Observations Natural and Moral, Chapter 2

Observations Natural and Moral · Chapter 2

p. 6CHAP. II. How the earth hangeth upon nothing.

Iob. 26.7. He hangeth the earth upon nothing; and Pſal. 104.5. He ſetled it upon the foundations thereof.

SSalomon ſaith that dead fles cauſe the syntment of the apothecarie to ſend forth a ſtinking ſavour, The beſt wits have their blemiſhes.Eccleſ. 10.1. that is, great gifts may be corrupted and ſtained with p. 7ſome notable blemiſh, as may be ſeene in that notable and excellent mathematician Archimedes, cui magnum ingenium, ſed non ſine mixtura dementia.

The King of Syracuſe gave ſo much gold to make a crowne of it, Vitru…tius.the gold-ſmith made a very curious peece of worke of it, but the king ſuſpected that he had mixed ſome ſilver with the gold, but was loath to breake the crowne becauſe of the workemanſhip of it, yet hee was very deſirous to know how much ſilver was in it. The quicke invention of Archimedes in finding out the falſe mettal in the crowne.Archimedes buſied himſelfe about it a long while, and one daygoing into a bath even into the middle, he obſerved how much water his body made to runne over out of the bath, then upon a ſudden he leapt out of the bath with joy crying foreign , I have found it, I have found it; What doth he then? he tooke a maſſe of gold and another of ſilver of equall weight with the crowne, which he putting into a veſſell of water, firſt hee obſerved how much water the gold made the veſſell to run over, and how much water the ſilver made it to runne over, and thirdly he marked how much water the crowne made it to runne over: and by the weight of theſe waters he gathered how much gold was in the crowne, and how much ſilver was in it; as for example, put the caſe that the maſſe of gold cauſed twentie pintes to runne over, the crowne twentie foure pintes, and the maſſe of ſilver thirtie ſixe pintes; divide twelve three times, and the quotient ſhall bee three, ſo that hee found out three parts of the crowne to bee gold, and one ſilver, as you may ſee in this proofe following.

Was not this an excellent wit in Archimedes, but marke how the dead flees putrified the boxe of oyntment. Archimedes his fond opinion.He ſaid, give him a place to ſtand upon, and he could raiſe the frame of the whole earth; and if he could raiſe the earth out of the Center, then hee could hang the earth upon nothing, and if he might hang the earth upon nothing, then he might ſtand upon nothing.

By this concluſion of Archimedes we may learne how many Epha's the brazen ſea would containe which Salomon made, How to know how many Epha's the braſen ſea did containe.1 King. 7.26. firſt wee muſt reduce the baths to the brazen ſea, it contained two thouſand baths 1 King 3.4. but 2 Chro. 4. it contained three thouſand baths: and next wee muſt reduce the dry meaſure the Epha to the bath. Now that wee may know what every bath conteined, we muſt conſider the forme of the braſen ſea, it is ſaid to bee thirtie cubits in compaſſe, ten in the diameter or breadth, The quadrant of the Epha will be the circonference of the bath.and five in the ſemidiameter or depth. It was not ovalis out Cylindrici figura, but like the halfe of a hemiſphere or a ball cut in two equall parts; then take the cubite and make the Epha of a cubicall forme, that is, alike in height, length, and bredth; then the cubit and the Epha will bee alike. Thirdly, take the bath being round, and make him containe alike with the Epha, then the cubit, bath and Epha will be all one. The brazen ſea is ſaid to containe two thouſand baths, 1 King. 3.4. that is, baths made according to the cubicall Epha which is a cubite; and 2 Chro. 4. it is ſaid to containe three thouſand baths made p. 9according to the cubicall halfe Epha which is foreign , or the great Palme, ſo that by the bath here wee may know the greatneſſe of the brazen ſea. So the ten brazen Lavers which Salomon made, every one contained fortie baths, that is, halfe baths, as wee may perceive by their meaſures, becauſe the text ſaith, What baths the Lavers did containe.they were foure cubites. He hangeth the earth upon nothing, he meaſureth the waters with the hollow of his hand, and meateth out the heaven with his ſpan, God who made the earth of nothing can hang it upon nothing.and comprehendeth the duſt of the earth in a meaſure, and weigheth the mountaines in ſcales and the hils in a ballance, Eſay. 40.12. He hangeth the earth upon nothing, hee who made the earth of nothing can hang it upon nothing, Prima principia non poſſunt demonſtrari ſed illuſtrari, we cannot give a reaſon why the earth hangeth upon nothing, becauſe wee can goe no higher, but reſt here: we may illuſtrate this, We muſt reſt in the firſt principles, for we cannot give a cauſe of them.that it hangeth upon nothing; we may define what the earth is, and what the Philoſophers call nihil, wee may aſſigne the cauſe of a cauſe untill wee come to the firſt cauſe, and there we muſt reſt. Example; Theſe things which were dedicated to the temple of the Lord were hung up upon pinnes faſtened in the wall, the wall ſtood upon the foundation, the foundation ſtood upon the earth, the earth hangeth upon nothing; here we goe not higher but reſt in the power of God that hung it, the Lord ſuſtained it with his three fingers Eſay 40.12. foreign Tribus digitis appendit, ut vertit Hieronymus.and as we weigh and try the leaſt things in the ballance, ſo the Lord weigheth the earth, and if the mathematician ſay that the earth is but a point in reſpect of the heavens, what muſt the heaven and earth be in reſpect of God?

