Demonology and Theology, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
Of Oneirologie, Oneiromancy, Somniſpicine, or Divination by dreames.
THat there is ſuch an unlawful Art, is evident by the Scriptures forbidding it, Deut. 13.1. &c. If there ariſe among you a Prophet, or dreamer of dreames; and giveth thee a ſigne, or a wonder, and it come to paſſe, &c. thou ſhalt not hearken to them; for the Lord your God proveth you. And the Prophet, or dreamer ſhall be put to death, &c. Jer. 23.25. &c. I have heard what the Prophets ſayd, that propheſie lyes in my name, ſaying, I have dreamed a dreame, &c. By which places it appeares, that that we cal Divination by dreames, the Scripture calls Propheſying by dreames, condemning it as unlawful.
That we may be cleer in the thing, note that there are foure ſorts of dreames. Firſt, Divine. Secondly, Naturall. Thirdly, Humane. Fourthly, Diabolicall.
The firſt muſt needs be lawfull and pre-ſignificative. The ſecond and third may be lawfull: Namely, lawful as to the eſſence of dreaming; as thinking and ſpeaking according to the actings of reaſon; and they may be ſomehow ſignificative.
But the fourth cannot be either lawfull, or pre-ſignificative, or ſignificative, unleſſe it be to ſhew that which may be ſeen without a dreame, Viz. that ſuch a man is much under the power of the Devil.
Divine dreames are either immediately preſented to a mans underſtanding by the spirit of God, Numb. 12.6. Job 33.15. Or mediately by an Angel preſented to the phantaſie, and by the phantaſmes thereof conveighed to the underſtanding, Matth. 1.20. Matth. 2.13. For as the Devil being a moſt intelligent and ſubtile ſpirit, can (as we know by ſad experience) inject into our phantaſies, both waking and ſleeping, ſuch evil things, and make our minds receive them thence and thinke upon them, which not onelyonly our grace, but our very reaſon abhorrs; ſo much more a good Angel deputed by God to that end, can good things. Now for theſe extraordinary divine dreames.
Firſt, It is moſt probable that they are ceaſed. Keckerman, a godly and moſt learned man, both in Divinity and Philoſophy, hath theſe words in his natural Philoſophy, Syſt. Phiſ. l. 3. Cap. 29. Cum ſomnia, &c. i. e. Seeing that Diabolical dreames may impoſe themſelves upon men, as if they were divine; therefore they are to be judged and diſcerned, or diſcriminated by theſe two rules. Firſt, That after the light of the Goſpel is manifeſted, God doth no more act by dreames. Secondly, Whatſoever dreame is conjoyned with the danger of ſome ſinne or ſuperſtition, albeit it may ſeeme divine, yet it is a Diabolical dreame.
You ſee how his judgement is, that divine dreames are ceaſed to Chriſtians: And it ſeemes ſo to me, becauſe 1 Cor. 13.8. tis ſayd, Propheſies ſhall faile: Greek, be done away. Tongues ceaſe. And knowledge done away, i.e. Knowledge of Myſteries of Revelations, Verſ. 2. Now we ſee the gift of tongues gone; and the interpretation of Myſteries; and ſo in like manner Propheſies. Therefore in oppoſition to all former wayes of manifeſtation, the Apoſtle, Heb. 1.1. puts an emphaſis on Chriſt ſpeaking, God ſpeakes to us in theſe laſt dayes by his Son. Chriſt by his Apoſtles to be the laſt extraordinary ſpeaking, til Chriſt come againe.
Secondly, It is evident that the divine Prophetical dreames of them mentioned in the Scripture are fa…r different from divinatory or divineing dreames which this evil Age runs after.
Firſt difference: Thoſe truely divine dreames concerned the great affaires of God, were of high concernment to his Church: As firſt, of the comming of Chriſt, Matth. 1.20.
Secondly, The alterations of States and Kingdomes, that have oppoſed the Church: As that of Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. 2. He had the Shel of the dreame, but Daniel the Kernel.
Thirdly, The preſervation of the Church, as that dreame whereof Pharoah had the Shel the type, but Joſeph the Kernel, Gen. 41.
Fourthly, Or to bring his Saints into requeſt for interpretation of dreames, as an introduction to ſome great deſigne; therefore God put dreames into carnal men, that his Saints might interpret them, and be advanced for the good of the Church: So Gen. 40. in the Story of the Butler and Baker: And ſo in part to that end was Nebuchadnezzars dreame.
