Treatise of the Four Degenerate Sons, Treatise · Part 2 · Section 8
SECT. 8. Of divination of things on Earth, and firſt of dreames.
THere are foure ſorts of dreames. The firſt is a naturall or a Phyſicall dreame. The ſecond is a morall dreame. The third is foreign, a dreame ſent from God. The fourth is foreign, a devilliſh dreame.
A naturall dreame is that which ariſeth from a naturall cauſe,What is a naturall dreame. as theſe who dreame that they are eating ſweete things, they may gather by this that they are ſubject to Pituit or fleame. Thoſe againe who dreame of fire, chollor abounds moſt in them. And thoſe who dreame of darkeneſſe, melancholy abounds moſt in them, and their dreames are ſometimes praeſagientia, foretelling things to come, as Galen in his prognoſtickes, tels that a man dreamed that his thigh was broken, and was turned into a ſtone, and ſhortly afterward he was taken with a dead palſy. So he tels of another who dreamed that he was wallowing in a ceſterne of blood, He gathered that this man abounded in blood. But if a Phyſition leaning to ſuch prognoſtickes, ſhould open a veine, and let blood, hee ſhould be holden for an raſh and unskilfull Phyſition, for hee ſhould uſe ſuch cures, not by dreames, but by the ſymtome of the diſeaſe.
The ſecond ſort of dreames are morall dreames which ariſeth from the multitude of cares and buſineſſes, Eccleſ. 5.3.What is a moral dreame Gregorie Niſſen de opificio hominis. and Gregorie Niſſen hath a fit compariſon to expreſſe the nature of theſe dreames, like as hee that plaieth upon an inſtrument after that he ceaſeth to play, yet the ſtrings trembleth for a while: So our actions in the day time leaves ſome motions behind them when we are a ſleepe.
Theſe ſort of dreames wee are to make little uſe of them, for in the multitude of dreames are diverſe vanities, Eccleſ. 5.7. but if wee often dreame of one thing, wee may gather by this what is our predominant ſinne,When we dreame often of one and the ſelfeſame thing, wee may know by it what is our predominate ſin. for that ſinne recurres ofteneſt unto us which wee are moſt given to, and ſhewes it ſelfe more in our ſleepe than when wee are awake, for when we are awake our reaſon watches more over our corruption, and reſtraineth it that it burſt not forth; and this Plutarch illuſtrates by a fit compariſon: A Schoolemaſter as long as he is preſent with his ſchollers, then they ſeeme to keepe good order, but if he withdraw himſelfe a little, to trie how they will carrie themſelves, then they beginne to play the wagges; So when reaſon watches our paſſions they ſeeme to be more ſetled and quiet, but if reaſon withdraw her ſelfe a little as ſhe doth in our ſleepe, then our paſſions beginnes to be more unruly.
What is a divine dreame.The third ſort of dreames are divine dreames, and theſe comes onelyonly from the Lord; Ioſeph by his brethren is called bagnal hachalmoth, foreignGen. 37.19. which ſome interprets, Dominus ſomniorum, the Lord of dreames; but they interpret not rightly this Hebraiſme, as though Ioſeph were Lord of dreames,God is onelyonly Lord of dreames. for God himſelfe is onelyonly Lord of dreames, therefore dominus ſomniorum here, is a man who dreames often, or foreign as the 70. interprets it.
A difference of Gods revelation by dreames and by viſion.There is a difference when God reveales himſelfe to men in a dreame, when he ſpake to them in a viſion, and when he ſpake to them in prophecie, when he revealed himſelfe to them in a dreame, he revealed himſelfe to their phantaſie, when he revealed himſelfe to them in a viſion, he revealed himſelfe to their ſight, and then propheſie was more intellectuall.
