ASTROLOG Y. 
Yet tin’s Is nc more flrange tlnn tnte; for tliefe things 
frequently happen, and that by the imperceptible influ¬ 
ences of thofe heavenly afpets and ftars, which in their 
tourfes fought agaivjl Sifcra. (Jucjg. v. 20.) And by the 
fame rule, as many men, women, and children, are, on 
the. other hand, gathered together by a limilar force and 
virtue, to enjoy great and good fortune. 
“ Some perhaps will contend, that thefe operations of 
nature are incompatible with the free agency of man's 
will. But, if what has already been premifed be atten¬ 
tively ccnfidered, this fuppofition will immediately vanilh ; 
for God, who ordained the courfe of nature, certainly 
forefaw the minuted turn of every man’s will, and eventu¬ 
ally contrived his fate to correfpond therewith, fo as to 
admit its free and uncontrouled choice. And whoever 
denies this antecedent principle, or prefcience of God in 
the conftruftion of the world, denies one of his moll elfen- 
tial attributes. The will of man, without doubt, in a 
variety of indances, makes great druggies and wrelllings 
with the darry influences, both in good and in evil pur- 
iuits, and often prevails over them exceedingly : for, 
though a perfon be born under fuch benevolent or ma¬ 
lignant afpefts, as fltall point out his natural temper and 
difpofition, and indicate the principal tranfa&ions, fortu¬ 
nate or unfortunate, that are likely to be the didinguifliing 
marks of his life ; yet does it depend entirely upon the 
free uncontrouled will of that man, whether all thofe cir- 
ciundances, fo pointed out in his nativity, (hall come to 
pafs, or not; becaufe the free will in every man, when 
fortified by habits of virtue and wifdom, often enable him 
to over-rule thofe evil afpedls, lb as to avoid the commif- 
fion of any criminal offence, and to guard againd the mis¬ 
fortunes or folios impending over him; while men of a 
profligate and carelels habit not only lofe the advantages 
of a promifing nativity, but, if born under malevolent 
afpets, are often reduced to the laft ftage of diftrefs, and 
perilh under the very fame ftrokes of nature, which wildl¬ 
and better men, born in the fame inaufpicious moments, 
have endured with much eafe. And thus far fapiens do- 
minabitur afries, the wile man, above the fool, may rule 
liis'ftars. But we mud not forget, that under thefe ope¬ 
rations of fate, there are many indances fo powerful, that 
no wifdom of man can oppofe. Such are the fatal wounds 
of death, when nature’s glafs is run out, and Inch the 
violent blows of excruciating pain and ficknefs, and the 
high tides of profperity and adverfity ; in all which cales, 
we find by experience, ajlra regunt homines., the ftars rule 
and overpower men. Yet neverthelefs, fuch is the infi¬ 
nite prefcience and providence of God, that forefeeing the 
defires and defects of all wife and holy men, in their dif¬ 
ferent ages and times, he alfo laid their fates fuiting to 
their addons. He forefaw Jofeph’s prayers and tears in 
his captivity, and accordingly provided his advancement 
in nature to correfpond therewith. (See Gen. xxxvii. and 
xli.40. Pfal.cv. 18, 19, 20.) He forefaw Hannah’s faff¬ 
ing, and earned prayer, and ordained her opening womb 
to bud forth in courfe of nature exa6fiy anfwering there¬ 
to. (Sam. i. 10, n, See.) So that the wifdom and will of 
man has its full free work, without reftraint or controul; 
and grace and virtue a£l by their own principles; and yet 
nature, as it was contrived from all eternity, acts freely too. 
“ Now the fcience which we call AJlrotegy, is nothing 
more than the (tudy or inveftigation of this fiame or mo¬ 
del of nature, with all its admirable predictions and ef¬ 
fects; whereby we acquire a knowledge of the fccret vir¬ 
tues of the heavens, and the fhining luminaries therein 
contained. It is a fcience which all may attain to, by 
common diligence and application ; and, the more we de¬ 
light in it, the more readily do we forefee the motions of 
future events, and the curiofities of chance and natural 
accidents, and the courfes of luck by which both are go¬ 
verned, and the order of fate, unto which all of them are 
fubfervient; together with all the mod curious affs of ut- 
trabling and expelling, alluring and threatening, encou¬ 
raging and di(heartening, and all fuch-like operations of 
-Vol. II. No. 73. 
