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DISSERTATION ON DREAMS.

Continued from p. 95.

TH HE action of the soul upon the body has been supposed by others to

be the cause of dreams. This thought does not strike at first view with the same absurdity as the foregoing one. The soul is certainly an active powerful agent, as we know by daily experience. How far its powers extend we do not yet, perhaps, fully know. But this thought has great, if not insuperable difficulties. How can the soul act with such power, and yet not be conscious that these operations are her own? We often dream of many other persons, and sometimes such persons as we have never seen before; we hear them, see them, converse with them, handle them; we receive various impressions from them, or communicate impressions to them. There is not an emotion of the mind but what we can receive and communicate, nor a bodily action but we at times perform, or see performed by others in dreams. We have fufferings as acute and joys as high in our dreams as in our waking hours. Now can the soul be both agent and patient in the same action? Can she produce all these images, and not be sensible that it is her own work? Can she thus act and be acted upon, and not be conscious that only herself is the cause of the whole? There is nothing analogous to this in our waking hours. Nor can we have recourse to any known principle of the human mind, to give a shadow of support to the idea that the soul's action upon the body is the cause of dreams.

If neither the action of the body upon the soul, nor the action of the soul upon the body will account for the cause of dreams, there remains but one cause more that we can imagine, and that is, the action of some other spirit upon the soul while we are asleep. To this many objections have been made. But let it be considered that on all other grounds dreaming seems impossible; on this ground it is possible: and as the fact is certain, that we often do dream, why should we reject the only possible solution of the phenomenon because it has some difficulties attending it? That there are spiritual agents existing, seems highly reasonable, in the nature of things, and that they are of various orders, capacities, and moral attainments; but revelation sets this fact in a clear light, and assures us that there are thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, both of good and evil angels. We know indeed but little of their nature, powers, and faculties; yet it seems reasonable to suppose them to be as various and diversified as those of men, among whom we meet with the serious and the comical, the lively and the phlegmatic, the angry and the placid, the envious and the benevolent. And why may not the natural disposition of spirits, or their acquired habits, give a bias to their actions as well as to those of men? Their employments or amusements admit doubtless of vast variety.

It is said, if our dreams are owing at all to the influence of other spirts, would they not be more coherent and rational than they usually are? It

may be answered, that the manner and way of action of different spirits is to us unknown, and whether they mean seriously to employ, or only to divert and amuse themselves in our dreams, we do not determine, but' very probably often the latter. Certain it is, that many men, not otherwise deficient in understanding, do frequently amuse themselves in things as trivial. And after all, the incoherence and irrationality of many dreams may be owing to the indisposition of the organ rather than to any imperfection of the agent by which they are caused.

But is it reasonable to believe, that the Creator has given power to any spirit to exercise such an agency over the minds of men, as this solution of the cause of dreaming admits of? Does it comport with his wisdom and goodness so to do? It may be replied, that no agency is contended' for more than what is exercised by one man upon another when both are awake. We give to and receive ideas from each other continually : we can excite all sorts of feelings in each other's minds, sorrowful and’ joyous, disgustful and affectionate, horrible and pleasing, virtuous and vicious; and this only by words, or even by silent actions. Kindred minds particularly have a great ascendancy over each other; yet who ever thought of arraigning the wisdom and goodness of Deity in this.

It is granted, that if any man watch his mind and guard his thoughts" with a virtuous strictness, that he will be much less liable to the influence' of another; unless his understanding be convinced that he ought to receive it, and his will on that ground subunit to it. Why may it not be as consistent to suppose the minds of men, from natural and moral' dispositions, may be, in a peculiar manner, accessible to some spirit of similar dispositions? This implies no further power in spirits, either good or bad, than what we ourselves give them from our own habits. A person whose habits of life are virtuous, does not in his dreams plunge into a series of crimes; nor are the vicious reformed when dreaming; the choleric man finds himself offended by slight provocations as well inhis dreams as in his ordinary intercourse with the world, and a mild temper continues generally pacific in sleep.