When he revealed himſelfe to their phantaſie and not to their underſtanding,Sometimes God revealeth himſelfe to the phantaſie, but not to the underſtanding, to his children he revealeth himſelfe in both. that was an imperfect ſort of revelation; ſo he revealed himſelfe to Pharaoh, he ſaw the viſion in his dreame, but he underſtood it not; but when he revealed himſelfe to his children, he revealed himſelfe both to their phantaſie and to their underſtanding, and he makes them to underſtand their dreame, Iob 33.15. In a dreame in a viſion in the night when a deepe ſleepe falleth upon men, in a ſlumbering upon the bed, then he openeth the eares of men and ſealeth their inſtruction. So likewiſe he revealeth himſelf in viſion to their ſight, but this viſion came ſometime to the ſight onelyonly, but not the underſtanding: So Balthaſar when he was awake ſaw a hand writing upon the wall before him, but he underſtood not what it meant; but Ieremie when he ſaw the viſion of the ſeething pot, and the mouth of it towards the North, Ier. 1.13. he underſtood the meaning of the viſion, that the armie of the King of Babel ſhould come againſt the citie of Ieruſalem and burne it: So when Peter ſaw a ſheete let downe from heaven with cleane and uncleane beaſts in it; the Lord revealed the meaning of the dreame to him.
Thirdly,The higheſt degree of revelation was to their underſtanding. when God revealed himſelfe to the underſtanding of the Prophets, it was more intellectuall, and the moſt perfect ſort of prophecie; and as viſion was a more perfect ſort of revelation than dreames [Ioel 2.28. Your young men ſhall ſee viſions, and your old men ſhall dreame dreames] ſo this intellectuall propheſie is a higher degree than viſion, when God ſpeakes to our eare by his Word in this life, and by his Sacraments to our ſenſes; this is not the perfecteſt ſort of revelation, but that is reſerved to us in the heavens which ſhall be more intellectuall and divine.
As theſe divine dreames was from the Lord, ſo the interpretation of theſe dreames was from the Lord, Dan. 2.28. and ſome of them were harder to be interpreted than others, and were like aenigmata or ridles which had neede of much unfolding.
Divine dreames were either allegoricall or theorematicall.The divine dreames ſometimes they were allegorica, and ſometimes they were theorematica; theſe were called allegorical dreames, which were not to be interpreted literally, but had ſome myſticall ſignification in them, as Pharaoh his dreame, and Ioſeph his dreame; and Philo holds that Abraham was the firſt who expounded theſe allegoricall dreames.
Theorematicall dreames were theſe when things fall out plainely without any allegorie, as they were foretold in the dreame, as when Ioſeph was bidden in a dreame to flie to Egypt.
Sometime the dreame was from the Lord, but not the expoſition of the dreame, as when Ioſeph dreamed that his brethrens ſheaves fell downe and worſhipped his; ſo when hee dreamed that the Sunne, the Moone and the Starres bowed downe unto him, wee muſt not think that Ioſeph had the interpretation of theſe dreames (as he had of the Butlers and Bakers) but when he was exalted in Egypt and ſaw the event, then he remembered the dreame.
Secondly, ſometimes the Lord revealed the dreame to one, and the expoſition of the dreame to another; as the dreame was revealed to Pharaoh, and the interpretation of it to Ioſeph; ſo he revealed the dreame to the Midianite, and the interpretation of it to his fellow, Iudg. 7.13.14. And this interpretation of the dreame is called,foreign verſ. 15. fractura ſomnii, the breaking of the dreame, a ſpeech borrowed from the breaking of a nut, for unleſſe the ſhell be broken, we cannot come to the kernell; ſo unleſſe the dreame be interpreted,Dreames without the interpretation to no uſe. wee cannot underſtand it: But Daniel exceeded all in dreames, and in the interpretation of dreames, therfore Ezechiel calls him wiſe Daniel, Ezec. 28.3. who told Nebuchadnezar both his dreame (when he forgot it) and the interpretation of it. It was a great skill in Apelles when they were enquiring for a malefactor who was fugitive and could not know him, Apelles having ſeene him once before drew him ſo vively, although he had no examplar before him, that ſo ſoone as they ſaw the picture they found out the malefactor; but for Daniel to finde out this dreame which he never dreamed of before, nor thought of, this was the Spirit of the moſt high God who taught him.
Quest. It is ſaid, 1 King. 3.6.How the Lord bade Salomon aske any thing when he was dreaming. that the Lord appeared to Salomon in a dreame, and ſaid unto him, Aske of me and I ſhall give thee: How could Salomon aske any thing of God in his ſleepe, or pray to him, ſeeing oratio est actus humanus cuius principium eſt ratio libera, prayer is an action of man which hath the beginning from reaſon and not from phanſie, for it is the Spirit of God who moves our reaſonable facultie to call upon him, and not our phanſie?
