A Spiritualist's Revelation On Ancient Masonry.

A SPIRITUALIST'S REVELATION ON ANCIENT MASONRY .

BY BRO . JACOB NORTON .-

A BROTHER recently showed me a lecture , by W . J . Colville , a spiritualist , which also contained some poetry . Mr . Colville claimed that the poetry was due to his mother ' s spirit * , the brother referred to informed me that Colville was an uneducated Englishman ; that all the

quotations he cited , from books , came to him by inspiration , and that he was not a Mason . Since then my friend lent me a pamphlet , containing three lectures by the same spiritualist , on " The wonders of Egypt , " and as these

lectures give new revelations , about our ancient Egyptian brethren , " I shall , therefore , make these revelations known to my English readers , that , if found worthy of credit , they may be incorporated into a future history of Masonry .

Mr . Colville believes that the hieroglyphics on the Egyptian pyramids are nothing more nor less than prophecies , and he says : — " That it needs only an adequate knowlege of the

antiquity of Masonry and hieroglyphics to decipher the history of the past and prophecy of the future , clearly written upon them ( the pyramids ) in symbolic language ; employing objects in material nature as correspondences to

spiritual and national events . . . Outwardly , all the pyramids are similar , the great pyramid being outwardly distinguished from the rest only by its superior size ; but when an entrance has been effected , the likeness vanishes

and this one pyramid stands alone as the past Grand Masonic Lodge of the earth ; the seat and centre of supreme knowledge of earth and heaven , of the numberless worlds in space , and of the relation of each to each

and each to all . . . . The great pyramid has , doubtless , stood between 20 , 000 and 30 , 000 years ( what a pity that the spirits could not give the exact age ) , and has been submerged in time of the great and general deluge ; but the

record of its pre-historic career is entombed in such chambers , galleries , and vaults as have not yet been explored , but mention of which is made in occult literature , to those who can understand the references . These

discoveries were made by the ancients , and , familiar to the highest adepts of the Orient , will become public ere long .... Whatsoever is discovered externally by scientific process ,

has been first announced by spiritual revelation . . . . The utter unreadiness on the part of mankind at large to receive occult knowledge , without the evil of mysticism , lay at the root of all the Masonic institutions in the world .

Every Lodge of Masons professes some secret , carefully shrouded from the world ; on the plea that the world is not ready to know what the initiated hold in their grasp ; while in ancient days secreoy was enjoined on the members

of such orders as a safeguard . . . . The tone of secrecy to-day is largely sentimental , often morbid , and frequently the result of an inordinate love of power . " The secret orders of the world , as generally known to

mankind , are very inferior connections of these grand old august Lodges , of which the highest of all is the Order of Melchisedec . This Order , so ancient that its birthday is lost in unfathomable depths of soundless antiquity , was certainly known to Abraham The Order of Aaron and that of Melchisedec are certainly

mentioned in the Old and New Testaments , as entirely distinct , but not as in opposition to each other . The great difference between them was , that one was temporal and the other eternal . That of Melchisedec , like its founder , had neither beginning of life nor end of days , while the other

was related to outward customs and observances , both religious and civil . The Order of Melchisedec was known to David , as he mentioned it in the Psalms . The 110 th

Psalm is usually considered prophetic of the Messiah . The words , ' Thou art a priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec , ' are said , by all orthodox Christians , to refer to

Jesus Christ , while the orthodox Jews regard them as typical of the unending reign of the Messiah who is yet to come . "But who was Melchisedec and his Order ? are questions

asked by scholars and their pupils alike . The ordinary commentaries on the Bible have no more satisfactorily explained Melchisedec than they have the Apocalypse , and there is indeed no satisfactory solution of the mystery of this most mysterious Order other than that familiar to those so far acquainted with Oriental antiquities and occult

A Spiritualist's Revelation On Ancient Masonry.

literature that they possess a clue , yea the very key to the origin of religions and Masonry on earth , and who therefore know what the designer of the great pyramid evidently knew The grand pyramid is evidently a temple of science , philosophy , religion and art . It is

fourfold , and yet it is a perfect unity The four sides of the square signify universal brotherhood , and eventually

the universal dissemination of truth There are four great sciences which were known to the ancients , upon which they based all their calculations , and in accordance with which they reared their temples , arranged their ceremonies , and predicted the future . "

As astrology was one of the Egyptian sciences , our lecturer entered into a defence thereof ; not indeed the vulgar kind of fortune telling astrology we hear of , but about a science which is " the esoteric side of astronomy . "

He says : — " Whatever affects one world in a system affects all , and whatever affects one system of worlds , affects all the worlds in the universe Therefore , the past few years , when several planets have made their prehelion passages almost

simultaneously , have been years of great commotion , energy and strife . Not only the predictions made by the instruments of the spirit world , in this country , and elsewhere a few years ago , have been literally fulfilled with the mosfc

startling accuracy ; but none save those who blindly shut their eyes to facts , and are held in the unyielding vice of senseless prejudice , can hold other than one of the two theological opinions and defensible explanations of these

prophecies and their fulfilments , which have yet been offered to the world . " [ It can be shown ] "how in an especial sense at the present moment , the unsettled weather , the light before the sunrise and after the sunset , which has

recently perplexed the astronomers so much , the numerous earthquakes , eruptions , storms , accidents , wars , rebellions , sickness , & c . & c , are all results of the present position of the four planets . "

Hence , as the Egyptian Masons were adepts in the astrological science , they have not only calculated the conjunctions of the planets that will take place to the end of the world , but have also inscribed the predictions they signify for all time coming , on the stones of the great pyramid ; and , when all these stones are brought to light , then we shall know—what we shall know . Our lecturer also said : — " This Order [ of Melchisedec ] is altogether spiritual , and

exists in the spirit world , though it is represented on earth by a Lodge whose members are mediums of the twelve angels who form it in spirit world ; as angelic life is dual , the members of this Order are twenty-four in number , twelve males and twelve females always constituting it . " Masonic Orders which exclude women are untrue to the

most ancient Masonic Orders of the world , and so far as masculine monopoly has tyrannised over the rights of the female sex , Masonry has degenerated ; but the most ancient mysteries in the world are hidden under a veil of ceremonial

burn continually ... in the tabernacle of the congregation

mystery in the highest Lodges . The majority of modern Masons ignore magic , and know little , if anything , of the true spiritual significance of the ceremonies performed at their meetings Masonry has a certain value , its principles are moral , and its general influence good . "

Now , I must candidly confess that I believe Mr . Colville is sincere , and that he is not as uninformed as my friend who called my attention to his lectures supposed him to be . Of course , I can say nothing about Mr . Colville ' s

spiritual Lodge , bufc I think that either the spirits or himself were mistaken about an Order of Aaron , or Melchisedec , that had been known to the writers of the Old Testament ; for this I shall give my reasons—not , indeed ,

because I fear that Bro . Gould will insert the above revelations into the second edition of his " History of Freemasonry" as " Gospel truth , " for his mind is too logical for believing in such dreams ; but I do know that

we have a number of credulous Masons , who are as eager for accumulating Masonic degrees as misers are for piling gold ; and their appetite for more and more Masonic

degrees is such that even Mr . Colville ' s dreams will not be too tough for their belief ; hence , I consider myself in duty bound to show that Mr . Colville ' s spiritual Masonic revelation is not reliable .

Firsfc . —Aaron and order are conjointly given in the Old Testament only once . In Leviticus xxiv . 2 and 3 , it says : " Command the children of Israel , that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light , to cause the lamps to