Freemasoney And Its Institutes.—Iv.

by tho false gods whom it upheld : all the ancient nations attributed their prosperity—as well national as individual , their success or failure in war or commerce , and oven the blessings of nature—the rains of heaven ancl the fertility of the earth—to the influence of their false gods . The mysteries owed their ori gin to the desire , on the part of the

priests , of establishing an esoteric philosophy , in which should be taught the sublime truths which they had derived ( though they themselves had forgotten the source ) from God himself through the patriarchs ; for , says Epiphanius , "Ah Adam usque ad Noa et liberos ejus hiaresis omnis et iclolatria ignota fuit . Nondum erat alia opinio , non gens ulla religione

varians , non nomen hiaresis , neque simulacrorum cultus . " Only by a confinement of this knowledge to a secret system , guarded by the most rigid rites , could they hope to preserve them from the innovations and superstitious corruptions of the then world . " " The distinguished few , " says Dr . Oliver [ Hist . Init . ) , " who retained their fidelity uncontaminated hy the contagion of evil example , would soon be able to estimate

the superior benefits of an isolated institution which afforded the advantage of a select society , and kept at an unapproachable distance the profane scoffer whose presence might pollute their pure devotions and social converse by contumacious language or unholy mirth . " Doubtless , therefore , the desire to preserve these grand truths ancl to prevent

intrusion , originated the ceremony of initiation , by ivhich means the esoteric were known to each other , ancl the uninitiated excluded . The purity of the Jewish religion corresponded with the grandeur of its ori gin ; the heathen divinities were slaves to the same passions as their votaries , but the Jehovah , whose

worship was proposed to the Hebrews , is invariably represented as a being not less holy than powerful , the perpetual enemy of vice and the constant friend of virtue . The antediluvians had the promise of a future deliverer ; the Star of Promise was mercifully placed in . the heavens which sin had obscured , a brilliant point amidst surrounding gloom , shining in celestial radiance and animating the souls of the faithful and believing of the human race ..

In the Book of Job we find the patriarchal religion delineated ; it makes us cognizant of the faith and practice of the pious , from the deluge to the giving of the law ' on Mount Sinai . The doctrines of creation and providence , of depravity , sacrifice , the necessity of holiness and obedience , of rewards and punishments , of a 'Redeemer , and of the resurrection ,

were the great objects ofthe patriarchal reli gion , from Adam to Moses . Judaism existed from Moses to Christ , ancl was substantially the same as patriarchism as to its doctrines , principles , ancl moral precepts , bufc it added to it a system of rites and ordinances . "Patriarchism , " says Jones ( Chron . Bib . ) , " was the gospel iu the form of a promise and of a few

rites ; so was Judaism the gospel in the form of the same promise ancl of multifarious types and shadows , all of which presignified in some respect or other the seed of the woman , the promised "Redeemer in his person ., work and offices ; and if its sublime doctrines were not much more full y developed by express words , nevertheless they were exhibited for the

investigation of the serious and reflecting mind , in a system of the most expressive symbols . " At a period when the world abounded in idolatry , the Mosaic law was promulgated , teaching the great principles of reli gion , the self existence , perfections , unity , ancl providence of J ehovah ; reprobating all false gods , all idolatry , ancl all

the absurdities and profanations of polytheism . "The Jewish laiv taught , " says Dr . Graves , " the great principles of moral dut y in the Decalogue ; it enjoined love to God and man ; impressed the deepest conviction that God required not merel y external observances but heartfelt piety , well regulated desires , and active benevolence ; it taught that sacrifice would not pardon without repentance , nor repentance without reformation ancl restitution ; it described circumcision , and therefore , every legal rite as designed to typify and inculcate

internal holiness ; ifc represented the love oi G-oct as the practical princip le stimulating to the cultivation of purity , mercy , and truth , and ifc enforced all by sanctions most likely to act ; on the minds of such people as the Israelites were . " Indeed let any one read tho Book of Deuteronomy , ancl he will see that the Pentateuch teaches men piety towards God , justice and humanittowards menaud purity as to themselves .

y , The resemblance betiveen the true relig ion of the Jews and the false religion of the heathens is excessive ; but the false priests ofthe latter , from being moreimperfectly instructed , and as from lapse of time innovations ancl abuses crept in , so they began to Avorship the creature for the Creator ancl to adore the one true God under various forms derived from his

attributes . The pure spirit of both was the same—fco teach a system of sound morality , which was veiled in . allegory and illustrated by symbols . The east has always been considered peculiarly sacred ; iu the Egyptian rites , and those of Adonis , the sun was the object of adoration ; the spot , therefore , whence his first rays were perceived , was esteemed as his

birthplace , and duly honoured . The east in the morning draws all eyes thitherward , and tho twilig ht of the evening presents shadows that soon obscure the face of things ; but ; the gradually receding gloom , as tho first beams of morn appear , has the poetical effect of hope ancl anticipation ; tho heart sympathises with the gaiety of nature , and the fears ancl phantoms which made the night dismal , flee like the shadows that every brightening object seems to pursue . .

The emblems of mosfc of the ancient ; temples of which the ruins remain , point to sun worship , ancl are emblems of time , of planetary bodies , their motions and relations . The Jews also had a reverence for the east . Moses placed the camp of Judah in the east as a mark of distinction ; the Tabernacle in the Wilderness was placed due east ancl west ,

and King Solomon ' s temple was built in like manner ; this practice has been continued in the erection of sacred edifices to the present day ; our churches are built east and west , and the steeples are conical , or emblems of flame ; and again the bishop ' s mitres aro emblematical of flame , "the cloven tongues of fire" which on tho day of Pentecost descended

upon the apostles ( Acts ii . 2 , 3 ) , Hence , too , the primitive Christians ahvays turned to east at public prayer , " Because , " says Sfc . Augustine ( eleSerm . Bom . in Monte , a . 5 ) , "the east is tho most honourable part of the world , being the region of light , whence tho glorious sun arises . " Another reason for venerating tho east isthat originally all nations sprung from

, the east , and all wisdom and learning emanated thence . In the rubric , for the order of morning and evening" prayer , we find that among other " ornaments of the church , " were two lights enjoined by the injunctions of King Edward the

Sixth , to be set upon the altar as a significant ceremony to represent the light which Christ's gospel brought into the world : and those lights used- time out of mind in the church are still continued in most cathedral and collegiate churches ancl chapels . These lights were set up there unlighted by day , in memory that once , in time of

persecution , Christians were forced to use them lighted by night ( Vossius . ) We will now briefly turn , our attention to the superstitions of the " hardy sons of the north ; " g loomy and cheerless countries will generally give a corresponding hue to tho character and religion of their inhabitants ; thus , that of the

Scythians , Cinibri , and Germain ' , was more fierce and savage than that of the natives of the east . Whilst the bright sunny eastern clime tended to wrap the minds of the inhabitants in a delicious dreamy reverie , the rough scenery and stormy frigid seasons of the north contributed to give a harsh and gloomy cast to their mindsancl the influence of

, religion was used to impel the people to rapine and carnage . Druidism is the term usually employed to designate the primitive religion and learning of Gallia Antiqua , which then embraced the countries now called Franco , Lombardy , the Netherlands , Germany , and the Alpine regions , and also