The Rising Sun, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIIII. The Suns Regency.
ANother Property of the Sun is his Rege… cy; herein a shadow of Christ and his Regal Office. The Lord gave the Sun to Gen. 1. 16. Psal. 136. 8.rule by day.
1 His Rule is Monarchical. The Sun hath no Peer, but is an absolute Monarch. So isIsaiah 33. 22 James 4. 12. Christ the sole King and Lawgiver in his Church, who will admit of no Compartners in his Government.
2. His Dominion is the largest. Christ and the Sun (no third) both the universal Monarchs of the World, whose Dominion isPsalm 72. without bounds, from Sea to Sea, and from East to West.
3. The Suns Dominion is the most ancient we read of; began before mans. The Suns the fourth day, mans not till the sixth. Christ is the everlasting Father, who had a Kingdom in Heaven before there was man on Earth: Our ancient Families are but of yester day to him. The Princes of Zoan are Isa…ah 19. 11Fools, the Counsellors of Pharaoh are brutish. How say ye to Pharaoh, I am the son of the Wise, the son of ancient Kings? Egypt above other Nations had ever gloried in her Antiquity.
4. For Duration: both shall continue to the worlds end. These two Monarchs have out lasted all others; have seen the fatal dissolutions of royal Families, and the Translation of all other Monarchies. And both shall determine together: when the Sun resigneth his, then shall Christ also resigne his Kingdome into the Fathers hands.1 Cor. 15.
5. For Power the greatest Potentates. Other Kings and Commanders are only titular many times, these have uncontroulable commands. The Sun hath power over all Creatures, the earth, aire, seas, it raiseth stormes, and doth allay them; gives Law to day and night, the worlds first subdividers; to winter and summer, lets in both frost and snow by his withdrawing, and by his looking out dissolves them.
The Sun of Righteousnesse hath like, but greater power, hath all nations, times, seasons in his dispose. He hath for the nations an Iron rod, for Antichrist his Vyals, and for his Church sharp storms sometimes; he permits hereticks, lets lose persecutors, and at his pleasure bindeth them up. The Dragon he let loose three hundred years, the Beast one thousand two hundred and sixty, and at his pleasure, can put his hooke into their nostrils, and his bridle into their jawes.
6 The most sweet and pleasent Government to their Subjects. 1. Both ever present, commit not (as did the Persian Kings) the managing of state affairs to others, while they sate still pursuing their pleasures, and taking their ease. But both are daily overlooking their charge. Lo, I am with you alway. 2. The government of both, is the government of the day, not of the night; Satan is the ruler of the darknesse of this world; as much difference between Christs and other governments, as between day aud night; day and night divide the world between them, so Christ and Satan; he who is not of Christs Kingdome, is under the Prince of darknesse.
Christs government is ful of 1. Light; we know whom we worship, our service is a reasonable service. No Altar to an unknown God or Saint, in Christ his Temple. 2. Full of delight; He the Prince of peace, under1 King 4. whose protection his people sit, as of old under Solomon, eating, drinking, making merry,Ad aquilonem positi corpore majores a… robustiores; ad Meridiem imbecilliores, aliis tamen ingenio praestant. not secured by Armies, but by Solomons wisdome.
7. Other Governors and Prince; may usurp a power over the lives and states of their subjects, none ever attempted upon their minds and bodies, to form the constitutionSub tropicis supra modum atri, sub Arcto fusco sunt colore. Post ad gradum 60 rubicundi, ad 45 candidi, ad 30 flavescunt, australes nigros, Septentrionales glaucos habent oculos. Frigius de nat. Popul. Caerula quis stupuit Germani lumina, flavam Caesariem? J…venal. of them, or to alter an haire of their head, from black to white. But these two have a Dominion over both the Bodies and Spirits of men. The difference of saces, colour, complexion, skin, hair, eyes, voice, beauty, is from the force of the Sun; the difference of stature, talnesse, strength and constitution of their bodies to hard…nesse, or effeminatenesse and delicacie, is from the Sun: yea the difference of disposition of mind for courage, prowesse, chastity, sobriety, Temperance; whereas other nations are vicious, false, treacherous, luxurious, is attributed to the Sun, making that difference between clime and clime: the difference that is between nation and nation, Christ hath made it, that some have better lawes, more love to God, abhorrence of evill, and that difference between person and person, Christ only hath put.
