Hagiastrologia, or, The most sacred and divine science of astrology 1. Asserted in three propositions, shewing the excellency and great benefit thereof, where it is rightly understood and religiously observed : 2. vindicated, against the calumnies of the Reverend Dr. More in his Explanation of the grand mystery of godliness : 3. Excused, concerning pacts with evil spirits, as not guilty, in humble considerations upon the pious and learned discourse upon that subject, by the Right Reverend Father in God, Joseph sometimes Lord Bishop of Norwich / by J.B., B.D. ...

A Preface to the Reader.

KNown unto God are all his Works, from the beginning of the World, (saith St. James.) This Knowledg of God, before the Creation, was no where written, but in his own Eternal Mind; but after, it was printed in a cer∣tain Book, called Nature, wherein, all the Works of God, that were to come to pass in Time, were expresly written down, as they were to follow in Order. This Book of Nature, was a certain Frame or Model of the World, wherein, what by Creation, and Generation, all Persons, Things, and Actions, were to take their several courses and turns, so as to come to pass in time, from the Be∣ginning unto the Ending of the World. And so infinitely and wonderfully Well was this Model of the World con∣trived; that though the Rise and Fall of Persons, Towns, and Countreys, do depend upon the Virtues and Vices of the Men there inhabiting; and those Virtues and Vices, do depend upon the Free agency of those Men: Yet such was the Contrivance, that neither the Fall of the first Man, and the Corruption, and the Crush which the World endu∣red

thereupon; nor the infinite Sins of after-Mankind, and the Desolations that do continually follow thereupon, did necessarily require, any correction or amendment, of that first Frame. But such was the infinitely to be admired, and never enough to be adored Fore∣cast and Providence of God; that at one View, appearing unto him, all the seve∣ral Turnings and Windings of all mens Wills, and the total Sum and Upshot of of all Virtue and Vice; He did at once, so contrive, that all Fates of Prosperity and Adversity, of Reward and Punish∣ment, should so fall out and come to pass, as to answer the Virtues and Prayers of the Righteous, and the Vices and Villanies of the Wicked, each ac∣cording to their Works, in due and fit suiting times.

Now the Substance of this great and glorious Frame, which the Almighty hath made, is that which we call the World. And this World consisteth of the Heavens,* 1.1 and the Earth. And the Form of it is (as the Prophet Ezekiel hath described it) after the manner of a Wheel;* 1.2 and that so as One Wheel hath many Wheels within the same, involved one within another. And as the Prophet sayes, so we find it by Mathematical

Demonstration, that the Earth is indeed a round Globe of Sea, and Land, and this Globe is circumscribed by the Air, as within a greater Wheel, which is globous too: and the Heavens are, as it were, a great Workmanship of many Wheels, wrapt up together, one within another; and the Earth, and the Air wrap't up in the innermost of them all. Such are the Subjects of Nature. The Forms informing this Natural Substance,* 1.3 (as the Prophet also describes them) are four Living Creatures immeasurably en∣dued with Wisdom and Courage, and Agi∣lity, and Strength, as they are described unto us Hieroglyphically in the shapes of a Man, an Eagle, a Lyon, and an Oxe, and all of them with Wings, for our bet∣ter Understanding of the same. And that work, which the Prophet ascribes unto These, seems to be the same which Plato attributed unto the Soul of the World. By These are all the Wheels of Nature put into Motion, and actuated, and hence comes Life, and spirit, and power, and virtue into the Heavens; and from the Heavens into the Earth; and from the Earth into Man and Beast: so as one Wheel moveth another, and all of them do move one within an∣other; and these in and thorow all of

them: and hence come the Magnetical Wonders in Nature, and all Virtues of Sympathy and Antipathy, which work by invisible concoction of sucking and expelling. Now beyond and above these four Angels (as the Prophet sayes) is Fire and Light,* 1.4 and dreadful Majestie of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Ghost;* 1.5 Of whom, and for whom, and to whom are all things; To whom be glory, and honour, and praise for evermore.

