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royal arch
CHAPTER IX
the masonic manual
robert macoy
THIS degree is indescribably more august, sublime and important than
all which precede it; and is the summit and perfection of ancient Masonry.
It impresses on our minds a belief of the being and existence of a Supreme
Deity, without beginning of days or end of years; and reminds us of the
reverence due to his holy name. It
also
brings to light many essentials of the craft, which were, for the space
of four hundred and seventy years, buried in darkness; and without a
knowledge of which the Masonic character cannot be complete.
The lecture of this degree is divided into two sections, and should be
well understood by every Royal Arch Mason; upon an accurate acquaintance
with it, will depend his usefulness at our assemblies; and without it, he
will be unqualified to perform the duties of the various stations in which
his services may be required by the Chapter.
This section furnishes us with many interesting particulars relative to
the state of the fraternity, during and since the reign of King Solomon;
and illustrates the causes and consequences of some very important events
which occurred during his reign. It explains the mode of government and
organization of a Chapter; it designates the appellation, number and
situation of the several officers, and points out the purposes and duties
of their respective stations.*)
*) A Chapter of Royal Arch Masons consists of any convenient number of
members, and the following officers, exlusive of the Treasrer, Chaplain,
Stewards and Tyler, viz: M. E. High Priest, - his station is in the East
of the Sared Sanctuary; E. King, in the East, on the right of the M. E. H.
P.; E. Scribe, in the East. on the left of tle M. E. H. P.; Captain of the
Host, on the right, in front of the E. K.; Principal Sojournr, on the
left, in front of the E. Scribe; Royal Arch Captain, within the Fourth
Veil, or Sanctuary; M. of Third Veil, within the Third Veil; M of Second
Veil, within the Second Veil; M. of First VeiI, within the First Veil.
 Now we command you,
brethren, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh
disorderly, and not after the tradition that ye received of us. For
yourselves know how ye ought to follow us; for we behaved not ourselves
disorderly among you. Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but
wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be
chargeable to any of you; not because we have not power, but to make
ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. Foreven when we were with
you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he
eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly,
working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such, we command
and exhort, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But
ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing. And if any man obey not our word
by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may
be ashamed. Yet count him not as all enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
Now the LORD of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The LORD
be with you all - II THESR. iii.6 -16. *)
*) Isaiah lxi. 4-9 should be used instead of above, which is
inappropriate to this degree. - ED.
This section is fully supplied with illustrations of historical truth.
It amplifies, in beautiful an striking colors, that prosperity and
happiness ar the sure attendants of perseverance and justice while
dishonor and ruin invariably follow the practice of vice and immorality.
It contains much that is beautifully illustrative of the preceding
degrees; a perfect knowledge of which is essential to the accomiplished
and well-informed Mason.
The following prayer, charges and passages of Scripture are introduced
during the ceremony of Exaltation.
 I will bring the blind
by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not
known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things
straiglit. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. - ISA.
xlii. 16
"O thou eternal and omnipotent JEHOVAH, the glorious and everlasting I
AM, permit us, thy frail, dependent and needy creatures, in the name of
our Most Excellent and Supreme High Priest, to approach thy divine
Majesty. And do thou, who sittest between the Cherubim, incline thine ear to the voice of
our praises, and of our supplication; and vouchsafe to commune with us
from off the mercy seat. We humbly adore and worship the
unspeakable perfections, and thy unbounded goodness and benevolence. We
bless thee, that when man had sinned, and fallen from his innocence and
happiness, thou didst still leave unto him the powers of reasoning, and
the capacity of improvement and of pleasure. We adore Thee, that amidst
the pains and calamities of our present state, so many means of
refreshment and satisfaction are afforded us, while traveling the
rugged path of life. And O, thou who didst aforetime appear unto
thy servant Moses, in a fame 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 benevolence and charity to all
mankind. May the veils of ignorance and blindness be removed from
the eyes of our understandings, that we may behold and adore thy mighty
and wondrous works. May the rod and staff of thy grace and power
continually support us, and defend us from the rage of all our enemies,
and especially from the subtilty and malice of that old serpent,
who with cruel vigilance seeketh our ruin. May the leprosy of sin
be eradicated from our bosoms; and may Holiness to the Lord
be engraven upon all our thoughts, words and actions. May the incense of
piety ascend continually unto thee, from off
the altar of our hearts, and burn day and night, as a
sweet-smeiling savor unto thee. May we daily search the records of
truth, that we may be more and more instructed in our duty; and may
we share the blessedness of those who hear the sacred word and keep
it. And finally, O merciful Father, where we shall have passed through
the outward veils of these earthly courts, when the earthly
house of this tabernacle shall be dissolved, may we be admitted into the
Holy of Holies above, into the presence of the Grand Council
of Heaven, where the Supreme High Priest forever presides, forever
reigns."
