuriant 
 vine planted by the side of a wall, which the ten- 
 dril- overhung. 44 These two tribes sprang from 
 Joseph, and were accounted peculiarly blessed. 
 They produced more eminent men than any other 
 tribe, except Judah, in which tribe was preserved 
 the line of the Messiah. Joshua, Gideon, Jephtha, 
 and others, proceeded from them ; under whose able 
 superintendence Israel acquired much renown and 
 many permanent advantages, which inspired the sur- 
 rounding nations with tenor at the name of Israel 
 and its God. The tribe of Benjamin Mas designated 
 by a ravening wolf, borne by it- prince Abidan. This 
 was a fierce and warlike people, and in battle 
 were more terrible to their enemies than any of 
 the tribes of Israel; conformably to the unerring- 
 voice of prophecy, which had declared, " Benja- 
 min shall ravin as a wolf; in the morning lie shall 
 devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the 
 spoil." 45 
 
 The last grand division was led on by Ahiezer, a 
 prince of the tribe of Dan, His Btandard was dis- 
 tinguished by a serpent attaching the heels of a 
 horse on which a rider was placed ; 4 " for Jacob had 
 
 44 Manassch Ben Israel is of opinion that the tribe of Manas* 
 sen bore an unicorn; others think the bearing was a palm tree. 
 
 • Gen. xlix. 27. 
 
 The Universal History, from Reyherus, attribute! to Dan 
 a banner with an eagle bearing away in his talons a serpent. 
 • •: ■ R .'.hiu- think thai hi- Btandard contained a serpent 
 alone, and this opinion has been followed bj I '■ Loutherbourg. 
 Hut if the four leading tribe* bore the constituenl parti of the 
 chernbic form, then the banner of I tan would oertainly be cfa 
 with an eagle ; loi Icannol lubtcribe to the doctrine \\ Inch makes
 
 288 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 prophesied that " Dan shall be a serpent by the 
 
 way ; an adder in the path, that biteth the horse 
 heels, so that his rider shall fall backward." 47 This 
 division, which was very numerous, and appointed 
 to protect the rear of the congregation, was distin- 
 guished also by a grand banner emblazoned with 
 the figure of an eagle. 48 The banner of Asher \v;is 
 unfolded by Pagiel, and bore a flourishing tree ; for 
 Jacob had said, "Out of Asher his bread shall be 
 
 the cherubim of our Scriptures an astronomical allegory, origin- 
 ating in the nodes of the moon being called " the dragon's head 
 and tail." The prophet Ezekiel is express upon the point; and 
 that is an authority to which I implicitly bow. Whether the 
 banners of these tribes were really charged with the cherubic 
 forms or not, is another question. It is almost universally believed 
 that they were ; but still the fact is uncertain, because we have 
 no absolute autbority for it. With respect to the banners gene- 
 rally, I repeat that there exists such a diversity of opinions 
 amongst our most learned commentators, that it would be 
 hazardous to offer any positive judgment on the subject. The 
 statement in the text appears the most probable. We have 
 already seen (see above, note 37), that there are those who 
 assert that they were not charged with any design at all, but were 
 distinguished by the colours of the precious stones in the High 
 Priest's breastplate ; and others say that they were merely poles 
 bearing the name of the tribe which they respectively indicated. 
 In a matter of such extreme difficulty, we must be content to 
 remain unsatisfied. 
 
 47 Gen. xlix. 17. 
 
 48 This is attested by many eminent authors. Vatabulus says, 
 " the banner of Reuben was a man, signifying religion and rea- 
 son ; Judah's was a lion, denoting power ; Ephraim's was an ox, 
 denoting patience and toil ; and Dan's an eagle, denoting wis- 
 dom, sublimity, and swiftness." Aben Ezra attests the same. 
 " Dicunt," says he, " in vexillo Reuben fuisse imaginem hominis; 
 in vexillo Jehudah imaginem leonis ; in vexillo Epbraim imaginem 
 bovis ; in vexillo Dan imaginem aquila."
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 289 
 
 fat, and he shall yield royal dainties ; ,>49 which re- 
 ferred to the rich and fertile possessions allotted to 
 him in the land of Canaan. The tribe of Naphtali 
 was commanded by Ahira, and designated by a hind 
 let loose, alluding to their free spirit and unre- 
 strained love of liberty. 50 
 
 The banner of Levi bore a dagger, as Simeon's 
 did a sword. These were the instruments of cruelty 
 which Jacob pronounced were in their habitations. 
 The tribe of Levi had no distinct place among the 
 tribes during their encampment in the wilderness ; 51 
 but in consequence of its appropriation to serve at 
 the altar, it was divided into four companies, and 
 placed east, west, south, and north about the taber- 
 nacle. This tribe was afterwards dispersed amongsl 
 
 4 9 Gen. xlix. 20. 
 
 The banner of Joseph is mentioned by some authors as a 
 luxuriant tree, from Jacob's prediction, " Joseph is a fruitful 
 bough ; even a fruitful bough by a wall, whose branches run over 
 the wall." But I can scarcely admit that any separate host was 
 assembled as the tribe of Joseph, who (independently of the 
 total silence of Moses on the subject) was fully represented by 
 OS Bphraim and Manasseh, who were advanced to the rank 
 of princes and tribes in the room of Joseph and Levi. (Jos. Ant. 
 1. 3, 12.) I have therefore given his banner to Manasseh, who 
 was Joseph's eldest and must beloved son, though Bphraim is 
 prefi rred before him. Joseph was thus actually at tin- head "I 
 two distinct tribes, which was a fulfilment of that prophecy of 
 Jacob, "1 have given to tine one portion above thy brethren, 
 which I took out of t he hand of tin Amorite with my sword and 
 with my bow." (Gen. \Iviii. 22.) 
 
 11 Thi- must ; i with some allowance. Until Bphraim 
 
 and Manasseh became two distinct tribes, Levi was oof excluded. 
 
 Ainl that was not done until tin- tribe "i Levi was separated from 
 
 ice "i the Tabernacle, aboul ;■ \ i u aftei the 
 
 ■ ance, 
 
 i
 
 290 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 the other tribes, and was never possessed of a sepa- 
 rate and independent inheritance. 5 
 
 The following table will exhibit at one view the 
 precise order and rank, as well as the strength, of 
 the Israelites in the wilderness, when ranged under 
 their respective leaders and standards. 
 
 52 It is true that in the enumeration of the trihes of Israel by 
 St. John the Evangelist (Rev. vii. 5 — 8), Joseph and Levi are both 
 mentioned, and Dan and Ephraim, though leaders of divisions, 
 are omitted. This exclusion is attributed to the idolatrous pur- 
 suits of those two tribes, who, being foremost in their respective 
 hosts, endeavoured to distinguish themselves still more by pro- 
 moting and encouraging innovation in the divine economy, with 
 the design of elevating themselves to a supreme dignity, which 
 under the theocracy they were ineligible to fill.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 
 
 291 
 
 _• 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 - - 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 .= .= 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 su 
 
 
 -a 
 
 
 _S 
 
 
 ■7. ■*> 
 
 - 
 
 4-> 
 
 CO 
 
 a 
 
 w 
 
 5 
 
 o 
 
 CO 
 
 CD 
 
 o 
 
 . *J — — 
 *J CO ■»-> •*-> 
 
 co cu 3 t? 
 
 rf fc> o o 
 
 
 
 / — * — » 
 
 
 I . 
 
 
 o o c 
 
 o o o 
 
 o o c 
 
 O O O 
 
 o o o 
 
 -- — 
 
 cr cr ~ 
 
 o © »c 
 
 COO 
 
 
 coo 
 
 B -2 
 
 CO T T 
 
 ion <c 
 
 ir> (M Tf 
 
 t> U5 ~t 
 
 W CO <M 
 
 
 
 §eo 
 
 •t -tN 
 
 so Oi if; 
 
 O ?J »C 
 
 <M i— i CO 
 
 1 INKO 
 
 fe* 
 
 t>. io in 
 
 -* *0 "* 
 
 't cc cc 
 
 O Tf «5 
 
 '~ v ~' 
 
 
 U 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 OJ 
 
 
 
 1 1 
 
 
 
 Q 
 
 a m c 
 
 2 < 13 
 = J - 
 
 — u ? 
 
 3 II 
 
 
 d^s 
 
 1 bD 
 If 
 
 Q 
 
 5 
 
 n 
 
 
 < < < 
 
 <3<<C 
 
 <:<< 
 
 <<< 
 
 < 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 • 
 
 
 O 
 
 s 3 
 
 O °2 r 
 CO ^ 
 
 C PQ — 
 
 h _ _2 • - 
 
 1— c 1*"" C* 
 
 | 8 | 
 
 '- E 
 
 c : 
 
 £ <U c. 
 <L) 3 c- 
 ^ -j - 
 
 1 d 
 o 
 
 CO 
 
 3 
 ■E 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 E 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 « 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 TJ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 B 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 H 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 lM 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 V 
 
 _ s 
 
 g u 
 
 g = 
 — 3 
 
 JOS < 
 
 E 
 
 J2 5 
 
 — 9) 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 >- 
 
 c! 
 
 i 
 
 c 
 
 
 
 3 V' 
 
 ^ ^ ^ 
 
 ~ 2 - 
 
 — 3 — 
 
 rt ^= ^ a 
 
 
 Z2K 
 
 K 7. K 
 
 wo< 
 
 <a,< 
 
 < W W N 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3g ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 o — •- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 o 5 - j 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 So«S 
 
 
 
 
 © 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 J* _ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 ^= — — 
 
 1 3 
 l.|3 
 
 c 3.E 
 
 B 2 c 
 
 P 9 t 
 
 ■ 
 
 "7 ■ 
 
 _ 
 
 LI 
 
 
 »-, - N 
 
 p2 / * 
 
 '^. ^-. — 
 
 Q<Z 

 
 292 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Besides the banners already enumerated, there 
 were abundance of interior standards in the camp, 
 under which the separate companies, or smaller 
 
 divisions, were ranked, and these were emblazoned 
 with devices according to the fancy of their respec- 
 tive leaders. 
 
 The two most numerous, led by Nahshon of the 
 tribe of Judah, and Ahiezer of the tribe of Dan, 
 were placed in front and rear of the Israelites when 
 on the march ; the former to attack the enemy, if 
 any should attempt to obstruct their progress; and 
 the latter to protect the movements of the whole 
 body, as well as to take charge of the sick, lame, 
 and wounded ; and hence they were termed " The 
 gathering host." When the congregation rose to 
 move onwards, Moses said, " Rise up, Lord, and 
 let thine enemies be scattered ! and let them that 
 hate thee flee before thee." And when it rested, he 
 said, " Return, Lord, unto the many thousands 
 of Israel." 53 And the whole people sung the former 
 part of the sixty-eighth psalm. 
 
 " Concerning their marching on their journeys, 
 they either moved forward, or abode still, accord- 
 ing to the moving or standing of the cloud which 
 conducted them. The manner thereof is as follows : 
 When God took up the cloud, Moses prayed, and 
 the priests with their trumpets blew an alarm ; then 
 Judah, the first standard, rose up, with Issachar and 
 Zebulun, and they inarched foremost ; then followed 
 the Gershonites and Merarites, bearing the boards 
 and coverings of the tabernacle in waggons. The 
 
 » Num. x. 35, 36.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 293 
 
 trumpets Bounded the second alarm, then Reuben, 
 Simeon, and Gad, rose up, and followed the taber- 
 nacle; and after them wont the Kohathites, in the 
 midst of the twelve tribes, bearing on their shoulders 
 tlu' ark, candlestick, table, altar, and other holy 
 things. At the third alarm, rose up the standard of 
 Ephraim. Manasseh, and Benjamin, and these fol- 
 lowed the sanctuary. Unto this David hath refer- 
 ence when he prayeth, ' Before Ephraim, Benjamin, 
 and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and 
 save as.' 5 * At the fourth alarm, arose the standard 
 of Dan. Asher, and Naphtali; and to these was 
 committed the care of gathering together the lame, 
 feeble, and sick, and to look that nothing was left 
 behind; whence they were called 'the gathering 
 host.' 55 I'nto this David alludeth, 'when my father 
 and mother forsake me, the Lord will gather me." 1 
 
 At Kibroth Hattaavah, the grand sanhedrim was 
 appointed by the command of God, consisting of 
 six rulers out of each tribe, t<» the number of 
 seventy-two, over which Moses presided as the nasi, 
 or prince of the Banhedrim. The learning and 
 power of this body, which continued until the 
 destruction of the Jewish polity by the Romans, 
 have born very highly panegyrized by the Rabbins. 
 They possessed the privilege of re-judging anj cause 
 which bad been determined bj the inferior courts, 
 if an appeal was made to their decision. Sentence 
 in criminal causes was necessarih pronounced bi 
 them, and thej had a power of inflicting personal 
 correction on the king himself, if guilt) of certain 
 
 Josh, vi 9 
 
 Pi \mi 10 M.. ud Aai lib. 6 s
 
 '294 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 specified offences. The first sanhedrim was en- 
 dowed with the gift of prophecy, and were of 
 peculiar service to Moses in the assistance they 
 rendered towards keeping the rebellious Israelites 
 in subjection. 
 
 The Israelites had now arrived at the borders of 
 the promised land; and their leader, who foresaw 
 the difficulties which presented themselves to the 
 conquest of that country, proposed, in a public 
 assembly, that each tribe should furnish a man of 
 approved courage and conduct to explore the land, 
 and report their joint opinion on the manners and 
 customs of the inhabitants, as well as the strength 
 of their cities, the nature of their fortifications, and 
 the most practicable method of successful attack. 
 Twelve men were, therefore, appointed, under the 
 conduct of deputy grand master Joshua, who repre- 
 sented his tribe in this undertaking. They entered 
 on the duty with alacrity and zeal, and travelled 
 quite through the land of Canaan, even to Lebanon, 
 the most northerly district. Their inquiries were 
 extended to the most minute particulars ; and, at 
 the end of forty days, they returned to give an ac- 
 count of their mission. 57 
 
 57 They described it as a good land (see Deut. viii.), and so it 
 certainly was. " The description here given would be considered, 
 even by an European, as evidence of its claims to that distinction ; 
 while the circumstances enumerated are of such infinite import- 
 ance in the East, that they would give to an Oriental the most 
 vivid impressions of fertility and excellence. We must consider 
 how long the Israelites had wandered in the hot, sandy wilder- 
 ness, before we can enter into the feelings with which they must 
 have heard this description of the hind they were destined to in- 
 herit. Travellers are sometimes disposed to regard, a:- somewhat
 
 FREE-MASONRY. -!»•> 
 
 The inhabitants of Canaan at this period were a 
 hardy race of people, having been trained to the use 
 of arms in a long war with the Egyptians, whom 
 they hail formerly conquered and tyrannized over 
 during a successiou el' six kings, and a period <»(' 
 more than two hundred years. They were expelled 
 a short time before the birth of Jacob, and from that 
 period had been engaged in perpetual warfare with 
 their neighbours. Their cities were consequently so 
 strongly fortified, and the communication between 
 them was so carefully guarded, that they were deemed 
 impregnable. Their form was gigantic and robust, 
 their horses sagacious and well trained, and they used 
 chariots of iron, which they had brought with them 
 out of Egypt. 58 These formidable circumstances made 
 
 overcharged, the accounts which the sacred writers give of this 
 country ; but they do not sufficiently consider for how many ages 
 this land has remained comparatively desolate and forsaken, or 
 make allowance for the change which must thus have been pro- 
 duced in its appearance. In a country condemned to desolation, 
 we cannot fairly look for the characteristics of its prosperous 
 Btate ; vet even now enough remains to enable us to discover, 
 without difficultv, that this fine country was not BUrpassed in 
 beauty and exuberant production by any country of western Asia, 
 nor perhaps anywhere equalled, unless in some parts of Syria 
 and Asia Minor." — ( Pitt. Bib. vol. 1, p. 458.) 
 