The great and chief Subjects of this World are Angels and Men, the one in Heaven, and the other upon Earth. The Angels are either Good or Bad, and do know their Reward or Doom. But Mens Works are yet upon the Anvil, and Time with them is still going on. Alas, we Mankind are very miserable by Nature, as we may thank our selves for it; but yet is there an happiness in store for us, may we be so wise as to lay hold of it: Alas, we are utterly lost in our selves, and no strength re∣maineth either to will or to do ought that is good: Only in Civil Affairs we have a Will to do a little, weak as it is, and free to do evil: But thanks be to our God, who has sent a Saviour; and with him, Grace, that loosens the Fet∣ters of Will, and puts strength into us,

that we may be able to accept of good things that are offered. He forceth no mans Will, only by Grace infuses pow∣er, and so leaves us to chuse or refuse; and hence some do embrace Life, and others oppose. Hence followes Virtue and Vice, and after that Prosperity and Adversity; Sickness and Health; Life and Death, and all the Vicissitudes of Nature. And though the Accidents Good and Bad, of one mans Life are innumerable; and though the men, who are the Subjects of those Acci∣dents, in One Age are also innumerable; and though the ages of men since the Creation, are innumerable too, Yet all these Accidents which do befal all the men, of all Ages, do come to pass according to a certain Scheme or Me∣thod, as God by Nature hath appointed. And in this Method, Men do live by the Earth, and the Earth sucks,* 1.6 and drawes all its Virtue from the Heavens, and they from the four Angels, and they from the Holy Ghost, and He receiveth from Christ, and Christ from God the Father.

Now all Mankind have every one of them a certain portion of Wisdom, Pow∣er, and Wealth, Wherewith they occu∣py in this World, and operate their

Contrivances. And many men do take courage, grow mighty, and purpose, as if they would do what they list upon Earth: And yet there are two things, we do see, overtop the wisest, greatest, and proudest of men in all their enter∣prizes; and these are Time and Chance, two mighty Lords upon Earth, that do strange things. Time, is that Motion of Space which proceeded out of Eter∣nity, that was before the World be∣gan, and holdeth on unto Eternity, which is to succeed at the Worlds end. And out of this one long Time, are en∣gendred infinite spaces of Time of great variety of sorts, And these are either general or special; and both of these sorts are either fortunate or unfortunate Times:* 1.7 There is a Time of Pleasure, and another Time of Pain and Grief; a time to rise and a Time to fall; a Time to be born and a Time to dy. There is a lucky Time of mans life, wherein if he go out to battel, though with but few men,* 1.8 yet he carrieth the day; and there is another Time wherein, though he go out with forces never so great, yet shall he be so unlucky, as to lose all that he fights for. So also is there a Time when Overtures of Marriage shall come luckily, but a mans desires answer not:

and there is a Time when desires of Mar∣riage shall strongly prompt, but Over∣tures will prove unlucky: but there is a Time too, when desires and Over∣tures shall suit together. And so also there is a Time when Riches shall offer themselves, whether a man sleep or wake; and anon again though a man pursue them with wings, yet so unlucky a Time occurrs, as shall render all his Endeavours fruitless. Some men do come into the World in a lucky hour, so as whether they be wise or foolish, yet shall they be buoyed up upon the wings of fate, for matter of Wealth or Honour or Pleasure, in all that they take to: while wiser and better men, smitten by an unlucky Time of Birth, shall be as unworthily disparaged, and in all Purposes shall be as unhappy. Some shall be lucky in the Van of their Con∣trivances, and as unfortunate in the Rear: and others again contrarily. And thus time seeems to mock and make sport with the men of this life, and to scoff at all their Skill, and Courage, and Agility, as if they were but meer idle Stories. Now Time of it self is but a dead thing, & a meer Instrument; but the Wheels of Heaven turning upon it, do print rid∣dles in its face, and carve and cut out

the various shapes of Prosperity and Ad∣versity upon every shred thereof. And pretty it is to observe, how a Child, as soon as it draws breath, becomes Time-smitten by the Face of Heaven; and re∣cieves an impression from all the parts of Heaven, and the Stars therein, which taking Rise from the Ascendent Sun and Moon, and other significant places, does operate as the Impressors stand in di∣stance, nearer or farther off: and this seems to be a concatenation of many knots which untie by course, and by distant turns, and as every knot unties, different times seem to fly out, and to do their errands; and of these sometimes you shall have two or three or more lucky knots opening together, and other∣whiles as many bad ones.* 1.9 All Times are beautiful in their seasons, if men could hit them; but by reason of Sin, it pleases God, that the world in our hearts blinds our wisdom, that we miss of our desired Aims, and of Grace to rest contented in our States.

