“Thou, O God, knowest our down-sitting and up-rising, and understandest our thoughts afar off, shield and defend
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us from the evil intentions of our enemies, and support us under the trials and afflictions which we are destined to endure while traveling through this vale of tears. Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. He cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down, he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. Seeing his days are determined, the number of months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; turn from him that he may rest, till he shall accomplish his day. For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. But man dieth and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fall from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up, so man lieth down and riseth not up till the heavens shall be no more. Yet, O Lord, have compassion on the children of thy creation; administer unto them comfort in time of trouble, and save them with an everlasting salvation. Amen, so mote it be.”
They then rise, and the conductor says to the candidate: “Brother, in further imitation of our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, let us retire at the south gate.” They then advance to the Junior Warden [who represents Jubela, one of the ruffians], who exclaims, “Who comes here?” [The room is dark, or the candidate hoodwinked.] The conductor answers, “Grand Master, Hiram Abiff.”
“Our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff!” exclaims the ruffian; “he is the very man I wanted to see.” [Seizing the candidate by the throat at the same time, and jerking him about with violence.] “Give me the Master Mason’s word or I’ll take your life!” The conductor replies, “I cannot give it now, hut if you will wait till the Grand Lodge assembles at Jerusalem, if you are found worthy, you shall then receive it, otherwise you cannot.” The ruffian then gives the candidate a blow with the twenty-four inch gauge across the throat, on which he fled to the west gate, where he was accosted by the second ruffian, Jubelo, with more violence, and on his refusal to comply with his request, he gave him a severe blow with the square across his breast, on which he attempted to make his escape at the east gate, where he was accosted by the third ruffian, Jubelum, with still more violence, and on refusing to
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comply with his request, the ruffian gave him a violent blow with the common gavel on the forehead, which brought him
to the floor; on which one of them exclaimed, “What shall we do? We have killed our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff!”
Another answers, “Let us carry him out of the east gate, and bury him in the rubbish till low twelve, and then meet and carry him a westerly course and bury him.”
The candidate is taken up in a blanket, on which he fell, and carried to the west end of the lodge, and covered up and left; by this time the Master has resumed his seat [King Solomon is supposed to arrive at the temple at this juncture] and calls to order, and asks the Senior Warden the cause of all that confusion.
The Senior Warden answers, “Our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, is missing, and there are no plans or designs laid down on the Trestle-board for the Craft to pursue their labors.”
The Master, alias King Solomon, replies, “Our Grand Master missing! Our Grand Master has always been very punctual in his attendance; I fear he is indisposed; assemble the Crafts, and search in and about the temple, and see if he can be found.
They all shuffle about the floor awhile, when the Master calls them to order and asks the Senior Warden, “What success?”
Moe is the founder of GnosticWarrior.com. He is a father, husband, author, martial arts black belt, and an expert in Gnosticism, the occult, and esotericism.
to the floor; on which one of them exclaimed, “What shall we do? We have killed our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff!”
