Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A88763
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The late eclipse unclasped: or the mistaken star-gazers unmasked. VVherein is manifested seven severall reasons whereby these astrolegers have deceived the people. / By a learned divine neere London.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing L546; Thomason E659_20; ESTC R35345
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5,247
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16
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not distracted with Curiosity or Stupidity but to conceive with Christian consideration of some great change to ensue but whether this change will be from Health to Sicknesse from Liberty to Slavery from Truth to Heresie or from Peace to Warre and Destruction I will not take upon me to Divine or fore-tell for foolish people give more credit to judiciary Astrologers then to Gods Word but Gods Ministers may averre that it is not in the power of any Astrologer to foretell what the Events or Influence of this Eclipse will be in particular Objection But doe we not finde by experience and Histories doe confirme it that Astrologers have often-times spoken truth and fore-told events as one fore-told that Nero should be Emperour and should murther his owne Mother and another fore-told that Augustus should be Lord over the whole World and another praedicted that Picus Mirandula a very learned man should die in the thirty three yeare of his age and so he did Answer Grant they doe tell truth sometimes but how false are they ten times for once telling truth and albeit they may speake truth yet it is not out of rules of Art but out of seven false waies they may â—roedict future events As First Out of a secret communion with the Divell in their Spirits though the Party himselfe knowes not the power of the Divell working in him and so Ambrose Austin and Origien dâ—e affirme that by a secret impulse of the Divell they may disclose Events II. Out of a Naturall Magick as Thales the Philosopher from the consideration of Waters then abounding did fore-tell a great plenty of Oyle in the World and the Aegyptians from the observation of the Ebbing and Flowing of Nilus could fore-tell Plenty or Scarcity III. They doe oftentimes fore-tell things wherein they themselves are Actors as in case of Marriage when they are well rewarded for telling of a good Fortune to befall a Person by such a Match they will labour to bring it to passe and so it falls out IV. When a thing is doubtfull how it will fall out they may guesse at that Contingence which is most probable and so Old Men and Women may foretell by hap-hazard V. Because they speake in an Ambiguous sense and so deceive the People and so the Divells Oracles at Delphos threatned many thousands in Old-time VI. From a naturall Segacity and observation of a Persons temper and disposition they may guesse what will befall him VII From an over Credulity in the Consultors with these Astrologers as if one were to fight a Duell the Astrologer tels him he shall have the victory and here-upon the Consulter hath his courage heightned and so prevailes By these seven false Wayes and not by Rules of Art Events are fore-told many times Let us now make Holy use of this Eclipse by considering it as a fore-runner of Doomesday and let us know that He that Eclipses the Sun now will ere long take the Sun quite from us or us from the Sun And let the goodnesse of God in admonishing us by Signes and Tokens of the generall Judgement make deepe impression on our Spirits Christ gives warning to the World by his Sword as well as by his Word Now Christ is said to weare his Sword three wayes First his Sword is girt to his Thigh importing that he is ready to avenge himselfe upon the ungodly Psalm 45.3 Secondly He is said to have a Sword in his Mouth Revel 1. 16 and this is his threatning Sword Thirdly He is said to have his Sword in his Hand Psalm 7. 12. to kill and slay Now his Sword in his Mouth he threatens and to morrow he will shake it over our heads This Eclipse affords matter of Meditation I Concerning the Nature of Sinne For if darknesse which is no physicall Entity but a privation of Light be so uncomfortable to Sense how Odious and Disconsolate a thing is Sinne which is a privation of the Light of Gods Countenance even the very life of the Soule Secondly consider that as the Sun is not the cause of the darknesse which will be to morrow which is Black-monday as our Astrologers is pleased to call it so in our Horizon but the Moone by reason of the interposition between the Body of the Sun and our sight So God is not the cause of Sinne which is the darknesse of the Soule neither can there be any efficient but a deficient cause of Sinne but Sinne being as it were interposed between God and the Soule hinders the light of his Grace Againe it is said Isa â—9 2◠〈…〉 have made a 〈…〉 between God and your Soules II. A second Meditation may be much of the misery of the Creature when God hides his Face from it for all our Strength and Joy is from the Light of Gods Countenance God therefore tels Moses Deut. 31. 