upon young men or maidens, old men, 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 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.

EZRA i. 1-3

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, which is in Jerusalem.

EXODUS iii. 13, 14.

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?

MASONIC CHART.

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: And thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

PSALM CXli.

Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense, and the lifting up of hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity. Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness; 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 snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while that I withal escape.

PSALM CXlii.

I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my 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 darkness, that I may may praise thy name.

PSALM CXliii.

Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplication. In thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy right- . eousness. 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 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 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 know 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 mine enemies, for I am thy servant.

EXODUS iv. 1-10.

"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 your fathers, the God of

Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

"And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine 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 haud into thy bosom again; and he put his hand into his bosom again; and he 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.

"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 fakest out of the river, shall become blood upon the dry land."

HAGGAI ii. 2-4, 23.

Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Josedec, 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 you see it now? is it not, in your eyes, in comparison of it, as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedec the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: 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 wifl make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee."

ZECHARIAH iv. 9, 10.

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 de-pised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel, with those seven.

AMOS ix. 11.

"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."

The following passages of scripture are read by the High Priest.

GENESIS i. 1-3.

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.DEUT. xxxi. 24—26. 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.Exorus xx. 21. And thou sh. It put the mercy seat above, upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. -EXODUS xvi. 32-34. And Moses said, This is