Table Of Contents.

TABLE OF CONTENTS .

PAGE . •ROYAL ARCH MASONRY 25 HISTORY OF TUB ORDER OF KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS 26 PAPERS ON MASONRYNo . XV . —Masonry in America ... ... ... 26 THE PALESTINE EXPLORATION FUND 27

WEST LANCASHIRE MASONIC RELIEF COMMITTEE ... 27 SUMMER BANQUET OF ALBION LODGE 27 PIC-NIC OF THE OLD GLOBE LODGE SCARBOROUGH 27 THE CRAFI—Provincial and Ireland 28 THE ROYAL ARCII—Provincial 28 MARK MASONRY—Provincial 28

PROV . GRAND LODGE OF WEST YORKSHIRE 28 SUMMER FESTIVAL OP MIE FIDELITY LODGE ... 2 ' J BIRTHS , MARRIAGES AND DEATHS 30 SIGNS OF THE TIMES 30 UNITED SOCIETY OF IRONMONGERS .. .. 30

NOTES BY A NOVICE—Sea-Bide Gossip 31 OBITUARYSir Knight Major Henry Francis Smith ... 31 Bro . William Jordan ... ... 31

CORRESPONDENCERoyal Arch Masonry 31 HEETING OF THE GRAND LODGE OF CORNWALL ... 32 ANNUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PROV . GRAND LODOE OF SUFFOLK 33 MASONIC MEETINGS FOR NEXT WEEK 34 SUPREME COUNCIL , NEW YORK 34 ADVERTISEMENTS ; 35 & 315

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NOW . READY , Cases to hold 4 copies of "The Freemason , " 1 / 0 . -Cases to hold 52 copies of *' The Freemason , " 2 / 6 . TVith THE FREEMASON emblematicall y depicted , and other Masonic emblems in gold . To be had at the Offices , 3 & 4 , mile Britain .

Royal Arch Masonry.

ROYAL ARCH MASONRY .

By TIIK SON OF SALATUIBI .. ( Continued . " ) [ The ri ghts of translation and reproduction reserved . " ] With the explication of the HEBREW SEPIII - JiOTir , aa given in Hasnage ' s " History of the

Jews , " we shall close our remarks on the symbolism of the Royal Arch degree , which we conceive it tends to illustrate : The Sephiroth make the moat secret part of the Jewish Cabbala , and the knowledge of them is not to be

purchased without a deal of pains and application . Herein consists the perfection of the contemplative divinity , which charms and ravishes those who are

initiated in it" («) . Wo may , therefore , not improperl y term ( hem Hebrew Mysteries . The plural term Scpldrolk , may be understood in a twofold acceptation : in its proper and primary sense it

sig-(«) Hnsn . ige ' s HiPt , . lad ., 11 . ]! I 6 .

Royal Arch Masonry.

nines Enumerations ; but by the Cabbahsts it is more generally used in the sense of Splendours , from a Hebrew root , signifying to shine with the purity and brightness of the sapphire stone ( as the word is rendered in Exodus , chap , xxiv ., v . 10 ) . Understood

in this latter sense , the expression is eminently illustrative of the meaning of the Cabbalists , since the Sephiroth are represented as issuing from the supreme En Saph , or infinite source , in the same manner as liq / U issues from the San .

The whole number of the Sephiroth is ten , and they are represented in the writings of the Cabbalistic doctors by various symbols ; sometimes by the figure of a tree with extended brandies and at other times , by ten different circles , included one within the

other , and gradually lessening to the centre . The first Sephirah , who is denominated Kether ( the Crown ) , Kadinon ( the pure light ) , and En Saph ( the infinite ) , is the Omnipotent Father of the Universe , according to that spirited exclamation in Isaiah ,

xxvin ., 5 , " In that day shall the Lord of Hosts be for a crown of glory , and for a diadem of beauty unto the residue of his people . " The sword is the Coehma ( or Wisdom ) which is referred to in the Book of Wisdom , vii ., 26 . Wisdom ( Coehma ) is the

brightness of the everlasting light , the unspotted mirror of the power of God , and the image of his goodness ( b ) . The third is the Binah , or the Heavenly intelligence ; whence the Egyptians had their Cncph , and Plato his Agathos . He is the Holy Spirit who inspired the

Prophets , and who pervades , animates , and . governs the boundless Universe . Rabbi Hagahon allirmed that there were three lights in God ( c ) , the highest number which possess One Throne , in which sits the Hidy , Hol y , Hol y , Lord God oj Siihtinth .

