Secret Master
Opening.—The Master strikes five. At this signal the Grand Marshal rises, and the Master addresses him: Master. Your place in the Lodge? Answer: In the North, Most Powerful.
M. Your business there? A. To see that the Sanctum Sanctorum is duly guarded.
M. Please to attend to your duty, and inform the guards that we are about to open a Lodge of Secret Masters by the MYSTERIOUS NUMBER. A. It is done.
M. How are we guarded? A. By seven Secret Masters stationed before the veil of the Sanctum Sanctorum.
The Master strikes six. The Inspector rises. Master. Brother Adoniram, are you a Secret Master? Inspector. I have passed from the square to the compass.
M. What is the hour? I. The dawn of day has driven away darkness, and the great light begins to shine in this Lodge.
The Master strikes seven. The brethren rise. Master. If the great light is the token of the dawn of day, and we are all Secret Masters, it is time to begin our labors; give notice that I am about to open a Lodge of Secret Masters by the mysterious number. The Inspector obeys. The signs of the degrees from Entered Apprentice to Royal Arch, inclusive, are given with that of silence, which belongs to this degree. The Master places the two forefingers of his right hand on his lips. This is answered by the brethren with the two forefingers of the left. All clap hands seven times.
M. I declare this Lodge of Secret Masters open, and in order for business. Brother Grand Marshal, please to inform the guards.
Second Section.—Question—What did you see in the Sanctum Sanctorum when the thick veil was removed? Answer—I saw the great circle, in which was enclosed the blazing star, which filled me with awe and reverence.
Q. What do the Hebrew characters in the triangle signify? A. Something above my knowledge, which I cannot pronounce.
Q. What word did those Hebrew characters compose? A. The ineffable name of the Great Architect of the Universe.
Q. To whom was that name revealed? A. To Moses; he received the pronunciation thereof from the Almighty on the mount, when he appeared to him, and by a law of Moses it was forbidden ever to be pronounced unless in a certain manner, so that in process of time the true pronunciation was lost.
Q. What more did you perceive? A. Nine other words.
Q. Where were they placed? A. In the nine beams of the blazing luminary.
Q. What did they signify? A. The nine names which God gave himself when speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, and the promise that his posterity should one day discover his real name.
Q. Give them to me, with their significations? A. “Eloah,” The Strong. “Hayah,” He is. “Shaddai,” The Almighty. “Elyon,” The Most High. “Adonai,” The Lord. “Ahad Kodesh,” The Holy One. “Riba,” The Mighty. “Mahar,” Merciful. “Eloham,” Merciful God.
Q. What doth the circle which surrounds the delta signify? A. The eternity of the power of God, which hath neither beginning nor end.
Q. What doth the blazing star denote? A. That light which should guide us to the Divine Providence.
Q. What is signified by the letter G in the centre of the blazing star? A. Glory, Grandeur and Gomez, or Gibber Hodihu.
Q. What is meant by these? A. By Glory is meant God, by Grandeur, man who may be great by perfection; and Gibber Hodihu, is a Hebrew word signifying thanks to God. It is said to have been the first word spoken by the first man.
Q. What else did you see in the Sanctum Sanctorum? A. The ark of alliance or covenant.
Q. Where was the ark of alliance placed? A. In the west end of the Sanctum Sanctorum, under the blazing star.
Q. What did the ark with the blazing star represent? A. As the ark was the emblem of the alliance which God had made with his people, so is the circle which surrounds the delta in the blazing star, the emblem of the alliance of Brother Masons.
Q. Of what form was the ark? A. A solid oblong square.
Q. Of what was it made? A. Of shittim wood covered within and without with pure gold, surmounted with a golden crown and two cherubims of gold.
Q. What was the covering of the ark called? A. Propitiatory.
Q. Why so? A. Because God’s anger was there appeased.
Q. What did the ark contain? A. The tables of the law which God gave to Moses.
Q. Of what were they made? A. Of white marble.
Q. Who constructed the ark? A. Bezeleel of the Tribe of Judah, and Aholiab of the Tribe of Dan, who were filled with the spirit of God in wisdom and understanding, and in knowledge and in all manner of workmanship.
Q. What was the name of the Sanctum Sanctorum in Hebrew? A. “Dabir.”
Q. What does the word signify? A. Speech.
Q. Why was it so called? A. Because the Divinity resided there in a peculiar manner, and delivered his oracles.
Q. How many doors were there in the Sanctum Sanctorum? A. Only one on the east side called “Zizon,” or Balustrade. It was covered with hangings of purple, scarlet, blue, and fine twined linen of cunning work, embroidered with cherubims, and suspended from four columns.
Q. What did these columns represent? A. The four cardinal points.
Q. Your duty as a Secret Mason? A. To guard the Sanctum Sanctorum, and sacred furniture of the holy place.
Q. What was that furniture? A. The altar of incense, the two tables of shew-bread, and the golden candlesticks.
Q. How were they placed? A. The altar of incense stood nearest the Sanctum Sanctorum, and the tables and candlesticks were placed five on the north and five on the south side of the holy place.
Q. What is meant by the EYE in our Lodge? A. That Secret Masters should keep a careful watch over the conduct of the craft in general.
Q. What is your age? A. Three times 27, and accomplished 81.
Closing a Lodge of Secret Masters.—The Master strikes five.—The Grand Marshal rises.
Master. Brother Grand Marshal, what is the last as well as the first care of a Lodge of Secret Masters? Answer. To see that the Sanctum Sanctorum is duly guarded.
Master. Please attend to your duty, and inform the guards that we are about to close this Lodge of Secret Masters by the mysterious number. The Grand Marshal obeys, and repeats, “It is done, Most Powerful.” Master strikes six.—Adoniram rises.
Master. Brother Adoniram, what is the hour? Answer. The end of day.
Master. What remains to do? Adoniram—To practice virtue, fly from vice, and remain in silence.
Master. Since there remains nothing to do but to practice virtue and fly vice, let us enter again into silence, that the will of God may be accomplished. The signs are given, and seven blows struck as at opening.
Master. I declare this Lodge duly closed.