Astrologie theologized

CHAP. IX. A specificall Declaration, how the Astrologie of Saturn in Man ought and may be Theologized.

FOr as much as hitherto we have heard, that all the sciences, actions, studies, & states of life of all men, by a certain inevitable necessity

ought to be Theologized, or by the exercise, or sanctification of the mental Sabbath be laid aside, denyed, put off & accounted for nothing: now we would particularly see, how the Astrologic of Saturn is to be Theologized in us. For because infinite is the multitude of men, only handling and exercising this Saturnine Astrologie. And we do set down first of all in a certain Paradoxicall sence, that is above the com∣mon intellect of the Vulgar: That no husbandman, Countryman, Far∣mer, Gardner, Herbeseller, Vinedresser, Steward, Builder, Mettleman, Potter, Weaver, Cobler, Shomaker, &c. can ever enter into the King∣dom of God, or come to the possession of a heavenly life, unlesse he learn to drive away, to subject this power, his Saturnine Heaven, with all his ascendent Starrs, and resist every inclination thereof, tending to evil, through the instinct of the Serpent, raign over it, & overcome it.

Good God, here will some ignorant say from the instinct of the Serpent, of what kind is this your Theologization of Astrologie, which you here handle? what mortal can believe, that a husbandman, a farmer, a steward, a vinedresser, a potter, a mettleman, a mechanick, a carpen∣ter, &c. cannot be made an heir & possessor of the Kingdom of heaven.

What is the Light of Nature, to be contemned and altogether reje∣cted, and must we cease from all labour? what ought we not at all to act, work, study, learn, search, but to be plainly idle? whence shall we receive food and rayment, and other necessaries, to the sustentation of life; seeing no man whosoever is busied in the studies, labours, and works abovesaid, can from them attain to eternall salvation? the sen∣tence of this book seems to be wonderfull indeed and estranged from truth.

I answer, these things do not seem strange or obscure but to the ig∣norant, nor are they indeed a hairs breadth estranged from truth, so that they be rightly received and understood. For nothing can be so truly spoken or written, that by the ruder and lesse intelligent may not be called into doubt, or be esteemed even for a lie.

But a lesson read (which) pleaseth, being repeated ten times it will please. Loe this our sence.

If thou art a Husbandman, a Countryman, a Farmer, a Steward, a Gardner, a Seller of herbs, a Vinedresser, a Potter, a Mettleman, a Car∣penter, a Builder, &c. or busied in some other like kind of life, then thou art constituted and walkest in the sphere of Saturn, and art go∣verned by the Saturnine Starrs (which are in thee) ever and anon as∣cending in thy imagination, cogitation, and sences, ruling thee, incli∣ning thee hither and thither, even as thy pleasure draweth thee by free will, and the inward serpent perswadeth thee.

Now unlesse thou as a wise man shalt be cautious and attent, and shalt over-rule thy Starrs running up and down, flourishing and ope∣rating in thee, or shalt Theologize thy Astrologie, that is, unlesse thou shalt learn to Sabbathize, and to cease from all thy work, and keep holy the Lords day, according to the mind and sence of the divine pre∣cept; it altogether is and abides impossible to thee, by any means to enter into the Kingdom of God, and come to the possession of eter∣nall salvation: For I will make it clear by a most manifest demonstra∣tion, That never any Husbandman, Farmer, Countryman, Steward, Mettleman, &c. could enter into the Kingdom of God, who neglecting and omitting the sanctification of the Sabbath departed out of this world. But I would thou shouldest take these things rightly.

My judgment is that no Saturnist, such as are before recited, can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but that he ought to be throughly con∣verted, and be made as an infant; then at length he is fit to take, enter and possesse the Kingdom of God, not indeed as a Husbandman, a Farmer, a Steward, a Builder, a Vinedresser, a Seller of herbs, a Met∣tleman, a Potter, &c. because there is no such thing to be done there for such workmen; but see thou be as a child, and infant, as a new Creature, as the Son of God. For no man hath ascended to heaven, but he which descended from heaven, the son of God which is Christ, and as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God: Now to receive Christ requires an inevitable putting off & mor∣tification, yea destruction of the old Creature, of the old man created of earth, and the new birth of the same from above, from whence also Christ is arisen.

