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THe Impiety as well as the Va∣nity of Judicial Astrology, may be made appear many ways:
1. In that it is by many made a Cloak for Witchcraft and Consulting with the Devil: And no doubt some begin with no other Purpose, but use∣ing the supposed Art; but finding it so foolish and unsatisfying, stay not there, but labour to eke out the scant∣ness of their Understanding of the Stars with the Black Art of Hells help and
Divination. And it is often God's righteous Judgment on curious Wits, that set themselves to the Study of things concealed and forbidden, to leave them unto sinful, and yet un∣satisfying ways of ending the Trage∣dy. Augustine in Tom. 5. c. 291. saith, Astrologorum responsa ex malis esse Spi∣ritibus. The Answers Astrologers have, are of the Evil Spirits.
2. It's the Hereditary (and so the more dangerous) Disease of our first Parents, derived to us, to know more than we need, and to slight the needful revealed Points of Know∣ledge. Deut. 29.29. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things that are revealed belong unto us, and to our Children for ever, that we may do all the things of this Law. Man ••y affecting Wisdom out of God's way, (saith a Learned Person) got 〈◊〉〈◊〉 crack in his Head, which hath con∣••inued above 5000 Years; and ever ••ince our own Wisdom and Know∣••edge hath perverted us. Bernard ••aith, it's better, Apca quam alta sapere.
3. It's an ungrateful derogating from Scripture sufficiency, of impar∣ting all things needful for Man to know; especially having so great 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Prophet as Jesus Christ, sent from the Bosom of his Father with all the Counsels of Heaven; which greatly aggravates the Guilt of running into that Extravagancy of curious search∣ing into concealed Trifles; nay, to take the Devil for our Teacher, when the Tabernacle of God is with Men as appeareth clearly from Deut. 18▪ 14, 15. For these Nations hearkened to Observers of Times, and unto Diviners▪ but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do: The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Pro∣phet in the midst of thee, of thy Bre∣thren like unto me; unto him ye sha•• hearken; which passage being inter∣preted of Christ, Acts 3.22. From al•• which it's most clear, that hearken∣ing unto these Diviners, is opposed to our hearkening unto Christ: And having so excellent a Prophet raised up, excludes all Applications unto
••uch pretended Prophets, that the Heathens were seduced by, and de∣••oted unto. You shall likewise see, ••sa. 44.25, 26. that the Word of the Lords Servants is put in oppo∣sition to the Lying Diviners: That frustrateth the Tokens of the Liars, and maketh Diviners mad, — That confirm∣eth the word of his Servants. And Sooth-saying in Israel is not only op∣posed to a walking by the Light of God's Word, but recorded as the Cause of his forsaking of them, Isa. 2.5, 6. O House of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. Therefore thou hast forsaken thy People, the House of Jacob, because they are sooth∣sayers like the Philistines.
4. It takes Men off from Divine Providence, attributing nothing to God, and all to Fate and Destiny: as if they would ease God of govern∣ing the World, and ascribe all to the Government of the Stars. Gual∣••her in Zeph. 1.5. saith, Observent ••sta qui hodiè Astrologiam judiciariam profitentur; subjecting Events to Stars
that belong to the Eternal Provi∣dence alone.
5. It taketh off from the Exercise of almost all Religious Duties and Performances: For if the Stars and Constellations put us under a necessi∣ty of believing such Events of Good or Evil, Life or Death, will such a Person call on God, and commend his Life to him? or will he praise under prosperous Gales? or impute any thing that falls cross to his sins, that God is hereby calling him to Account in Judgment, Jer. 10.2. Learn not the way of the Heathen, and be not disma••ed at the Signs of Heaven, for the Heathen are dismayed at them: Upon which, Calvin saith, this Divi∣nation o•• Judicial Astrology, extin∣guisheth all Godliness, in that it brings all Daties of Piety to nothing, as Pray∣er, Praise and Repentance, &c.
6. It takes away one of the Flow∣ers of God's Crown, viz. to know things to come, even the most con∣tingent, secret uncertainties, which
are denyed to Man to know, as in Eccl 8.7. For he knoweth not that which shall be, for who can tell him when it shall be? And Ch. 10.14. again, saith the Wise Man. A Man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him who can tell? yea, the knowledge of these secret things to come, is so inherent a Priviledge in the Crown of Hea∣ven, that if any of the Heathenish gods can claim it, he is content they be owned for true Deities, Isa. 41.23. Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may keow that ye are Gods. Now Astrologers pretend to know a Mans Thoughts long before he can know them himself, which is proper to God alone, 1 Cor. 2.11. Psal. 139.2.
7. God sets himself against such, and glories in defeating and infatua∣ting their Devices, making the Divi∣ners mad, by making their presump∣tuous Predictions false, Isa. 44.25.47.13.
8. When the Gospel Converted
Astrologers, they penitently and open∣ly disclaimed their Art by burning their Books, Act. 19.19. An excellent Pattern for such unlucky Students, who would burn their Books of Magick, that they might not hurt others; and of their own accord did they bring them and burn them publickly, to testifie their sincere Repentance to the World, that they had so dangerously deluded: And thô the Books were of great Price, (esteemed to be worth 5000 Crowns) yet the Power of Grace and Truth pre∣vailed over the Love of Money.
9. This Coelestial Fate and Power of the Stars either can be hindered, and so is uncertain, or not, and then takes away all Free-will in humane Actions, and involves into many ab∣surdities. First, Arguing the Soul of Man to be material and mortal, that is so subject to created Bodies. Se∣condly, The Will of Man is hereby ex∣cused from doing evil by a fatal Ne∣cessity the Conjunction of the Planets layes on Men not to be avoided. Thirdly, It makes God the Author of
Sin, that sets the Stars in such Posi∣tions, and gives them such Influence on Mens Actions that hath no Remedy or possible prevention on Mans part: Wherefore Augustine brings in an Astro∣loger lying against God thus: That Adultery was not committed by the Mans own Will, but Venus; and Mur∣der not by Mans Will, but by Mars, that angry Planet; and that God did not do Righteousness and Justice, but Jupiter the Planet.
10. And a last may be added from Cicero, that pretended Astrological Predictions for most part are evil, and so their Ignorance is much better than their Knowledge: And Seneca de Astris, says, Whether the Stars cause or sig∣nifie Events, what profiteth it to see what cannot be evited? Luther of the same, says, It is much better to be al∣ways in the Fear of God and Prayer, than to be tortured with the fear of future Events by lying Astrologers.