A Practical Commentary on the Epistle of Jude

2. Deceiveth with a vain hope, as where the Prophet compareth the dream of the enemies of the Church, to the dream of a night vision, Is. 29. 7. 8. And it shall be as an hungry man dreameth, and behold he eateth, but he awaketh & his soul is empty: or when as a thirsty man dreameth, and behold de drinketh, but be awaketh, and behold he is fain•, and his soul hath appetite. So 'tis with them, all their hopes are dashed in an instant: the foolish Virgins slept, Mat▪ 25. and when they slept they dreamed, that the door of grace would still be open to them, but they found it shut: many flatter themselves with fair hopes, till they awake in flames, but then all is gone.

2. Deceiveth with a vain hope, as where the Prophet compareth the dream of the enemies of the Church, to the dream of a night vision, Is. 29. 7. 8. And it shal be as an hungry man dreameth, and behold he eateth, but he awaketh & his soul is empty: or when as a thirsty man dreameth, and behold de drinketh, but be awaketh, and behold he is fain•, and his soul hath appetite. So 'tis with them, all their hopes are dashed in an instant: the foolish Virgins slept, Mat▪ 25. and when they slept they dreamed, that the door of grace would still be open to them, but they found it shut: many flatter themselves with fair hopes, till they awake in flames, but then all is gone.

Take heed then of being deceived by your own dreams▪ ⟨p. 342⟩and the fictions of your own brain: there are no dreams so foolish as those we dream waking, as Epiphanius saith of the Gnostics: 'twas not [Greek or Hebrew], a sleeping Dream that they were guilty of, but [Greek or Hebrew], the dotage of their minds, putting them upon fancies, as monstrous and incoherent as mens thoughts in a dream: waking dreams are most pernicious: There are two sorts of these dreams, 1. Dreams in point of opinion, when we hug error instead of truth. 2. Dreams in point of hope, when we cherish presumption in stead of faith.