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…

Now, that the success of every creature is in God, not in the stars, we may see; first, in the order of the creation; God created the earth, and commanded it to bring forth fruit upon the third day, but the lights in the firmament were made the fourth day: The earth can bring forth without the midwifery or help of the heavens. God himself made the earth fruitful without, yea, before the stars were made.¹ Upon which one of the Ancients gives this observation, Surely (saith he) the Lord in his providence made the earth fruitful in all its glory, before he put the stars in the heavens, to the intent to make men see that the fruitfulness of the earth doth not depend upon the heavens or stars; God needs neither the rain of the clouds, nor the warmth of the Sun to produce these effects. He that made all second causes to work in their ranks, can work without the intervention of any second cause. And because the Lord fore-saw men would dote much upon second causes, and venture to prognosticate by the heavens the fates of men, and the fruitfulness of the earth, therefore he made the earth fruitful before he made Arcturus, or placed those constellations in the heavens.

Now, that the successe of every creature is in God, not in the stars, we may see; first, in the order of the creation; God created the earth, and commanded it to bring forth fruit upon the third day, but the lights in the firmament were made the fourth day: The earth can bring forth without the midwifery or help of the heavens. God himself made the earth fruitfull without, yea, before the stars were made.¹ Upon which one of the Ancients gives this observation, Surely (saith he) the Lord in his providence made the earth fruitfull in all its glory, before he put the stars in the heavens, to the intent to make men see that the fruitfulnesse of the earth doth not depend upon the heavens or stars; God needs neither the rain of the clouds, nor the warmth of the Sun to produce these effects. He that made all second causes to work in their ranks, can work without the intervention of any second cause. And because the Lord fore-saw men would dote much upon second causes, and venture to prognosticate by the heavens the fates of men, and the fruitfulnesse of the earth, therefore he made the earth fruitfull before he made Arcturus, or placed those constellations in the heavens.