HAVE YOU GOT? © - 23

it is the seat of life: upon its beatihgsour
life depends. Let the heart stop, and death
immediately follows. Beside this, the heart
is influenced by our feelings. If “one is
suddenly frightened, it beats more rapidly.
Any strong emotion, or passion, or sensation,
quickens the action of the heart.

It is for these reasons, because the heart
is the seat of life, and because it seems to be
the centre or source of our passions and
feelings, that we often call the soul itself, the
heart. Thus the heart of flesh is a sort of
emblem or image of the soul. When I ask,
therefore, what sort of heart have you got?
T mean to ask what sort of soul have you got?

We often hear it said that such a person
has a hard heart, and such a one has a kind
or tender heart. In these cases we do not
speak of the heart of flesh, but of the mind
and intention. A hard heart, in this sense,
is a soul that is severe, harsh, and cruel; a
kind and tender heart, is a soul that is re-
gardful of the feelings of others, and desirous
of promoting the peace and happiness of
others.

You will see, therefore, that it is very im-