Amen. So mote it be.
* * * * * * * *
 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 GOD,
even to Horeb. 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 when the LORD saw
that he turned aside to see, GOD called to 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 GOD of thy father, the GOD of Abraham, the GOD
of Isaac, and the GOD of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid
to look upon GOD." - EXOD. iii. 1-6.
* * * * * * * *
 Zedekiah was
one-and-twenty years old when he began to reigned eleven years in
Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his
GOD, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the
mouth of the LORD. And he also rebelled aginst king Nebuchadnezzar, and
stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart, from turning unto the LORD GOD
of Israel. Moreover, all the chief of the priests, and the people,
transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and
poiluted the house of the LORD, which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And
the LORD GOD of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, because he
had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of GOD 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 them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their
young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no
compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age;
he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of GOD,
great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the
treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to
Babylon. And they burnt the house of GOD, and brake 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.- II CHRON xxxvi 11-20
* * * * * *
 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 GOD 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 GOD be with him, and let him go up to
Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD GOD of
Israel, (he is the GOD) which is in Jerusalem. - EZRA i. 1-3.
* * * * * *
 And Moses said unto
GOD, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto
them, The GOD of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to
me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And GOD said unto Moses,
I AM THAT I AM: And he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of
Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. EXODUS iii 13, 14.
* * * * * *
 Lord, I cry unto thee:
make haste unto me: give ear unto my voice. Let my prayer be set before
thee as an incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening
sacrifice. Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Incline not mi heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men
that work iniquity. Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness;
anrid let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil. Mine eyes are unto
thee, O GOD the LORD; in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.
Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, and the gins of the
workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fail into their own nets, whilst that
I withal escape. - PSALM cxli.
* * * * * * * *
 I cried unto the LORD
with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. I
poured out imy complaint before him: I shewed 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 cxlii.
* * * * * * * *
 Hear my prayer, O
LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer we, 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 smitten my life down to the ground; 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 now the way wherein I should walk for I lift up my soul
unto thee. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my GOD; bring my soul out
of trouble, and of thy mercy cut off my enemies, for I am thy servant. -
PSALM cxliii.
And Moses answered and said. But, behold, they will not believe me, nor
hearken unto my voice, for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto
thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said,
A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground,
and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said
unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put
forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. That they
may believe that the LORD GOD of their fathers, the GOD of Abraham, the
GOD of Isaac, and the GOD of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. - EXODUS iv.
1-5.
* * * * * * * *
 And the LORD said
furthermore unto him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand
into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold his hand was leprous as
snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his
hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and behold, it
was turned again as his other flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they
will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign,
that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. - EXODUS iv. 6-8
* * * * * * * *
 And it shall come to pass, if
they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy
voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon
the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of thet river, shall
become blood upon the dry land. - EXODUS iv. 9
* * * * * * * *
 Speak
now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua,
the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is
left among you, that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see
_....... it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
Yet now be strong, O Zeruhbbabel; and be strong, O Joshua, son of
Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, for I
am with you, saith the LORD of Hosts.
 In that day will I
take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD,
and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee. - HAGGAI ii.
2-23.
The working tools of a Royal Arch Mason are the Crow, Pickax, and
Spade.
* * * * * * * *
 The hands of
Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also
finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of Hosts hath sent me unto
you. For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall
rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those
seven. - ZECHARIAH iv. 9, 10.
* * * * * * * *
In that day will I
raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches
thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days
of old. - AMOS ix. 11.
* * * * * * * *
The following passages of Scripture are read by the High Priest:
In the beginning GOD created the heaven and the earth. And the earth
was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep;
and the Spirit of GOD moved upon the face of the waters. And GOD said, Let
there be light; and there was light. - GENESIS i 1-3.
 And it came to pass,
when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book,
until they were finished that Moses commanded the Levites which bare the
ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law, and
put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your GOD, that
it may be there for a witness against thee. - DEUT. xxxi. 24-26.
 And the LORD said unto
Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a
token. - NUMBERS xvii, 10
 And Moses said, This is the thing
which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of the manna, to be kept for your
generations; that Do they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in
the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. And Moses
said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and
lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. As the Lord
commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony to be kept. -
EXODUS xvi. 32-34.