Anſw. Some anſwer that it was before his ſleepe when hee was offering ſacrifices that then he ſought this, and that, after that hee awoke againe, he begged for this wiſedome. Others anſwer, that he verily prayed in his ſleepe, becauſe of the earneſt deſire that hee had for wiſedome, made him to thinke of it in his ſleepe; and it was actus rationis ratione cauſae. Tom. 2.2. qu. 95. art. 6.
Queſt. What was the reaſon that the Lord revealed himſelfe in dreames to heathen Kings and Princes, as to Pharoah, and to Nebuchadnezar?
Anſw. There may be three reaſons given of this; firſt, for his owne glory, hee did this to ſhew that his providence did reach as well to the higheſt as to the loweſt, not onelyonly in the Church but alſo without the Church. And this was the reaſon why he ſent his Prophets ſometimes even to the heathen, as Ezechiel to Babylon, and Ionah to Nineveh, and all to ſhew them that all their good came from him if they feared him, but if they did not, then they ſhould feele his puniſhing hand. Secondly, the Lord did this both for their temporall and eternall good; for the Lord delights in the converſion of ſinners; wherefore hee doth not onelyonly make his Sunne to ſhine upon the good and upon the bad, and calls them that wayes to repentance, but oftentimes by his word and by dreames, and his other benefites he invited them to repentance. And thirdly, he revealed himſelfe thus to the heathen for the good of his Church, Pſal. 105.14. He reproved kings for their ſake. And thus he revealed himſelfe in a dreame to Pharaoh and to Nebuchadnezer for the Churches good. So Dan. 2.30. But as for me this ſecret is not revealed to me for any wiſedome that I have more than any living, but for their ſake that ſhall make the interpretation knowne to the King; that is, both for the Iewes and the whole Churches cauſe, who by their prayers obtained from the Lord to me the interpretation of this dreame; ſo that the dreame and the interpretation of the dreame were both given for the Churches cauſe. So he revealed himſelfe to Pilats wife in a dreame for Chriſts cauſe. So the Lord ſent a Prophet to wicked Ahab, promiſing him victory againſt the Aramites for the comfort of his Church: So Eliſha prophecied to Iehoram for Ioſaphats ſake, 2 King. 3.14.
Whether Pilates Wife her dream was a divine dreame or not?Quest. What are we to Iudge of this dreame of Pilates wife?
Anſw. This dreame came from the Lord to admoniſh her and her husband Pilate. Some dreames are from the ſpirit of God, but not with the ſpirit of ſanctification, as Pharaoh his dreame, and the dreame of Pilates Wife. Secondly, ſome dreames are both from the ſpirit, and with the ſpirit; as Ioſephs dreame. Thirdly, ſome dreames are with the ſpirit, but not from the ſpirit; As a common dreame of the child of God, comes not from the ſpirit of God, but from the complection of his body or from the multitude of buſineſſes, and yet it may be with the ſpirit of ſanctification. Fourthly, ſome dreames are neither from the ſpirit of God, nor with the ſpirit of God, as diabolicall dreames.How ſhall we know whether our dreames be of God or not?
Queſt. How ſhall we know whether our dreames be from the Lord or not?
Anſw. We muſt not take them to be from God, becauſe we have often dreamed them. Secondly, we muſt not try them by the event, becauſe they fall out as we have dreamed. For God often tryeth us this wayes Deut. 13. Neither muſt we take them to be from God, becauſe the mind is more ſetled after the dreame, then before. For Satan can transforme himſelfe into an angell of light. But the dreames which are from God, have ſome markes to diſcerne them, if ſo be that they are from him, for there is ſome internall inſtinct, whereby men are ſtirred up to enquire what theſe dreames meane; as Pharaoh did; and it is the part of the children of God, to pray earneſtly to the Lord, to reveale to them, thoſe things which hath beene ſhowne to them in a dreame, for God openeth the eares of men in a dreame, and ſealeth their inſtruction, that hee might withdraw man from his purpoſe, and hide pride from man, Iob 33.15. God giveth warning to his children, ſomtimes of thoſe things which are to befal them. Such was that dreame, which Theodoſius dreamed, that the Biſhop ſet a Crowne upon his head; when as he never thought of that buſineſſe before.Theodoret. eccleſiaſtica hiſtoria. lib. 5. cap. 6. So that dreame of Policarp, who dreamed that the pillow under his head was burning, which foretold him of his martyrdome.
