Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
John CalvinRead
For astronomy is not only pleasant, but also very useful to be known: it cannot be denied that this art unfolds the admirable wisdom of God.
Interpretation
Astronomy reveals the beauty of the universe and reflects the wisdom of God.
In this quote, John Calvin emphasizes the dual nature of astronomy as both an enjoyable pursuit and a valuable one. He suggests that the study of the stars and heavens not only brings delight but also allows us to appreciate the intricate wisdom of God, thus encouraging a deepened understanding of the cosmos and our place within it.
In practice
During a lecture on the significance of astronomy in understanding our place in the universe, I quoted John Calvin's perspective.
Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves. The Scripture supplies him with the means of doing both.
Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty.
Whomever the Lord has adopted and deemed worthy of His fellowship ought to prepare themselves for a hard, toilsome, and unquiet life, crammed with very many and various kinds of evil.
For as the aged, or those whose sight is defective, when any book, however fair, is set before them, though they perceive that there is something written, are scarcely able to make out two consecutive words, but, when aided by glasses, begin to read distinctly, so Scripture, gathering together the impressions of Deity, which, till then, lay confused in our minds, dissipates the darkness, and shows us the true God clearly.
When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.
Clearly, we are a species that is well connected to other species. Whether or not we evolve from them, we are certainly very closely related to them. A series of mutations could change us into all kinds of intermediate species. Whether or not those intermediate species are provably in the past, they could easily be in our future.
The most important discoveries will provide answers to questions that we do not yet know how to ask and will concern objects we have not yet imagined.
We know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot.
1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong. 2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. 3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
On a per capita basis, Britain is responsible for more of the carbon dioxide now in the atmosphere than any other nation on Earth because it has been burning it from the dawn of the Industrial Revolution.
If we want to travel into the future, we just need to go fast. Really fast. And I think the only way we're ever likely to do that is by going into space.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.