_Peckham_, _September_ 30, 1814.
_MY DEAR FRIEND IN CHRIST JESUS_.
I have been just reflecting a little on that glorious Title and Office of
our most blessed Lord, a _Surety_: the longer I live the more I feel the
need of him as such; the bondage, sin, and misery I am daily and hourly
experiencing, except a few sweet seasons of liberty in prayer, preaching,
writing, and conversing about the precious things of God. It is well he
became one with us, in the eye of the law, that he kindly undertook for
us, and infallibly secured the payment of that obedience it demanded of
us. This whole debt he took upon himself, and crossed our name from the
bond, and addressed his divine Father for us, _Whatsoever my people owe
thee_, _put that to my account_. The Father graciously accepted this,
and has declared himself well pleased with it. Every blessed view of
this gives me hope, peace, and rest. I am truly miserable but when this
is shewed me, then I feel a sweet serenity of mind. O! precious Surety,
O! glorious Redeemer, thy Person, thy Name, and thy Work, is very dear to
my heart:
No other stay have I beside,
If these should alter I must fall.
I need this to support me now, I shall need it as much when my heart and
flesh fail. _When the Silver Cord is loosed_, _when the Golden Bowl is
broken at the Cistern_, _when the Pitcher is broken at the Fountain_,
_and the Wheel broken at the Cistern_, this glorious Saviour will then
carry my regenerated spirit to God who gave it me, and this is as sure to
my soul as that God has begun the good Work in it. He begins it with a
view to carry it on, and he will perfect that which concerneth me, for
his mercy endureth for ever.
I will now drop you a few thoughts on the sixth verse, with which I must
close these letters, which I trust you will candidly read, and where I
err, attribute that to me, but receive the truth as from that God whose I
am, and whom I serve. Here are four symptoms of approaching dissolution;
the first is _the loosing the Silver Cord_. By this is most probably
meant the Spinal Marrow, and all the Nerves arising therefrom; with all
the Filaments, Fibres, and Tendons that proceed from those Nerves; as
there can be no motion or drawing performed in all the Body without
these; and through the influence of the animal Spirits upon them; and
although these belong to the spinal Marrow, and all draw together as it
were, yet Solomon expresses it in one word, _the Silver Cord_, because
the rest are but a continuation of the same thing. This is called the
Silver Cord from its colour, for it appears to the eye a white, bright as
silver; it is seated deep in the body; it lays lower and deeper, and
safer than the Veins or Arteries, or other common conveyers in the Body,
and it is reckoned the most excellent of all, so that some Philosophers
have termed it the Foundation of Life. The loosing of this Cord, is an
undoubted sign of death; sometimes this is only affected in one part, and
is the cause of Paralytics, but when it happens to the head of the spinal
Marrow, it hinders the influence of the spirits upon the whole Silver
Cord, and consequently takes away all sense and motion from all the
subjected parts, and gives a sure prognostic of death, especially in aged
people. Thus the Silver Cord is loosed.
The next object worthy notice is, _the Golden Bowl broken_, by which some
think is meant the Scull pan; or, as the Seventy translate it, the
Repository of the Brain. The celebrated Dr. _Smith_ (to whom I am
indebted for many of his ideas on Anatomy) says, there are two Membranes
within the Skull, a thicker and harder, and a thinner and finer, which
does more immediately encompass the Brain, and by an immediate contact,
encircles the very Substance of it, which seems to me to be the Golden
Bowl, so called, by way of eminence, which is broken. This is called
Golden, for the same reason that the other is called the Silver Cord, in
its colour. The Membrane is of a flavious colour, nearer to that of
Gold; it is hidden, secret, and well defended; and requires much wisdom
and time to find our all its secret caverns and mysterious branches, and
also for its ductility; above all, it may be compared to Gold, for
excellency and use. Now as long as man remains in his strength, this
Golden Bowl is knit unto itself in all its parts, but in the event of
extreme old age, when he is just giving up the ghost, it can no longer
retain itself, by reason of its natural dryness, shrivelling into itself,
or preternatural moisture, imbibing excrementitious humours, till it is
over full, it often snaps asunder, and so recurs into itself, from whence
the Brain must naturally subside, and all the parts cease from their
several uses; upon this we perceive a change of the whole countenance;
the nose appears very sharp, the eyes sunk into the head, the temples are
pinched in, with all the other symptoms of approaching dissolution. This
brings the house down indeed, when the animal faculty is so deeply
affected. I think there is something very interesting in the idea of the
body compared to a _Golden_ Bowl, not China, Earthenware, or Tin, but
_Gold_, to shew how precious our bodies are in his sight who redeemed
them; that he will take special care of them, collect all the various
pieces together, and raise them up a glorious body by and by.