 ' The following description of the chariot of Juno, given bj 
 Homer, i- supposed to be taken from tin- Eg] ptian chariol 
 Iic-;i\'n- empn — rill- her blazin 
 
 \i her command roita forth the steedi divine, 
 itli Immortal gold their trapping! thine 
 i . 1 1 I [ebe ever jroung, 
 
 The whirling wheeli an t" the axle bong. 
 On the bright axle turm tin' bidden wheel 
 ■ polish'd oxli -I' ■ ' 
 ii ipokea in i. uli. mi ..ill. i Rami 
 Tin < ii, Id gold "l uncoi i npU ■ ! fi in
 
 '2i)G ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 such an unfavourable impression on .ill the delegates, 
 except Joshua and Caleb, that they returned to 
 their brethren under the effects of insurmountable 
 apprehension, which all the coolness and courage of 
 Joshua were unable effectually to repress. The 
 whole congregation were infected with their pusil- 
 lanimity, and entered into a resolution to put Moses 
 and Aaron to death, and return to their Egyptian 
 slavery. 59 The influence of Joshua was scarcely suffi- 
 cient to allay the tumult. Their fears were, how- 
 ever, groundless ; for God had weakened the Ca- 
 naanites by the migration of many colonies into 
 other countries before this time, particularly that 
 into Greece under Cadmus, and that into Bithynia 
 under Phoenix, that the settlement of his pecu- 
 liar people might be accomplished with greater 
 ease. 
 
 The complaints and imprecations of the people 
 subjected them to a severe judgment. God issued 
 a decree, that not one of that generation should 
 
 Such as the heav'ns produce ; and round the gold 
 Two brazen rings of work divine were roll'd. 
 The bossy naves of solid silver shone ; 
 Braces of gold suspend the moving throne. 
 The car behind an arching figure bore, 
 The bending concave form'd an arch before. 
 Silver the beam, the extended yoke was gold, 
 And golden reins the immortal coursers hold. 
 
 59 The Egyptian gardens were extremely beautiful, and their 
 produce so delicious, that it is not very surprising that the carnal 
 Israelites should shrink from their formidable task, and wish to 
 return to a country where they were well fed, though heavily 
 tasked. Thus we rind that " they wept, and said, Who shall give 
 us flesh to eat ? We remember the fish which we did eat in 
 Egypt freely ; the cucumbers and the melons, and the leeks, and 
 the onions, and the garlick." (Numb. xi. 4, 5, 6.)
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 297 
 
 enter into the promised land, except Joshua and 
 Caleb, the only two who had been tried and found 
 faithful amidst the universal defection, that the holy 
 land might be peopled with a race free from the 
 degeneracy of their forefathers. 
 
 The Israelites, by a common fluctuation in the 
 human mind, were so disconcerted by this unex- 
 pected decree, that, urged by despair, they united 
 themselves into a body, and, contrary to the positive 
 injunctions of Moses, they made a desperate attempt 
 to force their way into the land, and gain possession, 
 without the divine assistance. But the Canaanites 
 and the Amalekites were prepared to receive them, 
 repulsed them with great slaughter, and drove them 
 back into the wilderness. Grieved at their disobe- 
 dience, and afraid of retaliation from an enemy, 
 whom they had incensed by an unprovoked attack. 
 Mioses reconducted them from the borders of Canaan 
 towards the Red Sea. The people, entirely dis- 
 satisfied with these retrograde movements, were 
 easily incited to open rebellion against the authority 
 ..t' Moses, by Korah, Dathan, AJbiram, and On, who 
 aspired to the priesthood and supreme government 
 of the people. They accused Moses and Aaron of 
 an assumption of authority, to which all the people 
 had an equal claim, and demanded a restitution of 
 their rights into the hands of the congregation. This 
 conduct so provoked the Lord, that he destroyed 
 them by a terrible judgment, in the presence of all 
 the people; and appointed a visible and obvious 
 test, which might remain a perpetual demonstration 
 
 that Aaron and hi- -e<d were appointed to the 
 priesthood l»\ divine commission. Me commanded
 
 298 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 the heads of the twelve tribes to take each of them 
 his rod, with his name inscribed upon it ; and the 
 
 miraculous rod. which had been the principal agent 
 in the performance of those supernatural acts which 
 at this day excite the astonishment of mankind, was 
 directed to be inscribed with the name of Aaron for 
 the tribe of Levi. These rods were laid up in the 
 tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, 
 under an Almighty promise that the man's rod 
 whom he would choose should blossom before the 
 morning. " And, in the morning, Moses went into 
 the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of 
 Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and 
 brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and 
 yielded almonds." 60 The choice of Aaron being 
 thus publicly confirmed, Moses was directed to lay 
 up the rod in the tabernacle, as a visible evidence 
 that this dispensation proceeded from God himself, 
 and that the heads of his family might for ever re- 
 
 60 Numb. xvii. 8. This miracle seems to have set the question 
 at rest, as we hear of no more rebellious murmurings about the 
 priesthood. The people, however, seemed to have submitted to 
 this evidence with a far less cheerful temper than Josephus de- 
 scribes. Their expressions, " Behold, we die — we perish — we all 
 perish," savour more of fear than of cheerful asquiescence. The 
 rod of Aaron was afterwards preserved in the tabernacle and 
 temple ; and most commentators think that it continued to retain 
 its leaves and fruit, the preservation of which, indeed, seems ne- 
 cessary to furnish a standing evidence of the miracle. Some 
 learned writers are of opinion that the idea of the Thyrsus, or rod 
 encircled with vine branches, which Bacchus was represented to 
 bear in his hand, was borrowed from some tradition concerning 
 Aaron's rod; and others think the same with respect to the club 
 of Hercules, which, according to the Greek tradition, sprouted 
 again when it was put into the earth.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 299 
 
 main in undisturbed possession of the high priest- 
 hood. 
 
 When the time was nearly expired which God 
 had prescribed for the Israelites to remain in the 
 Desert, he determined to correct a mistaken no- 
 tion which thev had received from their fathers, 
 that Moses was indebted to the rod, which was 
 now laid up in the testimony, for the success of 
 his miracles. To convince them, therefore, that it 
 was His Almighty power alone which had wrought 
 these wonders iii their behalf, and to inspire them 
 with confidence in His protection when surrounded 
 by enemies in the land of Canaan, he led them to 
 Kadesh. where there was not water sufficient for 
 their necessities; and commanded Moses and Aaron 
 tn stand before the rock only. and. without the use 
 of any visible agent, the water should burst forth 
 in the presence of the whole congregation. In 
 this instance, however. Moses was disobedient, and 
 attempted to display his own power rather than 
 the glory of God. Upbraiding the people for their 
 repeated murmurings, he struck the rock twice with 
 a rod he held in his hand, and said : ' w Hear QOW, ye 
 rebel-, must we fetch you water out of this rock '." '' 
 The water, indeed, burst from the ruck ; but the 
 arrogance of Moses and Aaron excited God's indig- 
 nation, and their crime met with its due punish- 
 ment; for tied pronounced that they Bhould n<»t 
 live to conduct the people to their promised rest 
 
 \iid the name of that water was called .}/,/■//><///. 
 Aaron died upon Mount Her. and Moses being 
 
 dumb. \\ i"
 
 300 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 unable to quell the mutinous spirit of the people 
 at Punon, it pleased God to send fiery serpents 
 among them, which destroyed great quantities of 
 men, women, and children ; and they were under 
 the necessity of applying to Moses to remove so 
 great a calamity. In this extremity Moses prayed 
 to God in behalf of his repentant people, and 
 was directed to set up a serpent of brass in the 
 midst of the camp ; the operation of which should 
 be so sudden and miraculous, as instantly to cure 
 all who looked upon it. This brazen serpent was 
 not endued with any inherent miraculous powers, 
 but was the medium only through which the miracle 
 was wrought, and looking upon it was the requisite 
 test of moral obedience. 
 
 The Israelites having ravaged the open country 
 of the Amorites, and the land of Bashan, and slain 
 their kings, their success excited the jealousy of the 
 Moabites, who trembled for their own security, if 
 assailed by such an active and successful foe. They 
 therefore sent an embassy to the Midianites, re- 
 questing their assistance to expel the invader from 
 their borders. The latter having already suffered 
 from the attacks of the common enemy, entered into 
 a league with the Moabites, and declared war against 
 Israel. To ensure success, they applied to Balaam, 
 a prophet of the Lord, offering the most extrava- 
 gant rewards, if he would attend and denounce 
 curses upon the Israelites, before they ventured to 
 hazard an attack. 
 
 Balaam was a most extraordinary character, and 
 many opinions have been advanced respecting his 
 country and religion. It is supposed by some that
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 301 
 
 he lived in Chaldea, then under the government of 
 the king of Assyria, and that he continued in the 
 secret practice of those rites of pure worship for 
 which Abraham and his family were expelled that 
 country in times past. His true place of residence 
 is believed to have been at Pethor, in the eastern 
 part of Syria, where he practised our science in its 
 purity with a few faithful brothers. He was the 
 principal of a society or lodge who adhered strictlv 
 to the precepts of Lux, and the patriarchal form 
 of worship, and were acknowledged by God as His 
 worshippers, for he inspired Balaam with the gifl 
 of prophecy. As he steadily refused to minister 
 at the altars of idolatry, the prophet attained no 
 honours in his own country, though he was a man 
 of much learning and eminence; the hope, there- 
 fore, of wealth and distinction induced him to ac- 
 cept the splendid offers of Balak, the king of Moab, 
 contrary to the command of God. 
 
 When Balaam arrived in sight of the Israelitish 
 camp, after an ineffectual attempt to curse the 
 people, he broke out into a strain of blessing and 
 prophecy, unequalled in beauty, sublimity, and pa- 
 thos. God made a full revelation to him ofthincrs 
 to come, in distant generations, which he faithfully 
 laid before the king of Moab. This proceeding bo 
 exasperated Balak, that he dismissed the prophel 
 without reward : but his cupidity had been excited, 
 and he was resolved it should be gratified, even 
 at the expense of hi- integritj to God. He there- 
 fore Went amount the M idianil < (8, and incited 
 
 them to -educe tin- children of [srael t" idolatry, 
 
 :i- the (ink liieall- of \ a IH| II i-ll i ll'_! thelil ill li;i!ll»\
 
 302 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 wisely judging that it" they wore forsaken of God 
 they would be easily overcome. The advice suc- 
 ceeded but too well, and the Israelites were severe 
 sufferers from their defection: but the purpose of 
 Balaam was not answered; he sought promotion 
 and honour, and met with a violent death, for he 
 was slain by the Israelites in battle. 
 
 Having received a divine notification of his ap- 
 proaching death, Moses deposited a copy of the 
 Holy Law in the custody of the priests, and ap- 
 pointed Joshua to succeed him in his high and dig- 
 nified office. After bestowing on the people a so- 
 lemn benediction, he directed them to erect a pillar 
 on Mount Ebal, on the other side of the Jordan, and 
 inscribe upon it the blessings of obedience and the 
 curses of disobedience, which he pronounced at that 
 time before all the congregation. These monumen- 
 tal inscriptions, as we have already seen, were ancient 
 as the invention of letters, and were in use amongst 
 every nation and people in the world. 
 
 At this time, a little before his death, Moses 
 divided the land of Canaan, pointed out the boun- 
 daries of the several tribes, and gave directions 
 about building cities of refuge. Then ascending to 
 the summit of Pisgah, he took a survey of the land, 
 and died in the one hundred and twentieth year of 
 his age. 62 
 
 02 The fame of Moses spread throughout the world. His name 
 was known unto all the Gentile writers. It is mentioned with 
 honour by the Phoenician Sanchoniatho ; by the Egyptians, Bero- 
 sus, Ptolemeus, and Manetho ; by the Grecians, Artapanus, Po- 
 lemo, Eupolemus, Diodorus, and others. Origen is wrong when 
 he says that the nsime of Moses was not heard of amongst the
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 303 
 
 Joshua immediately assumed the office of grand 
 master, and appointed Caleb his deputy, and Eleazar 
 and Phineas his grand wardens ; and, to shew that 
 these appointments met the divine approbation, 
 God made the river Jordan dry for the Israelites 
 to pass over, by a miracle similar to what had been 
 before practised at the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites 
 entered the land of Canaan under the visible pro- 
 tection of the Almighty, and encamped in full 
 strength in the plains of Gilgal. 
 
 It was here that Jesus, the captain of our sal- 
 vation, appeared personally to Joshua, and encou- 
 raged him to persevere in the great work com- 
 mitted to his charge by certain assurances of ultimate 
 success. Joshua recognized this Great I icing, and 
 accosted him with the delivery of the incommuni- 
 cable name or word confided to Moses at the Burn- 
 ing Bush. Jesus acknowledged the propriety of the 
 
 Gentiles before the time of Christ. It is true that a sparing men- 
 tion was made of him, but this was through fear of profaning hi- 
 sacred writings. It was currently reported, that when Theopom- 
 j.u-, the historiographer, and Theodcctes, the tragic poet, at- 
 tempted to transplant some circumstances from the writings oi 
 Moses into their work-, they were smitten with blindness ; and 
 did not recover their sight until they had expunged every reference 
 to the [sraelitish history. The grave of Moses was concealed, Ies1 
 it should become an objeel of worship to the people, in imitation 
 of the heathenish custom of deifying deceased mortal-, and offer* 
 inL r sacrifices si their sepulchre. This concealment, however, 
 originated another error, which wai asserted with considerable 
 pertinacity, thai Most - did not actually die, bul was conveyed to 
 I h bad been. Even Josephus embraced thi- opi 
 niori. It i- i vid. ut, however, from the Scriptures, thai he <\\vi\ on 
 the mountain, and wai buried in the valley.
 
 C04 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 appellation, and directed Joshua in what manner 
 Jericho was to be successfully assaulted. Confiding 
 in the miraculous intelligence, he led his army to 
 the attack, and Jericho was taken and utterly de- 
 stroyed. 
 
 The Canaanites were idolaters of the most malig- 
 nant character, and worshipped the elements as well 
 as the host of heaven. The sun and moon were 
 denominated the king and queen of heaven, and to 
 these luminaries their false worship was principally 
 directed. To place the weakness and instability of 
 their gods in the most prominent point of view, the 
 true God made them his agents in the destruction 
 of their infatuated worshippers. The combined 
 armies of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and 
 Eglon attacked the Gibeonites, who had entered 
 into a league with the Israelites; Joshua therefore 
 assembled his army and gave them battle. To ac- 
 celerate the victory, God rained down prodigious 
 hailstones upon the Amorites, and destroyed great 
 numbers who escaped the sword of Joshua. They 
 fled in terror, as if forsaken by their gods ; and while 
 the Israelites pursued them, the principal objects of 
 their blind devotion, the sun and moon, kept their 
 places in the heavens, and hasted not to go down 
 for the space of a whole day added to its usual 
 length, that the army of Joshua might have full 
 time to avenge themselves of their enemies. 
 
 When the Israelites had penetrated as far as 
 Shilo, where God originally set his name ; 63 and 
 the tribes had entered into the peaceable possession 
 
 ca Jer. vii. 12.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 305 
 
 of their respective settlements, Joshua assembled 
 the people, and set up the tabernacle of the con- 
 gregation.^* This was a solemn act of dedication, 
 by which thev declared their resolution to devote 
 themsclu'v to the worship of God, under whose ex- 
 clusive protection they had obtained the inheritance 
 promised to their fathers. The tabernacle remained 
 at Shilo until the wickedness of Eli's sons elicited 
 the wrath of God, who suffered the ark of the cove- 
 nant to be violently rent from the tabernacle by the 
 Philistines, and carried away in triumph. 65 
 
 A little time before his death Joshua convened a 
 general meeting of all the lodges, and delivered a 
 charge containing the great principles of Masonry, 
 which tend to establish the true worship of God, in 
 opposition to the errors of idolatry. This charge 
 contains a full disclosure of Joshua's fear lest the 
 Israelite- should be enticed by the fascinating 
 mysteries of the nation- around them, and thus 
 be weaned from the allegiance due to their great 
 Deliverer from Egyptian bondage. 
 
 We new come to the history of Jephtha, in whose 
 time a Masonic test was instituted, which remains in 
 full force to this day. and will do to the end of time. 
 
 Jephtha was tin- -on of Gilead by a concubine. He 
 
 possessed tin- most exalted virtues in early lite, and 
 
 1. xviii. 1 . 
 
 W'lii n tin- Israelites had gained possession of tin- land of 
 Canaan, tin- tabernacle was deposited :it Gilgal, where it re- 
 mained seven years. It was afterwards removed to Bhiloh, where 
 ained three hundred years. On tin- rejection of Shiloh by 
 tin- Almighty, Samuel the prophet sel up th< tabernacle at 
 Att. r the- death "i" Samuel, it was removed to Gibeon, wine it 
 continued until tin- dedication of tin- temple. 
 
