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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85424	The mystery of dreames, historically discoursed; or A treatise; wherein is clearly discovered, the secret yet certain good or evil, the inconsidered and yet assured truth or falsity, virtue or vanity, misery or mercy, of mens differing dreames. Their distinguishing characters: the divers cases, causes, concomitants, consequences, concerning mens inmost thoughts while asleep. With severall considerable questions, objections, and answers contained therein: and other profitable truths appertaining thereunto. Are from pertinent texts plainly and fully unfolded. / By Philip Goodwin preacher of the Gospel at Watford in Hartfordshire.	Goodwin, Philip, d. 1699.	1658 (1658)	Wing G1217; Thomason E1576_1; ESTC R200931	188,817	455

Intelligent and Rationall he may surely be said who even in his sleep hath a ready Use of Reason The Sleeping Man hath indeed some Dreames wherein Reason acts irregularly intricately inconsistently fluctuating and roving up and down that things hang as we say like ropes of sand yet certain in such blurr'd Books some Reason may be read and some foot-steps thereof found But in divers Dreames 't is more discernable Reason acts more regularly and manages matters more methodically so that sometimes Men may finde as effectuall use of Reason in their sleep as when wide awake Whence this may remain a Maxime among us That Man as an Animal creature in Dreaming sleepes And man as a Rational creature in sleeping Dreames Dreames are applicable to Man as Man and so to every Man Though the the Philosopher affirms that some men meet with no such motions of their mindes in sleepe but sleepe without any Dreames of any way or kinde But common experience may much confute True some men may not animadvert discerne or retaine in their memories such movings of their mindes yet that does not evidence that they are not Many a Dreame may possibly pass from a person that he perceives not through a two-fold cause Its Swiftness and His Slowness 1. The Dreame is swift and goes away with a quick foot or as upon the wing rather The wicked shall fly away as a Dreame Job 20. 8. The Ancients hence phancied that a Dreame had wings like a Bird of the aire It may be so considered because of it's celerity and sudden passage through which it is not perceived 2. The Man is slow dull and heavy about reflect acts Often even in a mans waking-time the minde works yet it 's work is not minded A man does not think what he thinks no marvell then if in sleeping-time the minde looks little back upon its own business but much overlooks its own work so that much is done that is not seen much in Dreames transacted that is not observed However man remains the subject of Dreames 2. Man in the condition of this life is likewise considerable as of Dreames the most sutable subject The season we know of Dreames is during the time of sleep now the time of sleep is in the time of this life after this terme of life there is no true sleep Either to Soul Or Body 1. The Soul sleeps not though so some Hereticks have asserted viz. That seperated Souls are cast into a dead sleep not to be awakened till the time the generall Resurrection but such heterodoxe Doctrine hath long since been beaten down by standing Truth plain Scriptures determining two dwelling places The Paradise of Heaven and The Prison of Hell Into one of which all Souls sayes Austin as soon as severed from their Bodies are carried by Angels or Devils to dwell in everlasting weale or woe and indeed the very Scriptures themselves say so much See Dan. 12. 2. Matth. 25. 46. Joh. 5. 29. Luk. 23. 43. Luk. 16. 21 22. 2 Cor. 5. 1 2. 1 Pet. 3. 19. Rev. 20. 13 c. 2. The Body sleeps not in any Physicall or Philosophicall sense The Body bereaved of the Soul and lying dead in the Grave is said to be as asleep in the bed Hence burying places have been called sleeping places but this is onely Sleep in a Tropicall and Metaphoricall sense There be no Dreames in this sleep neither do these men thus asleep ever dreame Dreaming is during the time that the reasonable Soul resides and abides in the living Body The Body of man in sleep as a Heathen observes it lies as if it were fallen down by death but the Soul is so active therein as evidences the life thereof And Dreaming 't is one of those life-evidencing acts Though sleep be a plain Image of death yet Dreames in sleep are a clear Index of life Men while alive are the Centers of Dreames and Dreames are the signes of men alive There is no remembrance of thee in death saies David to God Psal 6. 