The national Republican., 1867-05-24

only as somo fossiliEed bone, serving merely tt
show the nature Of the once living body to which
II had belonged.
Temple worship Is In itself an ancient typo Of
the religious sentiment, In It's progress toward
spiritual elsyation. As soon as a nation emerged
out Of hsticism or the worship Of visible objects
which is the most degraded form Of idolatry. a,
people began TO establish priesthood and Il
erect temples The Goths, the Celts, the Egyp.
tians, and tho Greeks, however much thew NAV
have differed In the ritual and In the obisets II
their polythestic worship, were all In thc pos,es
sion o. fPriests and Of temples. The Jews, comply.
ing with this law OF our religious nature frat con.
'tructed their tabernacle, or portable temple,
and then, when time and opportunity permitted,
transferred their monotheistic worship to that
more permanent edihcs, which lowered in ali It's
magniheencs above the pinnacle Of Mount Mo.
riah. The mosque Of the Mohammodan and the
church or the chapel Of the Christian IL but an
embodiment Of the same idea Of temple worship
In q simpler form.
The adaptation therefore Of the temple o,
Jerusalem to science Of symbolism would be an
easy task to the mind OF those Jews and Tyriaus
who were engaged In Its construction, and from
whom the Masonic Order claims to derive Its
origin. Doubtless at its original conception tho
idea Of this temple symbolism was rude and un.
imbellished. Itwas to be perfected and polished
only BY future aggregations OF sueeosding intel.
lsets. And yet no Biblical nor Masonic scholar
will venture TO deny that there was, In the mode
Of building and in all the circumstances connected
with the construction Of King Solomon's temple,
an apparent design to establish foundation for
The Fresmasons have, at all events, seized
with nyidity the IDEA Of representing in their
symbolic language the interior and Spiritual man
By material temple, They have embraced the
doctrine Of the great Apostle Of the Gentiles
who has said KNOW, ys are the temple Of God
and fhat the spirit Of God dweIleth In you. u
only to this first temple erected By the wisdom
Of King Solomon, make IL the symbol Of life;
and as the great object OF Masonry Is tho search
after truth, they are directed to build up thi,
temple as fitting receptacle for truth when
found, place where II may dwell, Just as the
ancient Jews built up their great temple as
dwelling.place for Him who Is tho author Of all
truth.
To the Master Mason this temple OF Solomon
Is truly the symbol Of human lfej for, like life,
II was to have It's end. For four centuries II
glttered on the hills Of Jerusalem In all its gor
geous magnihcencei now under somo pious dc.
scendAnt Of the wise king Of Israel, the spot
from whose altars arose the burnt offerings TO q
living God, and now polluted by some recrsant
monarch Of Judah to the service Of Baai; until
at length II received the vindictiye punishment
Of the mighty king Of Babylon, and having been
despoiled Of all It's treasures, was burnt 10 the
ground, so that nothing was left Of all Its splen
dor but smouldsring heap Of ashes. Variable
In its purposes, eyanesoent In its existence, now
a gorgeous pile Of architectural beauty, and anon
ruin over which the resistless power Of FIRE has
passed, II becomes a At symbol Of human life,
occupied In the search after divine troth which
10 nowhere TO be found now SHINING and now 70.
pontanti now vigorous with health and strength,
and anon q sonsolsss and deosying corpse.
Such 10 the prominent symbol Of that Grst class
Of Masons to whom I have alluded, and who, by
their numbers, constitute the great mass of tn
Fraternity. 10
But the second class, the Royal Arch Mason,,
looking beyond this temple Of Solomon, hnd In
Scriptural history another temple, which,
years aftsr the destruction Of the drst one, was
erected upon Its ruinsi and thoy have selected
the second temple, the temple Of Zerubbabel, as
their prominent symbol And as tho first class
Of Masons find In their temple the symbol Of
mortal life. limited and perishAble, they, on the
contrary, see In this second temple built upon
tho foundations Of the first, symbol Of life ster-
nal, where the lost truth shall be found. whore
new incense shall arise from q new altar, aud
whose perpetuity their great Master had prom.
ised, when In the very spirit Of symbolism he ex.
claimed, "Destroy this temple, aud In three days
will raise It up
And now this higher body of Masons, who had
long cultivated, under q foreign jurisdiction,
those elements Of their abstruser and more ele.
vatod symbolism, having at length succeeded In
the organization, within themselves, OF q con.
trolling and governing association, to whom thsy
may entrust the administration Of their local af-
fairs, have met together tonight to inaugurate
their establishment as q Grand Chapter, and to
install into their appropriate Offices those whom
they had previously elected as their guides and
leaders.
The ceremonies by which this Inauguration 10
TO be oonsecrated are like everything connected
with Freemasonry, Of . symbolic character. Be.
meath the outward appearance Of an induction
into once lies those Lessons Of wisdom which
mono but those who huvs bsen within the sacred
veil can properly appreoiate, Everything seem.
ingly Of mysterious character is to the cult.
yated Masonic mind redolent Of profound lessons
Of truth and wisdom. Tho very name Of the OF.
feers bear rsfersnee-not TO what officers Of
similar rank and title arc supposed to represent
In the profane world, but TO those events and
principles which have consscrated that second
temple Of Jerusalem In tho Royal Arch science
as the symbol Of eternal life. Here are the
Priest the King, the Scribe. Tho Priest above
the King because In that second temple of the
future life things spiritual shall be above and
beyond things temporal, and all referring Ia
those venerable men who came, after years oi
captivity, to their old and dilapidatsd home,
there to rebuild tho House Of the Lord-thers
again to eroot the holy altar and thero to 70.
kindio the sacred FIRE, and to burn anew the long.
neglected sacrifice.
And on this solemn occasion we fnd tho toler.
ance Of our institution beautifully developing II.
self In tho attendance Of those various branches
Of the order, which, cultivating other fields Of
Masonic science, and subscribing to other dogmas
Of Masonic faith, are yet united In the desire to
do honor TO their brethren.
Here come the Master Masons, bringing with
them all their voneration for the FIRST temple Of
Solomon as their own peculiar symbol, and yet
joining In the welcome given to those who have
abandoned that symbol as no longer worthy OF
thsir cultivation, and who have replaced II by
another temple Of which the Master Mason 10
wholly ignorant.
And here, too, como the Templars, the success.
sors OF those poor fellow. soldiers Of Christ, who
recognising neither arst nor q second temple
As appropriate subjects Of their study, seek TO
and the symbolism by which they are to be en-.
lightened with the light OF TRUTH in the sepul-
ehre oftheir Lord to protect which from the pol.
luton Of unholy hands was the labor Of their
ancestors, who imbued the land Of Palestine with
their martyr blood.
And these brethren are oil here to do honor
and TO give welcome to that other and distinct
class Of the fraternity, forgetful Of any differ
ences Of opinion, unmindful Of their diversity of
labor, remembering only that although their
altars are different, and their theories In many
respects opposed, yet they arc all Of one heart
and one accord In obedience to that great lesson
Of their common fraternity, that they shall learn
to know him whom they recognize, whatever be
the temple, or the altar, or the sacrifice, as the
Great Master Builder, from whom We have 70.
oeived all light, and who has taught US how to