The ladder was set up on earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; for God was manifested in the flesh, and in him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Jesus Christ himself, took this view of the dream. He said to Nathaniel, “Hereafter ye shall see the heaven opened,and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
The Almighty appeared to Abraham in dreams, gave him instruction, and very encouraging promises; assuring him of boundless prosperity, to him and his seed, which should be as numerous as the sand of the sea, forever and ever, which he believed, and received the honor which comes only from God. And this honor which he received for believing what God said to him in a dream, will pass down to the latest period of time. O, what honor there is, in believing God, even life eternal.
God warned Laban the Syrian, to take heed to what he said to Abraham, either good or bad. So the Lord takes care of His own. Joseph dreamed, and he told it to his brethren, and they hated him, yet the more, and he said unto them, hear ye the dream which I have dreamed. For behold we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said unto him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us; and shalt thou indeed have dominion over us; and they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun, and the moon, and the eleven stars, made obeisance to me—and he told it to his father, and to his brethren, and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I, and thy mother, and thy brethren, indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee, to earth? The history of Joseph is one of the most interesting contained in the oracles of God. It is replete with interesting matter, from beginning to end. I presume that Joseph knew the interpretation of his dreams when they were given. I think that with the dreams, came the interpretation also. When others dreamed, he knew what it meant.
What an impressive dream was that of Pharaoh, standing on the river’s bank and gazing intently on that beautiful stream, when lo, he sees with wonder and amazement living objects emerging therefrom. They prove to be kine, fat-fleshed, and well-favored. And as he continued to gaze and wonder, other sights did appear more wonderful than the former scenes. Other kine came up from the river very lean and ill-favored, and they devoured the fat and well-favored, and as this scene passed he awoke. God sent an angel to warn Joseph in a dream to go down to Egypt and stay there until He, the Lord, should send them word to return, until the danger of Herod had passed. Pilate’s wife warned Pilate to have nothing to do in condemning Christ, because she had suffered much in a dream because of Him this day! I suppose that the impression came upon her with such force and with such clearness that Jesus Christ, that was then before the Jewish court, was the true Messiah, the Lord of life and glory, He that came to make an atonement for the sin of the world, and this was doubtless in her wakeful moments. I suppose it is what would be called a presentiment. An intuition, a knowledge of facts that will occur, or that are now transpiring. It might be called a wakeful dream, or an inspiration. Just as the Almighty has in the past, and does now, and will to all eternity make known His will to the sons of men. And these divine impressions, whether they come in our wakeful moments, or when deep sleep is upon us, will always be in harmony with a thus saith the Lord.
Our intellectual machinery is so wonderfully made up with receptive powers so vast that God the Holy Ghost coming upon us, can, when it is for his glory, impart to us more in a moment of time, than we could receive from all other sources combined.
I remember how interested I was when passing the United States Mint to see them stamping the stars and spread eagle on the gold coin. It took a tremendous power to do it. So when the Almighty puts the stamp of divinity on us, knowledge comes with power and clearness, lasting as time. I can never forget the impression that came on me when a lad about fifteen years of age. I was distant from home about one hundred miles. Had been absent some four weeks. All were well when I left. I had a brother that I loved very much, away from home at this time, I visited him just before I left. This impression came on me as sudden as a flash of light, and with it this thought. “There is trouble at home and I must return as quick as possible.” The impression was that some of the dear ones were very sick and that my presence was greatly needed. My feelings were intense, and my mind like the needle that points always to the pole, pointed steadily toward home as the place where I should be. My employer did not want me to leave him and tried to discourage me from yielding to my feelings. I could not eat, nor sleep much. The impression that was on me was painful and for two days I suffered this intense agony before I got started for home. The only way of traveling in those days was by stage, or the two mile per hour on the Erie canal, or go on foot. I took each of these modes of conveyance, and after about thirty-six hours travel, I reached home to find a house of deep mourning. My dear brother that I loved so tenderly was dead, and the time for his funeral had just arrived. The people were there for the funeral service. They had written to me but it had not reached me. I knew nothing of my brother’s sickness and death until I was within one mile of home. From whence came this impression that there was trouble at home, and that I must hasten to their assistance? I know that some entertain peculiar notions about the relation that mind sustains to mind, and the strong sympathy that exists between such minds, and the peculiar, invisible, and undefinable way such minds have of communing with each other. Whatever there may be in the above philosophy, I know not. But the impression that came to me on the above occasion I believe was from the Lord. During my brother’s sickness he often called for me and would say, “Has not Zenas come yet?” At this time I was not a Christian, but a sinner, well rounded out. The promise made, “That in the last days God would pour out of His spirit upon all flesh” is true. I think that it came upon me at that time. Years after this occurrence, I had another experience, quite similar