6z.o I • mtgn.onc'n. - --· --, ·--~,-'------~----~-- rUl 'Diftour{e o(Witchcrafi. ' Cb. 3· rnccrcly !i.tperOitiom. For the nuth is, they 1 A. hauc no vcrtue in thctnfc:lucs to forc:fhcwe any thing that is to come) either in nature, or by Godsordialncc. TherefOre INhatfoeuer diui– nation is tnldc by them, mullnc:e~s be fetched from Satanica\1 illufion.And though we cannot fay they be fo6thiayings, or tearme the vfers & fauourcrs ofrbcm Sootht3yc:rs,ycr we m:ly fafc:- ly rcfcrrc them to this kindc of diuining , bcc– ing fucb as n_o ChriHian may warrantably vfc, though fomc of them be not fo grotfe :md pal– pablc,as thotC rhatarc condemned in the Scrip– tures. § l• The~hird kind ofcreaturcsvfed to di– uinc by, arc the Harre~. Diuination by fbrrcs, is commonly called ludrcia!J .Aflrologi~ ; of B \vhich we may rcade, D cur. J 8. 1 o. 1 r. where the holy Ghor. doth of purpofe reckon vp all tho(e kmds ofdcuilifh arts, whereby men haue dc~lings Cl {Ocicty with S:~t:ln,dtherin diHinir.g orprllEfljin_r:;: among which,this is the fccond. T he word there vied .. may carrie a double Cenfe.For it fignificch either hunthat obtCructh times, vndcr which scception Ajlrologit,is cOmprehended, or him th:\t obfcrueth the cloudes.And howfoeucr the beillearned.!ntcr· prctcrs doe di!Tcnt about tkc notation ofit, yet all :~grce in this,thatthis profcffion ofDiuining by the {\ot'rcs, is there condemned: and that l'~il;t th3t is plainc1y taught by the Prophet J. t:u,fr?m the 4.chap: ofhis prophc!ic, to the 48. 1 he h ..·ope whcrco~is to proouc th3t it b a prc– rogatiuc appro~riatcd to the Dietic, and not conmlUillcab!e to the creature, to tOrcfhew the euem ofthings to come, \Vhich i11 our vndcr· Handing ;nd reach, may either be or not bee ; an_dwhich when thcyarc,may be thus or othcr– waics.lt rcmaincs therefore, that Diuinations of this kind, taking from God his right, and robbing himof his honour, are h1fily ccnfurcci ofimpictic, and arc in themtCiucs wicked and abomin3ble. It is ~leadgcd.that fhrrcs in the hc:mcns,are the caufes of many things happening in the world,and therefore to praCtife by them in this manner, dcferueth no fuch imputation. it is to be nti!nbred a:mong the rcn exprcffcd in the prohibition,may funher appearc by other places ofScripturc, as in lf:~.47· 13. 14. whete the Lord thrcatcneth tho fame iudgemcnts a.. g~ioll Diuinersby thdhrres, that he doth a... gainft Soothfayers and Magicians. Againe, in Oan. 2. 1. Inch:mtcrs, Afl:rologcrs, & Soree.. rers areioyned togc:tbcr) as bccinglall fcm for about the (amc bufindfe. 'tli~. to expound the Kings drcamc. Now if the Lord himfdfc liauc aloncd the fame punilhment to the Afirologcr, which he hath to the Soorhfaicr and Magician., &:: account them all one; it's m:mifc!t, that Di– uining by the fiar.res, ought to be held as·a fupcrllitious kind ofDiuination. . .-, Here, if it bee thoughdhangc, that pre:di..:. An{. It cannot be denied that they arc caufcs of fame things,but 1 demand, what caufes?not particular ofparticular eucnts; but gencrall and common, that worke alike vpon all things:and no man can diuine of aparticular cucnt, by a generall caufe, vnlcffc, he alfo know the parti– cub.r caufcs fubordinatc:- tb the general,and the pardcular difpofitions and operations of them. For example, let twentic or thirtie cgges1of fundric kinds ofbirds bee taken,and·fet vndcr one and the fame henne to be hatched; it is not pollible for any man,onely vpon the bare coh– fideration ofthe heat ofthe hen ,.:which is the general cau{C ofharching the cggs,ro fet down C. cenaincly what kinde of bird each cggc will bring forth, vnldfc he knowc what the eggcs were pa~ticularly. For a gcnerall and common caufc,doth not itnmcdiardy produce a panicu... larcffeCl, but ondy mooueth and hclpeth rhe particular, immediate, and fubordinate caufes. Therforethe: bear ofthe h~doth not make one egge to (ende forth a hennc-chicken , .an.othcr egge a ducke, a third a [~.-vanne, &c. bur oncly helpeth it forward by !itoing & crouching vp– on thcm.In like manner d\e fiarrcsare gencrall caufe:s ofnaturall things, as the: heat ofthe hen is ofthe hat c.hing of1he e'gges;and by~them no man can,rightly define ofparticular eucnts,and I therefore Diu"ination by thefhrrcs, whereby ~t-e~ foretold particular contingent eucncs in 0 ' kingdoms,farnilics,or p3r.ticular pe.rfo.ns ,is but a for.gcd skill,that h:uh no gtouhd in nature frO chevcn.uc ofrhc fhrrcs, for any fi.JCh purpofc. Etions b)' fo cxcelent crcatOrcs as the Hanes'be, lhould carric both the name and narure ef,di"!. abolic•ll practiCes, which can be done by rror/t but fuch aS are in league with Satan: . :d' I anfWcr, The rcafons hereofare chefe:· ;;: •· Firfl, it" mull bee confidered , that the drift and {cope of this art' is to foretell the r~ttku.-t Jar euents of things contingent, as the alu:ra1 tion of the il::ucs ofkingdomes, the deaths ·~f Princes, good or l>addc fuctcffe ofmcm pant- ! cular affaires, from the hQnrc of their biHh ·; t-o the day of their death. Ancl from this all men may iudge, what the art of it {dfe is. For the forcrclling of things eo come, '"'·hic~l in thd~ o•.vne nature arc contingent, & in rrgatd.ofo.,:s cafuall \)fay not in rC'g:lrd of God, to ...,.home all things are certainly kno ..,:nc) is a prop1 C•rtic peculiar to God alone, a'nd not within =t\lC [ power of any creature, 111:111 or Angel;·~A \ A fccopd rcafon maybe this; All the rules & precepts ofAlhologie,fct down by the mofl learned among the Ch:lideans;Egyptians.,8co– ther Afhologers,2re nothing els but mcerc do– tagcs and fitHons.ofthe braine of man: for the rules and conclufions ofall good&. lawful2i-ts, hauc their grofid in experience, and arc fratnc<l by obfci'03tion, v.oherupo~ they arc called Ax– i.omtt orpo(irionsof~trr~, to generally and vn– doub~edly 'rruc, that they cannot deceiue: But thcfc rules are ofacontrarie nature, hauing no foundation in experience at all; for if they hzd this mutlnecdcs follo'-"e, th:st the pofltion of 1 the hcaucns, and the courfc: of all the fhrres, tntdl
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