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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53112	The complaint of English subjects delivered in two parts. First part, is the complaint, of the poor, middle, and meanest sorts of subjects, concerning their bodily assistance. Second part, is the true Christians complaint, against vice, and wickedness, for the good of their soul's health. Also, werein is set forth, the late prodigious growth, of atheism, errors, and vice: with a call to repentance. As also, how needful it is, in these times, for every one of us, first of all, to look into our own hearts, and endeavour to amend what is their amiss. And lastly, a brief discourse, concerning our late unfruitful, and cold summers: as also, what is thought to be the real causes of it, by way of opposition, to the opinion of astrologers. By Richard Newnam of Tiverton in Devonshire.	Newnam, Richard.	1700 (1700)	Wing N935; ESTC R218651	71,890	130

their natural temperaments of Body and Mind and that because it was his pleasure so to do or it may be God that foreknoweth all things did then foresee that a mean condition was best for him to whose Lot it fell to for Riches are not always the best Gifts to some men and yet there is no harm in them if they are not abused in the ill using of them But this I know some men that have them may do much more good with them than they do if they would but do as they are required but their own covetous Hearts will not permit them so to do And for ought I know therefore it is that God doth often-times permit some Rich Men to be ensnared by the means of their own Riches And what a strickt charge Christ himself gives to all men to avoid Covetousness and the Evils of it you may read it in the 12th Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel vers 15. these words And he said unto them Take heed and beware of Covetousness for a Man's Life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth Again I say is it not oftentimes seen how Riches puffs up some Men into Pride and makes them oftentimes undertake the doing of many unjust things which many times brings them into the Snares of a temporal and shameful Death and therefore I say again that God foresees that Riches are not the best Temporal Gifts for some men and for ought I know Riches are with-holden from some men in a way of Mercy as they may for ought I know be given to some other Men in a way of Judgment But to whomsoever they are given yet they are given to them only for to do good with them in this their Generation which if they do not so do then it will be required at their Hands for these things are their several Talents and God giveth these Talents of Riches to whom he pleaseth to some more and to some less But yet nevertheless he always requireth from every one even as he hath given to him for even so as his Talent is even so thereafter he ought to improve it for where much is given much is required read the 25th Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel beginning at the 15th Verse and so onwards to the 31 Verse And now I say again It is the Will and Pleasure of the Almighty to deal with us his Creatures as he pleaseth and to give us of these worldly things more or less as he thinks is or may be best for us And that was the reason why one of those two Men which were born into the World even as it were at one and the same time was but poor and mean in reference to temporal Riches whilst the other might for ought I know superabonnd in his abundance But who shall dare ask God Why dost thou so For may not God do with his own what he pleaseth and give to every one more or less as he pleaseth Yes he may and he doth bestow it where and how he pleaseth and from his Hands alone by his divine way of Providence cometh all our Riches or Poverty excepting what the meer Sluggard bringeth upon himself for he shall be cloathed with Rags as the Wise Man saith for God doth require a means to be used by all men But however without God's Blessings to the Means which we use all our Labour will be in vain for 't is not he that riseth in the Morning early nor he that goeth to Bed late or eateth the Bread of Carefulness Nor can any Man by his care wisdom or strength alone procure to himself these worldly things for see what Solomon saith concerning this matter in the 9th Chapter of Ecclesiastes vers 11. I returned and saw under the Sun that the Race is not to the swift nor the Lattel to the strong neither yet Bread to the Wise nor yet Riches to men of understanding nor yet favour to men of skill but Time and Chance happeneth to them all But again you Astrologers perhaps may question and say Pray Sir what doth the Wise Man mean by his saying But Time and Chance happeneth to them all For by these his own Words it seems to us as if they were spoken in favour of our Science Author Sirs this Question I will endeavour to answer you also and now I say Solomon by them Words doth not mean any such Chances as you Astrologers do say doth betide every man according to his Fate or Destiny as it was decreed above and that only from the over-ruling Power which you say the Stars have over every Man here on Earth accordingly as the several Positions of them were in the very Minuit or Moment of timet he of every man's Birth For Solomon in another place of this his same Book declares expresly against you and in effect by his Words there exprest to me it doth plainly appear as if he had there positively meaned at that very time when he writ them Words that