THE ARCANE SCHOOLS - Fort Myers Beach Masonic Lodge No. 362

not executed my judgments with clean hands, saith the Lord of hosts.' The
candidate is instructed to exclaim: 'Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and
my dwelling has been in the tents of Kedar, and among the children of Meshec.'
Then he that has the ink-horn by his side, takes a live coal with the tongs from the
altar, and touches the lips of the candidate, and says: 'If ye believe, thine iniquities
shall be taken away, thy sins shall be purged. I will that these be clean with the
branch that is given up before me. All thy sins are removed, and thine iniquities
blotted out[.] For I have trodden the wine-press alone, and with me was none of
my people[;] for behold I come with dyed garments from Bozrah, mighty to save.
Refuse not, therefore, to hearken; draw not away thy shoulders; shut not thine ear
that thou shouldst not hear.' The six ministers now proceed as though they were
about to commence the slaughter, when the Senior Knight says to him with the
ink-horn: 'Stay thine hand; proceed no further until thou hast set a mark on those
that are faithful in the house of the Lord, and trust in the power of his might. Take
ye the signet, and set a mark on the forehead of my people that have passed
through great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made them white
in the blood of the Lamb, which was slain from the foundation of the world.' The
minister takes the signet and presses it on the candidate's forehead. He leaves the
mark in red letters, 'King of kings, and Lord of lords.' [Foot-note: 'The reader is
requested to turn to the following passages:--Isa. vi. 5-7. Ps. cxx. 5. Isa. xliii.15,
and lxiii. 1-3. Rev. viii. 2-14, and xix.16; and xv. 3; Zech. iii; 7. Song of Solomon
viii. 6,7. The impious perversion of these passages is incapable of defense or
excuse.] The Minister opens the scroll, and says: 'Sir Invincible Knight, the
number of the sealed is one hundred and forty-four thousand.' The Invincible
Knight strikes four, and all the knights stand before him. He says: 'Salvation
belongeth to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb.' All the
members fall on their faces, and say: 'Amen. Blessing, honor, glory, wisdom,
thanksgiving, and power, might, majesty, and dominion, be unto our God for ever
and ever. Amen.' They all cast down crowns and palm branches, and rise up and
say: 'Great and numberless are thy works, thou King of saints. Behold, the star
which I laid before Joshua, on which is engraved seven eyes as the engraving of a
signet, shall be set as a seal on thine arm, as a seal on thine heart; for love is
stronger than death, many waters cannot quench it. If a man would give all the
treasures of his house for love, he cannot obtain it; it is the gift of God through
Jesus Christ our Lord.'"
The following is found in the Royal Arch degree, pp. 126, first edition, 137,
eighth edition:
"Question.--'Are you a Royal Arch Mason?' Answer. --'I am that I am.'" [Note. "I
AM THAT I AM, is one of the peculiar names of the Deity; and to use it as
above, is, to say the least, taking the name of God in vain. How must the humble
disciple of Jesus feel when constrained thus to answer the question, "Are you a
Royal Arch Mason?"] L[ight] on Masonry, seventh edition. On pp. 154, 155, we
have a description of a ceremony in the same degree, as follows: "The candidates
next receive the obligation, travel the room, attend the prayer, travel again, and
are shown a representation of the Lord appearing to Moses from the burning bush.
This last is done in various ways. Sometimes an earthen pot is filled with earth,