created; the former to rule the day, and the latter to rule the night, and to be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years. Beside these two great lights, the omnipotent Architect was pleased to bespangle the ætherial concave with innumerable stars, so that man, whom he intended to create, might employ himself, at suitable periods in contemplating his supereminent wisdom, and justly praising his divine majesty and glory. On the FIFTH period, he created the birds, which fly in the air, so that man might please both his eyes and ears, in being delighted with some for their beautiful plumage and uncommon instinct, and others for their melodious notes. He also commanded the waters to bring forth a variety of fish for our use; and in order to impress on our minds a reverential awe of his omnipotence, he created great whales and every living creature, that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly. On the SIXTH period, he created the beasts of the field, and reptiles to crawl upon the earth. Here we may perceive the most evident manifestation of his goodness, wisdom and mercy in all his proceedings. He produced what effect he pleased without the help of natural causes; thus he gave light to the world before he created the sun and moon, and made the earth fruitful and to bring forth plants without the influence of the heavenly bodies. He did not create the beasts of the field, until he had provided for them sufficient herbage; nor did he make man till he had prepared every thing requisite for his comfort and pleasure. To dignify the work of his hand, he made him after his own image, and gave him "dominion over the fish of the sea, and the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Man came into the world with greater splendour than any of the creatures, which preceded him, as they were brought into existence with no other ceremony than a Dixit Deus, i. e. God said, but in the creation of man, there was a consultation of the adorable Trinity, saying, "Let us make man," and he was accordingly formed out of the dust of the earth, into his nostrils was breathed the breath of life, and he became a living soul. In this one creature, was concentered every thing, which was excellent in creation. He was made a little lower than the angels, and crowned with glory and honour. To him, likewise, dominion was given over all other creatures, and he was formed after the image of God, so that he might the better be enabled to adore him, who had been graciously pleased to bestow on him, the faculty of speech, the use of reason, and a soul, which may enjoy the most extatic bliss through all the ages of a never ending eternity. The Almighty, then, as his last and best gift to man created woman. "Grace was in all her steps, heaven in her eye, in every gesture, dignity and love." "O woman! lovely woman, men would be brutes without thee." The heavens and the earth, and all their hosts, having thus been created in the space of six days, God, on the seventh day rested from all his work, and sanctified it as a holy sabbath to himself, thereby intimating, in the clearest manner, that man should work with industry for six days, for the maintenance of himself and family, and set apart the seventh as a day of rest from his labour, and that he should devote the same to the praise and glory of God his creator. May the six days work of the creation, emulate every free-mason, to industry during the week, and may they always be enabled to spend the SEVENTH in such a manner, as may be most conducive to their present as well as their future happiness. CHAPTER XIV. Of the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences. These are Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music and Astronomy. The Grammar rules instruct the tongue and pen, By Logic, we are taught to reason well, Were by free-masons taught in days of yore. But of these liberal arts and sciences, we shall treat more at large, as they are entitled to the attention of every one, who is desirous of arriving at distinction in our fraternity. SECTION 1.-OF GRAMMAR. Grammar is the art of writing and speaking any particular language correctly. If any one expect that he can acquire a facility of expressing himself with accuracy, without a knowledge of this science, whatever he may think of his own acquirements, men of learning with whom he have may occasion to converse or correspond, will soon perceive his deficiency This science merits our most serious attention, as it may, in fact, be considered as the gate, or avenue, which leads to all the others. SECTION 2.-OF RHETORIC. Rhetoric instructs us how to select words with taste, and to arrange them with a view to please, to engage, and to persuade. It is commonly defined the art of speaking well, that is to say, of speaking in such a manner as to make ourselves heard, and to persuade those who hear us. SECTION 3. -OF LOGIC. Logic is that art, which teacheth us to reason in a systematic manner, and by a regular train of argument, to proceed from one step to another, till we arrive at the full conviction of the proposition intended to be proved. SECTION 4.-OF ARITHMETIC. Arithmetic adjusts the greatest sums by a cypher and the nine digits. It adds, multiplies, and divides numbers in every manner that can be required. It arranges and combines them in all sorts of regular series and progressions, both finite and infinite. It not only discovers, with a wonderful facility, the properties and sums of finite ones from general principles, without a tedious consideration of each particular number, but by determining the sums of such progressions, as can never come to an end, sets bounds to infinity itself. With no less surprising invention, it effects apparent impossibilities, and when no real quantity can be found, which will answer the question proposed, it finds a just solution by imaginary, yet intelligible quantities, or by a series of |