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.

Spencer, John, 1630-1693

Date:: 1663

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.

43/150 (page 21)

$of men are very ignorant* and therefore fuperflitioufly fearfull upon any iuch irregular events in Nature. —-Formido mortales continet omnes3 •Quod mult a in terris fieri cxlc'que tuentur• Quorum operum caujas nulla, ratione videre Pojjunt: Lucret. The Fools Purgatory is as familiar as the Fools Paradife jIgnorance Wifd.i7.13. calls every unaccountable Symptom (in the Patient) Witchcraft, To yw '<rvw-’ and every ilrange accident* a Prodigy. Befides it is the ul'age of ig- ig¬ norance, eipecially where the objedsare great, vehement, and ex- vbvJ.Kh'*- traordinary, which fall before it, to conceit a kinde of Divinity S'olovdmy^ dwelling in them, and to regard them as. examples of fome vertue vsl and power fupenour to Natural. Hippocrates tells us, that fad difeafe ea ( in VhyhckiXAe&mojbus facer, the holy or divine difeafe) took its ^Wi/007- appellation hence, ^Av^amot^ iviyuvav Qelou hvcu \asv dmiews a) d&v- '07}pjQ- d.va- (M-jjoiflof. ' Men called it divine, from ignorance, and a blinde won- 'n^ derment at the tenge and vehement fyinptoms thereof. Moreover, it is the nature of ignorance to produce (as diffidence in the heart, fowithall) confidence in the head-, for thofe which know leall.of p[ut, things pall or prefent, are ufually the molt confident determiners concerning things future. Upon this account the multitude (to HiDOocrat which knowledge was never very friendly) cannot but be greatly Amorb Caere impreffive to any great and religious perfwafions concerning prodi- gies; ( efpecially if much forc’t upon them by the importunity of bold men ) 2. It is the Nature of guilt to be quickly awakened into a fear of an ap¬ proaching evil: Itfleeps (as they fay of the Hare) with its eyes open^ quickly awake to fee or phanfie an impendent evil, howfecure loe- veritmay feem toitfeffior others. Guilt isupon every flightocca- Wifd.i7.n. iron WLtfJUf kzkuv, never prophefying good concerning men,but evils Ad monftri It will fly when none purfues. There go ufually along with a guilty confpeftum brealt ( when fair colours hang out in the f ace ) black jealoufies and omnes plerun- fears,^ a jtpiffius, a fearfull expectation of vengeance t and quefubito ex- therefore f like Beljbanar) where it cannot diftinftly expound Gods honefeum, tenge characters, it yet concludes the general intention to be wrath veluti ccnfci- and judgement. The Authour of the Boo^of IVijdomj hath therefore entiamjiimu- well exprefl: the Nature of guilt, thus, TVicb^ednefs condemned of her own lo peccati vul- witnefs, is very timerous^and being prejfed with confcience> always forecafi- ncratama?- cth terrible things. nofcentes3 at- Guilthath an injured Gcd always prefented to it, now where our quedeirdVei lives and fortunes are in the hand of offended greatnefs, vfe think velin antece- more fluently what it may, then what it will do with us. Where dentibus ani- men miftruft ( as guilt generally doth ) every nutus> words good or maduersd, vel bad,alla£tions, but eipecially fuchasare to us obfeure and unac- in future nc- eountable, are the feed of jealoufie. Guilt can fpell death out of Gods gotiis metuen-- fweetert promifes, much more out of his dark and intricate provi- di finguli co- donees. gitent, b Theftrid obfervation of Prodigies hath rifen from the application of S.AugMb,de a humane meafure to divine fittings. All anions of confequence done in Civit.Dcil E the$