how he may be most beneficial to mankind. And when we have finished our work here below, let our transition be from this earthly tabernacle to the heavenly temple above; there safely lodged among thy jeweis, may we shine with thee forever and ever.

Bless and prosper, we pray thee, every branch and member of this fraternity, throughout the habitable earth. May thy kingdom of peace, love and harmony, come. May thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven; and the whole world be filled with thy glory.

We ask all in the name of him, who stood on the pinnacle of the holy temple on earth, and is raised to the throne of majesty on high; even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer by William Smith, D. D. and Grand Secretary, at the opening the first Grand Communication, December 20th, 1779, in the Grand Lodge of Philadelphia, after some years interruption from the American war.-Published by order of the Grand Lodge.

Father of Light, of Life and Love! Supreme Architect and Ruler of Heaven and Earth! Infinitely glorious GodThou, at the beginning willing to communicate happiness, and to establish beauty, order and harmony, didst, from the womb of thine own awful eternity, give birth to time; and, commanding the jarring elements of matter to cease their strife, didst marshal them into an universe complete! Then, while the heavenly hierarchies with voice and harp, sung the loud anthem of joy, thou didst crown thy glorious works by breathing the breath of life into thine own image-man!

Be Thou with us at our present beginning and to the end. In thy name we assemble, and in thy name we desire to proceed in all our doings. Let the wisdom of thy blessed son, through the grace and goodness of the Holy Ghost, so subdue every discordant passion within us, so harmonize and enrich our hearts with a portion of thine own love and goodness, that the lodge at this time may be a sincere, though humble copy of that order, and beauty, and unity, which reign forever before thy heavenly throne.

We thankfully acknowledge that thou hast loved us, O Lord our God, with an exceeding great and eternal love and hast chosen us out of every people and language. Our fathers trusted in thee, and were not ashamed-for thou didst teach them the statutes of life, that they might do of thy good plea

sure with a perfect and willing heart. As thou didst unte them, so do unto us; still remembering thy gracious promise, "That where two or three are met together in thy name, thou wilt be in the midst of them." [*]

By thus seeking and loving thee, and by loving each other for thy sake, shall thy blessing and peace be upon us from the four corners of the earth. Thou shalt put understanding into our hearts, and make us diligent to hear, to teach, and to do all the words of thy law in love. So shall we be built up a spiritual lodge, never to be shaken; but cleaving to thy great name, and united to thee in love and praise, and freedom of soul forever.—

Amen. So may it be, for the sake of Christ our Saviour. N. B. All the members of the lodge should audibly repeat this last line, viz. “Amen.—So may it be, for the sake of Christ our Saviour."

A Prayer, said at the opening of a Lodge, or making a new brother, &c. used by Jewish Free Masons.

O Lord, excellent art thou in thy truth, there is nothing great in comparison to thee; for thine is the praise, from all the works of thy hands, for evermore.

Enlighten us, we beseech thee, in the true knowledge of Masonry: by the sorrows of Adam, thy first made man; by the blood of Abel, thy holy one; by the righteousness of Seth, in whom thou art well pleased; and by thy covenant with Noah, in whose architecture thou wast pleased to save the seed of thy beloved; number us not among those that know not thy statutes, nor the divine mysteries of the secret Cabbala.

But grant, we beseech thee, that the ruler of this Lodge may be endued with knowledge and wisdom, to instruct us

[*] Where the crotchets stand above, the following paragraph hath been added by the author, when called to assist in prayer at the opening or dedica ting a NEW LODGE; and may be used by others on the like occasion.

"May the present and succeeding Rulers of this Lodge be endued with divine knowledge to instruct, and with justice and prudence to govern the brethren, according to the true laws of our royal craft, as founded in thy holy word; and may all the members of this Lodge be blest with a teachable disposition, and a spirit of love and just submission to those in authority over them."

"By thus seeking and loving thee," &e. as above.—

and explain his secret mysteries, as our holy brother Moses* did (in his Lodge) to Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar (the sons of Aaron) and the seventy elders of Israel.

And grant that we may understand, learn, and keep all the statutes and commandments of the Lord, and this holy mystery, pure and undefiled unto our lives end. Amen, Lord.

A Prayer used amongst the primitive Christian Masons.

The might of the Father of heaven, and the wisdom of bis glorious Son, through the grace and goodness of the Holy Ghost, being three persons in one Godhead, be with us at our beginning, and give us grace so to govern us here in our living, that we may come to his bliss that never shal have end. Amen.

