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the household of the faithful." Finally, Brethren, be ye all of one mind, live in peace, and may the God of love and peace, delight to dwell with and bless you.'

In some Lodges, after the charge is delivered, the Master says, Brethren, form on the square.' When all the Brethren form a circle, and the Master followed by every Brother (except in using the words) says, And God said, let there be light, and there was light. At the same moment that the last of these words drop from the Master's lips, every member stamps with his right foot on the floor, and at the same instant bring their hands together with equal force, and in such perfect unison with each other, that persons situated so as to hear it, would suppose it the precursor of some dreadful catastrophe. This is called the shock.'

Having described all the ceremonies and forms appertaining to the opening of a Lodge of Entered Apprentice Masons; setting them to work; initiating a candidate, and closing the Lodge, I will now proceed to give the Lecture on this degree. It is divided into three sections. The lecture is nothing more or less than a recapitulation of the preceding ceremonies and forms by way of question and answer, and fully explains the same. In fact, the ceremonies and forms (generally masonically called the work) and lectures are so much the same that he who possesses a knowledge of the lectures cannot be destitute of a knowledge of what the ceremonies and forms are. As the ceremonies used in opening and closing are the same in all the degrees it is thought best to give the whole one insertion; it being the sincere wish of the writer, that every reader should perfectly understand all the formulas of the whole masonic fabric, as he then will thereby be able to form correct opinions of the propriety or impropriety advantages or disadvantages of the same.

First Section of the Lecture on the First Degree of Masonry.

Q. From whence come you as an Entered Apprentice Mason? A. From the holy Lodge of St. John, at Jerusalem.

Q. What recommendations do you bring?

A. Recommendations from the Worshipful Master, Wardens and Brethren of that Right Worshipful Lodge, whom greet you. Q. What comest thou hither to do?

A. To learn to subdue my passions, and improve myself in the secret arts and mysteries of ancient Free Masonry.

Q. You are a Mason, then, I presume

A. I am.

Q. How shall I know you to be a Mason?

A. By certain signs and a token.

Q. What are signs?

A. All right an les horizontals, and perpendiculars.

Q. What is a token?

A. A certain friendly and brotherly grip, whereby one Mason may knew at other in the dark as well as in the light.

Q. Where was you first proposed to be made a Mason?

A. In my heart.

Q. Where secondly?

A. In a room adjacent to the body of a just and lawfully constituted lodge of such.

Q. How was you prepared?

A. By being divested of all metals, neither naked nor clothed, barefoot nor shod, hoodwinked, with a Cable-Tow* about my neck, in which situation I was conducted to the door of the Lodge. Q. You bring hood-winked how did you know it to be a door? A. By first meeting with resistance and afterwards gaining admission.

Q. How did you gain admission ?

A. By three distinct knocks from without, answered by the same from within?

Q. What was said to you from within?

A. Who comes there, who comes there, who comes there.

Q. Your answer?

A. A poor blind candidate who has long been desirous of hay

* Three miles long.

ing and receiving a part of the rights and benefit! of this Worshipful Lodge, dedicated to God, and held forth to the holy order of St. John, as all true fellows and brothers have done, who have gone this way before me.

Q. What further was said to you from within >

A. I was asked if it was of my own free will and accord I made this request, if I was duly and truly proposed, worthy and well qualified, all of which being answered in the affirmative, I was asked by what further rights I expected to obtain so great a favour or benefit.

Q. Your answer?

A. By being a man, free born, of lawful age and well recommended.

Q. What was then said to you?

A. I was bid to wait 'till the Worshipful Master in the East was made acquainted with my request and his answer returned. Q. After his answer returned what followed?

1

A. I was caused to enter the Lodge.

Q. How?

A. On the point of some sharp instrument pressing my naked left breast in the name of the Lord.

Q. How was you then disposed of?

A. 1 was conducted to the center of the Lodge and there caus. ed to kneel for the benefit of a prayer. (See page 19.)

Q. After prayer what was said to you?

A. I was asked in whom I put my trust.

Q. Your answer,

A. In God.

Q. What followed?

A. The Worshipful Master took me by the right hand and said, since in God you trust, arise follow your leader and fear no danger.

Q. How was you then disposed of?

A. I was conducted three times regularly round the Lodge and halted at the Junior Warden in the South, where the same ques. tions were asked and answers returned as at the door.

