Definition of "impossibility"

God commands not impossibilities; and all the Ecclesiastical glue, that Liturgy, or Laymen can compound, is not able to soder up two such incongruous natures into the one flesh of a true beseeming Mariage.

1645 March 14 (Gregorian calendar), John Milton, Tetrachordon: Expositions upon the Foure Chief Places in Scripture, which Treat of Mariage, or Nullities in Mariage. […], London: [s.n.], page 17

My dear Tom, you are going to undertake an Impossibility. If you knew my Father, you would never think of obtaining his Consent.

1749, Henry Fielding, chapter VII, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume III, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], book XIV, page 104

The ancient teachers of this science […] promised impossibilities, and performed nothing.

1818, [Mary Shelley], chapter II, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume I, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, page 73

Breathing had become difficult, swallowing acutely painful, and sleep an impossibility—for whenever he dropped off, the patient would choke and wake up frantically struggling for air.

1962, Aldous Huxley, chapter 8, in Island‎, New York: Bantam, published 1963, page 123

After long reasonyng, there wer certain appoynted, to declare the impossibilite of this demaunde to the Cardinal,

1548, Edward Hall, The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke, London: Richard Grafton, Henry VIII, year 15

[L]et the mutinous winds / Strike the proud cedars ’gainst the fiery sun; / Murdering impossibility, to make / What cannot be, slight work.

c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act V, scene iii]

[H]e threw himself upon her, and his back being now towards me, I could only take his being ingulph'd for granted, by the directions he mov'd in, and the impossibility of missing so staring a mark […]

1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […]

But the utter impossibility of succeeding in this desperate task soon became evident.

1838, [Edgar Allan Poe], chapter XXII, in The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], page 173

Ever since the war, in the complete impossibility of getting houses, parts of the population have overflowed into supposedly temporary quarters in fixed caravans.

1937, George Orwell, The Road to Wigan Pier‎, New York: Harcourt, Brace, published 1958, Part 1, Chapter 4, p. 61

Here by this petition whan we say, Leade vs not into temptation, we learne to know our own impossibilitie and infirmitie, namely that we bee not able of our owne selues to with∣stand this great and mightye enemye the deuill.

1562, Hugh Latimer, 27 Sermons Preached by […] Hugh Latimer‎, London: John Day, Sermon 7 p. 45

[…] out of their own torment, they [the damned] see the felicitie of the saints; togither with their impossibility of attayning it.

1607, Joseph Hall, Holy Observations, Lib. 1‎, London: Samuel Macham, 59, p. 85

Many texts present him [Satan] with sadness, partly from his incapability of salvation, for want of a Saviour; partly from his impossibility to repent, because of his implacable and invincible malice.

1652, Thomas Fuller, A Comment on the Eleven First Verses of the Fourth Chapter of S. Matthew’s Gospel‎, London: George Eversden, Sermon 7, p. 105