f reafon to conclude, that they are inhabited. And bedes other Ufes, which may be found out hereafter, one very confiderable has been already made of the Satellites, for the benefit of the World, in rectifying Geography, and determining the Longitude of Places. * M. Caffini has drawn up Tables for this purpofe, and written a Treatife on the Subject. And the Miffionaries, by their Obfervations, have difcovered, that the Empire of China is Five hundred Leagues nearer Europe, than Geographers have placed it. VII. It has been fuggefted by Learned Men, that the Planets may poffibly be inhabited by rational Creatures of a different nature from Mankind: their Souls may be of an inferior or fuperior Order to ours, and their Bodies of a different Form and Composition, and there may be different Laws of Union and Communication between the Operations of their Souls and the Motions of their Bodies: For there is no neceffity to believe, that there can be no fort of rational Animals but Mankind. g But I offer most of what I have faid on this Subject, only as Conjectures, which have at least so much probability in them, as to filence the Objections brought against the Scriptures on thefe Accounts. For unless a Man can prove thefe or the like Conjectures falfe, which I am perfuaded no Man can ever do, he must forbear urging Objections that will be infignificant, if these Conjectures, or fuch as thefe, fhould be true. It is as hard to affign every particular End and Use of many other wonderful Things in Nature, but lately difcovered by Microfcropes, as of any thing obfervable in the Heavens, either by the naked Eye, or by Telescopes. And when the Scriptures mention those Uses of the heavenly Bodies which Philof. Burgund. Tom. 5. c. 8. Differt. more immediately concern our Earth, this doth not deny or exclude any other Ufes, for which they may be defign'd. CHA P. XI. That there is nothing in the Scriptures which con tradicts the late Difcoveries in Natural Philofophy. 1. I up T has been well obferved by divers Writers on this Subject, that the Scriptures were written with no defign of teaching us Natural Philofophy, but to inftruct us in the Knowledge of God, and of our felves; to teach us our Duty, and fhew us the way to live and die well: and therefore they might make ufe of popular Expreffions and Forms of Speech, neither affirming nor denying the Philofophical Truth of them, but intending them only in that Senfe and Meaning, which was their fole defign in ufing them. All proverbial Sayings, and metaphorical Expreffions, by way of Illuftration or Ornament, must be taken from received Notions; but they are not therefore afferted in the Philofophical Senfe by him who useth them, any more than the Hiftorical Truth of Parables and Similitudes is fuppofed to be afferted. And to have made ufe only of Philofophical Terms and Notions, and have rectified the vulgar Conceptions of Men concerning all the Phenomena, which upon occafion are made mention of in the Scriptures, would have required a large Syftem of Philofophy, which had made the Scriptures a Book unfit for vulgar Capacities, and for the ufe of the greatest part of those for whom they are defigned. This Theory of Nature would befides, have feemed as ftrange and incredible to most Men, even as Miracles can do. For there is hardly any thing that Men unacquainted with Philo P 2 fophy, fophy, are more startled at than Philofophical Difcoveries. How incredible doth the Motion of the Earth, and the Reft of the Sun, feem to all Men but Philofophers? who are generally now agreed in it, whilft the Rifing and Setting of the Sun, are Expreffions now as much in ufe with fuch as hold the Earth's Motion, as with others: And indeed they must speak fo, if they will be understood; and excepting this one Inftance, which is and ever will be in ufe according to the vulgar Conception in all Countries and Languages, notwithstanding any Philofophical Difcoveries, I know nothing in the Scriptures, which is not confiftent with the prefent Notions of Philofophy. II. And yet that place of Scripture, which is most objected on this Occafion, is fo exprefs'd, as that no Advantage can be taken against it. Sun, ftand thou ftill upon Gibeon, and thou Moon, in the Valley of Ajalon, Jofh. x. 12. Stand thou ftill, or as we read in the Margin, Be thou filent; be still, do not interrupt our Victories, and take part with the Enemy, by withdrawing thy Light, and favouring his Efcape. And again, ver. 13. The Sun ftood still (or was filent) and the Moon ftaid; where the Word applied to the Moon, fignifies properly to stay or stand