Of devilliſh dreames.The fourth ſort of dreames are devilliſh dreames, when Satan moves men to ſuperſtitious and falſe things, Ier. 23.25. I heare what thoſe prophets ſayes, who propheſie in my name, falſe things; ſaying, they have dreamed a dream, Ier. 29.8. For thus ſaith the Lord of hoſts, the God of Iſrael, Let not your Prophets, nor your Diviners that be in the midſt of you, deceive you; neither hearken to your dreames, which ye cauſe to be dreamed. Such a deceiver was Semaiah the Nehelamite, or dreamer, Ier. 29.32. The Poets fained that there were two gates, by the which dreames went. The one was cornea, and the other Eburneavia. Homer. odyſſ. 19.The one of horne, and the other of Ivory gate. The true dreames went by the gate of horne. And the falſe dreames by the Ivory gate. And they ſay more dreames paſſeth by the Ivory gate, then by the horne gate. And therefore they ſhould for the moſt part not be regarded.
Whether all impure dreames be from the devill or not.Quest. Whether may all impure dreames, be called diabolicall dreames, or not?
Anſw. in this ſenſe they may be called diabolicall dreames, becauſe they come from the devill, but they come not all immediately from the devill, for out of the heart of man, comes murthers, and adulteries, Mat. 15.19. There are ſome thoughts immiſſae, and there are thoughts emiſſae, theſe which are caſt in, into the heart, come immediatly from the devill, but thoſe that come out of the heart, come but mediately from the devill. And Bernard ſayes well, Est morſus mentis, & morſus ſerpentis, & est malum innatum eque ac ſeminatum, & est partus cordis preter ſeminarium hoſtis. That is, we are bitten with the corruption of our owne heart within, as well as we are bitten with the biting of the ſerpent without. And wee have inbred evill into us, as well as that which is ſowen into us. When Satan put it in the heart of Iudas, to betray Chriſt, This was tentatio immiſſa, a tentation caſt in by the devill. So when the devill moved David to number the people, this is immiſſa tentatio, a tentation caſt into his mind. 2 Sam. 21.1. So when he filled the heart of Ananias, Act. 3. But when Chriſt ſaid to Peter, goe behinde me Satan. This tentation of Peter, came out of his heart, and was not caſt in into his heart. So impure dreames for the moſt part come out of the corruption of the heart, and are not put in into the heart.
Our dreames for the moſt part are uncleane dreames,We had need to pray to God, to pardon us the impurity of our dreames. therefore we had need to pray to God to pardon them. And to pray as the Iew did, Heale them O Lord, heale them, as thou didſt the waters of Marah, by the hand of Moſes; and the waters of Iericho, by the hand of Eliſha. Arba turim. lib. orach chanic cephillah. 130.And as thou healedſt Miriam from her Leproſy, and Naaman from his Leproſie.
Seeing the devill is ſo malicious and ſo crafty,When we are going to reſt then we ſhould eſpecially begge the Lord to ſave us and to guard us. that he labours to tempt us in our dreames, when we are a ſleepe. Our greateſt care ſhould be when we goe to ſleepe, to begge of God, that he would keepe us under the protection of his wings. And to ſend his Angels to protect us againſt all the aſſaults of the devill, Philip. 4.7. The peace of God which paſſeth all underſtanding, keepe your hearts, foreign a ſpeech borrowed from Kings, who being guarded by their guard, are ſafe from the aſſaults of their enemies, So we being guarded by the protection of the Angels, are ſafe from the tentations of the devill. Alexander was asked upon a time how it came that he ſleeped ſo ſoundly, the enemie being hard by. Hee anſwered becauſe Antipater waketh. He who keepes Iſrael neither ſleepes nor ſlumbers. Pſal. 141.4. Therefore we may lye downe ſafely, neither can Satan hurt us at all. We have alſo gnirim, the watchfull Angels. Dan- 4.10. Pitching their tents about us, and we may be more ſecure then Salomon was, who when hee went to bed, had 70. valient men to watch him, Cant. 2.8.
