Connecticut western news., 1901-12-05
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-In this dis course Dr. Talmage discusses much talked of subject and one In which all are interested. The text Is Joel il, 2S: "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions"
 In this photograph of the millenni- um the dream Is lifted into great con- spicuity. You may say of a dream that 1t is nocturnal fantasia, or that 1t Is the absurd combination of waking thoughts, and with a slur of intona- ton you may say, Tt Is only a dream;" but God has honored the dream by making 1t 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 worlds history. God appeared In dream to Abimelech, warning him against an unlawful marriage; In a dream to Jacob, announcing, by the ladder set against the sky full of an sClS, luC bCt" SSh SeA sAA and heaven; in q dream to Joseph, foretelling his coming power under the figure of all the sheaves of the harvest lowing down to his sheaf; to the chief butler, foretelling his disim- prisonment; to the chief baker, an nouncing his decapitation; to Pharaoh, showing him first the seven plenty years and then the seven famine struck years, under the figure of the fat cows; to Solomon, giving him the choice between wisdom and riches and honor; to a warrior, under the figure of a barley cake smiting down tent, encouraging Gideon in his battle against the Midianites; to Nebuchad- nezzar. under the figure of broken image and a hewn down tree, foretell- ing the overthrow of his power; to Joseph, of the New Testament, an nouncing the birth of Christ in his own household, and again bidding him fly from Herodic prosecutions; to Pi- late's wife, warning him not to become complicated with the judicial over throw of Christ.
 We all admit that God in ancient times and under Bible dispensation ad- dressed the people through dreams. in our day and reveal himself through dreams? That Is the question every body asks, and that question I will try to answer. You ask me if 1 be- lieve in dreams. My answer is, I do, but all have to say will be under five heads.
 Bible . Sufficient Guide.
 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 twenty guidebooks to tell you how to get to New York or Pittsburg or London or Glasgow or Manchester do you want night vision to tell you how to make the journey? We have in this Scripture full direction in re- gard to the journey of this life and how to get to- the celestial city, and with this grand guidebook, this mag nifcent directory, we ought to be satis- fled. I have more faith in a decision to which I come when I am wide awake than when am sound asleep. have noticed that those who give 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 a new house. If in their dream they take the hand of a corpse, they are going to die. If they dream of garden, it means a sepulcher. If some thing turns out according to a night vision, they say, Well, am not sur prised; dreamed it." If 1t turns out different from the night vision, they say, Well, dreams go by contraries." In their efforts to put their dreams into rhythm they put their waking thoughts into discord. Now, the Bible is so full of revelation that we ought to be satis- fled If we get no further revelation.
 Sound sleep received great honor when Adam slept so extraordinarily that the surgical incision which gave him Eve did not wake him, but there Is no such need for extraordinary slum- Der now, and he who catches an Eve must needs be wide awake! No need of such dream as Jacob had, with ladder against the sky, when ten thou sand times it has been demonstrated that earth and heaven are in communi- cation. No such dream needed as that which was given to Abimelech, warn ing him against an unlawful marriage, when we have the records of the coun- ty clerks office. No need of such 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 bread stuffs to every famine struck nation. No need of a dream like that which encouraged Gideon, for all through Christendom 1t is announced and ac- knowledged and demonstrated that righteousness sooner or later will get the victory.
 If 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 es- pecial direction. I have more faith ninety-nine times out of a hundred in directions given you with the Bible in your lap and your thoughts uplifted in prayer to God than in all the informa- tion you will get unconscious on your pillow.
 can very easily understand why the Babylonians and the Egyptians. with no Bible. should pnt 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 love, and that In ancient times dreams were classified into science, but why do you and I put so much stress upon dreams when we have supernal book of infinite wisdom on all subjects? Why should we harry ourselves with dreams? Why should Eddystone and Barnegat lighthouses question sum- mer frefy?