lf on a
little eminence before them, and, after the service of the day, which I
knew by heart, and singing some portions of the 119th Psalm, I told them
a little allegory.

"There was once on a time a great king, whose kingdom was called the
Land of _Light_ and _Reality_, because there reigned there constant
light and incessant activity. On the most remote frontier of this
kingdom, towards the north, there was another large kingdom, equally
subject to his rule, and of which none but himself knew the immense
extent. From time immemorial, an exact plan of this kingdom had been
preserved in the archives. It was called the Land of Obscurity, or
_Night_, because everything in it was dark and inactive.

"In the most fertile and agreeable part of the empire of Reality, the
king had a magnificent residence, called _The Heavenly City_, where he
held his brilliant court. Millions of servants executed his
wishes--still more were ready to receive his orders. The first were
clothed in glittering robes, whiter than snow--for white was the colour
of the Great King, as the emblem of purity. Others were clothed in
armour, shining like the colours of the rainbow, and carried flaming
swords in their hands. Each, at his master's nod, flew like lightning to
accomplish his will. All his servants--faithful, vigilant, bold, and
ardent--were united in friendship, and could imagine no happiness
greater than the favour of their master. There were some, less elevated,
who were still good, rich, and happy in the favours of their sovereign,
to whom all his subjects were alike, and were treated by him as
his children.

"Not far from the frontiers, the Great King possessed a desert island,
which he desired to people and cultivate, in order to make it, for a
time, the abode of those of his subjects whom he intended to admit, by
degrees, into his _Heavenly City_--a favour he wished to bestow on the
greatest number possible.

"This island was called _Earthly Abode_; and he who had passed some time
there, worthily, was to be received into all the happiness of the
heavenly city. To attain this, the Great King equipped a fleet to
transport the colonists, whom he chose from the kingdom of _Night_, to
this island, where he gave them light and activity--advantages they had
not known before. Think how joyful their arrival would be! The island
was fertile when cultivated; and all was prepared to make the time pass
agreeably, till they were admitted to their