 \
 
 306 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 frequently distinguished himself for valour and mili- 
 tary conduct even beyond his years, which caused 
 his father to esteem him more than all his other 
 children. This excited their jealousy and hatred, 
 and in the end drove him from his father's house. 
 Abeliacab, one of his sons, stung- with envy at his 
 father's partiality for the son of a concubine, bribed 
 an Ammonitish chief to murder Gilead, that his 
 brethren might with greater security execute their 
 vengeance upon Jephtha. The attempt succeeded, 
 but not unrevenged, for Jephtha slew the Ammonite 
 after he had perpetrated the deed. When Gilead 
 was dead, the brethren expelled Jephtha from their 
 presence, contending that, as the son of a bond- 
 woman, he had no right of inheritance to the posses- 
 sions of the free-born. Jephtha, destitute of every 
 means of subsistence, collected together a band of 
 adventurers, who lived by the forced contributions 
 of the neighbouring countries. 
 
 A war being declared between the Gileadites and 
 the Ammonites, the former were defeated in several 
 successive battles for want of an experienced general 
 to take the command of their army. The military 
 fame of Jephtha induced them to apply to him in this 
 emergency, who stipulated to assist them, provided 
 they would banish Abeliacab, the murderer of his 
 father, and constitute him perpetual governor if he 
 returned successful from the war. These prelimina- 
 ries being acceded to, Jephtha reviewed his forces ; 
 and after a humane but ineffectual attempt to settle 
 their differences by treaty, both parties prepared for 
 battle. Before Jephtha commenced his attack upon 
 the Ammonites, he humbled himself before God,
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 307 
 
 and vowed a vow. that if God would grant him a 
 decisive victory, he would sacrifice the thing which 
 should first pass the threshold of his own door to 
 meet him as he returned home in triumph. 66 Jeph- 
 tha then led his army against the Ammonites, and 
 after a bloodv battle totally routed them with oreal 
 slaughter, drove them from his native land, took 
 l»«* — «* — i<>ii of twenty rich and flourishing cities, and 
 pursued them to the plain of vineyards at Minnith. 
 As he returned at the head of his victorious army, 
 to receive the honours due to his valour, and to 
 reign in peace over his people, his only child, a 
 virgin just arrived at maturity, issued from his 
 dwelling, and hastened to welcome the victor with 
 timbrels and dances, followed by a splendid train of 
 exulting damsels. The sight of his daughter, under 
 such peculiar circumstances, was a judgment he was 
 unprepared to meet. Had the earth opened and 
 swallowed up his whole army before hi- (ace, ho 
 could not have received a greater shock. He rent 
 hi- clothes, and. foiling on her neck, revealed to her 
 hi- imprudent vow, cursing the hour which gave him 
 birth. She received the doom of death with dignity 
 
 " Then many difficulties in the question whether 
 
 Jephtha actually sacrificed hi- daughter, that my limit- will nut 
 
 allow me to enter on it here. Levi Hen Genhon and David 
 Kimchi decide thai she waa merely imprisoned for lit'': and this 
 opinion is embraced by Nicholas Lyra and Vatabulus. On the 
 
 other hand, JosephUB, Mosefl of (iu'oiia, ami others advocate the 
 
 contrary opinion. They argue that " lie did to her according to 
 
 m that la- bad vowed," ami after -he had bewailed her vir- 
 ginity, took away her life. The CurioUfl ft tuAet may find the -uh- 
 
 jeet ably tn add by Brother Keddell, in th< In i mason'i Quarter!) 
 Review for ] -
 
 308 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 and fortitude, bid her father calm his agonizing pas- 
 sions, and, at the end of two months, cheerfully be- 
 came the sacrifice of his ambition/' 7 
 
 The Ephraimites, hearing of Jephtha's success, 
 collected an army, and accused him of a breach of 
 faith in going out against the Ammonites without 
 their assistance, with whom the Gileadites were in 
 league. Jephtha expostulated with them on the 
 folly of their plea, as he had solicited their aid and 
 they refused to join him in the expedition. His 
 reasoning was totally ineffectual, and they threat- 
 ened to destroy him and his house with fire. He 
 therefore gave them immediate battle in a field of 
 standing corn, and totally routed them. And to 
 secure himself from such hostile incursions in future, 
 he sent detached parties to secure the passes of the 
 river Jordan, with positive injunctions to let none 
 escape, but if an Ephraimite should appear, and 
 acknowledge himself to be such, he was to be slain 
 without mercy. As, however, the love of life might 
 induce many to deny their country, a word was 
 
 07 The commentators on this passage observe, " that the 
 sacrifice was not offered at Shiloh, where only sacrifices to the 
 Lord could legally be offered, does not of itself prove that no 
 such sacrifice took place. If this unhappy chief was so ignorant 
 of the law as to think such a sacrifice acceptable to God, he may 
 well have been guilty of the other fault, then actually a common 
 one, of making his offering beyond Jordan, where he was himself 
 master — particularly as it would seem (see Judges viii. 27) that 
 Gideon had given his sanction to the practice, and formed an 
 establishment for the purpose. It is clear, however, that if this 
 sacrifice was made, it was contrary to the law of God ; and as it 
 did not take place at the only lawful altar, it could not have the 
 sanction of the high priest."
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 309 
 
 directed to be proposed to them, which, from the 
 peculiar dialect of their country, they should be 
 unable to pronounce. Thus the word Shibboleth, 
 invariably pronounced by the Ephraimites Sibboleth, 
 was an unequivocal indication of their tribe, and 
 carried with it certain death. In the field of battle 
 and by the passes of the river there fell forty-two 
 thousand Ephraimites. and Jephtha thus secured 
 himself from further interruption. 
 
 The heathen world, confined to the exclusive 
 pursuit of operative architecture, excelled greatly 
 in every branch of that noble science ; for though 
 the Israelites had improved every opportunity of 
 cultivating a taste for the liberal sciences, they 
 were far exceeded by the inhabitants of Tyre in 
 these pursuits." 8 Thus the epithet Sidonian became 
 
 8 The Jews were not the best operative Masons in the world. 
 They appear to have had an unconquerable aversion to learning 
 and scientific researches. To seek for schools or universities 
 among them, say the authors of the Universal History, were like 
 seeking them among the Goths and Vandals ; they not only had 
 an equal contempt for literature and for those nations that culti- 
 vated it, but looked upon it as dangerous and unlawful. Their 
 zeal, or rather hatred, against lrarning and science, was bo far 
 from abating, even after their return from Babylon, where they 
 had seen them flourish, that it rather grew into a kind of fury, 
 insomuch that their large Chronicle, entitled Juchasin, hath 
 ded a sentence of anathema, which passed in the time of 
 nil- and Aristobulus, againsl such a- should Buffer their 
 children to be instructed in any part of the Greek learning. 
 Solomon, indeed, \m are told, was an excellent naturalist, and 
 deal upon that subject; bul lie was so far from 
 mending that study to other-, that lie calls nil >< -< archi - "i 
 
 that kind "vanity and v< ixatiofl of Spiril or, a- the ..i 
 
 imports, a fe< ding upon tin' wind.
 
 3IU ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 proverbial for every elegant and scientific attain- 
 ment. The city of Tyre, and the temple of Dagon, 
 built by the Phenicians at Gaza, were esteemed 
 master-pieces of art, and rendered the name of 
 the architects deservedly celebrated throughout the 
 world. This temple was so artfully constructed 
 that the whole weight of the edifice was supported 
 by two slender pillars only, and exhibited the taste 
 as well as the judgment of Sanchoniatho, whose 
 fame is transmitted to posterity, though the build- 
 ing gave way under the giant grasp of Samson the 
 Nazarite. 69 
 
 Hiram, king of Tyre, became grand master of 
 Masons within his dominions, and erected many 
 stately edifices, which improved his subjects in 
 architecture, and gained them the fame of being 
 the best operative Masons in the world. Hiram 
 was the firm friend of King David, and from his 
 
 69 The first temple mentioned in Scripture does not occur, ac- 
 cording to Hales, till nearly 500 years after the Exode. This was 
 the temple of Dagon, which Samson pulled down, and concerning 
 which we are, after all, left in doubt whether it was really a temple 
 or a sort of theatre in which public games were exhibited. Judg- 
 ing from the use to which it was applied, the latter would seem 
 the more probable opinion. The Philistines "made merry" there ; 
 and Samson " made sport" there ; and although the festival was 
 certainly in honour of Dagon, the building is not called his 
 temple, nor even his house, but only a house. Not long after, 
 however, we do read of " the house of Dagon," at another place 
 (Ashdod), in which the ark of God was deposited when captured 
 by the Philistines ; and this was unquestionably a temple, and is 
 as unquestionably the first that is mentioned in the most ancient 
 book in the world. "We are persuaded that it will be difficult to 
 assign a much earlier date, if so early a date, to any temples. — 
 (Pict. Bib. vol. 1, p. 467.)
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 31 1 
 
 reputation in the liberal sciences, the latter was 
 induced to form a plan the most comprehensive and 
 vast that had ever been embraced by the human 
 mind. 
 
 King David felt, in their full force, the obliga- 
 tions he was under to the Almighty, for placing 
 him, after a series of unparalleled difficulties and 
 dangers, in undisturbed possession of the kingdom 
 of Israel, and for the felicity he enjoyed alter the 
 ark of the covenant was removed to Jerusalem. 
 As an imperfect return for these benefits, he was 
 inspired with a design of erecting a temple to the 
 Living God, which should exceed every building 
 in the world for riches and glory. His ardour in 
 this sacred cause was increased by considerations of 
 the impropriety and indecency of permitting the 
 ark of the covenant, overshadowed with a cloud of 
 glory, implying the immediate presence of God, to 
 remain in a tabernacle, while he himself resided in 
 a splendid palace. Muses had prophesied to the 
 [sraelites of a remarkable epoch in their history, 
 when they should be at peace with all the world, 
 tor then Bhould the Lord chouse a place anions 
 their tribes to dwell in upon earth."" This prophecj 
 
 David conceived was fulfilled in himself, as his 
 country was in a state of profound peace, and the 
 ark of God was removed to Mount Zion, in the 
 city of Jehus, now called Jerusalem. The onlj 
 difficult) which remained was to ascertain the pre- 
 cise spo< of ground which the Lord had chosen as 
 his residence amongsl the tribes »>i' Israel. 
 
 » TJ 10, 11.
 
 312 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 So careful was the Almighty lest the place which 
 he had selected for the situation of His holy temple 
 should be polluted with idolatry, that it was spe- 
 cially protected, and had been distinguished by 
 repeated acts of worship and obedience from the 
 earliest times. This secret Avas withheld from 
 mankind until the time of David, and then it was 
 revealed by the mouth of Nathan the prophet that 
 the place should be speedily appointed ; but as the 
 hands of this monarch had been imbrued in human 
 blood, from the continued series of warfare in 
 which he had been engaged, the Almighty would 
 not consent that the building should be erected by 
 him, though his devout intentions met with un- 
 qualified approbation. The advanced period of his 
 life was also another obstacle to this great under- 
 taking. It was therefore reserved for the accom- 
 plishment of his son and successor, who, being a 
 man of peace, should execute the magnificent design 
 which he had formed. 
 
 David, however, was very inquisitive to ascertain 
 the peculiar spot of ground which God had sanc- 
 tified as his immediate dwelling upon earth. He 
 vowed a vow to the mighty God of Jacob, that he 
 would neither slumber nor sleep until he had dis- 
 covered the place which God had appointed as the 
 site of his intended building/' He conjectured 
 that Bethel was the place, because it was there that 
 Jacob had his vision, and declared that the stone 
 which he set up for a pillar should be God's 
 house. Under this persuasion, David covenanted 
 
 71 Ps. exxxii. I — 5.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 313 
 
 with the God of Jacob expressly, rather than of 
 Abraham or Isaac; for there existed a tradition 
 amongst the Hebrews that the house of God should 
 be erected at Bethel. But David was mistaken, for 
 Bethel afterwards became so deformed by idolatry 
 as to be denominated Bethaven, which signifies the 
 house of idols. If David had been inspired with a 
 knowledge of the true spot of ground which God 
 had chosen to place his name there, he would have 
 appealed to the God of Abraham, as that patriarch 
 actually worshipped on the very mountain where 
 the temple was afterwards erected. He declares, 
 therefore, that it was immediately revealed to him 
 at Ephrata. that the temple should be erected on 
 Mount Moriah, called figuratively, the Fields of the 
 Wood. 78 This was the spot where Enoch built hi** 
 subterranean temple; where Abraham offered Isaac, 
 when it pleased God to substitute a more agreeable 
 victim in his stead; and where David had offered 
 up his prayers to the Almighty to put a stop to the 
 pestilence which raged amongst liis people, as a just 
 punishment for his imprudence in causing them t<» 
 be numbered, which the Lord accepted, and gave 
 him a token of reconciliation by a fire from heaven 
 consuming bis sacrifice. 
 
 Having discovered this much longed-for secret, 
 In- exclaimed, " Tin-* is the house of the Lord God, 
 ami this is the altar of the burnt-offerine for Israel."' 8 
 And from this moment he applied himself with 
 diligence and assiduity t<> colled materials for the 
 building. 
 
 Pb.< tii 6, L9 -18. I Chron. utii. I
 
 314 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 When David perceived his latter end draw nigh, 
 he assembled the princes of the people and the 
 chief men of Israel and Jiulah together, and in- 
 formed them that it was the will of God that 
 Solomon, his son and successor to the throne, 
 should erect a superb edifice as a depository for the 
 ark of the covenant. To facilitate the execution of 
 this design, he informed them that he had collected 
 ten thousand talents of gold, one hundred thousand 
 talents of silver, besides an incredible quantity of 
 wood, iron, and stone. At the same time he pro- 
 duced plans and drawings of the intended structure, 
 with copious directions respecting the division and 
 use of the several apartments of the interior, and 
 laid his last injunctions on them to assist his son 
 in this splendid undertaking. David then gave 
 Solomon some private counsel respecting his future 
 conduct, and expired in the seventieth year of his 
 age. 74 
 
 When the time of mourning for King David 
 was at an end, his faithful ally, Hiram, king of 
 
 74 The rabbins say that the study of the law of Moses will pro- 
 long life ; and state, that in a certain family in Jerusalem the in- 
 dividuals never attained the age of twenty years ; and that the 
 Rabbi Johanan ben Zachay, considering them the descendants of 
 Eli, who were condemned to die in the flower of their age, recom- 
 mended them to study the law, which had the effect of prolong- 
 ing their lives. They say further, that our G. M. David was 
 studying the law on the day he died ; and that Zamael, the angel 
 of death, could not thence find an opportunity of executing the 
 sentence. Fearing to be baffled, he had recourse to a stratagem. 
 He shook a tree at the back of the house so violently, that David 
 hasted to see what was the matter, and in descending the stair- 
 case he missed a step ; and his meditations being thus interrupted, 
 he died upon the spot!
 
 FREE-MASONRY. .'] I .") 
 
 Tyre, sent an embassy to Solomon to congratulate 
 him on his accession to the throne of his lather: 
 and in return Solomon wrote a letter to Hiram in 
 the following terms : 
 
 " King Solomon to King Hiram, greeting. 
 
 " As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send 
 him cedars to build him an house to dwell in, even so deal with 
 me. Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, 
 to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and 
 for the continual shew-bread, and for the burnt- offerings morning 
 and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the 
 solemn feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance for ever 
 to Israel. And the house which I build is great; for great is our 
 God above all gods. But who is able to build him an house, see- 
 ing the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him ? 
 Who am I, then, that 1 should build him an house, save only to 
 burn sacrifice before him ? Send me now, therefore, a man cun- 
 ning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and 
 in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with 
 the cunning men that are witli me in Judah and in Jerusalem, 
 whom David my father did provide. Send me also cedar trees, 
 fir trees, and algum trees out of Lebanon ; for I know that thy 
 servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon : and behold, my ser- 
 vant- shall be with thy servants, even to prepare me timber in 
 abundance ; for the house which I am about to build shall be 
 wonderfully great. And behold, 1 will give to thy servants, tin 
 hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten 
 wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty 
 thousand bath- of wine, ami twenty thousand baths of oil." 
 
