Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	holy_a	nature_n	8,877	5	5.8462	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17971	Astrologomania: the madnesse of astrologers. Or An examination of Sir Christopher Heydons booke, intituled A defence of iudiciarie astrologie. Written neere vpon twenty yeares ago, by G.C. And by permission of the author set forth for the vse of such as might happily be misled by the Knights booke. Published by T.V. B. of D.	Carleton, George, 1559-1628.; Vicars, Thomas, d. 1638.	1624 (1624)	STC 4630; ESTC S107657	76,014	146

When the Fathers reproue Astrologie this is their purpose to reiect it for Predictions of future things This Prediction cannot be done without the Spirit of God The holy Prophets did make Predictions by that spirit If any shall attempt such things by the Starres then they answere the Starres were not made to haue the honour of the holy Prophets which they should haue if by them wee should come to the knowledge of things to come The Fathers say the Starres haue no other vse or end but to giue light and by their motion to measure the times The Knight saith they should haue an idle and vaine creation if this were all their vse so hee saith Pag. 2. Behold how farre these men proceed to censure not onely all learned men that stand against their fancy but the very Creation of God must bee censured if it stand against their madnesse God giue them a meeke spirit To satisfie the Knight in this that the Fathers in reprouing or reiecting Astrology doe it in respect of the Predictions that their Diuination and Predictions are vnlawfull That this was the thing which so troubled the Fathers hee may vnderstand by that which wee haue said and if that will not satisfie wee could bring enough S. Augustine saith Planetarios quos Mathematicos vocant plane consulere non desistebam quod quasi nullum eis esset sacrificium nulla preces ad aliquem spiritum ob Diuinationem dirigentur Quod tamen Christiana vera pietas consequenter repellit damnat And againe Iam Mathematicorum fallaces diuinationes impia deliramenta reicceram And againe Inde certissime collegi ea quae vera consideratis constellationibus dicerentur non Arte dici sed sorte quae autem falsa non artis imperitia sed sortis mendatio And again His omnibus consideratis non immerito creditur cum Astrologi mirabiliter multa vera respondent occulto instinctu fieri spirituum non bonorum quorum cura est has falsas noxias opiniones deastratibus fatis humanis mentibus inserere atque firmare non horoscopi notati inspecti aliqua arte quae nulla est And to this purpose Theodoret saith Vniuersum Diaboli genus in medio proposuit diuinatores ex syderibus prognostica profitentes somniorum interpres corum mendacia reprehendit poenas constituit It would bee a worke to fill a Booke if I should write all which the Fathers haue obserued to this purpose Let the Knight satisfie himselfe in this that the especiall cause why the Fathers reproue Astrologie is for that they take vpon them to foretell particular Euents fortuitall Which thing cannot bee done but by a Spirit though many times that Spirit may lye But without a Spirit this cannot bee performed by the common consent and torrent of the Fathers CHAP. X. The Censure of the Knights Diuinity THe boldnesse of many men is much to bee maruelled at in these euill licentious times who in colouring of corrupt Causes dare presume to vse the pretence of holy Scriptures turning and forcing Gods truth sometimes to iustifie the forgeries of Sathan which impiety as it proceeded from the Diuell the first corrupter of the truth so wheresoeuer it appeareth in other it doth bewray it selfe and sheweth euidently whom they imitate that vse it For Gods holy truth cannot be so spoken of as a matter of common Learning may be For smooth tearmes and a trim●…ed speech without a religious heart opening the truthes of Gods word will presently bee descried Whether this religious heart bee in the Knight or that hee hath presumed with vnclean hands to handle holy things let the Children of the Church iudge I will not charge him with prophane words as where hee speaking of the immortality of the Soule of the diuine Prouidence of the Miracles and Mysteries of Religion calleth these things meerly Theologicall or Metaphysicall Pag. 94. 95. Religion is Metaphysicall as it dependeth vpon the immediate will of God and not vpon the order of nature This wee passe ouer and come to try his spirit and sound his iudgement in Diuinity Whereas M. Chambers citeth the Prophet Esay 47. 12. 