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Article THE HISTORICAL DEGREES; ← Page 3 of 15 →
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The Historical Degrees;
supposed that you have here laboured in vain , and spent your strength for nought ; for your work is with the Lord , and your recompense with your Grod . Finally , hrethren , farewell : be ye all of one itiind ; live in peace ; and may the God of love and peace delight to dwell with and to bless you . "
From our description of the several degrees , our readers will discover that in some the canon of Scripture is the authority , in others , the apocrypha ! books ; hence , if no other advantage is derived from a knowledge of the rite , at least it opens a vast field of inquiry to the diligent Mason . The Brother who is admitted to the Ancient and Accepted Rite derives , in foreign Lodges , great benefit from its ac-Quisition . Without the Rose Croix , a Mason is held in but little
esteem on the Continent . We must remark , that there are two systems adopted in Eranc & , the one being identical with that practised in Eiigland , the other is more usually designated " the Erench Rite . " This latter consists of seven degrees , three symbolic and four higher : viz ., the three first , Graft ; the fourth , the " Elect ;" the fifth , the " Scotch Master ; " the sixth , the" Knight of the
East ; and the seventh , the Rose Croix . This rite is also practised in Brazil . It was founded in 1786 , by the Grrand Orient of Erancej which has since changed its character and mode of proceeding . With this introduction we shall now proceed to give some account of each degree , commencing with the fourth degree of the Rite , which is the first conferred by the Council , and is called—•
Secret Master , In it is explained the mystic signification of those things which are contained in the sanctum sanctorum of the Tabernacle and the Temple ; viz ., the altar of incense , the golden candlestick , and the table of shew bread ; and also , within the second veil , the ark of the testimony and its lid and cover , called " the mercy seat . " "For the forms of these holy things we have , besides the lucid description in the twenty-fifth chapter of Exodus , the authority
of a bas-relief on the Arch of Titus at Rome , which was doubtless copied from the originals taken to that city by the triumphant army of the conqueror , after the destruction of Jerusalem : and although the ornaments which adorned the Temple of Solomon became a prey to the Chaldeans—if iusy were not , as is highly probable , all restored by Cyrus on the return of the Jews to their native land , it is certain
that those used in the service of the second Temple were of a like pattern . The Master in this degree , as in the symbolic , represents Solomon , who now comes to the Temple to elect seven experts , or skilful practised Masons , to replace the loss of an illustrious character . The Master is styled Most Powerful ; there is one warden ,
who represents Adoniram , the overseer of tho workmen on Mount Lebanon , and who was the first Secret Master . Tho Lodge is clothed in black , and illuminated by eighty-one lights . The badge is white , with a black edging , having a blue flap , on which an all-seeing Eye is placed . The jewel of tho degree is an ivory key , * Bee p , 434 of our last year ' s volume , 4 \ b 2
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Historical Degrees;
supposed that you have here laboured in vain , and spent your strength for nought ; for your work is with the Lord , and your recompense with your Grod . Finally , hrethren , farewell : be ye all of one itiind ; live in peace ; and may the God of love and peace delight to dwell with and to bless you . "
From our description of the several degrees , our readers will discover that in some the canon of Scripture is the authority , in others , the apocrypha ! books ; hence , if no other advantage is derived from a knowledge of the rite , at least it opens a vast field of inquiry to the diligent Mason . The Brother who is admitted to the Ancient and Accepted Rite derives , in foreign Lodges , great benefit from its ac-Quisition . Without the Rose Croix , a Mason is held in but little
esteem on the Continent . We must remark , that there are two systems adopted in Eranc & , the one being identical with that practised in Eiigland , the other is more usually designated " the Erench Rite . " This latter consists of seven degrees , three symbolic and four higher : viz ., the three first , Graft ; the fourth , the " Elect ;" the fifth , the " Scotch Master ; " the sixth , the" Knight of the
East ; and the seventh , the Rose Croix . This rite is also practised in Brazil . It was founded in 1786 , by the Grrand Orient of Erancej which has since changed its character and mode of proceeding . With this introduction we shall now proceed to give some account of each degree , commencing with the fourth degree of the Rite , which is the first conferred by the Council , and is called—•
Secret Master , In it is explained the mystic signification of those things which are contained in the sanctum sanctorum of the Tabernacle and the Temple ; viz ., the altar of incense , the golden candlestick , and the table of shew bread ; and also , within the second veil , the ark of the testimony and its lid and cover , called " the mercy seat . " "For the forms of these holy things we have , besides the lucid description in the twenty-fifth chapter of Exodus , the authority
of a bas-relief on the Arch of Titus at Rome , which was doubtless copied from the originals taken to that city by the triumphant army of the conqueror , after the destruction of Jerusalem : and although the ornaments which adorned the Temple of Solomon became a prey to the Chaldeans—if iusy were not , as is highly probable , all restored by Cyrus on the return of the Jews to their native land , it is certain
that those used in the service of the second Temple were of a like pattern . The Master in this degree , as in the symbolic , represents Solomon , who now comes to the Temple to elect seven experts , or skilful practised Masons , to replace the loss of an illustrious character . The Master is styled Most Powerful ; there is one warden ,
who represents Adoniram , the overseer of tho workmen on Mount Lebanon , and who was the first Secret Master . Tho Lodge is clothed in black , and illuminated by eighty-one lights . The badge is white , with a black edging , having a blue flap , on which an all-seeing Eye is placed . The jewel of tho degree is an ivory key , * Bee p , 434 of our last year ' s volume , 4 \ b 2