productive of thefe Divine and Supernatural Dreams, because by this time the Thoughts and Cares, as well as the Fumes that arife in the Body, from the Intemperances of the Day; All which excite the Blood and Paffions, and exceedingly disturb the Imagination, are fuppofed much evaporated and forgotten. Amongst which, and innumerable more variety of Conceits, nothing appears Solid or Subftantial; but the Principle they went upon, and aim'd at in all their Fancies, viz. That purity of Heart and Life, an Abstraction of the Mind from the Senfes, or a Difengagement from the World, and worldly Objects, was the best Difpofition for the receiving thefe Divine Impulfes of Il lapfes; to which both Jews and Christians have fubfcribed, as holding good, not only in the Cafe of Dreams, but all other ways of Divine Revelation: All Extravagancies of the Paffions, Intemperances of Life, being furely very great Obftructions to the Operations of the Spirit, because these tend to exclude and ftifle its Motions and Suggestions of what kind foever; the Spirit in the Gofpel appearing under the Character of a Monitor, Teacher, or Director; which muft imply, or neceffarily require, in fuch as it approaches, a Mind capable of being Taught, of being Acted on, or Directed, which Men, plung'd in exorbitant Lufts and Paffions, are apparently incapable of. For if the Office of the Spirit be to teach, how can he be taught that will not hearken or attend ? And what a plight is he in, to attend, that is under the vehement Purfuit, or loud Alarms of any Paffion? How vain and idle is it, to difcourfe of Meeknefs and Forgiveness to one under a raging fit of Anger, and fiercely profecuting Refolutions of Revenge? All Men of Underftanding

ftanding and Experience, will not fo unprofitably spend their Time and Council, as to urge it at fuch a Seafon; for this is little better or wifer than holding Difcourfe, or entring into deep Reafoning or Confultation with a mad Man, between whom, and a reafonable Nature, there can be no Communication; overpower'd or compell'd fuch a one may be, not perfwaded: And what can any Man think the Suggeftions of the Spirit to be, but wife and reafonable Thoughts? Which, if fuch, are incapable of receiving from Men, they must be furely conceiv'd in an ordinary way, as incapable of receiving from GOD. And that GOD fhould approach the Minds of Men, when they will not hear, nor hearken to his Inftructions, there is little Reafon to expect. Laftly, If the Office of the Spirit be to lead or act Men, how incapable are they of this, under the Violence and Impetuofity of their Lufts!

B. Altho' this be of great ufe to obferve, in the Conduct of our Lives, yet will it not anfwer our prefent Purpose, there appearing no neceffary Connection between a Mortification of our Paffions, or a Purity of Heart and Life; and a certain Knowledge of what Scenes and Thoughts in Sleep, are Supernatural, and what Natural. The utmoft this can prove, is, That fuch Men may be more fufceptible of Divine Impulfes or Illapfes, and may be eftner vifited with them, than other Mortals. But yet hence arifes no certain Criterion, or diftinguishing Mark betweed Natural and Supernatural. Shall we fay there was always fomething Supernatural in the Dreams of thofe Holy and Mortified Souls; or that they never dreamt, but thro' Supernatural Caufes This would prove a fure Rule indeed; but what cannot with any colour of Authori

ty, or Reason, be imagin'd. And if many of their Dreams, as of other common Men, proceeded from Natural Caufes, (as is moft likely) ftill we are to feek how they diftinguifh'd the Divine and Supernatural from them. And befides, it appears that thefe Supernatural Dreams were not fo neceffarily joyned to a good and mortified Life; but that others could and did often receive them, and diftinguish them too; as may be proved abundantly, both from Sacred and Prophane Hiftory.

A. To difmifs therefore thefe Philofophers and their Principles, from whence nothing certain to the prefent Purpofe can be deduced. Vainer yet feem to be the Directions of another fort of Men, whofe proper Business it was to expound Dreams, a Profeffion of the highest Reputation and Honour among the Heathens; of the Vanity and Idleness of whofe Principles and Art, if any Man has a mind to be convinced, he may fee at large in Artemidorus, Cicero and others.

