'4 :3 .Cti ions and CafesofConfcience Chap.I5I Qtte(t. How and whenare e4f rologers federated ? I. lJrfw. Fi:fl, when their books are licenfed ,ornot prohibited : when they are iuffered togo abroad,and not fuppreffed. II. Secondly , when the Attrologers themfelves are fuffered to go unpunifhed, who dofo cheat and delude the people.. When Ministers hold their tongues , and preach not againtt them , nor confute their lying vanities : and when Ma- Oilrates hold their hands, and punith themnot. Or when there are no Laws made againit them , or if, made , yer not executed. Gerees e/Vrologo maftix, CZtefl._ Hon many forts offoretelling things are there ? A.,fa: Three , r. Divine : fuch as areby Godhirnfelc,or by the Prophets in- fpired by him. Secondly, humane, and natural, which arefrom natural caufes to their natu- ral effe;;ts. Thus the Aftronomer may foretel the eciipfes The Phifician the effect; of tomedifeafes : Ofwhich fort are politick predictions, whichwife men can fo.netimes prefage about, 'Common-wealtbs : Though indeed thefe are but conjeétures. ... Thirdly, Diabolical, which areby Godsjut} judgement fuffered ro be upon a peo; le : and thefe are either by the,Devil,or byhis Inc}ruments, as Wirches, Sor- carerc,A/ rologers, Vie. Qel}. Are thefe diabolical?prediiiions lawful ? i Anf'. No. For, r. It is only the property of God , and of the Scri- ptures to foretell things to come : and therefore fuch Atirologers as take up- on them to foretell things , not natural but voluntary, and fuch as are meetly fubjet} to menswills, do notonly undertake a vain, rafh, and falfe thing , but that alfo which is very abominable and wicked. Seçondly, it bath been the Devils-way always to difturb the Church, and to endeavour the damnation ofmány mens fouls: by making them credulous in thefe things. And as Chrit}hath-fet in his Church Palfors, and Teachers to inflru6t them in theway to heaven,: So the Devil bath raifed his witches, Sorcerer!, Sóothfoyers, and 1.flrologers to (educe the world out of the right way. As Cardan,who rofe to that .height of impiety, as to calculate Chrifts birth , and made his power to,woik miracles to flow from the influenceof the oarsunder which he was borne,;; Others have been bad, though not fobad , as Petra:, de Aliaco, who thought that the time of Chrifts birth might have been foretold by the Liars : and Keplercontends; that thofe wife-men by the Rulesof Aftrology might have prefaged, not only fame Itrangeevent, but the birth of fome great Monarch :. AsifChrift were not born after an extraordi- nary, andmiraculous manner. I denynot but that the Heavens have influ- ences upon mens bodies.: hence that man-_poffeffed with a Devil was faid to be Lunatick, probably becaufe the Devil! took the opportunity at that time of the Moone, wherein humoursdo moft abound, then to difturb and diftra& him : but the Heavens were never made forbooks to reveal what fhould come to paffe. Thirdly, Witches Sorcerers, and Aftrologers areoft condemned in Scripture: as, Lev. 19. 26. and 20.27. Deut.ro. ri, &c. Ifa.45. rz, cc. Betides, all the Fathers fpeak with much vehemency ' againft them : Many Counfels have condemned them : yea, divers ofthe wifer fort of Heathens, have cried out upon them. Peolomy himfelfacknowledgeth that no certain truth canbe fore- told by them. Tully wrote feveral books de Divination , condemning fuch Diviners. Inflancing that before a great barrel the Mice had gnawed the buck- ler ofa fouldier, whereupon theSoothfayer concluded that that war fhould be fatal and unlucky : as if (faith Tully) becaufe mice did gnaw fome.books that I haveof Plato's De- Republica , therefore I fhould conclude that our . Corn- mon-wealth IH. I. II.
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