Concerning Comets, Chapter 10 – Title page 1
CHAP. X.
That Blazing Stars are commonly signs of evil Events, therefore not to be slighted; nor this last Blazing Star which is attended with such rare Conjunctions of the Planets. Judicial Astrologers condemned. The Conclusion.
FRom the things which have been expressed, We may rationally conclude, that all the wise Men who lived in all former Ages were not altogether mistaken wh…n they believed that Comets are forerunners of some great and commonly miserable Events hastening upon the World. Judicious Zanchy (as well as Mede) conceives that by the Pillars of Smoke spoken of in the Prophet Joel, as portentous of the amazing and terrible things which were coming upon the Jewish Nation Blaz…ng Stars are meant, he saith that when he lived at Strasburge, there was a Comet seen; after which the death of some great Personages, and civil Wars in France ensued: and addeth aDe operibus Dei, L. 3. C. 2.that if we read and observe Histories, we shall find that thus it hath been ever since the World begun, that Comets have never appeared, but soon after, miserable Wars, mortal Diseases, &c. have followed. So that they are preachers of divine wrath, and the consequences of them prove fatal unto some or other, in which respect all ought to walk with an holy fear of the infinite Majesty, who doth whatsoever he pleaseth in Heaven and Earth, in the Sea and in all deep places, and accordingly caufeth such tokens to appear in the Heavens when it seemeth good unto him. And whereas, Droughts, Caterpillars, Tempests, Inundations, Sicknesses, are frequently known to follow upon the appearance of such Phaenom…na's, I see no sufficient reason why we should not suppose them to be not only signal but causal thereof; and perhaps of Earth-quakes bNon defuerunt qui excoeli observatione terrae-motum praedicerent. Philo.also. It is undubitable that the true Planets and fixed Stars have a natural influence into such things, though the manner of their operation is by us silly Mortals undeclarable. Gen. 1. 14. Deut. 33. 13, 14. Judg. 5. 20. Job 38. 31, 32, 33. And therefore it is not impossible but that Comets may have the like natural influence, especially when they are near to the Sun, a…d that therefore the Blaze proceeding from them reacheth the Earth, though by us undiscernable. The light which the Moon receiveth from the Sun hath a physical and wonderful influence upon the Earth, so may the Beams which blaze through a Cometical body have likewise. As to their natural operation, they may have different effects, causing Droughts in one place, inundations in another, Earth quakes in another, &c. according to the occult qualities which are in the subjects of their influence. And whereas, Wars, Commotions, Persecutions Heresies, the Death of Princes, Changes, and overturnings in the World do usually happen after the appearance of such Stars, they seem to be only signal and not causal of such events. The reasons alledged by some to prove that Comets have a physical influence into such effects are not solid. I should therefore rather conclude, that they are signs of such things to follow only in respect of their Ʋniversal and supernatural cause, God having ordained them for that end, that so the Inhabitants of the World, when they behold such fearful sights might thereby be awakened unto repentance. I know some Learned Men do not assent unto this conclusion. Scaliger laughs at their conceit who cDe subtilitate exercit. 79.suppose that Comets threaten Kings and Kingdomes. Budritius dReferente Keckermanno in Syst. Phys. L 6. P. 742.hath published a Tractate, whose design is to prove the contrary. And the truth is, that the Arguments insisted on by the Admirers of Aristotle are srivolous; And when they speak of Comets falling upon the Earth, and so infecting the Air, and tell us that sometimes Stones of a Sulphurous nature have fallen down out of them, their phansies are ridiculous. But it doth not follow that a principle is not true, because it hath been weakly maintained by some that have undertaken its Patronage. The weightiest objection against the inference which we adhere unto, is, That there have been some happy Comets, and that the evils pretended to follow after them, have sometimes hapned when no Comet hath appeared. Tacitus calls that an happy Blazing Star which was seen before Nero's Death, because it signified the do wnfal of one that had a malignant influence upon the whole Earth; Others mention the Comets that were observed before Wickliff, Huss, and Luther began to publish the Gospel, as happy Omens that the light of truth should be dispersed in the World. But truly, the