that art of Astrology as you now profess it and practise it then was and now is altogether unattainable and impossible to be known by any Man that ever was or ever shall be upon the Earth look in Ecclesiastes Chap. 8. Vers 17. And there you will find Solomon's words to be these as followeth Then I beheld all the work of God that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the Sun Because though a man labour to seek it out yet he shall not find it yea further though a Wise Man think to know it yet shall he not be able to find it out And now upon the whole of our Arguments between us I farther say Away with all your Predictions for I cannot otherwise but abominate them for these things which you pretend to know are the very Secrets of God himself and past your finding them out And therefore it is not worth my labour to discourse you any more about it for Seeing is Believing and every Year we find all your Predictions so far from truth that I think any of them not worth any man's Observation otherwise than to laugh at them and not to depend on them nor can any man truly believe in God that doth believe and put trust in any of your Predictions for how can any man believe in God that will not believe in the Holy Bible which is God's Word and speaks directly against such ones as you are as you may read it in the 47th Chapter of the Prophet Isaiah vers 12 13 14. It is there thus written Stand now with thine Inchantments and with the multitude of thy Sorceries wherein thou hast laboured from thy Youth if so be thou shalt be able to profit if so be thou mayest prevail Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy Councils Let now the Astrologers the Star-gazers the Monthly Prognosticators stand up and save thee Behold they shall be as stubble the Fire shall burn them up they shall not

third Chapter of the Prophet Amos vers 7. these words Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his Servants the Prophets And thus you may see by this Scripture also it is plain that all Secret Things belong only to God himself until such times as he is pleased to make them known to some of his own chosen Ones and that only upon some Extraordinary Occasions in order to and for the preservation of God's Holy Ones as may be seen also in that of God's preserving the holy Prophet Daniel on several occasions and that by several ways and means how he was from time to time preserved by God and also made an Instrument to preserve other good Men as you may read it in the second Chapter of the Book of Daniel vers 13. thus written And the decree went forth that the wise-men should be slain and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain And that only because the Magicians and the Astrologers and the Sorcerers and the Caideans could not Interpret unto King Nebuchadnezzar his Dream therefore Daniel and his Fellows also must be slain with them But then God for the manifestation of his own Power as also for the preservation of Daniel and his Fellows God was then pleased to reveal that Secret unto Daniel which God himself had then before revealed unto King Nebuchadnezzar and yet at that time God was pleased to deny unto King Nebuchadnezzar the remembrance of his Dream and that only because God himself would make it more manifest that it is himself only that doth or can reveal Secrets and that only and immediately from himself or by the Mouths of his own Chosen Ones and this Daniel himself acknowledgeth as you may read it in Verse 30. of this said Chapter it is there thus said But as for me this Secret is not revealed to me for any Wisdom that I have more then any living But for their sakes that shall make known the Interpretation to the King and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart And thus you may see how Daniel himself doth own the Power of revealing Secrets to be in God above and himself to be but the Instrument of it as it was revealed unto him from God for which Daniel praised God and also he acknowledgeth that all Power all Secrets and all Seasons and all People even Princes as well as Subjects are in the disposing Hand of God as you may read it in this second Chapter of the Book of Daniel the 19th 20th 21 22 and 23 verses And thus Daniel and all the rest of the Prophets of the Lord they do all agree that it is from the immediate power of God alone that all Seasons are changed whether to Order or disorder fruitful or unfruitful wet or dry for it is only God that causeth it to Rain upon one Field and not upon the other and it is only him that giveth a plentiful Crop of Corn to one Man and a scanty Crop to another Man and therefore consequently it must follow that it is God alone by his immediate Power that hath of late changed the smiling Influences of the Heavenly Bodies and of late Years hath made them look frowningly upon us and him alone it is that of late hath even as it were changed the whole frame of Nature by means of which we have of late had Year after Year but indifferent crops of Corn which we Men attribute it to no other Cause than from the disorderly Weather which we have had of late Years And there are but few Men that look to the Hand from whence it came or that it was only for our Sins that God hath of late so disordered the Weather But be it for what it will it is God that hath done it and Time will make manifest whether it be in a way of Mercy or Judgment And now I think it remaineth needful that I should give some Reasons wherefore I have written so much against Astrologers and other Men of