Sketches of Moral and Mental Philosophy Author:Thomas Chalmers Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: himself is both the richest of all and the easiest of all; and if it be the habit of his well ordered life, that, ere he sinks into his nightly repose, he looks ... more »back on the history of his own spirit—then, in very proportion to his past converse with the objects of sacredness, will be his present consciousness or present recollection of the feelings of sacredness. CHAPTER III. On the Emotions. 1. There are many objects of human thought, of which we have a thorough apprehension on the moment of their being named—but which it is impossible to express by any verbal definition. This eminently applies to a very great number of our feelings, which really cannot be defined; but which may be adequately enough described to the understanding of others, by a statement of the circumstances in which they arise. Howfor example, could we define a sensation familiar enough to all—that of thirst ? . Nor is it necessary; for we are already anticipated in our attempts by an understanding of it on the part of all, far more perfect than any which mere words can convey. Nor could we, though we would, furnish any well constructed definition of it—however practicable it may be to convey its full meaning to the mind of another, by simply stating what that is which brings on this peculiar and uneasy sensation, andwhat that is which relieves it. It is thus, in fact, that we should proceed in our attempts to explain the term to a foreigner. We might point to its seat in our frame. We might make intelligible to him how it is that which is caused by the privation of water, and that which is allayed either by this or by some other beverage. He would very soon catch the meaning that we laboured to impress upon him—. after which there would be a most entire community of understanding between us, at least up...« less