Blanchard J (anti-masonic) - Scotch Rite Masonry Illustrated Part I

270 ThIRTEENTH OR ROYAL ARCH DEGREE.impending, and none but Enoch’” knew of the treasurewhich the arches contained. And behold the wickednessof mankind increased niore and became grievous in thesight of the Lord, and God threatened to destroy thewhole world.Enoch”’ perceiving that the knowledge of the Artswas likely to be lost in the general dcstruetion, and beingdesirous of preserving the principles of the sciencesfor the posterity of those whom God should be pleasedto spare, built two great pillars “‘ on the top of the highestmountain; the one of brass, to withstand water, theother of marble, to withstand fire, and he engraved onNote ifl.—”A uriter in the Freemason’s Quarterly Review soya, onthis auhiect, that “ it aecuip pruhshie that Enuch introductd the speenle’tive principles into the Masonic creed. and thai he orIginated its ixciusivecharacter,” which theory moat be take.,, if it is accepted at all. nithvery considerable modititationa.The )ears of his life may aiso be supposed to contain a mystic meaning.for they amounted to thrt’e hundred and sixty’llve. being ex4ctiy equnito a aniar revoiution. in sli the ancient rites this unmht’r has occupied aprominent place, because it uss the represenlative of the annual courseof ihat tuminiry uhi, h. as the great froetiller o~ ihe earth, was thepeculiar object of divine norahip.“—Mackeys Encyolopsedia of Freemasonry,Artiole Enoch.Note i23.—”Enoch hitoseif is but the symbol of initiatIon, and hisiegend is intended sy,uboiicaiiy to express the dot trim’ that the irueWord or diviun ti nib it its ~ireserved in the antleut i,,itlatlo,ta.‘‘—MackeysEpoyciopaedia of Freemasonry. Article Enoch, Legend of,Note 134,—The legend goea~on io’~inform us that after Enoch hadconipieted the subterraittun temple. tearing that the principics of thosearts and ecininwes uhitli he bad coitivateil nith so much aaaiduity wouldbe l’tst in ibtit general ditltruction of which he had re(elvt’d a propheticvision, he erected tao pillars—the one of marble to withstand the influenceof lire, and the other of brass, to resist the action of aster. Onthe pliiar of brass he engraved the history of the creation. ihe prineipieaof the arts and ci leuces. and the doctrines of Speculative e’reemaaonryas they acre pructited in his times: and on the one of marhie heinscribed characters In hlerogij phics. Importing that hear the spot wherethe~ stood a precious iretisure usa dt’poslted in a sobterranean fault.Josephus girt’s on account of these plilars in the itrat book of his Antiquities.lie aawll,es them to the children of Seth. ahith is hj nomeans a contradli tion of the Masonic tradition, since Enoth was olin ofthese children. ‘1’het lb Ir inventions.’ says .the historian. ‘might notbe lust before they uui.rt’ aulilelently knoati. upon Adam’s prediclionthat thi’ world ntis to he destroyed at one lime by the force of fire andhit another time hr the violeitte nod quantity of water, they made twopill irs—the one of hrick. the other of atone: they inscribed their discoterieson them both, that in case the pillar of brick should be destroyedby the flood, the piiiar of atone might remain and exhibit those discorcilea 10 mutiklnd. and also Inform them that there was another pills,of brick erected by them. Now this remains in the land of Sirlad to thisdat.” ‘—Maskey’s Encyclopaedia of rreamsaoary, Article Enoch.!2I’ITIATIOW.271the marble pillar hieroglyphics, signifying that therewas a most precious treasure concealed in the Archesunder ground, which he had dedicated to God.And he engraved on the pillar of brass, the principlesof the liberal arts, particularly of masonry. Methuselahwas the rather of L*imech who was the father of Noah,who was a pious and good man, and beloved by God.And the Lord spake unto Noah, saying: “Behold, I willpunish the sins of mankind with a general deluge. Thereforebuild an ark capable of containing thyself and familyas also a pair of every living creature upon earth,and those only shall be saved from the general destructionwhich I sin about to inflict for the iniquities of thepeople.”And God gave unto Noah”’ a plan by which the Arkwas to be constructed. Noah was one hundred years inbuilding the Ark; he was six hundred years old when itwas finished, and his son, Seth, was ninety-nine. Hisfather, Lainech, had died a short time before, aged 7i l~years. There was not at this time any of the ancientpatriarchs living save Methuselah, the grandfather ofNoah, who was about 969 years old, and it is supposedthat, he perished in the general ruin.The Ark being finished, Noah agreeable to the instructionshe had received from the Most High, went into itwith his family, and took with him such things as hewas commanded. The flood took place in the year ofNote hiI.—’iloah. in all the old Masonic manuscript Constitutionsthat are extant, Noah and the flood play an important part of the ‘Legentiof the Craft.’ Hence. sa the Masonic system heeaine developed, thePatriareb was looked upon as what was called a patron of Masonry. Andthis connection of Noah with the mythie history of the Order was reD’dered still eloser by the Infijence of many symbols borrowed from theAukite worship, one of the moat predominant of the ancient falibs. Solatimately were incorporated the legends of Noah with the legends ofUssonry that Freemasons began, at length, to be culled, and are stilljiled ‘Nosehidac,’ or the descendante of Noah, a term first applied byAnderson. and very frequently used at the present day. ‘—Mackey’s Znwelcpsediaof lreemasoniy, Article Noah.