5. To pull down Antichriſt, Dan. 7. Dan. 11.12.
Second Difference: Divine dreames were alwayes very evident in the thing: The type was plaine to ſignifie what it meant; as Jacobs Ladder, &c. to ſignifie Gods preſence ſhould be with him. Or the type was doubled in application to the perſon: As Gen, 37. Your Sheaves did obeyſance to mine. The Sun and Moone, and eleven ſtarrs made obeyſance to me. Or elſe there was a plaine interpretation given to him that dreamed, as to Daniel, Chap. 7. or to others, as to Daniel of Nebuchadnezzars dreame, to Joſeph of Pharoahs dreame, or to both. As to Joſeph, and to his Parents and Brethren, who all underſtood the meaning; or the type was plaine and doubled, and an interpretation too was given; as of that of Pharoahs eares of Corn, and the Kine.
God either made impreſſions of aſſurance on good mens heatts that dreamed, what was the meaning; or God ſent his Angels to expound to them, as to Daniel; or elſe exceedingly inlightened the Saints by his ſpirit, to interpret the dreames of others: As they ſayd of Joſeph interpreting of dreames, that he was full of the ſpirit of God, Gen. 41.38.
Third Difference: Divine dreames are agreeable to the revealed will of God. They doe not contrary it, but Comment and enlarge upon it. See all along the Bible, the dreames that come after, enlarge upon the truth revealed afore.
Fourthly, Divine dreames alwayes tend to promote truth, holineſſe, godlineſſe, edification, and the glory of God by theſe. We heard what Keckerman ſayd afore; to which we add what he adds, Whatſoever dreames tend to ſuperſtition, and not to the glory of God, are Diabolicall.
So that dreames are not to be judged but by all theſe jointly; not by the ſubject at all, for badd men as well as good men have dreamed true divine dreames: Nor by the object onelyonly; becauſe ſome things may be lawful in all dreams but by the weightineſſe of matter; by the cleerneſſe of the manner; by their agreeableneſſe to the Word, and their end to promote godlineſſe, and Gods glory.
But we have no ſuch dreames of future things in theſe dayes; and therefore we are not to pretend a juſtifiable Divination by dreames. If we by heavenly mindedneſſe, and by helpe of the ſpirit of God, dreame of the future judgement, eternall bliſſe, the ruine of the Churches enemies, or any thing elſe knowne to us by the Word of God; theſe are dreames of Propheſies, not propheticall dreames; or meditationall not divinatory dreames.
And if we have no propheticall divine dreams which proceed from God, and carry our mindes towards God according to his Word, we have no ſort of divinatory dreames left us, but ſuch as we are to ſpeak againſt, as to the matter of divination and foretelling by them; accordingly as God (we heard afore) ſpeaks againſt them in his Word.
Secondly, Therefore wee come to Naturall dreames, which ariſe from meer naturall cauſes, as either from the predominant qualities of a mans complexion in health, or from the ſuperabounding humour of his body in his ſickneſſe, or inclination to ſickneſſe. Tis true that a man that is not an Idiot hath many notions of divine and humane things in his head, whereon to enlarge in his naturall dreames, and to add, compound, and divide, and make up the whole phantaſie; but the riſe and ſpring from whence theſe naturall dreames proceed, are the predominant qualities and overflowing humours of the body; ſo that according to them is the complexion and Syſtem of the dreame. As from the predominancy of blood in the ſanguine complexion proceed dreames of cheerful colours, things, actions, as of red and damask Roſes and flowers, purple ſaffron flowers, &c. of muſick, banquets, dauncings, leapings, laughings, jeſtings, &c.
From the predominancy of Flegme in the flegmatick complexion, proceed dreames of waters, navigation, ſwimming, fiſhing, bathes, raines, ſnowes, lakes, rivers, drownings; as alſo of weight hindring ones going, which is by reaſon of Flegme oppreſing and ſlugging the ſtomack and body.
From the predominancy of Coller, like unto the yellow colour, and fretfull temper thereof, proceed dreames of yellow things, as alſo of brawlings, fightings, battels, burnings; and ſutable to the ſpeedy fury of this temper, of flying.
From Melancholly predominant, ſutable to the black colour, and earthy, cold, and heavy temper thereof, proceed dreames of black ſmoakes, and vapours, of darkneſſe, of night, of death, of obſcure ſolitary places, of ruines of old buildings, of Hell, of the Devil, of ſtrangling, of cutting off of the head, &c. Therefore theſe dreames ſignifie a mans naturall temper, or ſickly diſtemper, but doe not preſignifie any thing.