 This letter was infinitel} gratifying to Hiram, as 
 it not only contained ;i very high compliment t<> lii^ 
 skill in the libera] sciences, but also afforded him 
 an opportunity of carrying operative architecture to 
 a higher pitch of magnificence than had ye\ been 
 attained, ami would tend to perpetuate the lame 
 of hi- nation to the latest generations oi the world
 
 316 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 He therefore immediately returned the following 
 answer : 
 
 " King Hiram to King Solomon, greeting. 
 
 " Because the Lord hath loved his people, he hath made 
 thee king over them. Blessed he the Lord God of Israel, that 
 made heaven and earth, who hath given to David, the king, a 
 wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might 
 build an house for the Lord, and an house for his kingdom. And 
 now I have sent a cunning man, endued with understanding, of 
 Huram my father's, the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, 
 and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in 
 silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, 
 in fine linen, and in crimson ; also to grave any manner of grav- 
 ing, 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. Now, therefore, the wheat and the barley, the oil 
 and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send unto 
 his servants, and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as 
 thou shalt need ; and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to 
 Joppa, and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem." 75 
 
 King Solomon was now prepared to carry into 
 execution the vast design he had formed, with the 
 assistance of " the cunning man " whom Hiram, 
 King of Tyre, had presented to him. Hiram 
 Abiff, who is termed in the above letter " the son 
 of a woman of the daughters of Dan," is described 
 
 75 2 Chron. ii. " The country of the Phenicians, in which, at 
 this early period, flourished a town called Sidon, was of very 
 limited dimensions, even at the time when the nation arrived at 
 its highest condition of splendour and power. It comprehended 
 that part of the Syrian coast which extends from Tyre northwards 
 to Aradus. This strip of land reached about fifty leagues from 
 north to south, but its utmost breadth did not exceed from eight 
 to ten leagues. The coast abounded in bays and harbours, and 
 its breadth was traversed by mountains branching from Libanus, 
 several of which advanced their promontories into the sea. The
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 31 7 
 
 in another part of Scripture 76 as "a widow's son of 
 the tribe of Naphtali." In fact, his mother was a 
 native of the city of Dan, in the tribe of Naphtali, 
 and was really a Naphtalite." This extraordinary 
 
 summits of these mountains were covered with forests, which 
 afforded to the Phenicians the most valuable timber for the con- 
 struction of their ships and habitations. This explains how it 
 happened that the first time this people is brought personally 
 under our notice in the Bible, it is in the character of persons 
 skilled in the hewing and transport of wood ; including, no doubt, 
 much abdity in the preparation and application of timber to vari- 
 ous uses. When Solomon was going to build the temple, he 
 communicated to the King of Tyre his wish to enter into an en- 
 gagement for a supply of timber, knowing, as he said, ' that there 
 is not amongst us anv that can skill to hew timber like the Sido- 
 nians.' The answer of the Tyrian king is remarkable, ' I will do 
 all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber 
 of fir ; mv servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the 
 sea, and I will convey them by sea in floats, unto the place that 
 thou shalt appoint me, and I will cause them to be discharged 
 there.' (1 Kings vi.) This was speaking like a man accustomed 
 to the business." — (Pict. Bib. vol. 1, p. 57').) 
 
 '•''• 1 Kiiurs vii. 13 — 15. Bro. Rosenberg thus speculates upon 
 the name of this expert Mason : " When we divide the word 
 0"vn (Hiram) into two syllables, D^'TI, Hay-ram, the transla- 
 tion of it is, ' He who exists from all eternity.' This explains 
 the master's sign, we lift up our hands to heaven to indicate 
 that our Master DfTTl exists above us (or in heaven) from all 
 eternity." 
 
 Josephus collected from the Tyrian records the following 
 account of the friendship which existed between King Solomon 
 and the monarch of Tyre. " So great was the friendship and re- 
 gard that Hiram K iiiLT of Tyre had tor David, that on aeeouiit of 
 
 the father, In- had the greater i iteem for bis son Solomon ; and 
 as a proof of hi- affection, be presented him with L20 talents <■! 
 gold toward- th of adorning thr buildingi and supplied 
 
 him with the fii from Mount Lebanon for the wainscol 
 
 and roof. Solomon shewed in- gratitude by making sumptuous
 
 318 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 man, whose prodigious genius exceeded every thing 
 which had yet appeared upon earth, the united 
 talents of Bezaleel and Aholiab not excepted, had 
 displayed the superiority of his Masonic attainments 
 before he was appointed to the superintendence of 
 building the temple : for it was he who planned 
 that famous city, the remains of which have cre- 
 ated so much speculation and research amongst the 
 learned of all ages, called Tadmor, or Palmyra. 
 
 The preliminaries being thus settled, Solomon 
 appointed his officers, and made the most perfect 
 and judicious arrangements before he commenced 
 the work. He appointed Hiram Abiff, deputy 
 grand master; the illustrious Tito, prince Haro- 
 dim, senior grand warden ; and the noble prince 
 Adoniram, junior grand warden. The presidents 
 of the twelve tribes, appointed by King Solo- 
 mon in grand chapter to superintend the work, 
 were : 
 
 Joabert, w T ho presided over the tribe of Judah. 
 
 Stockyn Benjamin. 
 
 Terrey Simeon. 
 
 M orphey Ephrai m . 
 
 Alycuber Manasseh. 
 
 Dorson Zebulun . 
 
 presents in return. It is also said, that Solomon and Hiram sent 
 difficult questions to each other to be resolved, on the condition 
 that a penalty should be incurred by him that failed ; which hap- 
 pening to be the case with Hiram, he paid the forfeiture. But 
 afterwards Abdcmonus, a Tyrian, explained the intricate ques- 
 tion, and proposed others for Solomon to interpret, on the condi- 
 tion of paying a certain sum to Hiram on his failure." (Jos. cont. 
 Ap. b. 1.) This Abdemonus was another name of Hiram Abiff, 
 according to Dius and Menander.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 319 
 
 Kerim, who presided over the tribe of Dan. 
 
 Berthemar Asher. 
 
 Tito Naphtali. 
 
 Terbal Reuben. 
 
 Benachard Issachar. 
 
 Tabar Gad. 78 
 
 These twelve presidents rendered a daily account 
 to the grand master of their respective tribes, and 
 received the power of punishment and reward, 
 according to desert. They were also the medium 
 for distributing the workmen's daily wages. The 
 apprentices, fellow-crafts, and masters Mere parti- 
 tioned into lodges, and the utmost regularity was 
 preserved throughout the whole undertaking. 
 
 The number of men employed, arranged, and 
 classed in every department of the work was as 
 follows : — 
 
 78 Freemason's Monitor, part 2, book 1, chap. 8. The above 
 wa- taken from Webb's Monitor ; but I find an ancient Masonic 
 tradition which arranges these presiding officers, or R. \Y. 
 Masters, differently. According to this authority, they ought 
 to stand as follows : — 
 
 Tito Zadok, R. W. Master of the tribe of Judah. 
 
 Archirop Benjamin. 
 
 Hiram Abiff Simeon. 
 
 Adonirain Ephraim. 
 
 Stall 31 'i Manasseh. 
 
 Benabinadab Zebulun. 
 
 Joabert Han. 
 
 Gbiblim Asher. 
 
 Mohabin, or Mahaboo Naphtali. 
 
 Hiram Abiff Reuben. 
 
 /■ rbel, "T Zabud Issachar. 
 
 If' Idai Gad
 
 320 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 " 1. Harodim, princes, rulers, or provosts 300 
 
 " 2. Menatzchim, overseers and com- 
 forters of the people in working. These 
 were expert master masons 3,300 
 
 " 3. Ghiblim, stone squarers, polishers, 
 and sculptors ; Ish Chotzcb, hewers ; and 
 Benai, setters, layers, and builders. These 
 were expert fellow-crafts 80,000 
 
 "4. The levy out of Israel, appointed 
 to work in Lebanon, one month in three, 
 10,000 in each month ; under the direc- 
 tion of Adoniram, who was the junior 
 grand warden 30,000 
 
 "Hence all the Free-Masons employed"! 
 
 in the work of the temple, exclusive of > 11 3, GOO 
 the two grand wardens, were J 
 
 " Besides the Ish Sabbal, or men of burden, the 
 remains of the old Canaanites, amounting to 70,000, 
 who were not numbered among Masons." 79 
 
 These men were employed three years in pre- 
 paring the materials for the building. In the quar- 
 ries were seven hundred and fifty lodges, each con- 
 taining a master, two wardens, and eleven times seven 
 brethren, which amount to sixty thousand men. In 
 the forests of Lebanon were four hundred and twenty 
 lodges, containing the same number in each, which 
 make a total of thirty-three thousand six hundred. 
 The levy out of Israel had always twenty thousand 
 at rest ; and these sums make together one hundred 
 and thirteen thousand six hundred, the exact num- 
 ber employed at the work, exclusive of the Ish 
 Sabbal, who were literally slaves to the workmen. 
 
 79 Noorth. Const, pt. 1, c. 3.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 321 
 
 The entered apprentices were arranged to mess 
 by sevens, and the fellow crafts by fives; and their 
 wages were even paid with the same scrupulous 
 regard to regularity. To prepare the foundation 
 
 " for the purpose of erecting this temple, the most 
 astonishing hollows were filled up ; for the earth 
 was raised four hundred cubits, in order to form it 
 on a level with the surface of the rock on which 
 the building was raised I" 0, Every tiling being pre- 
 pared, King Solomon, in the fourth year of his 
 reign, on the second day of the month Zif, four 
 hundred and eighty years after the delivery of the 
 children of Israel from their Egyptian bondage, laid 
 the foundation-stone at the north-rust anffle of the 
 temple, on Mount Moriah, one of the three hills of 
 Jerusalem, amidst the acclamations and rejoicings 
 of his assembled subjects. 
 
 The structure thus begun, according to a plan 
 given to Solomon by David, his father, upon the 
 ark of alliance, every energy was used to render it 
 a perfect specimen of art. Every stone, every piece 
 of timber, was carved, marked, and numbered in the 
 quarry and the forest; and nothing remained for the 
 workmen at Jerusalem but to join the materials with 
 precision, on a reference to the marks and numbers. 
 This was effected without the use of either axe, 
 
 hammer, or metal tool; BO that nothing was heard 
 
 at Ziun. gave harmony and peace. 
 
 It may appear astonishing that, in the erection of 
 90 superb an edifice. " there was neither hammer Dor 
 
 nor any tool of iron heard in the liOUBC while 
 
 it was building.* 1 This arrangement was, however, 
 
 \nt. 1. B, <•• 2. "' 1 Kin:--, vi. 7
 
 322 
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 necessary, to shew the superior degree of excellency 
 which Masonry attained by the union of operative 
 architecture, which had been exclusively cultivated 
 and brought to perfection in the heathen world, and 
 Lux, which was now almost solely confined to the 
 Jewish nation.' 1 ' And this superiority is displayed 
 in a much more striking point of view, when we 
 consider the excellency of the arrangements made 
 to prevent confusion, and to ascertain the individual 
 production of every craftsman, though there were 
 
 82 Ancient Masonic tradition informs us that the speculative 
 and operative Masons who were assembled at the building of the 
 temple, were arranged in nine classes, and divided as follows : — 
 
 No. 
 
 Degrees. 
 
 Grand Masters. 
 
 Number 
 of Persons. 
 
 Daily 
 Wages. 
 
 9 
 
 8 
 7 
 
 Super-excellent Masons . 
 Grand Architects 
 
 TitoZadok ... 
 Hiram Abiff... 
 
 Joabert 
 
 9 
 
 45 
 
 12 
 
 24 
 
 600 
 
 1,000 
 
 8l' 
 64 
 49 
 36 
 25 
 lfi 
 
 m 
 
 'a! 
 
 -a 
 
 6 
 
 Architects 
 
 5 
 
 Mark Masters 
 
 Stolkyn 
 
 Hiram Abiff... 
 
 4 
 
 Master Alasons 
 
 3 
 
 Mark Men 
 
 2,000 9 
 80,000 4 
 
 2 
 
 Fellow-crafts 
 
 1 
 
 Entered Apprentices 
 
 Total 
 
 30,000 
 
 lj 
 
 113,690 I 
 
 
 
 Besides the Ish Sabbal, or labourers. In the above table I have 
 transposed the Master Masons and the Mark Masters ; for the 
 old tradition places the latter beneath the former, which I con- 
 ceive to be erroneous, because the Mark Master, as we under- 
 stand it, is one that has passed the Chair of his Lodge ; and 
 consequently has worked his way by merit from the operative to 
 the speculative branch of the science. Amongst the workmen, 
 besides the children of Israel, were many Tyrians, Sidonians, and 
 Egyptians.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. \)'2'A 
 
 eighty thousand employed in the quarry and the 
 forest. Thus were the means provided of reward- 
 ing merit, and punishing indolence ; and thus was 
 indifference stimulated into zeal ; and by the pre- 
 cepts and admonitions of super-excellent Masons, 
 the most perfect master-piece of art was produced 
 that ever adorned the world. 
 
 There appears to have been a peculiar idea of 
 pollution in the use of iron tools about the holy 
 structure of a temple. In the directions given by 
 the Almighty to Moses from Mount Sinai, respect- 
 ing the construction of the tabernacle, and more 
 particularly about the altar, the use of metal tools 
 is prohibited in the strongest terms, as conveying 
 pollution. 83 The instruments used in the temple 
 service were composed chiefly of gold, silver, brass, 
 and wood. And David, in prospect of this temple's 
 desecration by unsanctified hands, complains, as the 
 greatest aggravation of insult which the adversary 
 could offer, that the carved work thereof was broken 
 down with axes and hammers. 84 
 
 During the construction of this wonderful build- 
 ing, many Btriking instances of fidelity were elicited; 
 and some Bhocking treasons occurred from the con- 
 ation of BO great :i body of men, governed by 
 human passions, and subjeci to the bias of human 
 propensities; many of whom, as they did not ac- 
 knowledge the same God, scarcely considered them- 
 selves amenable to the [sraelitish law, and regarded 
 with a jealous eye the superior privileges whiYli the 
 true worship appeared to convey. <>n these events 
 
 " Kxod. xx. 25. 4 I'-.lvxiv I, 
 
 Y 2
 
 324 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 are founded the degrees of Masonry termed inef- 
 fable. I. will not enter into a discussion here, to 
 shew how far they are consistent with the true 
 spirit of Masonry; 05 but proceed with the main 
 subject of this period, which consists chiefly of his- 
 torical detail. 
 
 The temple was completed in about seven years 
 and seven months, on the eighth day of the month 
 Bui, in the eleventh year of king Solomon's reign; 
 and the cape stone was celebrated with unfeigned 
 joy by the whole fraternity. It was constructed on 
 precisely the same plan as the tabernacle of Moses, 
 but on a more firm and extended scale. The two 
 edifices were emblematical of the Jewish and the 
 Christian churches. The tabernacle was a tem- 
 porary and a moveable edifice ; the temple fixed and 
 permanent. The Jewish dispensation, in like man- 
 ner, was but a shadow of good things to come, and 
 was to be done away on the appearance of a more 
 perfect system ; which, though founded on the same 
 
 85 Strictly speaking, the Ineffable Degrees are only eleven in 
 number, but they are much amplified and extended on the conti- 
 nent. These are, 1. Secret Master. 2. Perfect Master. 3. In- 
 timate Secretary. 4. Provost and Judge. 5. Master in Israel. 
 6. Elected Knights. 7. Elected Grand Master. 8. Illustrious 
 Knights. 9. Grand Master Architect. 10. Knights of the 
 ninth Arch. 11. Perfect and Sublime Mason. There is a 
 marked difference between Craft Masonry and the Ineffable De- 
 grees. Some say they are as old as the time of Solomon ; but 
 there are insuperable objections to such an opinion. I am in- 
 clined to think them the construction of comparatively modern 
 times. However this may be, " much ingenuity has been dis- 
 played in their formation. Their design is noble, benevolent, 
 and praiseworthy ; and their institution was doubtless intended 
 for the glory of God, and the good of mankind."
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 325 
 
 basis. Mas to endure for ever. The temple, erected 
 and dedicated to the exclusive worship of the true 
 (rod, by ordinances of his own appointment, is con- 
 sidered by Bede to be a type of the Church of God 
 in heaven, the seat of perpetual peace and tran- 
 quillity, in allusion to the harmony and peace which 
 existed amongst the Masons of Zion, who cemented 
 the temple without the use of axe, hammer, or metal 
 tool. 86 
 
 The felicity which Solomon and his workmen 
 enjoyed at the celebration of the cape stone was 
 of short duration, for the sudden death of the prin- 
 cipal architect clothed them in mourning, not un- 
 mixed with horror and dismay." 
 
