Observations Natural and Moral, Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII. Of the ſituation of the Elements.
Exod. 20.4. Or in the Water under the earth. De ſitu Elementorum.
ALthough the water be ſaid to be under the earth, yet the water as the lighteſt element is above the earth.
The water is above the earth, therefore Ieruſalem is called umbilicus terrae, Ezek. 38.12. The midſt of the Land; and Tyrus is ſayd to be placed in the heart of the Sea, Ezch. 28.8. The water is ſayd to have a heart, and the earth a Navell; as the heart is above the Navell, ſo the water naturally is above the earth.
When God created the Waters and the earth, at the firſt they were mixed together as the Wine and the dregs, but the Lord ſeparated them, and hee cauſed the earth to fall downe like the dregges of the wine, and the water to riſe out of the earth to the circumference, then he gathered the waters into one place, Gen. 1. called the deepe; whereby the earth and the water, made but one globe, and the earth, being ſetled as the Center, the water goeth round about it, as the circumference; therefore that poſition of the Philoſophers holds not, that there is ten times more water than earth, for as Bodinus ſaith in his Theatrum naturale, that the higheſt hill being meaſured perpendicularly to the ſuperfice of the water, is not a mile of height about the water, and the deepeſt place in the ocean is not a mile of deepth; There is not ſo much water as earth.therefore there is not ſo much water as there is earth, and if the earth were made in a plaine circumference it would fill up all the waſtneſſe of the deepes, and in Noahs deludge it was but fifteene cubites above the higheſt mountaine, therefore there would not bee ſo much water as earth.
The earth being the Center and the water the circumference, The earth and the water make but one globe.they make but one Globe which is proved by the eclipſe of the Moone, for when ſhe is eclipſed, there is but one ſhadow caſt up both of the water and the earth upon the body of the Sunne.
By the Eclipſe wee learne foure great ſecrets in nature, firſt the diſtance of the earth from the Sunne; Foure great ſecrets to be learned from the eclipſe.ſecondly the diſtance of the earth from the Moone; thirdly, the diſtance of the Sunne from the Moone; and fourthly, that the water and the earth make but one Globe.
Firſt, the diſcance of the earth from the Sunne, for the Sunne is farther removed from us than the Moone, as we may perceive by the Eclipſe; when the ſhadow is caſt upward from the Sunne, it reacheth to the body of the Moone, and by meaſuring the ſhadow, we know the bigneſſe of the Sunne, the circumference of the earth, and the bigneſſe of the Moone, and that the Sunne is bigger than the earth, and the earth bigger than the Moone.
That the Sun is bigger than the earth, The Sunne is bigger than the earth.the forme of the ſhadow ſheweth this, for it caſteth up the ſhadow to the Moone Pyramidaliter inſtar coni, and if the Sunne were not bigger than the earth, then the ſhadow would riſe up like a pillar in infinitum, and then all the planets ſhould be Eclipſed as well as the Moone.
Secondly, How to know the diſtance of the Moone from the earth.by the ſhadow in the Eclipſe wee gather the diſtance of the Moone from the earth, for the earth Eclipſeth no other planet than the Moone, and meaſure the length of the ſhadow, and then it will ſhew what diſtance the Moone is from us.
Thirdly, How to know the diſtance of the Moone from the Sunne.by the Eclipſe of the Sunne wee may know the diſtance of the Sunne from the Moone, for the Sunne can never be totally eclipſed, becauſe it is both higher and bigger than the Moone; and knowing the bigneſſe of the bodie of the Moone; wee may underſtand what diſtance there is betwixt the Sunne and the Moone by the parts of the earth that are obſcured in the Eclipſe, for the eclipſe of the Sunne is never univerſall as that of the Moone, for there may bee an Eclipſe in Perſia or Iudea which is not here, & here when it is not there. So meaſuring the parts of the earth eclipſed, and the bigneſſe of the ſhadow of it, wee may gather the height of the Sunne above the Moone.
The fourth thing is, The water and the earth make but one globethat the water and the earth make but one Globe, becauſe the ſhadow is but one ſhadow, as the ſhadow of the Moone caſt downe in the Eclipſe of the Sunne is but one ſhadow; but if the water and the earth were two diſtinct Globes, then they would caſt two ſhadowes.