Therefore the reasons and causes, for which the Husbandman, the Far∣mer, the Steward, the Builder, the Vinedresser, the Mettleman, the Potter, the Weaver, &c. cannot come into heaven, are these:

First, because in the celestiall Paradise, or the Country of the Hea∣vens, there are no grounds, nor oxen, nor plows for Husbandmen, nor farms or Lands for Farmers, nor houses nor granaries for Stewards, nor stones nor wood for Builders, nor vineyards nor forks for Vine∣dressers, nor gardens, herbs, plants, seeds for Herbsellers, nor moun∣tains fertill in metalls for Mettlemen, nor loam, nor clay for Potters, nor flax nor wooll for Weavers, and therefore there is not any need of any Husbandman, Steward, Builder; Mettleman, Potter, Weaver, neither shall those which inhabit there, want such kind of science and industry. For all these things are, and are only to be found under the Zodiac in this corruptible world, where in the last day at one time to∣gether and at once, they shall be taken away and cease with the world.

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So far therefore my husbandman as thy field, thy oxe, and thy plow, shall be transported after the last day to the Kingdom of Hea∣ven: So far also shalt thou thy self with thy rustickscience and indu∣stry, after this life enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, that is never. Therefore put off the old earthly and naturall man, with all his science, prudence, craftinesse, which thou usest in the handling of natural things, and put on the new man which alone savours and desires hea∣venly things, and leadeth thee to heavenly things, by the exercise of the true Sabbath, to be had in the spirit of thy mind every week.

And so far my Vinedresser as thy Vine, and thy fork shall be found after the last day, in the Kingdom of Heaven: so far also shalt thou appear there with thy vinitory science and industry, that is never. For then all old things are passed away.

And so far my steward as thy houshold-stuffe and granaties, shall be found out in the Kingdom of Heaven, after the world is blotted out: so far also shalt thou thy self be there with thy science and in∣dustry of domestick parsimony, that is never. For we do not act those things there, which we are wont here.

And so far as my Gardner, my Potter, &c. thy colworts, herbs, plants, trees, with thy garden, and thy loam and clay shall after the world is defaced, remain, and be transferred into the perpetuall hea∣ven, so far also shalt thou thy self with all thy plantatory and pot-making science, be promoted to the heavenly mansion, that is never. For the subjects and matter being wanting, what can thy science pro∣fit thee?

So also it is with all the rest of the kinds, and Sciences, and Arts ap∣pertaining to the Astrologie of Saturn, as are, Mettlemen, Rough Ma∣sons, Stonecutters, Smith and Carpenters, all kind of Mechanicks, Colliers, Cornsellers, Mowers, Heardsmen, Clothiers, Weavers, Sho∣makers, Coblers, and the like.

All these have their matter and subjects about which they are con∣versant, and with which they are occupied without them in the Ma∣crocosm, which being taken away & withdrawn, all things wil be taken away & withdrawn with them: & they have within themselves in their soul, in which the light of Nature, the wisdom, industry, art, and under∣standing rightly to instute, handle & perform their works, which soul, and which light are nothing els, then the Astralic Heaven and Firma∣ment in the Microcosm, where every science, art & work, hath his pecu∣liar starr with the ascendants convenient to it self.

Therefore this science and operation is once a week to be laid aside and put off: and we must sabathize in God, that God may act and o∣perate

his work in us, to wit, the work of our conversion, repentance, amendment, newbirth, and of the new Creation, that we may be made fit to enter into his Kingdom after death and the resurrection.