to the one just related. I was doing business for M. Tilden & Co., New Lebanon, N. Y. I had a wife and one child at this time, and was living in Canaan, N. Y. I had gone into the western part of the state expecting to be gone from home some six weeks. After an absence of about two weeks, an impression, or a presentiment, came on me with such force that I could not work, nor eat, nor sleep, and with this impression, came the thought that, wife, or my first born son was very sick. I had received a letter from my wife only the day before, stating that they were well and did not expect me home for at least six weeks. This impression came on me about four o’clock in the afternoon. My feelings were so intense, that I arranged my affairs, took the stage early the next morning, rode fifteen miles, and took the express train for Albany, where I remained all night, or the rest of the night, as we did not reach there until eleven o’clock. That was a night of intense anxiety, and mental suffering, for it seemed to me that my wife or child was very sick, nigh unto death. Imagine my feelings as I stepped from the cars on arriving at Canaan four corners, when one of my neighbors approached me with this question, “Mr. Osborne, is your boy alive?” The same hour of the day when the impression came on me, my dear wife was washing, she dipped out a pail of scalding water from the boiler, set it down, went out to hang out some clothes. My little boy, Henry Z., went up to the pail, pulled up his dress, and put his foot in this pail of scalding hot water. He screamed. His mother rushed into the house, took the boy from the pail; but oh, what a sight! The dear child’s flesh drops off, in places, near to the bone. The boy went into spasms. The physician had doubts of his recovery. This was an anxious time for my dear companion; she wrote me right away, but I had not received her message, but the Almighty had telephoned me most emphatically, and I obeyed the summons, and found the impression was not a delusion, but a divine impression. After my dear child had so far recovered as to be considered out of danger, I returned to my field of labor in western N. Y. Was it not the Lord that made known to me the serious sickness at home, and inspired my heart to hasten to the suffering family? And was it not kind in the blessed Lord, to help in such a time of need? Truly, God is good, in all His works and ways; and His loving care is graciously manifested to all the creatures that He hath made. How much of earth’s storm and tempest we might avoid, if we would only keep our eyes and our ears open to see and hear what God would have us see and hear.
During my pastorate at Seneca Falls, N. Y., I not only preached at Seneca Falls, but at Auburn, Owosco and Niles, N. Y. Every other week I would preach at Owosco and Niles on the Lord’s day, and on my way back to Seneca Falls, I would stop at Auburn and preach the word of life, on Monday evening at sister Osborne’s; and this was my home when at Auburn. On the occasion of which I now speak, I was requested to stop, and take tea at another place, where I had never been before. The family where I was to stop was made up of three persons, father, daughter, and an aunt of the daughter. Father and sister-in-law were perhaps fifty years of age. The daughter I should judge, twenty-five years of age, and a member of the M. E. Church in that place. I had never met with any of this family prior to this meeting, except this young lady, and her, only one week before, and that at a Quarterly meeting. I called at this place according to agreement to take tea, and spend a couple of hours before service. It was in mid-winter. I entered the house, the young lady met me very politely, took my hat and overcoat, and I took a seat. This was a well-to-do family; they had an abundance of this world’s goods. The house was large, and well furnished. I had not been in the house five minutes, before a strange impression came on me, bewildering, sickening, and with it, came this thought, “unclean devils, unclean devils.” It seemed to me that I should die, if I did not leave that house. I called for my hat and coat, and left. This woman followed me for several weeks, and always when she came near me, the same impression would come over me, unclean devils. Suffice to say, she was a bad woman. She had been too intimate with a married man, who was a class-leader in one of the churches. Was she actuated by the same spirit that those women were that followed Paul and Silas around and declared that they were the real servants of God; and is it not a fact, that the quickest way to destroy the work of God in any place, is to have doubtful characters, professedly, embrace it? and herald abroad the praises of the servants of God? And these persons being so well understood, their lives and their character so well pronounced as to become a stench in the nostrils of the community, and a tremendous bar to the progress of Christianity in every community where such exists. I am always troubled when some people endorse me, and feel like saying, The Lord have mercy on me now! God gave me great prosperity on this big charge, a revival prevailed through the two years. More than one hundred professed conversion at Seneca Falls, besides many were converted at the other points. At Seneca Falls, at one time during our stay there, souls were converted in every means of grace for several months, more than one hundred professed to be sanctified wholly. Some of the richest displays of God’s saving power that I ever saw, was at points on this field of labor. Many that were poor, and wretched slaves to intemperance and licentiousness, were washed, and made clean during our stay here, gems were gathered in, that will deck the Saviour’s Crown forever and ever. More than twenty years have come and gone since we left that field of suffering, cross-bearing, and victory, and yet we would not have the time we spent there blotted out of life’s work for any amount of earth’s riches; and I want to record right here, while this subject is before us, praise and thanksgiving to my heavenly Father, for blessing us, and opening our eyes to see danger, and grace to avoid it, especially in the case referred to at “A”—I have no doubt, but that the devil in some way, wanted to use that wicked woman to destroy the work of God on that big charge.
