Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	wondrous_a	work_n	work_v	20	3	6.8978	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87111	Vox caelorum. Predictions defended or, The voyce of the celestiall light, wherein is proved five things: 1 That the starres have received influences. 2 That they operate and worke upon sublunary things, according to the nature and quality of those received influences. 3 That God hath revealed those received influences to man. 4 That it is not unlawfull to predict according to the knowne nature and quality of those received influences. 5 That it is not unlawfull to call the starres by such and such names; as Pleyades, Arcturus, Orion, &c. And divers places of the Scriptures opened and cleared. With a vindication of M. William Lilly his reputation against the Epirrhesian antagonists, in these times of discovery of new lights. By Henry Harflete, practitioner in the mathematickes.	Harflete, Henry, fl. 1653.	1646 (1646)	Wing H767; Thomason 1179[1]; ESTC R208103	22,577	71

Stone which at a great distance shewes it operation They thinke that the Sea and Rivers ebbe and flow of themselves when we know they follow the course of the Moone c. 3 False Practisers that Calculate upon false grounds They confesse the Stars have Influences but by their false Calculations they derogate from the force of those influences John White likewise in the same Praedicament for 1646. As they confesse that the Moone hath Influences but by their false rules for her Motion they in as much as in them lieth take away the force and power God hath given her over sublunary Creatures I deny not but that that Scripture Almanack is very good and profitable but blame the Calculation for the Moones equall motiō which was well omitted in the printed Sheets false Tables for her culmination according to her equall motion and so are short or over her true culmination according to her Apogaeum or Perigaeum c. That is H. J. his Calculation for the yeare 1646. for indeed I saw it not for 1645. before it was enlarged fetcht out of Master Alestree his Calculation but I think he is belied 4 Superficiall Practisers These deny not but that the fairnes foulnes of the weather may be conjectured but it must be onely when the time is neer and the naturall causes have begun to worke and their reason is D. Willet upon 1. Genes because our Saviour Christ said Luk. 12. 54. When yee see a Cloud rise out of the West straight way yee say a showre commeth and so it is and when the South winde bloweth yee say that it will be hot and it cometh to passe and in Mat. 16 2. When it is evening ye say faire weather for the skie is red and in the morning yee say to day shall be a Tempest for the skie is red and lowring But marke here 1. Christ did say as they did say yee say 2. Where is there a certainty in this whereupon to build a certaine Prediction though the time be neare c. for though he ads to the two first and it commeth to passe yet he leaves it out in the two last 3. Then it should be lawfull to predict these foure only and no more 4. We often see these naturall causes appeare and the effects follow not other causes I suppose hindering these effects which the eye of man perceives not 5. Christ came to teach Salvation not Astronomy or Astrology and therefore Christ teaches them not this but puts them in mind of what they themselves say and teach he reproves them not for saying so but he reproves them for their quick sightednesse in earthly things and blindnesse in spirituall matters These are too superficiall and thinke nothing more but these may be done upon probable conjecture if they hold it lawfull to predict upon these causes why not upon more that may be as probable though no naturall causes have begun to worke These consider not as they ought to doe the wondrous workes of God in their naturall operations and influentiall vertues which God revealed to man and so I fall upon the third Proposition 3. That God hath revealed those received influences to man God would never have asked Job If he could bind the sweet influences of the Pleyades c. if he had not known them No question but God revealed them to Solomon Lib. sapient cap. 7. for so Solomon testifies of himselfe when he saith Deus mihi dedit haruin rerum cognitionem veram c. God hath given me the true knowledge of things that are so that I know how the world was made and the powers of the Elements The beginning and the end and the midst of the times how the times alter and the change of the seasons The course of the yeare the situation of the Starres the nature of living things and the furiousnesse of beasts the power of the winds and the imaginations of men the diversities of plants and the vertues of rootes and all things both secret and knowne doe I know for wisedome the worker of all things hath taught it me And in the eighth Chaptet he saith If any man desire great experience she can tell the things that are past and discerne things to come she knoweth the subtilties of words and the solutions of darke sentences she foreseeth the signes and wonders ere ever they come to passe and the successe of seasons and times c. and then seeing God whom he calls by the name of wisdome had given him this knowledge he saith I shall be found of sharpe Iudgement so that I shall be marvellous in the sight of great men c. And Solomon was no Conjrer he dealt not with familiar spirits but with the living God who at his Prayer gave him an understanding heart Now we must understand that there is a three-fold Prognostication or Divination Viz. 1 Superstitious 2 Supernaturall 3 Naturall 1 Superstitious and this Either 1 Heathenish Or 2 Oraculous 1 Heathenish as Auguration Aruspice Necromancy c. such as the Egyptians used this is impious and vaine and abominable and therefore the Lord gives the Children of Israell a speciall caveat Deuter. 