Letters on the Human Body/Letter 8
LETTER VIII.
On Bodily Sleeping and Awaking; together with the Reference of those Bodily Acts to correspondent Acts of the Mind.
- My Dear Sir,
My Dear Sir, From my former letters on the human body, I trust, you are already convinced, not only of its astonishing mechanism, which, of itself, is a sufficient indication of a wisdom surpassing all human conception, but also of the figurative character of ail its parts and operations, as pointing to the mind within; and thus calculated to prove, that what is doing and done by the body, in a natural way, is continually doing and done by the mind and spirit, in a spiritual way; and that thus both body and mind are governed by one common law, which law originates in, and is in connection with, the SUPREME CREATOR AND RULER of both.
Should any doubt however remain with you on this important subject, I flatter myself it will not fail to be immediately dissipated by what I have now to communicate to you, respecting the two bodily acts of sleeping and awaking; if indeed they may be called bodily acts, when yet the body appears to have so little to do with either. For that the body is not able, of itself, to lay itself asleep, or to awake out of sleep, is a truth confirmed by universal experience, and therefore we must look to some higher cause than the body for a solution of these otherwise unaccountable phenomena.
In discussing then the subject of sleeping and awaking, the first point of consideration is the phenomenon itself; the second is its cause; and the third its use and benefit.—I shall begin with the phenomenon itself.
Perhaps in the whole range of bodily acts, none is more astonishing—none more inexplicable, than that of sleeping, except it be the consequent act of awaking; yet perhaps none, in general, is less attended to,—which is one proof, amongst many others, that the mind has its sleep as well as the body. For how wonderful is it, that in a moment, without any effort on the part of man (for effort would, in this case, defeat its own purpose), all his thoughts, with all their activities, delights, and interests, apparently perish; so that the man himself, for a few hours at least, becomes a thoughtless log, not only destitute of all consciousness of his existence, but utterly unable, of himself, to recall that consciousness! How wonderful again is it, that when this thoughtless log has lain, for a certain time, in a state of insensibility even of his own being, he is suddenly aroused, without any exertions of his own, to the re-enjoyment both of his mental and bodily faculties, attended with the re-creation of all his thoughts, with all their former activities, delights, and interests, so closely connected with those of the foregoing day, that he is not sensible of any intervening interruption and suspension! Yet such are the wonders involved in SLEEPING and AWAKING; so that, as a certain writer expresses it, “Every man may be said to die and rise again once in every twenty-four hours.”
But the wonder does not end here, since it is notorious that, during this suspension of thought and intellect, the bodily life still remains, the pulse beats, the lungs respire, and all the interior organs of the body perform their functions as before, with this only difference, that the man himself has no sensibility of their operations. In the mean time (such is the adorable appointment of the Divine providence of the MOST HIGH), from the suspension of the activity of thought results the increase of activity, inasmuch as the general experience of mankind testifies, that sleep tends finally to renew and restore what it apparently destroys; so that, on awaking, man discovers to his surprise and delight that, instead of his thoughts perishing and being buried in the grave of sleep, they have only been preparing in that grave for a more glorious and joyful resurrection.
Sleep then, it appears, is a temporary cessation of the voluntary and intellectual activities of man, so that, to judge from appearances, a living body is reduced for a few hours to the state of a corpse; whilst awaking is the restoration of those activities, converting the corpse back again into a living body, and replacing man in the enjoyment of all his former purposes, thoughts, and operations.—Let me now call your attention to the cause of these wonders.
That this cause doth not originate in man, and that consequently it can only be discovered by looking out of and above man, is demonstrable from the fact above hinted at, that both sleeping and awaking are totally independent of any effort on the part of man. But how can man look out of and above himself? It is evident he can only do so by virtue of the capacity he possesses as a human being, in distinction from the inferior animals, of regarding the CREATOR of the universe; of believing in His HOLY WORD; and thus of elevating his mind to a wisdom infinitely superior to his own, and which is alone capable of unfolding to him the deep mysteries, not only of his existence, but of all the ordinary operations both of his soul and body.
Let us listen then to the information which this GREAT CREATOR hath been pleased to communicate to us, in His MOST HOLY WORD, on the interesting subject of sleeping and awaking.