317 
nature, moll' fecretly and imperceptibly performed, beyond 
the reach of imagination. And, as by a fkill in this ({tidy 
we attain to fee and experience thing's that arc paft, fo by 
the fame (kill we attain to a knowledge of things which 
are to come; and, by knowing the time of our birth, are 
enabled to read in the heavens the (lory of our whole lives, 
our blcllings and erodes, honour and dilhonour, profpe¬ 
rity and adverfity, ficknefs and health, and all the years 
ol our life, and time of our death, even as though we had 
feen them tranfacted and come to pafs in their feverab 
times and feafons. For God hath afluredly given this 
knowledge unto the wife man, to know the lime and the judg¬ 
ment, and the number «f our days, that we may be certified, how 
long we have to live, with comfort and content: (Eccl. i. 5. 
Plal.xxxix. 4,5.) that we may be timely prepared for all 
(latesof profperity and adverfity, and that we may fupport 
ourfelves with fortitude and relignation, in proportion to 
our foreknowledge of thefe events. 
“ But many men will not believe, that by natural means 
all or any of this foreknowledge can be fairly and lawfully 
obtained, or that the influences attributed to the heavenly 
bodies have any foundation in truth. It is therefore ne- 
ceflary to bring fuch evidence in fupport of what has been 
advanced, as will be found incontrovertible and decifive ; 
and for this purpofe I inuft refer to the teftimony of thofe 
facred writings, in which the doctrine of this fcience is fo 
demonftrably proved, that it will be difficult to believe 
the one without admitting the other. Let us confider the 
account given by Mofes, of the creation of the heavenly 
bodies. God faid, “ Let there be lights in the firmament 
of heaven, to divide the day from the night; the greater 
light to rule the day, and the lelfer light to rule the night; 
and let them be for figns, and for feafons, and for days 
and years.” Thefe then were the purpofes for which 
they were ordained, and irrevocably fixed by their great 
Creator : firfl for lights ; for had they not had a place in 
the firmament, or were we deprived of their illuminating- 
rays, we fliould be inftantly overwhelmed with impenetra¬ 
ble darknefs. Secondly, they are to divide the day from 
the night; and this they never ceafe to do: for when the 
fun, the greater light, is funk five degrees below our ho¬ 
rizon, we call it night; for then the moon and ftars appear, 
and (lied their lefler light, and darknefs in Come degree is 
ipread around, and every thing declares it to be the (late 
ot night. But when the fun, that glorious fountain of life, 
light, and motion, begins to touch the eaftern verge of the 
horizon, darknefs is dil'pelled, light begins again to dawn, 
and the ftars which beautifully befpangle our hemifphere 
are foon obfeured by the full blaze of day ; but, as days 
and nights,are unequal, and never continue at one (lay, 
tliefe celeftial luminaries diftinguifii their refpetive reigns. 
Thirdly, they are for figns; not to brutes, for they have 
not the faculty of underftandiiig them ; nor to angels, for 
they continually behold the face- of God, and obey h<s 
will in the government of the heavenly bodies, at his plea- 
fure. Therefore, when God faith, Let them be for figns, he 
muft (peak in reference to man, whom he formed a ra¬ 
tional creature, capable of diftinguiftiing one fign from 
another, and of improving by them. Nor are we to look 
upon them as mere figns, like beacons upon a hill, or as 
only letting bounds todays, months, and years; but we 
are to confider them as figns and tokens of thofe hidden 
events of futurity, which it concerns every wife and good 
mail to know ; and which he may always forefee, by a 
virtuous and fober ftudy of thefe intelligent figns, placed 
for that purpofe in the firmament of heaven. And that 
this was the intent of them, is clearly demonftrated by the 
words of our Saviour, when he foretold the definition of 
Jerufalem, and the final confummation of all filings. His 
apoftles alked him, What (hall the figns of thefe things be ? 
I-ie replies, Earthquakes, famines,, and peftilences; fear¬ 
ful fghls in the heavens, and figns in the fun, in the moon, 
and in the,ftars. (Luke xxi. 6, 7, 11, 25, &c.) Such alfo 
was the (ign by which the eaftern fages difeovered the birth 
of our Saviour, aad the place of his nativity; and nume- 
4 M rous 
