The Mysteries of Free Masonry

KNIGHTS OF THE CHRISTIAN MARK, AND GUARDS OF THE CONCLAVE

This Conclave is governed by an Invincible Knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, a Senior and Junior Knight, six Grand Ministers, Recorder, Treasurer, Conductor, and Guard.

Opening.—"Sir Junior Knight, are all convened in a secret place, and secured from the prying eye of the profane?"

"We are, Invincible."

"Sir Senior Knight, instruct the Sir Knights to assemble in form for the purpose of opening this Invincible Order."

The members kneel on both knees in a circle, each with his right hand on his heart, his left on his forehead.

Prayer.—"Eternal source of life, of light, and perfection, Supreme God and Governor of all things, liberal dispenser of every blessing! We adore and magnify Thy holy name for the many blessings we have received from Thy hands, and acknowledge our unworthiness to appear before Thee; but for the sake, and in the name of Thy atoning Son, we approach Thee as lost and undone children of wrath; but through the blood of sprinkling, and the sanctification of the Holy Ghost, we come imploring a continuation of Thy favors, for thou hast said, that he who cometh to Thee through faith in the Son of Thy love, Thou wilt in no wise cast out; therefore, at the foot of the cross we come, supplicating pardon for our past offences, that they may be blotted out from the book of Thy remembrance and be seen no more, and that the remainder of our days may be spent as becometh the followers of the Holy One of Israel; and graciously grant that love, harmony, peace, and unity may reign in this Council; that one spirit may animate us—one God reign over us—and one heaven receive us, there to dwell in Thine adorable presence forever and ever. Amen."

The Invincible Knight takes the Bible and waves it four times over his head, saying, "Rex regnantium, et Dominus dominantium;" [that is, King of kings, and Lord of Lords;] kisses it and passes it on his right; it goes around until it comes again to the Invincible Knight, who opens and reads, Matthew v. 3-12, 16.

Always interlace the fingers of the left hand, draw your sword and present it to the heart, and say, "Tammuz Touliumeth, I pronounce this Convention opened in ample form. Let us repair to our several stations, and strictly observe silence."

Preparation.—The candidate is shown into the anti-chamber by the conductor, who clothes him in a gown of brown stuff, and leads him to the door of the Council chamber, where he knocks twice, six, and two—2, 6, and 2.

Junior Knight—"Some one knocks for admission, Invincible Knight." Invincible—"See who it is and make report." J. K. (goes to the door and reports)—"One that is faithful in good works wishes admission here." Inv.—"What good works hath he performed?" J. K.—"He hath given food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, and clothed the naked with a garment." Inv.—"Thus far he hath done well; but there is still much for him to do. To be faithful in my house, saith the Lord, he should be filled with love for my people. If so, let him enter under the penalties of his symbolic obligation." He enters, makes signs until he arrives at the altar, there kneels.

Vow.—"I, A. B., do promise and vow, with this same volume clasped in my hands, that I will keep secret the words, signs, tokens, and grips of this Order of Knighthood from all but those Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, who have shown a Christian disposition to their fellow-men, are professors of the Christian faith, and have passed through the degrees of symbolic Masonry; and that I will protect and support, as far as in me lies, the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ; feed them, if hungry; give them drink, if thirsty; if naked, clothe them with garments; teach them, if ignorant; and advise them for their good and their advantage. All this I promise in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and if I perform it not, LET ME BE ANATHEMA MARANATHA! ANATHEMA MARANATHA!" [i.e., accursed at the coming of the Lord.]

The Invincible Knight interlaces the fingers of his left hand with those of the candidate, who lays his right hand on his heart. The Invincible Knight draws his sword; the Senior Knight does the same; they cross them on the back of the candidate's neck, and the Invincible Knight says, "By virtue of the high power in me vested, by a bull of His Holiness, Pope Sylvester, I dub you a Knight of the Christian Mark, member of the Grand Council, and Guard of the Grand Conclave." The Invincible Knight then whispers in his ear, "Tammuz Touliumeth." The Knights come to order; the Senior Knight takes his seat; the candidate continues standing; the conductor brings a white robe; the Senior Knight says:

"Thus saith the Lord, he that believeth and endureth to the end shall overcome, and I will cause his iniquities to pass from him, and he shall dwell in my presence forever and ever. Take away his filthy garments from him, and clothe him with a change of raiment. For he that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and his name shall be written in the Book of Life, and I will confess his name before my Father and his holy angels. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the true believer. Set ye a fair mitre upon his head, place a palm in his hand, for he shall go in and out and minister before me, saith the Lord of hosts; and he shall be a disciple of that rod taken from a branch of the stem of Jesse. For a branch has grown out of his root, and the spirit of the Lord hath rested upon it; the spirit of his wisdom, and might, and righteousness is the girdle of his loins and faithfulness the girdle of his vine, and he stands as an insignia to the people, and him shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious. Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, every one with the destroying weapon in his hand."