Did not Bramwell have knowledge given to him to see the deception of the man that professed he wanted help for God’s cause, when Bramwell was led to see, it was a bastard child, help was sought for?
The church has suffered much in the past by the deception of wicked men and women which might have been different, had the church been baptized with the Holy Ghost as it was her privilege to be. Peter saw at once the fraud practiced by Ananias and Sapphira and justly rebuked them. And what a blessing it would be to the church and the world, if the ministry, and laity, had the anointing—the eye salve of the Holy Ghost. I have been perfectly surprised at the success that these saintly appearing frauds have had in playing their tricks upon credulous, godly people. The real saint, the wholly sanctified, the pure in heart, have the eye salve daily applied; Yea, they carry with them, a bank note detective; their coin, is weighed and measured at sight. Perhaps all clearly saved people have not so clear a conception of character, and are not able to judge so readily, of their merit, or demerit as others. However that may be, I believe that all clearly saved people, have remarkable good judgment in regard to character as well as in other matters.
But to return to the theme before us, Dreams, Presentiments—Dreams come, when sleep is upon us, Presentiments come upon us in our wakeful moments; and both may be of the Lord as already shown, though not always. It is wise, however, to try the spirits, and hold fast to that which is good. I have had mapped out to me in my dreams, and I think by the spirit of the Lord, fields of labor that I afterwards occupied, as clear as a sunbeam; and the peculiar phases of my field of labor, and the peculiar characters of the new field, as though written out by the hand of inspiration. I will give but one or two incidents. Three months prior to my being stationed at Oswego, N. Y., I found myself in my dream at Oswego, on my way home from conference, to look over the situation, and arrange for moving on. I met a few, very poor saints, discouraged, and ready to give up and die out. I was told in my dream that I had better look at Brother L. H. R’s. house, perhaps it would suit me. At this time Brother Robinson was preacher in charge at Oswego, and what was still more strange about this dream, this was his first year at Oswego, and some three months before conference. I was very much concerned about a four gallon jug that I had full of very rich, sweet milk. I was anxious to have it kept sweet. A brother pointed out to me a living stream that run near by, and said that I could put my jug of milk in that stream and it would keep. Conference sent me to Oswego that fall, and every step that I took in my dream came literally to pass, looking at the former preacher’s house, and all, except my jug of milk.I soon discovered what my milk meant. The saints at that place had been very much soured up over the conduct of some laborers that they had placed great confidence in, so that the smut covered them deeply. I found my big jug of sweet milk just what they needed. The pure unadulterated gospel, was to them the sincere milk of the word. They received it gladly and grew thereby. In many of the fields of labor that I have occupied, I have previously occupied in dreams when sleep was upon me. A short time before, being stationed at Binghamton, God, by His holy Spirit when deep sleep was upon me, printed upon memory’s tablet, that beautiful Parlor City; surrounded by those lovely hills, covered with green foliage; and those beautiful streams, clear as crystal, reflecting the sunlight of heaven; reminding one of that “stream that makes glad the City of our God.” I saw Court street as clear as day; our church and parsonage; I also saw our society. At that time they were having a little that was unpleasant, a church trial. I saw the division of feeling, one party stood a little way off from the other, shaking their fists at the other party, but as soon as I approached them, they came together and all was lovely.