A14095:540
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.
While I stand still, an army of men may pass by my side, & thereby shall I have coexistence in the same time with every one successively; But if I be not deceived you would devise, how we may conceive eternity to have coexistence with all parts of motion at once; for such a mad coexistence you have devised to your self, out of a wild apprehension of the nature of eternity, and you will not be beaten from it. And you may as well beat your brains to devise how all parts of time both past and to come, may coexist in one instant, and but erst you did cast us upon such an imagination, namely of the retraction of a perpetual flux into one durable or permanent instant. I have already laboured, veteres avias a pulmone reveller, to scatter these vain conceits.
While I stande still, an army of men may passe by my side, & thereby shall I have coexistence in the same time with every one successively; But if I be not deceived you would devise, how we may conceive eternity to have coexistens with all parts of motion at once; for such a madde coexistence you have devised to your selfe, out of a wilde apprehension of the nature of eternity, and you will not be beaten from it. And you may as well beate your brains to devise how all parts of time both past and to come, may coexist in one instant, and but erst you did cast us upon such an imagination, namely of the retraction of a perpetuall fluxe into one durable or permanent instant. I have alredy laboured, veteres avias a pulmone revellere, to scatter these vaine conceyts.
But proceed we along with you; the top turns so swiftly sometimes, that he seems to sleep; Indeed we were wont to say that in such a case the top sleeps; And in turning round every bright mark seems to make a circle; what of all this? hence you say it will be no hard supposal to conceit that a mover of strength and vigour infinite, should be able to move a body in a moment. I do not deny, but a man may conceit so, as they do conceit Chimeras; and great divines sometimes ⟨p. 210⟩are found to entertain such conceits, as are found to be contradictions, such is this: never any question was made of this, rather it hath been generally received, as a thing impossible that local motion should be in an instant; And the reason of it in this round motion whereof you speak, is evident for to be in this instant in the same place what it was immediately before, is rather to rest then move; and so the parts of successive motion should not be contracted into unity as you speak, but rather into nullity.