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

828 GRAND ELECT, PERFECT AND SURLIME MASONS. INITIATION. 329fell into great disrepute. The Grand Elect and rerfectMasons were so cautious in concealing the mysteries ofthe higher degrees of masonry that they determined toinitiate only as far as the third degree.You are aware, m~y brother, that many unworthy masonsof the lower degrees have by their imprudencesuffered their signs and tokens to be discovered bycowans. These occurrences chagrined the Perfect Masons,who were but few in number, and they endeavoredto stop the evil, but all their exertions were fruitless.The Craft degenerated, as receptions were obtainedtoo easily.The intervals of the degrees were broken into toohastily, and mere amusement was Xreferred to usefulstrdction. Innov2tions increase and new doctrineswere introduced which destroyed all the old and usefulregulations of the order.These differences occasioned disputes, quarrels, heartburnings, jealousies and dissensions, which in the endproduced the discovery of the mysteries of the first threedegrees to the vulgar and profane.How happy it is, my brother, that those unguardedbrethren were ignorant of the Sublime Mysteries of theGrand Elect,. Perfect and Sublime Masons. Let us, mybrother, endeavor to prev~ent these degrees from sharingthe same unhappy fate by preserving them in theirAncient Perfection as we have traveled to obtain theknowledge of the Ancient Elect, and to imitate them intheir devotions, whose principal study was the contemplationof the adorable attributes of the Grand Architectof the Universe.Solomon expressly chose this word for the AncientMasters to fill the princival workmen with venerationfor the great and eternal God, to whom the temple wasdedicated and also to incite them to perform theirs~veral duties cheerfully while employed in erecting atemple to his Holy name.This wise King knew the force of hismost Holy name;.he also knew that he had appeared to Moses in theBurning Bush and had declared to him his true name,and that he was the only Patriarch who knew it; alsothat he would be invoked by no other name- in the temple.My brother, the real and ineffable name of the GrandArchitect of the Universe as given by God to Moses wasthe Master’s Word. When our Grand Master HiramAbiff was killed, by his courage and magnanimity itsdiscovery was prevented, which frustrated the hopes ofhismurderers. It was then determined never to entrusta secret of so much importance to any person; andanother word was used in its stead until the discoveryof the brilliant Delta by the Knights of the Royal Archin the ruins of Enoch, on which was cngraved theIneffable name which constihites the Perfection of Masonry.Solomon, King of Israel, and Hiran~, King of Tyre,communicated the interpretation of the characters onthe brilliant Delta to none but the Grand Elect, Perfectand Sublime Masons, under whose immediate protectionthey placed it in the Sacred Vault under the SanctumSanctorum of the temple, by which cowans have neverbeen able to discover the place where the Sgcred namewas deposited, as a strict gwird was kept to prevent theadmission ‘of any but the Grand Elect, Perfect and SublimeMasons.The temple was begun in the fourth yearof the reignof Solomon, the third after the death of David, fourhundred and eighty years after the passage of the RedSea, and on the second day of the second month, called