"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