In the second chapter of the book of Genesis, verse 21, we read these interesting words, “And the LORD GOD caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept.” Again, in the third Psalm, verse 5, we find it written, “I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.” Again, in Psalm cxxvii. 2, speaking of the same LORD, or JEHOVAH, the Psalmist testifies concerning Him, “So He giveth His beloved sleep.” Here then the light begins to dawn upon us, and by its brightness we are enabled to discover what, without its aid, must have been for ever concealed from our eyes. We are enabled to discover, I say, that sleep originates in a cause above man, and that the GREAT and HOLY GOD, Whose name is JEHOVAH, is that cause. Whether this cause operates immediately, or (as is more probable) mediately, that is, through the medium of angelic beings, makes, in this case, no manner of difference. It is sufficient to establish the fact, that sleeping and awaking are not so much dependant on ourselves as on those superior intelligences, of whom it is written, “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them;” [Psalm xxxiv. 7.]; and again, “He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways,” [Psalm xci. 11.]
In confirmation of the truth of what is here suggested, concerning the cause of sleeping and awaking, I might appeal to the phenomena of dreams, those transitory awakings, even during sleep, to visions and sensations, sometimes of the most exquisite enjoyment, and at other times of the deepest misery, far surpassing whatsoever is seen or felt in the absence of sleep. For how now shall we account for these sudden gusts of involuntary pleasure and pain, and this at a time when we ourselves are in a state of absolute incapacity to bid them either to come or go? To say that pleasure and pain are things of chance, will hardly satisfy the inquiries of a thinking intelligent mind on the subject; and therefore we are constrained to allow, as the only expedient of giving a rational solution of the difficulty, that man, during sleep, is in some secret mysterious communication with other intelligences, be they good, or evil, or both; who have the power thus, at one time, to enchant him with inconceivable delights, and at another time to affright and alarm him with as inconceivable horrors. Oar very dreams then are collateral proofs, that the sleep, in which all dreams originate, is an effect produced by some order of beings superior to ourselves, to whom is intrusted by the ALMIGHTY the care of alternately closing and opening our eyes every returning night, to the intent that both our souls and bodies may receive all the uses and benefits to be derived from alternate repose and activity.—What these uses and benefits are, let us now, in the third place, inquire.
On this occasion, however, I will not detain you by an exploration of the advantages resulting to the body from the refreshment of sleep, because every one’s experience is sufficient to convince him, how much he is indebted to the repose of the night for the renovated powers of his corporeal frame, when the morning light again calls him to the exercise of those powers.
But the benefit of sleep is not limited to the body, since there is every reason to believe, that it extends also to the mind; and that whatsoever of refreshment and renovation the body may derive from its composing influence, the mind is a still greater gainer, and has infinitely more anise to be thankful for its gains.
Yet I much fear that this idea of mental advantage, accruing from what some people call the loss of time in sleep, will hardly be received by those who make the all of life and its enjoyments to consist in the natural activities of the intellectual faculty; and who are thus led to suppose, that their career in the way of bliss would be far more rapid, was it not impeded by the temporary suspension imposed on those activities by the nightly repose of the body.
But here arises a most important question, to which every man is bound to give a serious answer who wishes to become acquainted with himself; and thus with the true quality, character, and tendencies of his own natural intellectual activities.—The question, I say, is—do these activities constitute the whole of man’s life and enjoyments? Rather, if not at times suspended and checked, would they not finally tend to destroy all life, properly so called, and instead of promoting bliss, plunge man into very depth of woe and misery?
I am speaking here, you will observe, of intellectual activities merely natural, or of such as have no higher origin and end than selfish and worldly gain and glory; and not of those which are grounded in the pure love of GOD and man, and directed by the wisdom of such love; for from these latter activities, it is plain, we have nothing to fear. Of the former, however, I am free to confess, that I have my fearful apprehensions, and that for the following reasons.
Intellectual activity, when separated from that humility and self-abasement which the love of GOD alone inspires, appears to be the nurse of the most dangerous pride and arrogance that can enter into the heart of man, and thus to set a man at the greatest possible distance from GOD, from heaven, from peace, and from every thing that can be called true happiness. For what is such activity but the activity of a defiled and domineering self-love, which seeks to exalt itself above every other being, whether on earth or in heaven; and like its prototype, Lucifer, “saith in its heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of GOD: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the MOST HIGH?” [Isaiah xiv. 13, 14.]. Can any thing then be more frightful than such an activity? For can any thing be more directly opposed to the DIVINE WISDOM, which, in making the scale of human blessedness, has been pleased to assign the highest rank to the poor in spirit, when it began its long catalogue of heavenly graces and virtues by declaring, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven?”
Such then being the filthy and abominable character of an unsubmitted intellectual activity, is it to be wondered at, that the ALMIGHTY, in His adorable wisdom, should have devised the means of its purification by a temporary suspension of its powers during bodily sleep? For how forcibly is man instructed by this suspension, that his activities are not his own, but that he is continually indebted to other beings, not only for his faculty of intellect, but for every other faculty which lie enjoys as an intelligent and rational agent!
