Letters on the Human Body/Letter 3
LETTER III.
On the Bodily Sense of Hearing, and its Connection with Spiritual Hearing.
- My Dear Sir,
——My Dear Sir,In my last letter I endeavoured to point out some of the more important uses, both natural and spiritual, which you derive from the sense of seeing; and thus to convince you of the immense debt which you owe, in common with every other human being, to the DIVINE AUTHOR and GIVER of such a sense. Allow me now to call your attention to the four other senses, in their order, viz. hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching.
These senses, like the sense of seeing, have their several organs, as the ear, the tongue and palate, the nostrils, and the skin, all which organs, when explored by anatomical skill, bespeak a wisdom Divine and incomprehensible; compared with which the utmost ingenuity of man is but like the light of a candle compared with the splendour of the sun.
These senses too, again, like the sense of seeing, have their several gratifications, as must be obvious to every one from daily experience; for what human being hath not been made sensible, at times, of the various deliglits excited by the harmony of sounds, by the relish of meats and drinks, by the refreshments and delectations of odour, and by the more exquisite exercise of feeling?
Lastly, these senses have their uses, which uses are both temporal and eternal, both natural and spiritual, as I shall now endeavour to show, beginning with the uses of the ear; and, first, with its natural and temporal uses.
On this subject, however, it is impossible, in the compass of a letter, to enter into particulars, because it would require a volume to note all the natural and temporal benefits which man derives from the sense of hearing.
Yet there is one benefit so pre-eminent and distinguished above the rest, that it must not be passed over in silence; I mean the benefit resulting from conversation and discourse, or that interchange of thought and affection which takes place amongst mankind in the ordinary intercourse and engagements of society. For what an ample store, not only of gratification, but also of useful and edifying instruction, is thus communicated, every day, from one mind to another, through the instrumentality of that small organ called the ear! Knowledge is thus brought into general circulation, and, like every other gift of the DIVINE PROVIDENCE, becomes, as it were, a common property. Nor is it knowledge alone which is conveyed from one mind to another, by this wonderful channel, since it must be obvious to every person of reflection and observation, that by discourse the affections are wrought upon, the will is moved, and the whole man, in many cases, becomes changed as to his purposes, his inclinations, and the general temper and spirit of his life. As therefore, according to what was observed in my last letter, the eye is instrumental in the introduction of material images, necessary for the formation of intellectual ideas, and thus in giving birth and growth to the intellectual mind, in like manner, the ear is instrumental in admitting sounds,—by virtue of which, not only the intellectual, but also the voluntary principle of man is operated upon and cherished, whether that principle be grounded in good or evil. The two organs of sight and of hearing, therefore, unite in this use, that each is subservient to the purposes of mental growth and perfection,—the former being adapted principally to the service of the intellectual mind, whilst the latter is adapted to the service both of the intellectual and voluntary mind, but especially of the voluntary.[1] It is the office, then, of the eye to supply the rich materials or rudiments of thought and intelligence, but of the ear to furnish the more valuable materials or rudiments of those numberless affections which enter into the composition of the human will.
I might add much more, if necessary, on this very fruitful and interesting subject of the natural and temporal uses of the organ of hearing, and thus lead you to a more distinct estimation of the immense debt which you owe to the ALMIGHTY FATHER of your being, for having originally bestowed upon you, and so long continued to you, such an inestimable blessing: but it is time that I hasten to the more important consideration of the spiritual and eternal benefits which you derive from the same organ.
And here I might still continue to dwell on the advantages resulting from ordinary conversation or discourse with your fellow-mortals, which is frequently over-ruled of the DIVINE PROVIDENCE of the MOST HIGH to the purposes of spiritual instruction and improvement; and which yet, without the organ of hearing, could neither be enjoyed as a gratification, nor turned to good account as a lecture. But, passing by this benefit (which yet you must allow is no inconsiderable one), what think you of the privilege of holding converse with GOD Himself; of imbibing the lessons of the ETERNAL WISDOM; of hearing the voice of the INFINITE AND ETERNAL; and thus of listening to the instructions of that DIVINE SPEAKER, of whom it is written, “Never man spake as this man?” Yet every time that you hear the WORD OF GOD read, you enjoy this blessed privilege, and thus your little organ of hearing is made an instrument of associating you with angels; of feeding you with their food; of enabling you to drink of their cup; of placing you in the presence of them and their GOD; and thus of raising you above yourself, your sins and your follies, to an eternal conjunction of life with all that is holy, wise, and happy in the kingdom of your HEAVENLY FATHER.
