Thomas Gataker B.D. his vindication of the annotations by him published upon these words, Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signes of heaven, for the heathen are dismayed at them, Jer. 10. 2 against the scurrilous aspersions of that grand imposter Mr. William Lillie : as also against the various expositions of two of his advocates, Mr. John Swan, and another by him cited, but not named : together with the annotations themselvs : wherein the pretended grounds of judiciary astrologie, and the Scripture-proofes produced for it are discussed and refuted.

The Annotations on Jerem. Chap. 10. Verse 2. and part of Vers. 3.

Vers. 2. THus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the Hea∣then,] Because the Jewish people, were a great party of them to go into captivity into Babylon, and other the regions adjacent, yea, many of them in likelihood were there in captivity already, (See ver. 11. Chap. 24.1. & 29.1, 2.) God by the Prophet endeavoureth to confirm and strengthen them, the pious especially among them, (for such also there were there of them, Chap. 24.5. Ezek. 11.16.) against those superstitions and vanities that were rife in those parts; and they might be in danger, being exiles and captives in a strange land, to be strongly tempted unto: Heb. Learn not to the way: where either the particle is superfluous, omitted therefore, Psal. 106.35. Chap. 12.16. or else it may be rendred, Accustome not your selves to the way of the heathen; and so some render it; do not imitate them, See Chap. 9.5. their way; that is, their su∣perstitious courses, Lev. 18.3. & 20.23.

and be not dismaied at the signes of heaven] The first head of superstitions, which he beginneth with, is Astrologie, a study and practice so rife among them in those parts, Esay 47.13. that the professors and practisers of it, not with them alone, Dan. 2.2. & 5.7. but among other nations also, are generally de∣signed by the name of Chaldeans; See Strabo l. 17. Cicero of divination, l. 2. Pliny l. 6. c. 26. Astrologie, I say, not that which we commonly term Astronomie, whereby the true nature and motion of the celestial bodies are by grounds of reason, and rules of art thence taking their rise, enqired into, and disco∣vered; but that Judiciary Astrologie, as it is usually styled, whereby men take upon them, from the postures and aspects of them, to foretel the issu of humane affairs, either publike, or

private, and what casual events, shall befal either persons or people: a practice grown of late with us into great esteem, being either countenanced or connived at, by those in autho∣rity with us, tho having entred themselves, and caused others with them, to enter into a religious bond of a solemn oath and covenant, to endeavor the extirpation of all those things among us, that are contrary to sound doctrine, and the power of godlinesse, whereof this is none of the least. For the original whereof, (since it hath not, nor can be shewed to have any ground from the light of nature, or natural reason) we shal not need to go far to find it out: We have a blind, but insolent, buzzard (I may wel so term him) among us, one that professeth himself no small Doctor in these impostures, and dotages (wherewith he hath bewitched not a few with us, esteeming his predicti∣ons, as no other then divine oracles) and taketh upon him by the Stars, to steer the affairs of our State, pretending to read in the Book of Heaven, all that he writes▪ who will sufficiently in∣form us herein. Now this man, to justifie the warrantablenes of this his practice, telleth us, that the good Angels of God in for∣mer ages, at first by personal conference, acquainted the sons of men with this learning of the Stars; and those holy men, (saith he) so instructed, living many years, and in purer airs, where they curi∣ously observed the Planets and their motion, brought this Art to some maturity, without the least hint of superstition. But as the sons of men fell from God in divine worship, so in flitting and shifting their habitations, they forgat the purer part of this art; and in some Coun∣tries added superstitious conceptions. The holy Angels then be∣like by this mans relation, did at first inform those holy men, which they could not otherwise have known, of the nature of the Planets; to wit, that Saturn was a melancholick malignant planet, Mars, a cholerick and litigious one, Mercury, a theevish, Venus, a lascivious and wanton one: and that they do accord∣ingly affect and dispose such people, or persons, as are either bred under them, or whom they have special relation unto. For these, and the like ridiculous fopperies, and impious ca∣lumniations of those glorious creatures, are with them, as the Popish Purgatory with the Papists, the main grounds and prin∣ciples of their whole Art, which being taken away, the whole fabrick and frame of their superstitious superstructures, will

presently fail and fall flat to the ground; as with those other, all their masses, dirges, obites, pardons, and indulgences, if you deny them their Purgatory; which because they can pro∣duce no clear Scripture for, they run with these men to their forged revelations. But whence these frivolous conceits, and irreligious surmises concerning those celestial bodies, (which if you question, you shake the ground of all their conjectural skil,) had their original, may wel be conjectured from the ve∣ry names, the heathen imposed upon them, being borrowed from their counterfeit deities, whom they deemed so qualified: assure our selves we may, that Gods holy Angels never raised any such foul aspersions and groundlesse defamations, upon those pure and spotlesse creatures, far from, and wholy un∣capable of any tincture of such vicious dispositions. But all that this man relateth, we may if we please, and be so selie as so to do, take upon his credit; for he telleth us not what times those were, wherein it was thus, or who those holy men were, unto whom the holy Angels at first revealed those things; or out of what records he hath these relations, con∣cerning such pretended revelations. And as litle reason have we, to engage our faith to his Antagonist, another fowl of the same feather, that flieth yet somewhat higher then he, and pretending his predictions, to be grounded on Art and Nature, telleth us (that we may not mis-doubt or question his Art) that this art was deduced from God to Adam, to Seth, to Abraham; for proof whereof, he referreth us to a Knight of note, for his studies in this kind; who in favour indeed of this Art, which he was overmuch addicted to, and besotted with, affirmeth in part what he saith, but bringing no better proof of it, then a tale out of Joseph the Jew, who in his Antiquities l. 1. c. 3. tel∣leth us, that those of Seths issue living long and without disturbance, gave themselvs to the study of heavenly things, and the constitution or administration of them; and because Adam had foretold, a two∣fold destruction of the world that should come, the one by water, the other by fire; they left the summe of what they had, of that kind of learning observed, engraven on two pillars, of brick the one, of stone the other: but neither is any word in the Jew, of this their Judi∣cial Astrologie, nor of any skil in this kind or any other by God

