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-div213" type="section" level="1" n="56">
          <pb o="32" file="0212" n="212" rhead="That the Earth may be a Planet."/>
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            <s xml:id="echoid-s2964" xml:space="preserve">1. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2965" xml:space="preserve">What need the King of Babylon ſend
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            thither to enquire after it? </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2966" xml:space="preserve">If you reply,
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            becauſe it was occaſioned by Hezekiah's Re-
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            covery. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2967" xml:space="preserve">I anſwer, ’Tis not likely that the
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            Heathens would ever believe ſo great a Mi-
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            racle ſhould be wrought, meerly for a Sign
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            of one Man's recovery from a Diſeaſe; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2968" xml:space="preserve">but
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            would rather be apt to think that it was
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            done for ſome more remarkable purpoſe,
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            and that by ſome of their own Gods, unto
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            whom they attributed a far greater power,
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            than unto any other. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2969" xml:space="preserve">'Tis more probable,
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            that they might hear ſome flying Rumour
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            of a Miracle that was ſeen in Judea; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2970" xml:space="preserve">which,
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            becauſe it hapned only in Hezekiab's Houſe
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            and Dial, and that too upon his recovery
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            from a dangerous ſickneſs, they might be
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            more apt to believe that it was a ſign of
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            it.</s>
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            <s xml:id="echoid-s2972" xml:space="preserve">2. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2973" xml:space="preserve">Why have we no mention made of it
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            in the Writings of the Ancients? </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2974" xml:space="preserve">It is no
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            way likely, that ſo great a Miracle as this
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            was (if it were in the Sun) ſhould have
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            been paſſed over in ſilence; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2975" xml:space="preserve">Eſpecially, ſince
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            it hapned in thoſe later Times, when there
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            were many Heathen Writers that flouriſhed
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            in the World, Heſiod, Archilochus, Symo-
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            nides; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2976" xml:space="preserve">and not long after, Homer, with di-
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            vers others; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2977" xml:space="preserve">and yet none of them have the
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            leaſt mention of any ſuch Prodigy. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2978" xml:space="preserve">We
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            have many relations of Matters that were
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            leſs obſervable, which were done about that
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            Time; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2979" xml:space="preserve">the Hiſtory of Numa Pompilius, Gy-
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            ges; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s2980" xml:space="preserve">the fight betwixt the three </s>
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