more remote at fome diftance of time, as is clear in the Cafe of Mofes. In vertue of what he had feen, of the Miracles wrought before his Eyes, he was to Addrefs himself to the Children of Ifrael; and certainly what he had feen was abundantly fufficient to put him upon, and warrant him in the Enterprize. But yet we find, after all the Miracles wrought then, and afterwards in the Land of Egypt, this of ferving GOD on the Mountain, where he then was, is propofed by GOD himself, as a more efpecial Token and Confirmation of the Divine Commiffion. And when Mofes faw this accomplifhed, who can doubt, but that it was the fureft, and moft unquestionable Teftimony to him, of the Authority and Power he had all along acted by; and had this fail'd to come to pafs, it muft needs have rais'd in him great Perplexity, touching his Commiffion it felf; becaufe it would have wanted that very Proof which GOD himself had taught him to expect, and more efpecially to depend upon. As in another Cafe, when our Saviour promifed his Difciples that he would arife from the Dead: Had this never been fulfill'd, and had he never again appeared to them after his Crucifixion, what muft the Apoftles, or indeed any Wife Man, have concluded of him? It muft doubtlefs have caft a Cloud on the brightest Evidences of his Miffion, funk the Credit of his Miracles, although fo innumerable and extraordinary; and rendred them more accountable, through a Magical, than a Divine Power; becaufe fuch a failure could never happen, upon the fuppofition of his being true in all his Pretenfions, of his being acted by a Being, poffefs'd of infinite Knowledge, Power and Truth, and other of the Divine Attributes. For the fame Reafon, notwithstanding all the Miracles

Miracles Mofes had feen and wrought himself, had this farther Teft and Confirmation not fucceeded, he had been freed from all Obligations of Faith and Obedience, and that too by the consent of that Being (whatsoever it was) that appeared to him; and how amazing foever the Wonders which he did, might look, yet with jufter Reafon, might they be imputed by him to a Diabolical, than a Divine Power; becaufe this failure, touching their ferving GOD, on the aforefaid Mountain, muft arife, either because there was fome Power Superior, that hindered the fulfilling of this Promife, or because there was not fufficient Power in him, to bring it to pafs, or becaufe the Mind of this Being afterwards changed; or whatfoever elfe be fuppofed the Reason why this Event came not to pass (the Promife being abfolute and unconditional) it will imply fomething difagreeable and inconfiftent with the Notion of a GOD; and confequently the Author of this Promife, and of these Works, according to our brighteft Apprehenfions of the Deity, could not be GOD.

And I make no doubt, but that this was often the Cafe with the True Prophets of GOD; whether they received their Revelations by Dreams, Vifions, or immediately by Infpiration; although the Strangenefs, the perfect Unaccountableness of thefe Supernatural Motions or Impreffions, might raife in them very high probability of their being Divine, and be abundantly fufficient to engage them, or any Wife Man to act in pursuance of them, and render them Irrational in the neglecting or defpifing them; yet as to a full intire fatisfaction within themfelves, that thefe Impreffions, Impulfes (or whatfoever elfe we call them)

'were

were Supernatural, this in our Opinion might in many Cafes arife from things anfwering in Fact, from fome outward Sign, Token, or Event that came to pafs agreeably to the purpofe of fuch a Motion or Difcovery; and when once there is Confirmation given to fuch particular Motions, Impreffions, or whatsoever elfe they be, for we cannot here explain them, they being only what the Infpired Perfon feels) there will be no need of any farther Proof or Atteftation; but the Prophet at any time, being in the fame manner affected, both the Caufe and the Nature of them are eafily and certainly known to him.

Dreams.

