A Deaf & Dumb Boy's Remarkable Dream

William Brennen, aged about fourteen and a-half years, having been

awakened from sleep, his first words were that he had been dreaming; and

when he got into the school-room he commenced writing upon his slate as

follows, assuring his teachers that he described exactly as he thought

he saw and heard in his dream, and from his character for truth there

was no doubt he did so:



I was dreaming about God; that e sent Jesus Christ, who came into the

world from heaven. He was present with twelve men; they saw Him, and

were frightened. He said, "Will you love God, and why?" They said, "He

is the creator of all things; He saved us from our sin; He was walking

on the water; He made them to live on the water and on the land. He

spoke unto them, whose names are Disciples. I saw them by dreaming.



He said unto me, "Will you love God, and why?" I said unto Him, "Because

He made me in a happy state and holy; he brought me to heaven from this

world." His face was luminous and beautiful; he had a long beard, his

hair was short and shining--I could not look at him. He wrote judgments

of mankind--some were very good. When they died he took some to heaven,

and some were sent to hell. His robe was very bright, like a cloud round

the sun.



I could hear more than all the people in the world. I was more obedient

to God. There was not the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars. I saw

Addington--(one of his friends who had died lately)--who was in heaven.

He shook hands with me. He was more tall than you.



I saw Adam and Eve: God made him by His word. He made him of the dust of

the earth. He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. God said,

"Thy name is Adam." He took a rib of the man whilst he slept; he made

woman by taking the rib from a man. Her name was Eve. He made them in a

happy state and holy. He made a garden of Eden. He sent them to live in

the garden. God said, "Thou shalt not eat of the fruit of the tree of

knowledge."



I saw God making the world and all things. First the world, firmament,

sun, moon, stars, land and water. God made the water with His breath, He

gave it into the world. He made the sun, moon, stars very quickly with

his word. He made the sun of part of the earth, from the world, and the

moon of a little part from the sun, and the stars of a very little part

from the moon. He did not make anything with His hands, but by His word.



I saw the world before the sun was made--it was all earth. He made

Europe, Africa--all! and with His breath He made the sea. (Here his

action was remarkable. He drew on his slate the continent and islands,

blew with his breath with scarce any motion of his lips, and showed that

the waters instantaneously flowed through their channels, and the seas

were formed.) God made the firmament by His word; it is like silk paper,

it is all round the world: there is water over it and clouds under it,

and the sun shines through it, and the moon, and the stars. (Here he

described by gestures the motions of the earth, the sun, and moon, and

that there were countless stars, larger much than the sun; that there

was no axle on which the world moved, nor anything to keep it up like a

cord, but that it was moved and upheld by the breath of the Almighty.)



There were many angels with him.



He had not a loud voice, and his eyes see the sun before him and behind

him.



He spoke very kindly to me; I saw many spirits in heaven; they were

worshipping God and obedient to God; they did not speak; they listened

to God and were obedient to Him; and God was often speaking to them; and

they loved Him. He was commanding them to look at evil and right things

in the world, and they were very bright like clouds; thou couldst not

see them, because they were invisible.



Angels are often in the world; they are always present with us, and in

every place, separating the people's hearts, good from bad. God tells

them to separate the good from the bad; and they are always soaring with

their wings. Their wings have not feathers; they are like the clouds.

The angels are soaring always, and standing on the air and the clouds;

they never are flapping with their wings; they are never tired, nor

sleepy, nor hungry, nor thirsty, nor eating, nor laughing, nor smiling;

I saw some more crying a little, because the people have sin from

them. They are very beautiful like the sun. God is more bright than an

angel. They can walk on everything in heaven and in the world, and in

hell they are not burned. God was sitting on the clouds, and on the air,

and on the water. He is still, quiet; He never laughs. (His gestures

here were striking in an astonishing degree, and his whole mind seemed

overcome, with a sense of the Divine greatness and glory.) God was very

kind to the angels, more than all the world.