The third point worthy our consideration, is, _The Pitcher broken at the
Fountain_. This must refer to something belonging to the vital faculty;
it appears in sacred Scriptures, that the life of man consists in his
blood; _For the life of all Flesh is in the Blood thereof_; and this most
noble liquor of Life, hath a primary Seat or Fountain, where it is
principally made, and from whence it is dispensed through the whole Body,
and this Fountain is the Heart, _for out of it are the issues of life_.
This part continually issueth out abundance of Blood, wherein is the
life, to all the parts of the body.—This is a deep Fountain, it is the
Fountain of Life, the first living, and last dying Part of Man. Within
the Body of the Heart there are two firmly-divided Cavities, a right and
left, called Ventricles; from these are certain vessels. Out of the
right Ventricle, of the Heart, proceeds the great Vein, which sends forth
Branches throughout the whole, and hath, at its entrance into the Heart,
certain Portals, and also an Artery. Out of the left Ventricle proceeds
a Vein, inserted into the Lungs, and also the great Artery, which
disperseth its Branches throughout the whole Body, both whose Cavities
are defended with the like Portals. How the blood passeth in and through
these passages I have not time to describe, I wish I had. By the
Pitcher, therefore, we must understand the true and proper concepticle of
the Blood, namely, the Veins, which throughout the whole body, serve only
as vessels to contain that noble liquor, and carry it back again to the
Fountain. This is the Pitcher here intended. The Fountain is the right
Ventricle of the Heart. But neither the Fountain nor Pitcher continues
for ever; the Pitcher does not go so often to the Fountain but at last it
comes home broken. The breaking of it in old age, is the failing of the
Veins, their ceasing from their natural action and use; when they can no
longer carry back, nor conveniently pass into the Heart that liquor, the
blood they contain, it stops, it is stagnated, it dies in the Veins.
This is _breaking the Pitcher at the Fountain_.
Finally, _The Wheel broken at the Cistern_. The Cistern is the left
Ventricle of the Heart, as the Fountain is represented as the right; for
the Blood being enlivened and ennobled in the right Ventricle, it remains
only to be dispersed into these several parts it is to quicken, which it
cannot consequently do, except it be received into this Cistern. The
Wheel is that round, or circulation of the Blood which flows from the
left Ventricle of the Heart. Take this part of the symptom of Death, the
chasing of the Pulse; the instruments of pulsation decay, and can no
longer perform that work which must necessarily be continued for the
preservation of life; when that ceases to beat, the man ceaseth to live;
thus the Wheel, which till now, run its constant round, is broken at the
Cistern, heart and flesh now fail. O! that when this is your case and
mine, we may have nothing to do but to depart and be with Christ. May
our Spirits return to God who gave them, while the poor tabernacle
returns to its original dust. Solemn thought!—But the Gospel opens to my
wondering, pleasing view, the Resurrection of this Body, formed and
fashioned like the glorious Body of my Jesus, who appeared on Mount
Tabor, or Mount Lebanon, as perhaps we shall appear when he comes in
glory. May this be your felicity and mine, _Amen_.
