skirts of the priestly garment.
The fifteen Psalms, from the 120th to the 134th, inclusive, of which this, of course, is one, are called by the Hebrews, "songs of degrees," because they were sung on the fifteen steps ascending from the court of Israel to the court of the women in the Temple.
The best commentators think that the 133d Psalm is intended to represent the exultation of the Priests and Levites returned from the captivity at Babylon, and again united in the service of God in the sanctuary. How appropriate, then, is its adoption in this degree to commemorate the approaching release of a neophyte from the darkness in which he had been long wandering, and his admission into a society whose dwelling-place intended as a representation of that glorious Temple at whose portals the very hymn of rejoicing was formerly sung. The candidate will not, of course, at the time, understand the allusion, but there is a striking analogy between the liberated Jew going up from the thralldom of Babylon to join once more with his brethren in the true worship on "the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite," and the candidate for Masonry, coming out of the blindness and darkness of the profane world, to search for light and truth within the sacred precincts of the Lodge.
THE THREE GATES OF THE TEMPLE.
Dr. Dalcho, in his "Orations," has found great fault with the York rite of Masonry, because it has in its ceremonies perpetrated the error of furnishing the Temple of Solomon with three gates—one at the south, one at the west, and one at the east—while in truth there was but one gate to the Temple, and that was in the porch at the east end. But the real error lies with Dr. Dalcho, who has mistaken a symbolic allusion for a historical statement. It is not pretended, that because Masonry has adopted the Temple of Jerusalem as the groundwork or elementary form of all its symbols, a Lodge is therefore ever expected, except in a symbolic sense, to be a representative of the Temple. On the contrary, the very situation of a Lodge is the exact reverse of that of the Temple. The entrance of the former is at the west, that of the latter was at the east. The most holy place in a Lodge is its eastern end, that of the Temple was its western extremity.
The fact is, that in Masonry, all allusions to the Temple of Solomon are simply symbolic, and while the great symbol of a material temple, prefiguring a spiritual one, is preserved, no care was ever been taken to obtain correctness of architectural details, or even of strictly historical facts.
The circumambulation and the three supposed gates, referred to and explained in this section of the lecture, are symbolical of the progress of every man in his journey in search of Truth, the great object of all Masonic labor, and of the embarrassments and obstructions that he must meet with in that search. Hence our French brethren call this circumambulation a voyage, and each voyage is typical of some danger or trial of human life.
THE OBLIGATION OF SECRECY.
The duty of an Entered Apprentice is embraced by the virtues of silence and secrecy. Speaking of the origin of those duties among Masons in the primitive period of their origin, Brother Nicolson2 says: "As idolatry prevailed upon the earth (immediately after the Deluge), it became necessary for those who held to the worship of the true God to form themselves into a distinct order—not only those who were of the children of Israel, but also others, who retained the traditions of Israel's God, though of Gentile blood. The time arrived when openly to worship the true God was attended with danger; and then it was that our brethren had special recourse to hieroglyphics and symbols to preserve secrecy, lest they should be exposed to the arm of persecution. But as, indeed, the arcana or recondite points of religion were always in possession of the priests alone, among the different idolatrous peoples; and as peculiar forms of initiation were practiced by them, attended with the greatest secrecy (not to say with positive danger to the candidates), the same practice was resorted to by the votaries of the true God, at least so far as secrecy was concerned—secrecy from that time forth ranking as a virtue among Masons, and justly so. Again, to preserve the privileges of the Order, strict secrecy was observed, lest those privileges should become abused. Among the ancients, secrecy stood high as a mark of wisdom.
Calcott, also, on this subject says: "If we turn our eyes back to antiquity, we shall find that the old Egyptians had so great a regard for silence and secrecy in the mysteries of their religion, that they set up the god Harpocrates, to whom they paid particular honor and veneration, who was represented with his right hand placed near the heart, and the left down by his side, covered with a skin, before full of eyes and ears, to signify that, of many things to be seen and heard, few are to be published."
THE UNWRITTEN LANDMARKS.
The instructions which constitute the hidden or esoteric knowledge in Freemasonry are forbidden to be written, and can only be communicated by oral intercourse of one Mason with another. This is another instance of the great antiquity of the usages of Freemasonry, which is presenting such collateral evidences of its venerable age.
In all the ancient mysteries, the same reluctance to commit the esoteric instructions of the hierophants to writing is apparent and hence the secret knowledge taught in their initiations was preserved in symbols, the true meaning of which was closely concealed from the profane.
The Druids had a similar regulation; and Cæsar informs us that it was not considered lawful to intrust their sacred verses to writing; but these were always committed to memory by their disciples.
The same custom prevailed among the Jews with respect to the Oral Law, which was never intrusted to books; but, being preserved in the memories of the priests and wise men, was handed down, from one to the other, through a long succession of ages.
Maimonides has described, according to the Rabbinical traditions, the mode adopted by Moses to impress the principles of this Oral Law.
The secret doctrine of the Cabala, or the mystical philosophy of the Hebrews, was, also, communicated in an oral form, and, says Maurice, "transmitted, verbally, down to all the great characters celebrated in Jewish antiquity—among whom both David and Solomon were deeply conversant in its most hidden mysteries. Nobody, however, had ventured to commit anything of this kind to paper."
The Christian Church, in the age immediately succeeding the Apostolic, observed the same custom of oral instruction. The early Fathers were eminently cautious not to commit certain of the mysterious dogmas of their religion to writing, lest the surrounding pagans should be made acquainted with what they could neither understand nor appreciate. St. Basil, treating of this subject, in the fourth century, says: "We receive the dogmas transmitted to us by writing and those which have descended to us from the Apostles, beneath the mystery of oral tradition; for several things have been handed to us without writing, lest the vulgar, too familiar with our dogmas, should lose a due respect for them."
A custom so ancient as this, of keeping the landmarks unwritten, and one so invariably observed by the Masonic fraternity, we may very naturally presume, must have been originally established with the wisest intentions; and as the usage was adopted by many other institutions, whose organization was similar to that of Freemasonry, we may also suppose that it was connected with the character of an esoteric instruction.
Tho following passage of Scripture is here used:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be Light: and there was Light.
THE SHOCK OF ENLIGHTENMENT.
The material light which sprung forth at the fiat of the Grand Architect, when darkness