number of instances on this hand, is so small and inconsiderable, that it cannot invalidate their Assertion, who affirm that Blazing Stars are most commonly portentous of evil Events. And if we should say as some do that the appearance of a Comet is like the coming of a New Ruler to the people, eV. Keckerman in eodem libro P. 732.Either a great good or a great evil, there is room left to fear the worst. Moreover, as there are contrary Interests in the World, so that may be happy for one, that will be woful for the other. And although such evil Events as those in the preceding Chapters related, have sometimes hapned without any blazing star immediately forerunning, that doth not prove, that when such signs do appear in heaven, they are not signal of miseries not far off. Wars & commotions have hapned though Armies have not been seen fighting in the Air. Will any man therefore say, that such apparitions are not to be accounted ominous or significative that evils of that nature are like to ensue? However, it is certainly much better for men to fear and prepare for the worst, then that Judgement should overwhelm them in their sin and security. A Jesuit confesseth, fRicciolus p. 34.that when Johannes de Capistrano upon the appearance of a Comet. A. D. 1460. declared in his publick Sermons, that except the world did reform their lives and wayes, they might justly expect that great Calamities were at hand, it was both piously and prudently done of him. It is dangerous for men to jest with such awful works of God. They that do so are guilty of worse then barbarous prophaness: and such persons (be they high or low) seldome long escape the vengeance of Heaven. Some have observed that gAlsted. Theologiae Naturalis par… 2. p. 300.when Pericles slighted a great Eclipse of the Moon. it proved a fatal Eclipse to him, and to those that he was concerned in. And Vespasian's Example should teach men to be careful how they despise such Works of God. Lege Historiam ne fias Historia. The merciful and righteous God useth to discharge his Warning pieces before his Murdering pieces go off. Thrice happy they who take the Warning. I know not but that the possessed man might speak Truth, who affirmed the best Verse in Virgil to be that, Discite justitiam moniti & non temnere Numen.
And as for this last Blazing Star, which is generlly disregarded amongst Men in the World, it seemeth to be the more Ominous, in that some …are Conjunctions of the Superiour Planets happen this year also. October 20. There was a Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Leo, there having been in the praeceding MonethMonth of September, first a Conjunction of Iupiter and Mars, and then of Saturn and Mars in the same sign. And (which is notable because unus…al) these two superiour Planets make two Conjunctions more in the same sign, the one in the next MonethMonth, viz. on the thirtieth of Ianuary, in the 18. Degree of Leo; the other the sixth of May next in the sixteenth Degree of the same sign. As for those great Conjunctions of all the Planets which happen but once in 794. years, there have been but seven of them since the World begun. The second of which was attended with Noah's Flood. The third with the overthrow of Pharaoh, when the Children of Israel were brought out of the Land of Aegypt. The fourth with the Captivity of the Ten Tribes. The fifth with the beginning of the Christian, and the Destruction of the Iewish World. The sixth with the division of the Empire in the dayes of Car…us Magnus. The Last was 79. years ago. A Learned and Judicious Author hAls…edius in Chronol. Cap. 48.saith of it that as the foundation of Rome was laid at the same time when the Children of Israel were carried into Captivity by the Assyrians under the fourth of these Conjunctions, so the seventh ere the consequents or concomitants of it be over, will be attended with the conversion of the Iews, and the utter ruin of Rom…, which he thinks will come to pass in the year 1694. About which time some others conjecture that great things will be accomplished in the World. Mr. Brightman on Rev. 9. 15. concludeth that the present Turkish Power shall not be continued beyond the year 1696. Dr. M…or supposeth that the time allotted for the Reign of Antichrist will expire about the year 1692. Dis Moulin's judgement was that the Pope shall not be able to make War with the Saints, so as to overc…me them any more, after the year, 1689. Outinam! Others conceive that Annus 1688. will be a year of wonders, which brings to mind the Verses published by Regiomontanus above two hundred years ago,
Octuagesimus Oct avus mirabilis annus
Ingruet, & secum Tristia …ata tra…et.