* * * * * * * *
And thou shall put the mercy-seat above, upon tie ark; and in the ark
thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. - EXODUS xxv. 21.
For there was a tabernacle made; the first wherein was the candlestick.
and the table, and the shew-bread; which is called the Sanctuary. And
after the veils, the tabernacle, which is calledl the Holiest of all;
which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant, overlaid round
about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's
rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; and over it, the
cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy-seat; of which we cannot now speak
particularly. - HEBREWS ix. 2-5.
And GOD spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord; and I
appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of GOD
ALMIGHTY; but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. - EXODUS vi.
2-3.
* * * * * * * *
The High Priest will then read the following passage:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with GOD, and the Word
was GOD. The same was in the beginning with GOD. All things were made by
him: and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life,
and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and
the darkness comprehended it not. - JOHN i 1-5.*)
*) Instead of the above, this lesson should consist of the first
chapter Genesis and the first three Verse of the second chapter. - ED.
[The WORKING TOOLS of a Royal Arch Mason may be thus explaned:
The working tools of a Royal Arch Mason, are the Crow, Pickax
and Spade. The Crow is used by operative masons to raise
things of great weight and bulk; the Pickax to loosen the soil and
prepare it for digging, and the Spade to remnove rubbish. But the
Royal Arch Mason is emblematically taught to use them for more noble
purposes. By them he is reminded that it his sacred duty to lift from his
mind the heavy weight of passions and prejudices which incumber his
progress towards virtue, loosening the hold which long habits of sin and
folly have had upon his disposition, and removing the rubbish of vice and
ignorance, which prevents him from beholding that eternal foundation of
truth and wisdom upon which he is to erect the spiritual and moral temple
of his second life]
* * * * * * * *
WORTHY COMPANION: By the consent and assistance of the members of this
Chapter, you are now exalted to the sublime and honorable degree of Royal
Arch Mason. The rites and mysteries developed in this degree, have been
handed down through a chosen few, unchanged by time, and uncontrolled by prejudice;
and we expect and trust they will be regarded by you with the same
veneration, and transmitted with the same scrupulous purity to your
successors.
No one can reflect on the ceremonies of gaining admission into this
place, without being forcibly struck with the important lessons which they
teach. Here we are necessarily led to contemplate, with gratitude and
admiration, the sacred Source from whence all earthly comforts flow. Here
we find additional inducements to continue steadfast and imnuoveable in
the discharge of our respective duties; and here we are bound by the most
solemn ties, to promote each other's welfare, and correct each other's
failings, by advice, admonition, and reproof. As it is our earnest desire,
and a duty we owe to our companions of this order, that the admission of
every candidate into this Chapter should be attended by the approbation of
the most scrutinizing eye, we hope always to possess the satisfaction of
finding none among us, but such as will promote, to the utmost of their
power, the great end of our institution. By paying due attention to this
determination, we expect your will never recommend any candidate to this
Chapter, whose abilities, and knowledge of the preceding degrees you
cannot freely vouch for, and whom you do not firmly and confidently
believe, will fully conform to the principles of our order, and fulfill
the obligations of a Royal Arch Mason. While such are our members we may expect to be united
in one object, without like warmness, inattention or neglect; but zeal
fidelity, and affection will be the distinguishing characteristics of our
society; and that satisfaction, harmony and peace may be enjoyed at our
meetings which no other society can afford.
The Chapter is closed with solemn ceremonies, and the following prayer
is rehearsed by the Most Excellent High Priest:
By the Wisdom of the Supreme High Priest, may we be directed; by
his Strength may we be enabled, and by the Beauty of virtue
may we be incited, to perform the obligations here enjoined on us; to keep
inviolably the mysteries here unfolded to us; and invariably to practice
all those duties out of the Chapter, which are inculcated in it."
Response - "So mote it be Amen."
* * * * * * * *
Thus famous fabric was situated on Mount Moriah, near the
place where Abraham was about to offer up his son Isaac, and where David
met and appeased the destroying angel. It was begun in the fourth year of
the reign of Solomon; the third after the death of David; four hundred and
eighty years after the passage of the Red Sea, and on the second day of the
month Zif, being the second month of the sacred year, which answers to the
21st of April, in the year of the world, 2992; and was carried on with
such prodigious speed, that it was finished, in all its parts, in little
more than seven years.
