Kabbalism, Secret Societies , And Masonry.

the novice , the more resolute was the refusal of the master to afford the least solution of these difficulties , until he had taken the most unrestricted oath ; on this he was admitted to the second degree . This inculcated the recognition of Divinely appointed Imauns , who ivere the source of all knowledge . As soon as the faith in them was well establishedthe third degree

, taught their number , whicli could not exceed the holy seven , for as God had created seven heavens , seven earths , seven seas , seven planets , seven colours , seven musical sounds , and seven metals , so had he appointed seven of the most excellent of his creatures as revealed Imauns ; these were Ali , Hassan , Hosein , Ali

Zeyn-il-Aabideen , Mohammed-ul-Bahir , Djaafar-is-Sadik , and Ismaeel his son , ai the seventh and last . The fourth grade was , that since the beginning of the world there had been seven Divine lawgivers , or speaking apostles of God , of whom each had always by the command of Heaven , altered the doctrine of his predecessor ; that each of these had seven coadjutors , who succeeded each other in the epoch from one speaking lawgiver to another , but who , as they did

not appear manifestly , were called the mutes ; Samit , the first of these mutes , was named Sas , Asas , or Eoundation —• ' the seat , as it were , of the ministers of the speaking prophet , ' Natik . ' These seven speaking prophets , with their seven , ' A sas , 'were Adam , Noah , Abraham , Moses , Jesus , Mohammed , Ismaeel

the son of Djaafar , who , as the last , was called Sahibez-Zeman , the Lord of the Time , and Kaim-iz-Zeman , or Chief of the Age . ' Their seven assistants were Seth , Shem , eshmael son of Abraham , Aaron , and afterwards Joshua , Simeon or Simon Peter , Ali , and Mohammedson of Ismaeel . It is evident from this

, dexterous arrangement , whicli gave the Ismaeleeh the name of Seveners , that as they named only the first of the mute Divine envoys in each prophetic period , and since Mohammed , the son of Ismaeel , had been dead only one hundred years , the teachers were at full liberty to present to those whose progress stopped

at this degree whomsoever they pleased as one of the mute prophets of the current age . The fifth degree must necessarily render the credibility of the doctrine more manifest to the minds of the hearers . Eor this

reason it taught ; that each of the seven mute pro ] ihets had twelve apostles for the extension of the true faith ; for the number twelve was the most excellent after seven : hence the twelve signs of the . Zodiac , the twelve months , the twelve tribes of Israel , the twelve bones of the fingers of each hand , the thumb excepted , ancl so on . After these five degrees the

precepts of Islamism were examined ; and in the sixth it was shown that all positive legislation must be subordinate to the general ancl philosophical . The dogmas of Plato , 4-ristotle , Pythagoras , were adduced as proofs , ancl were laid down as axioms . This degree was very tedious , and only when the acolyte was full y

penetrated with the wisdom of the philosophers , was admission granted him to the seventh , when he passed from philosophy to mysticism . This was the Oriental mystic theology , ancl the doctrine of unity , whicli the Soopees have exhibited in their works . In the eighth the positive precepts of religion were again brought

forward , to tall to dust by all that preceded ; then was the pupil fully enlightened as to the superfluity of all apostles ancl prophets , the non-existence of heaven and hell , the indifference of all actions , for which there is neither reward nor punishment , either

Kabbalism, Secret Societies , And Masonry.

in this world or in the next ; and thus he was matured for the ninth and last degree , to become the blind instrument of all the passions of unbridled thirst of power . To believe nothing , and to dare all , formed , in two words , the sum of the system , which annihilated every principle of religion ancl moralityand

, had no other object than to execute ambitious designs with suitable ministers , who , daring all , and honouring nothing , since they considered everything a cheat , and nothing forbidden , are the best tools of an infernal policy . " —Von Hammer , Assassins , p . 3-1 .

We need not describe the degrees of other of the secret sects , they resemble more or less the Ismaeleeh , described by Von Hammer , as given above : the Assassins , so well known in the history of the Crusades , were a branch of the Ismaeleeh ; from what we read of their acts we can quite understand how thoroughly

efficacious must have been their training , and how completely they carried out their principles . Mohammedanism being so far corrupted , we shall not be surprised to find another element introduced , evidently borrowed from the heathen mysteries of Syria . ; for , as Mr . Lyde shows , many of the Lebanon mountaineers are descended from the old inhabitants

of Canaan , who had never been Christianized up to the time of the Mohammedan conquest ; and who , therefore would be very likely to retain some of their old heathen rites , and to mix them up with the new religion ; ancl though in some way they mig ht profess the dominant Mohammedan religion , yet were

veryfar from being true followers of the prophet of Mecca ; they seem rather to have engrafted as much of Mohammedanism on their old religion as suited their fancy , while retaining the essential characteristics of the latter . * The prevailing religion of tlie Syrian aud Canaanitish nations wasin some form or otherthe

, , other , the worship of nature ; their mysteries were probably all Phallic -. bearing this in mind we shall not be surprised to learn , as we do from Bnrckhardfc , that the Ismaeleeh , even to this day , adore Phallic emblems ; ancl from the American missionaries that such signs are openly used about their houses ; and

from Mr . Walpole—who gives an Ismaeleeh prayer as proof—that such worship is practised . It was against this worship that the Hebrew religion ancl ordinanceswere a standing protest ; and probably that their distinguishing rite was specially directed : f it is easy , , from this point of view , to understand tbe proneness

of the people to idolatry , when the idolatrous rites were of this sort . Their ever recurring apostasy did not- arise from any doubt ancl disbelief in the power ancl supremacy of Jehovah , but from a feeling of restraint which His service required , and from a longing for such a religion and such a worship as the

heathenpresented—a religion and a worship entirely congenial to the feelings and propensities of a gross and sensuous people such as Israel was in its earlier and middle history .