Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	act_n	evil_a	good_a	1,399	5	3.9328	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30719	Hagiastrologia, or, The most sacred and divine science of astrology 1. Asserted in three propositions, shewing the excellency and great benefit thereof, where it is rightly understood and religiously observed : 2. vindicated, against the calumnies of the Reverend Dr. More in his Explanation of the grand mystery of godliness : 3. Excused, concerning pacts with evil spirits, as not guilty, in humble considerations upon the pious and learned discourse upon that subject, by the Right Reverend Father in God, Joseph sometimes Lord Bishop of Norwich / by J.B., B.D. ...	J. B. (John Butler)	1680 (1680)	Wing B6268; ESTC R4462	159,576	280

against us and endless it is to wipe away all the dirt which every man has to throw in our faces But I am as sensible that all Objectors are not equally to be blamed some are as eminent for Learning as for Malice and ill-will and these however they are not worthy of it for their own yet must have an Answer be it but to stop their mouths for those other mens sakes who admire their parts more then their worth Others are as eminent for Piety as Parts and yet are our Enemies we do confess but then withal it is apparent by what unhappinesses in the misunderstanding of us this Enmity has come about and these Adversaries therefore do justly deserve as well as challenge our answer to all whatever they have against us Now to answer all of all sorts of either of these who have been apt to open their mouths at us it is impossible I shall therefore single out certain of the most eminent of each kind and refer the rest to that reasonable satisfaction they may gain out of what I say to these well knowing that reasonable men will with a word be satisfied and as for the unreasonable I know no reason they can deserve And first to begin where most of merit claims I think it my duty to offer an humble word or two to the Right Reverend Father in God the most pious and learned Joseph late Lord Bishop of Norwich in answer to Case the 2d of his 3d. Decad in his Resolutions and Decisions of divers practical Cases of Conscience which inquires how far a secret Pact with evil Spirits doth extend and what Actions and Events must be referred thereunto Sect. 2 In handling this Case it seems as if this Holy Father had also drawn in Astrology amongst those other secret Pacts with evil Spirits which are utterly unlawful And the truth is it does appear that he was somewhat ill opinionating concerning this Science But yet it is plain that in the sum of his Resolution he commits the Student to his own care and wisdom whether to lay down or persue this Science whence it becomes most apparent that this ill opinion of his against us happened by some unhappy misunderstanding rather then of any experimental evil he knew by our Studies But however with Reverence to this learned and most judicious Father give me leave to discuss his whole Resolution of the Case Sect. 3 It is saith he a question of exceeding great use and necessity for certainly many thousands of honest and well minded Christians are in this kind drawn into the snares of Satan unwarily and unwittingly Thus far the Astrologer does heartily agree with his Honour's judgment and bewails the misfortune of Astrology which has not been a little abused by the Devil as a Cloak under pretence thereof to draw such honest and well minded Christians within the compass of Sorcery and Witchcraft But withal he hopes that no rational man will make a blame of its affliction For should we be so uncharitable the Sacred word of God also would be condemned because many times it also is by the Devils wiles made use on and wrested to draw in well meaning Christians to become notorious Hereticks But to return to the Case Sect. 4 The Father goes on saying For the determining of it these two grounds must be laid First That there is a double compact with Satan one direct and open wherein Magicians and Witches upon woful Conditions and direful Ceremonies enter into a mutual Covenant with evil Spirits The other secret and indirect wherein nothing is seen or heard or known to be agreed upon only by a close implication that is suggested and yeilded to be done which is invisibly seconded by diabolical operation These two Compacts or two ways of compacting with the Devil the Astrologer does acknowledg and is well aware of But withal he is sufficiently satisfied against all danger of any diabolical Compact in any of his figure-casting skill Sect. 5 The second ground is that whatsoever hath not a Cause in Nature according to God's ordinary way must be wrought either by good or evil Spirits That it cannot be supposed that good Angels should be at the command of ignorant or vitious Persons of either Sex to concur with them in superstitious Acts done by means altogether in themselves ineffectual and unwarrantable And therefore that the Devil hath an unseen hand in these effects which he marvailously brings about for the winning of Credit with the World and for the obliging and engaging of his own Clients Of this kind there is too lamentably much variety in common experience Take an handful if you please out of a full Sack as the Book and the Key the Sieve and the Sheers for discovery of the Thief The notching of a stick with the number of the Warts which we would have removed Words and Characters of no signification or ordinary form for the curing of Diseases in Man or Beast more then too many whereof we find in Cornelius Agrippa and Paracelsus Forms of Words and Figures for the stanching of blood and the pulling out of Thorns for easing pain for remedying the biting of a mad Dog Whistling for a Wind and many other such like All this the Astrologer readily subscribes to as most eminent truths And no farther desires he any dealing either in Calculatory or Figure-casting Astrology then there is a Cause in Nature according to God's ordinary way without either help of Angels or Devils for what he does All his whole skill in prediction he fathereth upon the Heavens and the Stars and Planets therein and as the Physician finds by the Herbs Roots and Flowers growing upon the ground what virtue and efficacy they have to cure Wounds and Sickness So the Astrologer has it from as strong experience of the natural force and virtue of operation in the Stars of Heaven concerning all that he says or knows There is a reason in Nature for it that a red Evening brings forth a fair Morrow and experience hath found it to be so and that it is so only and no act of Angel or Devil which makes it so And there is not a tittle in Astrology which we trust to but what we have as much and as true experience in as in the product of a red Evening And as for Charms and Spells and such like trashy Stories as have no cause in Nature for their Productions and Event the Astrologer sides with the Right Reverend Father and utterly abhors them Sect. 6 Of those many charming Stories reckoned up by this Holy Father as a good caution unto thousands of poor ignorant Souls who use to be thereby deluded there are only two or three which with submission to riper judgments I am not so fully satisfied in the unlawfulness thereof First As for the rubbing of Warts with raw flesh and after burying that flesh in a Dung-hill in order that the Warts may rot away insensibly as that flesh rots