Do you believe then (as I am persuaded you do), that the WORD OF GOD is the voice of GOD? And do you believe further, that both yourself and all mankind have ears to hear this voice, and that he who hears shall live? You can then want no argument to convince you how much you are indebted to that wonderful faculty of hearing, by which you are enabled, not only to listen to the language of men, but to hearken also to the speech of the MOST HIGH, and by hearkenmg to live for ever.
But here you will forgive me if I take the liberty of suggesting a word of caution, both respecting the organ of hearing, and also the thing heard, in order to guard you against some dangerous mistakes, into which the generality of mankind, it is to be feared, are betrayed on these interesting subjects.
And first, in regard to the organ of hearing.
It is but too common a thing for men to suppose, that the bodily ear is what hears, whether in relation to the speech of man, or to the speech or word of GOD; whereas it must be plain to every reilecting person, that the bodily ear is only an instrument for the conveyance of sounds to some interior ear, and that therefore the term hearing will depend altogether on the state of this interior ear. As, for example:—You hear, with your bodily ear, a friend speak to you; that is to say, you receive with your bodily ear certain impressions of sound, which are conveyed, through that instrument, to some interior organ of hearing. For how plain is it to discern, that what the bodily ear receives, or hears, is nothing but an impression of sound, and that this ear is not at all affected by the sense or meaning involved in that impression; consequently, that the true hearing of what your friend says to you will depend on the manner in which it is received by some interior faculty! For all speech, you must have observed, is made up, or consists of, two parts, viz. outward expression, and inward sentiment, which inward sentiment again consists of two parts, viz. one part affecting the understanding, and the other the will. Of course, the speech cannot be said to be completely heard, unless it be heard as to both its constituent parts. Suppose then, that whilst your friend is speaking to you, your mind (which is the proper organ of hearing) is intent upon other concerns, and therefore uninterested in your friend’s conversation, is it not possible, and even probable, that you will, in such case, receive only one part of his speech, viz. the outward expression; whilst the other part, viz. the inward sentiment, will not be received, thus not heard, because not attended to? Thus you will, at one and the same time, hear and not hear, since you will hear only an impulse on your bodily organ of hearing, but will not hear the impression intended to be made on your mental and only proper organ of hearing.
But it may be that the sentiment, contained in your friend’s discourse, was designed to affect, not only your understanding, but also your will, by requesting of you some favour, or by presenting some petition, which you are not disposed to grant, and to which, consequently, your will is not inclined to listen;—is it not plain, in this case, that though your bodily ear receives the sound of your friend’s voice, and though your intellectual ear receives his meaning, yet the ear of your will, which is most properly your ear, doth not receive his meaning, and of course doth not hear the real and most important part of his discourse!
It is evident, then, that the sense of hearing in man is twofold, viz. external and internal, and that the internal sense again is twofold, viz. intellectual and voluntary; and that, of course, man can never be said to hear completely, until he hears both with his outward or bodily ear, and also with his inward or mental ear; and not only with his intellectual but also with his voluntary ear.
And this leads me to my second caution, grounded in the consideration, not only of the organ which hears, but also of the thing heard. In treating, however, on this subject, I shall not waste your time with varieties, but shall confine my observations to that one thing needful, viz. THE WORD OF GOD, which, I am persuaded, you will think, with me, to be infinitely better worth your attention than any other word, or speech, that can enter your ears.
What then is this WONDER OF WONDERS, called the WORD OF GOD? Shall we say that it is a mere dead letter, or history, or even a code of moral instruction, which has in it no Divine meaning; and which was intended only to make an impression on the outward ears of our bodies, or on our conduct as moral agents? We must then deny that it is the WORD OF GOD, unless we will be rash enough to assert, that GOD has no design in speaking except to affect our outward senses by noise and sound, or to regulate our manners as members of civil society. But if we cannot bring ourselves to assent to such a rash assertion, we must then conclude that there is something in the WORD OF GOD besides sound, and history, and morality; and that this something, too, must be the will and wisdom of the DIVINE SPEAKER—just as in the words of man (if he be sincere), is always contained the will and the wisdom of man. This conclusion, too, is in exact agreement with the testimony of the DIVINE SPEAKER HIMSELF on the subject, Who was pleased to declare, “The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life,” [John vi. 63.].