13. where the Prophet foreshewing the destruction of Babylon derideth the Astrologers so much vsed and honoured there who tooke vpon them to foretell calamities because their Predictions herein could not help Babilon After a fruitlesse Discourse wherein hee telleth vs that those Astrologers were Magitians at last hee affirmeth That the ruine of this Monarchy meaning Babylon was extraordinary beyond the compasse of naturall things and did no lesse transcend humane knowledge by naturall meanes to speake his owne words then the standing of the Sunne in the Heauens in the dayes of Ioshua or the going backe thereof in the time of Hezekiah Which things being miraculous and not naturall the Astrologer cannot foretell And such hee affirmeth the destruction of Babylon to be Because God in his secret purpose had decreed to stirre vp the Medes against that people this determination depending as hee saith vpon the immediate will of God because Cyrus is named two hundred yeare before the accomplishment of that Prophesie because the Medes were subiect to the Babilonians and of small power because the surprise of Babylon was so sudden as Herodotus reporteth that the enemies found them eating drinking and dauncing And thus hee runneth on and telleth the Reader that these are reasons to proue that the destruction of Babylon was not naturall but miraculous depending vpon the immediate will of God what hee meaneth by the immediate will of God I know not But this we know that the Miracles that are wrought only by the Word or immediate will of God are such as being done without meanes causeth the naturall man to wonder whose knowledge can reach no higher then as it is led by meanes Therefore the standing of the Sunne in the time of Ioshua and the going backe therof in Hezekiah his sight such like works were Miracles because they were done without naturall meanes and against the ordinary Course of Nature and beyond the knowledge of the naturall man But what Diuines hold the destruction of Babylon to bee a Miracle Here were all the meanes vsed that are vsuall in other destructions the meanes are well vnderstood by the Heathen Historiographers that neuer found any Miracle herein The force of Men great Armies a valiant and politicke King Cyrus against a feeble and dissolute King Belshazzer a man without vertue and foresight What Miracle doe you see heere Herodotus recordeth as the Knight also noteth Pag. 36. when the Medes on a Festiuall day had entred on the one side of the City the other part was ignorant thereof being wholly giuen ouer to dancing and merriment This the Knight noteth to proue that this destruction was miraculous not by naturall meanes Did euer man reason thus before Is it a Miracle that a vigilant wise valiant Army should ouerthrow a carelesse

effects in these inferiour Bodies For that influence which is apparant in the Moone and Sunne may bee gathered in other Planets This is granted concerning such Bodies as are subiect to their Vertue But here to cut off their long idle discourses to bring our disputation to a short issue the question is Whether the Stars are naturall causes of those euents which the Astrologers presume to foretell For these men meddle onely with mens actions If Astrologie stayed it selfe in this to foretell the naturall Humours or their effects which shall be in such Plants and Bodies as are somewhat gouerned by Planets it might seeme to haue some likelihood But with this they meddle little or nothing their curiosity is about mens Fortunes Now the Principles by which the Astrologer commeth to his conclusion are no naturall Principles but Sorcery For curious men wandring after the knowledge of hid and vnknowne things seeke the cloake and pretence of an Art and haue called it Astrologie which they seeke to bring within the bounds of Naturall Philosophy when as their Principles haue no Affinity with naturall causes but with those illusions which Sathan inuenteth to deceiue and draw away simple and vnstable Soules into an admiration of curious and impious sleights and vanities Let Philosophers iudge of these Principles That a Sextile and Trine Aspect are fortunate but a Quadrate vnfortunate That the first House signifieth the life and body of him that is borne the second his riches the third Brethren the fourth Parents the fist Children the sixt sicknesse the seauenth Marriage the eighth Death the ninth Religion and God the tenth Rule and Dignities the eleuenth the good Spirit the twelfth the euill Spirit That in each of these the three Lords of the Triplicities haue their seuerall Vertues and significations As in the first House the first Lord of the Triplicity must shew the Life and nature of him that is borne The second Lord of the Triplicity the force and strength of his Body The third his oldage and with such conceits you must-runne through the rest That in whose House Mercury is found to occupy the dignities of Mars Aries then ascending it will dispose him to Contention Are these and such like naturall Principles Or are they meanes subordinate betweene a naturall cause and a naturall effect The way to bring any thing to the knowledge of a man is either by probable Sillogisme or by demonstation or by faith Now these things stand not by demonstration themselues doe not challenge that neither can they stand by Logicall deduction For what absurdity or improbability would follow if a man deny any of these things Nay what absurdity were it withoutreason to yeeld to any It remaineth then if any man know these things hee must know them by faith but not by that faith which God taught his Church therefore by that faith which the Diuell teacheth CAP. II. That the Conclusions of Astrologers cannot by naturall Reason be drawne from their Principles THat these things may the more clearely appeare wee will shew that those men who haue farthest pierced and with greatest