18. vers 10 11. Let none be found among you that maketh his Sonne or his Daughter go through the fire or that useth Witchcraft or a regarder of times that is a superstitious and Heathenish regarder of times as the Aegyptians were or a marker of the flying of Fowles or a Sorcerer or a Charmer or that Counselleth with spirits or a South-sayer or that asketh counsell of the dead 2 Oraculous and this was practised by wicked spirits in Oracles and answers in Idols and in possessed persons by the suggestion of the Devill and such were the Oracles of Apollo which were alwaies doubtfull This superstitious Divination God never revealed to man 2 Supernaturall and this is onely revealed to man by God and this is not properly Prognostication but Prophesying and this was Solomons Divination so that he may rather be said to Prophesie then to Prognosticate 3 Naturall and this a man may fore-shew by probable conjecture arguing from the cause to the effects Ex similibus causis similes producuntu effectus The effects are produced according to the nature and quality of the knowne causes the Naturall efficients are Elements Planets Starres Meteors c. which have their effects the effect of this efficient is a voluntary action by which the Principall which is God doth act and by it is helped assisted and furthered in producing the effect as the Master builder is helped by his Servants to build an house The Heavens and the Planets are efficients procreant causes by their operative Motions to bring forth or hinder the fruits of the earth and this is that which we called Astrology from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ratio stellarum as much as to say The reason of the Starres and Coelestiall effects and this Sir Christopher Heydon defines to be an Art

it Doth Mercury aspect with his fellowes and doth not God most commonly bring forth the winds out of his Store-house Psal 136. 8 9. Did God make great Lights the Sun to rule by day and the Moone and Starres to rule by night Can they rule and not operate according to their influentiall powers Iob 9. 7. God is said there to seale up the Starres in his anger to seale up their influences that they shall not operate according to their naturall and influentiall vertues and this God doth to scourge a sinfull Nation Did he not seale up the Heavens that it should not raine 1 King 18 And was not that Englands scourge Did he not restraine the sweet influences of the Pleyades not long since causing a sensible Dearth that Corne was sold at ten shillings a Bushell and many starved for want of Bread in the City of London The holy Ghost doth not say He hath sealed up the heavens that it shall not raine but the Starres to shew that they operate or not operate upon sublunary things as secondary causes according to the good pleasure will and command of the first cause which is God I could instance in many more but these shall suffice I come to confirm it 2 By reason I shall instead of many give these two Reasons why they must operate 1 Because hereby they glorifie and praise their Creator It is the voice of the Celestiall Lights to praise God Job 38. 7. when the Morning Stars sang together or as the old Translation When the Stars of the morning praised me together Now how did they praise God Even by declaring his wisdome power and goodnesse And how did they that By manifesting the same by their effectuall operation in working according to those influentiall vertues God had given them And then it followes all the Sons of God shouted for joy or as the old Translation renders it and all the children of God rejoyced The children of God meaning the Angels so Iunius and not that these words should be an explicatory to the former part of the verse as though the Stars of the morning should be the Children or Sons of God for I can see no reason why that should be wrested figuratively when it may be taken literally and that this is the meaning do but compare this place with the 148. Psalm vers 2 3 4. where he saith Praise yee him all his Angels and in vers 3. Praise yee him Sun and Moone paise yee him all yee Stars of light Praise him yee Heavens of Heavens that is the whole Heaven called Heaven of Heavens in regard of the spheres and scituation of the sixed Stars and Planets Here you see the Angels and Stars are distinguished 3 They operate because God made them for this end not to be idle but to operate for the use of Man Psal 8. 