By meaſuring the length of theſe two ſhadowes, we may know the bigneſſe of the Sun, This ſhadow ſhadoweth the diſtance of the Sunne from the Moone.the Moone and the Earth.
The Eclipſe of the Sunne
The Eclipſe of the Moone.
This ſhadow ſheweth the diſtance of the earth from the moone.This ſhadow ſheweth the diſtance of the earth from the ſunne.This ſhadow ſheweth that the earth and the water make but one globe.Although the water bee higher than the earth, The water although higher than the earth, is not miraculouſly kept in.yet it is not miraculouſly kept within the bounds, but onelyonly by the Law of nature it runneth to the Center.
There is another cauſe why the earth is drie and the water overfloweth it not, Why the water overfloweth not the earth.which is the Sunne, who by his light and motion doth heat the moyſt parts of the earth and engendereth vapors, which lift up the hils and make many hollow places in the earth; and then the water finding paſſages, runneth into the deepes of the earth. Simile. When wee knead dough, the heat worketh upon the mixed body the meale, it elevateth and lifteth up ſome parts of it, and maketh ſundrie pores and paſſages in the leaven fermenting it; ſo when the Sunne maketh the vapors, they elevate ſome parts of the earth; and this wayes there is a paſſage made for the water to runne into the hollow places of the earth, and ſo to drie the earth.
Secondly, Another cauſe of the dryneſſe of the earth.the diſtance of the heaven from the earth is the cauſe of the dryneſſe of the earth, for the elements of themſelves being without forme, and receiving their formes from the heavens becauſe the earth is fartheſt from the heavens, it moſt imperfectly taketh the round forme, becauſe it is verie drie, and is hardly drawne to the round forme, and the inequalitie of the parts of the earth, maketh that the water overfloweth not the whole earth.
Whether is the dryneſſe of the earth, Queſt. naturall to it, or againſt the nature of it? Anſw.
It is according to the nature of the univerſe, becauſe it ſerveth for a good end, Whether the dryneſſe of the earth be natural to it or not.the preſervation of many living creatures: for although it ſeeme that it is naturall for the lighter element to be above, yet in reſpect of the univerſe it is naturall for the earth in many parts to be above the water, it is naturall for the water to runne downe, yet leſt vacuum bee granted it runneth up, and this courſe is naturall to it in reſpect of the Vniverſe; and if the drineſſe of the Vniverſe were altogether violent and not naturall, then it could not continue long, for no violent thing can continue: and moreover if wee ſhall reſpect the particular parts of the earth, it is naturall, for the parts of the earth that are high to bee drie, and theſe which are loweſt and neareſt the Center, to be covered with water.
He made the water as the lighter element to goe above; and the earth as the heavier element to bee loweſt. The opinion of ſome who held that the earth did ſwim in the water. Ariſt. lib. 3. de calo cap. 13. Auguſtine de ciVit. dei. lib. 16. cap. 19. Lactantius lib; 3. inſtit. cap. 24.It was an old opinion of ſome that the earth did ſwim in the water, as a ſhip doth in the Sea, which opinion Thales Mileſius held, as Ariſtot. ſheweth: hence they gathered that there were no antipodes, and that men lived not in another hemiſphere, and when one held that there were Antipodes, Bonifacius who was the Popes Legat in Germanie, Object. would have him excommunicated for that. Iohannes Aventinus, lib. 3.
Pſal. 136.6. Who ſtretched out the earth above the waters.
But Iob ſaith, cap. 26.7. Anſw. He hangeth the earth upon nothing, and David Pſal 104.5. Who hath founded the earth upon her pillars, Symmachus, foreign ſuper ſedes ſuas. The earth is ſaid to be founded in the water, not that the water is under the earth, but in reſpect of ſome parts of it, hee hath founded it upon the waters, gnal is put pro foreign here, as Mat. 27.19. foreign in tribunali, gnal pro in; ſo Eſay 38.20. [gnal beth Iehova,] in domo domini: ſo gnal pro foreign juxta, as Pharao ſtood [gnal bajeor] juxta flumen. So Pſal. 1. as a tree planted [gnal] juxta rivos: thirdly gnal notat ſupereminentiam, foreign pro foreign foreign ſuper juxta cum.and ſo the earth is higher than the water for the commoditie of man, and beaſt, but naturally the water ſhould bee above the earth. Laſtly gnal is put for cum as both the men and the women came, gnal, Exod, 35.22. ſo 2 Pet. 3.5. the earth is ſayd to be of the water, How the earth is ſaid to be of the water.and by the water, but Peter meaneth not that the earth is ſuſtained by the water: ſo Noah is ſayd to bee ſaved foreign , not by the water, but in the water.