5. That is A man indeed dead hath no commemorative thoughts of God or any other object to wit in that way or after that manner like to men alive in the world as Mollerus well interprets 'T is living men who do commemorate meditate excogitate matters in their minds both awake and asleep Even sleeping their minds are in motion which we call Dreames This casts me upon the next thing to be noted viz. Secondly The Actings or Dreames actually considered in themselves what they are found to be are discernable by Their generall Descriptions and Their generall Divisions 1. Dreames in a more generall way and according to their common Nature considered may be thus described Dreames are the agitations the egressions or Sallyings out of the Soul in thoughts of the mind while the Body lyeth bound by sleep in the bed A Dreame indefinitely and at large is the transacting of the reasonable Soul in the sleeping Body through the coassisting help of those admirable Faculties The Phantasie and The Memory Both which Faculties are found most active in the season of sleep For in sleep the outward Senses as Hearing Seeing c. being bound from their organicall and extrinsecall exercises and ordinary conveyances The inward Senses and Powers of the Soul as the Phantasie and Memory are at the more liberty and freedome from such externall attendances and so being at better leisure they within themselves fall to reflectings to new forming and erecting new frames of things that are vented in Dreames The Phantasie and the Memory are the Souls working Shops wherein strange things be wrought when the Soul as I may say goes not abroad but stayes at home and works within it self strange things it does w ch be drawn out in dreames So we see how Dreames be in generall described Secondly In generall Dreames may be variously divided As into their Parts And into their Sorts 1. The Parts that commonly constitute a Dreame whereof it is compounded and of which it is compacted or made up are mainly these two things An Apparition to the Thoughts And a Dilation of the Thoughts 1. In a Dreame there is somewhat appeares to the thoughts A dreaming Man sayes Austin he thinks he sees the Sun though the Sun he sees not As there may appeare some things to our eyes as Armies in the air fighting-men and flying-Horses which are no realities only apparitions So to a man in a Dream such things persons appear but they are no realities only fictions in his fancy Philo observes that some awake are like to men asleep while they think they perceive such things do but deceive themselves taking the signs of things for the natures of things meer Shadows for Substance In a Dream are thoughts of things not the things thought Secondly In a Dreame the thoughts dilate expand or spread themselves upon things that so appear

stood up stoutly in the day God hath tumbled and overturned with terrours in the night Job 34. Chap. 25. Ver. On the other side some of Gods Saints who have been down in the deeps of sorrows all day the Lord hath lifted them up by heart-gladding-comforts in the night And God spake to Israel in a Dreame by night saying Jacob Jacob I am God the God of thy father Feare not to goe down into Egypt I will go with thee and I will bring thee up again Gen. 46. 2 3. Much to this purpose see that great Apostle There stood by me this night the Angell of God whose I am and whom I serve saying feare not Paul be of good cheere God hath given thee all that saile with thee Acts 27. 26. O the heart-ravishing cups of comfort that God sometimes brings down for his Saints to drink in in the dark yea O how sometimes by soul-solacing Dreames are their hearts drawn up into Heaven Luther speaking of the Soul of a Saint separated from the body by death saies That it sleeps not but is ever awake walks in Heaven heares the language of Angels sees the visions of God c. The same in some measure may be said of such a Soul while united to the body in this life It sleeps not but being ever awake it even in the night-season ascends up into Heaven and sees the face of God and sings the praises of Christ So that we may say of a Saints sleep in this case as Austin once said of Stevens sleep martyred among the stones O sleep of peace how pleasant and full of delight Quest May not the Devils deluding Dreames have many delighting joys Answ Suppose so yet the joys of Divine Dreames are farre differing and may be discerned by Antecedent preparations Consequent inclinations 1. Before a Christian is penitentially prepared by afflictings of Soul and affrightings for sinne deep humblings and day-tremblings under sense of Gods wrath c. then by night God may represent to the mind his marvellous mercies in the Covenant of grace his favour upon the account of Christ pardon of sinne to the singular joy of the Soul 2. After a Christian is graciously enclined his spirit disposed to the advancing of God the abasing himself the opposing of sin the pursuing holiness of life and the like Such joys in Dreames are more then Dreames of joy One well observeth That all the Devils pleasing power it 's placed in deluding lies He delights to delude and he deludes in his delights He rejoyces to deceive men and he deceives men in their rejoycings Their joys in Dreams be but Dreames of joy They seem to solace but they do not solace as they seem Be such delusive joys examined by things before or after they may be found very vain as in the causes so in their essects whereas the virtuous vigour of true joys that are in and through Dreames Divine we may soon discern as by their good causes so by their excellent effects viz. They engage to truth They enlarge our strength 1. To truth our hearts are hereby engaged obliged more bent and bound to truth-embracements Such a Byas set upon our souls as may carry us the more strait on in obedience to the strict●st truths contained in holy Scriptures Yea we are taught not only to retain the truth but to rejoyce in the truth through the truth of joy Whereas false joys that proceed in and through delusive Dreames leave mens minds loose for the letting in most lamentable errors So that the saving truths of God in the Gospel are the sooner very sadly deserted 2. In strength our hearts are hereby enlarged encreased Nehem. 