Free Masonry - The Masonic Trowel

16 PRETENSIONS OF TREE MAbUNRY.
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though the principal facts are alluded to with undoubting
confidence; for convenience I number the sections extracted.
1. "Solomon, being the wisest of princes, had folly in
remembrance the promise of God to Moses, that some of
his descendants, in fulness of time, should discover his holy
name ;* and his wisdom inspired him to believe, that this
could not be accomplished until he had erected and con*
secrated a temple to the living God, in which he might
deposit the precious treasure,"
2. u Accordingly, Solomon began to build, in the fourth
year of his reign, agreeably to a plan given him by his father
David, upon the ark of the alliance."
By a careful reading of sections 1 and 2, it appears, that
King Solomon, under the impression that the holy name
of the Deity could not be discovered until he had erected
and consecrated a temple to the living God, " accordingly
began to build ;" that is, Solomon built the temple chiefly to
recover the lost word, the ineffable word, the shibboleth of
Free Masonry! And, reader, do you not believe it ? The
important fact perfectly accounts for the craft's having ever
since so much to do with that holy edifice; and the next
edition of the Bible ought to be corrected; 1 Kings, v. 5,
where Solomon says, " And, behold, I purpose to build a
house unto the name of the Lord my God;" that it may
read, I purpose to build a house to discover the lost name,
&c.
3. u He chose a spot for this purpose, the most beautiful
and healthy in all Jerusalem. In digging for a foundation,
they discovered the ruins of an ancient edifice, amongst
which they found a very considerable quantity of treasure,
such as vases of gold and silver, urns, marble, tapestry,
jasper and agate columns, with a number of precious
stones."
* See p. 15 of this volume.