3. Humane dreams. Some Philoſophers cal them Animall dreames: It may be the reaſon is, becauſe theſe kinde of dreames being ſuch as are formed in the night out of ſuch images and imaginations which the phantaſie had conceived in the day time; the Images and repreſentations of the actions and things we had to doe with in the day being newly impreſſed upon the animall ſpirits, and inhering there more tenaciouſly, doe lye in thoſe animall ſpirits, as in a ſtorehouſe, ready for the operation of the phantaſie to renew them and digeſt them into dreames. But becauſe Beaſts have phantaſies, and we ſee that Doggs doe dreame, and that mens dreames have ſome notions of rationality in them; therefore deſervedly I call theſe dreames Humane dreams. Of theſe the Scripture ſpeakes, Eccleſ. 5.3. A dreame commeth through the multitude of buſineſſe. And we finde it true by many experiences, that all men as they uſe different Arts or wayes, dream differently; which Claudian the Poet limbs out to the life; thus,
Omnia quae ſenſu volvuntur vota diurno,
Pectore ſopito reddit amica quies.
Venator defeſſa thoro cum membra reponit,
Mens tamen adſylvas, & ſua luſtra redit.
Judicibus lites, aurigae, ſomnia currus.
Vanaque nocturnis meta cavetur equis.
Me quoque Muſarum ſtudium, ſub nocte ſilenti
Artibus aſſiduis ſollicitare ſolet.
Which in ſumme briefly is this; What ſenſible notions we revolve in the day, returne in the ſleep of night. The wearyed Hunter repoſed to ſleep, hath his minde upon Woods and Denns of wilde Beaſts; Judges dreame of Controverſies; Waggoners, or Coachmen, of Waggons or Coaches, and their chary running with their Horſes, their Stages. And Mee (ſaith Claudian) the ſtudy of the Muſes ſolicite me in the ſleep of night, with their daily arts.
Therefore theſe dreames doe rather poſt-ſignifie then preſignifie; they doe after ſignifie what we have been doing, or at moſt ſignifie what is the habit of our mindes; as Ariſtotle ſaith, the juſt man dreames of juſtice; as experience will tell a man habituated to a particular vice, that he will dreame of the acting that vice. But they do not preſignifie what men ſhall doe more then the diſpoſition and habit in their mindes wil tel them in the day time, if acquainted with their owne hearts; what they are likely to doe if they ſtrive not againſt it; much leſſe doe they preſignifie what ſhall befall them, more then what naturally attends the acting of thoſe habits.
Ob. Wee finde by experience that ofttimes what we dreame doth punctually come to paſſe.
Anſw. But dreames as dreames (which is the pin of the queſtion) doe not preſignifie: Many things may come to paſſe according to our dreames which are not foretold us by vertue of our dreames: For,
Firſt, Some events are meerly contingent and accidentall as to our dreames; ſo much Kecherman and the great Philoſopher Ariſtotle confeſſe, Quaedam ſomnia ſunt foreign, non ſignificativa ſed fortuita: As ſuppoſe a man in his ſecond ſleep ſhould dreame it would be day by and by. This dawning of the day by and by after his dreame, though neceſſary to the revolution of the Heavens, was meerly contingent to the dreame: It was by hap that the dreame preceded, and ſo the dawning followed it. And hundred inſtances of the like nature may be given, but that we much endeavour brevity.
Secondly, Some day-notions of the phantaſie are paſſionate, moving much hope, or feare, at leaſt upon ſome probabilities. According to theſe deeper impreſſions, a man more pronely and diſtinctly dreams. Tis true, thoſe probable things come to paſſe; but not as foretold by our dreams, but rather by our waking probable feares, and hopes that ſuch things would come to paſſe. As to dreame upon probable conjecture; that we ſhall heare of the death of ſuch a deare Freind, whoſe death wee feared with our waking thoughts, becauſe we have not according to the former wont heard of them in ſuch a ſpace of time, or, &c. and accordingly, ſoon after, we heare he is dead.
Thirdly, There is a natural and rational dependance between cauſes and effects, and between ſignes and things, neceſſarily connexed in nature. Hereupon in our day meditations we foreſee ſuch a thing, and in our night ſleep we dreame the ſame; and the thing comes to paſſe. Twas juſt waking reaſon predicted this, not vaine dreames by night: As the ſhining of light at the dawning rather foreſhews the Sunne is about to riſe, then a body ſtanding open to the Eaſt foreſhewes it by caſting a ſhadow towards the Weſt; our dreames by night are but a ſhadow in compariſon of our waking reaſon.
