Most people spend a third of their lives with their eyes closed, drifting through a world of strange images and half-remembered stories. While modern science often dismisses these experiences as random brain activity, there remains a deep curiosity about what happens to the human spirit during the hours of darkness. Goodwin addresses this relatable curiosity by suggesting that dreams are not mere accidents of sleep but closed secrets that often require the Spirit of God to reveal. In his book, The Mystery of Dreams, Goodwin invites readers to consider that the mind is never truly idle and that the night shift of the soul carries significant moral and spiritual weight.
The Lamp That Burns in an Earthen Pitcher
Goodwin establishes a fascinating distinction between the physical body and the rational soul. He compares the human person to a soldier carrying a lamp inside a pitcher. While the body may be sleeping, the soul—endowed with reason—is like a candle that does not go out by night. This suggests that dreaming is a uniquely human action. While animals might experience low-level motions in their sleep, it is the rational nature of man that allows for the methodical and often intelligent transactions found in dreams.
This perspective challenges the idea that sleep is a total shutdown of the person. Instead, it is described as a clear index of life. Even though sleep can be seen as an image of death, the activity of the soul during dreams proves that the life of the mind continues. The soul remains at liberty even when the body is bound by sleep, free to act and transact business in the secret workshops of the memory and the imagination.
“To compound the person of every Man, like Gideons Soldier, he hath his Body as his Earthen Pitcher, and his Soul as his Lamp therein. His Body may be sleeping, when yet his Soul as his Lamp is burning.”
The Three Sources of the Midnight Stream
A primary takeaway from this work is the classification of dreams into three distinct categories: natural, diabolical, and divine. Natural dreams are seen as the products of a person’s own head and heart, often reflecting their daily concerns or physical health. However, Goodwin warns that the mind is also a battlefield for outside influences. Supernatural dreams can be sent into the mind by external principles, leading to either good workings from God or evil workings from the devil.
This analysis reminds the reader that they are never in a truly neutral state. If a dream is not moving toward God, it may be providing a door for the enemy. The book highlights how the devil uses the night season to suggest false ideas or to deceive through doors of deceit. Because the outward senses are bound during sleep, the soul is often more vulnerable to these subtle suggestions, making the source of one’s dreams a matter of spiritual importance.
The Moral Responsibility of the Sleeping Mind
One of the more surprising arguments in the book is that dreams are not always morally neutral. Goodwin asserts that a person can be defiled by their thoughts even while their body is at rest. These defiling dreams do not just affect the body; they settle upon the soul as well. Goodwin argues that since the mind and body are closely connected, the poisonous quality of a sinful dream can stain the entire person, leaving behind black blots or dirty steps from the devil’s feet.
This leads to the reflection that a person’s character is often revealed by what the mind gravitates toward in the dark. If a person nourishes vanities and idle thoughts during the day, they are essentially furnishing the workshop for the devil to work in at night. The book suggests that the presence of divers vanities in a multitude of dreams is a malady that can only be cured by a deep and constant fear of God that persists even into the night watches.
“As whatever is sin defiles, so whatever defiles is sin. …evil thoughts whether in men awake or asleep are sins, as is proved by their defiling property.”
The Secret School of Divine Warning
Finally, the book provides comfort by illustrating how God uses dreams as a means of instruction and preservation. Using the example of the Wise Men being warned in a dream to avoid Herod, Goodwin shows that God can communicate his will to protect his people. These profitable dreams are described as divine answers to the secret desires of the heart. They can serve to withdraw a person from a sinful purpose or to hide pride from their eyes.
This takeaway is impactful because it highlights the mercy of God’s patience. Even when a person is unaware and vulnerable, God may be awake and working for their good. These divine visits can enlighten dark places in the understanding and offer a type of secret communion that is not always available during the noisy hours of the day. For the believer, a dream can become a gate of heaven where the soul meets its Savior.
“God speaketh once, yea twice—In a Dream and Vision of the Night—Then he opens the ears of men, and Seals their Instruction… That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.”
Goodwin’s work serves as a powerful reminder that the spiritual life does not pause when the lights go out. By examining the nature, causes, and consequences of dreams, he provides a roadmap for the believer to pursue holiness at all hours. This book is an essential read for anyone who wants to take the command to keep the heart with all diligence seriously. It offers a unique lens through which to view one’s own internal world and provides practical tools for defending the soul against vanity and deception.
As the reader reflects on the secrets of their own night shift, they are left with a final, thought-provoking question: If the soul never truly sleeps, whose work is it doing while the body is in bed?