Woodruff County news., 1901-12-07
VISIONS OFTHE NIGHT
Dr. Talmage Shows How God Has
 Honored the Dream.
It Has Decided the Fate of Nations and Has Changed Course of Worlds HistOry-Warn-
 ings from God.
ICopyright, 1901, by Louis Klopsch, N. VI
 Washington. Dec. l.

Washington. Dec l.
 In this discourse Dr. Talmage dis cusses a much talked of subject, and one in which all are interested. The text is Joel 9, 28: q 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 millen- nium the dream is lifted into great conspicuity. You may say of dream that it is nocturnal fantasia or that it is the absurd combination of walk ing thoughts, and with a slur of in- donation you may say: Ut is only dream," but God has honored the dream by making it the avenue through which again and again lie has marched upon the human soul, decided the fate of nations and changed the course of the worlds his tory. God appeared in a dream to Abimelech, warning him against an unlawful marriage; in dream to Jacob, announcing by the ladder set against the sky full of angels the communication between earth and heaven; in a dream to Joseph, fore telling his coming power under the figure of all the sheaves of the harvest lowing down to his sheaf; to the chief butcher, foretelling his disimpris onment; to the chief baker, announcing his decapitation; to Pharaoh, showing him first the seven plenty years and then the seven inc Str ba of the seven lean cows, devouring the seven fat cows; to Solomon, giving him the choice between wisdom and riches and honor; to warrior, under the figure of a barley cake smiting down tent, encouraging Gideon in his battle against the Midianites; to NebuchadnezZar, under the figure of a broken image and a hewn-down tree, foretelling, the overthrow of His power; to Joseph of the New Testa- ment, announcing the birth of Christ in his own household, and again bid ding him fly from Herodic persecu- tions; 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 question every body asks, and that question I will try to answer. You ask me if I be- lieve in dreams. My answer is, l do, but all I have to say will be under five heads.
 Remark the First.-The Scriptures are so full of revelations from God that if we get no communication from Him in dreams we ought, never theless, to be satisfied.
 With 20 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 nificent directory, we ought to be sat isfied. l have more faith in decision to which l come when I am wide awake than when I am sound asleep. l 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 new house. If in their dream they take the hand of corpse, they are going to die. If they dream | 1ol~a If something turns out according to a night vision, they say: "Well, l am not surprised. I dreamed it." If it 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 dis cord. Now, the Bible is so full of revelation that we ought to be satis- fled if we get no further revelation.
 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 especial direction. I have more faith, 99 times out of 100, in directions given you with the Bible in your lap and your thoughts uplifted in prayer to God than in all the information you will get unconscious on your pillow.
 Remark the Second.-An 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 a lethargy which in all languages is used as a type of death, and then the soul enreadS ifs winr and never sleeDs IL