Table Of Contents.

TABLE OF CONTENTS .

PAGE AVEST OF ENGLAND SANATORIUM 354 THE "LITTLE" TESTIMONIAL 354 THE FREEMASONS'LIFE BOAT 354 FREEMASONRY AND ISRAELITISM 355 & 356 PROCKEDINGS OF GRAND LODGE OF MASSA-

CHUSETTS , U . S 356 & 357 CONSECRATION OF THE MARQUIS OF LORNE LODGE , NO . 1354 , AT LEIGH 357 & 35 S THE CRAFTMetropolitan 35 S & 359 Provincial ... ... ... ... 359

ORDERS OF CHIVALRYKnights Templar 359 Order of Malta 359 THEATRICAL 359 BIRTHS , MARRIAGES , AND DEATHS 360 THE UNRECOGNISED DEGREES 360 & 361

MULTUM IN PARVO 361 ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTION FOR Bovs 361 GRAND LODGE 361 , 362 , & 363 GRAND MARK LODGE 364 & 365 1 ' ROV . GRAND MARK LODGE OF SOMERSETSHIRE 365

SCOTLANDGlasgow ... ... ... ... 365 DISTRICT GRAND LODGE OF BENGAL 3 C 6 MASONIC MEETINGS FOR NEXT W ' . 366 ADVERTISEMENTS 353 , 354 , 3 67 , & 36 S

Freemasonry & Israelitism.

FREEMASONRY & ISRAELITISM .

BY BRO . WILLIAM CARPENTER , P . M . & P . Z . 177

in . Wc have now to look at thc Tribes of Israel as divided into two separate kingdoms ; one constituted of the tribes of Jtidah and Benjamin , the other of the ten

tribes AVIIO had revolted . Hie kingdom formed by the latter was distinguished by thc names of " Israel , " " Ephraim , " and " The House of Isaac ; " the former was known as "Judah , " or the Jews :

sometimes , indeed , it is called " The House of Israel , " but Avhen so , the revolted tribes are called " AU Israel , " or " The whole house of Israel . " As Mr . Bullock observes ( Smith ' s Diet . 899 ) , " the disaffection of

Ephraim and thc northern tribes having grown in secret , under the prosperous but burthensome reign of Solomon , broke out at the critical moment of that great monarch ' s death . It was just then that

Ephraim , the centre of the movement , found in Jeroboam an instrument prepared to give expression to . the rivalry of centuries , Avith sufficient ability and application to raise him to thc highest station ,

with the stain of treason on his name , and with the bitter recollections of an exile in his mind . " Thus was the great and flourishing kingdom which David had enlarged and consolidated split into two , and each

of them , unhappily , started—thc one immediately , and the other soon afterwards—on a downward course , because a faithless and a sinful one . The wonderful works of the Almighty , which had been for a period of

6 30 years wrought on their behalf , had made but a shallow impression on their minds and hearts . The splendid temple , Avith its magnificent and attractive services , into which music , at once exciting thc

imagination and soothing the feelings , so largely entered" The heaven-brcath'd hymns stealing up thc air , AVhiic surges of harmonious sound From cymoal , trump , and dulcimer ,

In solemn undulations rolled Around the pillar'tl courts , at even , High chaunts , in which \ hi minstrel king fore told The peaceful glories of a sinless reign , "

was now lost to those who had abandoned the house of David ; and Jeroboam , the monarch , thinking he might compensate for

the loss , raise J temples at Bethel and at Dan ; one in the south , and the other in the north of his new kingdom . These , however , were not consecrated to the worship

Freemasonry & Israelitism.

of the true God , but to the worship of golden calves , representing , no doubt , the Egyptian Apis and Menvis , who were proclaimed to be the gods who had brought Israel up out of . the land of Egypt . A

melancholy event that , in the career of God ' s chosen people ; and the eighteen kings Avho reigned over thc kingdom of Israel , for the space of about 240 years , followed , for the most part , the example

set by Jeroboam . Ahab , under the influence of his Avife , Jezebel , multiplied the objects of idolatrous Avorship , by introducing the gods of the surrounding nations . A multitude of the priests and prophets of

Baal were brought 111 and maintained , and idoltary , in its grossest forms , took thc place of the pure worship of tlie true God , the priests and Levites being driven to take refuge in Judah . The kingdom

pursued , with few interruptions , its downward course of impiety and profligacy until it had filled up the cup of its iniquity . The pictures drawn of its religious , political , and social condition are truly appalling .

The time of the end had come . The kingdom was first made tributary to Assyria , and the principal inhabitants Avere transported to the river Kur , which mingles its waters with the Araxes , and empties itself

into the Caspian Sea . After the lapse of a few years , during Avhich thc sufferings of thc remaining people , occasioned by the siege of Samaria , appear to have been horrible in the extreme , Shalmanezcr carried away

the rest of thc tribes into Asshur—that is , Assyria—and to Halah , to the river Habor or Chcbar , and to Oozan , north-western

provinces of Assyria and Media . Thus " Ephraim , " or " The Kingdom of Israel , " was utterly extinguished , 253 years after the revolt , and 722 B . C .