Fourthly, Many heeding dreames rather out of a ſinfull ſuperſtition, then for any juſt cauſe, give up themſelves with a kinde of confidence and ſubjection, that ſo it ſhall be, and it muſt be ſo with them, and can be no otherwiſe then according to their dreames; and hereby tempt themſelves to doe that which they dreamed. So that it comes to paſſe becauſe they will doe it; not predicted it will come to paſſe becauſe they dreamed it: Juſt as ſome melancholly perſons doe many ſtrange things onelyonly becauſe they had a ſtrange phantaſie they muſt doe it, they ſhould not avoyd it, but muſt needs doe it; though the neceſſity was nothing in the dependance of things, or of themſelves with thoſe things; but onelyonly in the ſwimming imagination of their own braine.
Fifthly, Satan doth oft tempt the ſonnes of men to doe according to the dreames of dream-regarders; that ſo he may bring his Diabolical dreames by this introduction into credit; of which we ſhall ſpeake by and by: So that in this artifice the dreames of men predict nothing, but onelyonly Satan by permiſſion, effects an event ſutable to the dreame. Juſt as one ſhould be talking of his adverſary, that he dreamed his adverſary gave him a blow on the eare, and an ill neighbour hearing this diſcourſe ſhould goe forth and perſwade that adverſary when hee meets-that dreamer, to give him a blow on the eare, and he doth it, but had not done it but by perſwaſion of that ill neighbour. Now doth it at all follow that there was any prediction in this dreame: Juſt ſo is it in the Devils temptings and effectings according to mens dreames. And this may be as well in other men, and their affaires, of which another man dreames, as wel as in the man and his owne affaires who dreamed that dreame.
Sixthly, God in juſt judgement on dreame-heeders, doth permit, and by his providence give way that their dreams ſhould be ſomewhat fulfilled; ſo that theſe things come to paſſe, not according to a vertue of prediction in dreames, but by the juſt judgement of God, becauſe men afore they ſleep, doe not pray againſt ſinfull dreames; and after ſleep doe not ſlight their dreames, but credit them and confide in them, 2 Theſ. 2.10, 11, 12.
Thus of the third ſort of dreames, which we cal Humane dreames. Fourthly, wee come to Diabolicall dreames. That the Devil can be the maine cauſe of dreames, which we call Diabolical, is apparent, in that,
Firſt, He hath been ſuch a cauſe of dreames, as we ſhal ſhew by and by; therefore he can be ſo ſtill, his wit and wickedneſſe not ceaſing; and theſe times not better in reformation of manners, but rather worſe.
Secondly, He can ſuggeſt, as appeares by woful experience, evill thoughts to us when we are awaking, different from the many objects and things that then our ſenſes, and thoughts are drawne after; therefore much more to us, when the operation of the ſenſes ceaſe.
Thirdly, If he could repreſent evill dictates before the minde of Chriſt, Matth. 4. He can inject them into us.
Fourthly, That Devill that can preſent the ſhape of a dead man to living Saul, can repreſent other Images and imaginations of things.
Fifthly, Good Angels have cauſed good dreames, Matth. 1. Matth. 2. Therefore proportionably, and by the rule of contraries, badd Angels can cauſe badd dreames.
Queſt. How may wee know any of theſe Diabolicall dreames, ſeeing evill dreames may ariſe from inward corruption.
Anſw. Firſt, by the contraries to the notes of divine Prophetical dreames; as when dreams ſeem never ſo good in the matter of them, yet they are darke and confuſed in the digeſt; and are of perſonal ſlight things, and doe not promote the revealed truth of the Word, and godlineſſe of converſation, and the glory of God; but rather have a tendency, and conſequence to lead to ſuperſtition. For ſuch dreames as theſe, are without the ſphere of proper naturall cauſes, or humane actions; and therefore muſt be from Satan: Eſpecially when,
Secondly, A man hath a ſtrong impreſſion on his minde, that ſuch dreames are Propheticall, or divinatory.
Thirdly, They muſt needs be Diabolical when they proceed neither from any obſervation of the ſenſes, or actions of the body, or phantaſies of the minde in the day time.
Fourthly, When they are horrid, not onelyonly to grace, but where no grace is, even to morality, civility, common reaſon, and the inſtinct of poor lapſed nature.
If all theſe ſignes be not ſufficient, that which followes of the general, and ſpecials of Diabolicall dreames, as we have it in Keckerman. Valerius Maximus, Maſter Perkins, and Alſted; who tel us,
Firſt, That Diabolicall dreames are when the Devil, whiles a man is aſleep, doth as it were obſeſſe, beſiege, environ, yea, and in a manner poſſeſſe his thoughts, forming and faſhioning in them repreſentations and dreams whereby he is ſtirred up to Idolatry, ſuperſtition, or, &c. Which dreames for the moſt part are obſcure, uncertaine, and mixt with vaine phantaſies and lyes, which is a prime ſymptome of Diabolical Somniſpicine, or Divination by Satanical dreames.