Learning and Iudgement searched through all the poynts of Naturall Philosophy haue reiected these vanities and branded them with the Title of Magicall Superstitions and Sorceries excluding them from all parts of naturall knowledge and good Learning But of this in his due place Heere let vs follow this poynt in hand a little further Wee may better vnderstand the meaning of these men by their owne examples For in their Disputations they are neuer willing to come to the point but they mince the question and like men oppressed with feares which Iudgement followeth the maintainers of an euill cause they seeme to looke euery way for helpe and thus forsooth they come warily to the matter The starres incline the humour the humour inclineth the body the body inclineth the minde through all these inclinations the starres come at last to worke vpon the Soule But the force of the Starres is spent in many inclinations before it come to the Soule that they dare not say it worketh directly vpon the minde no not vpon the body but onely vpon the humour for so the Knight saith This being brought either to a Mathematicall demonstration or to a probable Sillogisme would proue a feeble consequence and yet in disputation they are affraid to proceed any further here they sticke But if you looke vpon their examples wherein they set the glory of their Art you shall finde another matter For in the examples of their Predictions they foretell the deaths of Princes vpon such a day the fortunes of Kings the ruines of Kingdomes the ouerthrow of Armies Compare their Principles with their Conclusions and there is matter to wonder at the absurdity or to laugh at the folly For from these Principles the Starres incline onely the humor the humor only inclineth the body the body onely inclineth the minde this Conclusion will hardly be gotten that therefore the Starres incline the minde But they proceed from these inclinations to Predictions of the greatest Euents which euents whether they can be concluded by naturall Reason let vs consider And because this Gentleman might happily deny the examples brought by others as not proceeding from naturall causes therefore to preuent all his exceptions I will insist onely in those examples which himselfe bringeth wherin he glorieth much Paulus tertius warned his Sonne long before of the very day of his death Pag. 81. Picus being foretold by three Astrologers that hee should not liue aboue the age of thirty three yeares confirmed the Prediction Pag. 193. Gauricus warned Henry 2. French King not to run at Tilt in the 41. yeare of his Age for that the Starres did then threaten a wound in his head Pag. 194. The Bishop of Vienna by Astrology assured Don Fredericke then seruing the Duke of Bourgundy that he should be King of Naples Ibid. The same Bishop of Vienna did foretell the two ouerthrowes of Charles Duke of Bourgundy Ibid. These examples he rangeth with the forewarnings of Spurinae to Caesar of Publius Nigidius and Theagenes concerning Augustus of Scribonius and Thrasillus touching Tiberius of Ptolomy and Seleucus to Otho of Ascletarian to Domitian Pag. 193. Now if this Knight or any other man of Learning can shew vs that these euents were naturall euents of the Stars or that the Starres were naturall causes of these things and that by Astrology these things may beeforeseene as in their naturall causes then will wee honour Astrologie But how will they conclude It will not serue to say the Starres moued the humour the humour moued the Body the body affecteth the minde therefore King Henry 2. shall haue a wound in his head in the 41. yeare of his Age. Neither will it serue to say at his Birth the Lord of the ascendant did behold Saturne the greater misfortune and Mars the lesse misfortune with quadrat Aspect or Opposition or the Lord of the

the like secrecies in Astrologicall Diuination This knowledge that thus flyeth the light sheweth euidently whence it commeth Iamblicus disputing against Porphyry telleth vs that Porphyry following Astrologicall diuination went not foundly to the way of foretelling but the Egyptian way was as hee thought the surer Both did seeke to know the Lord of the Figure which in truth was a Diuell but they were not well agreed to what Diuell to giue the place but the Egyptians saith hee went more directly to it Quidnam prohibet figurae dominum atque daemonem per Astrologiam quidem difficile inueniri facillime vero per diuinum vaticinium atque sacrificia Where hee plainly confesseth that Dominus figurae whom the Astrologers seeke so much is in truth Daemon a Diuell Sir you vnderstand by this how your Astrologie is censured There is no certainty in it till you come to Magicke that is the sure way so that Iamblicus telleth you that Astrologers doe but spend the time in vaine till they come to the Egyptian sacrificing that is to plaine Magicke Plotinus qui inscribitur si faciant astra saith as Macrobius citeth him Pronunciat Plotinus nihil vi vel potestate corum hominibus euenire sed ea quae decreti necessitas in singulis sanxit ita per horum septem transitum statione recessiue monstrari vt aues seu praeter volando seu stando futura pnnis vel voce significant nes ientes Whereby it appeareth that in