Do accept a few thoughts more upon this verse, of the evil days which may
come on the mystical Body of Christ, which is drawn together, acts,
moves, and is kept together by the strong Silver Cord of everlasting
love. _I drew them with the Cords of Love_, _with loving kindness have I
drawn thee_.—This keeps the whole Body together; and Paul tells us to
_endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace_. Love
is the bond; _put on charity_, _which is the bond of perfectness_. This
is the Cord that draws us to heaven: this unites us in heart to Jesus.
Love as a principle, and as shed abroad in the heart, unites us to his
Truth, his Ways, his Ministers and his People. When this is sweetly
felt, and especially in that degree the Apostle speaks of, when perfect,
that is eternal love comes in, it casts out fear, which hath torment: to
live under this influence is truly blessed, but such seasons are short,
they are pleasant days truly; and in our first setting out, or some part
of our pilgrimage, we do experience them truly blessed. So did Solomon,
but he had some evil days, when his own corrupt heart overflowed with
sin, which brought on a sad distance between God and his soul. This is
also attended with a shyness to the Household of Faith, and very few
pleasant seasons in God’s House of Prayer. No love is felt to Jesus, and
scarce a desire after him; very little affection is felt to faithful
ministers, as there is but little received under their message, which
used to be so sweet to them, and their love to ministers so strong, for
the truth’s sake. Thus, by contracted guilt, the cord of love is loosed,
not in God, but in our exercise of this grace. So of those we once
viewed saints, many we have proved to be nothing but hypocrites; some
only mumping a living under the mask of religion; some lying in wait to
deceive; some watching for our halting, to find something amiss in our
conduct; and if they can catch any thing, it is marrow and fatness to
their bones. Tattling, lying, backbiting, jealousies, and evil speaking.
These things we begin to discover, and groan on account of them in
Professors, till we can hardly help exclaiming with the Prophet, _There
is none upright among men_, _the __best of them is a briar_, _the most
upright is sharper than a thorn hedge_. Very little spiritual love being
now felt, the Silver Cord, appears to be loosed, not that the principle
is lost, but God is teaching the Believer wisdom, and directing the
principle of love to the proper object, even to the Household of
Faith—not to every Professor, but only to those who stand manifest in our
consciences, that they are taught of God; yet it must be acknowledged
that while the heart is shut up from the exercise of love it is an evil,
a trying day. Sin on the conscience, backsliding, getting into a worldly
spirit, the affections being entangled with creature love—these things
bring on evil days. O! what a mercy to have the heart right with God.
When the soul is thus filled with love, it is always attended with an
illuminated mind, a mind receiving the truth. Charity rejoiceth in the
truth, believeth all things God hath said, as well as hopeth for what God
hath promised. But it is possible to stumble upon the dark mountains;
God may cause darkness to come on the mind, the judgment to be
bewildered, and errors to creep in—the Golden Bowl may be
broken.—Ephraim, says God, is oppressed and broken in judgment, either by
evil men, who lay in wait to deceive, or by a curious spirit, which a
Believer may be plagued with, till he has imbibed some error, which leads
him into darkness, bondage, and misery. A sound judgment is valuable,
like a Golden Bowl, but many of God’s children have got proud, and God
has permitted Satan to lay a snare for their feet, _a haughty Spirit
before a fall_, and into awful errors they have run, till days of trouble
have come on, and they have found out their errors. Moreover, real
contrition for sin; a heart affected with grief after the Saviour,
mourning on account of him.—Compunction and godly sorrow of heart is
precious, is valuable to God; with this sacrifice he is well pleased;
this is a Golden Bowl broken indeed, in the best of senses. _Blessed are
they that mourn_, _for they shall be comforted_. The Silver Cord of
Love, the Golden Bowl of a sound Judgment, and an heart influenced by the
Spirit of Grace, are in sweet connexion; these make a Believer shine in
the Church—such are valuable characters, but they are few. _My soul
desired the first ripe Fruit_.