3. When I behold thine Heavens even the works of thy fingers the Moone and the Stars which thou hasi ordained To what end hath he ordained them but to serve Man and to work for this use and therefore he goeth on in the fourth verse What is man that thou art mindfull of him c. 3 It is confirmed not onely by Scripture and by reason but also By Experience Aristotle saith That the Elements and all things which are composed of the Elements do testifie that their vertues and naturall motions do depend upon the activity of the heavenly motions and influences We see daily that the Mariner by foreseeing the rising setting and culmination of some tempestuous Stars and their conjunction and anglings with the Planets hath an expert conjecture of storms and tempests and such Meteorologicall effects which are dangerous on Sea whereby he is prepared against danger Plato saith Mutationes opportunitatesque temporum praesentire non minus rei militari quam agriculturae navigationique convenit It is convenient not only for the Souldier but also for the Husbandman and Mariner to foresee the alterations and opportunities of times and seasons Virgil shewes what evident tokens are foreseene by the Sun and Moone Georg. Sol quoque exoriens cum se condet in undas Signa dabit solem certissima signa sequuntur Et quae manè refert quae surgentibus astris Ille ubi nascentem maculis variaverit ortum Conditus in nubem medioque refugerit orbe Suspecti tibi sint imbres c. And then he saith Sol tibi signa dabit Solem quis discere falsum Audeat Now let a man know more then a Common Student then he is accounted a Conjurer he deals with the Divill c. Let a man draw and erect a Scheame of the Heavens and thereby calculate his Nativity c. and frame a Judgement upon that be it according to the judgement and experience of antient Writers which cannot be taxed with the scandall of dealing with the Divell presently he is censured at the Barre of indiscretion he ascribes fatality to the Stars and that this must be the Position of the Heavens tell him so Who doth so Doth Master Booker Doth Master Lilly whom yee terme fatall men and meere Naturalists What did Moses What did David What did Solomon of whom something anon I shall say no more but onely this That it is no point of wisdom to derogate from and thereby scandalize the worth and reputation of the well deserving But to proceed I must needs here taxe foure sorts of people the Proposition being confirmed and I hope sufficiently proved to a wise man verbum sat sapienti 1 Those that ascribe fatality to to the Stars These indeed overreach themselves thinking that the Stars are answerable to their doubts and demands upon a necessary tye these indeed are meer Naturalists Animals that will tye the first cause to the secondary And because the Heavens promise so much it must needs be 2 Those that deny any Influence at all being Ignorants These undervalue the second Cause and the powers and instruments by which God works and effects according to ordinary meanes These thinke that no Influentiall vertue from the heavenly bodies beare any sway at all in Generation and corruption in this elementall world These assigne a slight superficiall even a no power to the secondary causes at all They consider not the Sun the Moone and Stars how pure how bright how wonderfull big how far in distance how manifold their Motions how constant in their Periods c. they are and so ascribe no more Influentiall power unto them then they doe unto the signe of the Sun and Moone hung up in London streets to call in Twelve a clocke Drunkards Nay the Elephant the Cynocephalus and the Ant the Pismire and other creatures shall naturally by their actions and passions more confesse the Heavenly Powers then those ignorant c. Such as those will not ascribe so much vertuall radiation and force to the Celestial bodies as they see before their eyes in a little peece of a Magnes or Magneticall

sensualis servet astris ut Nero qui sanctus dominatur astris ut Ioshua A wise man useth the Starres like a good Astrologer a sensuall man serves the Starres like Nero An holy man doth as it were governe the Starres because he feares them not they worke for his good they fight for him as they did for Barak against Sisera Judges 5. 20. and was not this revealed extraordinarily by the spirit of Prophecy to the Prophetesse Debora Judges 4. 3. Consider as God hath endued a man with Reason Wisedome and understanding so he hath in some measure endued him with Judgement as God who is the first and principall cause doth worke ordinarily by the second causes so he hath given Judgement to man to shew set forth finde out and predict the effects of the second causes according to their nature and quality and so I come to the fourth Proposition 4 That it is not unlawfull to predict and prognosticate according to the knowne nature and quality of those received influences The precedent Premises being considered the ingenious will confesse this Proposition to be a consequent Qualis causa talis effectus and the causes being knowne the effects cannot be hid and therefore this being thus probable it needs no great demonstration And it being thus probable by the former Propositions Non eget probatione nisi apud homines aut parum aequos aut stolidos It needs no probation