Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-03-31
REV. DR.. 7ALMAGB.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun.
day Sermon.
Subject: biblical and NJ odern Variations
Of nraame't

of Dreams"
TEXT: NE took of the stones of thai
place and put them for his plio,os and LAP
@o,cn IN that place 10 sleep and he dream
ed."-Genesis xviii, II.
Asleep on pillowcase filled with hens
feathers 1t is not strange one should have
pleasant dreams but here is q pillow CT
rock. and Jacob with bis head on il. and loi
OF 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 il is the absurd
combination Of waking thoughts, aud with
slur OF information you may saw, ut is only
a dream. but God has honore1 the dream
oy making it the avenue through which
again and again He has marched upon the
human soul, decided the fate of Nations
and changed the course OF the wo rios HE
tory.
God appeared in e dream to Abimsleci,
warning him AGAINST anunlawful marriage
IA dream to Joseph, foretclling His CON-
ing power under the figure OF all the
sheaves of the harvest bowling down to his
sheaf, to the chief butler, foreteling his
dlsmprlSonment; to the chief baker, an
oounclng his decanitation; 70 Pharaoh,
showing him first the seven plenty years
and then the seven famine struck years, un-
,ier the f2ure Of the seven fat cows devour-
ing the seven lean COWS; to Solo non, giving
him the choice between wisdom an riches
md honor; to the warrior, un Ter the figure
OF bariey cake shifting down a tent, 60.
couraging Gideon in his battle against the
AmelekiteS TO Nebuchaduezzar, under the
/ figure of broken image and a hewn down
tree, foretelling his overthrow OF power; TO
Joseph of the New Testament announcing
the birth Of Christ in bis own household; TO
Mary, bidding her fly from Herodic perse.
cutions; TO Pilates wife, warning him not
tn 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 pow
! 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 l believe in dreams. Ny answer is do
believe IN dreams, but all hare to say will
be under FIVE heads.
Remark the First-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 euidebooss to tell you how to get
TO Boston or Pittsburg 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 lite an how to
get to the celestial city, and with this grand
| guidebook, this magnificent directory. We
ought to be satisfied. have more faith in
| O 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
| ko,- hot fkar oh
first night they slept in a new house.
| If in their dream they take the hand OF a
corpse, they are going to die. If they dream
| of a garden, it means a sepulcher. II some
| thing turns out according TO night vision,
they say, We'll, am not surprised [
dreamej it.n If it turns out different from
| the night vision, they say, "Well, dreams
70 by contraries." In their efforts TO put
! their dreams INTO rhy thin they put their
waking thoughts into discord. Now the
! Bible is so tuil Of revelation that we ought
to be satisfied if we get no further revela'
/ ton.
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 need fo- ex
/ traordinary slumber now, and be who
catches an Eve must needs be wide awake!
4 Noneel Of such dream as Jacob ha with
a ladder against the sky, when 1000 times
/ It had been demonstrated that earth and
/ heaven arc in communication. No such
dream needed as that which was given TO
/ Abimelecb, warning him against an unlawful
marriage, when we have the records of the
county clerks office. No need OF such a
dream as was given to Pharaoh about the
seven years OF famine, for now tho seasons
march in regular procession. and steamer
and rail train carry breedstufs to every
famine struck Nation. No need OF a dream
like that which encouraged Gideon, for all
through Christendom it is announced AMI
acknowledged ana demonstrated that right
eousness sooner or later will get the victory
If there should come about a crisis in
your life upon which the Bible does not
seem to be sufficient y specific, go TO Col in
prayer, and you will get especial direction.
| thave more faith 80 tines nut of l01 in DE-
,ections gwen you with the Bib.e in your
Ap and your thoughts upiifted 10 prayer 10
God than in all the Information you will
/ get unconscious on your pillow.
1 can very easily understand why the
| Babylon.ans and the Egyptians, with no
/ Bible, should put so muca str IS on dreams,
and the Chinese, in their holy book, Clow
/ King. should think their euper or gets his
directions through dreams from Co. and
that homer should thin that all dream'
zane from Jove, and that in ancient tim 4
dreams were Classified INTO q science. Bll
| why do you anu put so mucn stress upon
dreams when we have supernal book of in
| Unite wisdom on all su3jecIs; Why should
We harry ourselves with dreansf Wny
should Eidystone an Barnegat lighthouses
! question summer freely.
Remark the Second-All dreams have an
important meaning.
They prove that the soul is comparatively
/ l.. - - he Eo1r- hn ort
slosel. the senses are dull, the entire body
goes into 2 lethargy which In all languages
S used as type of death, and chen the sout
spreads its wing and never sleeps IL leap
the Atlantic Ocean ana mingles in scenes
5000 miles away. Ii travels greatreacnes OF
time, flashes back eighty years, and the
cctogenariau Is boy again in his fathers
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 iutly liberated.
Every dream, whether agreeable or har.
assing, whether sunshiny or tempestuouS
means so much that rising from your couch
vol, ought TO kneel down and say: 80 God,
! am inmortalf WhenceS Whitheri Two
natures. Ny soul caSed now-wnat when
the dcor Of the cage is openedf IL my soul
can fiy so far in the few hours in which my
BODY is asleep in the night, how far can II
fy when my body sleeps the long sleep Ut
the eraveT' On this power to dream, how
startling, how overwhelming II prepared
for the after death fight. what an enclant-
nentl Ii not prepared for the after death
fight, what crushing agOayi immortal
Immortal,
Remark the Third-The vast majority
OF dreams are merely the result OF disturbed
| ohvscal condition AMI are not supernatural
message.
lob hal carbuucles and he was scared in
the night. He says, Thou scarest me with
| dreams and terrifsst mo with visions" Solo
mon had an overweight brain, over
wrought with public BUSINESS, AMI he suts
fered from cratic s.umber, and he writes IN
Fcclesiastes, "a dream cometh through the
multitude of business" DR.. Gregory in ca
perimentiug with dreams, found That bottle
Of hot water put to his feet while in siumber
made him think that be was going up the
hot side OF Mount Etna.
! Another morbid physician, experimenting
with dreams, his feet uncovered through
sleep. thought he was riding in Alpine dill
renee But n great many dreams are mere.
| " narcarcotic disturbance. Anything that
Won see while under the influence OF choral
Tor brandy or "hasheesh" or laudanum is not
la revelation from God. Tue learned d.
IOuincy did not ascribe 10 divine commuaiI
cation what be saw in sleep, opium satu;
rated; dreams which he afterward described
in the following words: