Free Masonry - The Masonic Trowel

ROYAL ARCH MASONRY» 163
caal from the altar, and I could not but exclaim: c Glory
to-God in the highest'" (He is only practising the Masonic
** Arte of wunder wurkynge." Vide F. M. L. p. 11.) u In
die royal arch Mason's degree, I beheld myself exaked to *
the top of Pisgah, an extensive scene opened to my view
of the glory and goodness of the most excellent high priest
of our salvation. I dug deep for hidden treasures, found
them, and regained the omnific word:" (" visible in the
temple in St Jerome's time, written in the ancient Samaritan
characters.") The same word which the British Masons
give in the third degree, our panting brethren must
chase to the top of the subiiftie degree of master Mason, and
thence to the bottom of the ninth arch. This is a great improvement
of Free Masonry. It returns the English compliment
to Yankee ingenuity in the construction of laboursaving
machines: the hungry manufacturers prefer their
own halidy-work to a Brewster.
The impiety of this extract from the preface of the Free
Mason's Library, should not have been left unnoticed a moment
I abominate it; and copy it here to (he discredit of
Free Masonry, by the hand of her faithful servant, the
Grand Lodge of Maryland. (Vide their sanction to the
Free Mason's Library, p. 3.)
O, it is laughable what a confusion the masonic degrees
are in. The book of Constitutions of Massachusetts, giving
" a true idea of Masonry," says: u three classes are
generally admitted,under different appellations:" (p. 121.)
which is a plain intimation that less than three are sometimes,
admitted without falsifying the trueMea of Masonry.
We have already seen in this chapter how many authors
treat of Free Masonry as contained wholly within the three
degrees. (Vid. p. 161.)
Cole's Free Mason's Library, with the sanction of the
Grand Lodge of Maryland prefixed, giving a brief sketch
of the respective degrees of ancient Free Masonry, says:
" There are (I am bold to assert) but four degrees in ancient
Free Masonry. This opinion accords [hear, hear!]