Here is 1. an encouragement to pray and hope for the bringing in of the Gentiles yet uncalled, God having promised, That from Malach, 1. 11the rising of the Sun to the going down thereof, his name should be great among the Gentiles, and in every place Incense and a pure Offering should be offered unto his Name. And thatPsal. 72. 8 Christ shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to, the ends of the earth.
2. This may support the Churches faith in all changes. Let enemies rage, Heresies arise, spread, prevaile; let persecutions and errors unite and gather as a snow-bal, This Sun can scatter them as darknesse, melt them as snow, can cast the burning Mountain intoRev. 8 the sea. When the whole world became Arian, it was but for him to say againe, Let there be light, and it was so. When that Arch Apostate Iulian endeavoured to bury Christianity in oblivion, and had opened the widest door of toleration to all Religions (but the True) that ever was, great Athanasius cryed out, Nubecula, nubecula cito transitura. The bubble brake, the Malignant vapor was dissolved, and his mischievous plots fell upon his owne pate, and dyed with him. We are afraid of stormes and clouds, and very shadowes; look up to the Sun, it doth rule, it will arise, break out and scatter all. If the Ordinances and Dominion of the Sun should cease, or if it could be pulled out of Heaven, or stayed in his course; if all mists, darkness could put out the light of it, then might we fear. But the Churches comfort is, The Lord reigneth, therefore let the Earth rejoice, let the multitude of the Isles be glad thereof, Psal. 97. 1.
3. If the Sun rule the day not the night, then must we be children of the light, and of the day, not of darknesse and night as others. Christ will owne no such subjects, but send them packing to the Prince of darknesse, to whom they belong.
4. Take notice of the cause of that difference betweene men and men. (The Stars make not men wise, simple, rich, poor, vertuous, vicious.) Christ makes it. Some are chast, sober, zealous, valiant for the Truth, others not. To them it is given, to others not given. God did often sever between Israel and the Egyptians: Israel had the pillar of fire, Egyptians cloud of darknesse; Israel had the Sun in Goshen, Egypt no Sun for three dayes: Jacob is loved, not Esau; Isaak had the Promise, not Ishmael. Peter is prayed for and kept, Judas only admonished, not kept nor prayed for. The reason is hi… Soveraigne Dominion. He doth according to his will in the Army of Heaven, and among the Inhabitants of the Earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What dost thou? Dan. 4. 35. Grace goes not by Planets (… we say showres sometimes do) but by the wise and free dispose of this gre… Sun.
Object. If the Sun be given to rule, and t… Sun and Moon be set for signes, at the Scripture saith, doth not this warrant the Astrologers Art of Iudiciary Calculation, and peoples consulting them?
Answ. What consequence is here, God set them for signes, therefore we may erect a figure, and foretel events, whom we shall marry, when we shall, what death, what successe of this or that undertaking? God hath called them signes, he must (men may not) make the signification. He calls the Rainbow a sign (is it to calculate by?) he gives the signification to confirm the general Creature Covenant, that there shall bee no universal destruction by another Floud. He calls the Passover, Circumcission, Sabbath, yea, his Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel signes, he tells the signification; where have these Astrologers these signes interpreted to foretel such events?Signa sunt Luminaria Coelestiapartim naturalia temporum & tempestatum, partim morali…, sive perfectionis Creatoris, sive officii Creaturae, partim oeconomica, in variis rei oeconomicae partibus obeundis Spanhem. in dubiis.
1. They are signes for Natural things. shewing seasons of the year, for Summer, winter, heat, cold.
2. Civil and Oeconomical signs (as Sphanhemius calls them) to direct when to plant, low, sail, &c.
3. They are Prodigious and terrifying sometimes when the Sun is eclipsed, or turned into darkness, Moon into bloud; when the stars fall, warning the secure world of the judgment of God drawing near. But never signes of fortuitous and causal events, or of voluntary actions.