 The consternation excited by this melancholy 
 ev< nt was much increased by a circumstance which 
 prevented the ceremonies usual in such cases from 
 being performed before his interment. His eyes 
 were not closed by his Dearest relations; his body 
 was not washed or baptized with the customary 
 formalities, nor was his corpse embalmed. To 
 
 66 The difference between the Tabernacle and the Temple has 
 been invested with this reference. " The Tabernacle symbolizes 
 die state of the ( Shurch in this world ; but the Temple was a figure 
 of the Church of God in heaven, where there shall be nothing 1 
 but peace, harmony, and brotherly love; a- in the building of 
 Solomon's Temple, the noise of axe, hammer, or metal tool was 
 
 r beard." — (Bede deTabern. 1. 2, c. l, sect. 1.) 
 
 Noorth. ( one. pt 1, c. .'i. 
 
 We have an old tradition, delivered down orally, thai it was 
 the duty of Hiram Abiff to superintend the workmen ; and that 
 the report- of bis officers wire always examined with the motl 
 scrupuloui exactness. At the opening of the day, when the sun 
 
 !:-im_ r in the Bast, it ws hi constant custom, before the 
 commencement oi laboui to entei the temple and offei up In*
 
 326 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 compensate for these omissions, after being raised 
 by the five points of fellowship, the honours of his 
 funeral were splendid beyond all former precedent. 
 
 This great architect was not removed into his 
 own nation, and amongst his own kindred, to be 
 interred with the rites of idolatry ; for being, by his 
 mother's side, of Israelitish extraction, he appears 
 to have worshipped the true God, according to the 
 usage and directions of the Mosaic law ; and the 
 Jews were extremely superstitious respecting the 
 place of their interment. They believed that, if an 
 Israelite were buried out of Canaan, he will not so 
 much as be entitled to a resurrection from the dead, 
 much less to eternal felicity, unless God vouchsafe 
 to form subterranean cavities in the bowels of the 
 earth, through which the body may pass from its 
 place of interment into the promised land ! " The 
 ground hereof," says Godwyn, "is taken from the 
 charge of Jacob unto his son Joseph, that he should 
 
 prayers to Jehovah for a Messing on the work. And in like man- 
 ner, when the sun set in the west, and the labours of the day were 
 closed, and the workmen had departed, he returned his thanks to 
 the Great Architect of the Universe for the harmonious protection 
 of the day. Not content with this devout expression of his feel- 
 ings morning and evening, he always went into the temple at the 
 hour of high twelve, when the men were called from labour to 
 refreshment, to inspect the progress of the work, to draw fresh 
 designs upon the tracing board, if such were necessary, and to 
 perform other scientific labours, never forgetting to consecrate his 
 duties by solemn prayer. These religious customs were faith- 
 fully performed for the first six years in the secret recesses of his 
 Lodge, and for the last year in the precincts of the Most Holy 
 Place. At length, on the very day appointed for celebrating the 
 cape stone of the building, he retired, as usual, according to our 
 traditions, at the hour of high twelve, and did not return alive.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. o'27 
 
 not bury him in the land of Egypt, but in Canaan. 
 For which charge they assign three reasons: First, 
 because he foresaw, by the spirit of prophecy, that 
 the dust of that land should afterwards be turned 
 into lice. Secondly, because those who died out of 
 the holy land should not rise again without painful 
 rolling and tumbling of their bodies thorow these 
 hollow passages. And, thirdly, that the Egyptians 
 might not idolatrously worship him." 83 
 
 The temple of Solomon was only a small building, 
 and very inferior in point of size to some of our 
 churches, its dimensions being only one hundred 
 and fifty feet long, and one hundred and five feet 
 broad; its splendour and superiority lay in the rich- 
 ness of its materials, its ornaments, and the cloisters 
 and other buildings with which it was surrounded. 
 It was built of white marble, so excellently put 
 together, that the joints could not be distinguished, 
 and the whole building looked as though it had 
 been cut out of one entire stone. The timber was 
 cedar and olive wood, covered with plates of gold, 
 and studded with jewels of many hues. 
 
 " The whole expense of this building," says Pri- 
 deaux. " was so prodigious, as gives reason to think 
 that the talents, whereby the sum is reckoned, were 
 another sorl of talents of a far less value than the 
 Mosaic talents: for what is said to be given by 
 David,* and contributed by the princes" toward 
 the building of the temple at Jerusalem, if valued 
 by these talents, exceeded the value of 800,000,000 
 
 • Mot. and Aai , 1. 6, <•. 5. 
 *> 1 Cbron. sxii. 14, 15, 16; and ixix. 3, I 
 Ibid. \\i.\. 6 5
 
 328 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 of our money, which was enough wherewith to have 
 built all that temple of solid silver." 9 - 
 
 But if we take the valuation of the talent from 
 Villipandus, the expense of the building and orna- 
 ments amounted to £6,904,322,500 sterling^ The 
 value of the gold vessels alone was £545,296,203 
 sterling, and the silver ones £439,344,000.^ Added 
 to this were the wages, provisions, and other neces- 
 saries for 110,000 workmen and 70,000 slaves, for up- 
 wards of seven years; besides 300 grand masters, and 
 3,300 overseers, to whom, in addition to the wages, 
 king Solomon presented, as a free gift, £G,763,977. 
 
 Hence the treasure left by David amounted to 
 £911,416,207. The princes of Israel, animated by 
 this example, presented a still greater sum towards 
 the accomplishment of this glorious undertaking. 
 In addition to these treasures, Solomon devoted the 
 greater part of his annual income to the same pur- 
 pose, and this was immense. The yearly treasures 
 imported from Ophir amounted to 450 talents, or 
 £3,240,000 sterling of our money, and his annual 
 tribute from dependent nations was £4,796,200. 
 
 92 Prid. Con. vol. 1, pt. 1, bk. 1. 
 
 93 This appears an extraordinary sum ; but it is borne out by Jo- 
 sephus, and other credible historians. I am at present engaged in 
 an inquiry into the wealth of the ancient world ; the abundant 
 use of the precious metals, and the countries whence the supply 
 was drawn, for the express purpose of accounting for the abun- 
 dant riches of this celebrated edifice. Tavernier says, that the 
 throne of Timour the Tartar was valued at 160,500,000 livres of 
 French money. (Tom. hi. p. 331.) Other instances, equally ex- 
 traordinary, are on record, which are calculated to moderate our 
 astonishment at the wealth expended on the temple of Solomon. 
 
 94 According to Josephus, the number of golden utensils was 
 234,000, and of silver, 318,000.
 
 FREE-MASON BY. ! 121 i 
 
 The two groat seaports on the Red Sea, Elath 
 ami EzioDgeber,^ 5 which belonged to Solomon, were 
 chiefly inhabited by Tynans, who were induced to 
 reside there by that wise monarch ; who foresaw the 
 great use they would be of to him in navigating that 
 dangerous sea, from their superior skill in the art of 
 sailing. As it was from hence that his ships sailed 
 to Ophir and Tarshish for gold, silver, and precious 
 stones, the most valuable part of his revenue, he 
 visited those towns in person; and with his usual 
 wisdom superintended, not only the colleges of 
 naval architecture established there, but also the 
 fitting out of his ships, and the improvement of this 
 important branch of traffic, which enabled him to 
 beautify the temple with such a profusion of orna- 
 ment and splendour, that it was acknowledged to 
 surpass all the buildings in the world for riches and 
 
 * These seaports, which were considered the keys of the Red 
 Sea, were guarded by Solomon's successors with great vigilance, 
 because it was through them that all their wealth flowed. In the 
 reign of Ahaz these towns were taken from them by the Syrians, 
 who turned all this wealth into a new channel, and caused the 
 study of naval architecture to become a national object. The 
 Egyptians, that they might participate in this profitable traffic, 
 which was carried on with Arabia, Persia, and even extended to 
 India, built seaport towns on the western coast of the Red Sea. 
 which was soon covered with their fleet-. Ami so anxious did 
 this people become to extend their discoveries and increase their 
 commerce, that Pharaoh Necho attempted to connect the Nile 
 
 with the Red Sea by mean- of a navigable canal, thus Opening a 
 
 direct communication with the Medio rranean. Failing in this, 
 after the sacrifice of a rasl aumbi r <'f bis subjects, he -■ al oul a 
 Hi it of discovery to explore the coasts of Africa, manned with 
 
 Phoenicians, who sailed southward IV the Red Sea, and in two 
 
 L b In the third year, ps ting through the Pil- 
 lars of Herculi , they came again mi" Egj pt.
 
 330 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 glory. The precious metals at Jerusalem were so 
 exceedingly plentiful, that Solomon was equally 
 celebrated for wisdom and for wealth. 
 
 Rich and superb as the temple was in itself, its 
 principal excellence consisted in five distinguish- 
 ing particulars, which were never enjoyed by any 
 other building either before or since. These were, 
 the ark of the covenant, the shekinah, the urim 
 and thummim, the holy fire, and the spirit of pro- 
 phecy. 
 
 The ark of the covenant was a small chest, in 
 length three feet nine inches ; its breadth and height 
 were equal, being each two feet three inches : it 
 was constructed in the wilderness by Moses, and 
 used by Solomon in his temple from a principle of 
 reverence. The Avisest of kings did not dare to re- 
 model that sacred utensil which had been the pecu- 
 liar residence of God for so many ages ; and there- 
 fore, when the temple was finished, the ark was 
 removed into the holy of holies by the priests, and 
 the pleasure of the Almighty was displayed by a 
 cloud of glory which filled the temple. St. Paul 
 says, 96 that the golden pot which contained the 
 manna, the rod of Aaron, and the tables of the 
 covenant, were put within the ark. The book of 
 the law was placed in a coffer beside the ark, which 
 afforded a facility of reference unattainable, had it 
 been placed within the ark itself. 
 
 The mercy-seat was the lid or cover of the ark, 
 and properly termed the propitiatory, because it 
 hid the tables containing the moral law, and thus 
 
 96 Heb. ix. 4.
 
 FREE-MASON&Y. 331 
 
 was said to prevent its appearing in judgment 
 against man.^ 7 It was made of solid gold, four 
 inches thick ; and was, together with the cherubims 
 which were upon it, formed from a solid mass of 
 gold by the effect of art, and without the use of 
 solder. The cherubim being placed at each end 
 of the mercy-seat, with wings outstretched towards 
 each other, formed a cavity in the centre, which 
 has been denominated the chariot of God ; and 
 hence that saying' of David, " God sitteth between 
 the cherubim." 98 In this chariot God perpetually 
 resided, in the form of a bright cloud, or shining 
 luminous body, from whence the divine oracles 
 were audibly delivered." This light was called the 
 shekinah. The ark with the mercy-seat were con- 
 sidered so indispensable to the effect of Jewish 
 worship, that the temple itself, if deprived of their 
 presence, would have been esteemed in no respect 
 superior to a common dwelling : and hence it Mas 
 that the old men wept over the temple of Zerub- 
 babel, because it wanted these great essentials of 
 Levitical worship. 
 
 A room, called the sanctum sanctorum, or holy 
 of holies, 1 was built to contain the ark and mercy- 
 seat. It was a perfect cube of thirty feet, wains- 
 cotted with cedar, and overlaid with plates of gold 
 
 5,7 ITiia mercy-Beat wai typical of the Messiah, who is distin- 
 guished by the same appellation <Aa<rr>)p«>v (propitiatorium), both 
 by St. Pan] I Rom. iii. 25), and St. John ( l John ii. 2). 
 
 98 Pa. xcix. I . 
 Exod. xxv. 22. 
 
 1 Or oracle, I !<•!> Defair — locutorium — speaking-place, where 
 God madi from bi tween the cherubim.
 
 31)2 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 to the amount of £4,320,000 sterling. In the 
 centre of this most sacred place was the ark, placed 
 on a pedestal elevated three inches above the floor. 
 On each side of the ark was a massive cherubim of 
 gold, plated upon olive wood, fifteen feet in height. 
 Placed in the holy of holies, with their faces to the 
 east, their expanded wings embracing the whole 
 space of that sacred enclosure, they served not only 
 as an ornament, but as a visible sign or symbol of 
 God's immediate presence. This ark was doubtless 
 destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. 2 
 
 The Urim and Thummim was some mysterious 
 power inherent in the high priest's breastplate, 
 which was placed there at its consecration for the 
 general benefit of the Jewish people. The manner 
 of using the Urim and Thummim has been much 
 controverted ; it is clear, however, that oracles were 
 delivered by them, though the best authors are not 
 agreed as to the precise method of their delivery. 
 
 2 Dr. Willet, in his Hexapla in Exodum, p. 596, has the fol- 
 lowing observations on the fate of the ark. " The arke which 
 Moses made, the author of the scholasticall historie thinketh to 
 be in Rome, in the church of St. John Laterane, under the altar 
 there ; and by that supposed evidence would prove that the arke 
 was not made according to the measure of the geometricall cubite. 
 But Tostatus sheweth that not to be so, because it is mentioned, 
 2 Macchab. 2, how Jeremie hid the arke in a cave, which afterward 
 could not be found. This authoritie presseth them, because they 
 hold the 1 and 2 bookes of the Macchabees to be canonicall. And 
 howsoever it staudeth for the truth of this report, it is evident 
 that the arke was lost before, or in the captivitie of Babylon ; 
 and that the second temple, built after the captivitie, never had 
 it. By this then it appeareth, what small credite is to be given 
 unto those relikes which arc so much boasted of in the papal] 
 church."
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 333 
 
 Urim and Tlmmmim signify perfect lights; and 
 hence the information derived from their use was 
 not of the ambiguous cast of heathen oracles, but of 
 that clear and perfect nature which could not be 
 misunderstood, and which led the Israelites safely 
 through so many dangers, and placed them at 
 length in undisturbed possession of the promised 
 land. 
 
 The holv fire, with which all the burnt offerings 
 were offered, descended from heaven at the conse- 
 cration of Aaron, and was preserved by the priests 
 so long as the tabernacle Mas in existence. It 
 descended a second time on the altar at the conse- 
 cration of the temple, and continued there until the 
 Babylonish Captivity, from which time it was never 
 renewed. 
 
 The spirit of prophecy was enjoyed by the Jewish 
 nation after the building of the second temple, for 
 Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi lived subsequently 
 to this period; but their death, which happened in 
 one year, put a stop to the prophetic spirit, and it 
 was only revived by John Baptist, the forerunner of 
 Christ. ' 
 
 Besides these, there Mere several holy utensils 
 essentially necessary to the celebration of divine 
 worship, viz. the altar of incense, the table of show- 
 bread, the altar for burnt offerings, the layer, and 
 the golden candlestick; which had all a typical 
 signification. 
 
 The altar of incense was placed in the middle of 
 the sanctuary, and was Bprinkled once a year with 
 the blood of the sacrifices. The incense was typical 
 of prayer, and the ceremonj of sprinkling reminds
 
 334 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 us, that the prayers of the devout are of uo value. 
 except from the purification of Christ's blood. The 
 twelve loaves referred to the twelve tribes, and 
 were renewed every Sabbath-day. The golden 
 candlestick was a type of the word of God, or 
 preaching, as the incense was of prayer. The layer 
 and altar were emblematical of the water and blood 
 issuing from the side of Christ upon the cross, and 
 point out our sanctification and justification. 
 