Again, some have objected to this hypothesis as giving ground to superstition; but it may be retorted that it is more reasonable to ascribe the cause of dreams to spiritual agency than to chance, which is a meer name that describes nothing, or to the power of matter which is a nonentity.

It has been objected also that this scheme is not philosophical; but it may be remarked that those who ascribe to chance and matter the phenomenon of dreams, ought not to reprove others for unphilosophical ideas. But why not philosophical? Is nothing to be honoured with the name of philosophy but what is perfectly demonstrable? If so, we must reduce even the philosophy of the present day into a very narrow compass indeed.

The evidence of spiritual agency in dreams, which perhaps will strike with most force, is to be found in the Scriptures. Joseph was divinely” admonished in a dream to flee with the child Jesus into Egypt, and by, the same agency in a dream, was directed to come back again. Angels, VOL.IV.

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are mentioned as the agents in many dreams, as of Jacob in the vision of the ladder, Gen. xxvii, 10-15. and of the ring-straked and spotted cattle, Gen. xxxi. 10-12. Daniel's dreams also where explained by angels, chap. vii. 1, 16, 23. viii. 1, 13, 16. And from the whole account of them it seems they were caused by the agency of angels.

It is an ancient sentiment that dreams proceed from spiritual agency. Homer says,

Όναρ εκ Διά εσιν,

Dreams are from Jupiter,

The sacred Scriptures speak of them as coming from God immediately, or mediately by the agency of angels and spirits through his permission: and the worse sort of dreams is expressly attributed to the same cause as well as the better. Thus Job complains, "When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint; then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions." If therefore it be granted that some spiritual agents are the cause of some dreams, is it not most probable that other spiritual agents are the cause of others? And if one sufficient cause is investigated, why should we not rest contented, why look out for others? But there are some dreams recorded in Scripture which we should do injustice to the present subject not to mention, Judges, vii. Gideon, before he smote the Midianites and Amalekites, heard a soldier in the enemy's camp tell a dream: his companion give an interpretation to it thus: "There was a man that told a dream to his fellow, and said, Behold I have dreamed a dream, and lo a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host." Now though there is no particular agency mentioned concerning this terrifying emblematic dream, yet it is evident that it was through the agency of spiritual power, and so Gideon believed, and was greatly strengthened by it and its interpretation: notwithstanding it was only the dream of an heathen soldier, interpreted by his comrade.

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In Acts, xvi. we find Paul and his companions preaching the gospel in several provinces of the lesser Asia, till they came to Troas, a seaport of Mysia, near to ancient Troy. Here he had a vision in the night. "There stood a man of Macedonia, and besought him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately," says the historian, we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto them." Modern philosophy would laugh at Paul and his companions for being determined in their journey by a dream: but Paul had more piety, and perhaps as much philosophy as the wise men of the present day, who ascribe dreams to chance, or to the power of dead matter.

In the history which Matthew gives of our Lord's death, he says, "When Pilate was set down on the judgment-seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man; for I have

suffered many things this day, in a dream, because of him." Who can doubt but that the dream of this heathen woman was monitory? and happy would it have been for Pisate had he regarded the admonition, and not have condemned the holy Jesus. But though "God speak once, yea, twice, in a dream, yet man regardeth it not."

We might mention the dreams of Joseph the son of Jacob, which were indicative of the future greatness of that virtuous and amiable youth; of Solomon at Gibeon, in the early days of his government; of Pharaoh's baker and butler, &c. all of which give proof of spiritual agency; but it is not necessary that we dwell upon these.

