Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	good_a	read_v	write_v	2,874	5	5.1956	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85938	Astrologo-mastix, or A discovery of the vanity and iniquity of judiciall astrology, or Divining by the starres the successe, or miscarriage of humane affaires. / By John Geree Master of Arts, and preacher of the word at St. Albanes. Published according to order.	Geree, John, 1601?-1649.	1646 (1646)	Wing G586; Thomason E344_13; ESTC R200963	16,037	26

by the Starres take upon them to divine what shall be the successe of particular enterprizers in this kind they are famous or to speake truly infamous that take upon them then to divine what will be the monethly changes or events in this present warre those also by erecting of figures and their issues and to finde out things lost c. Lastly all those that in their Almanacks besides those things that depend on the motions of the Heavens which are certaine and knowne as the seasons of the yeare Eclipses and such like take upon them to foretell future contingents as what w●●ther will be every moueth and every day of the moneth 2. To the second they countenance Astrologicall Diviners first that goe to them to have their nativities calculated to know their fortunes as they call it or to heare of things lost c. Secondly that buy or read their books unlesse it be with an intent to confute them These books may be read or bought from divers grounds or ends first out of curiosity so some goe to masse this is a wanton vanity a playing with a temptation whereby we may be insnared Secondly out of respect as supposing there is something in them and to make use of them this is bad as the practise itselfe it 's called going owhoring after them Lev. 20.6 3. with a purpose to finde matter against them and confute them Those that applaud them will hold forth the best side of them and onely talke of that wherein they seeme to guesse right but an intelligent man by looking into them shall see their defects and be able to lay them open to undeceive the simple if we buy or read them in the two former kinds we countenance them and are accessories to them not in the latter Thirdly those countenance them that beleeve them and are stirred with secret or open joy as they prognosticate good or evill Beleeving is a giving glory to God and so beleeving fearing and the words of any other must needs reflect honour on them Fourthly by talking of their predictions as things that have something in them and not to be contemned Fifthly by applying with applause their predictions to events this is just as such an one prognosticated this is to doe that honour to them which was used to be done to the Prophesies that came from God To the third Astrologers are then tolerated first when their books are licensed or not prohibited when their books are let out and left out and not cald in then are they tolerated for overseers of Presses being appointed for prohibition of unfit Bookes if these bookes were esteemed as they are false and noxious they should they would be prohibited or if they steale out be cald in againe Secondly when the Astrologers themselves passe without represse or without restraint when the Minister holds his tongue and the Magistrate his hand when there is no Law against them no penalty for them or none executed Conclusio Paraenetica Having cleered the unlawfulnesse of practising countenancing and tolerating Astrologicall predictions I may now be bold to speak a word of exhortation to all that they have nothing to doe in any of these particulars Exhort 1 And first let all be perswaded to fly the study to abandon the practise of this Art you may see the Scripture condemning it and that as an abomination Reason witnessing against it as that which is irrationall and uncertaine There 's vanity in it danger by it Satan is a subtle adversary an insinuating Serpent and winds into many in this way avoyde his snares Finde you pleasure in it so may you in many poysons as they goe downe but their fruit is bitternesse so will the fruite of Astrology be found for the wages of sinne is death Doe yee think it an honour to you What is it to be applauded of men and disallowed of God neither will it indeed get you any true honour among men for Honos est consentiens fama bonorum Honour is the agreeing good report of good men but the applauders of Astrology are the most of them of the worst and lightest sort of men the best and gravest sort have disallowed it yea branded it Perkins reckons it up amongst the kinds of Witch-craft Augustine counted it but impious dotage and inconsistent with Christianity And in this straine the best and the weightiest judgements run 2 Pet. 2.15 Doth profit intise any Remember what ever comes this way it 's but the wages of Balaam the wages of iniquity money that will perish with you and be the cankour of your soules Be perswaded therefore to renounce this evill spread not a net before the feet of your brethren to entangle their soules in your vaine speculations to hinder them from looking to or making use of Gods hand in their calamities you want not glorious examples Perkins Aug●stine and those famous beleevers Acts 19. who confest their sinne