The madnesse of the deceiving ProphetVide Paraeum in Gen. 1. 14. is not here more to be condemned, then the blindnesse of the deceived people who run after them, and with open hands carry to them the rewards of their lying Divination, is to be pityed. Wicked Ahab gives more credit to Zedekiahs signes (the Iron hornes) then to Micajahs Sermons. The Socerer he loves, the Prophet he hates, and so hee prospers: God saith of such, Take them Satan; Go, 1 Kings 22. 22entice, perswade, prevail, and take them when thou hast done. Who ever prospered less then they who forsaking their owne Mercy, wentJonah 2. 8 to them? Who dyed more miserably then such as made use of them? Balak, Ahab, Iezabel, Ahaziah, Haman, Belshazzar, and that great Nebuchadnezzar, who at every turne called in Astrologers, Chaldeans, Magicians, Dream-mongers to advise with, was turned out of his Kingdom, yea turned out of Man, after all these dismal consultations with those of Satans Cabinet Councell.
Nay, the greatest Artists in this black Art, have not onelyonly wilfully plunged their souls into eternal perdition, but notwithstanding all their Star skill, and their Covenants with Hell to prevent it, the dreadful judgments of God have fallen most remarkably on their own heads. Their great Grandfather Balaam Vide Spanhem. inter Dubia Evang. Dub. 33 in cap. 2. Mat. de Astrologia Iudiciaria.slain by the sword, Jezabel their Grandmother torn in pieces by dogs; the like befel Asclaterion a famous Mathematician, who took upon him to foretel Domitian the Emperour, both his and his own death. What became of Dr. Lamb in our remembrance? Stories are full of examples. Why did not these foresee those ends? if they did foresee, why did they not by all their Art prevent them?
Yet what a reproach is it to Christian Religion, that such a generation of men should be suffered? Not only Christian Emperours by their Edicts have punished, but evenAb Augusto talc Urbe, à Tiberio primum, post à Claudio, Italia, à Vitellio Orbe & vita, à Domiti…no bis Urbe & Italia …jecti & interdi…ti, ut hominum genus potentibus infidum, sp…rantibus fallax. Idem▪ Quam multa Pompei…, quam multa Crasso, quam multa Cae…ari à Caldaeis dicta, memini? Neminem corum nisi domi, nisi Senectut…, nisi cum claritate moriturum Heathen States; Augustus banished them Rome, Tiberius and Claudius out of Italy, Vitellius put them to death, Domitian made two Acts to banish them out of City and Countrey. The Primitive Heathens left these Arts, and became Christians, we set up these Arts and become Heathens. They burnt those curious Art Books and took up the Bible; do thou burne the Bible if thou resolve to meddle in these Books, full of nothing but Vanity, Uncertainty, Lying. Falsehood and Impiety.
1. Of Lying. Said Tully, How many things did these Astrologers say to Pompey, Crassus, and to Cae…ar, in my remembrance, that each of them should …y in Peace, Age, Honour? that I wonder (saith hee) that any will yet believe them, whose former Predictions all prove false.
It is a notable story of Galeacius Prince of Millain; an Astrologer told him he should dye suddenly, and himselfe live long; the Duke commanded him to be presently hanged to prove him a Lyar, and himselfe lived long after.
2. Of Impiety: To give you the relation of a Papist, and a famous Jesuite of the Practices of Rome, and the doleful effectsCornelius à L… pide in Act, 19 thereof. In those few yeares (saith hee) I was at Rome, I saw many great men undone by these Astrologers, who promised one should dye a Cardinal, another a Pope, who were all deceived not onelyonly of their hope, but of their salvation. For when (saith hee) they dreamt not of dying till they came to these promotions, they never prepared for it: yea, being stricken by death and admonished by their Physicians, they yet regarded not; which (saith the Learned Jesuite) is the onelyonly Fraud of the Divel, who by these baites …ayeth wait for poore souls, as a wolf for the sheep, that he may devour them.