TJ1K EEASON WHY. 255 



" I say unto you, Swear not at all ; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne ; 

 Nor by the earth ; for it is his footstool." MATTHEW v. 



the intensity of different flavours and condiments in which man, with his love of 

 eating, will indulge. Thus, when we eat anything very acid, as a lemon, or any- 

 thing very irritating, as Cayenne pepper, the effect thereof upon the sensitive 

 nerves of the tongue is greatly modified by a free flow of saliva into the mouth. 

 And if we merely fancy the taste of any such things, those glands are so watch- 

 lul, that they will immediately pour out their fluid to mitigate the supposed 

 effect. 



In speaking, we use the lips, the teeth, the tongue ; and the chest supplies 

 air, which, being controlled in its emission, by a delicate apparatus at the 

 mouth of the wind-pipe, causes the various sounds which we have arranged into 

 speech, and by which, under certain laws, we are enabled to understand each 

 other's wants, participate in each other's emotions, express our loves, our hopes, 

 our fears, and gle.ni those facts, the accumulation of which constitutes know- 

 ledge, enhances the happiness of man, and elevates him, in its ultimate results 

 above the lower creatures to which the blessing of speech is denied. 



The curious structure of the tongue, and the organs of speech, would fill a 

 very interesting volume. The tongue is unfortunately much abused, not only 

 by those who utter foul words, and convert the blessing of speech, which 

 should improve and refine, into a source of wicked and profane language ; but it 

 constantly remonstrates against the abuse of food, and the use of things which 

 are not only unnecessary for the good of our bodies, but prejudicial to their 

 health. When the body is sufficiently fed, the tongue ceases its relish, and 

 derives no more satisfaction from eating : but man contrives a variety of inven- 

 tions to whip the tongue up to an unnatural performance of its duty, and thus 

 we not only over-eat, but eat things that have no more business in our stomachs, 

 than have the stones that we walk upon. Can we wonder, then, that disease is 

 so prevalent, and that death calls for many of us so soon. 



That wonderful essence, the Soul of man, rises above all finite knowledge. 

 Its wonders and powers will never, probably, be understood until when, in a 

 future state of existence, the grandest of all mysteries shall be explained. 

 When we talk of the brain, we speak of that which it is easy to comprehend as 

 the organ, or the seat of the mind ; when we speak of the mind, we have 

 greater difficulty in comprehending the meaning of the term we employ ; but 

 when we speak of the Soul, we have reached a point which defies our under- 

 standing, because our knowledge is limited. The brain may be injured by a 

 blow ; the mind may be pained by a disagreeable sight, or offended by a harsh 

 word ; but the Soul can only be influenced secondarily through the mind, 

 which is primarily affected by the organs of the material senses. Thus the hap- 

 piness or the misery of the Soul depends to a very great extent upon the proper 

 fulfilment of the duties of the senses, which are the servants of tho Soul, over 

 which the mind presides, as the steward who mediates between the employer 

 and the employed 



The Ear, which is taught to delisrht in sweet sounds, and in pure language, 

 is a better servant of the master Soul, than one which delights not in music, 

 and which listens, with approbation or indifference, to the oaths of the profane. 

 The Eye which rejoices in the beauties of nature, and in scenes of domestic 

 happiness and love, is a more faithful servant than one that delights in wit- 

 nessing scenes of rtvelry, dissipation, and strife. The Nose which esteems the 

 sweet odour of flowers, or the life-giving freshness of the pm-e air, is more 

 dutiful to his master than one that rejects not the polluted atmosphere of 



