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<ETS>
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<DATE>2008-04-03</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B080316.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B06694">
<STC T="W">W3362B</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">52529379</BIBNO>
<VID>179282</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 17 -->
<HEAD TYPE="illustration"><FIGURE>
</FIGURE></HEAD>
<HEAD>The VVonderful Blazing Star: with the dreadful Apparition of two ARMIES in the Air. The one out of the NORTH, the other out of the SOUTH, as in the Figure above is repre&s;ented.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>ON the 17^t^h of <HI>Decemb<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> 1680 between 4 and 5 a Clock in the Evening, at <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="1 span">ward of <HI>Exon</HI>; I, and many more vewing this ama|zi<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="2 letters"> on a &s;udden in a clear Sky, there appeared Two great Ar|mies, on<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="1 letter"> coming out of the North, who&s;e Leader had a Coronet on his head: the other from the South; and, as it &s;eemed furiou&s;ly joyned Battel and <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="1 word"> lit|tle retreating, vigorou&s;ly charged again and thus continued almo&s;t an Hour, till at la&s;t there comes in a Re&s;erve, and joyning with the Southern Army, forces the Northern back in Di&s;order, and &s;o Vani&s;hed. Several were &s;o terrified with this Sight, that they &s;wooned away: This is as true as terrible, el&s;e I would not have troubled you with it.</P>
<P>This Account came from a Reverend Divine, who, with many more, was an Ex-witne&s;s of it. And, in all parts of <HI>England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Holland, Spain, Germa|ny</HI> and <HI>Sweeden;</HI> nay, all over Chri&s;tendom, this <HI>Comet</HI> has been vi&s;ible: the like never &s;ince the Creation, as far as can be gathered by the be&s;t Hi&s;torians ancient and m<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">dern; being plac'd in <HI>Mercury</HI>'s Sphere, above the <HI>Moon.</HI></P>
<P>TWill be therefore very nece&s;&s;ary that I remind you of the two late&s;t Exem|plifications of <HI>Comets,</HI> the one in 1664 and the other in 1677. That in 1664. was a forerunner of mo&s;t dreadf<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="3 letters">pen&s;ations, as the <HI>Sweeping Pe&s;tilence</HI> in 65. and the <HI>Swallowing Fire</HI> in 166<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="1 letter">. The one falls fowl on per&s;ons, t'other on Habi|tations. The la&s;t in 1677. foreruns the mo&s;t Damnable Plot (the Quinte&s;&s;ence of all Plots) that ever Hell invented: Now God hath lighted up another Torch to give us a new Warning, that being forewarned we might be forearmed al&s;o, e&s;|pecially with tho&s;e Arms of the Church, to wit, <HI>Prayers</HI> and <HI>Tears</HI> (our <HI>De&s;perate Malady</HI> hath not yet met with an <HI>Effectual Remedy</HI>) le&s;t tho&s;e Matchle&s;s Mi&s;chiefs which are Imminent over us may not al&s;o be Incumbent on us. There is cer|tainly &s;omething more than ordinary God hath upon the Wheel, to lighten up &s;uch a Blaze as this in the very, depth of Winter, which is a time Diametrically contrary to the very Nature of <HI>Comets,</HI> for Cold and Moi&s;t Weather is altoge|ther unapt to produce tho&s;e dry Vapours, whereof a <HI>Comet</HI> con&s;i&s;teth. A Win|ter <HI>Comet</HI> is therefore like Winter <HI>Thunder,</HI> which is commonly call'd the <HI>Worlds Wonder:</HI> the proper time of engendring tho&s;e <HI>Meteors</HI> is <HI>Autumn,</HI> for in <HI>Spring-time</HI> there is &s;uppo&s;ed to be too much Moi&s;ture and too little Heat to congregate tho&s;e Vapours, and in <HI>Summer-time</HI> there is &s;o much heat as plainly Segregates and Di&s;per&s;es tho&s;e Exhalations, but <HI>Winter time</HI> is wholly oppo&s;ite to their exi&s;tency and quite contrary to the con&s;tituting of them; Therefore this <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="2 words"></HI> and <HI>pr<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="3 letters">ernatural &s;ign</HI> mu&s;t needs &s;ignify &s;ome <HI>Extraordinary</HI> and <HI>&s;upernatural <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="1 word"></HI> even &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="1 letter">me Sweeping, Swinging or Scourging, yea &s;ome cutting or killing Di&s;pen|&s;ation for the (<GAP DESC="foreign" EXTENT="1 word">) or Apparition extraordinary had a threefold Re&s;emblance: 1 Of <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Broom,</HI> 2. Of a <HI>Rod.