custom of masters, return their hearty and sincere thanks for the honor of this constitution.

The grand-master also orders the grand-secretary to register this new lodge in the grand lodge-book, and to notify the same to the other particular lodges; and, after some other ancient customs and demonstrations of joy and satisfaction, he orders the senior grand-warden to close the lodge.

A Prayer said at the opening of the Lodge, or making - a new Brother, &c. used by Jewish Free-Masons.

O LORD, excellent art thou in thy truth, and there is nothing great in comparison to thee; for thine is the praise, from all the works of thy hands, for

evermore.

Enlighten us, we beseech thee, in the true knowledge of masonry: by the sorrows of Adam, thy first made man; by the blood of Abel, the holy one ; by the righteousness of Seth, in whom thou art well pleased; and by thy covenant with Noah, in whose architecture thou was pleased to save the seed of thy beloved; number us not among those that know not thy statutes, nor the divine mysteries of the secret Cabala.

But grant, we beseech thee, that the ruler of this lodge may be endued with knowledge and wisdom, to instruct us and explain his secret mysteries, as our holy brother Moses* did (in his lodge) to Aaron,

* In the preface to the Mishna, we find this tradition of the Jews, explained as follows:

God not only delivered the law to Moses on Mount Sinai, but the explanation of it likewise : when Moses came down from the mount, and entered into his tent, Aaron went to visit him; and Moses acquainted Aaron with the laws he had received from God, together with the explanation of them: after this Aaron

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to Eleazar and Ithamar, (the sons of Aaron,) and the seventy elders of Israel.

And grant that we may understand, learn, and keep all the statutes and commandments of the Lord, and this holy mystery, pure and undefiled unto our lives end. Amen, Lord.

A Prayer used amongst the primitive Christian Masons.

THE might of the Father of Heaven, and the wisdom of his glorious Son, through the grace and goodness of the Holy Ghost, being three persons in one Godhead, be with us at our beginning, and give us grace so to govern us here in our living, that we may come to his bliss that never shall have end. Amen

placed himself at the right hand of Moses, and Ele azar and Ithamar (the sons of Aaron) were admitted, to whom Moses repeated what he had just before told to Aaron: these being seated, the one on the right hand, the other on the left hand of Moses; the seventy elders of Israel, who composed the Sanhedrim, came in; and Moses again declared the same laws to them, with the interpretation of them, as he had done before to Aaron and his sons. Lastly, all who pleased of the common people were invited to enter, and Moses instructed them likewise in the same manner as the rest: so that Aaron heard four times what Moses had been taught by God upon Mount Sinai, Eleazar and Ithamar three times, the seventy elders twice, and the people once. Moses afterwards reduced the laws which he had received into writing, but not the explanations of them; these he thought it sufficient to trust to the memories of the abovementioned persons, who, being perfectly instructed in them, delivered them to their children, and these again to theirs from age to age.

Another Prayer, and that which is most generally at Making or Opening.

Most holy and glorious Lord God, thou great architect of heaven and earth, who art the giver of all good gifts and graces, and hast promised that when two or three are gathered together in thy name, thou wilt be in the midst of them: in thy name we assemble and meet together, most humbly beseeching thee to bless us in all our undertakings, that we may know and serve thee aright, that all our doings may tend to thy glory and the salvation of our souls.

And we beseech thee, O Lord God, to bless this our present undertaking, and grant that this our new brother may dedicate his life to thy service, and be a true and faithful brother among us: endue him with a competency of thy divine wisdom, that he may, with the secrets of free-masonry, be able to unfold the mysteries of godliness and christianity. This we most humbly beg, in the name, and for the sake, of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

AHABATH OLAM.*

A Prayer repeated in the Royal-Arch Lodge at Ferusalem.

THOU hast loved us, O Lord our God, with eternal love; thou hast spared us with great and exceeding patience, our father and our king, for thy great name's sake, and for our father's sake who trusted in thee, to whom thou didst teach the statutes of life, that they might do after the statutes of thy good pleasure with a perfect heart: So be thou merciful unto us, O our Father, merciful Father, that sheweth mercy, have mercy upon us we beseech thee, and put understanding into our hearts,

See Dr. Wooton, on the Mishna.

that we may understand, be wise, hear, learn, teach, keep, do and perform all the words of the doctrine of thy law in love, and enlighten our eyes in thy commandments, and cause our hearts to cleave to thy law, and unite them in the love and fear of thy name; we will not be ashamed, nor confounded, nor stumble, for ever and ever.

Because we have trusted in thy holy, great, mighty, and terrible name, we will rejoice and be glad in thy salvation, and in thy mercies, O Lord our God; and the multitude of thy mercies shall not forsake us forever: Selah. And now make haste and bring upon us a blessing, and peace from the four corners of the earth: for thou art a God that workest salvation, and has chosen us out of every people and language; and thou, our king, has caused us to cleave to thy great name, in love to praise thee and to be united to thee, and to love thy name: blessed art thou, O Lord God, who hast chosen thy people Israel in love.

HAVING inserted this prayer, and mentioned that part of masonry commonly called the royal arch, which I firmly believe to be the root, heart and marrow of masonry, I cannot forbear giving a hint of a certain evil designer,* who has made a trade thereof for some time past, and has drawn in a number of worthy, honest men, and made them believe that he and his assistants truly taught them all and every part of the abovementioned branch of masonry, which they soon communicated to the worthy brethren of their acquaintance, without being able to form any sort of judgment whereby they

* I am sorry to find he has a second in iniquity, but as they are both overwhelmed with years and poverty, even let them die in ignominy and silent contempt.

might distinguish truth from falsehood, and consequently could not discern the imposition; but, as the wise Seneca justly observes, it fares with us in human life as in a routed army, one stumbles first and then another falls upon him; and so they follow, one upon the neck of the other, till the whole field comes to be but one heap of miscarriages. This is the case of all those who think themselves royal-arch masons, without passing the chair in regular form, according to the ancient custom of the craft: to this I will add the opinion our worshipful brother, Dr. Fifield D'Assigney, printed in the year 1744. "Some of the fraternity (says he) have " expressed an uneasiness at this matter being kept " a secret from them, since they had already pas"sed through the usual degrees of probation, I " cannot help being of opinion, that they have no " right to any such benefit until they make a proper "application, and are received with due formality: " and as it is an organized body of men who have " passed the chair, and given undeniable proofs of " their skill in architecture, it cannot be treated " with too much reverence; and more especially "since the characters of the present members of

that particular lodge are untainted, and their be"haviour judicious and unexceptionable: so that "there cannot be the least hinge to hang a doubt on, but that they are most excellent masons." The respect I have for the very name of freemason, is sufficient to make me conceal the name of the person here pointed at; and, instead of exposing him, or stigmatizing him with a name he justly deserves, I earnestly wish that God may guide him back, out of his present labyrinth of darkness, to the true light of masonry; which is, truth, charity and justice.

I make no manner of doubt, but that this will reach the hands of the person aimed at; and as my intention is rather to reform than offend, I hope he