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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        <div xml:id="echoid-div195" type="section" level="1" n="55">
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            <s xml:id="echoid-s2517" xml:space="preserve">
              <pb o="3" file="0183" n="183" rhead="That the Earth may be à Planet."/>
            able to find out ſuch a Secret as this, beſides
              <lb/>
            ſome fabulous Pythagoreans, and of late Co-
              <lb/>
            pernicus? </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2518" xml:space="preserve">Is it poſſible that the World ſhould
              <lb/>
            laſt for above five thouſand years together,
              <lb/>
            and yet the Inhabitants of it be ſo dull and
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            ſ@upid, as to be unacquainted with its mo-
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            tion? </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2519" xml:space="preserve">Nay, ſhall we think that thoſe excel-
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            lent Men, whom the Holy Ghoſt made uſe
              <lb/>
            of in the penning of Scripture, who were
              <lb/>
            extraordinarily inſpired with ſupernatural
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            Truths, ſhould notwithſtanding be ſo groſ-
              <lb/>
            ly ignorant of ſo common a matter as this?
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2520" xml:space="preserve">Can we believe, if there were any ſuch thing,
              <lb/>
            that foſhua, and fob, and David, and Solo-
              <lb/>
            mon, &</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2521" xml:space="preserve">c. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2522" xml:space="preserve">ſhould know nothing of it? </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2523" xml:space="preserve">Cer-
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            tainly it muſt needs argue a ſtrong aſſectati-
              <lb/>
            on of Singularity, for a Man to take up any
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            groundleſs fancy againſt ſuch antient and
              <lb/>
            general Authority.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2524" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2525" xml:space="preserve">I anſwer: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2526" xml:space="preserve">As we ſhould not be ſo fondly
              <lb/>
            conceited of our ſelves, and the extraordina-
              <lb/>
            ry Abilities of theſe preſent Ages, as to think
              <lb/>
            every thing that is antient to be abſolute:
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2527" xml:space="preserve">Or, as if it muſt needs be with Opinions, as
              <lb/>
            it is with Clothes, where the neweſt is for
              <lb/>
            the moſt part beſt. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2528" xml:space="preserve">So neither ſhould we be ſo
              <lb/>
            ſuperſtitiouſly devoted to Antiquity, as to
              <lb/>
            take up every thing for Canonical, which
              <lb/>
            drops from the pen of aFather, or was appro-
              <lb/>
            ved by the conſent of the Antients. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2529" xml:space="preserve">’Tis an
              <lb/>
            excellent ſaying, Δ{εἶ} ἐλευ θέριον ἐιν{αι} τũ
              <note symbol="*" position="right" xlink:label="note-0183-01" xlink:href="note-0183-01a" xml:space="preserve">Alcinous</note>
            μη Τ
              <unsure/>
            μέλλοτα φιλοσοφ{εἶ}ν It behoves every
              <lb/>
            one in the ſearch of Truth, always to preſerve
              <lb/>
            aPhiloſophical liberty: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2530" xml:space="preserve">Not to be ſo </s>
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