The first Section.

The first section in this lecture is suited to all capacities, and may and ought to be known by every person who ranks as a mason. It consists of general heads, which, though short and simple, carry weight with them. They not only serve as marks of distinction, but communicate useful and interesting knowledge, when they are duly investigated. They qualify us to try and examine the rights of others to our privileges, while they prove ourselves; and, as they induce us to inquire more minutely into other particulars of greater importance, they serve as an introduction to subjects more amply explained in the following sections:

The second Section.

The second section rationally accounts for the origin of our hieroglyphical instruction, and convinces us of the advantages which will ever accompany a faithful observance of our duty it maintains, beyond the power of contradiction, the propriety of our rites, while it demonstrates to the most sceptical and hesitating mind, their excellency and utility; it illustrates, at the same time, certain particulars, of which our ignorance might lead us into error, and which, as masons, we are indispensably bound to know.

To make a daily progress in the art, is our constant duty, and expressly required by our general laws. What end can be more noble, than the pursuit of virtue? what motive more alluring, than the practice of justice? or what instruction more beneficial, than an accurate elucidation of symbolical mysteries, which tend to embellish and adorn the mind? Every thing that strikes the eye, more immediately engages the attention, and imprints on the memory serious and solemn truths; hence masons, universally adopting this method of inculcating the tenets of their order, by typical figures, and allegorical emblems, prevent their mysteries from descending into the familiar reach of inattentive and unprepared novices, from whom they might not receive due veneration.

Our records inform us, that the usages and customs of masons have ever corresponded with those of the Egyptian philosophers, to which they bear a near affinity. Unwilling to expose their mysteries to vulgar eyes, they concealed their particular tenets, and principles of polity, under hieroglyph

ical figures; and expressed their notions of government by signs and symbols, which they communicated to their Magi alone, who were bound by oath not to reveal them. The Pythagorean system seems to have been established on a similar plan, and many orders of a more recent date. Masonry, however, is not only the most ancient, but the most. moral institution that ever subsisted; every character, figure and emblem, depicted in a lodge, has a moral tendency, and inculcates the practice of virtue.

Every lodge is furnished with the Holy Bible, the Square,† and the Compass; the bible points out the path that leads to

As more immediate guides for a free-mason, the lodge is furnished with unerring rules, whereby he shall form his conduct. The book of the law is laid before him, that he may not say, through ignorance he erred; whatever the great Architect of the world hath dictated to mankind, as the mode in which he would be served, and the path in which to tread is to obtain his approbation; whatever precepts he hath administered, and with whatever laws he bath inspired the sages of old, the same are faithfully comprized in the book of the law of masonry. That book, which is never closed in any lodge, reveals the duties which the great master of all exacts from us; open to every eye, comprehensible to every mind; then who shall say among us that he knoweth not the acceptable service?

But as the frailty of human nature wageth war with truth, and man's infirmities struggle with his virtues; to aid the conduct of every mason, the master holdeth the compass, limiting the distance, progress, and circumference of the work: he dictateth the manners, he giveth the direction of the design, and delineateth each portion and part of the labour; assigning to each his province and his order. And such is his mastership, that each part, when asunder, seemeth irregular, and without form; yet when put together, like the building of the temple at Jerusalem, is connected and framed in true symmetry, beauty and order.

The moral implication of which, is, that the master in his lodge, sits dictating those salutary laws, for the regulation thereof, as his prudence directs; assigning to each brother his proper province; limiting the rashness of some, and circumscribing the imprudence of others; restraining all licentiousness and drunkenness, discord and malice, envy and reproach: and promoting brotherly love, morality, charity, benevolence, cordiality, and innocent mirth, that the assembly of the brethren may be with order, harmony, and love.

To try the works of every mason, the square is presented, as the probation of his life-proving, whether his manners are regular and uniform; for masons should be of one principle and one rank, without the distinctions of pride and pageantry: intimating, that from high to low, the minds of masons should be inclined to good works, above which no man stands exalted by his fortune.

But superior to all, the lodge is furnished with three luminaries: as the golden candlestick in the tabernacle of Moses, was at once emblematical of the spirit of God, whereby his chosen people were enlightened, and prophetical of the churches; or otherwise, as Josephus says, representative of the planets and the powerful works of God; so our three lights shew to us the three great stages of masonry, the knowledge and worship of the God of nature in the purity of Eden--the service under the Mosaic law, when divested

happiness, and is dedicated to God; the square teaches to regulate our conduct by the principles of morality and virtue, and is dedicated to the master; the compass teaches us to limit our desires in every station, and is dedicated to the Craft.

The bible is dedicated to the service of God, because it is the inestimable gift of God to man; the square to the master, because being the proper masonic emblem of his office, it is constantly to remind him of the duty he owes to the lodge over which he is appointed to preside; and the compass to the craft, because, by a due attention to its use, they are taught to regulate their desires, and keep their passions within due bounds.

of idolatry-and the christian revelation; or otherwise, our lights are typical of the holy Trinity.

Such is part of the furniture of the lodge; such are the principles dictated to us as masons; let us rejoice in the exercise of those excellencies, which should set us above the rank of other men; and prove that we are brought out of darkness into light.-And let us shew our good works unto the world, that through our light so shining unto men, they may glorify the great master of the Universe; and therefore "do justice-love mercy-and walk humbly with their God."