The six Grand Ministers came forward from the north with swords and shields. The first is clothed in white, and has an ink-horn by his side, and stands before the Invincible Knight, who says:

"Go through the city: run in the midst thereof and smite: let not thine eye spare, neither have pity; for they have not executed my judgments with clean hands, saith the Lord or Hosts."

The candidate is instructed to exclaim:

"Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and my dwelling has been In the tents of Kedar, and among the children of Meshec."

Then he that has the ink-horn by his side, takes a live branch with the tongs from the altar, and touches the lips of the candidate, and says:

"If ye believe, thine iniquities shall be taken away, thy sins shall be purged. I will that these be clean with the branch that shall be given up before me. All thy sins are removed, and thine iniquities blotted out. For I have trodden the wine-press alone, and with me was none of my people. For behold, I come with dyed garments from Bozrah, mighty to save. Refuse not, therefore, to hearken; draw not away thy shoulders; shut not thine ear, that thou shouldest not hear."

The six Ministers now proceed as if they were about to commence the slaughter, when the Senior Knight says to him with the ink-horn:

"Stay thine hand; proceed no further until thou hast set a mark on those that are faithful in the house of the Lord, and trust in the power of his might. Take ye the signet, and set a mark on the forehead of my people that have passed through great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb, which was slain from the foundation of the world."

The Minister takes the signet and presses it on the candidate's forehead. He leaves the mark in red letters, "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords." The Minister opens the scroll and says, "Sir Invincible Knight, the number of the sealed are one hundred and forty and four thousand." The Invincible Knight strikes four, and all the Knights stand before him. He says, "Salvation belongeth to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." All the members fall on their faces, and say "Amen. Blessing, honor, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, and power, might, majesty, and dominion, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen." They all cast down crowns and palm branches, and rise up and say, "Great and numberless are thy works, thou King of saints. Behold the star which I laid before Joshua, on which is engraved seven eyes, as the engraving of a signet, shall be set as a seal on thine arm—as a seal on thine heart; for love is stronger than death: many waters cannot quench it. If a man would give all the treasures of his house for love, he cannot obtain it; it is the gift of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord."

Charge.—"Invincible Knight, I congratulate you on your having been found worthy to be promoted to this honorable Order of Knighthood. It is highly honorable to all those worthy Knights, who with good faith and diligence, perform its many important duties. The honorable situation to which you are now advanced, and the illustrious office which you now fill is one that was much desired by the first noblemen of Italy, but ambition and jealousy caused his highness, Pope Alexander, to call on his ancient friend, the Grand Master of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, to guard his person and the Holy See, as those Knights were known to be well grounded in the faith, and zealous followers of the Lord. The members of the guard were chosen BY THEIR COUNTENANCES, for it is believed that a plain countenance is an indication of the heart; and that no stranger should gain admission and discover the secrets of this august assembly, this Order of the Christian Mark was conferred on those who went about doing good, and following the example of their illustrious Master, Jesus Christ. Go thou and do likewise.

Motto.—"Christus regnat, vincit, triumphat;" [i.e., Christ rules, conquers, triumphs.] Rex regnantium, et Dominus dominantium.

Israel on the left breast, a triangular plate of gold, seven eyes engraved on one side, on the other the letter G in the five points.

KNIGHTS OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE

History.—St. Helena, daughter of Caylus, King of Britain, consort of Constantine, and mother of Constantine the Great, in the year 296, made a journey to the Holy Land in search of the cross of Jesus Christ. After leveling the hillocks and destroying the temple of Venus, three crosses were discovered. It was now difficult to discover which of the three was the one sought for by her. By order of his Holiness, Pope Marcellinus, they were borne to the bed of a woman who had long been visited by sickness, and lay at the point of death; she placed her hands upon the second cross first, which rendered her no service; but when she laid her hand upon the third, she was restored to her former health. She instantly arose, giving glory to God, saying, He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of sin was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. On the spot where the crosses were found, St. Helena erected a stately church, one hundred paces long and sixty wide; the east end takes in the place where the crosses stood, and the west of the sepulchre. By leveling the hills, the sepulchre is above the floor of the church, like a grotto, which is twenty feet from the floor to the top of the rock. There is a superb cupola over the sepulchre, and in the aisles are the tombs of Godfrey and Baldwin, kings of Jerusalem. In 302, St. Helena instituted the Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This Order was confirmed in 304 by his Holiness, Pope Marcellinus; they were bound by a sacred vow to guard the Holy Sepulchre, protect pilgrims, and fight infidels and enemies of the cross of Christ. The city of Jerusalem was rebuilt and ornamented by Ælius Adrian, Emperor of Rome, and given to the Christians in 120. The Persians took it from them in 637, and in 1008 it fell into the hands of the Turks, under whose oppressions it long groaned, until Peter the Holy steered the western princes to release the distressed church, and in 1096 Godfrey and Baldwin unfurled the banner of the cross and expelled the Turks. He was invested with a crown of laurel, and suffered himself to be called the King of Palestine.