</HI> 3. Of a <HI>Sword,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="indecipherable" EXTENT="1 letter">. Of a large <HI>Broom</HI> or <HI>Be&s;om,</HI> yet dread<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="2 letters">l to behold, by its &s;parkling A&s;pect, as if God were coming to Sweep <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="1 letter">a|bylon</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="2 letters">d de&s;troy its <HI>B<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="1 letter">ats,</HI> with his dreadful <HI>Be&s;om of De&s;truction,</HI> as he hath pro|mi&s;ed <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 1. 14. 22. 23. 'Tis true, God hath his [<HI>Scopas purgatorias,</HI> as well as <HI>perdi<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI>ias] his <HI>Bru&s;hing</HI>  as well as <HI>Cru&s;hing</HI> Be&s;oms. The former is for <HI>S<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> whic<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="1 letter"> God bru&s;hes only for its <HI>Ornament</HI> the latter is for <HI>Babylon,</HI> which God Cru&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="2 letters">s al&s;o for its <HI>O<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="2 letters">rthrow.</HI> God grant this <HI>Unclean Spirit</HI> of <HI>Babylon</HI> may be Swep<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="damage" EXTENT="1 letter"> but of our Land. <HI>Zach.</HI> 13.2. Even by his powerful Be&s;om.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Of their final Cau&s;e.</HEAD>
<P>MOST Philo&s;ophers agree, that Comets are the Emba&s;&s;adors or Agents of a highly offended Deity, and the Denunciators of Mi&s;ery to Mankind: They are taken for Heralds or Proclaimers of future Calamities and Mi&s;eries: It is a mo&s;t certain Truth, never yet did any Comet appear, but it was the Me&s;&s;en|ger of &s;ome Eminent Calamity.</P>
<P>The Learned Dr. <HI>Swan</HI> agrees, that they are either a &s;ign of Calamity or el&s;e the efficient Cau&s;e of them: if a Sign of Calamity, then their end is to be Mo|nitors to Repentance.</P>
<P>Mo&s;t true it is, That Comets were always look't upon as the Threatning Eyes of Divine Vengeance, or the Tongue of an ireful and greatly offended Deity.</P>
<P>The Learned <HI>Fr<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="1 letter">mu<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="1 letter">dus</HI> concludes, That they are Signs, at the plea&s;ure of God, to terrify and amend Mortals.</P>
<Q><L>The Earth in vain did never Gaze,</L>
<L>When <HI>Comets</HI> the Skies do Blaze.</L></Q>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="conclusion">
<HEAD>Conclu&s;ion:</HEAD>
<P><HI>Notwith&s;tanding the Vengeance which Comet threatens to Mortals; The Godly, Up<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="1 letter">ight &s;incere S<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="1 letter">uls need not in the lea&s;t concern them&s;elves; but may be joyful in the Lo<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="under-inked" EXTENT="1 letter"> when others &s;hall be at their Wits End for fear: for it doth, with the Prophet <HI>I&s;a. 3.10. Say to the Righteous, That it &s;hall be well with him &mdash; Wo unto the Wic|ked, it &s;hall be ill with him &mdash; 1 <HI>Phil.</HI> 28. In nothing terified by your Ad|ver&s;aries, which is to them an evident token of Perdition: but to you of Sal|vation, and that of God.</HI></HI></P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P>LONDON, Printed for <HI>Dorman Newman,</HI> at the Kings Arms in the Poultrey, <HI>1681.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
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