practice of which is inculcated in the first degree. The mason who properly appreciates the secrets, which he has solemnly promised never to reveal, will not, by yielding to the unrestrained call of appetite, permit reason and judgment to lose their seats; and subject himself, by the indulgence in habits of success, to discover that which should be concealed, and thus merit and receive the scorn and detestation of his brethren. And lest any brother should forget the danger to which he is exposed in the unguarded hours of dissipation, the virtue of Temperance is wisely impressed upon his memory, by its reference to the most solemn portion of the initiatory ceremony. TEMPLARS. See Knights Templar. TEMPLARS OF SCOTLAND. By the "Revised Statutes of the Grand Conclave of the Knights of the Temple,"* of Edinburgh, Scotland, the Knights Templars have an organization very different from that existing in any part of the world where this ancient and honourable order is to be found. Some account of it may, therefore, not be uninteresting. "The religious and military order of the Temple," in Scotland, consists of two classes: 1. Novice and Esquire; 2. Knight Templar. The Knights consist of three grades, 1. Knights created by Priories; 2. Knights Commanders, elected from the Knights, on memorial to the Grand Master and Council, supported by the recommendation of the Priories to which they belong. 3. Knights Grand Crosses, to be nominated by the Grand Master. * According to the organization of the order in Scotland, it is not a prerequisite qualification towards becoming a Knight Templar, that the candidate should possess the preparatory masonic degrees. The Knight Templar of Scotland is not, therefore, necessarily a mason. I give this strange, and I cannot help thinking, illegal regulation, on the authority of Brother C. W. Moore. (Mag. vol. iv. p. 138.) It must have been a late enactment, for in the Statutes, adopted April 13th, 1843, (ch. vi. 1,) it is declared "to be imperative that all candidates be Royal Arch Masons." The supreme legislative authority of the order is the Grand Conclave, which consists of the Grand Officers, the Knights Grand Crosses, the Knights Commanders, and the Prior of each Priory. Four Chapters are held annually, at which times the Grand Master, if present, acts as President. At the quarterly meeting in March, the Grand Officers are elected. During the intervals of the meetings of the Grand Conclave, the affairs of the order, with the exception of altering the Statutes, is entrusted to the Grand Council, which consists of the Grand Officers elected by the Conclave, the Grand Priors of Foreign Langues, and the Knights Grand Crosses. The Grand Officers, with the exception of the Past Grand Masters, who remain so for life, the Grand Master, who is elected triennially, and the Grand Aides-de-Camp, who are appointed by him and removed at his pleasure, are elected annually. They are as follows: Grand Master, Past Grand Masters, Grand Seneschal, Preceptor and Grand Prior of Scotland, Grand Constable and Mareschal, Grand Admiral, Grand Almoner or Hospitaller, Grand Chancellor, Grand Treasurer, Grand Secretary and Registrar, Primate or Grand Prelate, Grand Provost or Governor-General, Grand Standard-Bearer or Beaucennifer, Grand Chamberlain, Grand Steward, Two Grand Aides-de-Camp. A Grand Priory may be instituted by the Grand Conclave, in any nation, colony or langue, to be placed under the authority of a Grand Prior who is elected for life, unless superseded by the Grand Conclave. A Priory, which is equivalent to our Encampments, consists of the following officers: Prior, Sub-Prior, Mareschal or Master of Ceremonies, Hospitaller or Almoner, Chancellor, Treasurer, Secretary, Chaplain and Instructor, Beaucennifer, or Bearer of the Beauseant, Bearer of the Red Cross Banner, or Vexillum Belli, Two Aides-de-Camp, Band, Guards, etc. The Grand Conclave may unite two or more Priories into a Commandery, to be governed by a Provincial Commander, who is elected by the Grand Conclave. The costume of the Knights, with the exception of a few slight variations to designate difference of rank, is the same as that described as the ancient costume in page 270, of this work. TEMPLE OF SOLOMON. The Temple of the Lord,* at Jerusalem, was commenced by Solomon, King of Israel, in the year of the world 2992, and being finished in seven years and six months, was dedicated to the service of the Most High, in the year 3000. It stood on Mount Moriah, one of the eminences of the ridge, called in Scripture Mount Zion, and was originally the property of Ornan the Jebusite, who used it as a threshing *It is called in Scripture, hekal adonai, "the palace of Jehovah," to intimate that its splendour and magnificence were not intended to reflect honour on those who constructed it, but only to prepare it as a fit dwelling for Him, who is the "King of kings and Lord of lords." floor, and from whom it was purchased by King David, for the purpose of erecting an altar.