 Before I close this brief notice of the most re- 
 markable things which this temple contained, I 
 must not omit to mention the lofty porch, placed 
 nearly in the centre of the mass of buildings. At 
 the entrance of this porch were two pillars of 
 hollow brass, which had been cast in the clayey 
 ground between Succoth and Zeredathah, by Hiram 
 Abiff, and are said by Josephus to be the most 
 difficult and curious work assigned to this artificer.'' 
 They were placed in this situation as emblems of 
 the stability of the temple in particular, and of 
 God's true worship in general. The right hand 
 pillar was termed jachin, which signifies to establish, 
 and the left hand one boaz, which signifies strength. 
 They were twenty-seven feet in height, eighteen 
 feet in circumference, six feet in diameter, and the 
 brass of the outer rim was four inches in thickness. 4 
 
 3 Jos. Ant. 1. 8, c. 2. 
 
 4 " These two pillars were cast in one piece of thirty-five 
 cubits in length. This piece of brass, being cut into two equal 
 lengths, formed the two columns, which, consequently were each 
 of seventeen and a half feet, which is the eighteen mentioned 
 1 Kings vii. 15, therefore it says in the singular the height of 
 each column ; but in Chronicles it is in the plural, pillars. The 
 half, then, which is deficient in the account, was a part of the
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 335 
 
 They were richly adorned with chapiters seven and 
 a half feet high, and enchased with lily-work, net- 
 work, and pomegranates, emblematical of peace, 
 unity, and plenty ; and surmounted by two spherical 
 balls, which represented the two globes of the earth 
 and heavens, and pointed out Masonry universal. 
 They were thus placed by the express direction of 
 King Solomon himself, in reference to the remark- 
 able pillar of a cloud and of fire, which proved a 
 light and guide to the Israelites in their miraculous 
 escape from Egyptian bondage ; and, covered with 
 darkness to the Egyptians, proved their destruction 
 in the Red Sea. King Solomon, fearing his sub- 
 jects might, at some future time, forget the cir- 
 cumstances attending that remarkable deliverance, 
 placed the pillars thus surmounted in this elevated 
 situation, as a public monument, to remind the 
 Jews, when they entered in or left the temple, 
 of the mercy of God to their nation in that great 
 event. 
 
 These two noble pillars were of such vital im- 
 portance to the support of the temple, that at its 
 destruction bv Nebuchadnezzar, the Lord, stand intr 
 upon the altar, commanded the destroying angel to 
 strike only the caphtors* chapiters, or heads of tlior 
 pillars, that the ruin might ensue, not only of the 
 pillars and |»<»rcli, or the temple itself, or even all 
 
 height of the capital, which is termed a crown, according to 
 
 K. David Kiniclii ; or of the lily work that was at the top of 
 
 pillars, called flower of lily. C)r it may be said, the round 
 number of eightei d ii stated instead of seventeen and a half." — 
 
 (( onfil. vol. '2, {). 77.) 
 Amos. ix. 1 .
 
 33G ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 Jerusalem, but also of the whole Jewish nation and 
 polity. Hence, as the erection of these pillars is 
 recorded in Scripture as an eminent proof of the 
 magnitude and splendour of Solomon's empire, as 
 well as of the wisdom, strength, and beauty of the 
 three united grand masters; so was their destruction 
 typical of the ruin of the Jewish state, which re- 
 ceived a temporary annihilation of seventy yens 
 when this temple was destroyed, as predicted by 
 Jeremiah and other prophets, for their sin in neg- 
 lecting to keep holy the Sabbatical year, according 
 to the commandment of the Lord. 
 
 The priests in this temple performed every holy 
 office of their religion with feet uncovered. " It is 
 not indeed anywhere commanded that the priests 
 should officiate barefooted, but among the garments 
 assigned for the priests, 5 shoes not being named, 
 they were supposed, therefore, to be forbid ; and the 
 text 6 saying, ' these are the garments which they 
 shall make;' this, they say, excludes all that are 
 not there named. And Moses being commanded at 
 the Burning Bush to put off his shoes, for that the 
 ground on which he stood was holy, because of the 
 extraordinary presence of God then in that place, 
 this they may make a further argument for it. For, 
 say they, the temple was all holy for the same reason, 
 that is, because of the extraordinary presence of 
 God there residing in the Shekinah over the mercy- 
 seat. And for these reasons it was most strictly 
 exacted, that the priests should be always barefooted 
 in the temple; although their going there with 
 
 5 Rxod. xxviii. 6 Exocl. xxviii. 4.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 337 
 
 their bare feet upon the marble pavement Mas very 
 pernicious to the health of many of them." 
 
 On entering into a place dedicated to the worship 
 of God, Christians, as a token of reverence, uncover 
 their heads : but the Jews and eastern nations did 
 more than this, they uncovered their feet, that no 
 dust or pollution might profane the holy ground. 
 Hence pulling off a shoe amongst the ancients in- 
 dicated reverence for the presence of God. This 
 custom Mas also expressive of the cement of a bar- 
 gain or contract amongst the eastern nations; the 
 party conveying aM-ay a right or privilege, took off 
 a shoe and gave it to his felloM T , as a pledge of 
 his fidelity. Amongst the Jews it Mas a token of 
 renunciation.'' Thus the kinsman of Ruth renounced 
 his claim upon her in favour of Boaz. She loosed 
 his shoe from his foot, to shew that she M T as re- 
 leased from all engagements by which the laws of 
 
 1 Prid. Con. vol. 1, p. 1, b. 3. The token of renunciation among 
 the more modern Jews, according to Solomon Jarchi, was a hand- 
 kerchief. Amongst other ancient nations it was the girdle of the 
 loins, which, being used to support keys, purses, &c, became an 
 acknowledged symbol of property. " In western Asia, slippers 
 left at the door of an apartment, denote that the master or mis- 
 is engaged — that other persons are in possession of their 
 attention — and later comers do not then think fit to intrude, un- 
 it u specially invited. Even a husband does not venture to enter 
 hi- wife's apartments while he Bees the slippers of visitors al her 
 door. These may serve as specimens of numerous instances which 
 iiuL'lit '<<■ cited, in which the shoe is ;t symbol of possession, or of 
 delegation, or transfer, which arc the ideas which we believe to 
 be conveyed by the Hebrew urn ofth< shoe." — (Pict. Bib. vol. I. 
 p. 077.) 
 
 Z
 
 838 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 her country had bound her to the claims of her 
 nearest relation. 8 
 
 In this glorious undertaking nothing was omitted 
 
 8 " The use of the shoe in this transaction is sufficiently intel- 
 ligible ; the taking off the shoe denoting the relinquishment of the 
 right and the dissolution of the obligation in the one instance, and 
 its transfer in the other. The shoe is regarded as constituting 
 possession ; nor is this idea unknown to ourselves, it being ex- 
 pressed in the homely proverbial expression by which one man is 
 said to stand in the shoes of another. There are therefore two 
 ways of considering this act ; one as dissolving a right, the other 
 as giving that right to another. In the former respect, the prac- 
 tice of the modern Jews in dissolving the claim, may be taken as 
 a fair illustration of the ancient practice. When the form of dis- 
 solving the mutual claim in question is to be gone through, three 
 Rabbies, with two witnesses, proceed, after morning prayers at the 
 synagogue, to a place fixed the previous evening, attended by 
 others of the congregation as auditors and spectators. The par- 
 ties are then called forward, and declare that they come to be re- 
 leased from each other. The chief Rabbi then interrogates the 
 man, and finding him determined not to marry the widow, orders 
 him to put on a shoe of black list, which is exclusively used for 
 this purpose. The woman then says, ' My husband's brother 
 refuseth to raise up his brother's name in Israel ; he will not per- 
 form the duty of my husband's brother.' Then the brother says, 
 ' I like not to take her.' The woman then unties the shoe, takes 
 it off, and throws it on the ground. This she does with the right 
 hand. 'But,' says old Purchas, 'if she want a right hand, it 
 putteth the Rabbines out of their wits to skan whether with her 
 teeth or how else it may be done.' Having thrown down the 
 shoe, she spits on the ground before him, saying, ' So shall it be 
 done unto the man that will not build up his brother's house : and 
 his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his 
 shoe loosed.' The persons present then exclaim three times, 
 'His shoe is loosed.' The chief Rabbi then declares the woman at 
 liberty to marry any other, and gives her a certificate to that effect. 
 See ' Allen's Modern Judaism ;' ' Hyam Isaac's Ceremonies ;' and 
 ' Purchas his Pilgrimage,' p. 233." — (Pict. Bib. vol. 1, (>77.)
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 339 
 
 which art and genius, aided by wealth and industry, 
 could supply. The twisted and highly carved work 
 of the Parian marble columns, the platings of em- 
 bossed gold, blazing with diamonds and other pre- 
 cious stones; the gorgeous and magnificent sculp- 
 tures, all contributed in rich union to display the 
 wisdom of Solomon in his appropriation of this grand 
 Masonic pile to the sacred purpose of God's wor- 
 ship; the strength of King Hiram, for his abundant 
 supplies of materials and men, and the beauty of the 
 ingenious If i ram Ah'ijf, who, with a capacity more 
 than mortal, exercised his shining abilities to their 
 utmost stretch in devising and executing such a 
 perfect model of art. 
 
 Before the consecration of the temple, it was 
 inspected by the King of Tyre, who was a complete 
 master of the science of operative Masonry, and after 
 fully viewing all its parts, he pronounced it to be 
 the highest effort of human genius ; and bestowed 
 a high panegyric upon Solomon Jedidiah, the be- 
 loved of God; in which he renounced his claim to 
 pre-eminence in this noble science, which before 
 this period had gained him the undisputed title of 
 Grand Master of all Masons. 
 
 On the full completion of the temple, the twelve 
 tribe- «»f [srael were summoned by their leaders ,to 
 attend it- solemn dedication to the exclusive pur- 
 pose of divine worship. The countless multitudes 
 of this people assembled at Jerusalem in the montb 
 Tisri. Solomon had provided for this august occa- 
 sion, oxen and Bheep without number, for the pur- 
 poses of sacrifice, .- 1 1 1 « I provision for his numerous 
 subject-. The ceremonies commenced with sacri- 
 
 / 2
 
 340 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 tice ; and the priests bare the ark of the covenant 
 into the holy of holies, and placed it under the wings 
 of the chenibims, amidst the united anthems of the 
 whole congregation, accompanied by cymbals, and 
 harps, and psalteries, and trumpets, who cbaunted 
 forth the praises of God, saying, " Thou art holy 
 and good, O Lord, for thy mercy endnreth for ever!" 
 When the ark was thus placed in the situation 
 whence it was never removed until destroyed by 
 Nebuchadnezzar along with the city and temple, 
 the Lord visibly took possession of his house in a 
 palpable cloud of glory, which at length subsiding, 
 remained stationary over the mercy-seat. This was 
 considered by the Jews so invincible a protection, 
 that they believed the temple impregnable to all the 
 efforts of human art or strength, so long as the She- 
 kinah remained in this situation. 9 
 
 Solomon then ascended a brazen scaffold, which 
 had been erected for the purpose in the midst of 
 the court, and kneeling down in the sight of all 
 the people, he spread his hands towards heaven, and 
 made a solemn invocation to God ; praying, that 
 he would sanctify the temple, and bless his people 
 by pardoning their involuntary transgressions. 
 
 " O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like 
 
 9 It was universally believed that when a city was about to be 
 taken by an enemy, it was forsaken by the gods ; and this was the 
 creed, not only of idolatrous nations, but also of the Jews ; for 
 some authors are of opinion, that before the temple at Jerusalem 
 was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, the Shekinah was withdrawn. 
 Herodotus (Clio) tells us that when Ephesus was besieged by 
 Croesus, the inhabitants made a solemn dedication of their city to 
 Minerva, connecting their walls to the temple of the goddess (a dis- 
 tance uf nearly an English mile) with a rope!
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 341 
 
 thee in the heaven, nor in the earth, which keepest 
 covenant and shewest mercy onto thy servants, that 
 walk before thee with all their hearts : thou which 
 hast kept with thy servant David my father that 
 which thou hast promised him, and spakest with thy 
 mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is 
 this day. Now, therefore, O Lord God of Israel, 
 keep with thy servant David my father that which 
 thou hast promised him, saying, there shall not fail 
 thee a man in my Bight to sit upon the throne of 
 Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their 
 way to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before 
 mc Now then, Lord God of Israel, let thy word 
 be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant 
 David. But will God, in very deed, dwell with men 
 on earth ? Behold, heaven and the heaven of hea- 
 vens cannot contain thee ; how much less this house 
 which I have built ! Have respect, therefore, to the 
 prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord 
 my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer 1 
 which thy servant prayeth before thee : that thine 
 eyea may lie open upon this house day and night, upon 
 the place whereof thou hast said, that thou wouldst 
 put thy name there ; to hearken unto the prayer 
 which thy servant prayeth towards this place. 
 Hearken, therefore, unto the supplications of thy 
 servant, ami of thy people [srael, which they shall 
 make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwell- 
 ing place, even from heaven ; ami when thou hearest, 
 forgive. Now. therefore, arise, <) Lord God, into 
 thy resting place, thou ami the ark of thy Btrength: 
 ht th\ priests, () Lord God, !»<• clothed with salva 
 tion, an«l lei th\ saints rejoice in goodness
 
 342 ANTIQUITIES OF 
 
 This solemn invocation being ended, the holy fire 
 came down from heaven and consumed the burnt 
 offering, and the temple was filled with the glory 
 of the Lord ; thus fulfilling the prophecy of Noah : 
 "God shall dwell in the tents of Shem." 10 
 
 The assembled multitude Mere so exceedingly 
 alarmed at this unexpected and miraculous occur- 
 rence, that, overcome by the united feelings of awe 
 and veneration, they simultaneously fell prostrate, 
 with their faces to the earth, exclaiming, "Praised 
 be God, for he is good, for his mercy endureth for 
 ever !" 
 
 The Lord vouchsafed to answer the prayer of 
 Solomon, and said : 
 
 " I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this 
 place to myself for an house of sacrifice. Now 
 mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto 
 the prayer that is made in this place. For now have 
 I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may 
 be there for ever : and mine eyes and mine heart shall 
 be there perpetually. And as for thee, if thou wilt 
 walk before me as David thy father Avalked, and do 
 according to all that I have commanded thee, and 
 shalt observe my statutes and my judgments, then 
 will I establish the throne of thy kingdom, accord- 
 ing as I have covenanted with David thy father, 
 saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler 
 in Israel. But if ye turn away and forsake my 
 statutes, and my commandments which I have set 
 before you, and shall go and serve other gods and 
 worship them ; then will I pluck them up by the 
 roots out of my land which I have given them ; 
 10 Gen. ix. 27.
 
 FREE-MASONRY. 343 
 
 and this house which I have sanctified for my name 
 will I cast out of my Bight, and will make it to be a 
 proverb and a byword among all nations. And this 
 house which is high, shall be an astonishment to 
 every one that passeth by it ; so that he shall say, 
 Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and 
 unto this house? And it shall be answered, Because 
 they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which 
 brought them forth out of the land of Egypt ; and 
 laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them and 
 served them ; therefore hath he brought all this evil 
 upon them." 11 
 
 The feast of dedication continued twice seven 
 • lay-, and was terminated by the sacrifice of tWenty- 
 two thousand oxen, and one hundred and twenty 
 thousand sheep; and the happy subjects of King 
 Solomon retired to their respective homes, ini- 
 
 " 2 Chron. vi. and vii. It may be remarked that the phrase 
 used in the above passage, respecting the place which God should 
 choose as a sanctuary for His Sacred Name, referred to Deut. xii. .">, 
 and signified "the place where the Lord should manifest his invisible 
 presence in the cloud of glory over the ark. This was at various 
 places before the foundation of the temple, but principally at Miz- 
 peh and Shiloh. The ultimate reference is doubtless to Jerusalem, 
 where, when the temple was built, God said to Solomon, 'I have 
 chosen tin- place to myself for a house of sacrifice.' It is ob- 
 Bervable that the name of no place i- ever mentioned in the law ; 
 and fortius Maimonides and other Jewe assign MAcral reasons, 
 which seem good in themselves, but whether they are the true ones 
 it i- impossible to say. 1. Lest, if it wire Known, the Gentiles 
 should seize upon it, and make war for the sake of it, when they 
 understood it- importance to the Hebrews. ■_'. Lesl those in 
 bands it was at the time the precept was delivered, should 
 
 from ill-will do their lic-t to lay it Waste and destroy it. .'!. Hut, 
 
 principally, \> tt every tribe should so earni stly desire to have the 
 plan within !u^ own lot, i to i lu© trife and contention."
 
 344 ANTIQUITIES OF FREE-MASONRY. 
 
 pressed with the goodness of God to the Jewish 
 nation, and astonished at the unrivalled magnifi- 
 cence of their monarch, who surpassed all the kings 
 of the earth for wisdom and glory. 
 