17. That He would hide his Face from the Israelites 〈◊〉 that the hiding of Gods Face from the Soule is the Suburbs of Hell and perplexity without the Light of Gods Countenance is but a Curse And if it be so sad a thing to want the light of the Sun for a few houres what a wofull thing is it to endure everlasting darknesse in Hell III. A third Meditation may arise from Christs Death then was the Sun of Righteousnesse Eclipsed when Christs suffering flesh was interposed between the Deity and the Eye of flesh but as the Sun in the Firmament suffers nothing at all by an Eclipse nor is robbed of the least part of his brightnesse no more did Christs Deity suffer the least Diminution of Glory for all the Passion fell on the Humane Nature And as the Sun to morrow as the Astrologers calls Black-monday after the Eclipse will be brighter then before so Christs Body after his Resurrection was more vigerous than before IV. This Eclipse may be to our Meditation as an Emblem of these Apostaticall times wherein Gods Truth may be darkned with Heresies and Persecution And this should be matter of griefe to us that it should come to passe in our dayes V. We should study thankfulnesse for the Suns light and the benefit we enjoy by it For if we be troubled at the absence of it how great a blessing is the enjoying of it Vse This should teach us to avoid all Superstious feare in respect of Astrologers Praedictions for God forbids us to be afraid of the Signes of Heaven Jer. 10. 2. But yet it is good alwayes to have a feare of Evitation but not a feare of Desperation II. It is a dangerous thing to be regardlesse of of the opperation of Gods hands therefore let the feare of God be alwayes that Spirituall Antidote against the feare of all changes and events of the world III. And as we ought not slavishly to be afraid of their Praedictions so we ought not to put any confidence in their cunning For the Lord upbraideth the Israelites with their confidence in their Astrologers Isa 47. 13. Let now saith God the Astrologers Star-gazers and monethly Prognosticators stand up and save thee and verse 13. God tels them they should not deliver themselves for Balaam that great Sorcerer who was slaine with the Sword could not fore-see his owne 〈…〉 to believe Astrologers IV. And set not your affections on things beneath Eclipses For sicknesse or casualties may deprive us of all outward things in a moment but to a pious Soule as Crosses abound so Comforts abound 1 Cor. 1. 7. 〈…〉 your 〈◊〉 blotted out in the sense of your Conscience and then no Trouble or Calamity will make you dismaid For as that which is written with the juice of Lemmons is not legible unlesse you hold it to the fire so if your sins doe remaine unblotted out of the Book of Conscience at the time of Death Hell-fire will make all the Sinnes that ever a Man hath committed in his life legible and plaine to him and what a gastly sight will that be Let us feare Solem Justitice the Sonne of righteousnesse and then wee shall not feare the Suns influence FINIS
THE LATE Eclipse unclasped Or the mistaken Star-gazers UNMASKED VVherein is manifested seven seve rall Reasons whereby these Astrolegers have deceived the People By a learned Divine neere London O! Bâ—other Star-gazer what shall we doe Isa 47. 13 14. Let now the Astrologers Stargazers and monethly Prognosticators stand up and save thee But they shall not be able to save themselves Printed in the year that many did feare that Doomes-day it was nigh But now we do see what Star-gazers be for they have fore-told a Lye 1652. TEXT Mark 13. 24 But in those dayes after that tribulation the Sun shall be darkned and the Moone shall not give her light THe Fore-going Verses shew the destruction of Jerusalem from whence Christ makes a Transsition of the destruction of the World The Connexion of the Suns eclips with the words in those daies after the Tribulation doe make all time to present with God because time is not fluent to God but alwaies fixed and because God would have us to wait for the Last Day every day Concerning the Suns darknesse some Expositors expound it Mistically and some Allegorically as Ezek. 32. Chap. Is an elegant expression of Pharoahs destruction So by an Eclipse they would understand the miserable events in the World either by great perplexity on mens minds or a darkning of the Truth by Errour and Heresie But it is a Rule in Divinitie where there is no necessity of a figurative construction there the Litterall sence may stand and therefore the words as the Text are to be understood littelally yet a Mysticall sence is not quite excluded but from an accurate consideration of the visible Signes which shall be in the Sun and the Moon it cannot be figuratively applyed to a generall Apostacie from the true Faith or a perplexity on mens mindes because Christ doth distinguish between Tribulation of time and the times of perplexity on mens minds Luke 21. 