8. 10. The joy of the Lord is our strength Such joys as God sends in sleeping or wakeing they strengthen with much spirial might our inward man making us the more apt and able to the holiest duties and for the heaviest difficulties that may severall waies be set before us Whereas false joys from Dreames delusive do rather debilitate enfeeble and weaken mans soul as to hard service or suffering Thus rightly to discriminate these is a lesson very well worth our learning Yea and let us learn likewise not only how to perceive and discern but how to reeive and maintain not only Dreames reall and truly right for delights but also the most rare and ravishing Dreams that can come from Heaven upon our hearts For the more constant compassing of such high night-comforts we ought through our whole daily walkings To beware To be wise 1. Beware of walking from the setled counsels of God Take heed of turning aside to seek uncertain waies to look for new Revelations and so forsake the antient Tracts and leave the long beaten paths of Bible-truths least we not only prevent from our selves such caelestial sweets but on the contrary procure to our selves the sowrest draughts that our minds can drink day or night May not we concurre with Cassian and confidently conclude That those Christians who during the clear day do deviate from Gods wonted waies from Christs the Kings known rode in his Word paved with Propheticall flints and Apostolicall stones and made plain by the footsteps of all the foregoing Saints yea and the Lord himself to seek out unknown waies and to wander into briery and bushy paths may look to lie down at night with legs all scratched garments torn with souls full of sores such wounds and wofull stings as will not well suffer them to sleep Excuse me good Christians if again and again I give this Caution lest men make a wrong Use of this requisite Subject in our monstrously mistaking season 2. Be wise to walk in the most certain comforts of God We may find that this is without doubt our daily duty not only to walk in the fear of the Lord but likewise to walk in the comforts of the Holy Ghost Acts 9. 31. This for pious persons is possible though indeed so difficult that with Bernard the best may say Such soul-solacing daies and houres are very rare and sweet though very seldome and short Yet without question good care might carry us in and keep us to farre more continued waies of comfort than in which commonly Christians are found Were we so exact as we ought might not we make even our extraordinary comforts our much more ordinary Walks Sure we are not only to take some steps into spiritual comforts but we are to take up our daily walks in the comforts of the Spirit And if we thus walk into these comforts while awake what walks may such comforts have into us when asleep If we in our more constant course could converse with God by the most rejoycing thoughts in the day would not God have a more frequent converse with us by most refreshing Dreames from Heaven in the night Did but we afore-hand accustom our selves to be with rejoycings of soul in the service of the Lord how afterward

deserve and must sustain except Gods purging and pardoning grace prevents Amen Thus much for disswasions now for Directions These guid us to divers duties about such Dreames and they are Either Antecedent Or Consequent Duties antecedent are such as serve to prevent these Dreames And they Either look outward upon others Or they look inward upon our selves Duties which we are to discharge towards others are Expectation of Satan Supplication to God 1. The Devil is to be expected to do his endeavours to draw in such Dreames Because he is ever malicious Because he is ever treacherous The Devils malice is such as makes him to do what mischief he may against both good and bad both day and night History writes of a River that passes through some parts of America that not being fed by any spring but caused by snow which the Sunne melts down the mountains it runs strong in the day but hath no streame in the night 'T is not so with Satan such springs of malice and mischief remains in him that the streams of his temptations run strong by night as well as by day he hath his night-works and his night-walks for our perpetuall prejudice 2. Satans treachery is such as we can never be secure He may be as it were bound up in the day and break loose in the night History makes mention of one Cleomenes a Lacedemonian King who making warre against the Argives he took truce with them for seaven days and in the third night while they lay secure and asleep in their tents he broke in upon them and slew them with the edg of the sword saying His truce was for days and not for nights Of such treacherous dealings the Devil is full a truce with him is not to be trusted if he be quiet in the day he may be coming in the night He being a fiend of darkness as they are deeds of darkness he is most busie about so they are times of darkness he is most busie in times both of spirituall and naturall darkness that best suit his designs so that he may soonest be suspected by night Now because he loves to come unlookt for provision may be a good prevention 2. God is to be entreated Prayer to God is a principall means to keep off the Devil in such Dreames because It engages the presence of God with us It accomplishes the promise of God to us Upon Prayer God affords his presence with us this sets the Devil at a distance from us The Wolfe says Austin comes to the sheep-fold by night purposing to prey upon the poor Lambs when they lie asleep but he findes the sheephard awake and walking about the fold which forces him back without shedding blood Thus the Devil he designs to assault by night but God being about our beds he is beaten back He begins to suggest but cannot go on God being by Esth 7. 