Quest. How ſhall we know dreames to be from the devill?How we ſhould know thoſe dreames which are from the devill.
Anſw. If they be contrary to the word of God, then they are from the devill. Such was Semajah his dreame contrary to Ieremies prophecy, Ier. 29.32. So if they move men to filthineſſe, or uncleaneneſſe, they are uncleane dreames, ſo if their dreames be one contrary to another, ye may know they are from the devil. Catarina Senenſis ſaid, that in her ſleepe it was revealed unto her, that the Virgin Mary, was conceived in originall ſinne. But Brigitta ſaid, that it was revealed to her in her ſleepe,Petrus Laiſerius. lib. 4. de ſpectris. that ſhe was not conceived in originall ſin. This contradiction ſhewes that theſe dreames was from the devill.
In libro de probatione ſpirituum.It is a good obſervation of Gerſhon, that men the elder that they grow, they are the more ſubject to dreames; ſo ſayes he, when the world is now fallen into the doting, and old age, they are the more given to follow dreames and falſe illuſions then they were before.
Two ſorts of trances, divine and diabolicall.Extaſis or a trance, was a higher degree of revelation then a dreame, and there were two ſorts of them, firſt, a divine trance, or extaſis, ſecondly, a diabolicall.
A divine trance was this, when as the Servants of God were taken up in ſpirit,A divine trance. ſeparate as it were from the body, and out of the body, that they might ſee ſome heavenly myſteries, revealed unto them, as St. Peter was in ſuch a trance, when a ſheete was let downe to him from the heaven, and all cleane things, and uncleane things in it, and he was bidden eate of them. But S. Iohn was taken up in a higher meaſure, when he was taken up in the ſpirit upon the Lords day, Revelat. 4.2. and ſaw ſo many heavenly viſions, of thoſe things which ſhould befal to the Church afterward. But S. Paul was in the higheſt degree of al when he was taken up into the third heaven, and ſaw and heard, ſuch things which he could not utter, and whether he was in the body or out of the body then he could not know.
Quest. Whether goes the ſoules out of the body at any time,The ſoules goes not out of the body in a trance. and returnes to them againe in this mortall Life?
Anſw. If the ſoule be once a glorified ſoule, It comes never backe againe to a ſinfull body, to dwell in it againe, I ſay to a ſinfull body, To put a difference betwixt the glorifyed ſoules, which hath returned to their bodyes againe, and thoſe ſoules which hath not beene glorified, and hath returned to their ſinfull bodyes againe. The glorified ſoules,Glorified ſoules when they come to the body againe, they come to a body without ſinne. when they returned to their bodyes againe, they returned not to thoſe bodyes as ſinfull and impure bodyes, as Moſes when he was in the transfiguration, and thoſe who roſe when Chriſt ſuffered; their ſoules came not into impure bodyes againe, Thoſe bodyes were corpora non pura, Soules not glorified comes to a ſinfull body againe.but they were not impura. They were like to our bodyes when they lye in the grave,Corpus purum impurum non purum. They are not ſinfull bodies any more, but yet they lye under the conſequents of ſinne, corruption, and mortality, and they were not to abide in thoſe bodies, but ſhortly to returne to glory againe. But thoſe ſoules that returned to their bodies againe, and were to abide there, were not glorifyed ſoules, they entered againe into ſinfull bodies, Such as was the ſoule of Lazarus, Eutichus, Act. 20.9. and the ſoule of the widowes ſonne of Naum, Theſe ſoules came againe into ſinfull bodyes, for that hypoſtaticall union betwixt the ſoule and the body, was not perfectly diſſolved, as our ſoules and bodies are ſeparate by death, neither were the ſoules glorified then in heaven.
A diabolicall trance is that which Witches and Sorcerers falls into when they lie dead and ſenſeleſſe for a time, and their ſoules ſeemes for a time to be out of their bodies, yet this union betwixt the ſoule and the body is not diſſolved now as they beleeve, but the act of vivification is onelyonly ſuſpended for a time; Satan cannot bring a ſoule into a body againe as the Lord doth. So Sorodemones or Larvae ſepulchrales haunts about the graves, to make men beleeve that their ghoſts walkes here after they be dead.