24. The best Interpreters though they understand these words litterally yet denie not but by Gods Ordination they may have a Metaphysicall Interpretation as the Rainbow though it proceed from a Naturall Cause yet God designed it to a Spirituall use viz. to signifie the Covenant between God and all flesh Gen. 9. So that the concurrence of Divine Providence is not seen nor considered in the World because Astronomers may foresee Eclipses from Naturall Causes both by Rules of Art and also because they have been from the Creation The Eclipse at Christs death was Praeturnaturall in two respects First because the Moon was then at the full then the Passeover was kept on the fourteenth day of the Moneth and therefore the Moone was at the farthest distance from the Sun And secondly because that Eclipse continued for three houres without increase or decrease of darknesse which is contrary to other Eclipses Lucian a Martyr made the said Eclipse an argument to convince the Heathen of their Infidelity and to bring them to repentance At the death of Charles the Great in the year 814. was a most horrid Eclipse by reason of a fuliginous matter arising out of the Earth And in Anno 1575. there appeared a new Starre which Astronomers never knew before therefore towards the end of the World God can shew prodigious Sgnes as fore-runners of his comming to judgement and the terrifying of mens mindes at this time which is not usuall in other Eclipses confirmes this Eclipse to be prodigious When the eyes of the body grow dim it is a signe of death approaching as in Ecclesi 12. so when the Eye of of the World the Sun grows darke it is a signe the world is neere confusion Let us not think that ordinary things in nature have no extraordinary signification in the mind of God for God speakes some-what to the world from naturall bodies as Micah 6.9 The Lords voyce cryeth to tae City c. heare ye the Rod c. I conceive that ordinary Eclipses are by Christ ordained to fore-tell his comming to Judgement for the signes praedicting the destruction of Jerusalem were naturall and why may not Christ deale so with the World now Christ doth not call them prodigious but only signes which have a rise out of nature and are not hyperphysicall And Christ sayes not that any one of these signes singly considered are signes of his comming but all these joyntly together so that Eclipses and roaring of the Sea conjunctively considered doe fore-tell Christs comming Observation Is there any aptnesse in the eclipse of the Sun to fore-tell Christs comming to judgement I answer Gods clouding of light seemes contrary to his owne institution so that an eclipse may seeme proeternaturall therefore in Eclipses the Heathens used to heat Basins and Kettles and to make a great noise to awâ—ken the Sun when it was eclipsed and in respect of the alteration whiâ—â— may fall out among men this Eclipse is very fearâ—full for in Anno. 1645. followed the sweating sicknesse here in England whereof many thousands dyed and prrsently after that the disease called the Scurvy so that which hath an aptnesse to cause great changes may Prognosticate Doomes-day Secondly An Eclipse may singnifie the future condition of wicked men to be cast into utter darknesse and separated forever from the true light God Quest But what shall wee think of this present Eclipse Answer Wee are not to neglect the influences of it because it is a great work of God and very visible to our eyes now God speakes of his own great Works Psalm 111. 19 He hath made a Tabernacle for the Sunne And God acconts that man a Foole that will not heed bis Works Psalm 92. 2. and in Isa 5. 12. God speakes against such as drink away their feare and make merry but regard not the works of his hands Now God sets this Signe over our heads and makes the Sun to be a more propper Significator to England than any other part of Europe therefore we ought to take speciall notice of Gods Acts in this matter since our Fathers never knew the like For whereas the Sun is divided into twelve parts to morrow there will be but halfe a part of the twelve visible to our sight Againe in respect of the Conjuncture of time it is now a time of Change Danger and Trouble at home and abroad and also a time of most grievous sinnes as Blasphemy Perjurie Libertisme Oppression Pride Sensuality Errour and Herisies these may make us to shake at the shaking of a Leafe much more when God shakes his Rod over a Nation In Philosophie those things may be profitable in the Generall which are not in the particular as Frostie weather is good for the Earth but it is pinching to Man but I never read of any good effect that followed an Eclipse But as the Jewes were enjoyned to make Battlements in building their Houses to preservemen from falling so must Minnisters give warning to their Auditors what thoughts to entertaine concerning the events of Eclipses that they be