278 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book IV. 



think, altogether inconceiveable with refpeA to things not yet 

 come into exigence. But, even admitting this hypothecs, Synefius 

 himfelf confefles that there is no art of connedling and piecing 

 together thofe imperfcdl: images, fo as to make a conne(3;ed ftory 

 of them, that is, in other words, expounding Dreams ; but that 

 it is merely a thing of experience and obfervation, without any 

 reafon or principle to guide us ; and therefore it mufl be very uncer- 

 tain, depending altogether upon the ftate the Phantafia is in, which 

 muft be very different, even in the fame men, at different times, ac- 

 cording to the changes of their habit of Body, or difpofition of Mind. 



Rejcding, therefore, Synefius's diftin£tIon, I hold that, by no art, 

 experience, or obfervation, we can find out a meaning in Dreams 

 other than what they plainly import ; and that all Dreams, truly 

 prophetical, are clear and unambiguous. And I agree with Synefi- 

 us, that thofi* Dreams are not derived from the Mind itfelf, but pro- 

 ceed from fome Superior Power j and fo far I alfo agree with Mr 

 Baxter. 



As I mod firmly believe that there are other Minds in the Uni- 

 verfe befides ours, and that betwixt our Mind and the Supreme, there 

 are other Minds interpofed in infinite fubordination, fome of them 

 of knowledge and power very much fuperior to ours; fo I alfo believe 

 that thefe Minds may, and often do, communicate with ours. Our 

 Minds communicate with one another, by the means of bodily or- 

 gans, which is the neceffary confequence of their being embodied as 

 they are, not with a thin aethereal vehicle, but with a grofs corpo- 

 real frame, which fome of the antient philofophers compared to the 

 fhell of an oyfter. Bui that pure Spirits can communicate with 

 one another, and even with our Mind, embodied as it is, without 

 the ufe of bodily organs, I think there is no reafon to doubt. That 

 the Supreme Mind communicate& in this way with our Mind, every 



genuine 



