FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   388   389   390   391   392   393   394   395   396   397   398   399   400   401   402   403   404   405   406   407   408   409   410   411   412  
413   414   415   416   417   418   419   420   421   422   423   424   425   426   427   428   429   430   431   432   433   434   435   436   437   >>   >|  
"and we have caused a pure water to descend from heaven;" and in the Gospel, "Except a man hath received the baptism of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." Then it is evident that the divine teachings are the heavenly grace and the showers of the mercy of God, which purify the hearts of men. The meaning is, in all conditions, cleanliness and sanctity, purity and delicacy exalt humanity and make the contingent beings progress. Even when applied to physical things, delicacy causeth the attainment of spirituality, as it is established in the Holy Scriptures. External cleanliness, although it is but a physical thin, hath a great influence upon spirituality. For example, although sound is but the vibrations of the air which affect the tympanum of the ear, and vibrations of the air are but an accident among the accidents which depend upon the air, consider how much marvelous notes or a charming song influence the spirits! A wonderful song giveth wings to the spirit and filleth the heart with exalteth. To return to the subject, the fact of having a pure and spotless body likewise exerciseth an influence upon the spirit of man. Now, see how much purity is approved in the Court of God, that it should be especially mentioned in the Holy Books of the Prophets. So the Holy Books forbid the eating of any unclean thing, or the use of anything which is not pure. Certain prohibitions are absolute and imperative for all: he who commits that which is forbidden is detested by God and excluded from the number of the elect. This applieth to the things forbidden by an absolute prohibition and of which the perpetration is a grave sin; they are so vile that even to mention them is shameful. There are other forbidden things which do not cause an immediate evil and of which the pernicious effect is only gradually produced. They are also abhorred, blamed and rejected by God, but their prohibition is not recorded in an absolute way, although cleanliness and sanctity, spotlessness and purity, the preservation of health and independence are required by these interdictions. One of these last prohibitions is the smoking of tobacco, which is unclean, malodorous, disagreeable and vulgar and of which the gradual harmfulness is universally recognized. All clever physicians have judged, and have also shown by experiment, that one of the constituents of tobacco is a mortal poison and that smokers are exposed to differe
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   388   389   390   391   392   393   394   395   396   397   398   399   400   401   402   403   404   405   406   407   408   409   410   411   412  
413   414   415   416   417   418   419   420   421   422   423   424   425   426   427   428   429   430   431   432   433   434   435   436   437   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

cleanliness

 
purity
 

influence

 
absolute
 
forbidden
 

things

 
spirit
 

sanctity

 
physical
 

delicacy


prohibition
 

spirituality

 

vibrations

 

unclean

 

prohibitions

 

tobacco

 

shameful

 

mention

 
excluded
 
differe

Certain

 

imperative

 

forbid

 
eating
 

applieth

 

number

 
commits
 

exposed

 

detested

 
perpetration

poison

 
smoking
 

experiment

 
interdictions
 

health

 

independence

 

required

 
malodorous
 

disagreeable

 
judged

physicians
 

recognized

 
universally
 

vulgar

 
gradual
 
harmfulness
 

preservation

 

spotlessness

 

effect

 
mortal