The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-03-29
TALMAGE ON DREAMS.
A Psychological Study Of the Phe-
nomena Of Mind During Sleep.
The Significance or Dreams AZ m Evi-
denoe OF Immortality God Has
Honored the Dream by Max
ing 1t nm Avenue to Reach
tho Human Soul.


nacle was psychological and religious
study of the phenomena Of mind during
sleep, and the significance Of dreams as
an evidence of immortality. The text
chosen was Genesis xviii, IL: HE
took of the stones Of that place and
put them for his pillows, and lay down
in that place to sleep, and he dreamed"
The sermon follows:
Asleep on pillow-case filed with
hens feathers it is not strange one
should have pleasant dreams But
here is n pillow of rock, and Jacob
with his head on it, and lol dream 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 1t is nocturnal fantasia, or that it
is the absurd combination Of waking
thoughts, and with slur 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 He has marched q pom the human
soul, decided the fate of nations, and
changed the course of the worlds
history. God appeared in dream to
Abimelech, warning him against an
unlawful marriage; in dream to Jo-
seph, fortell;rg his coming power under
the figure of all the sheaves of the har-
vest bowing down to his sheaf to the
chief butler, fortelling his disimprison-
ment; to the chief baker, announcing
his decapitation; to Pharaoh, showing
him first the seven plenty years, and
then the seven famine-struck years, un-
Touring the seven lean cows; to Solo
mon, giving him the choice between
wisdom and riches and honor; to the
warrior, under the figure of barley
cake shifting down tent; encouraging
Gideon in his battle against the Amale-
kites; TO Nebuchadnezzar, under the
figure Of broken image and a hewn
down tree, fortelling his overthrow of
power; to Joseph, of the New Testa-
ment, announcing the birth Of Christ
in his own household; to Mary, bidding
her fly from Herodic prosecutions; to
Pilates wife, warning him not to be.
come complicated with the judicial
overthrow Of Christ
We all admit that God in ancient
times and under Bible dispe nsation ad-
dressed the people through dreams
The question now is, does God appear
in our day and reveal Himself through
dreams2 That is the question every
body asks, and that question this morn
ing shall try to answer. You ask me
II believe in dreams My answer is,
do believe in dreams, but all have TO
say will be under five heads.
Remark the first; The Scriptures are
so full of revelation from God, that II
we get no commu nication from Him in
dreams we ought, nevertheless to be
satisfied.
With twenty guide books to tell you
how to get to Boston or Pittsburgh or
London or Glasgow or Manchester do
you want night vision to tell you how
to make the journey2 We have in this
Scripture full directions in regard TO the
journey of this life and how TO get TO the
celestial city, and with the grand guide.
book, this magnificent directory, we
ought TO be satisfied / have more faith
In decision TO which come when
am wide awake than when am sound
asleep l have noticed that those who
give great deal of their time TO study
ing dreams get their brains added.
They are very anxious 10 remember
what they dreamed about the first night
they slept in new house. II in their
dream they take the hand of corpse,
they are going to die. II they dream OF
garden, it means sepulchre. II
something turns out according to Q
night vision, they say, 'Well, am moi
surprised. l dreamed b" II it turns
out different from the night vision, they
say, "Well, dreams go by contraries
In their efforts TO put their dreams int
rhythm, they put their waking thought:
into discord. Now, the Bible is SO full
of revelation that we ought TO be salts
fed II we geyno further revelation.
Sound sleep received great hopoi
when Adam slept 80 extraordinarily
that the surgical operation which CAV,
him Eve did not wake him; but ther,
Is no such need for extraordinary slum
Der now, and he who catches an Ev,
must needs be wideawakel No need o
such dream as Jacob had with lad
der against the sky, when ten thosanC
times IL had been demonstrated tina
earth and Heaven are in communica
tion. No such dream needed as tha
which was given TO Abimelech, warn
ing him against the un lawful marriage
when we have the records Of the count,
clerks office No need Of such dream
as was given 10 Pharaoh about tn,
seven years of famine, for now the sea
sons march in regular procession, ant
steamer and rail train carry brcadstuf
TO every famine-struck nation No neet
Of a dream like that which encourage,
Gideon, for all through Christendom
is announced and nclkno wledged ant
demonstrated that Righteousness soone
or later will get the victory.
II there should come about crisis II
your life upon which the Bible does no
seem 70 be sufficiently specific, go 3.
God in prayer and you will get especia
direction. have more faith. ninety
nine times out of hundred. In direc
tions given you with the Bible In you
lap and your thoughts nplifted Il
prayer TO God. than in all the informa
tio6 you win get unconscious on yon
pillow. / can very easily undefstanl