instudying such curious Arts and burnt their bookes goe you and doe likewise and save Authority a labour Exhort 2 Secondly if Astrologers persist in this condemned Art let all take heed of countenancing them lest pertaking of their sin they partake of their plagues Remember Timothie's charge not to partake of other mens sinnes 1 Tim 5.22 and that of the Apostle to the Ephesians to have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darkenesse but rather reprove them Ephes 5.11 Shall we countenance what God abominates and strengthen men in that which makes both them and the Land lyable to wrath Let them not then have the countenance of thy cost to buy them of thy time to read them of thy tongue to mention or applaud them of thy soule to feare or hope because of their babling good or bad This Jeremy expressely forbids Jer. 10.2 3. Perkins wrote a Treatise against it Devout beleevers Acts 19. burnt their owne curious bookes which they had bought will you buy and keep such as they would burne we use to say receivers make theeves and so the Law makes them accessory to the theft and so are the buyers of Astrologicall Prognosticks that buy them for curiosity or to listen to them If there were no buyers there could be no sellers If there were no sellers there would be no makers at least no publishers of these sinfull vanities therefore if the Astrologer be guilty the buyer and Reader cannot be innocent Thou helpest to make this grievous sinne Nationall who ever thou art that countenancest it for thou thereby art accessory to it and guilty of it God hath forbidden the using as well as acting these evill Arts and that under an hideous expression and under a dismall doome Lev. 20.6 And the soule that turneth after such as have familiar Spirits and after Wizards to goe a whoring after them I will even set my face against that soule and cut him off from among my people Lev. 20.6 I conclude this exhortation with that home passage of the Apostle Rom. 1. ult wherein he seemes to make approvers or applauders of sinne in some sense worse then the Actours who knowing the judgement of God that they that doe such things are worthy of death not onely doe the same but have pleasure in those that doe them Exhort 3 Thirdly sith Astrologers should not be suffered amongst us Let me be bold to beseech those that are in authority First that their bookes be not suffered to passe the presse If devout beleevers burnt their owne bookes sure devout Governours should not suffer bookes of the same kinde to injoy the light unlesse it be of the fire to consume them It were then much to be wisht that Licensers for the Presse had a charge and care that no bookes of this kind should any more appeare and that what have of late stollen forth should be recal'd and runne the same hazard with those mentioned Acts 19. Sure if those bookes deserve the fire that derogate from man As Constantius Cod. lib. 9. tit 18. leg 5.7 then doe those much more that withdraw the mindes and hearts of men from God Yea it is to be wisht that our Lawes in this case defective might now be supplyed And that our Astrologicall Diviners might be put into the Catalogue with other Sorcerers in the Statute primo Jacobi cap. 12. to suffer the same penalty for their presumption which is imposed on the other for the Scripture makes them birds of a feather Cod. lib. 9. tit 18. leg 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. This divers of the Christian Emperours are said to have done and they deserve imitation when sinne is not onely committed but permitted the guilt is not onely personall but Nationoll It 's punishment of offences that puts away sinne from Israel both the guilt of it by expiation 2 Sam. 21. and the practise of it too while others heare and feare and doe no more so wickedly Deut. 13.5.11 Though not onely the Ancient Popes but their sounder Divines and Historians are against it See Baron Annals Anno. 556. Sect. 12. Anno. var. 1.9.115 art 41. And certainly connivance at this sinne can neither want danger from God nor dishonour among men we are now for Reformation and chiefly of Popery And shall we suffer such Popish Practises Popish I call them because under Popery such practises had allowance and countenance Tindall informes us that Cardinall Murton had a License from the Pope for a time to study Magick whereof himselfe was one And that Cardinall Woolsey calked the Kings Nativity which is sayes he then a common practise among Bishops in all Lands Tind practise of Popish Prelates pag. 367. 368. And was it not one of the blackest staines of our corrupt times that that infamous Wizard Doctor Lamb was countenanced and protected by some And can we avoid aspersion if we countenance or suffer Divining Astrologers casting a favourable aspect towards us sith the holy Ghost hath put them in the same Catalogue oftentimes If any desire to see more Testimonies of Fathers Councells c. let him see Job Picus Mirand lib. adv Astrologos and so doth Learned Perkins and he hath many grave abettours let then our worthy Senatours up and be doing to remove this blemish and guilt from us and deliver us out of the hand of the Lord and we will rise up and call them blessed Soli Deo Gloria FINIS