THE GENERAL AHIMAN REZON AND FREEMASON'S GUIDE: CONTAINING MONITORIAL INSTRUCTIONS IN THE DEGREES OF ENTERED APPRENTICE, FELLOW-CRAFT AND MASTER MASON, WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES, EMENDATIONS AND LECTURES. TOGETHER WITH THE CEREMONIES OF CONSECRATION AND DEDICATION OF NEW LODGES, INSTALLATION OF GRAND AND SUBORDINATE OFFICERS, LAYING FOUNDATION STONES, DEDICATION OF MASONIC HALLS, GRAND VISITATIONS, BURIAL SERVICES, REGULATIONS FOR PROCESSIONS, MASONIC CALENDAR, ETC. TO WHICH ARE ADDED A RITUAL FOR A LODGE OF SORROW, AND THE CEREMONIES OF CONSECRATING MASONIC CEMETERIES. ALSO, AN APPENDIX, WITH THE forms of Masonic Documents, Masonic Trials, etc. BY DANIEL SICKELS, 33°., AUTHOR OF "THE FREEMASON'S MONITOR," SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL, NORTHERN JURISDICTION, ETC. NEW YORK: MASONIC PUBLISHING AND MANUFACTURING CO., 482 BROOME STREET. [1868] Scanned at sacred-texts.com, May 2007. Proofed and formatted by John Bruno Hare. This text is in the public domain in the United States because it was published prior to January 1st, 1923. These files may be used for any non- commercial purpose, provided this notice of attribution is left intact in all copies. "I should say much more if I were not afraid of being heard by those who are uninitiated; because men are apt to deride what they do not understand; and the ignorant, not being aware of the weakness of their minds, condemn what they ought most to Venerate."—CYRIL, OF ALEXANDRIA. ENTERED according to act of Congress, in the year 1865, by THE MASONIC PUBLISHING AND MANUFACTURING CO., la the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. Portrait of Daniel Sickels TO JOHN W. SIMONS, PAST GRAND MASTER OF MASONS AND KNIGHTS TEMPLAR OF NEW YORK; GRAND TREASURER OF THE GRAND ENCAMPMENT OF THE UNITED STATES; GRAND TREASURER OF THE GRAND LODGE OF NEW YORK; SOVEREIGN GRAND INSPECTOR GENERAL, ETC., ETC., THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY Dedicated AS AN APPRECIATION OF HIS INDEFATIGABLE LABORS IN THE CAUSE OF THE SCIENCE OF FREEMASONRY, AND AS A SLIGHT TESTIMONIAL OF THE ESTEEM AND FRIENDSHIP ENTERTAINED FOR HIM BY THE AUTHOR. p. 5 AHIMAN REZON. SIGNIFICATION OF THE TERM. BY WILLIAM S. ROCKWELL, GRAND MASTER OF GEORGIA. THESE two words have acquired a wide Masonic celebrity. They constituted the title of the Book of Constitutions, used by the division of Freemasons, which separated from the Grand Lodge of England in 1736, and have since become the usual designation of such works in this country. DERMOTT, in 1772, styled his book the TRUE Ahiman Rezon, and he claimed for his portion of the Order the practice of Ancient Masonry. The inference is obvious that there was a spurious work under this title then extant. An inquiry into their meaning is, therefore, not irrelevant. I have met with no exposition of the signification of this phrase, except in the edition first published in South Carolina by Dr. DALCHO, in 1807, and reprinted, with additions, in 1822; and afterward re-arranged and edited by Dr. MACKEY in 1852; and, also, in the "Lexicon of Freemasonry," by the last-mentioned distinguished author. The following is Dr. DALCHO'S definition in the edition of 1822: "The Book of Constitutions is usually denominated AHIMAN REZON. The literal translation of ahiman is a prepared brother, from manah, to prepare; and that of rezon, secret. So that Ahiman Rezon literally means the secrets of a prepared brother. It is likewise supposed to be a corruption of achi man ratzon, the thoughts or opinions of a true and faithful brother." There are several difficulties which seem to render this definition inadmissible. The derivations do not appear to be in accordance with the structure of the Hebrew language (if the words be Hebrew); and the phrase, with this view of its derivation, has no grammatical construction. The Hebrews were accustomed to a species of inversion, which in our language has no parallel: for example, the great literally, work of Jehovah the great. Now, if , מעשה יהוי הנדוֹל work of Jehovah would be in Hebrew the phrase under consideration was intended to import "the secrets of a prepared brother," the construction would have been, according to the example just p. 6 quoted, ahi rezon man. But there are further objections to this rendering of the phrase into English. MNE, to divide, to number, in its piel form, signifies to appoint, to constitute, and, in that מנה ,True sense, to prepare; yet, in accordance with the genius of the Hebrew tongue, it undergoes a change in its vocalization. Its stem-letter is doubled, and the vowel sound softened; it is pronounced minnah, RZ signifies a secret, and might be imported רז ,and its derivative should be ahiminnah. In Chaldee into the Hebrew, but its plural is razin; besides, it