The second Great Lord of the World is Chance. And these Chances are no∣thing else, but the most admirable Cu∣riosities of Nature, which occurring from variety of rare and secret opera∣tions of Heaven, do throw into our

Contrivances many strange Hits, which we could never have imagined to have met with in our own foresight. And hence there is really no such thing as Chance in Nature; Much less can there be any thing that comes by chance in respect of God. But with us, all those Curious Hits that Heaven sends, which strike in between the Cause and its Ef∣fect, we call Chances; as if things blind∣ly hitting in upon us: for so they seem to us, because of the unfathoma∣ble Reasons thereof. Thus in shuffling of a Pack of Cards, or in casting of the Dice, it seems to us a meer Chance, what Cast shall happen uppermost, or what Card shall be nethermost, for a man shaking the Dice at all Adventures, and delivering his hand at all Adventures, and the Dice trindling away at all Ad∣venture, who can say with any reason what side of the square Dice shall be up∣permost? And yet it appears plainly by experience, that there is a certain Luck in Nature, that in all these Adventures secretly guideth both the hand, and the elbow, and the Dice, into such steady Casts as do make a man either win or lose in a methodical course. And so al∣so it happeneth in case of Battel, that Chances do come; and in case of Getting

Wealth, Chances do come; and by a secret kind of Fate do turn the Scales be∣yond all that reasonably could have been expected. Now as a man by blowing of coales, raiseth sparks of fire that fly upwards, so do the Heavens breath into humane actions multitudes of such Chances, that overturn the wisdom, and Power, and all the greatness of man. These Chances are always managed by a certain Luck either good or bad, that drives the nail: and this by some Hea∣venly influence, that either infuses some secret Virtue or Poyson into the design∣ed actions, as Courage into their hearts on one side, or Dismay into their minds on the other side, and Skill into some mens head to hit upon the right course to be rich, or folly into other mens, whereby they run headlong next way to be beg∣gers: or else fortunateth or infortunateth by mistakes of words, signs, or acts, that turn to the best or worst, by strange Hits or miscarriages; and thus many times mistakes in battel beget an utter Rout, after a victory almost made sure, by meer utterance of a wrong word, or steering a wrong course. But which way soever it happens, the whole mat- is carried on by a good or ill Luck, and the hand of God is at bottom of that

Luck, and that hand of God, is not put to by any new contrived act, but follows on course in the motion of na∣ture, even as from the beginning it was contrived from all Eternity.

Thus both Time and Chance are the Servants of Nature, under whose Com∣mands they sway the World, and world∣ly men: yet by her laws are both of them disposed. Time measures out the extent of mens lives, and sets bounds how long a man may live by strength of Nature, and how much of that Time shall be extenuated by means of the in∣terruption of Sin; and it also carves out Limits unto all particular Fates, as of single life and Marriage, of Blessings and Crosses, of Sickness and Health, and all such like matters. And Chance acts in observance of those Limits, in bringing about the good and bad Suc∣cesses of every Fate. This operates all manner of Surfeits of body, and losses in Goods that come to pass by reason of ex∣orbitant manners; and this introduces the power and acts of Nature, in suck∣ing and drawing, blowing and drive∣ing, alluring and affrighting. For as a man has power by his breath to draw water upwards against its Nature tho∣row a narrow Pipe; and by the same

breath to blow away sand or dust even as the winds do. So the Powers of Heaven also: But as they are greater bodies, and endued with greater virtue, so can they act their part with infinite∣ly more curiosity and strength: as for instance in the Magnet-stone: We see it has such a virtue, that it can draw Iron, and attract it by a sucking force, that is so very curiously lodged within its teeth, that the act thereof is altoge∣ther imperceptible: Yea more we see that this Stone has power to communi∣ted cate its virtue, so as a Knife whetted thereon, has also a Magnetical Virtue to draw a Needle, Now the Magnet it self, has all this virtue communica-to it, from the very North point of the Heaven, or some Star there situate, which so affecteth the Needle touched by such a Stone, that where ever it is, though never so many degrees distant therefrom, and though Rocks and Mountains, and some part of the Earths Body interpose, Yet this virtue of the North Pole sucks and draws thorow all, at the utmost distance, and pulls the Needle point alwayes Northward, un∣less violence be used to the contrary. And thus the Sympathetical Powder has its Virtue from the Heavens; and thus