If God be a spirit, it seems more reasonable to believe, that there is a much greater variety of immaterial beings than of material, and that the universe is fuller of spirit than of matter. It seems, to many thinking men, a great fault in the philosophy of the present age, that it attributes too much to matter, and too little to spirit; whereas in reality the one is never more than an instrument, the other is always the agent. The principle of gravitation itself cannot be accounted for by any action of matter upon matter; for it is very well known that its power is answerable only to the solid contents of bodies, and not to their surface; it must therefore be resolved into some immaterial cause that penetrates the inmost substances of things, and exerts a power of which matter is altogether incapable: if therefore matter cannot act upon matter without the agency of some spiritual being, why should we think it strange to have recourse to such a cause for the production of such extraordinary effects as dreams. Thus it should seem that this hypothesis is supported by analogy.

In further support of this view of the subject, it may be observed, that there are many sensible persons living, who, at different times in their life, have dreamed of something happening to them, that has made a lasting impression upea their minds; and the thing has afterwards happened in the very same manner, and with the very same circumstances as before dreamed. How can these be accounted for by any reference to chance or matter? Do they not rather declare a superior original, and manifest a spiritual agency? And shall we ascribe some to spiritual and some to material causes? Where would be the philosophy of such conduct? Shall we not rather be consistent, and suppose that good spirits may inspire some as evil spirits inay inspire others?

Perhaps my readers will indulge me here in relating a very striking emblematic dream of a young minister, which has had a considerable practical effect upon his mind for upwards of twenty years. He entered the ministry very young, being placed in peculiar circumstances, which made it his duty so to do. He never had any flattering ideas of the ministerial character. Labour, poverty, and reproach, were his expectations; but the weight and importance of the work greatly oppressed his mind, and caused great searching of heart, and perpetual and earnest prayer in him, that he might so perform his work as to be. approved of when Christ came. During this exercise of soul he dreamed that he was in a populous city, and that his business there was to

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carry a quantity of salt with him wherever he went, but particularly to go to the squares and public streets with it.

In this employ he saw many others also engaged, some of whom had got more salt than himself, and some less. He observed that such as carried their salt remissly and unconcerned, had it daily grow less and less, till at last the vessels of many were quite empty, though they still kept up their profession as carriers of it. On the other hand, such as carried it with care, had it continually increasing.

He observed also that some carried their salt in bags; these were continually losing in quantity; others in baskets, and of these some had open baskets and some covered. From an observation of these circumstances, he had great anxiety in his mind, having an earnest desire to know which was the proper method of carrying his salt, that he might not lose it: which he had been given to understand was an evil much to be feared. He thought himself in a place of great concourse with his salt, which had always been in an open basket, like those which he had seen market people carry apples in; he thought it had been increasing and growing heavier ever since the day he had first carried it; and as he had it hanging down his back, over his right shoulder, he felt himself in eminent danger of dropping it, which greatly distressed him.

In these circumstances he said, "O that some one would inform me how to carry my salt, that I may neither drop it, nor be so oppressed as I am with its weight:" when looking round, he saw a most benign middle-aged man approach him, with long flowing robes after the eastern fashion, and without any covering on his head. This person came up to him with a look of the greatest possible good will, and stood some time viewing him. At last the young man spoke, and requested direction about his burden. "Stand still, (said the benevolent figure) and I will instruct you." He then stretched out his right hand, and said, "Do you see that company of salt carriers?" The young man looked, and saw a great many at a distance, with various quantities of salt, which they carried in different ways. After he had considered them some time, his instructor said, “ Many of these carry their salt in bags tied up: they will soon lose it. Some have it in baskets with lids to them, which they open only at times: this is wrong; it will not thus increase. Some have it in open baskets: this is right; but these do not all carry it alike; for some have it like yourself, hanging down the back: these are in danger of letting it fall; but the others have it standing upon their shoulder; there it stands both safe and easy: you must put your own in that position, and then you will always keep and increase it."

The young man replied, "Then, by the grace of God, I will get it upon my shoulder:" having so said, he with much difficulty got it up, and finding it to stand easy and safe, he awoke praising God: and behold! it was a dream.

"He that hath a dream, let him tell a dream."

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Let us say a word or two on the use and abuse of dreams; for, like most other things, they are capable of both.

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