Secondly, They tel us, that ſome Diabolical dreames are foreign, Solicitous dreames, which are ſolicitouſly obtained of the Devil, by adjurations, vowes, devotions, ſacrifices, oblations, or other religious performances; as of thoſe Somniſpices, thoſe Diviners by dreames, counted in a kinde religious: Such were the dreames of the Heathens; who having purified themſelves by their Sacrifices, to fit themſelves to receive full manifeſtations by dreams, did to that end lye downe in the night and ſleep in the Temple of Paſithea (q. d. foreign, Omnibus dea) one of three Graces called Charites (the firſt Aglaia, foreign, splendor; the ſame as Paſithea. Secondly, Thalia, of foreign, i. e. Alwayes green, never withering. Thirdly, Euphroſyne, foreign, Joy) I ſay in the Temple of Paſithea among the Lacedemonians at the Altar; and in the Temple of Aeſculapius, and at the Altar of Apollo: And in their ſleep the Devil formed dreames in their phantaſies, as anſwers to what they deſired; in which the Devill ſpake to them as if at an Oracle. Secondly, Such were the dreames (ſay they) of the Maniches in the time of the Primative Church, as appeares abundantly out of Eccleſiaſtical Stories: For though at the comming of Chriſt, Oracles (the greateſt and ſtrongeſt deluſions that ever Satan uſed) then ceaſed, yet hee hath ſince by viſions and dreames wrought in the heads of many men, moſt ſtrange conceits for the raiſing up of Hereſies; as he did in the Maniches (holding that there was a good God and a badd God that were eternal, the authors of all things. That the ſoules of Man and Beaſts were all one: That the ſoule was a part of God, taken from him: That what creature any man did kill, or eate; into that his ſoule was turned when he dyed, &c.) who had their damnable opinions inſpired and confirm'd to them in and by dreams. Thirdly, Such were the dreames of the Monks at their Altars, to receive revelations, the Devil in their ſleep in the night, in dreames appeared in the appearance of the Virgin Mary, or ſome other He or Shee Saint, manifeſting and confirming the obſervation of ſuch and ſuch Popiſh ſuperſtitions.
Thirdly, They tell us, that there are other Diabolicall dreames, named foreign, i. e. dreames which were not with thoſe ſolemnities, and with ſuch earneſt labour ſought for; but ſuggeſted and formed in mens mindes by the Devil, perceiving them to be given to novelties, ſtrange opinions, and unheard of Revelations. Such were
1. thoſe that pretended to be imſpired with ſome divine fury, or ſtrange rapture, called Lympathici, q. d. foreign,
2. The Enthuſiaſts, or pretended Revelationiſts.
3. A kinde of Anabaptiſts (as they cal them) who in the time of Reformation from Popery (by Hus, Prague, Luther, Wickliffe, &c.) pretending viſions and dreames to reveale things unto them, did commit many horrid things, in Weſtphalia, Thuringia, &c.
4. The Familie of love, mightily boaſted of their Revelations by dreames; and they muſt come to the height by degrees: A man muſt aſcend by ſteps before he can be of them, an Elder eluminate, and a man deified (as they ſpeake.) And when he hath attained to this, then he hath ſtrong illuſions by viſions and dreames.
I need not labour to make a parallel of theſe times to theſe practiſes; every one of you almoſt, heares and knows what abundance now heed viſions and dreams, and pretend they have revelations by them, ſome of which I might eaſily name, their perſons alive, and their Books in Print. And how like they ſpeake to the Manithes, that the Creature is God, and God the Creature. And like to the Family of love; ſaying, A man is Deified, &c.
Nor need I labour to ſhew the evill of theſe dreames, in regard of the Author, the Devill; the ſubject, Men uſually departing from holineſſe; the matter, a mixture of vanity, if not ſin; and the end to draw men from the infalible word of truth; you have heard enough by that which hath been ſpoken.
Nor is there need of much indeavour to ſhew that theſe do not preſignifie otherwiſe then lyes. Nor doe they ſignifie any other thing then this that there is much Communion between them and Satan: Therefore I ſhall conclude this Chapter concerning dreames, onelyonly with this caution; You that profeſſe a knowledge of the truth, ſtick to the word of truth afore any revelations by one from the dead, Luke 16. Verſ. laſt. Iſa. 8.19, 20. or viſions, or voyces from Heaven, 2 Pet. 1.19. or from any Angel, if he agree not with the Goſpel, Gal. 1.8, 9.