The difficulty of understanding these marvellous truths has been
glanced at by an old divine (see _Things not generally Known_, p.
1); but the rarity of their full comprehension by those unskilled in
mathematical science is more powerfully urged by Lord Brougham in these
cogent terms:
Satisfying himself of the laws which regulate the mutual actions
of the planetary bodies, the mathematician can convince himself of
a truth yet more sublime than Newton’s discovery of gravitation,
though flowing from it; and must yield his assent to the marvellous
position, that all the irregularities occasioned in the system
of the universe by the mutual attraction of its members are
periodical, and subject to an eternal law, which prevents them from
ever exceeding a stated amount, and secures through all time the
balanced structure of a universe composed of bodies whose mighty
bulk and prodigious swiftness of motion mock the utmost efforts
of the human imagination. All these truths are to the skilful
mathematician as thoroughly known, and their evidence is as clear,
as the simplest proposition of arithmetic to common understandings.
But how few are those who thus know and comprehend them! Of all
the millions that thoroughly believe these truths, certainly not a
thousand individuals are capable of following even any considerable
portion of the demonstrations upon which they rest; and probably
not a hundred now living have ever gone through the whole steps
of these demonstrations.--_Dissertations on Subjects of Science
connected with Natural Theology_, vol. ii.
Sir David Brewster thus impressively illustrates the same subject:
Minds fitted and prepared for this species of inquiry are
capable of appreciating the great variety of evidence by
which the truths of the planetary system are established; but
thousands of individuals, and many who are highly distinguished
in other branches of knowledge, are incapable of understanding
such researches, and view with a sceptical eye the great and
irrefragable truths of astronomy.
That the sun is stationary in the centre of our system; that
the earth moves round the sun, and round its own axis; that
the diameter of the earth is 8000 miles, and that of the sun
_one hundred and ten times as great_; that the earth’s orbit is
190,000,000 of miles in breadth; and that if this immense space
were filled with light, it would appear only like a luminous point
at the nearest fixed star,--are positions absolutely unintelligible
and incredible to all who have not carefully studied the subject.
To millions of our species, then, the great Book of Nature is
absolutely sealed; though it is in the power of all to unfold its
pages, and to peruse those glowing passages which proclaim the
power and wisdom of its Author.