imparted unto Adam, which they yet father upon him: and the whole relation of the two pillars seems as tru, as that which he addeth of the continuance of the latter of them in Syria unto his time. And indeed, if any sons of Adam ever had any such immediate communion, either with God himself, or his holy Angels, it must be those Ancient Patriarks, Abraham, Isaak, and Jacob, and those Prophets of God among his peo∣ple; unto whom God used sometime immediately, sometime by the Ministery of Angels, to impart his mind, concerning future events, as well publike, as private: but no where in Scripture read we, that God did this, either by the natural course of the celestial signs, or, as from thence to be obser∣ved; nor undoubtedly had any such art and skil, been taught the godly ones among Gods people, whether by God himself, or his Angels; would they either have concealed it from them, or much-lesse committed it unto Paynims, and Pagans, and by such, have transmitted it unto posterity, for from such in corrupt times, it crept in among Christians, be∣ing yet ever among them liable to censure; nor was any in the Ancient Church, that had professed such arts, admitted into the profession of Christianity, unles that first they renounced those damnable practices, and recanted such their superstiti∣ous conceits. But men may easily guesse what Angels they were, that acquainted men at first with these things, and set them on work, to busie their brains about such matters, as neither light of nature, nor grounds of reason, were able to inform them of, but must have some revelation; either Di∣vine, or Angelical, or Diabolical rather, for the finding of them out. So far are God himself and his Prophets, from ta∣king notice hereof, as some such heavenly discovery, or giving any approbation thereunto, that God by them sometime de∣rideth it, Esay 44.25. & 47.13. and sometime disswadeth and condemneth it, as an heathenish practice, not befitting his people to heed; as here, so elsewhere, Deut. 18.10—14. From the Prince of the air therefore, it may justly by this mans own grounds and grants, be deemed to have proceeded; at first by him taught the heathen that were ruled and swaied by him; and from them, together with the worship of them in their

dols, conveyed unto Gods own people: For what of further observation he subjoyneth; to omit, that those ridiculous principles must first be made good, ere any observation can be grounded upon them: the like did the Heathen Magicians report of their charms, and other superstitious divinations by the flight of fowls, and from the bowels of beasts; to wit, that observations had been made of them, for many hundreds of years. See Pliny l. 28. c. 2. and this and those may well go together, one with the other, unto him, that was the first founder of them, the father of lies, Joh. 8.44.

and be not dismaied at the signs of heaven] As if the event of things, or the issue of your affairs depended upon them; which those fond star-gazers bare people in hand, and took up∣on them thereby to determine and foretel, what good or bad successe mens designs should have, Esay 47.12, 13. Howbeit, signs there are of two sorts; first, natural, and ordinary, the Stars themselves being set in the skie, to distinguish the times and seasons of the year; to which may be added, the con∣junctions of them one with another, or oppositions of them one to another, whence the Eclipses of some of them at some time do proceed; and these are those signs, which coming in a constant course, and continued tenor, (in regard whereof men skilful therein, are able either going backward, to tel how it hath been with them for thousands of yeers past, or looking forward how it will be for as many, if the world it self should so long continue:) God would not have his people to be af∣fected or affrighted with, as if in regard of them, or from them, any evil in the successe of their affaires could betide them: other signs there are extraordinary, in dreadful appa∣ritions, besides the ordinary course of the creature, by which the Lord doth sometime give notice unto his people, of his displeasure, and warning of ensuing wrath; and these God doth not inhibit his people to be affected with, and taking of them unto heart. See Joel 2.30, 31. Luk. 21.11, 25.

for the heathen are di••maied at them] Or, rather, though the heathen be dismaied at them. Though they be so selie or super∣stitious, as to be therewith thus affected, yet ought ye not so to be. So is the particle very freqently used, in our versions also

not seldome expressed, Gen. 8.21. Josh. 17.18. Psal. 23.4. Esay 12.1. Dan. 9.9. Mic. 7.8. Hab.3.17▪

V. 3. For the customes of the people are vain] Heb. The sta∣tutes, or, ordinances of the people; (that is, those courses of this nature, which people of several Countries herein concurring do, as if it were some sacred or divine ordinance, very pre∣cisely and superstitiously observe) vanity it; that is, are each of them exceeding vain, as vain as vanity it self; and a matter therefore very ill-beseeming such as professe themselves to be Gods people, as did the Jews then, and as Christians at this day do, to be taken and carried away, with such frivolous and ridiculous fancies and fopperies: the pronoun, for the verb substantive, as Chap 6.16, 28. the abstract, for the concrete, as vers. 15. Eccl. 11.8, 10. and the singular distributively joyn∣ed with the plural, as Chap. 5.8.

FINIS.