An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…

But shall man from them prognosticate and fore-tell extraordinary events? as when there shall be famine and pestilence, war and trouble in Nations? This the Lord abhorreth. The counsels of God about these things are written in his own heart; what is man that he should transcribe them from the heavens? But if men will say, they are written there; God will blot out what they say, and prove theirs to be but humane divinations, yea, that they were received from hell, not written in heaven. (Isa. 47.13.) I will destroy the signs of them that divine, let now the Astrologers, the star-gazers, the monthly Prognosticators stand up and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee: Behold, they shall be as stubble, they shall not be able to deliver themselves. It is good to be a star-beholder, but a wicked thing to be a star-gazer; that is, to look upon the stars, so, as if we could spell out the secret providences of God, and ⟨p. 220⟩read future events in the book of those creatures. It is our duty to look upon the heavens, as they declare the glory of God; but it is a sin to look upon the heavens, as if they could declare the destinies, fates and fortunes of men. All which vanities are largely and learnedly confuted by M Perkins, in his book called, The resolution of the Country-man about Prognostications.

But shall man from them prognosticate and fore-tell extraordinary events? as when there shall be famine and pestilence, war and trouble in Nations? This the Lord abhorreth. The counsels of God about these things are written in his own heart; what is man that he should transcribe them from the heavens? But if men will say, they are written there; God will blot out what they say, and prove theirs to be but humane divinations, yea, that they were received from hell, not written in heaven. (Isa. 47.13.) I will destroy the signs of them that divine, let now the Astrologers, the star-gazers, the monethly Prognosticatours stand up and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee: Behold, they shall be as stubble, they shall not be able to deliver themselves. It is good to be a starre-beholder, but a wicked thing to be a starre-gazer; that is, to look upon the stars, so, as if we could spell out the secret providences of God, and ⟨p. 220⟩