all manner of Herbs have theirs, and thus all manner of Salves and Plaisters have their virtue to draw and heal. But as the Heavens can give this Power, so have they it in themselves exceedingly more Curious and Powerful; by which all Chances in Nature do come to pass. And thus by the service of Time and Chance, Nature operates all her great Intrigues with much Secresie and Cu∣riosity, whether it be upon single or Collective Bodies, and Persons. It may be thought somewhat strange, how Na∣ture brings forth Men and Women at much distance of years, hours and pla∣ces, all destinated to die at one time and place, and all of one manner of death, by War, Plague, or Shipwrack; and how Time and Chance do pick them all up, and draw them together by great Curiosities of Fate to partake of the same: And yet is it as true as strange, that such things do happen, and that by Curious Acts of Heaven and the Starrs therein,* 1.10 which in their Courses fought against Sisera. And after the same rate on the other side, as many men and women by the same force and virtue are gathered together to enioy great and good success.

But perhaps will the Reader say, How

shall these things stand with the Free agency of Mans Will? And he sayes well, but then withal is he to consi∣der; That God, who made Man, and ordained the Course of Fate, did certain∣ly foresee and know, the several and various turnings and windings of every mans will from all Eternity; and ha∣ving all these at once in his Eye, did so order all manner of Fates as to suit and stand in with every mans free acts of Will, and to answer the utmost of his final choice. And though true it is,* 1.11 God said, Who will tempt Ahab to go to War, and to die at Ramoth Gilead? as if it had been some project upon him for his sin; corrective to what was said from the beginning; yet it could not be so: For God knew afore, that Ahab would go, and by what means he would be persuaded so to do, though for some reason, his way of speech was, as though he did not. And this was usual with him,* 1.12 as in the case of the Sin of Sodom, I will go down and see (said God) whe∣ther it be so or no. And yet God Om∣niscient,* 1.13 whose Eyes are every where, knew as much, without going down. Without doubt the Will of Man in many cases does make great wrestling, and much opposition, against the Starry In∣fluences,

and prevailes over them ex∣ceedingly in many things. And this especially where the Will is fortified by Wisdom, and strength of habit, to com∣mand over the allurements of Sense and Appetite; and most of all where Grace is added, that restores Mans Will, unto much of what it lost by Sin. Now in these cases, the Will of Man prevailes over the attractions and allurements and threatenings of Nature, and all its instruments, and turns the edge of Time from evil to good, and repels the force of Chance that it fails of it's effects, and in many cases lengthens dayes, and receives the direful darts of ••ate, either shot-free, or else escapes with slight Wounds: and all this while other men, whose Wills are not thus fortified, do perish once and again, un∣der the very same strokes of Nature, which their Brethren, born under the same moments, endured and out-lived with much ease. And thus far Sapiens dominabitur astris, the Wise man, above the Fool, may rule his Stars. But we must consider, that in these operations of Fate, there are some influences so mighty, as no power of man can op∣pose; Such as are the fatal Wounds of Death, when Natures Glass is run out,

and the violent Blows of strong distem∣pers of Sickness, and the high Tides of Prosperity and Adversity. And yet in these cases also, Grace and Wisdom have their employments exceedingly worth the while, and infinitely distinguishing the Saints from Sinners. For the Saint though he must die, whether naturally or violently, by Water or by the Gal∣lows, yet so prepares himself, that he dies with comfort, while the other pe∣rishes in anguish; he dies a Martyr, while the other perisheth in his Sin. And sometimes Prayers and Tears in such a case have wrought Miracles in stop to the course of Nature; as in the cases of Hezekiah,* 1.14 and of the Three Chil∣dren. And as for great Sicknesses, the Wise and Holy Men, by Sober and Vir∣tuous life, may extenuate, though not pass and escape them. And though they cannot overturn Prosperities and Ad∣versities, yet they may cause them to work for the best, so as to do more good than hurt; while Vice shall exte∣nuate Prosperity, and heighten the Mountains of Adversity. But how∣ever, again, astra regunt homines, the Stars do rule and overpower men. But yet in all these cases, such is the never-enough to be admired Providence of