He hangeth the earth upon nothing, Iob. 26.7. gnal belima, which ſome derive from beli non, & ma quid, becauſe it hangeth upon nothing: foreign non quid.and the Greekes tranſlate it foreign nihil, and others derive it from the p. 10Chalde word balam conſtringere, foreign fibula chaldace.becauſe the earth is bound together as it were with a button, hence cometh belimah a button; he that hangeth the earth upon nothing, foreign ſuper baſes ſuas.ſetled it upon the foundations thereof, Pſal. 104.5. [gnal mecunnatha] ſuper baſes ſuas, Aquila foreign vertit; and he that ſetled the earth upon the foundations of it, is able onelyonly to raiſe it out of the Center; Archimedes was not able to doe this, all the divells in hell cannot deſtroy the Vniverſe, they are but a part of the whole, and a part hath no power over the whole; The devils cannot deſtroy the univerſe nor invert the order of it.and the Apoſtle ſaith, Heb. 1. That he hath not put under the feet of the Angels the world, neither can they invert the order of the univerſe, for as the Philoſopher ſaith, bonum univerſi eſt ordo, they cannot remove the principall parts of the world, neither can they transferre the elements from one place to another, they cannot ſtay the courſe of the Sunne and the Moone, therefore it is but a fable that is written of the witches of Theſſalie that they could ſtay the courſe of the moone.

When God hangeth the earth upon nothing, The hanging of the earth upon nothing is not a miracle now.it is not a miracle; the Philoſopher ſaith, that elementa non ponderant in locis ſuis, but if the earth were heavie in it owne Center, and then ſhould hang upon nothing, that were a miracle, as when Eliſha cauſed the Axe to ſwim in the water, 2 King. 6.6. becauſe the Axe was heavie of it ſelfe, therefore this was a miracle in cauſing it to ſwim above in the water.

There are two things required in a miracle, Two conditions required in a thing to make it a miracle.firſt that the cauſe be an hidden cauſe altogether, I ſay, altogether; for if it be hid to ſome & knowne to others, then it is not a miracle: example, when a country man ſeeth the eclipſe of the Sunne, the cauſe of it is hid to him, yet becauſe it is not hid from a Mathematician, therefore it is not a miracle. Againe, theſe things that are miracles were not appointed by God in the creation p. 11to receive theſe effects which he worketh immediately in them: the ſetling of the earth upon nothing is not a miracle in the ſecond reſpect, becauſe here he worketh according to nature, placing it in the Center. When Chriſt reſtored ſight to the blinde, this was a miracle becauſe it was not according to Gods ordinary courſe in nature; but when they ſaw once, their ſight could not be called a miraculous ſight but naturall, for they ſaw as wee ſee; ſo wee may ſay, the ſettling of the earth in prima conſtitutione is miraculous, ſed conſtituta, being once ſetled according to nature, it is not miraculous. God is ſayd to ſet a Law to his creatures and to command them, he doth this by naturall cauſes: Before the creation God did things by his immediate power, but nature being ſetled he workes by it.when nature was not in the firſt creation he did things by his immediate power, but nature being once ſetled he doth things mediately, neither doth this diminiſh any thing from the power of God, when he worketh by his handmaid nature, for if he ſhould binde the ſea onelyonly by his power, then we ſhould ſee nothing but onelyonly, his power to prayſe him for it; but when he doth theſe things by naturall meanes, here we are led both to prayſe his wiſedome and his power.

