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

408 KNIGHTS OP TUE EAST OR 5~ORD. INITIATION. 409of the slaves. He then made choice of those freemasonswho had escaped the fury of their enemies at the dcstructionof the temple to the number of seven thousand(7,000) whom he created Knights, and placed atthe head of th~ people to fight such astheir passage into Judes.might .oppoeeAfter Zerubbabel had received from the Grand Tressurerall the riches of the temple he took his departureaccompanied by his people, on th~ day which correapondswith the 22nd of March.He prospered on his journey as far as the banks ofthe Euphrates which separates Judes from Syria.The Knight Masons who arrived there first, foundarmed troops to prevent their passage on account of thetreasul’es they carried with them. The remonstrance ofthe Knights and the Edict of Cyrus”’ were equally unavailableto restrain their insolence and they fell on theKnights Masons but were repulsed with such ardourthat to a man they were either drowned or cut to piecesat the passage of the bridge.After this victory”’ Zerubbabel caused an altar to beNote 174.—”Oywua. Thia prince was mentioned by the prophet lasish,two hundred years before he was horn mm the reeto of the templeat Jerusalem. And accordingly, miter tl,e seventy yes’~’ofesptivit.~Babylon were accomplished. It pleased the Lord to direct him to fasuethe following proclamation. The Lord God of Heaven bath given me allthe RI~~ms of the earth. and he bath charged me to build him amhouse at Jerusalem, which is In Judab. Who Is there among you ot allhia peoplet his God be with him, end let him go up In erusalem whiebIa in Judab, end build the house of the Lord God of Israci he is theOo%wbicbia in Jerumalem. ‘—Ma.oys Euoyoloj,emdia and Dtotieuas~Aztieh Oyrus.Note lYS.—”Their peogreas homewards was not altogether unattendedwith danger; for traditlon Informs us that at the river Euphrates theywere opposed hy the Assyrlana, who. incited by the temptation of thevast amount of golden vessels which they were carrying, drew up ishostiie array, and, notwithstanding the remonatran~ of the Jews. andthe edict of Gyros, disputed their pammage. Serubbabei, however, repulsedthe enemy with such ardor as to ensure a signal victory, moat of theAsayrlans having been slain in the battle, or drowned in their attemnt tocross the river In their retreat. The rest of the Journey was unfi,ter.rupted. and, after a march of four months. Zeruhbabel arrived at Jern..1cm. with his weary foilowers. at seven o’clock in the morning of thed of June. five hundred and tbirty.five years before Christ. ‘—Naehsy’sopeadia ml lummaaengy mole Sasubbabelseseted on the field of battle on which an Holocaust tothe God of armies was offered.The Israelites then passed the river and arrived atJerusalem, where after seven days rest, with the assist-.ance of a number of Jews who had escaped from thefury of the war and the rigors of the captivity had beenwandering, dispersed and miserable near the ruinswhich had once beenthe scene of their grandeur.Among this number were several Grand Elect, Pei.feet and Sublime Masons,’who had received a knowledgeof the mysteries from their ancestors and mettogether secretly to mourn over the misfortunes of theirbrethren and to practice the ceremonies of their order.These zealous masons sought among the rubbish andruins for the entrance to the sacred vault, which hadnot been discovered by the enemy at the destruction ofthe temple, and after diligent search were successfuland used to meet there and practice their mysteries,being animated with the hope of some day seeing theirlabors renewed. They continued to elect a chief topreside over their assemblies until Zerubbabel’s returnwhen they began the foundation and work of the newtemple.Hardly was the work begun however, when theKnights Masons were disturbed by false brethren fromSamaria, who, jealous of the glory the two tribes ofJudah and Benjamin, were to acquire being now free,resolved to declare war against them in order to defeattheir design of rebuilding the temple. Zerubbabel beluginformed of their intentions ordered that all theworkmen should be armed with a sword, so that whilethey worked with a trowel they might defend themselvesand repulse the enemy when required.