8. Haman being fallen upon the bed where Esther was the King said Will he force the Queen also before me in the house When Satan falls as it were upon the bed God says Will he force my servant before my face then he flies Upon Prayer God fulfills his promise to us Isa 27. 1. we finde the Devil compared to a piercing and crooked Serpent creeping into Gods vineyard to do it harm Ai but says God of his vineyard I the Lord do keep it lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day In the night the Devil comes but he cannot catch because God keeps nor harm because God helps God hath promised his Angels to defend his Saints to encamp about them which may principally imply night-protection Psal 34. 7. In the day we are more upon our march in the night then we lie still and then the Angel of the Lord encamps round about A guard of Angels can keep off a legion of Devils In this respect we may say of the bed of Gods servants as Cant. 3. 7. 8. Behold his bed which is Solomons threescore valiant men are about it all holding swords such night-safeguards Prayer procures Prayer says One as in the day time 't is the travellers trustiest guide the souldiers safest shield so in the night time 't is the saylers surest safety and the sleepers best keeper Prayer as it ought to be the key of the morning so the lock of the night as in the morning we should not open into the world without Prayer so in the evening we should by prayer shut up our selves in God that the Devil in bad Dreames may not come near us by night As the roaring of the Lion says Chrisostome makes the evening wolves to runne so the prayer of faithfull men makes night-Devils to slee Duties which we are to discharge towards our selves are Sinne-mortification Serious consideration 1. We must be much in mortifying of sinne that Satan may have less suitable matter to make sinfull Dreames out of Sinne It encourages the Devil for to come It accompanies the Devil when he is come 1. Satan would never so boldly come about such works but that he knows he shall finde fuell s●● for his fire Hence he does usually make h●● suggestions to match our corruptions As Nature draws out common Dreames according to the constitution of the body so does the Devil unclean Dreams according to the corruption of the heart 2. Satan could never so freely go on in his work but that he finds somewhat in us that does befriend his filthy designs He meets with that in our hearts that gives him the hand for his help Though he be a spirit yet by the lusts of the flesh he can exceedingly set forward such ways of defilements and thereby fulfill his infernall contrivements The way to disinable Satan is to subdue sinne and the best way to beat him back is to beat that down by a perpetuall battell Lycurgus made a Law among the Lacedemonians that they should never fight with one enemy oft but sinne is an enemy we must oft encounter or never conquer now Satan in the night will get victory over us if we when awake get not victory over sinne Sinne is destroyed By deep humiliations By close applications 1. Deep humblings will destroy sinne Repentance is a Plow which if it cuts deep will rend up sinne by the roots A ready way to put sinne to death is to drown it in the deep waters of godly sorrow as Pharaohs host in the red sea 2. Such close applying as is by faith causes sins death To apply the Word of God and the blood of Christ breaks the strength and draws out the life of sinne with Scripture-nails driven home by the hand of faith to make fast the body of this flesh to the Cross of Christ that it move not hand nor foot in word work or thought but dies by the power of Christs death 2. To resist such sinfull Dreames we must be much in considering seriously The Excellency of Soul and

dreading of the Dreames through God and his grace Where the grace of God is not sinfull Dreames are pleasing not perplexing and might Satan have his mind such Dreames should please good men with delight and not possess them with fear from God it is that sinne as defiling is affrighting 'T is from the nature of man to fear death that corrupts the body but 't is from the grace of God to fear sinne that pollutes the soul 2. Suffering evils or evils more purely poenall and painfull and these evil things most properly proceed from God and with such evil Dreames God did most probably afflict Job Job God might dismay in his Dreames with representations of sinne not to sinne Sinnes past God might make to appear What he had done awake God might cause him to see in his sleep with soulamazements But respects to sinne laid aside the Lord in sleep might arrest Job as a Judg. Though towards evils of sinne 't is not fit for God to act any thing he being the purest essence in Heaven yet 't is meet for God to act about matters of pain he being the supream Judg of