Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1893-04-12

Asleep on n pillowcase filed with hens
feathers IL is not strange one should have
pleasant dreams, but here is II pillow o.
rock, and Jacob with his head on IT, and 10
dream Of angels, two professions, thos
coming down the stairs met by those goins
up the stairs. 1t is the first dream of Bible
record. You may say of n dream that it i
nocturnal fantasia, or that it is the absurd
combination of waking thoughts and with
sur OF intonation You may say, ut is only
dream" but God has honored the dream
| by making it the avenue through which
again and again lIehas marched upon the
human soul, decided the fate of Nations
and changed the course Of the worlds his
tory.
| God appeared in n dream to Abimelech,
warning him against an unlawful marriage;
| in dream to Joseph, foretclng His com
ing power under the figure Of all the
sheaves of the harvest bowling down to his
sheaf; to the chief butler, foretellng his
diSimprisonment; to the chief baker, an
nouncing his decapitation; 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 wisdom and riches
and honor; to the warrior, under the figure
! of n barley cake shifting down tent, en-.
Couraging Gideon in his battle against the
| Ameekites; to ACKNOWLEDGMENT, under the
| figure of broken image and hewn down
| tree, foretelling 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
| people through dreams. The question now
| is, Does God appear in our day and reveal
| Himself through dreams? That is the ques-
ton everybody asks, and that question this
| morning shall try to answer. You ask me
if | believe in dreams. My answer is do
believe in dreams, but all have to say will
be under five heads.
Remark the Frst-The Scriptures are so
full OF revelation from God that if we get
no communication from Him in dreams We
ought nevertheless to be satisfied.
With 20 guidebooks to tell you how to get
to Boston or Pttsburg or London or Glas.
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 life ami how to
get to the celestial city, and with this grant
guidebook, this magnificent directory, we
ought to be satisfied. | have more faith in
a decision to which come when | am wide
awake than when am sound asleep. | have
noticed that those who gave a great deal of
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 housa.
If in THAR 6rlat thnv taxa the hand IF n
corpse they are going to die. If they dream
of a garden, it means a sepulcher. If some.
thing turns out according to a night vision,
they say, Well, am not surprised.
dreamed it," If it turns out different from
the night vision, they say, well dreams
90 by contraries." In their efforts to put
their dreams INTO rhy thin they put their
waking thoughts into dscord. Now the
Bible is so full of revelation that we ought
to be satisfied if we get no further reveal.
lion.
Sound sleep received great honor when
Adam slept so extraordinarily that the sur
gical incision which gave him Eve did not
wake him, but there Is no such neel for eX
traorlinary slumber now, and he who
catches an Eve must needs he wide awake!
Noneed of such a dream as Jacob ha with
ladder against the sky, when 10000 times
1t had been demonstrated that earth and
%roor, rooJed nc that Who, was ,,;van r.
Abimelecb, warning him against an unlawful
marriage, when we have the records OF the
, county clerks office. No need OF such q
dream as was given to Pharaoh about the
seven years of famine for now the seasons
march in regular procession. and steamer
and rail train carry breedstuffs to every
famine struck Nation. No need of dream
like that which encouraged Gideon. for all
through Christendom it is announced AMI
| acknowledged and demonstrated that right
| eousness sooner or later will get the victory
IL there should come about crisis in
| your life upon which the Bible does not
seem to be sufficiently specific, go to God in
prayer, and you VIII get especial direction.
have more falth W tunes out OF lOC In dl-
rections gwen you with the Bioie IN your
lap and your thoughts uplltted IN prayer to
God than IN all the information you VIII
get unconscious on your pillow.
Gan very ea9'!i LIE TN, sam WY Vho
Dap i'Ii'"no "ud Ono Ls1 P'''no, ~ nv
Dl1e, snIuiG PuV ~ tiuGn o. 80 w vi 9.,S,
anu anu Vne oh,Icse, IN 'nelt MY DooN, my ti.
hihg, suo.iu tn'lA .ueil e,ipei0 u se'S h'S
ulrecVGus UL'Cush u.sanis t tio.i uon, anu
tuaV f.oieI nnou,' 4ht ,'aU i
Catle lrotll oo'ei anu ul'aU III aiE'oiU ''ii
uiea'is "uie I'd's, ,,t ~ 80 at.o
why W YOU anu pu' 81 lAu'" 'V'e'9 pm
dreams when we have supornal book Of in.
finite wisdom on all subjects? Why should
we harry ourselves with dreamsp Why
should Eddystone an Barnegat lighthouses
| question summer FREELY.
Remark the Second-All dreams have an
important meaning.
They prove that the soul is comparatively
lhlel'enuehI OIL Vhe pnGy' lhe eyes are
'Ao .i CIV ~, o"o II $500, 10y
goes mo iethargy wnich III an ianguaseS
Is usei az tJpe y. ueaCt,, anu Cnen I W SUI
| spleaus us WIZ anu never seeps' IL leap'
o ome ht'anIIo o''aii aliu nihsles III scenes
ouoo ihlIes away. IL travels grea'reacnes vi
t1lle, nasHe" oacT eighty years, anu tIe
octoseharian Is BOY iBa!h III MS ia'ner
mousse IL the soul before IL mas ehtireiy
broken us chalhs Oh hesh can 90 an tu'S, no"
iar can IL ieap WnaO circles can IL cut Wien
IL Is iully liberated.
Every dream, whether agreeable or har
assinc, whether sunshiny or telnpestuouS,
means so much that rising from your couch
you ought to kueel down and say: 80 God,
am | immortal? Whence? WhitherP Two
natures. My soul Gagged now-what when
the door of the cage is opened? Ii my soul
can fly so far in the few hours in which my
body Is asleep i'll tue night, how far can 1t
| fly when my body sleeps the long sleep OF
the grave" Oh, this power to dream, how
startling, how overwhelming II prepared
for the after death flight, what an encnant.
ment! If not prepared for the after death
| flight, what crushing agonyl immortal
| Immortal
Remark the Third-The vast majority
| OF dreams are merely the result OF disturbed
| physical condition AMI are not sunernatura
message.
job had carbuncles, and he was scared in