The Copernican Syfteme. {} xix Fapiter and the Earth, it is very certain that they have the fame refpect to their Primaries, as these Primaries have to the Sun; that is, The Squares of their Revolutions are as the Cubes of their Distances.And as it is very cerrain and visible, that the Secondary Planets refpect their Primaries as their Centers, and move round them; fo it is in fome measure (one would think) no less certain, and beyond doubt, that all the Primary Planets, which have the felf-fame refpect to, and Motion with regard to the Sun, as thofe Secondaries have to their Pri maries, that those Primaries, I fay,do move round him as their Center, and not about the Earth, to whom they have no fuch refpect.

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zig. The last Argument I fhall alledge for my preference oftheCopernicantothe PtolemaicSyfteme,is from the great Pari ty and Congruity obfervable among all the works of the Creation; which have

we

The

have a manifeft harmony; and great agreement with one another. 9 10 Taus in our prefent cafe, mitis manifeft to our fight, that every Globe have any good views of, hath fuch like Motions, as those are which we afcribe to the Earth. Sun indeed being in the Center, is as 'twere fixt there, and hath no Pdriodical Motion: but yet the other Motion round its own Axis, we can manifeftly difcern. And as forcall the Planets which move round about the Sun, they have, as far as 'tis poffible for us to fee them, fuch Motions as those we afcribe to the Earth; namely, a Diurnal Rotation round their own Axes, and a Periodical Revolution round the Sun And if this be manifeft in the other Planets, what should hinder its being fo in our own? Why fhould ours be fingular? Why not be supposed to be moved as well as the reft, when it is very cer

tain

hath those Motions

tain that either it hath either it hath thole or the Heavens have so; and it is far more natural and eafie for the Earth to perform them, than for the Heavens,as hath been already fhewn. 916 Thus having fhewn how far more probable the Copernican Syfteme is than the Ptolemaick, fo far as it relates to the Motions of the Heavens and Earth, and the Sun being in the Center; it remains (before I proceed Ito the Third and laft Syfteme) that I should answer fome Objections al-ledged against this Syfteme, partly -from Scripture, and partly from Philofophy and Sight. sw glody

banoT Objections from Scripture are Isfuch as feem to affert the Immobility Hi and Reft of the Earth, and the Moation of the Sun and Heavenly Bodies, WoTнe Texts that are brought to Szprove the Immobility and Reft of the as Earth, are Chron. 16. 30. The ~World shall be stable, that it be not

a 3

1

moved

moved. The fame is faid, Pfal.93.1 The World alfo is eftablished, that it cannot be moved.” And fo the fame again, P/al.96. 10. In Pfal. 104.5. GOD is faid to lay the foundations of the Earth, every that it should not be moved for And laftly Solomon, Ecclef. 1. 4. afferts that The Earth abideth for Like to which is that of the Pfalmift, Pfal. 119.90. Thou haft eftablished the Earth, and it abideth. These are the princi pal Texts which seem to affert the Immobility and Stability ofthe Earth,

ever.

THE principal Texts which men

tion the Motion of the Sun and Heavenly Bodies, are fuch as afcribe Ri fing, Setting or Standing ftill to them. Thus Gen. 9. 23. The Sun was rifen upon the Earth, when Lot entered into Zoar. And Gen. 1 15. 15. 17. When the Sun went down, and it was dark, a Imoaking Furnace, &c. So Eccl. 1.5. The Sun arifeth, and the Sun goeth down, and hafteth to the place where he arofe."

So

So Pfal. 19. 5,6. the Sun is faid to come out of his chamber like a Bridegroom, and to rejoyce as a strong man to run a race. That bis going forth is from the end of the leaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it. Pursuant to which expreffions of the Sun's moving, it is faid also to stand still, and to go backwards. Thus Josh. 10. 12, 13. Sun, Stand thou fill upon Gibeon, and thou Moon in the valley of Ajalon. And the Sun Stood Still, and the Moon ftayed. So the Sun stood still in the midst of Heaven, and hafted not to go down about a whole day. And in 2 King. 20. 10. and Ifai. 38, 8. the Sun is faid to have returned ten degrees backward in one of the places, and its Shadow to have done fo in the other.

THESE are the chief Texts of Scripture, which feem to lie againft the Copernican Hypothefis. In anfwer to which, this may be faid in gene

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