The History of Initiation - The Masonic Trowel

10 HISTORY OF INITIATION.
their bosom, until its rays of light once more began to
illuminate the surrounding darkness; and it thence continued
to enlighten a narrow and restricted path, terminating,
however, in the broad and glorious blaze of
splendour that dissipated the unholy shades of idolatry,
in the person of Jesus Christ.
Long antecedent to the time when this benevolent dispensation
was promulgated, which brought life and
immortality to light, and clearly revealed those important
truths which the metaphysical reasonings of heathen
philosophy could never fathom, were the practices exhibited
which form the subject of the following pages.
In those distant times, and amongst the people who had
renounced the homage which the creature owes to the
Creator, the rites of initiation were so indispensable, that
no one could rise to any degree of celebrity in the reli-
gious or political institutions of polytheism, but by
passing through this preliminary form ; it was the only
avenue to honour, wealth, or fame; and the peculiar
blessings of immortality were restricted to those alone,
who had borne without shrinking or complaint, the privation
and actual terrors of this rigorous ordeal. To
despise the Mysteries, or omit the process of initiation,
2G were to relinquish all the title to preferment and ; even
the comforts and charms of domestic life were scarcely
attainable without this indispensable qualification, which
was supposed to restore the fallen soul to its
original
state of perfection f for the uninitiated person was virtually
an outcast from society, an eternal object of
suspicious jealousy, and almost without the pale of legal
protection. Hence the extreme utility,
in these times of
superior light, of investigating a subject of such extensive
application and high importance towards elucidating
many abstruse points in the history and mythology of
Work. Laurie, in his History of Freemasonry in Scotland, has also
taken a clear view of this subject; and has instituted a comparison
between the usages of the Essenes and those of Freemasonry. Laurie
was an intelligent Mason, and has written an useful book ; although
I differ from him on some important points.
26 The first initiation was a sort of baptism, and simple introduction
to religious privileges, conferred on persons in their infancy.
}7 Plato. Phaedone. The Orphic mysteries were dignified with the
high appellation of Orphotelestte, because the initiated were assured
of certain happiness in a future state.