God, that foreseeing all Holy and Wise men in their several Ages and Times, He hath laid also their Fates suiting to their actions:* 1.15 He foresaw Joseph's pray∣ers and tears in his captivity, and accord∣ingly provided and contrived his ad∣vance in Nature to correspond there∣with: He foresaw Hannah's Fasting and strong cryes in Prayer, and laid in her opening Womb, to bud forth in course of Nature exactly answering thereto. And herein lyes the thing, that while we study Astrology, and feel by experience the operations of Grace upon us; It shews us so plainly the Wonderful Contrivance of God in Na∣ture, that we see it with our Eyes, as it were, written in great and plain Cha∣racters upon fair Paper, saying,* 1.16 [Oh the depth of the Riches of the Wisdom, and Power, and Goodness of God; Of him, and for him, and through him, are all things, to him be glory for ever!] The Will and Wisdom of Man has its free full work, and that without any Controul: Grace and Virtue come from Heaven imme∣diately, and act by their own Princi∣ples, even as they are led by the Holy Ghost: And yet Nature, as it was laid from all Eternity, acts freely too; And all these agree, and suit, as it were of

one Contrivance. So sayes Gods Word, so sayes our own Experience and Rea∣son, and so Teaches Astrology.

Astrology is an holy, and most excel∣lent Science, that by well digested and experienc't Rules, teacheth us to know the Heavenly Bodies, and their Motions and Aspects, and from thence to be able to foreknow much of future events, in na∣tural operations. This Science has been gained partly by verified Traditions, but especially by diligent and constant Observations.* 1.17 It is asserted by good Authority, That much of this Learn∣ing came out of Paradise, and that our Father Adam after the Fall did commu∣nicate the same unto his Son Seth, out of his Memoirs of the state of Innocen∣cy: and that Seth made impressions of the same in certain permanent Pillars, which were able to withstand both Fire and Water; and that hence Enoch had it, and Noah, and from him Shem, and so it came to Abraham, who increased the knowledg by Divine helps; and taught the Chaldeans, and Egyptians the principal Rudiments of what they knew herein. But this Learning was chiefly attained by diligent and constant Ob∣servation: whereby the Art of Astro∣nomy became in great measure perfect∣ed,

and by means of Arithmetick, Geo∣metry, and the Art of Trigonometry, the several Planets and Constellations in the Heavens were distinguished, and the parts of Heaven were divided, and the motion thereof, and of all the several Bodies therein contained, together with their Conjunctions and Aspects, were very nearly well discovered. And after these things thus far attained, Certain most excellently well Learned men of all Ages did curiously observe, compare and put together, the Accidents that continually followed upon the various Motions, Conjunctions and Aspects of the Heavens; and hence compiled the sum of their Experiments into a body of Rules and Maximes, which do make up the frame of that Learning, which we call the Science of Astrology.

Now that our Heavenly Father is well pleased with this sort of Study, does very fully appear; by that Message which he sent us by the hands of the most Wise King Solomon, saying,* 1.18 [The Wise man discovereth both Time and Judgment.] This Judgment can be no∣thing less, than the Success good or bad, which out of every natural Affair needs to be understood: and the Time must needs be that Extent of Space, wherein

it shall come to pass. And though there were many ways in those times of Salo∣mon to come by this piece of Wisdom, yet none of them all, that had either a stamp of truly Divine, or honest Natu∣ral Skill upon them, were ever excepted or excluded out of the Quest of these attainments. Now the Wise men who are here accepted of, unto the enjoy∣ment of this knowledg, are of two sorts. Either they are the Worldly, or the Heavenly Wise. The Worldly Wise are such as gain knowledg by Pains, Cost, and Study. Of this sort were the Pha∣risees in our Saviour's time: Of whom the holy Jesus gives this Character,* 1.19 that they could discern the face of the Sky, and of the Earth. And such also were the Issa∣charians,* 1.20 who came to David in his distress, and were men of Ʋnderstanding in the Times, whether lucky or unlucky, and thereby able to direct their brethren the Israelites, what was good for them to do, or follow. And to this purpose saith the Holy Ghost, He that hath Ʋnder∣standing let him count the number of the Beast.* 1.21 As who would say, it is a mat∣ter to be attained by Skill and Dili∣gence; and therefore they who have Skill, let them take pains, and they may accomplish to understand it. And thus

Moses among the Egyptians, and Daniel among the Caldeans, were Men of Skill in this Science; who besides their Di∣vine knowledg, which they had by supernatural Inspiration, and Revela∣tion, had also another sort of Skill, which by Reading and Study they had gained, wherein by natural Rules they could foreknow Natural Events.* 1.22 For such was the Study in Egypt and Cal∣dea, that was taught in their Schools, and in all lawful Studies in those Schools learned, these, Moses and Daniel,* 1.23 were most famous.