more is skill to be learned And now all that we pretend to for matter of Astrological practice it is no more then after the same nature as is the Observation of the red Evening of which our Saviour gives this Sacred Test that it is a real truth And thus far therefore is nothing but natural Astrology and therefore though Calculatory and Figure-casting in a certain sence is lawful and commendable by the testimony of our learned and pious Author as well as of our ever blessed Saviour But then there is another sort of Figuring and Calculation after the way of Cornelius Agrippa which however under a Cloak and for pretence may be called but is no real Astrology and this no doubt but is very presumtuous and unwarrantable as his Lordship complains Again also I deny not but some there are real Astrologers who work by true Figures of the Heavens but then they mingle with these certain Magical practices whereby they call the invisible powers to aid them in the judgment of that Figure And this being utterly beyond the bounds of Nature with our Reverend Author we also do utterly abhor as such which was ever cried down by Councils and Fathers as unlawful Sect. 9 Lastly As to what is said That which lies in the midway betwixt Magick and Imposture and partakes not a little of both This now is a plain Character what kind of Astrology it is our Author is displeased at For First As for matter of Magick it is a practice as much different from Astrology as it is from Divinity Some Astrologers its true indeed cannot contain themselves within compass but must be tampering with black Arts and there be Divines too who do as much But as Divinity is not in the fault so neither is Astrology Secondly As for matter of Imposture we know it is too true that too many in the World who have no skill in Astrology or at most no more then to draw a Scheme and to make a prate of it without so much as any Arithmetical or Astronomical knowledg without both which no man can make a true Astrologer but however these pretenders driving a Trade with their familiars and using many crafty sleights can judg of stollen goods and love-matters and tell strange stories which they have by hear-say and pretend they have it by the Stars But this is nothing to Astrology no more then 't is to Musick or Geometry But however by means of such Cheats as these and many diabolical Tricks fathered upon Astrology it comes to pass many Reverend and wise men are hereby drawn into misunderstandings conceiting this Sacred and Heavenly Art to be quite otherwise then to what indeed it is I remember the stories of the poor Heathens in Peru who almost induced to Christianity yet refused to be Baptized by means of the vicious lives of the Spaniards alledging that the most Blessed Heaven could not be good where such wicked men pretended to be translated and therefore they would rather choose Hell without Baptism then go to Heaven in company with so evil Livers Such was the ill luck of Christianity at that time And such truly has been the hard Fate of Astrology of late years Sect. 10 Now had it been so that this Reverend Father had utterly disrelished our natural Astrology as it is plain he did not yet may we answer First That there are others of as equal Piety Learning and Reverence who as much have befreinded it And Secondly It would have been no such great wonder considering First How much the practice of this Science has been neglected in the late Christian times For while we abhorred and fled from Sorcery and Witchcraft and burned all Books tending to that purpose it came to pass that abundance of Abhorrency led into a contrary extream to neglect also such reading as was both tolerable and commendable And then Secondly While the Learned neglected this study it came to pass that none or few but the vicious taking up the practice it was seldom used but with abuse And thence happened to be the more and the farther hated by the holy wise and learned And no doubt but this Holy man our Author out of his abhorrency of the vicious practices of some Astrologers of his time might be drawn into the greater dislike of what himself had not studied For Thirdly The most Wise and Learned and Holy are not competent Judges of what themselves also are not read in And as for this Science of Astrology I humbly suppose it no blemish to our Reverend Father if we humbly suppose he never read so much of it as to well understand it For we do not hold Astrology absolutely necessary to Salvation and therefore a wise man is not bound to study all things and as so no more of this then he would the Art of Dyalling or Globe-making or any such like famous studies But besides we know all mens Genius does not naturally incline them to study Astrology or at least if they should yet shall they not be any ways assured to hit of it And amongst men of this contrary Genius no wonder is it if here and there some are led away by a natural disaffection to talk against Astrology with somewhat of the extream in their Pens and Lips But we have to do with a more pious Author only may he but rightly be understood Sect. 11 Wherefore hear yet on Satan saith he beguiles the simple upon these two misgrounded Principles First That in all experience they have found such effects following upon the use and practice of such means which indeed cannot be denied Charms and Spells saith he commonly are no less unfailing in their working then the best natural Remedies doubtless the Devil is a most skilful Artist and can do feats beyond all mortal powers but God bless us from imploying him Secondly That there may be hidden causes in Nature for the producing of such effects which they know not neither can give any reason of their operations whereof yet we do commonly make use without any scruple and why may not these be ranged under the same head Which they have used with no other but good meaning without the least intention of reference to any malignant powers In answer whereto I must tell them that their best plea is ignorance which may abate the sin but not excuse it But then follows his concession There are indeed deep secrets in Nature whose bottom we cannot dive into as those wonders of the Loadstone a peice outwardly contemptible yet of such force as approaches near to a Miracle And many other strange Sympathies and Antipathies in several Creatures in which rank may be set the bleeding of the Dead at the presence of the Murtherer and some acts done for the discovery of Witchcraft both in this and our neighbour Kingdom but withal though there be secrets in Nature which we know not how she works yet we know there are works which are well known that