Astronomy and the Bible;

Introduction

For eight years, Kepler sought unceasingly, with
unremittingtoil,tosolvethelawofplanetarymotion.
Duringthoseyears,hetriednineteendifferenthypothe-
ses. Oneafteranotherofthesehewascompelledto
layasideasnotconformingtothemotionoftheplan-
ets. His courage and patience transfigured failure
intosuccess. When,afterdaysofstudyandnightsof
observation,themonthsshowedatheoryuntenable,he
turnedfromitwithoutregret,knowingthattherewas
one lesstheorytotry. Atlast,hewascompelledto
giveupeverytheoryofthecircleastheexplanationof
orbital motion. Hethenchosethenextto thecircle
insimplicity,theellipse. Herehefoundallthecon-
ditionsmet. Theproblematlastwassolved,andhe
cried,"OalmightyGod, IamthinkingThythoughts
afterThee!" Whenhehadestablishedhissecondand
third laws, and written his exposition of them, he
said:"Mybookiswrittentobereadeithernoworby
posterity;Icarenotwhich. Itmaywellwaitacen-
turyforareader,sinceGodhaswaitedsixthousand
yearsforanobserver."
Thusinarealizationthatthescientistisbuttracing
thehandwritingoftheCreator, andwithanabiding
faith thatHis writingis intelligible, and containsa
divinemessage, didsuchmenasKeplerandNewton
laythefoundationsofourpresentknowledge.
Some of the men accounted great to-day—mere
pygmies compared with the men just mentioned—
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