vain Sciences And therefore my Reasons for it are these By Experience I find that now in our Age there be a great many People and some that do think themselves Wise Men that do now give more heed unto what Astrologers do say than they do to what God himself saith unto them in his Word for it is now become a common thing amongst them to go to Astrologers to have Questions and Doubts Answered and Resolved as also to know what Success they shall have in their Undertakings And also to know what Days are good or evil for the undertaking of any material business and if so doing be not a forsaking of God or at least a falling off from God let any rational or divine person judge And great pity it is that such Men should have that liberty to act as they do because what they do pretend to perform doth take with many Vitious and Simple Ones and when once some Atheistical Wretches that have in them but a few Thundering Eloquent Words and that they do but affirm the truth of Astrologers skill in such matters then that doth much encourage others that are but of weak Capacities to believe in them likewise And so by this way more room is made for Atheism also And thus by several ways and methods I have endeavoured to set forth unto Your Greatness by what means Atheism Errors Evil Examples and other Vices are now grown to this most prodigious height But the Remedy of all these things I must leave to the great power of the Almighty God and to the great Understanding and Care of Your most Gratious Majesty and the Honourable Parliament And now again before I conclude I cannot otherwise but say that I am apt to believe that their will not be wanting some Men that will be ready enough to cavil with me or at least rail upon me for my undertaking this Work and perhaps they may say For what Reason doth such a one as he take upon him to Discourse about Matters of Religion and State-Affairs For he himself confesseth in his Epistle to the Reader that his Education was but mean and Scholar he is none farther than the English Tongue and therefore how dare such a one as he take upon himself to speak or preach at this rate To these suppositive Objections I shall endeavour to Answer And first of all I say That in this Work of mine I have done nothing at all that hath in it in the least that I know of any thing of the nature of a daring Faculty for with all humble submission both with my Heart and Tongue I have endeavoured always so much as in me lieth so to speak as not to offend any in their several places of Authority or any other honest conscientious Man or Men whatsoever And as to State-Affairs I have not at all concerned my self with it any farther than to give in unto Your Great Powers a true Information against Frauds

times it is still with many of the Poor now living And therefore I now most humbly beseech Your most Gracious Majesty and the Parliament to believe me in what I have here said for it is the very Truth But 4thly I cannot otherwise but make known to Your Most Gracious Majesty and the Parliament this sore Greviance also and that is how heavy and sorely the Taxes of Births and Burials hath of late and now doth lie on the Poor But as for Persons of Quallity and other Gentlemen as also many other Rich Men that want Children to Injoy what they have it must needs be great comfort to them to have the opportunity to pay Birth-Taxes and if Death-Taxes be at any time due from any of them then they can very easily pay it without any manner of loss to themselves if they will but observe this rule for it first to reckon with themselves how much Money their Death-Taxes will amount to and then so much Money as their Death-Taxes come to they may very well keep back and save it out of the Extravagant Expences of their Funerals And that way they will be no Losers at all by their paying to the King Death-Taxes But for the Poor so to pay is to them very grievous for there are many Thousands in England that have not the Alms of the Parish that are in such miserable Conditions by means of the late and present hard times that they have scarce Swaddling-Cloathes to wrap up their new Born Babes in when they come into the World nor scarce Money to buy Bread for such little Ones as they had before And then some times it may be that some of those poor little Innocent Creatures dye meerly for want of such Necessary Food as they should have And then their comes both to one time Birth-Money and Death-Money to be paid and pay it they must And this drives such Poor to great streights for then some of them are forced to sell some of their Houshold-goods to raise Money to pay such Taxes O sad it is with them and beyond my capacity to find Words suitable to set forth all their Grievances and Troubles which many Thousands in England of late have and now do Labour under them And therefore I will trouble Your most Gratious Majesty and the Parliament no farther in these Discourses but will conclude all their Complaints of this nature in these one or two true Stories which I heard as it came from the Mouth of one ●hat was a Gatherer of the Taxes for Births and Burials And now first of all I say in our Town of Tiverton in Devonshire there was a Poor Man ●hat buried a Child and when the then Receiver ●f Burial-Taxes came to him for the Tax-Money ●ue on the Death of his Child he the poor man paid the said Money and then the Re●eiver of such Tax-money lookt round about the Poor man's House to find a Place to lay his Book ●n that he might then write down the said Poor Man's Name and the