This Knowledg especially consisteth, in discerning the Motions of Natural Times; and the Curiosities of Chance and Natural Accidents; and the Cour∣ses of Luck that do manage both of them; and the order of Fate unto which all of them are subservient, together with the most curious Acts of Sucking and Attraction, Driving and Expulsion, Alluring and Threatning, Encouraging and Disheartening, and of all such like acts, most secretly, and curiously per∣formed, beyond the strength of imagi∣nation. And such is the sum and order of Worldly Wisdom: and it is conver∣sant either in Genethliacal, Meteorologi∣cal, or State-Astrology. Of these, the

last sort is a piece of Learning that con∣sisteth much in Conjecture, and is but partly understood; and because much of it dependeth upon great Conjuncti∣ons which bestride some Ages of men between them, wanteth much of per∣fection. The second is a crabbed sort of Learning, that requires much of Time and Study, and yet the Ingenious have gained great Knowledg therein; and miss but little of a thorow-pac't Skill in the Weather: In which know∣ledg the Learned Dr. Goad, doth much excel. But the Genethliacal, is the most certain Science, and the Master-Piece of Astrology. Here are many very infallible Rules lodged, whereby many things of great Concern are cer∣tainly foreseen. And yet the Indexes of this knowledg being many, (as ma∣ny out of the Radical Figure of a Nati∣vity, many out of a Revolutional figure for every new year, some things out of Transits of the Planets, and others to be learned from Eclipses, and gene∣ral and great Conjunctions;) It is very easie for an Artist to drop into mistakes, in his general Judgment of a mans par∣ticular Fate.* 1.24 And besides all this, at some times the most Excellent Artist shall perceive the good hand of God upon

him, confounding his skill, as if there were some Nativities, and some passages in a Nativity, which the All-wise God is not willing should be known. And to this purpose, the Artist oftentimes finds himself mistaken in his greatest Proficiencies; sometimes by misreckon∣ing in his Arithmetick; otherwhiles by a miscarriage in his Astronomical ope∣ration; and sometimes great harm falls by a Lapse of his Pen. And none but the veriest Fools in Astrology will pre∣tend to perfection. But however fail∣ings or mistakes arise, yet plain is it beyond all controul; That Great is the Excellency of Skill, that lodges in the Noble and Sacred Science of Astrology, and contributeth exceedingly to the Ʋnderstanding of the Time and the Judg∣ment that the Wise man may know.* 1.25

Such is the work of Worldly or Na∣tural Wisdom in the attainment of Astrological knowledg. But together with this is also required the Heavenly or Supernatural Wisdom, which maketh the Science Sacred. And this consisteth in the mingling of Grace with the works of Nature, as it strikes in, and seasons the operations of our skill, with an holy Wisdom and Virtue, that renders unto God the Glory, and communicates

unto our selves and Neighbour the Bene∣fit thereof. Now this Heavenly Wisdom is such, that without it, all our Natural skill will do us more harm than good. This teacheth us to honour Divinity or Theology in the first place, and Astrology in the second, as an handmaid unto the other. And were it not for this Lesson, our Astrological Skill would become rank Poison to us; as such a thing that would lead us to the Devil, sooner than to God, and draw us into Sorcery, and other evil Arts, whereby we should be entangled with Diabolical familiari∣ty, e're we are aware, even as are Witches and Conjurers. These work by a way of art quite different from Astrology, they having all their know∣ledg by inspiration of evil spirits, and it comes easily to them; but we have ours from Natural Causes and Rules gained by painful observation, and hard study, and it comes not without great diligence and labour. But then here lies the mischief, that if the Astrologer has not the more Grace of God, sancti∣fying his studies; it comes to pass, that, either because he cannot by Astrology attain unto such perfection of know∣ledg as his ambition greedily urges him to pursue, or he cannot have it so