the earth God is so good that he is not the least actor of sinne but God is so great as he is the chief inflicter of pain and though pain be inflicted of God who is good yet in it self it is evil and though pain to be sure is a less evil than sinne yet still it is evil Sinne is an evil that disturbs Gods quiet in Heaven and pain is an evil that opposes mans peace and rest upon earth How was Job interrupted in his rest and broken in his peace through painfull and dolorous Dreames the dread of which evidences them evil in their nature 2. In their Number considered it seems they were many not Dreame but Dreames in the plurall manifold Dreames and Dreames about manifold matters that might amaze him divers and differing Dreames for degrees and kindes wherewith Job was skared Dreames of fear that like flames of fire flashed fast in his face Dreames of terrors that like troops of Souldiers upon him thrusting thick in his sleep Dreames of horror that like billows of water broke into his chamber and overflowed his bed that he lay as drowned therein enduring many dolorous thoughts Many things may a man suffer from one single Dreame but how many things be suffered when sad Dreames be multiplied this was Jobs case being skared with Dreames 3. The Person from or by whom Job was skared was God himself Thou skarest me Had these Dreames been barely the Devils-darts or as burning brands flung into his bed onely by Satans hellish-hand his heart would not have been so shaked with fear but finding God to have his hand therein and to be the cause thereof this this encreased his skare Thou skarest me As if he had said O Lord thou who in the day of my prosperity wast to me a Paradise of pleasure causing thy joy to shine as a bright Sunne into my soul thou didst comfort ravish me and refresh me oft yet now thou makst me all agast Thou who in the night of my adversity I hoped wouldst have sent into my heart soul-sweet helps from Heaven wouldst have set up cleer candles of comfort about my bed Thou not onely leavest me in the dark but skarest me with Dreames For skares and fears to be from the Devil or this wicked world were no wonder but for a good man to be frighted of God that God will not let him sleep without skaring this is strange and astonishing For fire to come out of the bramble is no such marvell but for fire to come out of the Vine for the brazen Serpent to become a stinging Serpent and for him to wound that should heal to skare that should comfort for the Lord who uses to be to his servants as a Lamb to be like a Lion and to roar upon them in their sleep this is strange indeed Luther hath some such saying If all the men in the world were mustered as Souldiers and all the Devils in Hell gathered as their Commanders and were upon their march against a good man this would not so much dismay him as one God against him Nothing so perplexes a pious man as the appearance of Gods displeasure suppose with Dreames of this God-skaring Job Thou skarest me with Dreames 4. Observe the season when with Dreames was Job thus skared to wit When he found no comfort awake When he looked for comfort in sleep 1. When awake he had no comfort but such painfull dolour as not onely deeply distressed him all the day but wherewith he was wearied whole nights having no sleep Wearisome nights are appointed to me When I lie down I say when shall I arise and the night be gone I am full of tossings to and fro to the dawning of the day ver 3 4. 2. Asleep he could have no quiet Though sometimes after days of dismall distress he looked at night for peaceable repose but even then were his hopes disappointed Skaring Dreames came into his minde when he expected comfortable sleep in his bed When I said my bed shall comfort me my couch shall ease my complaint Then thou skarest me with Dreames c. Commonly good men then finde it worst from God when they expect most from the creature and from the creature finde least when they look for most Scaliger tells of a tree from which when a man departs ramos pandit it spreads the boughs but when a man comes to it ramos constringit it shrinks up the leaves This is the usuall carriage of the creature when men are from it it seems to spread it self into wide promises but when they approach neer it it shrinks up it self from any good performances Thus Jobs bed served him when his expectations towards it were most raised in the day then his perturbations upon it most encreased in the night his bed was so filled with thorns he could lie at no ease even then when he looked for the largest and sweetest rest When I sai dmy bed shall comfort me then thou skarest me with Dreames The further discourse of these skaring Dreames will consist of a double part Explicatory Applicatory In the Explicatory part I shall unfold as referring to Dreames that affright four things 1. The Matter they may be of 2. The Movers they may be from 3. The Persons they may be to 4. The Reasons they may be for First The Matters about which Dreames may be made amazing are of two sorts Matters of Gods Majesty Matters of Mans Misery 1. The Majesty abiding in God may be so represented in sleep as to make Dreames terrible Gen. 15. 12. And when the Sunne was going down a deep sleep fell upon Abraham and loe an horror of great darkness was upon him Diodat observes that such a Majesty of Gods presence did appear to Abraham as set horror upon