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pretations, in physical subjects, which may prove to be contrary to fact, and so tempt others to suspect the truth of the sacred writers in more profitable matters.*

*"Quæri etiam solet, quæ forma et figura cœli esse credenda sit secundum scripturas nostras. Multi enim multum disputant de iis rebus, quas majore prudentia nostri auctores omiserunt, ad beatam vitam non profuturas discentibus, et occupantes (quod pejus est multum) preciosa et rebus salubribus impendenda temporum spatia. Quid enim ad me pertinet, utrum cœlum sicut sphæra undique concludat terram in media mundi mole libratam, an eam ex una parte desuper velut discus operiat? Sed quia de fide agitur scripturarum, propter illam causam quam non semel commemoravi-ne quisquam eloquia divina non intelligens, cum de his rebus tale aliquid vel invenerit in libris nostris vel ex illis audierit, quod perceptis à se rationibus adversari videatur, nullo modo eis cætera utilia monentibus, vel narrantibus, vel pronunciantibus, credat-breviter dicendum est, de figura cœli hoc scisse auctores nostros quod veritas habet, sed Spiritum Dei qui per ipsos loquebatur noluisse ista docere homines nulli saluti profutura." Aug. de Genesi ad lit. lib. II. cap. ix. § 20.

The following remarks of Lactantius, another Father of the Christian Church (or some writer using his name), against the

rotundity of the earth and the existence of antipodes, afford a curious specimen of the arguments which sway the mind when devoid of what Dr. Whewell so aptly designates, in his "History of the Inductive Sciences," "the appropriate idea :"

"Quid illi, qui esse contrarios vestigiis nostris Antipodas putant, num aliquid loquuntur ? aut est quisquam tam ineptus qui credat esse homines, quorum vestigia sint superiora quam capita aut ibi quæ apud nos jacent, inversa pendere? fruges et arbores deorsum versus crescere? pluvias et nives, et grandinem sursum versus cadere in terram? Et miratur aliquis hortos pensiles inter septem mira narrari, quum philosophi et agros, et maria, et urbes, et montes pensiles faciant? Hujus quoque erroris aperienda nobis origo est. Nam semper eodem modo falluntur. Quum enim falsum aliquid in principio sumserint, verisimilitudine inducti, necesse est eos in ea, quæ consequuntur, incurrere. Sic incidunt in multa ridicula: quia necesse est falsa esse, quæ rebus falsis congruunt. Quum autem primis habuerint fidem, qualia sunt ea, quæ sequuntur, non circumspiciunt, sed defendunt omni

4. The great controversy in which Galileo acted so conspicuous a part, regarding the Motion of the Earth, furnishes a further and very striking illustra

modo; quum debeant prima illa utrumne vera sint an falsa ex consequentibus judicare. Quæ igitur illos ad Antipodas ratio perduxit? Videbant siderum cursus in occasum meantium, solem atque lunam in eandem partem semper occidere, et oriri semper ab eadem. Quum autem non perspicerent, quæ machinatio cursus eorum temperaret, nec quomodo ab occasu ad orientem remearent, cœlum autem ipsum in omnes partes putarent esse devexum, quod sic videri propter immensam latitudinem necesse est; existimaverunt rotundum esse mundum, sicut pilam, et ex motu siderum opinati sunt cœlum volvi ; sic astra solemque, quum occiderint, volubilitate ipsa mundi ad ortum referri. Itaque et æreos orbes fabricati sunt quasi ad figuram mundi, eosque cælarunt portentosis quibusdam simulacris, quæ astra esse dicerent. Hanc igitur cœli rotunditatem illud sequebatur, ut terra in medio sinu ejus esset inclusa. Quod si ita esset, etiam ipsam terram globo similem ; neque enim fieri posset, ut non esset rotundum quod rotundo conclusum teneretur. Si autem rotunda etiam terra esset, necesse esse, ut in omnes cœli partes eandem faciem gerat, id est, montes erigat, campos tendat, maria consternat. Quod si

esset, etiam sequebatur illud extremum, ut nulla sit pars terræ, quæ non ab hominibus ceterisque animalibus incolatur. Sic pendulos istos Antipodas cœli rotunditas adinvenit. Quod si quæras ab iis, qui hæc portenta defendunt, quomodo non cadunt omnia in inferiorem illam cœli partem? respondent hanc rerum esse naturam, ut pondera in medium ferantur, et ad medium connexa sint omnia, sicut radios videmus in rota; quæ autem levia sunt, ut nebula, fumus, ignis, a medio deferantur, ut cœlum petant. Quid dicam de iis nescio, qui, quum semel aberraverint, constanter in stultitia perseverant, et vanis vana defendunt, nisi quod eos interdum puto aut joci causa philosophari, aut prudentes et scios mendacia defendenda suscipere, quasi ut ingenia sua in malis rebus exerceant vel ostentent. At ego multis argumentis probare possem nullo modo fieri posse, ut cœlum terra sit inferius, nisi et liber jam concludendus esset, et adhuc aliqua restarent, quæ magis sunt præsenti operi necessaria: et quoniam singulorum errores percurrere non est unius libri opus, satis sit pauca enumerasse, ex quibus possit, qualia sint cetera, intelligi.”—Lactantii Omnia Opera, Oxon. 1684. Institut. lib. III. cap. xxiv.