But what shall we say is spirit, and what is life, when predicated of the words of the GREAT GOD and SAVIOUR? Can spirit, in this case, mean any thing but that DIVINE INTELLIGENCE which, by the same DIVINE SPEAKER, is called the SPIRIT OF TRUTH? And can life mean any thing but the GOOD of that DIVINE LOVE, which is the only source of all INTELLIGENCE and TRUTH? The WORD OF GOD then, it is plain, is the grand receptacle, or storehouse, of those two DIVINE PRINCIPLES, by and from which the heavens and the earth were originally created; and which, in that HOLY BOOK, are brought down for the reception and life of man; agreeable to what is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of GOD,” [Deut. viii. 3.; Matt. iv. 4.]. Accordingly, man, we find, is endowed with two distinct faculties, called will and understanding; his will being intended for the reception of the GOOD of the DIVINE LOVE, and his understanding for the reception of the TRUTH of the DIVINE WISDOM or INTELLIGENCE.
Behold here, then, the ground of the caution, which I am eager to press upon you, respecting the HOLY WORD of the MOST HIGH! In hearing this DIVINE RECORD, if you are not well upon your guard, you will hear nothing but sound, and will be deaf to substance; in other words, you will hear nothing but the dead letter and history, but will not hear the living principles of the DIVINE LOVE and INTELLIGENCE contained in that letter and history. Than you will hear only with your bodily ears, and what you hear will be received only by the body; whilst, in the mean time, your mental ears will be closed, so that not a particle of the SPIRIT and the LIFE which enter into the composition of the RECORD, will gain admission into your mind. Or perhaps it may be, that one part of your mental ear may be opened, viz. the intellectual, so that your understanding may admit one part of the Divine contents of the RECORD, viz. its bright and blessed truths, whilst yet the other part of your mental ear, viz. the voluntary, may be shut, so that although you receive the light, you are not made sensible of a single beam of the warmth of that heavenly love and life which those truths contain, and to which they were intended to direct you.
Well, then, might the SAVIOUR of the world say, on this occasion, to His disciples, “Take heed how ye hear,” [Luke viii. 18.], for what can be conceived more tremendous than, when the ALMIGHTY speaks, to stop the ears against hearing Him? Yet such is the awful state of those who, in hearing the WORD OF GOD, open only the bodily ear to the sound of the letter, or perhaps their intellectual ear to some intellectual and speculative sentiment contained in the letter; whilst, at the same time, they shut the voluntary ear against all calls on their love, their obedience, and that entire devotion to the FATHER OF THEIR BEING which is the express end and purpose of all Divine speech.
Let you and I then, my excellent Friend, be continually on our guard against plunging ourselves into such a pit of folly, of danger, and of delusion, and thus exposing ourselves to the terrible censure of having ears and yet not hearing. For this purpose, let us recollect, that the letter, or history of the WORD OF GOD, when separated from the spirit and life of the HOLY BOOK, is but like the table on which the TEN COMMANDMENTS were originally written, but is not the commandments themselves. To be content, then, with hearing the letter or history of revealed WISDOM, without paying any attention to its spirit and life, is like blotting the commandments from the table on which they are written, and being satisfied with a blank page, void alike of instruction and of edification.
In the hope that you will excuse the liberty I take in suggesting the above cautions, and in the devout prayer that you may profit by them, so as to open all your ears, both bodily, intellectual, and voluntary, to the VOICE of the ETERNAL MERCY, and thus hearing, not only sound, but sense and meaning,—and not only sense and meaning, but spirit and life, for the illumination of your understanding, and the purification of your will, and the conjunction of both with the DIVINE SOURCE of all TRUTH and GOOD, I remain,
- ↑ It is a fact, which has been often noted by philosophers, that sounds operate principally on the affections, but not on the thoughts; thus that they tend to increase the energies of the will, but not to add light to the understanding.