The particular attention paid by the ancients to the element of fire is in no wise to be wondered at, when we consider, that whenever the Deity deigned to reveal himself to the human senses, it was under this element.

Exodus xiii. 21. "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way: and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light; to go by day and night."

Chap. xix. 16. "There were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount."

Ver. 18. "And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lorr descended upon it in fire."

Chap. xxiv. 17. "And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Israel."

Chap. xxix. 43. "And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the - tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory."

Deuteronomy v. 4. "The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount, out of the midst of the fire."

Ver. 22. "These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire."

Ver. 23. "For the mountain did burn with fire."

To these may be added the shachina in the temple.

It would, from a kind of parity in circumstances, naturally follow, that men would look up to the Sun, as the throne of the Divinity, from whence his ministring spirits dispensed his will to the distant quarters of the universe.Fire became the general emblem of the Divinity in the eastern nations-was in great esteem with the Chaldeans and Persians. The Persians used consecrated fire as the emblem of the Supreme Being; to whom they would not build temples, or confine the divinity to space. The etherial fire was preserved in the temple of the Jews, and in the tabernacle, with great reverence. The druid priests, in their worship, looked towards the Sun-they retained many of the Ammonian rites-they are said to have made mystical processions round their consecrated fires sunwise, before they proceeded to sacrifice.

The ornamental parts of a lodge, displayed in this section, are, the Mosaic pavement, the indented tessel, and the blaz ing star. The Mosaic pavement is a representation of the ground floor of king Solomon's temple; the indented tessel, that beautiful tesselated border, or skirting, which surrounded it; and the blazing star, in the centre, is commemorative of the star which appeared, to guide the wise men of the east to the place of our Saviour's nativity. The Mosaic pavement is emblematical of human life, checkered with good and evil; the beautiful border which surrounds it, those blessings and comforts which surround us, and which we hope to obtain by a faithful reliance on Divine Providence, which is hieroglyphically represented by the blazing star in the

centre.

The moveable and immoveable jewels also claim our atten, tion in this section.

The rough ashler is a stone as taken from the quarry in its rude and natural state. The perfect ashler is a stone made ready by the hands of the workman to be adjusted by the tools of the fellow craft. The trestle-board is for the master workman to draw his designs upon.

By the rough ashler, we are reminded of our rude and imperfect state by nature; by the perfect ashler that state of perfection at which we hope to arrive, by a virtuous education, our own endeavours, and the blessing of God; and by the trestle-board, we are reminded, that as the operative workman erects his temporal building agreeably to the rules and designs laid down by the master on his trestle-board; so shall we, both operative and speculative, endeavour to erect our spiritual building agreeably to the rules and designs laid down by the Supreme Architect of the Universe, in the book of life, which is our spiritual trestle-board.

As the steps of man are trod in the various and uncertain incidents of life; as our days are checquered with a strange contrariety of events, and our passage through this existence, though sometimes attended with prosperous cir cumstances, is often beset by a multitude of evils; hence is the lodge furnish. ed with Mosaic work, to remind us of the precariousness of our state on earth; to-day our feet tread in prosperity, to-morrow we totter on the uneven paths of weakness, temptation, and adversity.-Whilst this emblem is before us, we are instructed to boast of nothing; to have compassion, and give aid to those who are in adversity; to walk uprightly, and with humility; for such is this existence, that there is no station in which pride can be stably founded-all men in birth and in the grave are on a level. Whilst we tread on this Mosaic work, let our ideas return to the original which it copies; and let every ma. son act as the dictates of reason prompt him, to live in brotherly love,

By a recurrence to the chapter upon the dedication of lodges, it will be perceived, that although our ancient brethren dedicated their lodges to king Solomon, yet masons professing christianity, dedicate their's to St. John the Baptist, and St. John the Evangelist, who were eminent patrons of masonry; and since their time there is represented in every regular and well governed lodge, a certain point within a circle; the point representing an individual brother, the circle representing the boundary line of his duty to God and man, beyond which he is never to suffer his passions, prejudices or interest to betray him, on any occasion. This circle is embordered by two perpendicular, parallel lines, representing St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist; who were perfect parallels, in christianity, as well as masonry; and upon the vertex rests the book of holy Scriptures, which points out the whole duty of man. In going round this circle, we necessarily touch upon these two lines, as well as upon the holy Scriptures; and while a mason keeps himself thus circumscribed, it is impossible that he should materially err.

The foregoing explanation, is not the least considerable in importance; it serves in some degree to elucidate those which follow, and enforces, in the most engaging manner, a proper regard to character and behaviour, in public as well as in private life; in the lodge, as well as in the general commerce of society. It forcibly inculcates the most instructive lessons. Brotherly love, relief, and truth, are themes on which we here expatiate.

The following Masonic Precepts should, in this place, be strenuously inculcated on the mind of the noviciate.

The first homage thou owest is to the Deity. Adore the Being of all beings, of whom thy heart is full; although thy confined intellects can neither conceive nor describe God.

Look down with pity upon the deplorable madness of those who turn their eyes from the light, and wander about in the darkness of accidental events.

Deeply sensible of the parental benefactions of God, and with a heart full of gratitude, reject, with contempt, those shallow inferences, that prove nothing, but how much human reason degrades itself, when it wanders from its origipal source.

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