Sum he then received from ●his poor man But he the then Receiver of such Tax-Money seeing in this poor man's House neither Table Board Chest Bench or Stool or any place for him to rest his Book on he then said to this Poor Man I think I must go away and not write down thy Name now for here is no place ●n all thy House for me to write upon Then this Poor Man hearing that replyed Pray Master don't you go away and not write down my Name for if you please Master I will turn me about and stoop forward and then you may rest your Book upon my Back and so write down my Name and how much Money you have received from me And so this poor man immediately so stoopt down and the Receiver of such Tax-Monies did then rest his Book on the said poor man's Back whilst he the Receiver wrote down the poor man's Name and the Sum he then received of him And thus I end my first true Story My second true Story is this There was also a poor Widow Woman of our said Town of Tiverton who had buried several Children within some short time together And when the then Receiver of such Tax-Monies came to her House for such Taxes she the poor Widow Woman had not the Money at that time to pay him But she promised the then Receiver to bring the said Money to him at his own House as soon as she could get it which in some time after that accordingly she did But then immediately after she had paid such Monies to the then Receiver of such Taxes she the poor Widow Woman wept betterly then solemnly protested to the then Receiver's Wife That then at that time she had not one penny-worth of Provision in her House not could she then command one Penny more in the whole World to buy Bread for her self or Children then left living the thoughts of which made she the poor Widow Woman again at that time weep most bitterly and then wringing her Hands together with her Eyes lifted up to Heaven-wards she then with great grief uttered these words Good God! was there ever any such thing as this ever done in the World before until now And then forthwith she the said poor Widow Woman went homeward bitterly Lamenting her self And now upon the consideration of this I cannot otherwise but say Undoubtedly the Cries of many of our good poor miserable Souls have already ascended up into Heaven and therefore ●ope their Cries will now forth-with be heard ●n the Ears of Men on Earth and so speedily ●ave some Relief And now 5thly I cannot otherwise but make ●nown to Your Most Gracious Majesty and the Parliament how one other most horrid Crime ●ath of late been committed and still is continu●ly used and practised by too many Men in our ●ation which Crime is a most wicked Trade ●●at for some Years past and now present is ●uch used And that is to buy up vast and great ●uantities of Corn beforehand only to Regrate ●pon it and so by such means do create a Dearth ●hen there is a Plenty in our Land and their ●ay and manner of doing it is this As soon as Harvest approacheth that the Country-man can ●●e how Corn is sped in kerning Then presently our Rich Covetuous close-Fisted Gentlemen and Rich clownish grubing Farmers and some Rich Covetuous Merchants that neither Plow nor Sow all those sorts of Men then take their Recreation to ride and walk abroad to overlook their Neighbours Fields as well as their own and then ●hey observe who has the best Corn as well as whose is the worst And then when they have thus fully viewed the Country round them then in the next place they make it their Business to go to the several Houses of their Tenants and other Justman-holders that are not so well stockt in Money as themselves are and then raise a dispute about Corn how it is kerned and

deliver themselves from the power of the Flame And thus by the written Word of God you may see what a vain thing Astrology is for all the Prophets of the Lord exclaimed against it And now I say upon the whole of this my Discourse concerning Astrology or Astrologers both from Reason and Scripture it doth plainly appear to me that the whole Art of Astrology is fallible and therefore it must needs be a vain and foolish thing in any Person whatsoever to put any trust or confidence in any of their Predictions or in the Predictions of any other Men that are professors of any other such-like vain Sciences And so for the present I take my leave of you Astrologers until it comes in my way to mention your Names again And now by the course of Argument I think it comes again in my way to speak something more concerning our late Unfruitful Years and therefore I shall say farther as followeth Both from Reason and Scripture it doth appear to me that our late Long Winters cold Springs cold Summers Wet Harvests and Unseasonable Sowing times which hath been of late Years was not wholly from the Natural Causes of the Heavenly Bodies as they were from the Creation first ordained in their Courses But that it was from the immediate hand of God not but that I will allow that the Coelestial Bodies do bear rule and govern over all our Terrestrial Bodies and that their several Influences many ways do either afflict or comfort us while we are here on the Earth as may be Daily Weekly Monthly and Yearly seen in and by the Revolution of that most glorious Planet the Sun which for ought I know may be the Centre and there placed because it might be the better able and more fit to distribute and send abroad his comfortable Beams for we find by his warm Influences that all Creatures here on Earth both Rational Sensative and Vegitable are comforted and cherished as soon