it universally prevalent, and practised everywhere in connection with groves of trees ritually consecrated to the deity. The use of these mountainous groves is of such unknown antiquity, that it is thought to be antecedent to either temples or altars. We know, however,—and that is early enough for our purpose, that Abraham built an altar on Mount Ephraim, and planted a grove in Beer-sheba, in both places offering prayers and supplications, and calling on the name of Jehovah. The darkness, silence, and solemnity of a thick grove of trees might suggest an idea of the Divine Presence consecrating such localities, and inspiring the soul with a sacred awe and veneration which it did not experience in any other place.

The propensity for such a practice might receive an additional impulse amongst his posterity, from a tradition, garbled perhaps, but still correct in its main particulars, of the appearance of the Deity on Mount Sinai and the delivery of the law, which could not fail to spread rapidly amongst the surrounding nations, and confirm the idea of holiness which previously existed in favour of mountains and hills. 3 For this reason, Jehovah himself, in order to guard

Gen. xii. 8.

2 Gen. xxi. 33.

3 The Persians assert that Zoroaster, determining, from a love of wisdom and virtue, to lead a solitary life upon a certain mountain, he found it one day all in a flame, shining with celestial fire, out of the midst of which he came without any harm; and afterwards instituted certain sacrifices to God, who, as he declared, had then appeared to him. Several ancient writers have endeavoured to prove that this was a corrupt tradition of the vision of Moses at the burning bush.

the Israelites from being led away by such a false impression, charged them utterly to destroy all the places wherein the nations served their gods, whether on the high mountains, or under the green trees.* We find, however, that the prophet Samuel offered his sacrifice on a hill when Saul was anointed king of Israel.5

But it is with a mountain in the land of Moriah that we are most concerned in the present discussion. Passing over the Rabbinical figment, that Adam and Eve were created on this mountain,—that it was the place where Cain and Abel offered their sacrifices, and where Noah built his altar; that Isaac and Rebecca, having lived nineteen years together without having a child, kneeled down and prayed to have a son on the selfsame spot where Isaac had been laid upon the altar, and that it was here that Jacob saw his vision,-I shall adopt a more reasonable hypothesis. The mountain had three lofty summits, which were respectively called Moriah, Sion, and Acra; and in ancient times all three-peaked mountains were invested with the attribute of holiness. And on the authority of Calmet I subjoin a description of this locality, which had always been esteemed a sacred place. It afforded a plot of ground for the resort of worshippers; and thus obtained repute on account of its character. It was an oblong square, prepared and levelled and surrounded by a grove. The hill-top being thus resorted to, a few tents were at first pitched about the foot of the hill to accom

4 Deut. xii. 2.

5 1 Sam. ix, 12.

modate the devotees, who are supposed to have been numerous on particular occasions. To these succeeded a few permanent houses, and by degrees the village increased to a town, until at length the establishment assumed the importance of a city. On the summit of this mountain Abraham offered up his son Isaac; which shows its sanctity at a still earlier period; for it does not appear that Abraham found an altar already constructed when he sacrificed there, although it was doubtless a consecrated place. And it was evidently surrounded by a grove, because the ram, which was substituted for Isaac, was caught in a thicket by its horns.

Mount Moriah is identified in Freemasonry with the floor of the Lodge, which is also an oblong square, and not unfrequently called Moriah, in reference to the three grand offerings that were celebrated in that particular locality, all of which were accepted by the Most High. They were therefore very properly pressed into the service of Freemasonry by our ancient Brethren, as the elements of consecration to sanctify the Masonic floor. We are consequently bound to take them as they appear in the rituals promulgated under the sanction of Grand Lodge. It is true that, in the actual consecration ceremony, no reference to these offerings is made; the reasons for this omission I shall not attempt to explain. I remember, on a certain occasion many years ago, when the W. M. was repeating the allusion to them in the regular course of lecturing, a learned clerical Brother, who was not a very enthusiastic Mason, rose and said, "How does it

happen, W. Sir, that in the consecration of our Lodges these offerings are never referred to?" The question was embarrassing, and the W. M. reluctantly answered, for he had nothing else to say, "Ask the authorities. They prescribe the forms; we merely execute them; and these offerings are said to render the groundwork of Masonry holy, because they were all made on the same consecrated spot, and equally met with the Divine approbation." It was indeed the only rational answer that could be given. The floor of a Lodge is technically termed MoriahMoriah was holy ground-and therefore the Lodge necessarily partakes of its peculiar sanctity.

LECTURE IX.

THE FIRST

GRAND

OFFERING.

"So very exact was the parabolical representation of the offering of Isaac, that the duration of the action, namely, three days, was the same as between Christ's death and resurrection, both of which were decided to be represented by it; and further, that not only the final anti-typical sacrifice of the Son of God was figured in the commanded one of Isaac, but the intermediate typical sacrifice in the Mosaic economy was represented by the permitted sacrifice offered up instead of Isaac."-BISHOP WARBURTON.

"OUR Lodge stands on holy ground, because the first Lodge was consecrated on account of three Grand Offerings thereon made, which received the Divine approbation. The first was the ready compliance of Abraham with the command of God in offering up his son Isaac as a burnt-offering, when it pleased the Almighty to substitute a more agreeable victim in his stead. The second consisted of the pious prayers and ejaculations of King David, which appeased the wrath of God, and stayed a pestilence which then raged among his people, owing to his inadvertently having had them numbered. And the third comprehended the many thanksgivings, oblations, sacrifices, and offerings which Solomon, king of Israel, made at the dedication and consecration of the Temple at Jerusalem to God's service."