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

284) THIRTRENTH OR ROYAL ARCH DUGEER. INITIATION. 281the craft and also to use the same ceremony to comxaumcatethis mysterious history of the Divine Delta, nearthe Burning Bush where God made the ancient fatherspromise the same.The number ~ofthe Grand and Sublime Elected waaat first three, then five, and continued so until the templewas completed and dedicated, when King Solomon as ereward for their faithful services, admitted to this degreethe twelve Grand Masters, who had faithfully presidedover the twelve tribes, also one other Grand MasterArchitect.Nine Ancient Grand Masters, eminent for their virtue,were chosen Knights of the Royal Arch, and shortlyafter were admitted to the Sublime Degree of Perfection.The nine Knights to be admitted to the Sacred Vaultwere obliged to tyle the doors of the nine arches whichled from Solomon’s Palace to said Vault.The most ancient was placed at the door near theSacred Vault, and the others by degrees to the ninthdoor near Solomon’s Palace or apartment, never permittingan entrance to any except the Grand Elect, Perfectend Sublime Masons, giving the Signs, Tokens andWords of each ArclLI will now give you the pass-word for each arch. Thepass for the first arch is Jub, to the second Jeo, to thethird Jua,”’ the fourth Hayak, the fifth Gotha, the sixthAdonai, the seventh Jacl&anai, the eighth Ilciencharn,the ninth Jachabuium. Those are the passes for eacharch.The brother who gave the sacred word on the insideNote 137,—7uL A corrupted form of the Tetragrammaton, and aSignificant word in the high degrees. —Maeh.~’s Eno7.1e~aadla at Free.maso~. Artieie Ins.was obliged to give the pass-word SkibboletA” threetimes with an aspiration.There were besides the above number 3,568 Masterswho had served at the construction of the temple, andbecoming jealous on seeing a preference given to theabove 25 ~?ifasterswhich chagrined them much as theyhad frequently seen the King’s apartment shut against~them, consequently they sent deputies to Solomon toascertain the cause of that preference.Solomon after hearing the complaint of the deputy,replied as follows: Those 25 Masters have deservedthis preference by their zeal in working the hardest andhave always shown invaluable constancy, consequentlyI have loved and cherished them. Your time has not yetcome. Go, God will permit you one day to be recompensedas you deserve.One of the deputies being of a passionate dispositionand dissatiafied with the reply of Solomon, answered:We also have claims for a higher degree. We know howthe word was changed and can travel into foreign countriesand receive master’s wages as such. Solomon beingstruck with this reply, but at all times full ofwisdom and goodness did not rebuke, but thus addressedhim: Those Ancient Masters deserve the degree ofPerfection, as they have been in the ancient ruins andpenetrated into the bowels of the Earth and took fromNote 133.—”l.t, an ear of corn; and 2ndi~, a stream of water. Asthe Ephraimitea were desirous of crossing the rtyer. it is probable thatthis second meaning suggested it to the Olleaditee as an appropriatetest word on the occasion. The proper sound of the first letter of thisword I. ab, a harsh breathtng which I. ezceedingl~ difficult to he pro.asunced b7 persons whose ,oeai organs haye not been accustomed to it.bch was the case with the fiphealmites, who snhstitnted for the aspire.Uon the hissing sound of a. Thei, organs of roice were incapabia ofe aspiration, and therefore, as the record has it, they ‘could not frameto pronounce it right. • The lesrned Durder remsrks (Orient. Gnat, II133.) that in Arabia the diference of pronunciation among p~raona oiYarions districts is much greater than in moat other places. and inchas easlif accounts for the circumstance mentioned in the peesage ofJudges. —Maebe~a Raqotoaedia St rreemaaesz~, Aitlele saibbelath.