 " The fame of this grand edifice soon prompted 
 the inquisitive of all nations to travel, and spend 
 some time at Jerusalem, and survey its excellencies, 
 as far as was allowed to the Gentiles ; and they soon 
 found that the joint skill of all the world came infi- 
 nitely short of the Israelites, in the wisdom, strength) 
 and beauty of their architecture ; when the wise 
 King Solomon was grand master of all masons at 
 Jerusalem, when the learned King Hiram was grand 
 master at Tyre, and the inspired Hiram Abiff had 
 been master of the work : when true Masonry was 
 under the care and direction of heaven ; and when 
 the noble and the wise thought it an honour to be 
 associates of the ingenious craftsmen in their well- 
 formed lodges. Accordingly, the temple of Jeho- 
 vah became the just wonder of all travellers, by 
 which, as by the most perfect pattern, they resolved 
 to correct the architecture of their own countries 
 upon their return." 13 
 
 13 Noorth. Const, part 1, c. 3. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 J. L. COX & SONS, 
 
 PRINTERS TO THE HONOURABLE EAST-INDIA COMTANV, 
 
 "4 & "5, Gt. Queen Street, Lincoln 's- 1 nn Fields,
 
 WORKS ON FREEMASONRY, 
 
 BY 
 
 THE REV. G. OLIVER, D.D., 
 
 LATELY 
 
 PUBLISHED by BRO. RICHARD SPENCER, 
 
 314, HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON. 
 
 In demy 8vo. 10$. 672. ; royal 8vo. 1(«. ; handsomely bound in blue cloth , 
 and decorated with gilt Masonic Tooling, 
 
 A New and Revised Edition of 
 
 THE HISTORY OF INITIATION. 
 
 IN TWELVE LECTURES, 
 
 Comprising a detailed account of the Kites and Ceremonies, Doctrines and 
 
 Discipline, of all the Secret and Mysterious Institutions 
 
 of the Ancient World. 
 
 By the Rev. George Oliver, D.D., late D.P.G.M. for Lincoln, &c. &c. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Dedication— To the Right Hon. Charles Tennyson D'Eyncourt, M.P., P.G.M., for Lincoln- 
 shire. 
 Preface — Explaining the indispensable qualification of the Master of a Lodge. 
 Lecture 1 — General Introduction — Antiquity of Initiation, <5jc. 
 LectureS — History of Initiation in Hindostan. 
 ly mrc 3— Philosophy of the Eastern Mysteries. 
 Lecture 4 — Initiation in Persia. 
 Lecture 5— History of Initiation in Greece. 
 
 remonies of Initiation into the Mysteries of Bacchus. 
 Lecture 7 — Places of Initiation lota the Celtic Mysteries. 
 Lactam ii — Ceremonies of initiation in Uritain. 
 
 Lecture 'J — Symbols and Doctrines of the Druids. 
 Lecture in — History of Initiation into the Gothic Mysteries. 
 
 Lecture 11— Doctrines and Morality — Splendour and Importance of the Spurious Freema- 
 sonry, dec. 
 lecture 12— History of Initiation in America. 
 Corollary — The Mysteries Funereal, iic. 
 
 Brothel R. S. respectfully informs his Brethren the above may be had in 
 a band tome blue calf binding, with the Masonic Tooling full gilt, price 
 
 I i ')</. small, and 24*. large paper, the latter forming 
 A Splendid Lodge Present. 
 
 The Pnbliaber begs to call the attention of his Brethren to the following 
 Teadoaoniala of the Public Press in favour of this Work: 
 
 I doctor. In the snore work, has Investigated the superstitions end Idolatrous 
 
 notions, and patent and occult, of ancient India, Persia, and I , 
 
 the, and Mi clean i In the course ol which his Inquirli havi penetrated Into 
 i many learned worl rilorcd, wc fear, in tin e di 
 
 ipcrfldal reading, whence be baa ai traded curious Bad to elucidate the views 
 i 
 
 ■• This work win ba rand with daUgbl by ever) Maaon wboii mall) tabued vltfa ■> Ioti 
 irtter.' —Uitit',1 Standard,
 
 '2 WORKS ON FREEMASONRY, BY DR. OLIVER, 
 
 " The author has furnished a key by which the study of this subject may be successfully 
 prosecuted. 11 — Lincoln stum/ant. 
 
 " We can confidently recommend tins interesting book to all persons who may have a 
 taste for such Investigations, assured that its contents will afford them a treat of no common 
 order." — Nottingham Journal, 
 
 " The work is learned, curious, and ingenious."— Gentleman's Magazine. 
 
 " This Is a new edition of a previous work that has been already received with the highest 
 gratification by the order; it has undergone much careful revision! and contains valuable and 
 
 important additions. The expected revelations of those truths with which the author has 
 
 stored his gifted mind have been fully realized. As a literary composition, the present 
 
 volume is polished and elegant; as a Masonic Illustration, it Is plain yet vigorous. We 
 
 observe, with much admiration, the Vast number of learned authorities which have been 
 Consulted, not merely as proving the great extent of the author's research, but as comprising 
 
 the value of a course of study which thereby laves the Ma onlc reader a rasl deal of trouble — 
 
 enables him, with less difficulty! to comprehend those mysteries which unite morality to 
 science — deduces the origin of Freemasonry — conducts the examination through every sys- 
 tem of philosophy — explains errors — and leaves no opportunity for the sceptic or the casulsl 
 to exercise his vocation. It is a work good for all men, and a text-hook for Masonic Lodges." 
 — Freemasons' Quarterly Resit u . 
 
 " A work from which we do not doubt but our readers will derive considerable amusement, 
 and reap a proportionate degree of instruction."— Imperial Magazine. 
 
 " This will be a great acquisition to those who take an interest in such studies. Even to 
 the general reader, it offers new and striking evidences of the eccentricity of the human 
 mind; but the library of the Brother must want one of its lights, until it possesses this 
 volume." — Weekly Review. 
 
 " No Masonic Brother should be without this book In his library."— Lincoln Gazette. 
 
 " It is a work of extensive reading and erudite research." — Stajfordshire Examiner. 
 
 " The mantle of the learned historian of Freemasonry, Mr. Preston, hits fallen aptly upon 
 the shoulders of Dr. Oliver, who holds a distinguished position amongst the members of the 
 Craft in the province of Lincolnshire. But while to those in the secret of Masonry the 
 present volume is one which possesses a peculiar charm, its contents are such as cannot fail 
 to interest the general reader, as the learned author has embodied in its pages the result of 
 multifarious but well-digested reading on the general subject of the mysteries of the nations 
 of old, from the Egyptians and Chaldeans to the Druids and more modern inhabitants of 
 Europe. There is an easy and graceful style pervading the book, which gives its contents 
 an additional charm in the perusal." — Globe. 
 
 " The Rev. Dr. Oliver is a Freemason of repute, and an enthusiast in the Craft; consi- 
 dering pure or primitive Masonry ' was certainlv derived from above,' in his eyes the mys- 
 teries or Egyptian and classical antiquity, together with the religions of Persia and llindos- 
 tan, as well as the mysteries of the Celts, the Druids, the Ooths, and the different American 
 nations, were all branches of Freemasonry — pure in their fountain, but corrupted in the 
 streams. The object of his book is to describe the ceremonies of initiation into all these 
 brotherhoods of yore, and to unfold their philosophy or tenets. In the pursuit of this object 
 he brings together a vast number of particulars from a vast number or sources." — Spectator. 
 
 " In this volume we have the substance of twelve lectures, comprising a detailed account 
 of the rites and ceremonies, doctrines and discipline, of all the secret and mysterious institu- 
 tions of the ancient world. The work is got up with evident care, and the arrangement 
 being in a great measure new, and proportionally abstruse, ' I have,' observes the author, 
 the Rev. Dr. Oliver, ' advanced with much caution, and have not ventured to introduce anj 
 single fact without its accompanying authority.' We may add, that the volume displays, In 
 every page, marks of extensive research; that the materials are well digested, and the 
 language of the lectures uniformly recommended by ease and perspicuity. Those who take 
 an interest in Freemasonry will read it with pleasure." — Sun. 
 
 Demy 8vo. 9s. cloth, 1 5s. 6d. in blue calf binding, with gilt Masonic 
 Tooling, 
 
 SIGNS AND SYMBOLS, 
 
 Illustrated and Explained in a Course of Twelve Lectures on Freemasonry; 
 a New Edition enlarged. 
 
 " This book is well written, and merits a place in every gentleman's library, whether he 
 be a Brother or not." — Gentleman's Magazine. 
 
 " We hope enough has been said to induce every Brother who would be really a Mason 
 to purchase the volume: and we can in fraternal sincerity assure him that his acquisition 
 will be a jewel beyond price. To our learned Brother, the Rev. Dr. Oliver, we unaffectedly 
 offer the homage of grateful and sincere respect for the labours he has undertaken,— 
 for the perseverance he has shewn,— for the spirit of intelligence, good-will, and true piety, 
 which, while thev shed a lustre around his ' Signs and Symbols.' teach the heart of the Mason 
 to love, and the soul to praise and to magnify Him who liveth in the heavens." — Freemasons' 
 Quarterly Review.
 
 l'CBHSHED BY BBO. K. SPKXCER. 6 
 
 Also just published, 12mo. price 4s. bound in clotb, 
 
 THE HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY, 
 
 From 1829 to 1841. 
 
 A new edition (15th) of " Preston's Illustrations of Masonry " (being an 
 exact reprint of the 14th edition, printed in 1S'29, and edited by the Rev. 
 Dr. Oliver), having appeared last year without any continuation to the His- 
 torical part of that volume, the present Work is now published to supply 
 that deficiency, and the Publisher anticipates the design will be peculiarly 
 acceptable to the Craft, as it embraces a period of more than common inte- 
 rest—a period of stirring energy, which has produced incidents and transac- 
 tions in every quarter of the globe, that have placed Freemasonry before 
 the public in a new and imposing form. 
 
 T)te fallowing is extracted from the learned Doctor's Preface. 
 
 " In the execution of this little Work, the Author professes a strict independence of prin- 
 ciple, ami impartiality of action." 
 
 " Historical truth disclaims prejudice and partizanship ; and whatever opinions the 
 Author may entertain as an individual Mason, he has endeavoured to preserve the strictest 
 neutrality as an Annalist. How far he may have been successful will depend on the opinion 
 of hi- readers, lit- hat adhered meet faithfully to that law of the Grand Lodge which prohi- 
 bits the printing of any private transactions that require to be withheld from the public eye; 
 and has inserted no matter but what he has found in the Printed Quarterly Communii ations 
 in the Grand Lodge, or other sources equally available for the purposes of discussion and 
 remark." 
 
 " With thi- avowal, the work is committed to the judgment of the Craft ; and, it is 
 hoped, will be found not altogether uninteresting, as a detail of Masonry in its most palmy 
 and most prosperous state." 
 
 •«• As the above History forms a continuation of the 15th edition of Pres- 
 ton's Illustrations or Masonry, edited by Dr. Oliver, they may be 
 had bound together, price 13s. in cloth, or 18s. in handsome blue calf 
 binding, with gilt Masonic Tooling. 
 
 TESTIMONIALS OF THE PUBLIC PRESS. 
 
 " A narrative of the most important matters connected with the Craft, from the year 1829 
 to the present day." — Athenaeum. 
 
 " A work highly interesting, containing accurate information of all the remarkable occur- 
 rences and events'during the period to which it refers; and therefore must beromc a valu- 
 able record, highly acceptable to the Order, emanating, as it does, from an author of so high 
 : reputation a- the Rev. Brother, whose literary productions hare extended, 
 like the Older to which it refer-, all over the surface of the universe."— Lincoln Standard. 
 
 " The work is well written, and Dr. Oliver has drawn an exceedingly good comparison 
 be t wee n Masonry on its revival in England a century and a quarter ago, and Masonry in the 
 present day." — Freemasons' Monthly Mairazinr. 
 
 Demy 8vo. price 10*. <»l. in handsome cloth boards, or 15s. GJ. in blue calf 
 binding, with gilt Masonic Tooling, 
 
 TIIK 
 
 THEOCRATIC PHILOSOPHY OP FREEMASONRY, 
 
 IN TWELVE LECTURES, 
 
 On it 1 - Speculatire, Operative, and 8purioua Brancbef. 
 
 OOVTBrTI B. 
 nine the Phil phj of \i , 
 
 .it, inalion ol LUX 
 
 ,, oi i harity. 
 Hon to which Operative oi Bdentliii atatoor] wa earned in the 
 
 i .it 
 
 >■ . and i>' l| t Uv spurious Pragma* 
 
 wmrv.
 
 4 WORKS ON FREEMASONRY, BY 1)11. OLIVER, 
 
 Lecture 5— On the Origin of Hieroglyphics. 
 
 Lecture 8 — Exemplification of the Symbols iued in those Spurious Institutions which 
 attained the most permanent celebrity in the Ancient World. 
 
 Lecture 7— '1'he true Freemasonry in all ages shewn to have been " veiled in allegory and 
 Illustrated by symbols." 
 
 Lecture B — Enquiry whether the Union of Speculative and Operative Masonry was accom- 
 plished at the building of King Solomon's Tl mple. 
 
 Lecture 9— The detail) of thii fomoui Edifice considered, for the purpose of shewing that 
 the above Union conveyed essenti al benelils to mankind. 
 
 Lecture Id— On the Form and Disposition of a Mason's Lodge. 
 
 Lecture 11 — On the ceremonies of opening, Closing, Labour and Hefrcshment. 
 
 Lecture \2 — The beauties of Freemasonry exemplified, and its peculiar ( c anionics and Ob- 
 servances shewn to be judiciously selected, rationally maintained, and highly advanta- 
 geous to those who are versed in their moral and symbolical reference. 
 
 Corollary — Freemasonry worthy the attention of all good men. 
 
 TESTIMONIALS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 " To a Lodge possessed of the means amongst its own members of elucidating the beauties 
 of Freemasonry in the working Lectures, this work is most valuable. It illustrates much 
 that these colloquial lessons leave imperfect, and renders them of still greater value to the 
 proficient. And toa Lodge ignorant of, or but partially versed in those Masonic exposition-, 
 the Twelve Lectures are absolutely indispensable. How many a young and zealous Mason 
 might diffuse delight and improvement to his Brethren, by reading aloud one of the Twelve- 
 Lectures at each monthly meeting of the Lodge. Who is there who can quietly estimate the 
 benefits which would arise to Freemasonry from emulation thus excited ? And what better 
 use could be made of these beautiful results of his persevering assiduity — of the exercise of 
 the rare talents with which the Almighty Architect of the Universe has blessed him — who 
 has thus placed them at our disposal ? In their universal use, we hope to see a grateful and 
 most fruitful response." — Freemasons' Quarterly Review. 
 
 " If others should still be sceptical — if they want any thing more to convince them that 
 this silent system is maintained for some good and wise purpose, then we would recommend 
 a perusal of this work, which, although it may neither explain nor simplify, must create 
 confidence and assurance — not by the power of its argument and reasoning, of which it has 
 plenty when it is necessary to exhibit it — not by the practical character of its matter, in 
 which it no doubt abounds to the initiated — but simply by the tone of charity, benevolence, 
 and good- will to all, which is no less apparent in the writings than in the conduct of the 
 learned author. It is impossible to rise from this book without saying, * Although there is 
 much that is incomprehensible here, yet there is enough, and more than enough, to convince 
 me that that system must be a pure one which numbers such a writer among its leaders." — 
 Staffordshire Examiner. 
 
 Just published, fcap. 8vo. price 5s. 6J. cloth, 7s. 6c?. half-bound, 10s. whole 
 bound blue calf, with gilt Masonic Tooling, 
 
 A New Edition of 
 
 THE STAR IN THE EAST; 
 
 Shewing the Analogy which exists between the Lectures of Masonry, the 
 Mechanism of Initiation into its Mysteries, and the Christian Religion. 
 
 The above has undergone a thorough Revision, and is illustrated by a 
 copious addition of Notes, &c, as will be more clearly shewn by the 
 Author's 
 
 PREFACE TO THIS EDITION. 
 
