The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-04-12
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVlNEs SUM-
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Biblical and Modern Mar
rations of Dreams"

TEXT: ''He tOOE OF tHe StOHeS ~ tHut
place and put them for his pitlows and lay
do,on in that place to sleep, and he dreom-
ed."-Genesis xviii, II.
Asleep on q pillowcase filed with hens
feathers it is not strange one should have
pleasant dreams, but here is pillow ct
rock, and Jacob with his head on it. and lol
q d1 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
q slur Of intonation you may say, III Is only
Q dream" but God has honored the dream
by making it the avenue through wn.cn
human soul, decided the fate OF Nations
and changed the course Of the worlds his
tory. -. .,
. God appeared in dream to Aoimeleca,
warning him against an unlawful marriage;
in dream to Joseph, foretellng His COM
ing power under the figure OF all the
eheaves of the harvest bowling down to his
sheaf; to the chief butler, foretelling MS
disimprisonment; to the chief baker, an
nouncing his decapitation; to fnaraon,
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
hin, the choice between wisdom and riches
and honor: to the warrior, under the hgure
of a barley cake shifting down tent, en-.
couragine Gideon in his battle against the
Amelekites; to Nebuchadnezzar. under the
figure Of broken image and hewn down
tree. foretelling his overthrow OF power; 70
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 MINI not
tn become complicated with the judicial
overthrow OF Christ.
we oil 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 tne ques-
tion everybody asks, and that question. this
morning shall try to answer. You ask me
If l believe in dreams. MY answer is 40
believe in dreams, but all have ID say Will
be under five heads.
Remark the First-Tha Scriptures are so
full or revelation from God that il 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 Pittsburg or London or Gias-
cow or Manchester, do you want nlgnt
vision to tell you how to make the journey
We have in this Scripture full direction IN
regard to the journey Of this life and howto
get to the celestial city, and with this grand
S,,idebook. this magnificent directory, we
ought to be satisfied. have more faith in
a decision to which come when 1 am wide
awake than when I am sound asleep. l have
noticed that those who gave 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 a new house.
If in their dream they take the hand OF
corpse, they are going to die: It they dream
of a garden, it means sepulcher. II some
thing turns out according to nlgft vis'on'
they say, We'll, am not surprised. 1
dreamed it," II it turns out different from
the night vision, they say. "Well, dreams
90 by contraries." In their efforts to put
their dreams INTO rhythm they put their
waking thoughts into dlscord. NOW the
Bible is 80 full OF revelation that we ought
to be satisfied If We get no further reVeia-
ton.
Sound sleep received great honor when
Adam slept so extraordinarily tnat tne sur
oical incision which gave him Eve did not
wake him, but there IS no such need tor e3
traordinary slumber now, and he who
catches an Eve must needs be wide awake!
Noneed of such dream as Jacob had with
a ladder against the sky, whsa 10000 times
it had been demonstrated that earth ana
heaven are in communication. Nc sucn
dream needed as that which was given 70
Abimelecb, warning him against an un'awiui
marriage, when we have the records OF ths
county clerks Office. No need OF such
dream as was given to Pharaoh about tne
seven years OF famine, for now the seasons
march in res ular procession, and steamer
and rail train carry breedstufs to every
famine struck Nation. No need OF dream
like tnat which encouraged Gideon, for all
through Christendom it is announced and
acknowledged and demonstrated that right
eousness sooner or later will get the victory
II 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 will get especial direction.
fhave more faith 80 times out Of 100 in di-
rections gwen you with the Bible in your
lap and your thoughts uplifted in prayer to
God than in all the information you will
yet unc opscious on your pillow.
can very easily understand why the
Babylonans and the Egyptians. with no
Bible. should put so much stress on dreams,
and the Chinese, in their holy book. Chow
King, should think their emperor gets his
directions through dreams from God, and
that Homer should think that all dreams
came from Jove, and that in ancient times
dreams were classified into science. But
why do you and put 50 much stress upon
dreams when we have supsrnal book Of in.
finite wisdom on all subjecas' Why should
we harry ourselves with dreams? Why
should Eddystone an l Barnegat lighthouses
question a summer FREELY.
Remark the Second-All dreams have an
important meaning.
They prove that the soul is comparatively
independent Of the body. The eyes are
closed, the senses are dull, the entire body
goes into lethargy which in all languages
Is used as type Of death, and then the. soul
spreads its wing and never sleeps. It leaps
the Atlantic Ocean and mingles in scenes
5000 miles away. 1t travels great reaches Of
time. flashes back eighty years. and the
octogenarian is boy aga!n in his fathers 8
house. II the soul before it has entirely
broken its chains Of flesh can do all this, how
far can it leap, what circles can it cut, when
It is fully liberated.
Every dream, whether agreeable or har-
assing, whether suushiny or tempestuous,
means so much that rising from your couch
you ought to kneel down and say: 70 God,
am immortal? Whence? Whither9 Two
natures. My soul Gagged now-what when
the door Of the Gags is opened? II my soul
can fly so far in the few hours in which my
body is asleep in the night, how far can it
fly when my body sleeps the long sleep Ut
the graveT On, this power to dream, how
startling how overwhelming! II prepared
for the after death flight what an encnant-
mentl II not prepared for the after death
flight, what a crushing agonyl lmmortall
Immortall
Remark the Third-The vast majority
OF dreams are merely the result Of disturbed
physical condition and are not a supernatural
message.
job had carbuncles. aud he was scared in
the night. He says, Thou scarest me witt
dreams and terrifest me with visions" Solo
mon had an overwrought brain, over
wrought with public business, and be suf.