Q. How did the Junior Warden dispose of you?

A. He ordered me to be conducted to the Senior Warden in the West, where the same questions were asked and answers returned as before.

Q. How did the Senior Warden dispose of you?

A. He ordered me to be conducted to the Worshipful Master in the East, where the same questions were asked and answers returned as before, who likewise demanded of me from whence I came and whither I was travelling.

Q. Your answer?

A. From the West and travelling to the East.

Q. Why do you leave the West and travel to the East?

A. In search of light.

Q. How did the Worshipful Master then dispose of you?

A. He ordered me to be conducted back to the West from whence 1 came, and put in care of the Senior Warden, who taught me how to approach the East, the place of light, qy advancing . upon one upright regular step to the first step, my feet forming the right angle of an oblong square, my body erect at the altar before the Worshipful Master.

Q. What did the Worshipful Master do with you?

A. He made an Entered Apprentice Mason of me.

Q. How ?

A. In due form.

Q. What was that due form?

A. My left knee bare bent, my right forming a square; my left hand supporting the Holy Bible, Square and Compass, and my right covering the same; in which position I took upon me the solemn oath or obligation of an Entered Apprentice Mason. [See page 21]

Q. After you had taken your obligation what was said to you? A. I was asked what I most desired.

Q. Your answer?

A. Light.

Q. Was you immediately brought to light?
A. I was.

Q. How?

A. By the direction of the Master and assistance of the brethren Q. What did you first discover after being brought to light? A. Three great Lights, in Masonry, by the assistance of three lesser.

Q. What were those three great Lights in Masonry?

A. The Holy Bible, Square, and Compass.

Q. How are they explained?

A. The Holy Bible is given to us as a guide for our faith and practice; the Square to square our actions; and the Compass to keep us in due bounds with all mankind, but more especially with the brethren.

Q. What were those three lesser lights?

A. Three burning tapers, or candles on candle-sticks.

Q. What do they represent?

A. The Sun, Moon, and Master of the Lodge.

Q. How are they explained?

A. As the Sun rules the day and the Moon governs {he night, so ought the Worshipful Master to use his endeavours to rule and govern his Lodge with equal regularity, or cause the same to be done.

Q. What did you next discover?

A. The Worshipful Master approaching me from the East, un

der the sign and due-guard of an Entered Apprentice Mason, who presented me with his right hand in token of brotherly love and es teem, and proceeded to give me the grip and word of an Entered Apprentice Mason, and bid me rise and salute the Junior and Senior Wardens and convince them that I had been ragularly initiated as an Entered Apprentice Mason, and was in possession of the sign, grip and word.

Q. What did you next discover?

A. The Worshipful Master a second time approaching me from the East, who presented me with a Iamb skin or white apron, which he said was an emblem of innocence, and the badge if a Mason; that it had been worn by kings, princes and potentates of the earth who had never been ashamed to wear it; that it was more honorable than the diadems of kings, or pearls of princesses when worthily worn, and more ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman Eagle, more honorable than the star or garter, er any other order that could be conferred upon me at that time, or any time thereafter, except it be in the body of a just and lawfully constituted Lodge of Masons; and bid me carry it to the Senior Warden in the West, who taught me how to wear it as an Entered Apprentice Mason.

Q. What was you next presented with?

A* The working tools of an Entered Apprentice Mason.
Q, What were they?

A. The twenty four inch guage and common gavel.

Q. How are they explained?

A. The twenty-four inch guage is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to measure and lay out their work, but we as Free and Accepted Masons are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of dividing our time; the twenty four inches on the guage are emblematical of the twenty fur hours in the day, which we are taught to divide into three equal parts, whereby we find eight hours for the service of God and a worthy distressed brother, eight hours for our usual vocation, and eight hours for refreshment and sleep.—The common gavel is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to break off the corners of rough stones, the better to fit them for the builders' use, but we as Free and Accepted Masons are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of divesting our heart, and consciences of all the vices and superfluities of life, thereby fitting our minds as lively and living stones for that spiritual building, that House not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Q. What was you next presented with?

A. A new name. Q. What was that? A. Caution.
Q. What does it teach?

A. It teaches me as 1 was barely instructed in the rudiments of masonry, that I should be cautious over all my words and actions, especially when before its enemies.

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