as it approacheth towards us And so on the contrary we see and find that for want of the warm Influences of the Sun all compounded Material Bodies whatsoever that have in them Life and are subject to alteration do pine and droop when it withdraws his comfortable Beams from us Again I do not say but that all the rest of the other Heavenly Bodies have their shares in the bestowing of their several Influences on all such Earthly Bodies as aforesaid one way or other for I believe God might make them for that use as well as for Signs and for Seasons and for Days and Years But the most secret use of them is only known to God himself and it is impossible for any Man to reach to the true knowledge of such things as Astrologers pretend to know And therefore I say again it is idle and foolish for any one to put trust in Astrologers Predictions for it was only God that at first created all those Heavenly Bodies and it is only he himself that governs over them and ruleth them in their several motions how and which way he pleaseth and he altereth all their several Influences when he pleaseth and how he pleaseth and that to and for what Uses or Purposes he pleaseth as we may see it made manifest in his most Holy Word in several places and by several Presidents and the first that I shall quote you to this purpose shall be that of Joshua in whose Book I find that the Gibeonites did by a subtil way obtain their Peace with Joshua who by his League then promised that the Gibeonites should live and also therein I find that the Princes of the Congregation of the Children of Israel swore unto the Gibeonites also that they should not be destroyed And more I find that after the Children of Israel understood by what an undermining way they had obtained their Peace then they were in great wroth with the Gibeonites and the Children of the Congregation of Israel then murmured against their Princes because they had Peace with the Gibeonites and yet nevertheless notwithstanding that Peace I find that the Congregation of Israel would have destroyed the Gibionites had not the Princes of their Congregation told them that they might not touch the Gibeonites because they the Princes had sworn unto them the Gibeonites that they should live as you may read it at large in the 9th Chapter of the Book of Joshua And from thence I observe this also that their is a most sacred tye in Oaths and that God doth expect from all men that all manner of legal Oaths made and sworn to good Intentions as they have relation only to the Glory of God and the Good of all Mankind should be always performed and kept unviolated as we may see by this League and Oath between the Children of Israel and the Gibeonites And tho' the Gibeonites did at that time by such a beguiling kind of way obtain their League of Peace with the Children of Israel yet it was somewhat excusable in them because they did it only to save their Lives and not to save their Money for they the Gibeonites offered up both themselves and all that they had saying to Joshua And now behold we are in thine Hand as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us do as you may read it in the same 9th Chapter of the Book of Joshua vers 24 25 26 27. Again I say that action of the Gibeonites is to be thought somewhat the more excuseable if we do but consider with our selves how good and faithful Abraham did the like when for fear of Death he said to the Egyptians that his Wife Sarah was his Sister and also Abraham himself perswaded Sarah his Wife to say the like also to the Egyptians look in Genesis Chap. 12. vers 13. and so onwards to the end thereof But again I say good Mens Evasions are no sufficient Warrants to allow evil Men in their most Notorious Wicked Actions And there is a vast difference between Mens evading of Truth only to save their own Lives and that of being Guilty of Perjuries both towards God and Men only for to get or save a little Money for that Sin of evading Truth only to save Life it self may be forgiven in and through the Mercy of God barely by a true Repentance for it But Frauds and Perjuties are not forgiven by Repentance alone for Restitution also must be made to such People as by their Frauds and Perjuries they have any way wrouged But I must leave this necessary digression and now proceed onwards to set forth my now designed matter And so I say I also find that when the five Kings of the Amorites went up to Encamp before the City of Gibeon then the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the Camp of Gilgal saying Slack not thy hand from thy servants come up to us quickly and save us and help us for all the Kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains

which God in process of time granted unto her and not only a meer Man-child did the Lord give unto Hannah but such a Man-child as afterwards became an excellent Prophet of the Lord whose Name was Samuel And after that I find besides Samuel Hannah had by her Husband Elkanah several Sons and Daughters as you may read it in the 2d Chapter of the 1st Book of Samuel vers 21. And thus we may see by those Presidents offered and mentioned in these several Scriptures herein quoted and also by several other places of Scripture the like Presidents may be found and by all of them it may be plainly seen how much Prayers and Tears have always from time to time prevailed with God when they have been offered up unto him with true devout and sincere Hearts and therefore I think it would not be amiss but rather think it very necessary and