Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-04-07
REV. DR.. TALMAGH.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun.
day Sermon.
Subject; biblical and NJ odern NarrationA
of Dreams"

feathers It lS not strange one should have
pleasant dreams, but here is a pillow CT
rock. and Jacob with his head on ii. and lol
a dI cam of angels two professions those
coming down the stairs met by those going
up the stairs 1t is the first dream of Bible
record, You may say of dream that it is
nocturnal fantasia or that it is the absurd
combination of waking thoughts, and with
slur OF information you may say, ut is only
dream" but God has honored $he dream
by making it the avenue through which
again and again He has marched uDon the
human soul, decided the fate of Nations
and changed the course of the wo rlas his
tory.
God appeared liz dream to Abmslecl,
warning him against an unlawful marriage;
in dream to Joseph, foretelling His COM
ing power under the figure of all the
sheaves of the harvest bowling down to his
sheaf; to the chief butler, foreteling his
disimprsonment; to the chief baker, an
houncing his decaDitatioD; to Pharaoh,
showing him first the seven plenty years
and then the seven famine struck years. un-
der the figure of the seven fat COWS devour-
ing the seven lean COWS; to Solomon, giving
him the choice between wis 1om AMI riches
and honor; to the warrior, under the figure
of barley cake shifting down a tent, en-.
coureging Gideon III bis battle against the
Amelekites; to ACKNOWLEDGMENT, under the
figure of broken image and hewn down
tree, foreteling his overthrow OF power; to
Joseph of the New Testament, announcing
the birth of Christ in his own household to
Mary bidding her fly from Herodic perse-
cutions: to Pilates wife, warning him not
to become complicated with the Judicial
overthrow of Christ.
We all admit that God in ancient times
and under Bible dispensation addressed the
l.
| is. Does God appear in our day and reveal
| Himself through dreamsH That is tae ques-
ton everybody asks, and that question this
morning [ shall try to answer. You ask me
| If | believe in dreams. Ny answer is do
believe in dreams, but all have to say will
be under five heads.
Remark the Flrst-The Scriptures are 50
full OF revelation from God that 1t weget
no communication from Him 10 dreams We
ought nevertheless to be satisfied.
With 20 guidebooks to tell you how to get
to Boston or Pittsburg or London or elias.
gov or Manchester, do you want night
vision to tell you how to make the Journey
We have in this Scripture full direction in
regard TO the Journey of this lie an how to
get to the celestial city, and with this grant
| euidebook, this magnificent directory, we
ou,ht to be satisfied. l have more faith in
a decision to which come when | am wide
awake than when | am sound asleep. have
noticed that those who gave great deal Oh
their time to studying dreams get their
brains added. They are very anxious TO
remember what they dreamed about the
first night they slept in new hous'.
If in their dream they take the hand OF
CORPSE they are going to die. Ii they dream
of a garden, it means sepulcher. IT some
thing turns out accor ding to night vision.
they say, well, [ am not surprised. !
dreamed it," If it turns out different from
the NIGHT vision. thew say, "Well, dreams
90 by contraries." In their efforts to put
their dreams into rhythm they put their
waking thoughts into discord. Now the
Bible is SO tuIl of revelation that we ought
10 be satisfied if we get no further revela'
ton.
Sound sleep received great honor when
Adam slept so extraordinarily that the sur
pical incsion which gave him Eve ala not
wake him. but there IS no such neei Tor ex
traordinarY slumber now, and he VINO
catches an Eve must needs be wide awake
Noneel of such dream as JACOB ma WIN
a ladder against the sky, when lO,OOO times
II had been demonstrated that earth and
heaven are in communication. No SUCH
dream needed as that which was given 10
Abimeecb, warning him against an unlawiu'
marriage when we have the records OF tn9
counts clerks Office. No need of such
dream as was aixesfs to Pharaoh about the
seven years of famine, for now the seasons
march in regular procession, and steamer
and rail train carry bree1stuffs to every
famine struck Nation. No need OF dream
like that which encouraged Gideon, for al
through Christendom it is announced AM
acsnowl edged and demonstrated that rlgnO
eousness sooner or later will get the victory
a
your life upon which the Bible does not
seem to be sufficient specifi;, go to Col in
prayer, and you will get especial direction
have more faith 80 tines out OF I'D Ill dl'
rections gwen you with the Bibe IN your
Lap and your thoughts up'ifted in prayer to
God than in all the information you VIII
get unc 1nscious on your pillow.
eau very easily understand why tht
8abvlonans AMI the Egyptians, with nc
Bible. should put 50 mucl SIR IS on dreams
md the Chinese, in their holy book, CHOW
King. should think their nperor gets hi
directions through dreams from Go anC
that Homer should thin that all dream
came from Jove, and that in ancient tim
dreams were ciassiie1 int science. Bl
why do YOU and put so much stress upol
dreams wnen we have supernal Doox OF IN
finite wisdom on all subjects? Why should
we harry ourselves with dreams? Why
should idystone an Barnegat lighthouses
question q summer FREELY.
Remark the Second-All dreams have al
important meaning.
They prove that the soul is comparat vell
in dependent of the body. The eyes ar
closed, the senses are dull, the entire body
goes into a lethargy which in all language
is used as type of death, and then the sou
spreads its wing and never sleeps. 1t leap
the Atlantic Ocean and mingles in scene
5000 miles away 1t travels greatreaches o
time, flashes back eighty years, and tn
octogenarian is boy again in his father
house Ii the soul before it has entlrel.
broken its chains of flesh can do all this, ho7
fer can il leap what circles can it cut, whel
it is fully liberated.
Every dream, whether agreeable OF har
assin~, whether Sunshlny or tempestuou
means so much that rising from your c1uct
Won ought to kneel down au1 SAY: ~ God
am immortal? Whence? Whither9 Tw'
natures. My soul ca ged now-what wher
the door of the Gags is opened? IL my sou
ran Az 50 far in the few hours in which N.
body is asleep in the night, how far can j
Nv when my body sleeps the long sleep y
the erave?' Oh, this power to dream, hoy
startling. how overwhelming If prepare
for the after death fight what an encnant
mentl If not prepared for the after deatl
flight what crushing agony Immortal
immortal
Remark the Thrd-The vast maJorit
of dreams are merely the result OF dlsturoe
physical condition and are not supernatur
message.
JOB had carbuncleS, and he was scare1
the night. He says, Chou scares5 me vii
dreams and terrifiest me with visions. " Sol
mon had an overweight brain, owe
wrought with public business, an he Su
fered from cratic sumber, anu he writes
Ecclesiastes, "a dream cometh through Il
multitude of business" DR.. Gregory in
perimenting with dreams, found That bott