Whether any of these have gueffed right, he that lives thirteen years hence, will be better able to say: I am apt to believe that ere this Century be expired, there will be very great Revolutions in the World. But besides these general ones, there are particular Conjunctions of the two Superiour Planets, which meet together once in (about) 20 years, and use to continue in their conjunction, until Mars come and joyn with them; and then it is admirable to behold three great Stars shining in the same sign in the Heavens, without any scintillation, *v Kepler Epit. Astron. L. 6 P. 854.and these some call great Conjunctions 1Conjunctio Saturni & Jovis vocatur conjunctio magna quia res magnas portendit. Keckerman. Astron. L. I. C. 12.as portending great Events in the World. And such a conjunction there has & will be within this twelve moneths, besides several others, in the same year and in the same Sign in the Heavens (as but now was noted) which is admirable to consider; some say the like hath not been these two thousand years. And it being in one of the signs in the fiery Trigon, there are who conclude that great Desolations by burning are at hand. I find that some weighty Writers conceive that such rare Conjunctions are portentous not only of great Revolutions and Changes, but also of new and unheard of Diseases amongst Mortals. The judiciously learned Hospinian kDe origine Festorum Christianorum, P. 28.seems to incline unto this Opinion. It cannot be denied, but that the Planets have a great influence upon the Earth as to things which according to the course of nature are produced: The five lesser Planets are in the Scripture by way of eminency termed lBythner in Psalm 8. ver. 4.Stars of light, and are conjunctly mentioned with the Sun and Moon, as affording light, and being influential to the Earth beyond what may be affirmed of other Stars, Psal. 148. 3. therefore to observe the Motion of the Coelestial bodies, and what effects they do produce according to the ordinary course of nature, which the divine providence hath stated, is lawful and good, Turnheuserus reports (how he knew it to be so, I cannot tell) mReferente Keckermanno in System. Physic. P. 762.that the Holy Patriark Abraham, by occasion of the Comet which appeared A. M. 2018. was induced to study Astronomy, that so he might be the better able to judge of the nature and meaning of such works of God. All this notwithstanding the curiosity and presumption of Iudicial Astrologers, is not to be justified, who undertake peremptorily to Prognosticate, what the particular things are, (yea, and the places and persons concerned in them) that shall come to pass after such Configur…tions and Planetary Aspects. I have read of a Mahomedan Astrologer who did praedict a great inundation to be in Syria, A. D. 1095. because of a Conjunction of all the Planets (except Saturn) in the watery sign of Pisces, (like as it was before Noah's Flood) which fell out to be true. But such Astrologers have at other times come off with shame by their bold and rash predictions, as Calvisius, and Wendelinus have more then once noted e. g. A. D. 1186. because of rare Conjunctions of all the Planets then hapning; the Astrologers of those dayes declared that there would follow horrendous Tempests of Wind, and after that I know not▪ what miracles, nothing of which came to pass. Again, A. D. 1322. By reason of a notable Conjunction of the Planets in Libra, one John David (a great Astrologer at Toledo in Spain) and many others with him, sent forth his Proclamations abroad into the VVorld, declaring that that Conjunction of the Planets would be attended with Famine, Earth-quakes▪ and such a Storm of VVind▪ as that there would be no living above Ground, affirming that all the Philosophers and Astrologers in Spain, Arabia, and in Greece were of the same Opinion. But when these things should be accomplished, not a word of them proved true. Anoth…r on the like ground, declared that the World would end, Anno. 1464. Another from the like Planetary Conjunctions, prophesied that Anno. 1524. a General Deluge would overwhelm the Earth; which many injudicious people giving credit unto, got either into Ships or unto high Towers, lest haply the Astrologers flood should drown them. †v. Wendelin. Cont. Phys. Sect. 2. P. 349.But the event proved these predictions to be false and foolish.
