Wilkins, John, A discovery of a new world : or a discourse tending to prove, that 'tis probable there may be another Habitable World in the Moon ; with a discourse concerning the Probability of a Passage thither; unto which is added, a discourse concerning a New Planet, tending to prove, that 'tis probable our earth is one of the Planets

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          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2562" xml:space="preserve">
              <pb o="6" file="0186" n="186" rhead="That the Earth may be a Planet."/>
            do not ſeem convincing unto him he may
              <lb/>
            freely reject it.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2563" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2564" xml:space="preserve">In thoſe natural points which carry with
              <lb/>
            them any doubt or obſcurity, it is the ſafeſt
              <lb/>
            way to ſuſpend our aſſents: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2565" xml:space="preserve">And though we
              <lb/>
            may diſpute pro or con; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2566" xml:space="preserve">yet not to ſettle our
              <lb/>
            Opinion on either ſide.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2567" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2568" xml:space="preserve">In weighing the Authority of others, ’tis
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0186-01" xlink:href="note-0186-01a" xml:space="preserve">Conſid. 2.</note>
            not their multitude that ſhould prevail, or
              <lb/>
            their skill in ſome things that ſhould make
              <lb/>
            them of credit in every thing, but we ſhould
              <lb/>
            examine what particular inſight and experi-
              <lb/>
            ence they had in thoſe times for which they
              <lb/>
            are cited. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2569" xml:space="preserve">Now ’tis plain, that Common
              <lb/>
            People judge by their ſenſes; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2570" xml:space="preserve">and therefore
              <lb/>
            their voices are altogether unfit to decide
              <lb/>
            any Philoſophical doubt, which cannot well
              <lb/>
            be examined or explained without Diſcourſc
              <lb/>
            and Reaſon. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2571" xml:space="preserve">And as for the ancient Fathers,
              <lb/>
            though they wereMen very eminent for their
              <lb/>
            holy lives and extraordinary skill in Divini-
              <lb/>
            ty; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2572" xml:space="preserve">yet they were moſt of them very Igno-
              <lb/>
            rant in that part of Learning which con-
              <lb/>
            cerns this Opinion, as appears by many of
              <lb/>
            their groſs miſtakes in this kind, as that con-
              <lb/>
            cerning the Antipodes, &</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2573" xml:space="preserve">c. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2574" xml:space="preserve">and therefore it
              <lb/>
            is not their Opinion neither, in this buſineſs,
              <lb/>
            that to an indifferent ſeeker of Truth will be
              <lb/>
            of any ſtrong Authority.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2575" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2576" xml:space="preserve">But againſt this it is objected, that
              <note symbol="*" position="left" xlink:label="note-0186-02" xlink:href="note-0186-02a" xml:space="preserve"> Alex.
                <lb/>
              Roſſ. l. 1.
                <lb/>
              ſect. c. 8.</note>
            inſtance of the Antipodes does not argue any
              <lb/>
            ſpecial Ignorance in theſe Learned Men: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2577" xml:space="preserve">Or,
              <lb/>
            that they had leſs skill in ſuch human </s>
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