still; but the Word ufed concerning the Sun is metaphorical, as if it had been purposely fo ordered, because the Moon moves, but the Sun only feems to do fo: which is farther confirmed by the following part of the fame Verfe, where, in the Citation from the Book of Jafher, the fame Word is ufed of the Sun, which was before used of the Moon, fignifying that the Sun properly stood ftill. For the Book of Jafher is cited in its own words; but when Joshua, who wrote by Inspiration, fet down the words of the Holy Spirit, he exprefs'd the thing fo, that it cannot be from thence inferr'd, that the Sun must be fuppofed to move, but rather the contrary; tho' immediately after, in a Citation from another Book, he inferts the Expreffion of an Author, who who had follow'd the vulgar Opinion. However, as fome have obferv'd, the Motion of the Earth being caus'd by the Sun's Motion upon his own Axis, this Motion of the Sun might for that time cease and thereby both the Sun and the Earth, as well as the Moon might stand ftill. The fame Words which Joshua ufed, is tranflated to wait upon, and wait for Pfal. lxii. 1. lxv. 1. So that all which can be concluded from the Word is, that the Sun attended, he lengthned the Day, and waited for the Victory, or waited upon the Army of Ifrael. III. Gen. i. 6. And God faid, Let there be a Firmament in the midst of the Waters. The Word tranflated Firmament is in the Margin rendred Expanfion, by which feems to be meant this Orb, in which the Earth is placed, and by the Waters above the Firmament or Expansion, may be meant the Waters beyond the Circumference of our Orb, and belonging to the Planets; and by the Waters under the Firmament, may be understood the Waters belonging to the Earth, and contain'd within its Expanfion. For at first all was one confus'd Heap of Waters, without any Distinction of Orbs; the Mafs of Waters being extended throughout, before the feveral Orbs were appointed; but then the Waters belonging to each Orb were caus'd to fubfide towards their feveral Centers, till they being gather'd together in their proper Channels and Receptacles, the dry Land appear'd. I confess I once thought this had been only an Explication of my own, but I have fince found, that it is of equal Date with the Modern Philofophy, and that it has likewise been lately used by others. Indeed it seems to be fo eafy an Exposition, that I believe it would come into moft Mens Minds, who would confider how this Text may be explain'd according to the New Philofophy. Others fuppofe the Firmament to fignifie only the Region of the Air, and by the Waters above the Firmament, they understand P 3 the the Vapours contain'd in the Clouds. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of Waters in the Hea vens, and he causeth the Vapours to afcend from the ends of the Earth, Jer. x. 13. IV. The Sun and Moon are call'd Two great Lights, Gen.i.16. But this doth not imply that either of them is greater than the fix'd Stars, which are not spoken of till the latter end of the Verfe. But the Sun is the great Light that rules the day, and the Moon the great Light that rules the night, the Moon being in respect of the Light which fhe gives us, bigger than any fix'd Star; for fhe gives us more Light than they do, in fome fenfe, however; and with refpect to us, the Moon is the greater Light, though the Stars are the greater Luminous Bodies, and are call'd great Lights Pfal. cxxxvi. 7, 9. Confider this Luminary, as it concerns us, and it is in that conception greater than the biggest Star. Yet the Sun and the Moon are not faid to be greater Lights than the fix'd Stars, nor as great as they are; but are only called great Lights, which they certainly are, though every Star fhould be bigger than either of them. The Stars are plainly fpoken of by themselves, and apart from the Sun and Moon, without any Comparison or Relation to them. And God made two great Lights, the greater Light to rule the Day, and the leffer Light to rule the Night: He made the Stars alfo: That is, befides the two great Lights, which are the Sun and Moon, he made the Stars, which are distinguish'd from thefe, and not reckon'd with them, but are spoken of by way of Parenthefis. The Stars being of another Division of Celestial Bodies, and belonging to other Orbs, are mention'd here distinctly, and not with any Comparifon to the Sun and Moon: But will any Man deny that the Sun and Moon are great Lights, because the Stars are great Lights too, and as big perhaps as the Sun, and bigger than the Moon? There are in Eurape many great Cities, and there are great Cities like |