A14095:210
A discovery of D. Jacksons vanity. Or A perspective glass, whereby the admirers of…A discovery of D. Iacksons vanitie. Or A perspective glasse, wherby the admirers of…
A discovery of D. Jacksons vanity. Or A perspective glass, whereby the admirers of D. Jacksons profound discourses, may see the vanity and weakness of them, in sundry passages, and especially so far as they tend to the undermining of the doctrine hitherto received. Written by William Twice, Doctor of Divinity, as they say, from whom the copy came to the pressA discovery of D. Iacksons vanitie. Or A perspective glasse, wherby the admirers of D. Iacksons profound discourses, may see the vanitie and weaknesse of them, in sundry passages, and especially so farre as they tende to the undermining of the doctrine hitherto received. Written by William Twisse, Doctor of Divinitie, as they say, from whom the copie came to the presse
Amsterdam: printed by the successors of Giles Thorp, 1631
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And truly these and such like disputes, I reckon not worthy to be named the same day, with the demonstrations that are brought to the contrary. And I may take liberty to profess thus much, how that observing the Jesuit before spoken of, Hurtado di Mendosa by name, to affect subtleties and ⟨p. 127⟩curiosity of demonstration, in zeal of maintaining the truth, which as Austin sometimes saydo, A Deo dicitur verum quodcunque dicitur; I took leave of my better studies, destinated to the maintenance of Gods grace against all Pelagian, Jesuitical, and Arminian oppositions, and to examine the arguments of Hurtado in that point, and went a large way in the solution of them, & confutation of his insolent assertion, until I thought it high time to return to such alien meditations; considering it might be a practise of Satan, to cast a ball of provocation in my way, and thereby to cause a diversion, from more grave, more seasonable and more profitable contemplations. But yet I profess I never heard or read before of any that maintained the possibility of a Sphere to be infinite, as that which implies a manifest contradiction. For figures being the bounds of quantities it should imply a bounded quantity without bounds. But in the fiction proposed, you say, every point should be the centre as partaking of the negative properties of a Centre: that is, there should be no inequality between the distances of several points from the Circumference of that which is infinite as for example. Suppose the world were infinite Eastward, & infinite westward. Now consider a direct line passing over S. Michaels mount to Dover and so forwards Eastward, & in like manner from Dover to Saint Michaels mount, and so forward, westward. From dover Eastward is infinite, and from Saint Michaels Eastward is but infinite. So then these two are equal that is the part is equal to the whole. For the line from, Dover Eastward is but a part of the line from Saint Michaels Eastward in infinitum. This contradictious absurdity amongst many other, followeth upon supposition of any body or extension infinite. By the way observe a great incongruity; though you suppose a sphere infinite, yet you conceive it to have a Circumference. But to have a Circumference is not to be infinite.
And truly these and such like disputes, I reckon not woorthy to be named the same day, with the demonstrations that are brought to the contrary. And I may take libertie to professe thus much, how that observinge the Iesuite before spoken of, Hurtado di Mendosa by name, to affect subtilties and