is something of a misnomer to call a published book "Secrets of a prepared brother." The last suggestion of Dr. DALCHO would seem more plausible, if it were not open to the same AMN, and then אמן grammatical objection. MAN can not signify true or faithful, unless derived from A of AMN suffered elision, it would indicate a א the compound word would be achiamon; and if the י A would not coalesce, but the א I and י different radical, and if no elision took place, the two letters BNIMIN (which we sound Benjamin), the vocalization בנימין I resumes its consonant sound as in would then be Abhjamon. Dr. MACKEY thus renders it:—"This title is derived from three Hebrew words—ahim, brothers; manah, to select or appoint; and ratzon, the will or law—and it, consequently, signifies "the law of appointed or selected brothers." It is true, that this definition more nearly accords with what the book contains, than that proposed by DALCHO; yet, there would seem to be no less formidable objections to this view of its (MNE, above referred to by DALCHO, in Kal, (i.e., its active form מנה signification. The verb means to appoint, but its radical meaning is to number; it was one of the prophetic words written by the spectral hand on the wall of Belshazzar's banqueting-room. It is itself a derivative, and will not E, and if it be any part of the root of the word, we must read ahimanah. It is just ה rid us of the final MN, from the obsolete root מן to notice, that the radical of this verb, signifying something divided MNN, when in composition, conveys the idea of a law, rule or precept, in conformity with which מנן .MPhI IHOH by command of JEHOVAH (II. Chron מפי יהוה ,something is done; as, for example xxxvi. 12), but then the grammatical construction would require some other signification of rezon, and it should be construed as an adjective, in conformity with the example above quoted, and it ".AHI,) the "Supreme Law of a Brother אהי) might read ahi, being the genitive singular p. 7 Frontispiece EXPLANATION OF THE FRONTISPIECE. THE Tracing-Board, or Floor-Cloth of an Entered Apprentice, here described, is a copy of a reproduction of Bro. GEORGE OLIVER, D. D., in his Historical Landmarks of Freemasonry, as follows " This was used in the early part of the last century. It varies considerably from our improved system, although we observe with pleasure, that it contains the Ancient Landmarks of the Order. It is an oblong square, between the cardinal points; the Master is placed in the East, with en altar before him, and the Wardens both in the West, as was the custom in many of our Lodges up to the time of the union in 1813. The three lights are placed in the N. E., S. E., and S. W. The two pillars, J. and B., are in the West, inscribed 'Strength and Wisdom,' and are both of the Corinthian Order; while the center of the Tracing-Board is occupied by a Blazing Star of five points, inclosing the letter G, and inscribed Beauty. Between the two pillars ascending from the west, are seven steps upon a Mosaic Pavement; but the Tesselated Border, or Indented Tessel, as it was called, is omitted. In the East, West, and South, are portrayed three windows. The W. Master's Tracing-Board is near the Blazing Star, while the corresponding Immovable Jewels are considerably higher up toward the East—the one called the Brute Stone, * the other the pointed Cubical Stone. † In the apex of the latter, an ax is inserted. The East is distinguished by a square, the South by a level, and the North by a plumb-rule, or perpendicular. The whole is surmounted by a cable-tow, or towline, as then called, with a tassel at each end." Footnotes 7:* This was also called the Broached Thurnel, one of the original immovable Jewels, (according to the English system,) and was used as symbol for the Entered Apprentice to learn to work upon. It was subsequently called the Brute Stone, or Rough Ashlar. 7:† Now better known as the Perfect Ashlar. p. 8 "How far any will be guided by me I hope I shall always know myself so well as to leave that to their own choice. As to the inutility of my inquiries, and also the impartiality of them, here I confess myself to wish (as I think what I wish) they may be good, not absolutely terminating upon myself, that the reader will consider them with as unbiassed a freedom as I have written."—SHUCKFORD. p. 9 PREFACE. "IN the present state of Freemasonry, dispersed as it is over the whole face of the habitable globe, and distinguished by an anxious inquiry, whether its reputed origin be well founded, and whether its philosophy and the evidences on which its claims to public notice are entitled to the implicit credence of mankind, it is the duty of every Brother, so far as his influence may extend, to furnish the means of satisfying this ardent curiosity."—OLIVER.