God when he created the earth, Why the Lord made hils and valleyes.hee made in ſome places hils and in ſome places emptie parts to containe the water; but to reduce this inequalitie to an equalitie, he weigheth (as the Prophet Eſay ſaith cap. 40.12.) the hils in ballances, and maketh this hill to conterpoyſe that, and from this equall diſtribution of the parts ſetling one againſt another, The Lord weighed the parts of the earth.he ſetled the earth in the midſt that it is not moved, & leſt it ſhould fal no way but to the Center, he made it firme in the loweſt parts, and leſt one part ſhould fall upon another, he provided that the hils ſhould be poiſed one againſt another.

The earth that is the Center is ſo ſetled that it cannot p. 12be moved; there falleth out ſome particular earth-quakes here and there, The whole earth is not ſhaken with earth-quake.but the whole earth is never ſhaken with an earth-quake: for if the whole were ſhaken at once, with an earth-quake, then it ſhould follow that the earth were ſetled contrarie to the nature of it; for the nature of the Center, is to be Immoveable: and if it could be ſo, then the heavens were turned about that which is moveable. The earthquake which fell out at our Lords paſſion, if it was univerſall it was a miracle indeed.

God ſetled the earth upon nothing, Cōpernicus error refuted.then Copernicus error is diſproved, who held that the earth moved about, and that the Sunne ſtood ſtill; which conceit of his Salomon refuteth Eccleſ. 1. The earth ſtandeth for ever, but the Sunne riſeth, and goeth downe, and haſteth to the place whence it aroſe. And if the Sunne ſtood ſtill and moved not, what miracle was it then, in Ioſhuas dayes to make the Sunne to ſtand? The Scripture ſpeaker's oftentimes of things as they appeare to our ſenſe.Therefore to ſay, that the Sunne mooveth becauſe it ſeemeth to move, that were to deny the very knowledge of ſenſe: as if a man ſhould deny the fire to burne. It is true, the Scripture ſpeaketh ſometimes of things as they appeare to our ſenſe, as Marke ſaith, the Sunne did ſet, but in the Greeke it is foreign dipping, Mark. 1.32. becauſe it ſeemeeth to the people to dippe in the ſea when it ſetteth. So it calleth the Sunne and the Moone, great lights, Gen. 1. bearing as it were with the infirmitie of the weake people; but when men ſee things ſenſiblie and feele them, then the Scripture ſpeaketh of them according as our ſenſes take them up; and it uſeth the ſenſes as an argument to prove things by, as 1 Ioh. 1.1. That which we have ſeene with eyes; that which wee have heard, and that which wee have handled, &c. that we declare unto you; the ſenſes are not alwayes miſtaken then.

The concluſion of this is; Concluſion.if the earth that hangeth p. 13upon nothing, be ſo ſetled that it cannot be moved, In the ſetling of the earth Gods power is ſeene, but in the ſetling of the Church, his power, wiſedome and merciemercy are ſeene.how much more is the Church ſetled, which is ſetled upon the rocke Chriſt? In the ſetling of the earth, Gods power and his wiſedome are ſeene; but in ſetling of his Church, both his power and his mercy appeare.

Secondly, Concluſion, 2 the Lord eſtabliſheth the pillars of the earth that it ſhould not bee ſhaken; David alludeth to this, When hee ſhall bee eſtabliſhed in his kingdome, Alluſion. he will eſtabliſh it and rule it in equitie and appoint good magiſtrates and rulers, who may be juſtly called, the pillars of the kingdome: before the earth and all the inhabitants thereof were diſſolved, but hee would eſtabliſh the pillars of it, Pſal. 75.3. and ſettle the governement of it when he came to the kingdome.