Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-05-06
QUE SPIRITUAL HOUSES.

Abstract OF a Sermon by the Rev. e. o.
Mitchell. of the New Jerusalem Cor SWed-
enborgian) Church, Delivered Yesterday
Morning.
.Rehold your house is left unto you desc
late" Matt. XXI, 80.
The text evidently teaches spiritual TRUTH
IN natural imagery. Our Lord was talking to
the Jews about their spirits. not about their
bodies, He spoke of their spiritual houses.
The desolate condition of their physical houses
would not have called forth the tremendous
denunciations found in the context.
And the material houses of the Jews were not
at that time in dcsolate condition. The peo'
ole carefully provided material good things,
but left their souls desolate.
,the spiritual house is the mind; for in our
minds we inwardly live. The mind consists OF
the will or spiritual HI art with it's atectlons'
and tho intellect with its thoughts. linus q
mans mind is his spiritual house. The house
Of the soul has three stories. In the highest
story arc the things of our loves, our affections
with their intentions. In the middle story are |
the things of our thoughts, with their plans. |
In the lowest story are the things of our practl-
cal activities, our deeds, our life. The things |
of the earth approach us from below and hrst
reaches the lowest story. And the news OF
their coming, and of their influence Is sent up
to our thoughts and then up to our affections.
But our Lord spiritually approaches US inward
" from the heavens. He first enters the hlgh-
est story and communicates to us love OF good:
Then He comes down into the second story and
instills truth into our 1ntellects. Hence he
comes down into our lowest story, and enables
US to carry out the good and truth, IN the &C.
tivities of our daily life. Thus our Lord works
in US from above downwards or from within
o,,twards But, at the same time, we work as
of ourselves, but really from Him, by begin
ming at the bottom and working upward, or on
tho outside, and working inward
These things represented by the tnree
stories of Noahs ark. The window Of the ark
was in the roof, and it opened upward to
heaven; while the door was in the first story,
and opered to tie world.
So Jesus instituted the holy supper in
Large, upper room, furnished and prepared,
to represent His coming to us in the higher
things of our minds.
In regenerate state, our minds are
like well-built houses. carefully kept
in order. Love and wisdom are the
heavenly married partners who reside
in our mental house. They spiritually keep
house within us. And their happy family OF
children are our good. affections, our true
thoughts, and our useful works.
There is relation betw cen the inward man
and his outward surroundings, The spirit
bears certain relations to the body, and to the
things which serve the body.
AS the house has it's doors and windows, so
mans natural body has its mouth, ears and
eyes. And so the spirit has it's doors and win
dows, by which it admits spiritual heat and
light.
How cheerful and beautiful is really home
like house. How inviting it is. It is physi-
cal image of lovely mind, which ia the real
home of a regenerate man. We all have an am
bition to keep our houses clean ana IN oroer
and properly furnished
Hav nj a
keep our spiritual houses, our minds, clean
and in order, and thoroughly furnished unto
I'LL good works?"
And how much more important is the in
ward "house not made with hands" Physical
houses are built and furnished by attention to
physical laws. And corresponding degree OF
attention to our minds will insure their proper
building and furnishing. "Blessed is the man
that feareth the Lord, and deligbteth greatly in
His commandments. Wealth
and riches shall be in his house; and his right
eousness endureth for ever" (Ps. CXl1. 49,
Such wealth is spiritual, and it is in the spirit
ual house. the mind. Such riches are good and
truth, spiritual gold and silver.
In reading the scriptures, we can see the IN
ward and spiritual sense. which underlies the
mere letter.
For instance, carrying in memory the fact that
the inward house is the mind, read Deut vi
60; Jer. NIX, 5; Luke XVIII, 9-14; Hagga
I,9; Matt. TX, 6; John VII, So; Matt. XIX
20; &c.
Leading Israel 'out of the house of bond
age" represents leading our minds out of tn.
inward bondage of sin and falsity.
The house of the Lord is, spiritually, tn.
divine character, the divine mind, Furnished
with the divine love and wisdom. When these
qualities, love and wisdom, come to man, anc
make their dwelling place in him, then the
Lord dwells in the man. We spiritually entel
into 1.-The house of the Lord " when we have
our minds brought into such condition tina
H. 4L1,,
houses of the Lord. Read Psalm XIII, 6
Psalm XVII, d Psalm LxXXIv, 4-1o, &c.
The spiritual character, or quality, Q
our inward house, depends upo'
the character of our ruling-love, which is tn
master of the house. He has beautiful spir
whose spirit dwells in the love and practice o
beautiful principles of good and truth. An,
he whose character is evil and false, already in
wardly dwells in filth and desol stion. Hi
house is left unto him desolatc. It is built o.
the shifting sand of worldly policy, and not o.
the rock of divine truth.
Picture to yourselves q desolate house, fol
lorn unoccupied except by evil beasts and bird
of night. wild beasts Of the desert shall b
there, and their houses shall be full of dolefu
creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyI
shall dance there. And the wild beasts of th
islands shall cry in their desolate houses lisa
iah, XIII. 21-22.) Such is representative pie
ture of the inward state of every evil man; hi
mind is desola+e. cheerless, uninhabited by an
genuine manhood, or living spirituality. 1t
desolate house, haunted house, possessed b
evil spirits.
When we read in the scriptures, of desolat
places and houses, without inhabitant, W
are to understand such things as referring t
evil minds, which are invariably without life
IA mans enemies are the men of his house.
(Micah, vi. 6) and a mans foes shall b
they of his own household" (Matt X. Sc
The house and household here spoken of al
tho mind, the spirits house. A mans spiritns
enemies are the evils and falsities Of his ow
mind; the things in which he mentally lives.
"Behold, your house is left unto you, desc
etc. Do we realize that t!Ais state of utter de.
olation is the necessary spiritual state c
every unregenerate mind? Do we clearly sc
that we cannot build good and proper spirit
ual house, a real home for truly human sou
in any other way than by putting away GU
evils, as sins against God? Do we realiz
thoughts, and our hereditary Tenderness, Al
incline us to make our inward houses desolate
and uninhabited by any living principle o
good and truth? We naturally go on, buildin
our spiritual houses according to our seltis
desires; and it may be said of us, ''Their in
tinue forever, and their dwelling-pl places to al
generations; they call their lands after thei
own Names" psalm XIX, ID We imagin
that we are secure in our selfish life an
spiritual houses. But we shal
be mistaken. Enduring homes and good spi,
itual houses can not be built of selfish materi
ais. But, even if we are inclined to build Ut
wisely, and without firm foundation, we ca
resolutely give up our selfish will and folio,
our Lords will, and be regenerated. Then on
Lord Jesus Christ will build with us, and i
US. And Except the Lord build the house
they labor in vain that build it," psalm, c
XAVIl1.) But, when men accept the Lord a