The soul’s pressure that comes on all at times, may be from either the following causes. Condemnation, conviction of sin, or an advanced state in Christian life; temptation, or a burden for souls.
1—If it be a burden of sin, the spirit will direct us to the sin for which we should repent.
2—If it be temptation of the devil—while he will accuse us of something wrong, he will be very indefinite in regard to what the thing is that we have done or have not done that was wrong.“He is the accuser of the brethren.”
3—If the pressure that comes upon us is for an advanced state in holiness, how our hearts will cry out after God, the living God! It will be thus expressed—“My heart-strings groan with deep complaint, my heart lies panting, Lord for thee; and every limb, and every joint, stretches for perfect purity.”
While the spirit of God comes upon all men, for he said, that, it should come to pass in the last days, “I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh; and one notable result would be, Dreams and Visions.” Not all dreams are chargeable to the Holy Spirit. The mind of man is supposed to be always in operation, though not under the control of our judgment, or will, when the body is asleep. God does make impressions upon our minds in our sleeping state, of things that are coming to pass, with the person thus impressed. We are sometimes conscious of the mind’s operations when in deep sleep; when the spirit of the Lord may not have anything to do with it. It would seem that God often warns poor sinners of their danger by dreams; this being the only way seemingly, when the Holy Spirit can find way to their heart; as then, they are quiet; the cares of life are for a moment hushed into silence. The great difficulty in bringing sinners to Christ, is their constant stretch after the amusements, pleasures, and the riches of the world. So God, in his infinite love and mercy, comes in this way to the sinner, to warn him of his danger, and the sleeping state being the most favorable, reveals the on-coming storm.
Folger, Secretary of State, had a short time before he died, one of those alarming dreams. Political life had worn upon him so that he thought retirement from business, and a trip to the Bermudas necessary in order to regain health and strength. The awful scene presented to him in the dream completely changed his mind so that he gave up the contemplated trip. The dream as related by his near friends is as follows: “The steamship on which the party had taken passage was sailing along serenely; the sea was as smooth as glass, and everybody was happy, when suddenly a great dark cloud was observed on the forward horizon moving rapidly toward the vessel, accompanied by an incessant and terrific rumbling. The heavy cloud soon reached the ill-fated craft, overspreading the sea with the darkness of Egypt, great sheets of lurid flame shot forth in all directions; the vessel tossed and quivered, and the sea was lashed in mountainous billows. The Secretary saw the forms of his party and the crew enveloped in fire, playing through the angry elements. Suddenly, he stood alone on the deck, with the vessel sinking beneath him into a sea of fire, and he awoke trembling like an aspen, and covered with cold beads of perspiration, to find that it was a dream.” A short time after this, he passed suddenly into eternity, and for aught we know, just as he had lived, without Christ, and hope for the life that is to come.
Job had knowledge of the revelations of dreams from God, and that they were for divine instruction. He said, “When I say, my bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint; then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrified me through visions.” Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. I suppose that the King was so given up to wine, women, and debauchery, the only time that God could make an impression upon the wicked ruler, was when deep sleep was upon him. God warned Abimelech in a dream, not to come near to Sarai, “Abraham’s wife assuring him if he did, he was a dead man.”
“Jacob dreamed, and behold a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and, behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.”
This dream was given to Jacob, doubtless to point out to him the intercourse that exists between heaven and earth, and the connection of both worlds by means of angelic ministry.
This doctrine is clearly taught in the old and new testament. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” It was probably a type of Christ, in whom both worlds meet, and in whom the divine and human nature are united.