 A new edition of this Work is now presented to the Masonic public. It 
 has been long called for, and its delay has been owing to other and more 
 pressing avocations. I hope, however, that its appearance in a new form 
 will be acceptable to the Craft. The additions, which are principally in the 
 form of Notes will be found to contain much novel information, alike illus- 
 trative of the subject and of the present state of the Author's feelings on 
 this important question. A great revolution has taken place in the public 
 mind on all the points connected with Freemasonry since the first publica- 
 tion of this little manual, which is decidedly favourable to the view here 
 taken of the connection which subsists between Masonry and Religion : and 
 the addition of some high authorities will not diminish its value. My en- 
 quiries have been directed to one object — the discovery of truth; and
 
 PUBLISHED BY BRO. R. SPENCER. 5 
 
 increasing years and experience, as well as a more extensire reading, have 
 tended to strengthen my opinion that the conclusions are correct. I commit 
 myself, therefore, once more to the judgment of my brethren, assured of an 
 impartial tribunal and an indulgent sentence. 
 
 Scopirick Vicarage. G. O. 
 
 " Of all Dr. Oliver's works, we cannot but consider this as thr gem, contained in a casket 
 of sterling value, of which the lock and key are of superior workmanship. The authorities 
 which Dr Oliver has brought, not so much in aid, as correlative proof of his clear and unde- 
 niable truths, are placed in honourable position. It is impossible to offer any other opinion 
 on the Star in the Bait, which we have read with a grateful sense of the obligation conferred 
 on the Craft, than that it is a shining light, by which the Apprentice, the Craftsman, the 
 Master, and the perfect Master, may equally see their way." — Freemasons' Quarterly Review. 
 
 *** Brother Spencer respectfully informs his Brethren all the foregoing 
 Works of Dr. Oliver's were patronized by his late Itoyal Highness the 
 Dukb of Sussex. Most Worshipful Grand Master; the late Earl of Dur- 
 ham, Pro-Grand Master; and a large number of Grand and Pro- 
 vincial Grand Officers. 
 
 Demy 8vo. price Is. 6Vf. 
 
 BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WITHAM LODGE, 
 
 No. 374, 
 
 Ilolden in the City of Lincoln; with a description of the Ceremonial used 
 
 at the levelling of the foundation Stone of a New Masonic Hall, and 
 
 the Sermon preached on the occasion, loth April, l^H. 
 
 " It would be well for many Lodges, if the honourable example of our rev. Brother were more 
 generally adopted. It is by many considered that the transactions of Masonic meetings will not 
 bear the* light ; t hi~ most absurd notion is dangerous at once to the peace and good order of 
 the members, whose general conduct and their affairs should always be so conducted as to 
 court the more critical examination of the profane world. In this case the Minute Book 
 of the Lodge has been examined, and many interesting data are given. But the great object 
 of the history is, to comprise within its limits the founding of a Masonic hall, which took 
 place on the 1.1th April, 1)41, under the happiest auspices, and on which occasion a sermon 
 ;ihed by the Rev. Dr. Oliver, D.P.G.M. of the province. The discourse is replete 
 with the soundest moral truth and incontrovertibly combines the holy beauties of Christi- 
 anity with Freemasonry." • • • "After the banquet, the several addresses embraced 
 all that moral eloquence, combined with true social feeling, could possibly effect. The 
 inqxtl of the rev. Doctor m especially brilliant; and that of Sir E, Lvtton Bulwer, Bart., 
 was remarkable for its eloquence. This ' Brief History ' we recommend for general perusal, 
 and hope to tind many similar emanations from the Craft." — Freemasons' Quarterly Review. 
 
 Demy 8vo. price Is. dd. 
 AN ACCOUNT OF THE 
 
 CENTENARY OF THE WITHAM LODGE, 
 
 No. 374, 
 
 Holden in the City <>f Lincoln, Jane '», 1812 j with the Ceremonies used 
 at the Dedication and Consecration ol a New Masonic Hall ; 
 
 and the Oration delivered 00 that occasion. 
 
 Dniiy 8?0. price (j./. 
 
 ORNAMENTS, I I RNIT1 UK. \\l> JEWELS; 
 
 noa preached al Boston, before 1 1 j « - P <• Lodge "i Lincolnshire, on 
 15th s. ptember, IM I 
 
 l'ulil)\lnil <it tin rtqvtst i'i ih> Provincial Grand E/odgt.
 
 LIST OF MASONIC WORKS. 
 
 Just published, price 5a. plain, 7*. Gd. India paper, 
 A LITHOGRAPHIC 
 
 PORTRAIT OF THE REV. GEORGE OLIVER, D.D., 
 
 PAST D.P. CM. FOR LINCOLNSHIRE, ETC. 
 Taken from life, by O. G. Reji.ander. 
 
 The likeness lias been pronounced most excellent ; and the Artist enter- 
 tains a well-grounded expectation that many of those who have profited by 
 the researches and gifted talents of the Author, may be desirous of possess- 
 ing a copy of the Original Portrait. 
 
 Just published, price 7s. Gd. cloth, 9s. Gd. half-bound, 12s. Gd. whole bound 
 blue calf, gilt Masonic Tooling, 
 
 THE SPIRIT OP MASONRY, 
 
 By Brother W. HUTCHINSON, F.S.A. 
 A New Edition. 
 
 With copious Notes, Critical and Explanatory, by the Rev. G. Oliver, D.D. 
 Author of " The History of Initiation," &c. 
 
 *»* This new edition is dedicated to the Grand Lodges of England, Ireland, 
 Scotland, and to the Craft in general, and originally sanctioned by Lord 
 Petre, G.M., and the Grand Lodge in 1766. 
 
 " The pure spirit of Hutchinson would have rejoiced in the probability that, in a future 
 age, his works should be immortalized in the annals of Masonry by the powerful pen of its 
 historian, Dr. Oliver." 
 
 " The reader of this edition of the ' Spirit of Masonry ' will find that Dr. Oliver has done 
 ample justice to the subject; his notes are critical and explanatory. Nothing of Hutchinson's 
 spirit has been lost ; on the contrary, it is re-animated with all the truthfulness of Masonic 
 investigation, and appears adorned with all the explanation of the gifted editor, who advo- 
 cates, with a disregard to ' special pleading,' the propriety of improving the mind by the 
 publication of all useful works on Masonic subjects. We could almost wish that every 
 Masonic work was out of print, provided they could, like the one before us, pass through 
 Dr. Oliver's alembic, and become thereby fresh, as from ' pastures new.' As a Masonic 
 work, Hutchinson and Oliver, united, are beyond the reviewer's power — all is thought and 
 bright imaginings. Let the aged Mason read and ponder; let the tyro drink deep of the 
 precious waters that sparkle with the lustre of life."— Freemasons' Quarterly Review. 
 
 Shortly will be published, in demy 12mo. 
 
 A NEW EDITION OF 
 
 DR. ASHE'S MASONIC MANUAL; 
 
 OR, 
 
 LECTURES ON FREEMASONRY. 
 
 With considerable Improvements, and Revised by the 
 REV. GEORGE OLIVER, D.D. 
 
 *** As a great many Lodges, at home and abroad, are forming Masonic 
 Libraries, Brother Spencer will feel pleasure in forwarding Lists of New 
 : 1 1 1< 1 Old Works on Freemasonry he has on Sale.
 
 LIST OF MASONIC BOOKS, &c. 
 
 OX BAIiS AT 
 
 BROTHER RICHARD SPENCER'S LIBRARY, 
 
 314, HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON. 
 
 FREEMASONS' POCKET-BOOK and CALENDAR. Published 
 annually, price 3*. 
 
 A FREEMASON'S POCKET COMPANION; containing a Brief 
 Sketch of the History of Masonry, with Chronology, Entered Apprentice's Song, &c. By 
 Brother Walter B. Mast, M.A., Archdeacon of Down. Price2s. 6d. bound in cloth. 
 
 FREEMASONS' QUARTERLY REVIEW. Price 3s. each 
 
 Number. 
 
 ROSENBERG'S (D.) MASONIC & SYNOPTICAL TABLEAU, 
 
 in French and English, illustrating the Mystical Reasonings, and rendering them perfectly 
 clear to the Initiated. Price 5*. 
 
 MASONIC ORATION, delivered at the Jubilee of the Shakspeare 
 Lodge, No. 35G, Warwick, on August 16th, 1841, by Brother James Sharp, Jun., W.M. 
 Price 1*. 
 
 iN.B.— The profits of this work is appropriated to the Masonic Charities.) 
 
 MASONIC SERMON, preached December -27th, 1839, by the Rev. 
 II. U. Slade. Priceftf. (This Sermon was preached in aid of the Aged Masons' Asylum.) 
 
 MASONIC SERMON, preached at Portsmouth, on the Installation of 
 Sir Lucius Curtis, Bart., as Prov. G.M, for Hampshire, on July 4th, 1842, by the Rev. Bro- 
 ther T. T. H a verfi kld. Price Cd. 
 
 SHORT VIEW of the HISTORY of FREEMASONRY. By \V. 
 SAVOYS, P.M. Grand Master's Lodge. Price 3*. bound in cloth. 
 
 HISTORY of FREEMASONRY, and of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, 
 continued to the present time, with Copious Appendix of Masonic Forms, Documents, &c. 
 Hy William Alex. Laurie, C.T.. F.S.A., Secretary to the Grand Lodge of Scotland. 
 Nearly ready, a new edition, price 7«- Gd. bound in cloth. 
 
 A New Edition of the BOOK of CONSTITUTIONS, with 12 plates, 
 handsomely bound in Masonic calf, gilt edges, price a*. ; half-bound, . r ». ; or cloth, 3s, Bd. 
 
 \ New Edition of the ROYAL ARCH REGULATIONS, with 14 
 
 plates, handsomely bound in Masonic calf, gilt edges, 7*. l'«l.; half-bound, 4*. i-l. ; or cloth, 
 
 2*. Cyi. 
 
 \.l:.— Theab'ive BOOK Of Constitution* ami R. A. Ii kcui.ations, bound together, In 
 Masonic gilt cloth, 6>.l half Masonic calf, gilt, &•; whole Masonic calf, gilt edges, \->.<. 
 
 SCIi II' I URE EXTRACTS, for the use of Royal Arch Masons and 
 Chapters, IS directed bj the Grand Chapter to be read during the ritual of Exaltation. 4to. 
 Price ■)*. sewed, St. half bound, 7-- whole bound, lOf. bound in a lock . 
 
 HARRIS'S ROYAL ARCH TRA( [NG BOARDS, in Two Do- 
 
 signs, highly coloured, bound in lock case, price 12*. 
 
 HARRIS'S CRAFT TRACING BOARDS, in Three Designs, 
 
 highly coloured, bound in lock case, price lit. 
 
 HARRIS'S ROI W. ARCH and CRAFT TRACING BOARDS, 
 in Five Designs, highly colon r<d, bound in lock case, price £1. 4a 
 
 ♦.• : i vv.i.M. ip\ bis express sanction, 
 
 .1 ii IRRIS'S PORTB \l l of His late R 11. THE DUKE OF 
 
 m. u. (,. m. in lull Masonic Costume. Bias I9| by 14 inches, Pdo 
 to*,, and 
 
 MASONIC SONGS. 
 
 Thj a. .in Baoi in ii., wiiihn by Brother J. F. Smith, set to Music by 
 Brother ii. Negri I* 
 
 'I'm ' 1 1 a, wntt.ii hv Brother Douglas Jerrold, set i" Bfosia by 
 
 I., u. II'. ■•..-. 2.. 
 
 (ii.mhiv, wrin.n i.. Brotbei J. Lee Stevens, let to Music hy Brother 
 
 Tiihii rim Tiinii. written by Brothei I I I irpenter, composed by 
 Brothel i i Ian
 
 Just published, price Is. 
 
 A SUPPLEMENTARY CATALOGUE, 
 
 Containing upwards of 550 Now Publications, consisting of the best works 
 on Biography, History, Voyages, Travels, Novels, Tales, Romances, and 
 the principal Reviews and Magazines, added in 184-0-1-2, to 
 
 BRO. R. SPENCER'S CIRCULATING LIBRARY, 
 
 (FORMERLY CARPENTER'S), 
 314, HIGH IIOLBORN, NEAR CHANCERY LANE. 
 
 This Supplementary Catalogue will be of great assistance to Readers 
 generally, as it forms a guide in their selection of Rooks from the various 
 popular Writers' Works, being printed under their respective names. 
 
 TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. 
 
 1st. Clnss. 
 Subscribers at 
 
 ( 5 5 a year ^ are entitled to 12 vols in Town, or 24 in the 
 
 < 3 3 J year > Country, and the immediate nerusal of new 
 
 I 1 16 quarter ) Publications. 
 
 { 
 
 4 0a year ~| 
 
 2nd Class. J 2 12 6 J year I are entitled to 8 vols, in Town, or 10 in the 
 1 11 C quarter ' 
 12 month 
 
 Subscribers at j 1 11 6 quarter f Country 
 
 {330 a year "j 
 
 2 i year I are entitled to 6 vols, in Town, or 12 in the 
 
 110 quarter f Country. 
 
 8 month J 
 
 f 2 2 a year ") 
 
 4th Class. I 1 8 J year | . , „ , , 
 
 Subscribers at ^ 15 quarter > are entitled to 4 vols. 
 
 (_ 6 month J 
 
 Subscriptions received from Book Societies, Sfc. Terms according to the 
 number of volumes required. 
 
 THE FOLLOWINC PERIODICALS ARE TAKEN FOR THE LIBRARY. 
 
 Bentley's Miscellany ; Ainsworth's; Blackwood's; Dublin University; 
 
 Eraser's; Metropolitan; The New Monthly ; New and Old 
 
 Sporting; United Service, and Tait's Magazines. 
 
 Edinburgh ; Quarterly ; Freemasons' Quarterly ,• Foreign and Colonial ; 
 Foreign Quarterly; British and Foreign; and 
 
 Westminster Reviews. 
 
 1 Coloi 
 
 Brotber R. SPENCER, V? 
 
 BOOKSELLER, BINDER, AND STATIONER IN GENERAL, 
 
 Has alargeassortment constantly on sale of Bim.ES, Prayer Books, Church Services 
 with and without Cases, Companions to thk Altar, &c. in plain, elegant, and velvet 
 
 bindings. 
 
 Works for Presents, or the Private Library, in elegant and plain binding. 
 Juvenile and School Books, of all kinds. 
 
 Albums, Scrap Books, Manuscript Books, Music Books, Portfolios, &c. in 
 great variety. 
 Merchants' and other Account Books, bound and ruled to any pattern. 
 Bookbinding, to any pattern, at a short notice. 
 
 Visiting and Complimentary Card Plates, Engraved and Printed. 
 Envelope and Writing Cases, with and without Locks. 
 
 Country and Exportation Orders executed with punctuality and despatch. 
 
 periodicals delivered on thk hay or publication.
 
 
 fe. 
 
 
 \* 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 5r *i 
 
 ■\"F(% 
 
 ^OFCALIfO^ 
 
 
 y <?Aav«sn 
 
 ^OJIIVJJO^ %ijdnvsoi^ 
 
 o 
 
 ^E-UNIVEW/a 
 
 ■imrn^ 
 
 ANCElfr 
 
 
 
 so 
 
 
 
 A\ 
 
 
 #• 
 
 tVtF-I 
 
 University of California 
 
 SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 
 
 Return this material to the library 
 
 from which it was borrowed. 
 
 **JrSI0 7T£91 
 
 ar k 
 
 OEC 
 
 I 2 
 
 
 OCT 1 8 r 
 
 
 
 iNCFlfj> 
 M-Jttv* 
 
 ETI 
 
 IJO^ i 
 : 0% 
 
 
 ■3ftV 
 
 m 
 
 in 
 
 JMMINIVERJ^ lOSAMCflfj^ 
 
 VV..V....L.„ W 

 
 jo^ \oi\mn 
 
 0%, : CAIIF0% 
 
 ivaen 
 
 %1»S01^ 
 
 .\\MNIVER% 
 
 o 
 
 *~* ^ ivrng 
 
 000 036 475 2 
 
 J c 
 
 
 ^ ?3 
 
 
 
 ^IIIBRARY^, 
 
 UIFOfy 
 
 ^UIBRARYtf/- 
 
 
 wmih^ 
 
 ^5 ,— n v £% 
 
 y okmmT$> 
 
 Wa 
 
 ^OJIIVDJO^ JWSOl^ 
 
 ^WEUNIVER^ 
 
 
 
 
 NIVER% ^10SANGEI&> 
 
 l^Ul 
 
 
 
 
 ^ANCEUjv* 
 
 ^WAINOJWV^ 
 
 ^UIBRARY^ 
 
 iAINIHWV* JIIVOJO^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 M 5* 
 
 ^ 
 
 LI (7 
 
 ^Dr* 
 
 i irr