B. There is nothing furely more uncertain and vain, than thofe Rules, whereby the Hea-. thens profeffed to expound Dreams. If (a) Cicero understood thofe Rules, they agreed in nothing, and confequently could fignifie nothing, but left the Expofitors to interpret Dreams by their own Wit and Fancies, rather than by any thing, that Obfervation, Reafon or Experience had eftablifh'd. Hence thofe ridiculous Clafhings; what one great Expofitor made to fignifie Succefs in a Dream, another as plainly making to fignifie Lofs or Difafter; which makes me the more wonder at a Learned (b) Mau of our own,

(a) Cicer. 2 lib. de Divin.

(b) Mr. Dodwell's Letters of Ordinat. p. 216.

that

that could fancy the great Prophets of the Old Teftament not only ftudy'd, but fetched the Interpretation of Divine Dreams from thofe Oneirocritical Rules of the Heathens; and that the Sons of the Prophets, the Candidates for extraordinary Revelation, as Preparatory to it, fhould ftudythis Heathen Learning, and efpecially in the Schools of the Prophets; and that hence Artemidorus fhould be recommended to the Reading of the young Student in Divinity, as an Author that contains thofe Rules, by the help of which, the Prophets in the Old Teftament understood their Maker, in this way of Revelation.

A. It is extraordinary, I confefs. Any Man that will be at the pains to read Artemidorus, will fee what Foundation there is for this Conjecture, what a worthy Study this was, what a Learning and Erudition for Prophets, and what likely Business it was, that GOD fhould have regard in his Revelations to Rules of Art amongst the Heathens, which were fo vain and uncertain, that not one of them was found to hold Univerfally, or was Univerfally receiv'd amongst themfelves. Much more odd will it be to think, that this idle fuperftitious Stuff was a great part of the Study of the Youth of thofe Sacred Colleges, over which, thofe great Prophets in the Old Teftament are concluded to have prefided. This therefore fhall not interrupt us. Besides these we have mention'd

Some Di- Divines

that have

vines have attempted () to explain this Secret; attempted the Subftance of whofe Conjectures hath been to give a taken, they think, from the Examples of Sacred diftinction Hiftory. As first, Divine and Supernatural between Dreams are attended with fome extraordinary Divine and Pannick Fear, which proves à Mark to fuch tural

(c) Amandus Polanus Com. in Daniel. p. 63.

and Na

Dreams

as receive them, of their peculiar Nature, and incites them to act in purfuance of them. Of this, Inftances have been alledg'd out of Scripture, as in Abimelech; who, together with bis Servants, feared greatly. So in that Dream of Pharaoh, the Text fays, he was troubled in Spirit, after a very unusual manner. So again of Nebuchadnezzar, it is faid exprefly, I saw a Dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my Bed, and the Vifions of my Head troubled me. So that upon any Revelation made by GOD in Dreams, thefe Men fuppofed a very strong and unusual Impreffion of Fear, or fome other Paffion to accompany it, which when awake, would not fuffer Men to be at reft, and to rid themselvesof, as of other vain and empty Fears, which have no other Foundation, than an Irregularity of Fancy and Conftitution. But this feems no folid Ground of Diftinction, because it appears in Fact, Perfons of a very tender and delicate Conftitution, which is ufually attended with an Irregularity of the Fancy and Spirits, are fubject to the higheft Affrightments inDreams, and do receive from them the ftrongeft Impreffions of Fear; and if hence fuch were to conclude their Dreams Divine, by the Fears or Troubles they leave behind them, they would have great tore of Divine Revelations. But Fact and Experience, if fuch Perfons put it on the Tryal, foon confute this Teft, and teach them the Vanity of thefe Dreams and Fears, and to be rid of them as foon as poffible. Neither have Divine and Supernatural Dreams been always attended with fuch extraordinary Fears, or excited fuch Commotions of the Paffions, provided the Contents of thefe Dreams have not denoted fome great Evil; and then it is the Evil apprehended to be prefignified in thefe Dreams,