But there is yet another use and benefit resulting- from bodily sleeping and awaking, to which I am eager to call your attention, and that is—the connection existing between such sleeping and awaking and the sleeping and awaking of the mind; together with the tendency of the former to call into recollection the interesting concerns of the latter.
For if we believe the testimony of Divine Revelation, we are forced to confess, that so long as man continues in a state of mere natural thought and affection, exalting the interests and pleasures of this lower and transitory world above the infinitely more important concerns and joys of the eternal world, so long his immortal soul is in a state of deep sleep. On the other hand, no sooner is this stale changed through the admission of the light of the ETERNAL TRUTH; so that the man begins to see and perceive clearly, that an eternal crown of glory is of infinitely higher value than all the wealth and splendour of human dignity and honour, than he begins to awake out of sleep. For to this effect THE WORD OF GOD testifies, where it is written, “Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;” [Psalm xiii. 3.]; and again, “While man slept, his enemy came, and sowed tares among the wheat;” [Matt. xiii. 25.]; and again, “While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept;” [Matt. xxv. 5.]; and again, “Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping;” [Mark xiii. 36.]; to which may be added the admonition of the Apostle, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and CHRIST shall give thee light;” [Ephes. v. 14.]; in which passages, it is plain, that sleeping and awaking are applied to the mind, and not to the body; and that thus sleeping denotes a state of mere natural thought and affection, whilst awaking denotes the reverse, viz. a state of thought and affection excited by the light of the ETERNAL TRUTH, and thus grounded in eternal hopes and interests.
Is it possible then, that the mind of man may sleep the sleep of death, and thus be found slumbering and sleeping in temporal cares and gratifications, when it ought to awake to meet the bridegroom? Is it possible that, in this case, an enemy may come, and sow tares among the wheat, so that when the blade springeth up, and bringeth forth fruit, the tares also may make their appearance? How ought we then to feel ourselves indebted to that bodily sleeping and awaking, which so powerfully presses upon our recollection the terrible consequences of this mental sleep! For if the body never slept, whence could we have derived an idea of the sleep of the mind? And if the body never awoke out of sleep, how impossible would it have been for us to have formed a just conception, or indeed any conception at all, of the blessings and advantages resulting from mental awaking!
There is yet one other consideration, which I must beg leave to suggest on the subject of mental sleep and awaking, in order to guard you against the mistaken idea, that since there is danger in being always asleep, therefore your security lies in never sleeping; and that, consequently, the mind ought always to be kept in a state of spiritual thought, or wakefulness, without ever descending into a state of natural thought or sleepiness. This I call a mistaken idea, since the order of heaven requires that every man, during his abode in this lower world of nature, should be employed in some natural calling, or engagement, for the good of society; and it is well known, that every such natural calling requires natural thought for the accomplishment of its purposes. It is necessary then that every man, let his mind have been ever so fully awakened to a sense of the superior importance of eternal concerns, should at times descend into natural thought respecting the temporal concerns of himself and his fellow-men; which natural thought has, for a time, the appearance of sleep, since, for a time at least, the great realities of the invisible world are not immediately presented to the mind’s view and observation. In this state, however, of natural thought, no danger is to be apprehended, inasmuch as spiritual thought is in it; and consequently the natural thought is not so much a separation from spiritual thought as its extension, by facilitating its descent into the ultimate sphere of usefulness and benefit to society and the world at large. It is evident therefore, that as there is a sleep of the mind unto death, consisting in the entire forgetfulness and neglect of all the grand concerns of eternity, so there is a sleep of the mind not unto death, but rather conducive to life,—consisting in the mind’s descent into natural thought and employment for the general benefit of mankind, that so it may bring down into the external man all the spiritual wisdom and heavenly purposes conceived in the internal man, which, without such descent, could never have been brought into operation. Perhaps this salutary sleep is alluded to in the LORD’s instructive parable, where it is written, “So is the kingdom of GOD, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how,” [Mark iv. 26, 27.]. For it is remarkable that, in this parable, mention is made both of sleeping and rising (or awaking), as if both were alike necessary, in their alternations, to give full effect to the growth of the Divine seed the WORD OF GOD.
In the devout prayer that you, my excellent Friend, both as to mind and body, that is to say, both spiritually and naturally, may ever be found so sleeping and awaking, as to be enabled to adopt the pious language of the Psalmist, “I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me;” I remain
Truly yours, &c.