Description, Etc.—The Council must represent a Cathedral Church, the altar covered with black, upon which must be placed three large candles, a cross, and in the centre a skull and cross-bones. The Principal stands on the right side of the altar, with a Bible in one hand, and a staff in the other; soft music plays, and the veil is drawn up, and discovers the altar; the choir say:

The priest steps before the altar and says, "Kyrie Elieson; Christe Elieson; Kyrie Elieson; [that is, O Lord, have mercy; O Christ, have mercy; O Lord, have mercy.] Amen. Gloria Sibi Domino! [i.e., Glory to the Lord himself.] I declare this Grand Council opened and ready to proceed to business." The Priests and Ministers take their several stations and observe order. The candidates being prepared, he alarms at the door by seven raps, and the Prelate says to Verger, "See the cause of that alarm and report." Verger goes to the door and reports, "Right Reverend Prelate, there are seven brethren who solicit admission to this Grand Council." Prelate says, "On what is their desire founded?" Verger—"On a true Christian principle, to serve the church and its members by performing the seven corporeal works of mercy, and to protect and guard the Holy Sepulchre from the destroying hands of our enemies." Prelate—"Admit them, that we may know them, if you please." They are then admitted. Prelate says to them, "Are you followers of the Captain of our salvation?" Verger says, "We are, Right Reverend Prelate." P.—"Attend, then, to the sayings of our Master, Jesus Christ." Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, and with all thy might. This is the first great commandment, and the second is like unto it; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself; on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. The Verger and Beadle hold the Bible, on which the candidates place their right hands.

Vow.—"I, A. B., in the name of the high and undivided Trinity, do promise and vow to keep and conceal the high mysteries of this noble and Invincible Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, from all but such as are ready and willing to serve the church of Christ by acts of valor and charity, and its members by performing all the corporeal works of mercy, and that, as far as in me lies, I will defend the church of the Holy Sepulchre from pillage and violence, and guard and protect pilgrims on their way to and from the Holy Land; and if I perform not this, my vow, to the best of my abilities, let me become INANIMATUS [dead].

Interlace your fingers with the candidate, cross your arms, and say, "De mortuis, nil nisi bonum; [i.e., concerning the dead, say nothing but good.] Prelate says, "Take the sword and travel onward—guard the Holy Sepulchre—defeat our enemies—unfurl the banner of our cross—protect the Roman Eagle—return to us with victory and safety." The candidates depart, go to the south, where they meet a band of Turks—a desperate conflict ensues—the Knights are victorious; they seize the crescent, and return to the cathedral in triumph, and place the banner, eagle, and crescent before the altar, and take their seats. (22d chapter St. John read by Prelate.) Then the choir sing:

Prelate then says, "Let our prayer come before Thee, and let our exercise be acceptable in thy sight." The seven candidates kneel at the foot of the altar. The Prelate takes the bread, and says, "Brethren, eat ye all of this bread in love, that ye may learn to support each other." He then takes the cup, and says, "Drink ye all of this cup to ratify the vow that ye have made, and learn to sustain one another." The Prelate then raises them up by the grip (interlace the fingers), and says, "1st, Sir, I greet thee a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre; go feed the hungry; 2d, Give drink to the thirsty; 3d, Clothe the naked with a garment; 4th, Visit and ransom the captives; 5th, Harbor the harborless, give the orphan and widow where to lay their heads; 6th, Visit and relieve the sick; 7th, Go and bury the dead." All make crosses and say, "In nomini patria filio et spiritus sancto. Amen." Prelate says, "Brethren, let us recommend to each other the practice of the four cardinal virtues—prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude."

Closing.—The Knights all rise, stand in circle, interlace their fingers, and say, "Sepulchrum." Prelate then says, "Gloria patri, et filio, et spiritus sancto;" [i.e., Glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.] Brethren answer, "Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper et in secula seculorum; [i.e., As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be, world without end.] Amen."

Benediction.—"Blessed be thou, O Lord, our God! Great first cause and Governor of all things; thou createst the world with thy bountiful hand, and sustained it by thy wisdom, by thy goodness, and by thy mercy! It cometh to pass that seed time and harvest never fall! It is Thou that givest every good and perfect gift! Blessed be thy name forever and ever!"