The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-12-18
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: Dreams - They Arc the Avenue
Through Which God Has Agnin and
Again Marched Upon the b uman Soul
proof ~ Tnm mortaIftv - warned bv C od

Again Marched Upon the Human Soul
Proof Of Immortality Warned by God
WASHINGTON, D. C-In this discourse
DR.. Talmage discusses a much talked Of
subject, and one in which all are inter-
out My spirit upon all flesh. Your old
men shall dream dreams, your young men
shall see visions"
In this photograph of the millennium
the dream is lifted into great conspcuity.
You may say of dream that it is q noe
turnal fantasia, or that it is the absurd
combination of waking thoughts, and with
a slur of intonation you may say, "1t is
only a dream" but God has honored the
dream by 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
worlds history. God appeared in a dream
to Abimelech, warning him against an un-
nouncing by the ladder set against the
sky full of angels, the communication be-
tween earth and heaven; in a dream 70
Joseph, foretelling his coming power under
the figure of all the sheaves of the harvest
bowling down to his sheaf; to the chief
butler, foretelling his disimprisonment; to
the chief baker, announcing his decapita-
ton; to Pharaoh, showing him first the
seven famine struck years, under the
figure of the seven lean cows devouring
the seven fat cows; to Solomon, giving
riches and honor; to warrior, under the
figure of a barley cake shifting down a
tent. encouraging Gideon in his battle
against the Nidianites; to Nebucha adnez-
zar, under the figure of broken image
and hewn down tree, foretelling the over
throw of his power; to Joseph, OF the
New Testament, announcing the birth of
Christ in his own household, and again
bidding him fly from Rerodie prosecutions;
to Pilates wife, warning him not to be-
come complicated with the judicial over
throw 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 da7 and
reveal Himself through dreams? That is
the question everybody asks: and that
question will try to answer. You ask me
if I believe in dreams. Nv answer is. I
do, but all have 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 twenty guidebooks to tell you how
to get to New York or Pittsburg or Lon
don or Glasgow or Manchester do you
want a night vision to tell you how to
make the Journey? We have in this
Scripture full direction in regard to the
celestial city, and with this grand guide
book, this magnificent directory, we
ought to be satisfied. I have more faith
in a decision to which / come when ] am
wide awake than when I am sound asleep:
I have noticed that those who give great
deal of their time to studying dreams get
their brains added. They are very anx..
ious 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.
If they dream of garden it means sep
ulcher.. II something turns ont stvafI aTfIcoTding ing
not surprised: I dreamed it." II it turns
out different from the night vision, they
say. "Wel. 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 satisfied
if we get no further revelation:
Sound sleep received great honor when
Adam slept so extra ordinarily that the
surgical incision which gave him Eve did
not wake him, but there is no such need
for extraordinary, s!umber now, and ne
who catches an Eve must needs be wide
awake! No need of such dream as
Jacob had. with a ladder against the sky,
when ten thousand times it has been DEM
onstrated that earth and heaven are in
communication. 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 county
clerks Office No need OF such dream as
was given to Pharoah about the seven
years of famine, for now the seasons
march in regular procession and steamer
and rail train carry breadstutTs to every
like that which encouraged Gideon, for al!
through Christendom it is announced and
acknowledged and demonstrated that
Righteousness 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 sufficiently specific GO to God
in prayer, and you will get, especial direc-
ton. I have more faith niinety-nlne
times out of q hundred in directions. given
you with the Bible in your Ian and your
thoughts uplifted in prayer to God than IN
all the information you will get uacon-
scious on your pillow. =,
+ can very easily understand why, the
Babyloniaps and the Egyptians, with no
Bible. should put so much stress, on dreams,
and the Chinese in their holy book, Cnqw
King. should thinl, their emperor gets his
directions through dreenns from God, ard
that Homer should think that all dreams
came from Jove, and that in ancient times
dreams were classified into a science, but
why do you and I put so much stress upon
dreams when we nave supernal book or
infinite wisdom on all subjects, Why
should we harry ourselves with dreams!
WHY should Eddystone and Bsrnegat
lighthouses question a summer firehiy!
Remark the Sccord-All dreams have IN
important meaning. They prove that the
soul is comparatively independent OF the
body. TIE eyes are closed. the senses are
dull. the entire body goes into lethargy.
which in ali languages is used as a type, of
death. and then the soul spreads it's wing
ard never sleeps. It leaps the Atlantic
Ocean and mingles in scenes 5000 miles
away. It travels great reaches; OF time,
flashes back eighty years. and the cctose-
marian is a boy again in his fathers house.
If the soul before it has entirely bro ken its
chain of flesh can do all this. how far can
it leap. what circles can it cut when 1t is
fully liberated? Every dream. whether
agreeable or harassing, whether sunshlny
or tempestuous, means so much that. rs;;
ing from Your couch. you ought to knee5
down ard say: 20 God. am l immortai!
Whence? Whittier? Two natures. MY
soul Gagged now-what wnen o the 90 noGv a., so %,
far far in tae few hours in which my body is
si asleep Ed in the night, how far can it fy
when my hody sleeps the long sleep of the
grave?" Oh. this power to dream. how
Startling. how overwhelming! Immortal!
immortal!
Remark the Third-The vast majority
of dreams are merely the result of dis
turbed physical condition, and arc not a
supernatural message. Job had carounc.es
and he was scared in the night. he says
"Thou scarest me with dreams ani terri