CHAPTER V.

That all kinds of Sciences, Studies, Actions and Lives, flourishing amongst Men on the Earth and Sea do testify that all Astrology, that is, natural wisdom with all its species, is and is to be really found in every Man . And so all things, whatsoever men act on earth, are produced, moved, governed, and acted from the inward heaven. And what are the Stars which a wise man ought to rule.

IT is manifest therefore by the above-said, how man appeareth to be made at length as to his creation and formation of slime, that is, from the Macrocosm.

Because Man the Microcosm, placed in the Macrocosm, agreeth altogether as well with the whole Firmament, as with all the Elements, and is one and the same (his form only excepted) as we see redness to be altogether one and the same in wine and with wine, and whiteness in snow and with snow.

Then it followeth: — Seeing Man for himself and in himself is the whole world, as he which hath his proper Heaven, his proper Firmament, and Spirit of Nature, with the Sun, Moon, Planets, and all the Stars with him in himself, of which — from within— is constellated, inclined, directed, moves, excited, drawn, turned, governed, taught, illuminated, made joyful, made sad, is fortunate, and affected ; — it is manifest that he is in no wise forced and compelled by the external Firmament of the Macrocosm, or Soul of the World, that he should assume and take a mind and affections of willing, doing and operating this or that, from without, from the revolution and inclination, or constellation of the celestial stars in the Macrocosm.

For their opinion is of no moment, who, not rightly knowing the Macrocosm, are fallen into that error that they doubt not to determine that man, by the external influence of the stars, by a certain natural necessity is conditioned, predestinated, constellated, directed, compelled, and driven to this or that good or evil. Hence those false proverbs, — " the stars incline "— " the stars rule men," — which is in no sort so, if, according to their opinion, it be understood of the external Stars.

But we must know that all things whatsoever that are done by men, as well in soul as in body, arise and proceed from within, from their own proper inclination and nature.

Within, I say, in Man, is that Heaven, that Planet, that Sidus or Star, by which he is inclined, constituted, predestinated and signed to this or that ; and not from without, by the constitution of the external Heaven.

A wise man shall rule the stars. — And that saying— "A wise man shall rule the Stars," is not to be understood of the external stars, in the Heaven or Firmament of the great world, but of the internal stars, bearing sway and running, up and down in man himself; which will more and more appear by that which followeth. But this we premise for the beginning to be noted: —

That the external Heaven with its continual revolution, hath a most convenient correspondency with the inward Heaven in the Microcosm, and this with that; which you may thus understand : —

Whatsoever the figure of the external Heaven is, in the point of conception of any man, which happens in the matrix of the woman by the Ens of seed, even now sent forth from Man ; that man which is born and grows from that seed, receiveth from within, such a constitution of his nature, and life to be performed on earth.

Yet that constitution lies so long hid and unknown, that is, without act, in a naked power, until a man born into the world and educated to the use of free-will and reason, putting forth itself, begins to be moved and incited. For then, and not before, that constitution of his Heaven begins, by little and little, to roll, bring forth, move, and shew forth itself, when the Ascendants of that figure, by the imagination and fantasy, newly sprung up in the will and reason. arise and proceed to the motion of the mind and operation of the body. And so the internal Heaven in the Microcosm begins its motion and course, that a man, from within, from the guidance of his own Nature, begins to imagine, think, desire, hear, speak, do the same thing which before was signified, from the position of the external Heaven, while he was conceived.

Therefore the external Heaven in the Macrocosm, as it hath respect to Man, is, at least, a looking-glass and perludium, by which the Astrologer may look into, search, know, and describe what, and what kind of nature and propriety shall happen, and rule in him from the beginning of his nativity, to the end of his life— as he shall live Astrologically and not Theologically; — what, and what manner his imagination shall be, what his affections, what his cupidities, what his desires, what his manners, what his study, what his kind of life and death, with what he shall be adverse, and all things whatsoever seem to belong to the condition of human life. This, I say, may, from the position or erected figure of the external Heaven, be prognosticated and foretold ; not that those things are so done by necessity or coactive force, but only that those things are presignified, and, as it were, preludiated, and are, indeed, a certain picture of human life, as in like sort, a certain living man is painted by a painter, on the wall, from which picture his species and proportion, with all his habit, is exhibited and declared to be known. So also we men, living according to the course of nature, and not Theologizing our Astrology. are known, described and discovered, by an Astrologer from the Table-figure, face and concordance of the superior Firmament, as by a looking-glass.