Thus God delights to baffle Judicial Astrologers, when they will presume to know the times and the seasons, which he hath kept in his own power. It was the saying of a wise King in Poland, that to be able certainly to predict future Events is Gods Prerogative: *Opinio praeteritorum homini certa esse potest; futurorum pernaturam non admodum potest, quamvis Deo tempora omnia presentia sunt, P. Rami Dialect, Lib. 2. Cap. 3.And a wiser then he, yea, the wisest amongst the sinful Sons of Men hath said, A Man cannot tell what shall be, and what shall be after him, who can tell? Eccl. 10. 14. Notable changes have hapned in our dayes, which the Monethly Prognosticators could tell us nothing of▪ before that God who rules in the Kingdomes of Men brought them to pass. The Star-gazers in old Babylon, who by looking upon the Heavens, and observing the Courses and Conjunctions of the Stars there, would undertake to tell the fates and fortunes of Kingdomes, all the Iudicial Astrologers and Wizards there, could not by all their skill in the Stars read their own and the Nations ruin, until the day that it came upon them, Isai. 47. 13, 14. Therefore it is not good positively to determine what the particular miseries or mutations are, nor the persons or places that shall undoubtedly perceive the effects thereof, when rare Conjunctions of the Planetary Bodies happen, or when Blazing Stars appear. Only that at least some of those Evils which have been wont to attend the like appearances, are at the door, we may rationally conjecture and conclude.
I shall therefore finish this Discourse, with the apposite and celebrated Expressions of that Famous Poet nPontanus qui nulli sui seculi poetae cess…t, dicente Bo… in Bibliotheca.who Speaking of Comets, saith,
Illi etiam belli motus, feraque arma minantur
Magnorum & Clades populorum, & funer a Regum:
Ʋt cum, seu Coeli occasum, seu solis ad ortum
Extulerint caput infaelix, & crine minaci
Horrendum latè implerint terroribus urbes, &c:
To the same purpose another in English speaketh thus,oSilvester in his Translation of Dubartas. P. 14.
There, with long Bloody Hair, a Blazing Star
Threatens the World with Famin, Plague & War:
To Princes death; to Kingdomes many crosses:
To all Estates, inevitable losses:
To Herdsmen▪ Rot; to Plow-men hapless Seasons▪
To Saylors, Storms: to Cities civil Treasons.
Soli Deo Gloria.
ERRATA.
P. 4. L. ult. r. Element. p. 19. l. 16. Har Gagnaesh. p. 43. l. 11. for the r. this. p. 56. l. 5. r. Martell. P. 69. l. 19. for their, r. the. P. 94. l. 23. for whatsoever r. whosoever. P. 101. l. 13. for seconded, r. succeeded. p. 102. l. 28. r. 19. m 12. sec.. P. 108. l. 17. should be read thus, 23. Gr▪ 41 min. The second Comet this year appeared November the tenth, continuing, &c.
HEAVEN'S ALARM TO THE WORLD. OR A SERMON, wherein is shewed, That Fearful Sights And Signs in Heaven, are the PRES AGES of great CALAMITIES at hand. Preached at the Lecture of Boston in New-England; January, 20. 1680.
By Mr. INCREASE MATHER.
The Second IMPRESSION.
Rev. 8. 10. And the third Angel sounded, and there fell a great Star from heaven, burning as it were a Lamp, &c.
Rev. 11. 14. —behold, the third Wo cometh quickly.
BOSTON IN NEW-ENGLAND, Printed for Samuel Sewall. And are to be sold by John Brown…ng at the Corner of the Prison-Lane Next the Town-House. 1682.