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 |< < (33) of 370 > >|
4533That the Moon may be a World. Saint Baſil did endeavour to prove this out of
11Iſa. 51. 6.
Ant. lect.
l. 1. c. 4.
Hiſt. nat.
l. 2. c.11.13.
that place in Iſaiab, where they are compar'd
to Smoak, as they are both quoted by Rhodi-
ginus.
Euſebius Nicrembergius doth likewiſe
from that place confute the Solidity and In-
corruptibility of the Heavens, and cites for
the ſame Interpretation the Authority of Eu-
22In lib. ſup.
Gen. ad lit.
ſtachius of Antioch;
and St. Auſtin, I am ſure,
in one place ſeems to aſſent unto this Opinion,
though he does oſten in his other Works con-
tradict it.
If you eſteem the Teſtimony of the Ancient
Fathers, to be of any great Force or Conſe-
quence in a Philoſophical Diſpute, you may
ſee them to this Purpoſe in Sixtus Senenſis lib.
5. Biblioth. annot. 14. The chief Reaſons,
that are commonly urg'd for the Confirmati-
on of it, are briefly theſe Three.
1. From the Altitude of divers Comets,
which have been obſerv'd to be above the
Planets, through whoſe Orbs (if they had
been Solid, there would not have been any
Paſſage.
To theſe may be added thoſe leſſer
Planets lately diſcover'd about Fupiter and
Saturn, for which Aſtronomers have not yet
fram'd any Orbs.
2. From that uncertainty of all Aſtronomi-
cal Obſervations, which will follow upon the
Suppoſition of ſuch Solid Spheres.
For then
we ſhould never diſcern any Star but by a mul-
titude of Refractions, and ſo conſequently we
would not poſſibly find their true Scituations
either in reſpect of us, or in regard of one ano-
ther;
ſince whatever the Eye diſcerns by a
Refracted Beam, it apprehends to be in

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