Suppose we compare the mind, in its uninformed state, to a house unfinished and unfurnished; and suppose we further imagine that the more beautifully we can finish and furnish it, the more certainly shall we achieve eminence, and have to reside with us the most exalted of kings. Suppose, further, that this exalted king requires such a retinue of servants to be in each house with which he honours his presence, that no one need expect him, unless such attendants are ever in waiting, and the house itself so completely furnished as a palace, as to include all that a mighty sovereign would require. If we desired the presence of this sovereign, should we not labour indefatigably to render our house worthy of his presence? Undoubtedly we should. Now, the sovereign we allude to, is the King of kings and Lord of lords, even Jesus Christ our Saviour; and the house we allude to, is the mind or soul of man. To prepare our souls for the residence of our Saviour, we must neglect no kind of knowledge. We are so wonderfully endowed by the great King of kings, that we may make the wonders of the wide creation tributary unto us, and constitute them our servants. Do we mingle with scientific men, like Solomon of old?—we avail ourselves of their scientific treasures to strengthen, to adorn and beautify, our house or temple. We go to Hiram, king of Tyre, whose kingdom was on the sea border of Canaan, and we avail ourselves of his cedar trees, his fir trees, and his gold. And while in his own land they are but as natural good and truth, combined with the materials which form our house or temple, they represent natural, spiritual, and celestial good and truth. They may not so appear to the natural man; he may view his