At the initiation of a candidate.

Glorious architect of Heaven and Earth, we beseech thee look down from thy high and lofty throne and bless our present Convention, grant that this our friend may become a faithful brother, grant that he, and all of us may live as men, and as true masons, duly considering the important ends for which thy goodness has created us, give us O God, wisdom to continue in all our doings,-strength to support

*In the preface of the Mishna, we find this tradition of the Jews explained as follows:

God not only delivered the law to Moses on Mount Sinai, but the explanation of it likewise: When Moses came down from the mount, and entered into his tent, Aaron came to visit him, and Moses acquainted Aaron with the Laws he had received from God, together with the explanation of them: after this Aaron placed himself at the right hand of Moses, and Eleazar and Ithamar (the sons of Aaron) were admitted, to whom Moses repeated what he had just before told to Aaron: these being seated, the one on the right hand, the other on the left hand of Moses, the seventy elders of Israel, who composed the Sanhedrem, came in, and Moses again declared the same laws to them, with the interpretation of them, as he had done before to Aaron and his sons. Lastly, all who pleased, for the common people were invited to enter, and Moses instructed them likewise in the same manner as the rest. So that Aron heard four times what Moses had been taught by God upon Mount Sinai, Eleazar and Ithamar three times, the seventy elders twice, and the people once. Moses afterwards reduced the laws which he had received into writing, but not the explanation of them; these he thought it sufficient to trust to the memories of the abovementioned persons, who, being perfectly instructed in them, delivered them to their children, and the se again to theirs, from age to age.

us under all difficulties, the beauty of holiness to grant those heavenly mansions where thy honor dwelleth and grant that we may be firmly united by brotherly love, and in all our dealings with the world practice justice towards all men, love mercy, and walk in the paths of humility before thee our God, and that at last an entrance may be administered unto us into the celestial Lodge of perfect happiness, O great Jehovah. Amen.

9

A Prayer used in the High Knights Templars Lodge, Dublin. Oh! blessed and glorious who has made the cross the banner and badge of thy disciples, enable this our approved brother, and now to be admitted knight of the temple, cheerfully to embrace this divine order; and if it be his lot to suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but rejoice that he is counted worthy to suffer for thy name;-thou, who for our sakes endured the cross, and despisedst the shame: Let the example of that love and patience prevail against all the tremblings of his corrupt heart, that no terrors may ever be able to shake his constancy, but that he may always use the sword of justice, which shall be put into his hands, to the confusion of all the persecutors of the Christian religion. And, O Lord! grant that he may never profane any holy thing, or sacriligiously invade what thou hast set apart for thyself; endue him with a steadfast mind and good courage, and make him a true and faithful soldier of Jesus Christ, unto his life's end. This we beg in the name, and for the sake of Jesus Christ, the true

Amen.

CONTAINING

SCRIPTURE ELUCIDATIONS,

AND OTHER

MISCELLANEOUS MATTER,

RELATING TO MASONRY.

[THE following traditional account of masonry, which accidentally fell into my hands, I have read with no inconsiderable interest; and, not doubting but it will afford satisfaction to many enquiring brethren, I here insert it with few alterations, excepting the literal errours it contains.

It is an explanation of what is termed the Masonic Plates; but as few masons have seen them, and still fewer are in possession of them, it may not be amiss to inform the reader, that three copper plate Engravings were published in London about the year 1796, of which the following pages are an explanation. The plates are divided into sixty-four compartments, viz. forty-six in the first plate, nine in the second, and nine in the third, and comprise the following degrees of masonry: 1st, 2d and 3d in Cft. R. A. A. M. K. T. &c. These plates are in possession of one of the lodges in Baltimore, and have for a long time given rise to much curious speculation. It will be found on perusal, that what has heretofore appeared merely hieroglyphical, is now rendered plain and easy to be understood." But let not the reader who has not an opportunity of referring to the engravings, be discouraged. I have been careful to head each chapter with a description of what appears on the plates, in the order in which they COMPILER.]

occur.

FIRST PLATE.

The first compartment represents Hagar and Ishmael's departure from Abraham's house, or contrast of Freedom between Isaac and Ishmael.

1st. D. We are told by the sacred historian, that Abraham gave Hagar bread and water, and sent her

A