needful for us all with true devotion now to offer up our Prayers with Tears and desire God to give every one of us a Heart fit for true Repentance and Amendment of Life which if we would all of us so pray and endeavour so to do then no question might be made of it but that God would yet shew us mercy and then we should have the Blessings of the Lord return upon us which now seems to be departing from us Read the second Chapter of the Prophet Joel vers 12 13 14. Therefore also now saith the Lord Turn ye even unto me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning And rent your heart and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and repenteth him of the evil Who knoweth if he will return and repent and leave a Blessing behind him even a Meat-offering and a Drink-offering unto the Lord your God But again I say that God doth sometimes by the disorder of the Elementary Parts of this World bring upon the Earth Dearths and Famine it self is plain by what God himself made known to Pharaoh in his Dream for God did not only make known unto him that he would bring a Famine upon the Land of Egypt but by what means the Famine should come was also made known unto Pharaoh in his Dream and that to be by means of unseasonable Weather as violent East-Winds which should blast and wither the Corn-Fields so as that they should come to no perfection to bear Corn for the Egyptians to have Bread out of them as you may read it in the 41 Chapter of Genesis the 6th the 23d and 27th verses Again I say that God hath and yet can by his immediate Power that he hath over all the Elementary Bodies alter and change the Weather as he seeth most fit either by way of Mercy or Judgment is plain And also that it is mens Iniquities that doth oftentimes provoke God to bring upon the Earth Dearths and Wants and Famine it self is plainly to be seen and understood if men would but consult seriously within themselves these following Scriptures which I shall here quote unto you which you may read at your leisure Jeremiah 5th Chap. vers 24 25. Ezekiel 4th Chap. vers 16 17. Hosea 2d Chap. vers 8 9. Read Joel the 1st Chapter all over from the beginning to the end thereof Amos 4th Chapter vers 6 7. And lastly look in the 14th Chapter of the Prophet Ezekiel vers 12 13 14. It is there thus written The Word of the Lord came again to me saying Son of Man when the Land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously then will I stretch out mine hand upon it and will break the Staff of the Bread thereof and will send Famine upon it and will cut off Man and Beast from it Though these three Men Noah Daniel and Job were in it they should deliver but their own Souls by their Righteousness saith the Lord God And thus we may see that when Men by their Iniquities do provoke God to anger then in his Wrath he immediately changeth and disordereth the Heavenly Bodies or other Elementary Parts of the World as he pleaseth And thus working by his own secondary Causes as he thinks most fit he can when he pleaseth with hold these good things of the World from us and also from this last Text of Scripture just now here quoted we may observe that when the black Deeds of the Wicked are many and that they are so much over-grown that they do superabound then the Prayers of the Righteous can prevail with God no longer to prevent the pouring down of his Judgments upon the Heads of Wicked Men For then the Prayers of the Righteous only for the deliverance of their own Souls shall be heard and not for the Souls of the Wicked And now I say again these before-mentioned Scriptures do make it out plain That all Disorders both in Heaven and Earth from time to time are always performed by the immediate Hand of God and not as Astrologers say only from the Courses of the Stars as they were ordained to be in their first Creation And therefore I must now say again that no Astrologers or any other Men of any other vain Sciences whatsoever can foretell by the Courses of the Stars or by any other way whatsoever what shall fall out or come to pass either of Plague or Famine or what shall be the event of Wars or who shall have the Victory or foreknow by the Calculating of Nativities what shall befall any Man or Men or what Years will be fruitful or unfruitful for all these things are Secrets and only belong to God himself and not unto Men except out of his own goodness and meer pleasure in Mercy to some of his own chosen Ones he is pleased to reveal these his Secrets to such Men as he thinks most fit to pour out his Spirit upon them to that purpose and for that end to preserve his own People as may be seen in that of Pharoah for God did not forewarn Pharoah King of Egypt of what he was about to do wholly for the sake of Pharoah himself or for the Egyptians sake but mostly for the Advancement of Joseph and then consequently for the Preservation of all the Children of Israel And therefore it was that none of the Magicians or any of the Wise Men of Egypt could interpret Pharoah's Dream for it was only God's chosen One that could do it who was Joseph and that not of himself but by the Inspiration of the Lord as Joseph himself acknowledgeth in this same 41 Chapter of Genesis and the 16 verse It is there said And Joseph answered Pharoah saying It is not in me God shall give Pharoah an answer of Peace Again I say that the Revelation of Secrets doth only belong unto God and not unto such Men as are called Astrologers But when God thinks fit he revealeth them to his own chosen Ones as you may read in the