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-div225" type="section" level="1" n="57">
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            <s xml:id="echoid-s3088" xml:space="preserve">
              <pb o="40" file="0220" n="220" rhead="That the Earth may be a Planet."/>
            miſtake, 'tis likely did ariſe that groundleſs
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            obſervation of the ancient Jews; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3089" xml:space="preserve">who would
              <lb/>
            not admit any to read the beginning of Ge-
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            neſis, till he was arrived to thirty Years of
              <lb/>
            Age. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3090" xml:space="preserve">The true reaſen of which, wa this;
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3091" xml:space="preserve">not becanſe that Book was harder than any
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            other; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3092" xml:space="preserve">but becauſe Moſes conforming his
              <lb/>
            expreſlion to vulgar Conceits, and they exa-
              <lb/>
            mining of them by more exact rules of Phi-
              <lb/>
            loſophy, were fain to force upon them ma-
              <lb/>
            ny ſtrange Allegories, and unnatural Myſte-
              <lb/>
            ries.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3093" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3094" xml:space="preserve">Thus alſo, becauſe for the moſt part we
              <lb/>
            conceive the Stars to be innumerable, there-
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            fore doth the Holy Ghoſt often ſpeak of
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            them in reſerence to this opinion. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3095" xml:space="preserve">So Jere-
              <lb/>
            my: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3096" xml:space="preserve">As the Hoſt of Heaven cannot be num-
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0220-01" xlink:href="note-0220-01a" xml:space="preserve">Jer. 35. 22</note>
            bred, neither the Sand of the Sea meaſured ſo
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            will I multiply the Seed of David. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3097" xml:space="preserve">So likewiſe
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            when God would comfort Abraham with the
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            promiſe of a numberleſs Poſterity, he bids
              <lb/>
            him look up to Heayen, and tells him, that
              <lb/>
            his Seed ſhould be like thoſe Stars for num-
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0220-02" xlink:href="note-0220-02a" xml:space="preserve">Gen. 15 5.</note>
            ber: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3098" xml:space="preserve">Which, ſaith Clavius,
              <note symbol="*" position="left" xlink:label="note-0220-03" xlink:href="note-0220-03a" xml:space="preserve">In 1. cup.
                <lb/>
              Sphæræ.</note>
            eſt ſecundum communem ſententiam vulgi, ex-
              <lb/>
            iſtimantis infinitam eſſe multitudinem ſtellarum,
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            dum eas nocte ſerena confusè intuetur; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3099" xml:space="preserve">is to be
              <lb/>
            underſtood according to the common opi-
              <lb/>
            nion of the Vulgar, who think the Stars to
              <lb/>
            be of an inſinite multitude, whilſt they be-
              <lb/>
            hold them all (as they ſeem confuſed) in
              <lb/>
            a clear Night. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3100" xml:space="preserve">And though many of our
              <lb/>
            Divines do commonly interpret this Speech
              <lb/>
            to be an Hyperbole; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s3101" xml:space="preserve">yet being well </s>
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