Since men are the most
reasonable of creatures, and able to infer God's invisible being
from the contemplation of the world, the sun in so far forth
contributes to the primary purpose of creation: without it the
race of man could not be preserved or continued. . . . The sun
makes daylight, not only on our earth, but also on the other
planets; and daylight is of the utmost utility to us, for by its
means we can commodiously carry on those occupations which in the
night-time would either be quite impossible. Or at any rate
impossible without our going to the expense of artificial light.
The beasts of the field can find food by day which they would not
be able to find at night. Moreover we owe it to the sunlight
that we are able to see everything that is on the earth's
surface, not only near by, but also at a distance, and to
recognize both near and far things according to their species,
which again is of manifold use to us not only in the business
necessary to human life, and when we are traveling, but also for
the scientific knowledge of Nature, which knowledge for the most
part depends on observations made with the help of sight, and
without the sunshine, would have been impossible.
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