The New York herald., 1871-03-13
CHURCH OF TnE NEW JERUSALEM.

sermon by Rev. ChnuHcy Giies-The Man.
sions Being Prepared by God sor His Chill.
dren--The Human Bady an Inn Where Man
Lodges for a Might.
The pastor, Rev. Chauncy Gnes, yesterday morn
ing fed the pulpit OF tbe Swedenborgian church In
Ihfty-hith street. near Park avenue. Owing to the
threatening attitude OF the weather the house OF
worship was not as crowded usual, but those
whose fortune 1t was to be present were fully re-
warded for their courage IN deyng old Boreas. The
pastor took for his text John xiv, L. and S-"Let
not your heart be troubled ye who believe In God
believe also in me. In my Fathers house are many
mansions: If 1t were not so should have told you.
20 10 prepare place for you; and II 60 and pre-
pare place for you will come again and receive
you with myself that where am there ye may be
also.n
The minister said, In opening his discourse:-You
have all come here more or less quieLed with trou
b.es. Some Of you may have been thinking OF the
time, not far distant for any OF u.s. when you will
close your eyes upon this world and open them upon
the spiritual world, and II mas cast
SOME SHADOW OF DOUBT AND FEAR
over your mind. You may nave asked. "where
shall go. what will be my conditon-my place
IN tnat wOrldf With whom shall l dwell? who
VIII go With us through the valley or DEATH Shall
Let your neart not be troubled. Let us try to be.
ueye IN the Lord as real, present, living, divine
and Intimately wise Father, always providing and
WHAT Is THE LORDS HoUsE9
IN It's largest sense the universe-comprislng all
worlds, both material and splrltual-ls His house.
Tor lie dwes in 1t. There is nothing, however small
that he dld not create, and in which, In some sense
He does not dwell. This world is one OF His man
sions Il is one place He has prepared for HIS chill
dren This world is one OF Ais nurseries, and So
every world IL the matured universe. Here
HE PLANTS CHILDREN;
here He cradles them IN their infancy weaves for
them with infinite skill the mechanism OF the mate
rial body, wraps them in the soft swaddng clothes OF
iesh and blood, and feeds them at
THE BREAST OF THE ALL-BOUNTIFUL EARTH
with an endless variety OF the sweetest Juices and the
most delicious and nourishing lood Tnis word ia
place He has prepared for us, and SO are the very
material houses we dwell in.
OUR HOUSES OF WOOD AND BRICK AND STONE
were provided for US by the Lord In most eminent
and true sense. 1t is common Tor men who furnishes
the means TO say they bullt It. Who furnishes the
material. the stone, clay, wood and iron Is not
the Lord VINO gives man the power and wisdom
10 bring these materials togethers Man oil himself
no more builds house than the hammer aud trowel
which he uses, II we looked beyond appearances
and saw the Lords agency IN all we have III this
world we should nave more confidence IN Him tnat
lie VIII provide place for us IN the spiritual world
ways. Ii is not the best mansion He has provided
for us. The germ OF the future plant is not always
to remain IN the hard SHELF that is its cradle the
first made house the Lord prepares for ia place
Tor protection, In which 1t may be nurtured and
grow up into Seed SO this world and the human
body is only the husk-tne cradle
THE Inn WHERE NAN LODGES FOR A NIGHT,
preparatory TO passing on to the other mansion the
also the Lords house, III which He dwelis and more
especially manests Ills presence That, too, Is
created Tor man. Our Heavenly Father, who loves
His children has prepared for the spirit spiritual
house more substantial and better adapted TO our
wants than any earthly habitation can be- To say
that His expression, my Fathers house has many
mansions, Is to be understood spiritually does not
detract from its literal truthfulness. As the spir-
ltual world Is as real TO every spiritual sense as the
material world Is to material sense, the spiritual
beings who dwell there live in houses that are as
distinct from others in form and size, and real to
every sense as our homes are to US. ~ 60 to pre-
pare place fer you" the Lord came into this
world by assuming humanity Tor the express pur-
pose OF saving His children from
THE MISERABLE AND FILTHY AIoDES OF HE'LL
and He glorlfed that humanity, and made 1t one
with HIS Divinity called the Father, and then appa-
rently went away that he might prepare place for
MS. This is what he Is doing now. The minister
proceeded to speak OF the character OF the homes
God Is preparing for his children, and declared that
they would correspond In beauty ana completeness
the progress made by the soul in this hfe in its
spiritual development IN the spiritual world, In
this the good :.
SEEK AND FIND THE GOOD,
and the evil the evil. Every one on entering the
spiritual world rises fails 10 his level II the
Lord can lead man to learn spiritual truth and to
obey 1t, He Is preparing for him place In the splr
ituai heaven. Let Him do the work, for Except
the Lord build the house thev labor vain that build