his iudgement there is no more naturall cause of a particular Euent in the Starres then in the flying of Birds And therefore these things being shut out from naturall Causes are found onely amongst diabolicall Superstitions My purpose is heerein to refute Astrologicall Predictions as standing against nature by the voyce of the naturall man by Philosophers and the confessions of them that haue beene reputed most learned in that fession And I haue dealt little with Diuines I will adde a few Origen vpon the Booke of Numbers expounding those words There is no Sorcery in Iacob nor Diuination in Israell in due time it shall bee reuealed to Iacob and Israell what the Lord will doe speaketh of the curiosity which men by vnlawfull meanes vse in seeking the knowledge of things to come Hee sheweth that there are but two waies to know those things either from God as the Prophets spake or from the Diuell as all other doe that seeke the knowledge of particular Euents Est talis quaedam saith he in Ministerio praesciētiae operatio Daemonum qua artibus quibusdam ab ijs qui se Daemonibus maciparint colligitur And expounding the latter part of that Verse In tempore dicitur Iacobo Israeli quid perficiet Deus Quid est saith he in tempore dicetur cum oportet expedit hoc est in tempore Si ergo expedit pranoscere nos futura diceture Deo per Prophetam Dei per spiritum sāctum Si vero non dicuntur neque denuntiantur scito quia nobis non expedit futura pranoscere Quod si idcirco non dicuntur nobis quia nobis ea scire non expedit qui diuersis artibus daemonum inuocationibus gestiunt futura praenoscere quid aliud faciunt nisi ea cupiunt discere qua sibi scire non expedit And a little after after A solo Deo debemus de futuris discere neque diuinum neque augurem neque aliud quodcunque horum recipere The Knight would make Origen to stand for Astrologie and produceth a testimony of Origen as he dreameth out of the narration of Ioseph in which Iacob is said to tell his Sonnes that Heauen was a Booke wherein they might reade whatsoeuer should befall them This howsoeuer the Knight thought worthy his Relation yet I doe not account it worthy my Refutation It is grosse ignorance or wilfull collusion to thinke that Origen gaue credit to any such Booke or wrote any such thing it is true that many such tricks are put vpon Origen by deceiuers and thrust in amongst his workes of which Origen complained in his life time confessing that his workes were interpolated by couseners but for this particular 1. It is against the vsuall Doctrine of Origen in other places 2. It is reiected by the Church as fabulous 3. It is refuted by S. Augustine and others Augustine teacheth no otherwise speaking of Astrologie and of Diuination in generall He saith Omnes Artes huiusmodi vel nugatoria velnoxiae superstitionis ex quadam pestifera societate hominum Daemonum Hee calleth it pestifera curiositas crucians sollicitudo mortifera seruitus And reckoning all the kindes of Magicke haruspicum Augurum libros ligaturas remedia in praecationibus Characteribus and other things of that sort at last hee saith Nec ab hoc genere pernitiosae superstitionis segregandi sunt qui genethliaci propter natalium dierum considerationes nunc autem vulgo Mathematici vocantur For anciently these were not called Mathematici and therefore hee seemeth loth to giue them that name as a name vndue to their occupation For himselfe obserueth so much Non cos appellarunt Mathematicos veteres qui nunc appellantur sed illos qui temporum numeros motu coeli ac Syderum peruestigarunt This amongst the Ancients was the knowne Subiect of the Mathematickes the supputation of times by the motion of the Starres And anciently Predictions were neuer accounted any part of the Mathematickes The Knight vtterly scorneth this ancient vse as idle and vaine without Predictions For an answere to S. Augustine the Knight telleth vs that S. Augustine reproueth onely such as either follow the Idolatry of the Heathen or suppose a fatall necessity in those things that depend vpon our will in all things else confessing the gouernment of the Heauenly Bodies and both the Starres to haue their properties and the Astrologer to know the same This was soon said and boldly but when will it be proued The truth is that S. Augustine and the rest of the Fathers reproue Astrologie for the vaine curiosity of foretelling things to come which cannot bee foretold but by God and his Prophets or to the Diuell and his Prophets This is that which moued the Fathers against Prediction because a Prediction cannot bee foretold but by the Spirit of God This saith Origen this saith S. Augustine That the Predictions of those that are called genethliaci is nothing but pernitiosa superstitio Cyrill writing against Iulian the Apostate answereth an Obiection that Iulian hath made that Abraham was an Astrologer that hee did vse Diuination or Prediction by the Starres Cyrill answereth that there is no such Diuination or Prediction the Starres haue no such vse they were not made for any such thing but as hee saith Factum ab ipso Deo dicimus Astrorum chorum non quod sanctorum Prophetarum dignitatem habeat vel aliud quicquam preter quam vt luceant hominibus sint in signa temporum