To be near unto God - pagina 42

continual exhaustion of its powers restoration by sleep remains a secret.

and their But though

no one understands it, this Divine ordinance has not gone forth without a purpose and a wise dis-

Does not the Scripture say that in the our reins instruct us, and does not this impart an higher significance to sleep? Undoubtedly such was the case with David. But this is by no means an ordinary experience. And even if this were the case, yet for the sake of spiritual instruction in the soul, this regularly returning period of seven long hours would be out of all proportion. Only think how large a part of the day it is^irom nine o'clock in the morning until four in the afternoon. And yet it comprises but seven hours, and these we sleep away out of every twenty-four. posal.

night

This is modified bj^ sickness, by pressing cares or old age, three causes which either shorten, disturb or delay sleep, so that a part of the night is sleepless. By either of these causes night obtains a different significance, but only because sleep can not be courted, or is too much interrupted or too early ended. Hence dreams are not without some significance. Dreams can discover us to ourselves. They can suggest helpful thoughts of life. They can afford us moments of fellowship with our dead,

God can gives us melancholy delight. reveal something to us in dreams. In spite of all And this, most dreams are forgotten on waking. when at rare times they leave a memory, nothing but vague, vanishing and mixed images float before the mind. Even the petition from the old evening which

.

song, "In sleeping let

me

wait on Thee; in dreams

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