The kingdom of Judah does not present so early nor so nearly uninterrupted a course of apostacy and idolatry , nor , therefore , so rapid a growth of vice and profligacy , as did its sister kingdom . In

accordance Avith thc Divine promise given to David , the sceptre never passed out of his family . Many of the kings were idolaters and rebels , but there were interposed those of better views , who denounced

and punished idolatry , re-established theocracy in the hearts of their subjects by renewing tlie services of thc temple , restored the knowledge and worship of Gotl , and reformed , though but partially , the

moral and social condition of the people Under most of the kings , however , all thc restraints which tlie law imposed were broken and set at naught . Altars were erected to thc gods of the heathen , the

temple was altered to thc Syrian model , and afterwards closed ; and neither kings nor people regarded cither Jehovah , the law , or thc prophets . After the reign of the good Hezekiah , AVIIO restored the worship of God ,

re-opened the temple , abolished idolatry , and provided for the instruction and moral improvement of his people , the kingdom hastened to ruin . In the reign of Manasseh , the son and successor of Hezekiah , which

extended over more than half a century , there Avas the greatest spread of idolatry and of all thc vices with accompany idolatry—the most cruel persecution of thc

faithful , and the most outrageous profanation of thc sanctuary—ever known . He seduced the people to do more evil than was to be found in thc nations whom the Lord

had destroyed before the children of Israel . There was a ray of light in the reign of Josiah ; the book of the law , which had probably been built into a wall of the temple , to conceal it fro ; n thedestruction threatened by Manasseh , wns found , and the temple

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and Avorship Avere purified but the darkness returned , and again overspread the land , under Jehoahaz , Josiah ' s son , Avhose reign Avas short and disastrous .. The country Avas subdued by Pharaoh-Necho ,

the great monach of Egypt , AVIIO carried away Jehoahaz , placing his elder brother , Eiiakim , Avhom he named Jehoiakim , on the throne . Jehoiakim , AVIIO Avas probably the worst king that ever reigned in Judah ,

held the throne but eleven years . Judah Avas then im'aded by Nebuchadnezzar , the king of Babylon , who , marching to Jerusalem , seized part of the furniture of the temple

as booty , and earned away many of the sons of the Hebrew nobility—amongst whom Avere Daniel and his three friendsas hostages , and Avho Avere employed in the service of his court .

Thus commenced the Babylonian captivity , Avhich , according to the prophecies of Jeremiah ( xxv . 1-14 ; xxix . 10 ) , Avas to last for seventy years . Jehoiakim was re-established on the throne by the Babylonian

prince ; but relying , probably , upon assistance from Egypt , he rebelled , after three years , against Babylon , and dying , Jehoiakim , his son , raised himself to the throne , but held it for only three months , Avhen he

surrendered to the Chaldeans , AVIIO had besieged Jerusalem . The money of the royal treasury and the golden utensils of the temple , procured by Solomon , Avere carried away to Babylon , and thc Avhole

court , with the nobles and men of wealth , and their wives , children , and servants , were led into captivity to the river Chcbar , only the lower class of people being left in the land . Zedekiah , a brother of Jehoiakim ,

Avho Avas placed on the throne as thc vassal of Babylon , after a reign of nine years , renounced his allegiance to his poAverful lord , and entered into an alliance Avith the king cf Egypt . That faithless power

however , deserted him in his extremity . The siege of Jerusalem Avas reneAved , tlie city Avas taken , and everything valuable in the temple being seized , the sacred edifice was set fire to , with the rest of thc city , thc fortifications of Avhich were thrown down .

The remaining inhabitants AVCIC caried away , and the leaders of the revolt put to death at Riblah , the rest being forced into exile , Gedaliah being appointed governor over those AVIIO remained . But the

treachery of Ishmael , a prince of the royal house , who , with his dependents , murdered Gedaliith with tlie Hebrews and Chaldeans attached to him , evoked thc vengeance of the conquerors , and thc land was entirely

b - rcaved of its inhabitants , and reduced to a state of desolation , as the prophets had foretold . Thus , about 3 S 7 years after the revolt of the ten tribes , and 134 years after

they h . 'id been carried away by the Assyrians , B . C . 588 , thc kingdom of Judah was visited with a similar punishment to that which had befallen her sister Israel .

It is not possible to read the history of Judah as it is written in the Hebrew annals . and especially as it is to be gathered from the prophetic writings , and not sec that the apostacy , profligacy , and enormous

wickedness which characterized thc great majority of both kings and people exposed them to the righteous punishment of their abandoned God . In this kingdom , as in that of Israel , a succession of bold , honest ,

and inspired prophets reproved , warned , and threatened alike kings and people , and ti return to thc service of the true God was always rewarded bv national restoration

and prosperity . But kings , nobles , priests , and people pursued their downward course , As described by Is : iiaii , "thc whole head became sick , and the whvlc heart