NEW CHAPTERS IN THE WARFARE OF SCIENCE. 729 



makes some parade of astronomical knowledge as to the greatness of 

 the sun and moon, but relapses soon into his old line of argument. 

 Conjuring his audience not to be led away from the well-established 

 belief of Christendom and the principles of their fathers, he comes 

 back to his old figure of speech, insists that " our sins are the inflam- 

 mable material of which comets are made," and winds up with a most 

 earnest appeal to the Almighty to spare his people.* 



It can be easily understood that such an authoritative utterance as 

 this must have produced a great effect throughout Protestant Christen- 

 dom, and in due time we see its working in New England. That 

 same tendency to provincialism which, save at rare intervals, has 

 been the bane of Massachusetts thought from that day to this, ap- 

 peared ; and in 1664 we have Samuel Danforth arguing from the 

 Bible that comets are "portentous signals of great and notable 

 changes," and arguing from history that they "have been many times 

 heralds of wrath to a secure and impenitent world." He cites es- 

 pecially the comet of 1652, which appeared just before Mr. Cotton's 

 sickness, and disappeared after his death, f Morton also, in his me- 

 morial, recording the death of John Putnam, alludes to the comet of 

 1652 as "a very signal testimony that God had then removed a bright 

 star and a shining light out of the heaven of his church here into 

 celestial glory above." \ Again he speaks of another comet, insisting 

 that "it was no fiery meteor caused by exhalation, but it was sent 

 immediately by God to awaken the secure world," and goes on to 

 show how in that year " it pleased God to smite the fruits of the 

 earth, namely, the wheat in special, with blasting and mildew, where- 

 by much of it was spoiled and became profitable for nothing, and 

 much of it worth little, being light and empty. This was looked 

 upon by the judicious and conscientious of the land as a speaking 

 providence against the unthankfulness of many ... as also against 

 voluptuousness and abuse of the good creatures of God by licentious- 

 ness in drinking and fashions in apparel, for the obtaining whereof a 

 great part of the principal grain was oftentimes unnecessarily ex- 

 pended." # 



But in 1680 a stronger man than either of these seized upon the 

 doctrine and wielded it with power. Increase Mather, so open always 

 to ideas from Europe, and always so powerful for good or evil in the 



* See "Ulmische Cometen Predigt, von dem Cometen, so nechst abgewischenen 1618 

 Jahrs im Wintermonat erstenmahls in Schwabensen lassen, Dannach folgende Gehalten 

 zu Ulm," etc. Durch Conrad Dicterich, Ulm, 1620. 



For a life of the author of the book, see article, " Dieterich," in the " Allgeraeine 

 Deutsche Biographie." 



f See S. Danforth (1664), " An Astronomical Description of the late Comet or Blazing 

 Star, together with a Brief Theological Application thereof." (Collections in the Massa- 

 chusetts Historical Society Library.) 



% See Morton's "Memorial," pp. 251, 252. 



* Ibid., pp. 309, 310. 