It is of these that Itabbi Akiba himself , as cited in the same Jephir Jctziah IGOO years ago , said , — " Unus est Spiritus Deorum viventimn , vox , et vcrbum ; ct hie est spiritus sanctitatis . ( d ) There is one Spirit of the living Gods—the Voice ,

the Spirit , and the Word , —and this is the Holy Spirit . It is of those that . Rabbi Hagahon uses terms nearly similar , — "Unus est S piritus Deorum vivetitiiini , vox , spiritus , et vurbtini , iiuas imiini sunt . "

( 0 ) A similar passage occurs in Hebrews , chap . i „ v . 3 , "Wlm being the brightness of his glory and tin . v . e / iress imttgc of his person . ( c ) As in Kgypt , the Triangle was in succeeding ages considered as a just svmliol of the " Xu . iuen Triiilcx , " so it

is remarkable that , in the venerable Hook of Zohnr , ( be three Hrmiclies of the Hebrew letter , I ' schin ) , are asserted to be a proper emblem of the Thne . I ' ei sons that compose ( he Divine . I ' MCHCC . Tiiev somelimes call these three

Sephirutk ( spirits ) , at other limes the three Avrn . aas (" Poteen , " ) , anil at other times ( be Thne Lights . ( d ) Jctziah cum n * Us liittango ) , cap . i ., see , ! l , —l . 'iiei ] liv Maurice .

Royal Arch Masonry.

There is one Spirit of the living Gods , the Voice , the Spirit , and the Word , which are One . And , finally , it is of these that the great Rambam , ( that is , Maimonides ) , the most illustrious of Hebrew Rabbis , bears this solemn testimony , — " Corona

sunima , primordialis est Sp iritus Deorum viventium , et sapientia ejus est spiritus de spiritu , et intelligentise aquai ex spiritu . Et tametsi res horurn mysteriorum distinguantur in sapientia , intelligencia , et scieutia , nulla tamen inter eas distinctio quoad essentiam est ,

quia finis ejus aunexus est , principio ejus , ct principium fini ejus , et medium compreheuditur ab eis'' («) . The principal Sephirah , the Crown , is the primordial Spirit of the living God ; and wisdom , the second Sephirah , is from spirit to spirit , and understanding ;

the third Sephirah , is of water by the spirit ; and although the things of these mysteries are distinguished by knowledge , wisdom , and science , yet strictly speaking , there is no distinction between them , forasmuch as it is Essence , because the end is

joined to the beginning , and the beginning to the end , and the middle is comprehended by them all . Thus we see that the ancient Jewish rabbis conceived the three first Sephiroth or splendours to shine with a degree of lustre peculiar and intrinsic , that

they were beings eternal and intellectual , while the remaining Sephiroth were nothing more than the perfections and attributes of the Deity . The names of these Sephiroth are : Gedulah , strength or severity .

Gebutah , mercy or magnificence . Tipheroth , beauty . 1 Nersah , victory or eternity . Hod , glory . Jesnd , the foundation . Malciit / i , or the kingdom .

This is the order in which they arc arranged in the circular table of M . Basnage . The circle being the most perfect of figures , denotes the perfection of

Deity and its attributes . That Deity , infinite in his nature , and otherwise incomprehensible to man , has chosen to manifest himself b y his attributes , as the soul manifests herself by acts of wisdom and virtue .

As the virtue latent in the coal is displayed by the flame which it diffuses , so is the glory of the Deity revealed bv the emanations which proceed from him .

To illustrate their sentiments the Jews have imagined certain conduits or canals through which the influence of the splendours are communicated and glide into each other .

( c ) Itnmliam apud Kirchcr , torn . 2 , p . 293 . Cited by Maurice To be continued .

A OKNKKAL meeting of the Freemasons of France was held on Friday last . A majority of the bureaux had adopted a resolution to hold an extraordinary meeting in Par ' s on the 8 lh of December , as a reply of the ( Ecumenical Council ; but the Grand Master , General . Mellinct , did not allow the assembly to discuss the resolution , and he ahrtiptlv clo ? cd the Hitting .