Furthermore, also for this cause none of the aforesaid can see, enter, possesse the Kingdom of Heaven; because such a workman is only born of flesh and blood: is the old Creature of the earth of this world, and is the son of the Firmament, the off-spring of Nature; and al∣though he excells in the knowledge of naturall things: yet all his sci∣ence and knowledge is to take an end with the life of time. He that would be capable of heaven, ought to be the new Man born again of God, regenerate, the new Creature. For nothing that is earthly can take or possesse heaven: therefore none of those which we have hi∣therto recited, and shall recite in the following things shall come thi∣ther, unlesse ye be converted and become as an infant, who knows none of these things. There shall be a new Heaven and a new earth, old things are passed away, saith he which doth it, all things are made new. A new heaven therefore requires new inhabitants, fit for it, and capable of it, for as man at first was created of the old heaven, and of the old earth, and was born of mortall seed, in which earth he now temporally dwelleth: So it also behoveth him to be created of that new heaven, and of that new birth, and to be born again, to be rege∣nerated of the immortall seed, in which earth he would be and inha∣bit eternally.

The third reason is, because the Light of Nature, with all kinds of their Sciences is given to man, for this life only to till the earth, for the labour of his hands, to eat his bread in the sweat of his counte∣nance, &c. and belongs only to the sustentation of the naturall and temporall life, living in the mortall body, and the body being dead, and the world blotted out, no such thing remaineth, therefore we have no need of corn, vines, buildings, tents, houses, garments, meat, &c. therefore neither knowledge nor desire of getting or labouring for such things, the cause ceasing, the effect ceaseth.

The fourth reason is, because man was not made of God finally for this world, or for those things which are in this world: but chiefly for the Kingdom of God, where none of these things is found or is in use, which in this life are every where agitated and handled with men, throughout the divers shops of the light of Nature.

The fifth is, because man was therefore constituted for a time only in this world, that he might ascend from the inferiour things, and seek after the superiour things, that is, that by naturall light and wisdome, as it were from a looking glasse or shadow, he might learn to know

and apprehend the heavenly light and wisdom, at whose Majesty and Glory, all naturall things, although glorious, might plainly vanish and be annihilated; and so leaving the inferiour and lesser light, he should suddenly betake himself to, and follow the greater and superi∣our light, and departing from this transitory world, forsaking and accompting all things for nothing, which he receiveth, hath and posses∣seth in this time from the world, and having denied himself as a naked and new-born infant, depart into that eternall mansion, and region of the eternall Country, and so come thither fasting and empty from the possession of all naturall science, as if he had never at all been in this world, or had not known any the least state of this world.

But these things are not propounded and written to that end, that they should happen in contempt of Philosophy, or of naturall sciences, arts and faculties, which are and flourish amongst men, and which in this life cannot but be, but rather that we being fraught with the sagacity of the Light of Nature, may be led further, may go forward and be ex∣cited to the knowledge of the greater light, which may confer upon us a new birth, eternall life and salvation. For to all that covet and desire the Kingdom of God, is the old man made of nature to be put off, and laid down; yea to be buried in an absolute abnegation and ob∣livion, as well of himself as of all those things which he hath, posses∣seth, studieth, knoweth, learneth; and the new Man is to be put on, which is created according to God, where there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female, neither bond nor free, but the new Creature.

I say, the new Creature is required to possesse the Kingdom of God, wherein there is nothing left of the old leven. The old leven is the knowledge of good and evill, beginning to spring in man from the forbidden tree, and is the prudence or subtilty of the serpent: But the new heaven is the heavenly wisdom, the simplicity of the dove, from whom alone true life and beatitude flowes, and which also only shall bear rule in the elect heirs of the Kingdom of God, the naturall and terrene wisdom, being then utterly together and at once swal∣lowed up, blotted out and extinct.

For the Kingdom of God is of such only, who are converted from the old Creature into the new, and become as children, who never knew neither good nor evill. Matth. 18. John 3.