inhaleth the fragrances that blow from the rose
gardens of His grace; a burnished heart will mirror forth the comely face
of truth.

This is why, in Holy Scriptures, the counsels of heaven are likened to
water, even as the Qur'an saith: 'And pure water send We down from
Heaven,'(42) and the Gospel: 'Except a man be baptized of water and of the
spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.'(43) Thus is it clear
that the Teachings which come from God are heavenly outpourings of grace;
they are rain-showers of divine mercy, and they cleanse the human heart.

My meaning is this, that in every aspect of life, purity and holiness,
cleanliness and refinement, exalt the human condition and further the
development of man's inner reality. Even in the physical realm,
cleanliness will conduce to spirituality, as the Holy Writings clearly
state. And although bodily cleanliness is a physical thing, it hath,
nevertheless, a powerful influence on the life of the spirit. It is even
as a voice wondrously sweet, or a melody played: although sounds are but
vibrations in the air which affect the ear's auditory nerve, and these
vibrations are but chance phenomena carried along through the air, even
so, see how they move the heart. A wondrous melody is wings for the
spirit, and maketh the soul to tremble for joy. The purport is that
physical cleanliness doth also exert its effect upon the human soul.

Observe how pleasing is cleanliness in the sight of God, and how
specifically it is emphasized in the Holy Books of the Prophets; for the
Scriptures forbid the eating or the use of any unclean thing. Some of
these prohibitions were absolute, and binding upon all, and whoso
transgressed the given law was abhorred of God and anathematized by the
believers. Such, for example, were things categorically forbidden, the
perpetration of which was accounted a most grievous sin, among them
actions so loathsome that it is shameful even to speak their name.

But there are other forbidden things which do not cause immediate harm,
and the injurious effects of which are only gradually produced: such acts
are also repugnant to the Lord, and blameworthy in His sight, and
repellent. The absolute unlawfulness of these, however, hath not been
expressly set forth in the Text, but their avoidance is necessary to
purity, cleanliness, the preservation of health, and freedom from
addiction.

Among these latter is smoking tobacco, which is dirty, smelly,
offensi