unlesse to men that are not rationall or foolish But I shall shew two things in this Proposition viz. The 1 Defence 2 Fence of Predictions In the first Predictions are defended in the second bounded and limited 1. Defended It is not unlawfull to predict There is a difference between licitum and non illicitum a thing lawfull and a thing not unlawfull had I found Predictions in the Scripture absolutely commanded I should have said then That it is lawfull to predict but because I finde them no where forbidbidden neither explicitely nor implicitely therefore I say That it is not unlawfull because not forbidden But then some will say Doth not the Lord in the tenth of Ieremy and the second forbid it when he saith Object Learne not the way of the Heathen and be not afraid for the signes of Heaven though the Heathen be afraid of such The glosse upon the place runs thus God forbiddeth his people to give credit to or feare the constellations and conjuctions of Stars and Planets which have no power of themselves but are governed by him and their secret motions and influences are not knowne to man and therefore there can be no certaine judgement thereof Deut. 18. 9. thus the glosse and therefore they say 'T is forbidden For answer hereunto I shal answe and open the Text before the glosse and they shall finde no such matter First for the Text Answ Learne not the way of the Heathen What was their way 't is expounded in Deut. 18. 9. their way is called an abomination Thou shalt not learne to doe after the abominations of those Nations now what their abominations were you may read forward in the 10. 11. ver Let not any be found among you that maketh his Son or his Daughter to passe through the fire Lev. 18. 21. they passed to Molech which was an Idol of the Ammonites to whom they burned and sacrificed their Children as you may read 2 King 23. 10. Or that useth Witchcraft or as the new Translation that useth Divination what this Divination was I have told before Or a regarder or observer of times that is that doth superstitiously observe times as the Heathen did as before The Roman Lawes made aginst them that were called Mathematici Chaldae Arioli and Divinatores were made against those that Moses speakes of in 18. Deut. of whom Vlpian lib. 7. De officio proconsulis Or a marker of the flying of Fowls or as the new Translation or an Inchanter such as were the wicked Aegyptians Or a Sorceaer or Witch or a Charmer in the 18. of Levit. 27. there 't is expounded such a man or woman that hath a spirit of Divination or Sooth-saying in them such an one was the cunning woman of Endor who is said in 1 Sam. 28. 7. to have a familiar spirit and therefore such an one is called A consislter with familiar spirits Or a Sooth-sayer the new Translation a Wizzard or that asketh counsell at the dead or as the new Translation a Necromancer These be the waies even the abominations of the Heathenish and superstitious Aegyptians which the Children of Israel must not learne Then it followes And be not afraid for the signes of Heaven for the Heathen are afraid or dismayed at them Is this Astrology that is forbidden here No sure yet suppose that by these signes of the Heavens should be meant the influences of the signes What doe you conclude that the Art is forbidden because by the Heathens abused No looke with the eye of Judgement upon the words and you shall finde that the Art it selfe is not reprehended but the vaine confidence that the Heathen did put in the Art therefore he saith Be not afraid as though he should say The Heathens did so much trust to their Diviners that told them what successe should be expected by the signes of the Heavens that they did feare if a prosperous successe were not predicted but they looked onely upon the secondary causes but you my Children looke upon me the first cause and therefore be not afraid of the signes of Heaven as the Heathens were who knew me not though they promise no good successe I am above them I can make the Starres in their course fight for you as you know I did against Sicera Judges 5. 20. c. Now how it is forbiddin in this place to predict and so judge of the effects by the nature of the causes Thus for the Text now 2 For the Glosse It is certaine that a man may be a good Divine yet no Astronomer And for the Glosse I am perswaded that it was neither Junius nor Tremelius upon the Text but it was crept in and thrust in by I know not whom for marke what he saith God forbiddeth his people to give credit to or feare the constellations and conjunctions I am sure 't is nothing to the Text and then secondly how doth this expound it when as a glosse should make a thing plainer then the Text it selfe Can any man that hath knowledge in Astronomy thinke that by Signes should be meant the Constellations when as a Constellation is the same that Sydus is even a knot of Starres compacted or as another saith Constellationes vocant notationes syderum quomodo se habeant cùm quis naseitur and how can this be understood by the word Signes when as 't is plaine that by signes there Rhetoricke will teach us is meant the influences of the Signes by a Figure called a Metonymy where the cause is put for the effect The