B. I perceive you are infenfibly flid into a- The way of nother way of Divine Revelation, viz. by GOD's reDreams. And this is frequently taken notice vealing bimself by of in Scripture, as the way, whereby G OD, or Angels, the exprefs Minifters of his, in old time appear'd to Men, and reveal'd Things of great Importance to them; and of all the ways of Divine Revelation, feems to me the most dubious, the moft difficult to be apprehended. I have many Difficulties here, but more efpecially how these Men diftinguifh those Divine Dreams from others. For I cannot altogether affent to you, that the whole Proof, or the diftinguishing Mark of thefe Supernatural Dreams, depended always upon the Event, upon fome outward and Miraculous Sign that accompanied them, because in many Cafes, we find them deftitute of fuch an Illuftration or Distinction; and confequently the Perfons to whom they were fent, could not this way know their Divine Original: Neither, as far as Sacred Hiftory informs us, did they always want, or expect fuch a Confirmation; but immediately upon their receiving them, they acknowledg'd them

Divine,

The Opini

Heathen

Divine, and without any Paufe or Hefitation purfued the Purpofe or Intent of them. Now it hath oftentimes been matter of great Amufement to me, by what Rules this was done, or what of Peculiarity there fhould be in thefe Divine Dreams, that fuch as receiv'd them, fhould fo eafily and plainly diftinguifh them, as we find they did, from all others.

A. You light on a very difficult Queftion, ons of the but I fhall do my beft to fatisfy you. To this Philofo purpose, I believe it would fignify little, to lay phers touch before you what the Heathens have imagined. ing Divine As that the Soul is part of GOD, and confeDreams. quently when freed from the Avocations of the

Senfes, and outward Objects, and the Confequences of them, the inward Perturbations of the Paffions; and in vertue of this, can retire within her felf; fhe is naturally capable of Forefeeing, or Divining: And because Sleep excludes all outward Objects, and ufually allays the Fervours of the bodily Paffions, fhe becomes in this condition more capable and difpofed to these High and Elevated Acts, than when employ'd about the Body. For it is the Body that is the Prison, that fhuts out the Divine Light, that hinders a Communion with the Divinity, that disjoins the Soul from it, that damps her natural Vigour and Force, which being part of theDivinity,if free and difengaged, would naturally foreknow and foretell. Hence it is, That in Sleep, the Soul more ufually Divines, or receives Divine Impreffions, than when awake, becaufe lefs diftracted and interrupted by the Paffions and Concernments of the Body, and this prefent Life. Upon the fame Principle it is, That upon very near Approaches of Death, the Sayings of Men have been thought, and are ftill vulgarly regarded, as more Prophe

tick,

tick, because then the Soul is more loofened from the Body (a). But because in Wicked Men, addicted to, and immerfed in an Animal Life, no Condition, not that of Sleep, nor any State elfe, where the Soul hath drawn fuch deep Contagions from the Body, will free her from thofe Carnal and Temporal Engagements; hence the Visions of fuch Men in Sleep, have nothing of the Divine or Prophetick in them, but are the meer Effects of Bodily Humors, Inclinations and Paffions; argue nothing but the Temperament of the Body, and the Disorders of the -Mind, which haunt Men even in Sleep, and hinder the Difcernment of Truth, and fill them with Scenes, vain, confused and tumultuous; as they do the Thoughts and the Lives of fuch Men, when awake. Hence the great and principal Difpofition, that fits and prepares Men for thefe Divine Scenes or Forebodings, is a Purgation of the Soul, from all impure Paffions and Lufts, which is a Philofophick Death, or a Se paration of the Soul from the Body. But befides this, innumerable other Obfervations and Methods have been thought to contribute fomething towards this End, to keep the Mind calm and free from foreign Motions and Perturbations (b); as particular Diet, the Place where, and Time when Men Dream. As to the firft, The Temples of the Gods were recommended, be'cause these they fuppofed more especially Bleffed with their Prefence, and to them Men reforted for Admonition and Redrefs, under all forts of Evils or Difficultys. The Time likewife when Men Dream'd, was regarded, and as to this the Morning hath been concluded the most

a) Cicer. de Divin. lib. 1. Plat. de leg. 1. 9. Dr. Potter Archa. Grac. of Dreams.

E

productive