A42469:257
Thomas Gataker B.D. his vindication of the annotations by him published upon these words,…
Thomas Gataker B.D. his vindication of the annotations by him published upon these words, Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the heathen are dismayed at them, Jer. 10. 2 against the scurrilous aspersions of that grand impostor Mr. William Lillie : as also against the various expositions of two of his advocates, Mr. John Swan, and another by him cited, but not named : together with the annotations themselves : wherein the pretended grounds of judiciary astrology, and the Scripture-proofs produced for it are discussed and refuted.Thomas Gataker B.D. his vindication of the annotations by him published upon these words, Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signes of heaven, for the heathen are dismayed at them, Jer. 10. 2 against the scurrilous aspersions of that grand imposter Mr. William Lillie : as also against the various expositions of two of his advocates, Mr. John Swan, and another by him cited, but not named : together with the annotations themselvs : wherein the pretended grounds of judiciary astrologie, and the Scripture-proofes produced for it are discussed and refuted.
London: printed by J.L. for Richard Thrayle, 1653
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
But thus we have at length the full latitude of these mens interpretation of Moses his words, or Gods rather by Moses recorded; [Let the Lights of Heaven be Signs, not only to foreshow, what men bred and born under them shall be and shall do, and what evils shall betide them in life and in death, and to portend Rebellions and Ruins of Kingdoms, States and Churches; but efficacious Signs so to work upon men, as to make them thievish and lecherous, and disloyal, and furious; to make them subject to many miseries and disasters in their lives, and to bring them at length to such and such evil ends; and upon States to stir up people to sedition and Rebellion; and to subvert and utterly overthrow them, change their fundamental Laws, and to remove the Religion professed formerly among them.] All this and much more then this they ascribe to the Stars: and when we demand, where they find that God at first endued them with this power, they deem it answer sufficient to tell us, that God himself when he made them, said, Let them be for Signs. Is not this I say, non sanguinem elicere, but saniem exprimere? to wring Scripture, not until they make it yield blood, but until they squeeze out of it such rotten stuff, such purulent matter, as a man would wonder any Christian soul should not abhor?
But thus we have at length the ful latitude of these mens interpretation of Moses his words, or Gods rather by Moses recorded; [Let the Lights of Heaven be Signes, not onely to foreshew, what men bred and born under them shall be and shall do, and what evils shall betide them in life and in death, and to portend Rebellions and Ruines of Kingdomes, States and Churches; but efficacious Signes so to work upon men, as to make them thievish and lecherous, and disloyal, and furious; to make them subject to many miseries and disasters in their lives, and to bring them at length to such and such evil ends; and upon States to stir up people to sedition and Rebellion; and to subvert and utterly overthrow them, change their fundamental Laws, and to remov the Religion professed formerly among them.] All this and much more then this they ascribe to the Stars: and when we demand, where they find that God at first endued them with this power, they deem it answer sufficient to tel us, that God himself when he made them, said, Let them be for Signes. Is not this I say, non sanguinem elicere, but saniem exprimere? to wring Scripture, not until they make it yeild blood, but untill they sqize out of it such rotten stuff, such purulent matter, as a man would wonder any Christian soul should not abhor?