* It retained its original splendour only thirty-four years, when Shishak, King of Egypt, took away its richest treasures;† it was afterwards, in the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah, plundered and burnt by the Chaldeans, under Nebuchadnezzar. After the captivity, the temple was rebuilt by Zerubbabel, with greater extent, but inferior glory. The temple was originally built on a very hard rock, encompassed with frightful precipices. The foundations were laid very deep, with immense labour and expense. It was surrounded with a wall of great height, exceeding in the lowest part four hundred and fifty feet, constructed entirely of white marble. The temple itself, which consisted of the porch, the sanctuary, and the holy of holies, was but a small part of the edifice on Mount Moriah. It was surrounded with spacious courts, and the whole structure occupied at least half a mile in circumference. Upon passing through the outer wall, you came to the first court, called the court of the Gentiles, because the Gentiles were admitted into it, but were prohibited from passing farther. It was surrounded by a range of porticos or cloisters, above which were galleries or apartments, supported by pillars of white marble. Passing through the court of the Gentiles you entered the court of the children of Israel, which was separated by a low stone wall, and an ascent of fifteen steps, into two divisions, the outer one being occupied by the women, and the inner. by the Here the Jews were in the habit of resorting daily for the purposes of prayer. men. Within the court of the Israelites, and separated from it by a wall one cubit in height, was the court of the priests. In the centre of this court was the altar of burnt offerings, to which the people brought their oblations and sacrifices, but none but the priests were permitted to enter it. From this court, twelve steps ascended to the temple, strictly See 2 Sam. xxiv. 23, 24; 1 Chron. xxi. 25. †2 Chron. xii. 9. See Captivity. so called, which, as I have already said, was divided into three parts, the porch, the sanctuary, and the holy of holies. The PORCH of the temple was twenty cubits in length, and the same in breadth. At its entrance was a gate made entirely of Corinthian brass, the most precious metal known to the ancients. Beside this gate there were the two pillars Jachin and Boaz, which had been constructed by the architect whom the King of Tyre had sent to Solomon, and which are thus described by Josephus : "Moreover this Hiram made two hollow pillars, whose outsides were of brass, and the thickness of the brass was four fingers' breadth, and the height of the pillars was eighteen cubits, and their circumference twelve cubits; but there was cast with each of their chapiters, lily work that stood upon the pillar, and it was elevated five cubits, round about which there was net-work, interwoven with small palms made of brass, and covering the lily work. To this also, were hung two hundred pomegranates in two rows."* From the porch you entered the SANCTUARY by a portal, which, instead of folding doors, was furnished with a magnificent vail of many colours, which mystically represented the universe. The breadth of the sanctuary was twenty cubits, and its length forty, or just twice that of the porch and holy of holies. It occupied, therefore, one half of the body of the temple. In the sanctuary were placed the various utensils necessary for the daily worship of the temple, such as the altar of incense, on which incense was daily burnt by the officiating priest; the ten golden candlesticks; and the ten tables on which the offerings were laid previous to the sacrifice. The HOLY OF HOLIES, or innermost chamber, was separated from the sanctuary by doors of olive, richly sculptured and inlaid. with gold, and covered with vails of blue, purple, scarlet, and the finest linen. The size of the holy of holies was the same as that of the porch, namely, twenty cubits square. It contained Antiq. lib. viii. c. 3. |