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A30486
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A short consideration of Mr. Erasmus Warren's defence of his exceptions against the theory of the earth in a letter to a friend.
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Burnet, Thomas, 1635?-1715.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing B5947; ESTC R36301
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36,168
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44
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had Iron-tools to make it But suppose it was a number of Cottages made of branches of Trees of Osiers and Bulrushes or if you will of mud-walls and a roof of straw with a fence about it to keep out Beasts there would be no such necessity o◠Iron-tools Consider 'pray how long the world was without knowing the use of Iron in several parts of it as in the Northern Countries and America and yet they had Houses and Cities after their fashion And to come nearer home consider what Towns and Cities our Ancestros the Britains had in Caesar's time more than two thousand Years after the time of Cain Oppidum Britanni vocant cùm Sylvam impeditam vallo atque follâ munierant quò incursionis hostium vitandae causâ convenire consueverunt Why might not Cain's City be such a City as this And as to the Ark which he also would make a proof that there were Iron and Iron-tools before the Flood 't was answer'd that Scripture does not mention Iron or Iron-tools in building of the Ark but only Gopher wood and Pitch To which he replies If Scriptures silence concerning things be a ground of presumption that they were not what then shall we think of an Oval and unmountainous Earth an inclosed Abyss a Paradisiacal world and the like which the Scripture makes no mention of I cannot easily forbear calling this an injudicious reflection tho' I know he hath been angry with that word and makes it a brat of passion But I do assure him I call it so coolly and calmly When a thing is deduc'd by natural arguments and reason the silence of Scripture is enough If he can prove the motion of the Earth by natural arguments and that Scripture is silent in that point we desire no better proof Now in all those things which he mentions an Oval and unmountainous Earth an Inclosed Abyss a Paradisiacal world Scripture is at least silent and therefore 't is natural arguments must determine these cases And this ill-reasoning he is often guilty of in making no distinction betwixt things that are or that are not prov'd by natural arguments when he appeals to the interpretation of Scripture Chap. 11. Is to prove an Open Sea such as we have now before the Flood All his Exceptions were answer'd before and I am content to stand to that answer reserving only what is to be said hereafter concerning the literal sence of Scripture However he is too lavish in some expressions here as when he says p. 115. that Adam died before so much as one Fish appear'd in the world And a little before he had said For fishes if his Hypothesis be believ'd were never upon this Earth in Adam's time These expressions I say cannot be justified upon any Hypothesis For why might not the Rivers of that Earth have Fish in them as well as the Rivers of this Earth or as our Rivers now I 'am sure the Theory or the Hypothesis he mentions never said any thing to the contrary but rather suppos'd the waters fruitful as the ground was But as to an open Sea whether side soever you take that there was or was not any before the Flood I believe however Adam to his dying day never see either Sea or Sea-fish nor ever exercis'd any dominion over either Chap. 12. Is concerning the Rainbow and hath no new argument in it nor reinforcement But a question is mov'd whether as well necessarily signifies as much The real question to be consider'd here setting aside pedantry is this whether that Thing Sun or Rainbow or any other could have any significancy as a sign which signified no more than the bare promise would have done without a sign This is more material to be consider'd and resolv'd than whether as well and as much signifie the same Chap. 13. Is concerning Paradise and to justifie or excuse himself why he baulkt all the difficulties and said nothing new or instructive upon that subject But he would make the Theorist inconsistent with himself in that he had said that neither Scripture nor reason determine the place of Paradise and yet determines it by the judgment of the Christian Fathers Where 's the inconsistency of this The Theory as a Theory is not concern'd in a Topical Paradise and says moreover that neither Scripture nor reason have determin'd the place of it but if we refer our selves to the judgment and tradition of the Fathers and stand to the majority of their Votes when Scripture and reason are silent they have so far determin'd it as to place it in the other Hemisphere rather than in this and so exclude that shallow opinion of some moderns that would place it in Mesopotamia And to baffle that opinion was the design of the Theorist as this Author also seems to take notice After this and an undervaluing of the Testimonies of the Fathers he undertakes to determine the place of Paradise by Scripture and particularly that it was in Mesopotamia or some region thereabouts And his Argument is this because in the last verse of the 3d. chap. of Genesis the Cherubims and flaming sword are said to be place'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he says is to the East of the Garden of Eden But the Septuagint upon whom he must chiefly depend for the interpretation of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the first place ch 2. 8. read it here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Vulgate renders it ante Paradisum voluptatis and according to the Samaritan Pentateuch 't is rendered ex adverso Now what better authorities can he bring us for his translation I do not find that he gives any as his usual way is but his own authority And as for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the 2d chap. and 8th ver which is the principal place 't is well known that except the Septuagint all the ancient Versions Greek and Latin besides others render it to another sence And there is a like uncertainty of translation in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as we have noted elsewhere Lastly the Rivers of Paradise and the countreys they are said to run through or encompass are differently understood by different Authors without any agreement or certain conclusion But these are all beaten subjects which you may find in every Treatise of Paradise and therefore 't is not worth the time to pursue them here Then he proceeds to the longevity of the Ante-diluvians which so far as I can understand him to affirm any thing he says was not general but the lives of some few were extraordinarily length'ned by a special blessing the elongation of them being a work of Providence not of nature This is a cheap and vulgar account and so are all the contents of this Chap. prov'd neither by Scripture nor reason and calculated for the humour and capacity of those that love their case more than a diligent enquiry after truth He hath indeed a