For, living naturally, we have from the figure of Heaven, a natural description of our life, whether it be honest or dishonest, whether virtuous or vicious. Yet so as the impulsive or efficient cause of living thus may not be thought to proceed and be impressed on man from the external Heaven, but from within, from our internal Heaven, which is in our soul, delighted with this or that manner of living. For neither God nor the Macrocosm doth compel or force man, (placed in the midst,) from without, to this or that good or evil kind of life, by a certain natural necessity; but that very thing which is put into us by God, and by the Macrocosm, that is it whereby we are led, whereby we are constellated, moved, instigated, stirred up, invited, governed and inclined.

Rom. 6, Galat.5 — The one is the Spirit of God, the breath of God, the Deity and Heavenly Light, the holy Spirit, the Mind of God.

The other is the Spirit of Nature, the breath of the World, the Light of Nature, the affections of the flesh, terrene Wisdom, the animal man, the Siderean Spirit, the reason of Man.

Both lead to their Original, and shew what are theirs.

Our Nature instigates, moves, and leads to our naturals ; but the Spirit of God, which we have in us from God, instigates, moves, urges and leads us to supernaturals; that is, thither whence He Himself is.

There are, I say, two Inspirers, two Governors, two Captains, two Lords in us, to whom none of us can equally serve. The one tends to the straight way, to inherit and possess the Kingdom of Heaven, by contempt of the World, and denial of ourselves ; the other, neglecting the Kingdom of God, to enter into the broad way. The one is of God, which is the Theological Spirit, propounding and persuading the Theological life to man; the other is from Nature, from the World, which is the Astrological Spirit, propounding, and persuading the Astrological life to man.

The Theological Spirit being endued with supernatural Light and Wisdom, shews the Kingdom of God, and eternal life.

But the Astrological Spirit, endowed with natural wisdom and light, shews the shop of Nature, and the glory of this world ; therefore those which are acted by the Spirit of God, these are the Sons of God, that is, who live Theologically. But they which are acted and led by the Spirit of Nature, (caring nothing, for the Kingdom of God, and the eternal country,) these are the sons of Nature, the sons of this world, animal men, not doing the will of God, but the will of the flesh: in which, with all their glory and magnificence, they, whosoever they are, how great soever they are, and wheresoever they are, must perish. For without the Theologization of Astrology, no mortal man can attain eternal salvation and beatitude. We must die once to flesh and blood, and to the whole animal man, and we must live to God; which life is altogether contrary to the worldly life. Of which more largely in the Epistles of Paul, and other Apostles.

But the stars, which a wise man is commanded to rule, are not those celestial stars extant in the Firmament of the Macrocosm, which are set before the Creatures of the Elements, that they might illuminate the earth, and be for signs and seasons, and rule over the day and the night; those have their peculiar Regent, Lord and Governor, to wit, the Spirit or Soul of the world, diffused into the seven Planets, and the rest of the Stars of the whole Zodiac, by which he exerciseth his rule and hath his influx into inferior things; therefore there is no cause that any should, through simplicity, think the dominion which a wise man hath over the stars, belongs to the moderation of the external Firmament ; as if a wise man ought to rule the course of the celestial stars and signs, and to reduce the frame of the Macrocosm under his power; to direct and govern the Sun, Moon, Planets and Stars according to his pleasure; and to make calm and tempestuous weather according to his will. Not so; but the Stars over which we ought to rule, if we will be true wise men, are all the cogitations, speculations, cupidities, affections, etc., ascending, by imagination, out of our hearts, respecting the things and creatures of the world, and tending by free-will and reason to abuse and pleasure. To them we ought not to be too much addicted, or overmuch to connive and indulge. For in these, that deadly and infernal Snake or Serpent lieth hid, seducing man by all sorts of concupiscences into an unlawful love, honour and worship of the creatures, and thereof makes a Babylonish harlot; as in the subsequent matter will be demonstrated.