A discourse concerning prodigies: wherein the vanity of presages by them is reprehended. And their true and proper ends asserted and vindicated / By John Spencer, B.D.

  • John Spencer
Date:
1663
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A discourse concerning prodigies: wherein the vanity of presages by them is reprehended. And their true and proper ends asserted and vindicated / By John Spencer, B.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    32/150 (page 10)
    io Arg-i- Ignorat Na¬ tures potenti- am, qui illi nonputat ali- quando licere, nijl quod fapi- us facft. Sen, t'i 4 Joel 2.7,9- Exceditpfoo* feffo omnia miracula, ul- lum diem fu ijj'e in quo non cunci a confla- grarent.piin- Hilt. Nat. is h • £ • l 0 7 • of Natural trodiges. , Se&.i; bouring Nations, which had the devil for the Great Mailer of their (religious) Ceremonies. When our Saviour Came lfito the world, the Religion of the greateft part of it ( through the agency of the de¬ vil ) ran out into a multitude of little rites, weak observances bo¬ dily poftures; and he appoints a Religion ( directly oppolite) plain, finaple, rational, life and fpirit, whofe main defigne was to employ and perfect the minde and fpii it of a man. And can it be thought that heaven and hell now touch each other fo far, that We mult borrow the meafures of our biggeft fears and hopes,.and motives to Repen¬ tance from the Ethnick Divinity ? ( in which if there had been alt* quid fanit to be fure the devil would have hindred its gaining fo great a regard as it did among his Votaries) mull we now look for fuch a Jewel as the intimations of the counfels of infinite Wftdom are, in the dunghill of obfcene and monftrous births,apparitions of lying (pi¬ nts llrange voices in the air, mighty winds, alterations in the face of heaven, dsrc, from which the Gentiles in the times of their ignorance (to be-nighted men rotten wood fhines) thought to receive the light of feme heavenly counfel and diredtion- Thirdly, Prodigies Natural, are not to be regarded as PrognolUcks of Events arbitrary, even becaufe they are Natural, f are owing to as ne- ceffary caufes in Nature as the more common and eafie productions thereof] no need to call in the extraordinary aftiftances of heaven to folve thefe unufual Phenomena, for as Nature is but a conftant and durable Prodigy foaProdigy but a more rare and unufual Nature ( as hath been (hewn by many Writers, to which I remit the capable ^ Nay (upon a due judgement of things) there will perhaps appear more of Nature in a Prodigy,then in the more harmonious copfort of Uniform Agents., to which common ufage hath appropriated that name; That Nature in its produ&ion of the feveral kinds of crea¬ tures fhould ( as if they were all llampt with one common feal) give them forth in fuch equal and fimilar figures and proportions,is a more juft objeft of wonder, then po fee the natural Archeus fometimes to play the bungler, and tjo leave its work (in fome parts thereof ) rude and mifliapen. That the Earth fhould generally be delivered- cf the many vapours and winds within its bowels without the pangs and throws of an earthquake j and that all the hoft of Heaven fhould march -evpry- one on his way, and not brearthen ranl^s, neither thrufi one another ■but-walk every one on his path ( to borrow the language of the Prophet) -reprodigies beyond an Earthquake-, New ftar, or manlier fometime difeoy^redto the world, and therefore more juftly chofen to be the conftant inftances of the divine Wifdom and Power yand to fee fome llrange fires breaking forth (fometimes] from the caverns of the earth, is fo much beneath wonder, that Pliny tells us, it exceeds all wonder, that,tftersfbouldbe apy day whereip all thechings in the world ( lo pregriant W'lth'fierydprinciply s) do-pot break forth into ope qughty fiame.andiaythe World in aihes.^ : - - • - toil Now then what ;fober Reafon can warrant us to conclude,any necetfary and natural occurrences the prophietick figns of Events (to