: recommend to the solemn consideration of every astrologer the following words in the 50th Psalm :"These things hast thou done, and I kept silence ; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself; but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now, consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver." God's works are like himself, pure and holy it is written in Psalm cxlv. "All thy works shall praise thee." The astrologer "sets his mouth against the heavens" (Psalm lxxiii. 9), but he should remember the words of Isaiah (lv. 9), “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." The way of the Lord is in the great waters, and his footsteps are not known, and he led his people, not by starry influence, but "by the hand of Moses and Aaron" (Psalm lxxvii.); God knoweth "the end from the beginning" (Isaiah xlvi. 10), and He will not give his glory to another (Isaiah xlii. 8, and xlviii. 11), and "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing" (Prov. xxv. 2). The late learned and eloquent Robert Hall, in a sermon on this subject, has the following important remarks: "It is always a matter of awful uncertainty, when we enter on the business of the day, whether we shall close it in time or eternity; when we compose our eyes to slumber, in which world we shall open them. The future is in the hand of GOD. NO MAN can say with confidence, that any one scheme that he is pursuing shall be crowned with success; any one hope or fear which he' entertains be realized. Every period of our life is opening some fresh page, the contents of which no human sagacity can determine; nor is there a single event which can take place under the sun, which can be known with certainty till actually accomplished. God reserves the causes of events in his own hands; and all that the highest wisdom can attain, is such a degree of probability, as may lay a foundation for distant and uncertain conjecture. He leads nations as well as individuals "by a way which they know not." The scenes are shifted and changed by an invisible hand, in such a manner, as clearly to prove that the collective wisdom of mankind, is no more competent to direct their way, than the solitary wisdom of particular persons."-Vol. vi. p. 43. These are the sentiments, not only of Robert Hall, but of the whole Church of Christ." We are further told by Lilly (page 76), that "the whole key of astrology" rests in the following words rightly understood: 3 "You must consider the matter propounded, and see to which of the twelve houses it does properly belong; when you have found the house, consider the sign, and lord of that sign, how, and in what sign, and what part of heaven he is placed, how dignified, what aspect he has to the lord of the ascendant, who impedites your significator; who is a friend unto him, viz.: what planet it is, and what house he is lord of, or in what house posited; from such a man or woman signified by that planet, shall you be aided or hindered, or by one of such relation unto you, as that planet signifies; if lord of such a house, such an enemy; if lord of a house that signifies enemies, then an enemy verily; if of a friendly house, a friend." I now present my readers with the following table, which I have formed from Lilly (page 27, 34.) Lilly says the consignificators of the first house are Aries and Saturn, because Aries is the first sign, and Saturn the first of the planets (page 28). But, in nature, there is no first sign of the zodiac, and the commencement of the year has varied in different ages, and in different countries. Before the alteration of style in 1751, the year, with us, began on the 21st of March, when the Sun entered Aries; but since that period, its commencement has been fixed for January the 1st, when the Sun is in 10 degrees of Capricornus; and this point of the ecliptic might be considered the first of that circle, instead of the first degree of Aries. Saturn is here called the first of the planets; but we are assured, if the existence of the Georgium Sidus had been known to the ancients, this planet would have taken precedence of the rest; and thus the consignificators of the first house would have been Capricornus and Herschel, instead of Aries and Saturn; and the whole series have been changed, and the judgments of astrologers respecting the destinies of mankind, would have varied with these transformations. We observe also that the order of the planets, as here set down, is according to the order of their distances; but in the time of Lilly, only seven primary planets had been discovered; consequently, in the table above, the number is exhausted at the seventh house; and the series is re-commenced at the eighth; but if the ancient astrologers had known of the newly discovered planets, Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta, they would not have been overlooked, but have been invested with due power and influence in some of the twelve celestial mansions. In connection with this subject, I shall notice the discovery of Jupiter's satellites by Galileo, called by him the Medecian Stars, in honour of the Duke of Tuscany; he was urged by the astrologers of that day to attribute some influence to them on the affairs of this world; but Galileo, who had a thorough contempt for all prognosticators, told them to prophecy merrily on according to their former rules; for, as the new planets had not disturbed their previous labours, they would be no less fortunate conjurors for the future. I think I have fully. proved that the twelve houses and their consignificators have no existence in nature, but are the wild productions of astrological fancy. From the vile volume before me, I shall select a few of the special cases which were submitted to the author for resolution. The first is to be found at page 88:-" If the querent were likely to live long, yea or not-to what part of the world he had best direct his course -what part of his life was likely to be most fortunate, &c."-At page 108, we have a figure for the resolution of the following queries: "If a party might be found at home-a thing suddenly happening, whether good or ill is about to follow-what moles or marks the querent has. If one absent be dead or alive." At page 101, is an horoscope to ascertain whether a certain ship, trading to the coast of Spain, were lost "or living." At page 119 is another, to determine the following queries: "If the querent should be rich, or subsist himself without marriageby what means he should attain wealth-the time when-if it would continue." At page 129, a figure is set to solve the following questions: "If an absent brother be living or dead-if dead, whether killed by soldiers—if living, when he should hear of him-where he was-and when he should come |