easily as he would; he leaves Astrolo∣gy, and falls in with the Devil, to be∣come a Sorcerer. But Grace teacheth better things: and openeth our Eyes by our Astrological Studies, to see and adore the infinite Prescience, and Providence of God, in the laying the frame of Na∣ture in such an Order, as all things do come to pass in time so suitably well, even unto the utmost of admiration, that Grace, and Nature, and Mans free agency, do all of them work together in the same Subject, seemingly contrary one to another, and yet do so elegantly comply, by virtue of this Frame of Nature, in such a Wise and most Excel∣lent manner laid, as every one of them has room enough to act its proper work, and that without any thing of hin∣drance, of the one to the other, in the least measure. And such is the ex∣cellent Use of Astrology in this matter, as Divinity it self, (though undoubtedly the more worthy Science, yet,) cannot give such a plain Demon∣stration of these things, as does the ex∣perience of Astrological Operation: For what that teacheth us to believe, this maketh us by experience to see and know. Again, it is a great Use of sancti∣fied Astrology, to observe the over∣ruling

Work of God, even in the Astro∣logers very Mistakes. I remember, that when with most greediness of know∣ledg, I did at any time pursue my Stu∣dies, though with indefatigable pains, yet have I thrown away whole Weeks and Moneths pains to no purpose; My whole Operation having been rendred fruitless, though tryed upon several new foundations, and all by reason of heedless mistakes in the bottom thereof, lurking imperceptibly, until my finish∣ed work shewed the deficiency. And yet at other times, and in other Ope∣rations, I have found my work to be true and good in two daies space. So as I was constrained to confess with my self these two things: First, That where it pleases God to oppose, Man labours in vain. So it is with the Hus∣bandman, and as much with the Phy∣sitian: And therefore no wonder that the Astrologer errs, when God confounds him. And secondly, where our Passi∣ons are most vehemently earnest to know, there it pleases God mostly to oppose; Moderation carrying the Vir∣tue, while excess breeds displeasure. God Almighty can, and does confound, (many times,* 1.26) the utmost skill of the most proficient Artists of all sorts, and

thus he did by the Chaldean Star-gazers.* 1.27 when they failed in their Prognostica∣tions of the success of Babylon, and it proved quite contrary: And thus it pleases God to deal by our daies at some times: But Heavenly Wisdom re∣medies this disturbance, and sets the Astrologer well to rights. Also great is the holy Use of Astrology in demon∣strations of Virtue and Wisdom, how they do in many things prevail against the natural Works of Heaven, and re∣joyce against them, and yet without any disparagement unto those Heavens or their Natural acts, though they be in a sense vanquished. And lastly, this Heavenly Wisdom teacheth us to know our ends, and the number of our dayes,* 1.28 that we may be certified how long we have to live; with comfort and con∣tentment, and to be most advantagi∣ously prepared, for all states of Prospe∣rity and Adversity, of Life and Death, and that exceedingly the better, for our better knowledg thereof. And no man so fit to foreknow these, as He, who is able to say, Major sum quàm cui possit fortuna nocere.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gen. 1.1.
• * 1.2

  Ezek. 1.15, 16.
• * 1.3

  Ezek. 1.10.
• * 1.4

  Ch. 1.22, 26, 27, 28.
• * 1.5

  Rom. 11.36.
• * 1.6

  Hos. 2.21, 22.
• * 1.7

  Eccl. 3.1, 2, &c.
• * 1.8

  Chap. 9.11.
• * 1.9

  Ch. 3.11.
• * 1.10

  Judg. 5.20.
• * 1.11

  1 King. 22.20.
• * 1.12

  Gen. 18.20, 21.
• * 1.13

  Prov. 15.3.
• * 1.14

  Isa. 38. Dan. 3.
• * 1.15

  Gen. 37. Ch. 41.40. Psal. 105.18, 19, 20. 1 Sam. 1.10, 11, &c. unto 20.
• * 1.16

  Rom. 11.33, 36.
• * 1.17

  Ios. Ant. Book 1.
• * 1.18

  Eccl. 8.5.
• * 1.19

  Mal. 16.2, 3. Luk. 12.55, 56.
• * 1.20

  1 Chron. 12.32.
• * 1.21

  Rev. 13.18.
• * 1.22

  Act. 7.21.
• * 1.23

  Dan. 1.17, 18, 19, 20.
• * 1.24

  Isa. 47.13.
• * 1.25

  Eccl. 8.5.
• * 1.26

  Isa. 47.13.
• * 1.27

  Isa. 47.13.
• * 1.28

  Psal. 39.4, 5.