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

Page concordance

< >
Scan Original
291 111
292 112
293 113
294 114
295 115
296 116
297 117
298 118
299 119
300 120
301 121
302 122
303 123
304 124
305 125
306 126
307 127
308 128
309 129
310 130
311 131
312 132
313 133
314 134
315 135
316 136
317 137
318 138
319 139
320 140
< >
page |< < (38) of 370 > >|
21838That the Earth may be a Planet. therefore uſes a popular phraſe: ſo as ordi-
nary People, without the help of Arts and
Learning, might eaſily underſtand him.
And in another place, Non fuit Spiritus
Sancti concilium Aſtrologiam docere :
'It was
11Comment.
in P1. 136.
‘ not the purpoſe of the Holy Ghoſt to teach
‘ us Aſtronomy :
but being to propound a
‘ Doctrine, that concerns the moſt rude and
‘ ſimple People, he does (both by Moſes
‘ and the Prophets) conform himſelf unto
‘ their phraſes and conceits :
leſt any ſhould
‘ think to excuſe his own ignorance with the
‘ pretence of difficulty;
as Men commonly
‘ do in thoſe things which are delivered af-
‘ ter a learned and ſublime manner.
Thus
Zanchy likewiſe, Moſes majorem 22De ope-
ribus Dei,
par. 2. li.6.
cap. 1.
habuit noſtri humanique judicii, &
c. 'When
‘ Moſes calls the Moon a Great Light;
he
‘ had a more eſpecial reference to Mens Opi-
‘ nions of it, than to the truth of the thing
‘ it ſelf, becauſe he was to deal with ſuch,
‘ who do judg uſually, rather by their Senſe,
‘ than by their Reaſon.
Nor will that di-
ſtinction of Fromondus, and others, avoid
this interpretation, when he tells us of Mag-
nus Materialis;
which refers to the bulk and
quantity of the Body:
and Magnum Formale,
which imports the greatneſs of its Light.
For we grant, that it is really unto us a
greater Light than any of the Stars, or than
all of them together;
yet there is not any
one of them, but is in it ſelf a bigger Light
than this:
And therefore, when we ſay this
ſpeech is to be underſtood according to

Text layer

  • Dictionary

Text normalization

  • Original

Search


  • Exact
  • All forms
  • Fulltext index
  • Morphological index