Part 13 (1/2)
Supreme Architect of universal nature, who, by Thine Almighty Word, didst speak into being the stupendous arch of heaven! And for the instruction and pleasure of Thy rational creatures, didst adorn us with greater and lesser lights, thereby magnifying Thy power, and endearing Thy goodness unto the sons of men. We humbly adore and wors.h.i.+p Thine unspeakable perfection! We bless Thee, that when man had fallen from his innocence and happiness, Thou didst leave him the powers of reasoning, and capacity of improvement and of pleasure. We thank Thee, that amidst the pains and calamities of our present state, so many means of refreshment and satisfaction are reserved to us while traveling the RUGGED PATH of life: especially would we, at this time, render Thee our thanksgiving and praise for the inst.i.tution, as members of which we are, at this time, a.s.sembled, and for all the pleasures we have derived from it. We thank Thee, that the few here a.s.sembled before Thee, have been favored with new inducements, and been laid under new and stronger obligations of virtue and holiness. May these obligations, O Blessed Father! have their full effect upon us.
Teach us, we pray Thee, the true reverence of Thy great, mighty, and terrible name. Inspire us with a firm and unshaken resolution in our virtuous pursuits. Give us grace diligently to search Thy word in the book of nature, wherein the duties of our high vocation are inculcated with divine authority. May the solemnity of the ceremonies of our inst.i.tution be duly impressed on our minds, and have a happy and lasting effect on our lives! O Thou, who didst aforetime appear unto Thy servant Moses IN A FLAME OF FIRE OUT OF THE MIDST OF A BUSH, enkindle, we beseech Thee, in each of our hearts, a flame of devotion to Thee, of love to each other, and of charity to all mankind. May all Thy miracles and mighty works fill us with Thy dread, and Thy goodness impress us with the love of Thy holy name. May HOLINESS TO THE LORD be engraven upon all our thoughts, words, and actions. May the incense of piety ascend continually unto Thee from the altar of our hearts, and burn day and night, as a sacrifice of sweet-smelling savor, well pleasing unto Thee. And since sin has destroyed within us the first temple of purity and innocence, may Thy heavenly grace guide and a.s.sist us in rebuilding a SECOND TEMPLE of reformation, and may the glory of this latter house be greater than the glory of the former! Amen. So mote it be.
Q. After the prayer what followed? A. We were again caused to travel three times around the room, during which the following pa.s.sage of Scripture was read, and we were shown a representation of the bush that burned and was not consumed:
Exodus iii. 1-6. ”Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back side of the desert, and came to the mountain of G.o.d, even to h.o.r.eb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush, and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, G.o.d called unto him out of the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And He said Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the G.o.d of thy father, the G.o.d of Abraham, the G.o.d of Isaac, and the G.o.d of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon G.o.d.”
Q. What followed? A. We again traveled, while the following pa.s.sage was read:
2 Chron x.x.xvi. 11-20. ”Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did THAT WHICH WAS evil in the sight of the Lord, his G.o.d, AND humbled not himself before Jeremiah, the prophet, SPEAKING from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, and he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord G.o.d of Israel. Moreover, all the chiefs of the priests and the people transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen: and polluted the house of the Lord which He had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord G.o.d of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, rising up betimes and sending; because He had compa.s.sion on His people, and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of G.o.d, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till THERE WAS no remedy.
Therefore he brought upon him the King of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compa.s.sion on young men or maidens, old men, or him that stooped for age; he gave them all unto his hand. And all the vessels of the house of G.o.d, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and treasures of the king, and of his princes; all THESE he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of G.o.d, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons, until the reign of the kingdom of Persia.”
At the close of this there was a representation of the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and the carrying captive of the children of Israel to Babylon. We were seized, bound in chains, and confined in a dungeon.
Q. What followed? A. We heard rejoicing, as of good news; the proclamation of Cyrus, King of Persia, was read in our hearing.
Ezra i. 1-3. ”Now in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, King of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus, King of Persia, the Lord G.o.d of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Who is there among you of all his people? His G.o.d be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord G.o.d of Israel, which is in Jerusalem.”
Q. What was then said to you? A. We were unbound and requested to go up to Jerusalem to a.s.sist in rebuilding the Temple, but objected, as we had no pa.s.s by which to make ourselves known to our brethren.
Q. What followed? A. The third chapter of Exodus, 13th and 14th verses, were read to us:
”And Moses said unto G.o.d, Behold! when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, the G.o.d of your fathers hath sent me unto you, and they shall say to me, what is his name? What shall I say to them? And G.o.d said unto Moses, I AM, THAT I AM. And thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
We were directed to use the words, ”I AM, THAT I AM” as a pa.s.s-word.
Q. What followed? A. We arose to go up to Jerusalem, and traveled over hills and valleys, rough and rugged ways, for many days; during which time, as we stopped occasionally, to rest and refresh ourselves, the following pa.s.sages from the Psalms were read in our hearing for our consolation and encouragement [Psalms cxli, cxlii, cxliii]:
Psalm cxli. ”Lord, I cry unto Thee; Make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice. Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense, and the lifting up of hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity. Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness: and let Him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil. Mine eyes are unto Thee, O G.o.d the Lord; in Thee is my trust; leave not my soul dest.i.tute. Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while that I withal escape.
Psalm cxlii. I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I showed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked, have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me; refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto Thee, O Lord; I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. Attend unto my cry, for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Thy name.
Psalm cxliii. Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications; in Thy faithfulness answer me, and in Thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with Thy servant; for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath made me to dwell in darkness.
Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. Hear me speedily, O Lord; my spirit faileth; hide not Thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear Thy loving kindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust; cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto Thee. Bring my soul out of trouble, and of Thy mercy cut off mine enemies; for I am Thy servant.”
At length we arrived at Jerusalem, and presented ourselves at the first Veil of the Tabernacle.
Q. What was there said to you? A. The Master of the first Veil demanded of us, ”Who comes there? Who dares approach this outer Veil of our sacred Tabernacle? Who comes here?”
Q. Your answer? A. Three weary travelers from Babylon. They then demanded of us who we were, and what were our intentions.
Q. Your answer? A. We are your own brethren and kindred of the tribe of Benjamin; we are the descendants of those n.o.ble families of Giblemites, who wrought so hard at the building of the first temple, were present at its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, by him carried away captive to Babylon, where we remained servants to him and his sons till the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia, by whose order we were liberated, and are now returned to a.s.sist in rebuilding the house of the Lord, without expectation of fee or reward.
Q. What further was demanded, of you? A. The pa.s.s-word, ”I am, that I am.” After giving which, the Master of the Veil, a.s.sured of his full confidence in us as worthy brethren, commended us for our zeal and gave us the token and words to enable us to pa.s.s the second Veil.
Q. What are they? A. The token is an imitation of that which Moses was commanded to exhibit to the children of Israel, casting his rod upon the ground it became a serpent, and putting forth his hand and taking it again by the tail, it became a rod in his hand. The words are these, ”SHEM, HAM, and j.a.pHETH.”