By the Masonic art, and the wise regulations of Solomon, every part of
the building, whether of stone, brick, timber or metal, was wrought and
prepared before they were brought to Jerusalem; so that the only tools
made use of in erecting the fabric were wooden instruments prepared for
that purpose. The noise of the ax, the hammer, and every other tool of
metal, was confined to the forests of Lebanon, where the timber was
procured; and to Mount Libanus, and to the plains and quarries of
Zeredatha, where the stones were raised, squared, marked and numbered;
that nothing might be heard among the Masons at Jerusalem, but harmony and
peace.
In the year of the world 3029, King Solomon died, and was succeeded by
his son Rehoboam, who, immediately after the death of his father, went
down to Sbechem, where the chiefs of the people were met together to
proclaim him king.
When Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt, whither he had fled
from the presence of Solomon, and whose ambition had long aspired to the
throne, heard of the death of the king, he
hastened to return from Egypt, to put himself at the head of the discontented
tribes, and lead them on to rebellion. He accordingly assembled them
together. and came to King Rehoboam, and spake to him after this
manner.
"Thy father made our yoke grievous; now therefore, ease thou somewhat
the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon
us, and we will serve thee. And he said unto them, Come again unto me,
after three days. And the people departed. And King Rehoboam took counsel
with the old men that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet
lived, saying, What counsel give ye me, to return answer to this people?
And they spake unto him saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please
them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants forever. But
he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel of the
young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him. And he
said unto them, what advice give ye, that we may return answer to this
people, which have spoken to me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that thy
father did put upon us? And the young men that were brought up with him
spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou answer the people that spake unto
thee saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it somewhat
lighter for us thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be
thicker than my father's loins. For,
whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to your yoke; my
father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the
king bade, saying, Come again to me on the third day. And the king
answered them roughly, and King Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old
men, and answered them after the advice of the young men, saying, My
father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto; my father chastised
you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. And when all
Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered
the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none
inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O! Israel: and
now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents." -
II CHRON. x.
After a series of changes and events, of which an account may be found
in the history of the Temple, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, with his
forces, took possession of Jerusalem, and having made captive Jehoiachim,
the king of Judah, elevated his uncle Zedekiah to the throne, after
binding him by a solemn oath neither to make innovations in the
government, nor to take part with the Egyptians in their wars against
Babylon.
At the end of eight years, Zedekiah violated his oath to
Nebuchadnezzar, by forming a treaty offensive and defensive with the
Egyptians; thinking that jointly they could subdue the king of Babylon. Nehuchadnezzar
immediately marched and ravaged Zedekiah's country, seized his castle and
fortress, and proceeded to the siege of Jerusalem Pharaoh, learning how
Zedekiah was pressed, advanced to his relief, with a view of raising the
siege. Nebuchadnezzar, haring intimation thereof, would not wait his
approach, but proceeded to give him battle, and in one contest drove him
out of Syria. This circumstance suspended the siege.
In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, the king of Babylon again
besieged Jerusalem with a large army, and for a year and a half exerted
all his strength to conquer it; but the city did not yield, though
enfeebled by famine and pestilence.
In the eleventh year the siege went on vigorously; the Babylonians
completed their works, having raised towers all around the city, so as to
drive the invaded party from the walls. The place, though a prey to plague
and famine, was obstinately defended during the space of a year and a
half. But at length, want of provisions and forces compelled its
surrender, and it was accordingly delivered, at midnight, to the officers
of Nebuchadnezzar.
In the seventieth year of the captivity of the Jews, and the first of
the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia, he issued his famous edict purporting
that the GOD adored by the Israelites was the Eternal Being through whose
bounty he enjoyed the regal dignity; and that he had found himself
honorably mentioned by the prophets of ancient date, as the person who should
cause Jerusalem to be rebuilt, and restore the Hebrews to their former
state of grandeur and independency; he, therefore, gave orders for the
release of the captives, with his permission to return to their own native
country, to rebuild the city, and the house of the Lord.
The principal people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with the
priests and Levites, immediately departed for Jerusalem and commenced the
undertaking; but many of the Jews determined to remain in Babylon, rather
than relinquish the possessions they had obtained in that city.
The Jews who accepted the proposals of Cyrus, for rebuilding the city
and temple, applied themselves with the greatest industry to prepare the
foundations thereof, but had made no considerable progress when
application was made by some of the neighboring nations, requesting the
princes and governors, who had direction of the work, to prevent further
proceedings. The most strenuous opposers of the intended structure were
the Chuthites, who resided on the other side of the river, and whom
Salmanezer, king of Assyria, had led to re-people Samaria, after he had
expelled the Israelites.
During the year 3484, Joshua and Zerubbabel incited by Haggai and
Zechariah, continued the work by order of Darius.
In the course of the year 3489, the second temple was
completed.
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