Square.—­By the Square we discover that God, who has made every thing equal, in the same manner that you are not able to dig a body in a quarry complete, or perfect; thus, the wish of the Eternal in creating the world by a liberal act of his own, well foresaw every matter that could possibly happen in consequence thereof; that is to say, that every thing therein contained at the same time of the creation was good.

Level.—­You have also seen a level, a plumb, and a rough stone.  By the level you are to learn to be upright and sincere, and not to suffer yourself to be drawn away by the multitude of the blind and ignorant people; to be always firm and steady to sustain the right of the natural law, and the pure and real knowledge of that truth which it teacheth.

Perpendicular and rough stone.—­By these you ought to understand that the perpendicular man is polished by reason, and put censure away by the excellence of our Master.

Tressle-board.—­You have seen the tressle-board, to draw plans on.  This represents the man whose whole occupation is the art of thinking, and who employs his reason in that which is just and reasonable.

Cubic stone.—­You have seen the cubic stone, the moral of which, and the sense you ought to draw from it, is, to rule your actions, that they might be equally brought to the sovereign good.

Pillars.—­The two pillars teacheth you that all Masons ought to attach themselves firmly to become an ornament to the order, as well as to its support; as the pillars of Hercules formerly determined the end of the ancient world.

Blazing star.—­You have seen the blazing star, the moral sense of which is, “a true Mason perfecting himself in the way of truth,” that he may become like a blazing star which shineth equally during the thickest darkness; and it is useful to those that it shineth upon, and who are ready and desirous of profiting by its light.

The first instructions have conducted you to the knowledge of Hiram Abiff, and the inquiries that were made in finding him out.  You have been informed of the words, signs and tokens which were substituted for those we feared would have been surprised, but of which they afterwards learnt that the treacherous villains had not been able to receive any knowledge of; and this ought to be an example and salutary advice to you, to be always on your guard, and well persuaded that it is difficult to escape the snares that ignorance, joined to conceited opinion, lay every day against us, and thereby to overcome us; and the most virtuous men are liable to fall, because their candor renders them unsuspecting.  But, in this case, you ought to be firm as our Respectable Father Hiram, who chose rather to be massacred than to give up what he had obtained.