310 RELIGIOUS VIEWS. 



they did afterwards when Newton showed their 

 bearing on the cosmical system. Yet Galileo, 

 as a man of philosophical and inventive mind, 

 who produced a great effect on the progress of 

 physical knowledge, is a person whose opinions 

 must naturally interest us, engaged in our present 

 course of reasoning. There is in his writings 

 little which bears upon religious views, as there 

 is in the nature of his works little to lead him 

 to such subjects. Yet strong expressions of 

 piety are not wanting, both in his letters, and in 

 his published treatises. The persecution which 

 he underwent, on account of his writings in 

 favour of the Copernican system, was grounded, 

 not on his opposition to the general truths of 

 natural religion, which is our main concern at 

 present, nor even on any supposed rejection of 

 any articles of Christian faith, but on the alleged 

 discrepancy between his adopted astronomical 

 views and the declarations of scripture. Some of 

 his remarks may interest the reader. 



In his third dialogue on the Copernican system 

 he has occasion to speak of the opinion which 

 holds all parts of the world to be framed for 

 man's use alone : and to this he says, " I would 

 that we should not so shorten the arm of God in 

 the government of human affairs ; but that we 

 should rest in this, that we are certain that God 

 and nature are so occupied in the government of 

 human affairs, that they could not more attend to 