Motion of the

Earth.

tion, from the history of the past, of the folly of bringing Scripture to bear upon scientific questions. And, however we may now smile at the doubts and difficulties which beset men in those days on points which appear so simple to us, and which every child knows, we must remember that they were good and learned men who debated these matters. We see in the struggles which reason and observation, in conflict with Scripture, or rather with Scripture falsely interpreted, brought upon their minds, and in the old prejudices the men of those days had to abandon, the very same principles at work, which still, under new forms, agitate and confuse the minds of the uninstructed and fearful. What could be more clear, they thought, than the testimony of Scripture? The world also is established, that it CANNOT BE MOVED (Ps. xciii. 1). Even so late as the days of Calvin, that erudite and sagacious commentator drew from this passage the inference that the earth is motionless.* The old Ptolemaic system, which had so

*Ps. xciii. 1.-"The Psalmist proves that God will not neglect or abandon the world, from the fact that he created it. A simple survey of the world should of itself suffice to attest a Divine Providence. The heavens revolve daily, and, immense as is their fabric, and inconceivable the rapidity of their revolutions, we experience no concussion-no disturbance in the harmony of

their motion. The sun, though varying its course every diurnal revolution, returns annually to the same point. The planets, in all their wanderings, maintain their respective positions. How could the earth hang suspended in the air were it not upheld by God's hand? By what means could it maintain itself unmoved, while the heavens above are in constant rapid motion, did

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blinded men for ages, chiefly under the authority of Aristotle, was only beginning about that time to meet its death-blow; and the new ideas had not yet reached the study of the learned reformer. Eleven centuries before him, when Pythagorean notions had not been so entirely eclipsed, Augustine refers to the controversy; but avoids coming to a decision, on the plea of want of leisure to discuss it, and absence of profit to his hearers. But in stating the case he affords a curious example of coming to a right conclusion upon false premises, and of thus hazarding the credit of Scripture by an unnatural alliance between it and science. "If the heaven moves, how," he makes some ask, "is it a FIRMAMENT?" So that by a double misinterpretation of Scripture, such reasoners shut themselves up in this dilemma The Sacred Volume asserts in one place that the heavens are firm, and therefore motionless; and in another, that the earth is so also: so that no change whatever can occur, even apparently-a thing contradicted by every day's experience. One, therefore, of these premises must yield. If the first, we are riveted in error, for the earth does move: if the

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not its Divine Maker fix and establish it? Accordingly the particle, denoting emphasis, is introduced-YEA, he hath established it."-Commentary on the Psalms, Calvin Translation Society's Edition.

"De motu etiam cœli nonnulli

fratres questionem movent, utrum stet an moveatur: quia si movetur, inquiunt, quomodo firmamentum est ? Si autem stat, quomodo sidera quæ in illo fixa creduntur, ab oriente usque ad occidentem circumeunt ?"-Aug. de Gen. lib. II. cap. x.

second, the conclusion is true; but further light shows that the premise is false, and the argument becomes again involved, and all is confusion. Such is the mischief of taking our ideas of natural phenomena from Scripture, and shutting our eyes to the just conclusions of reason. All these mists have long been cleared away; the whole is clearly understood, and Scripture stands unchanged and unimpeachable.

Other Scripture texts were forced into this unholy warfare. Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should NOT BE REMOVED FOR EVER (Ps. civ. 5)? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh ; but the EARTH ABIDETH FOR EVER (Eccles. i. 4). Then the following were adduced to establish the correlative truth, as they supposed, that the sun is not at rest. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom COMING OUT of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to RUN a race. His GOING FORTH is from the end of the heaven, and his CIRCUIT unto the ends of it (Ps. xix. 4-6). The sun also ARISETH, and the sun GOETH DOWN, and HASTETH to his place where he arose (Eccles. i. 5).*

* They resorted to such arguments as the following curious piece of reasoning:-Hell, it had long been supposed, was in the centre of the world. Now, if the sun was at rest, with the earth revolving about it, then the centre of the world would

be in the sun. So that hell

would be in the sun, and therefore, in fact, be up in heavenwhich was too absurd, they thought, to be believed. In laughing at such folly, let us beware lest we be guilty of the same in our way, notwithstanding all the light that knowledge gives us, and all the experience c 2

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