_The Pitcher may be broken at the Fountain_. Our Lord Jesus is a
never-failing Fountain in his Person, in his Offices, in his Love, and in
his Work. He is the Fountain of all spiritual and eternal Life. What a
deep, never-failing, abundant source of all good he is to his Covenant
People. He is a fountain of Gardens for his Church, a Fountain of living
Waters, and a Fountain opened for Sin and Unclearness. Faith wrought in
the heart, may be compared to a Pitcher, which draws its supplies from
that inexhaustible source of all blessings. It receives the Atonement
into the conscience, it is the great Artery in the spiritual Body, which
conveys peace and joy through the whole soul, as it receives the precious
Blood from the heart of Christ, and every other blessing is in this one,
_Jesus died for me_. While Faith is thus busied, the exercises of
Religion, like a wheel, go their happy round to the Cistern of Gospel
Ordinances; for a while Faith is thus exercised on Jesus, the mind, the
soul is made willing, and rolls its happy round, like a wheel well oiled.
Faith is going to the Fountain while the Believer is willingly running
the way of God’s Commands. It is worthy our notice, that all the
treasures of blessings in Christ, are compared to a Fountain; but in
Ordinances, in Ministers, and Means, it is but a Cistern. Hence the
folly of those who seek salvation in their round of duties; they forsake
the Fountain, and cleave, in general, to those _Cisterns that can hold no
water_. Faithful Ministers and Gospel Ordinances hold the Water of Life,
and wisdom declares the man of understanding shall draw it out. This I
dare say you can prove in your own experience; if your soul is, through
faith in the Person and Work of Jesus, happy in his love—all the while
the Pitcher of Faith is bringing you such supplies, you can come as
regular to the Cistern of Gospel Ordinances, and as willing as a wheel,
well set in motion, goes its round. In such days of the Power of Faith,
we are made willing to believe, to do, to suffer, and to obey. Such days
we have had, but we have had some evil days besides, some opposite
reasons, when the Pitcher of Faith appeared to be broken, for all the
good it did for us; it ceased to act, at least in the way it had done; it
brought no grace, no love, no joy, no comfort; it was like a Broken
Pitcher; not that it can cease to exist, as a principle, but only in its
motions, ’tis weak, low, and of course the mind must be low, and the
wheel move slowly, if it moves at all, in Ordinances, in Conversation, in
Prayer, in Reading, and every other religious Exercise. Ah, my dear
friend, have you not met with such days of evil? _but all things work
together for good_, even those sins, those hindrances to our comfort,
shall terminate right; for _the elder sin shall serve the younger_. Sin
makes us pray, cry, groan, wrestle, entreat; this makes Faith grow and
increase, and what belongs to God ascends to him, gravitates to its own
centre. Faith comes from him, is busied about him, affections go to him,
hope centers in him, patience waits on him, humility is precious to him;
this is the fruit of his own Spirit, and we find by daily experience,
that the Spirit goes to God who gave it, while all that is carnal in us
will cleave to the dust, to sin, to the world, to all that is opposite to
God; like loves its like, _that which is born of the Spirit_, _is
Spirit_, and delights in spiritual objects; _that which is born of the
Flesh is Flesh_, and is desirous of sensual gratification. This is the
Believer’s affliction; but we shall soon be done with time, and commune
upon an eternal scene, when all that belongs to the earth, to the dust,
will return to it, and all of me, and belonging to me, will return to him
from whom it came. The Lord carry on his Work in your soul and mine; and
while we live, may we be enabled, through all, and by all our evil days,
to distinguish between the Dust and the Spirit, the Old-Man and the
New—to watch the operations of both; lament the one, and bless God for
the other.
Yours in him,
[Picture: Signature of J. C.]
* * * * *
_FINIS._