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A35263
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The vanity and impiety of judicial astrology whereby men undertake to foretell future contingencies, especially the particular fates of mankind, by the knowledge of the stars, i.e. the conjunctions, motions, positions and influences of the cœlestial bodies on the earthly / by Francis Crow.
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Crow, Francis, d. 1692.
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1690
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Wing C7366; ESTC R29289
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8,654
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37
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THE VANITY AND IMPIETY OF Judicial Astrology WHEREBY Men Undertake to foretell future Contingencies especially the particula◠Fates of Mankind by the Knowledge 〈◊〉 the Stars i. e. the Conjunctions Motion Positions and Influences of the Coelesti◠Bodies on the Earthly By FRANCIS CROW M. A. Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed for Iohn Dunton at th◠Raven in the Poultrey MDCXC Price Sticht TO THE Gentlemen Merchants And other Inhabitants of PORT-ROYAL IN Iamaica That Attended on my Ministry in the Meeting there AS the Apostle found the Men of Athens too superstitious so did I the Island of Jamaica too much addicted to Judicial Astrology And several so fond of that foolish Art as seldom to set out to Sea without consulting their Oracle of a Star-gazing Astrologer for lucky Dayes and happy Stars And being well assured that there was nothing of what was pretended in that Art so called I was willing to undertake something while I was with you for undeceiving the deluded and repressing of that vain prevailing Humour of predicting by the Stars For which end I searched the best Authors I could meet with in your illiterate World and summ'd up in these few Papers the most convincing Arguments I could either find or think of to make appear its Vanity and Iniquity I had thought first to Preach a Sermon or two upon the Subject but judging it not so fit for the Pulpit I left at my coming away a Written Copy of it for any desirous to see it and now I send it you in Print Not that your Society is any way chargeable with a good Opinion of this Imposture but to enable the more Judicious to refute its Propugnators as they meet with them Neither may I be so injurious to you as to let this publick Occasion pass without the Testimony of my Thankfulness for all the Kindness and Respect you shewed me together with your generous Bounty in bestowing upon me And if you had not been more wanting to your selves I mean your Souls than to me we might have yet been happy together But I will not make the Causes of our Parting more publick than I made them in my Valedictory Discourse in the Congregation I must needs acknowledge the costly Kindness of many of you left me nothing to ask but what was of higher concern than any thing you had of your selves to give And if I should conceal this Goodness I might be found to Offend on the same score with him that took the Mans one Ewe-lamb from him And for the Blessing of Health I must needs commend your benign Climate in which I enjoyed a greater measure thereof than ever I am like to do in the European Regions Sed multa majora desiderantur Now being perswaded that even in your Sardis Christ hath a few Names and that thô they dwell where Satans seat is perhaps as eminently as in any Place where Christ is Named yet have not defiled their Garments with the Pollutions of the Place to such I say Watch and Pray hold fast and Repent abide in Christ and Christ in you and when you have secured well your own Souls spare not to Sigh and Cry for Abominations done in the midst of you and Weep over a perishing World about you lamenting daily what you cannot amend and so shall you be kept from other Mens sins And before I take leave I begg one thing for you all that the Lord of the Vineyard that sent me to labour among you may grant that the many Sermons I have Preached with you may never rise up in Judgment against you at the great Day but that the savour of the Knowledge of Christ you have had spread among you may still in its gracious effects abide upon you encreasing and blessing the Word yet with you for bringing forth Fruit unto Eternal Life So Prayeth The hearty Well-wisher of all your Souls Fra. Crow THE VANITY AND IMPIETY OF Judicial Astrology PRetenders to this Astromantick Art fortifie themselves from Gen. 1.14 And let them be for signs and for seasons As if the Stars were given for Signs whereby Astrological Diviners might by their Observation be able to know and foretell future Events of things Luther in loc Makes them to be signs of Eclipses and great Conjunctions of portentous things whereby God intimates either his Wrath or Mercy to the World as by Comets or some unusual Phoenomena Though they be for signs and seasons yet for no Prophets neither are they infallible but ordinary signs of the change of Weather Mat. 16.2 3. and of a fit time to manure the ground Gen. 8.22 The several seasons shall continually return accordng to the time of the Year measured by the Sun Moon and Stars Pareus in loc giveth as good satisfaction as any I meet with of the meaning of that place and how the Stars are set for signs and seasons thus The Lord hath set them to be Measures for numbering and distinguishing fleeting time into certain parts that one time may be called present another past and another to come That one time may be called a Year another a Quarter a Month a Day an Hour Without this kind of numbering and distinction by Coelestial Bodies we could not understand what Time is There would be no remembrance in Man of things done nor deliberation of things to be done no hope of things to come and scarcely a thought of things present But we should be like them who sleep who neither know that they sleep nor how long because they count not the time Or we should be like Infants who know not their Motion Life nor Age. Vid. plura in loc No Divine so much as Origen who followed Plotinus hath helped them in this their pretended Art refuted by Basil in an accurate Discourse on Gen. 1.14 And by many other Authors as Aulus Gellius Pererius Picus Mirandula who wrote twelve Books against them very learned and accurate Augustine likewise meets often with them in his Writings especially l. 14. de Civitate Dei dicit Daemonem invenire Astronomiam He makes the Devil Master and Author of this Black Art Vide Ludov. Viv. in loc And in his 63 Sermon de Tempore says The Power of Stars is nothing that the advancement of humane Affairs should depend upon them But all things are disposed of by the Will of the great King And in Psal 72. says 'T is an evil impious Doctrine that the Wills of Men are subject to the Stars And in his 42 Confess saith Who fall into the desire of curious Magical Visions are accounted worthy of being mocked THE VANITY OF THIS ART 1. THey know not the Stars nay not one of a thousand far less their Influences what is the Nature of the Heavens Order of the Orbs number of the Stars variety of their Power and Influence The greatest Philosophers have professed their Ignorance of these things even their Prince Aristotle l. 2. de Coelo Alas how far short are the most learned of