But David ſeemeth to make the ſea lower than the earth, Object. Pſal. 107. They that goe downe into the Sea.
If we will compare the coaſts and the neereſt ſea, Anſw. How the ſea is ſaid to be lower than the earth.then the Land is higher than the ſea; but if we will compare the Land and the maine ſea, then the ſea is higher than the Land, and therefore the ſea is called altum.
The Lord hath ſet bounds to the ſea, and with a compaſſe hath drawne a line how farre the ſea ſhould come. Circinavit. God hath ſet bounds to the ſea.Iob. 38.11. Ier. 5.22. Will ye not tremble at my preſence, who hath placed the ſand for the bounds of the ſea? Wee are to feare him as well in his worke of nature here [for wee ſee both his power and his wiſedome] as we are to feare him when hee repreſſeth it onelyonly by miracles.
Xerxes was moſt impudent who tooke upon him to make a bridge over Helleſpont, The fooliſhneſſe of ſome who have thought to command the ſea.and charged the ſea under paine of diſobedience not to caſt it downe; and threatned that he would ſcourge and whippe the ſea if it did ſo. Theſe princes who aſſayed only to cut the paſſages of Peloponeſus where Corinth ſtood, as Claudius, Caſar, Demetrius and Nero, could never effectuate this buſineſſe. So Seſoſtratus and Darius went to cut the Land betwixt the Mediterran ſea, and the red Sea, but they were glad to leave off this worke, leſt the Sea ſhould have overflowed the Land; ſo Trajan thought to have cut a paſſage betwixt Nilus and the red Sea, but could never effectuate it: all which teach us, that it is the Lord onelyonly who ſetteth bounds to the ſea, and it is hee that ſtoppeth it by his mightie power. The example of Canutus King of England is memorable for this purpoſe, for when his flatterers flattered him too much (as Polydore Virgil teſtifieth] he cauſed to bring his chaire of eſtate to the Sea ſhore; when it was ebbing, and he ſitting in it cauſed his heraulds to proclaime and to charge the Sea under paine of diſobedience that it ſhould not approach to his chaire of eſtate, but the Sea keeping it ordinarie courſe, made the King and all his Courtiers to remove; then the King tooke occaſion to ſpeake unto theſe flatterers, after this manner, Ye ſee that I am but a mortall man, whom neither ſea nor winde will obey, therefore learne to feare him who hath power to ſet bounds to the ſea, and to whom both the winde and the ſea doth obey, Mark. 4.39.
The Concluſion of this is, Concluſion.although the water bee above the earth, and ſhould overflow it naturally, yet the Lord ſaith, this farre thou ſhalt come and no farther, Iob. 38.11. ſo the Lord hath ſet bounds to the pride of the enemies of the Church. David when he ſpeaketh of the waters, Pſal. 124. hee called them aqua ſuperbiae, foreign ſuperbire.[maijm hazedonim] and this word Ieremie uſeth to expreſſe the proud heart of man, Iere. 49.6. and the Law uſeth it when it ſpeaketh of a man, who killeth one in the pride of his heart: the Lord can repreſſe this proud ſea, Mark. 4.39. The wind ceaſed, foreign fraenum vel capiſtrum.and there was a great calme, in the Greeke it is more emphaticall foreign , hee put a bridle in the mouth of the ſea, that it could rage no more: as the Lord can put a bridle in the mouth of the ſea, ſo hee hath a hooke in the noſe of the tyrants on the earth, and as he limitateth the waters, ſo he limitateth the pride of tyrants. God that bridled the ſea, can aſſwage the furie of the enemies of his Church.In the winter when there are greateſt ſtormes the Lord maketh ſome Halcyon or calme dayes, that this bird may hatch her young ones: ſo the Lord in the greateſt rage and furie of his enemies can calme the ſtorme; that the Church of God may bring forth children to him, and reſerveth ſome dry place for them.