GODS visible Iudge­ments, and terrible remonstrances (which every morning are brought to light) com­ming unto our know­ledge, should bee our observation and [Page 2] admonition, that thereby the inhabitants of the earth may learne Righteous­nesse, Eph. 3. 5. for to let them passe by us (as wa­ter runnes by our doores) unobserved; argues too much regardlesnesse of GOD in the way of his Iudgements: Isa. 26. 9, 11. not to suffer them to sinke into our affections, and to proove as so many terrible warning pieces, which are shot off from a watch Tower, to give no­tice of an enemies approach, to awaken and affright us; are but a meanes to harden our hearts against the Lord, and to awaken his Iustice to punish us yet more: But to heare and feare and to Paena paucorū terror omnium. doe wickedly no more; to search our hearts and amend our waies is the best use that can bee made of any of GODS remarkable terrors manife­sted among us. When GOD is an­gry with us, it ought to be our wisedome to meete him, and make peace with him: And where wee see legible Cha­racters of his power and wrath; to [Page 3] learne to spell out his meaning tou­ching our selves; to leave off all busie, malitious, causlesse, and unchristianly censuring of others, and to turne in upon our selves, remembring, Vel paeni­tendum, vel pereundum, Except wee re­pent, Luk. 13. 5. wee shall likewise perish. Certaine it is that wee doe in vaine expect im­munity from GODS Iudgements by sleighting, or contemning them, or increasing in our sinnings against him. If Pharoah by the terrour of thundring and lightning was so affrighted that hee saith to Moses, Intreat the Lord (for it is enough) that there bee no more Exo 9 28. mighty thundrings and Haile. And if Ca­ligula, out of the feare of thunder, would runne under his bed to hide himselfe: How much more should we Christians learne to feare and trem­ble before the most mighty GOD, whose voice only can shake the mountaines and rend the rocks, and divide the flames of Psal. 29. fire; rends Churches, amazeth, and [Page 4] strikes dead at his pleasure the sonnes of men? as the Prophet David saith, Hee doth whatsoever hee pleaseth in Hea­ven and Earth, Hee causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth, and maketh lightnings for the raine, and brin­geth the winde out of the treasures of the earth, so unsearchable is his Wisedome, and his waies past finding out. I say, this should awe and humble our hearts before the LORD, rising up unto more perfection in godlinesse, doing unto our GOD, more and better ser­vice then ever hitherto wee have done, reverencing and sanctifying his dread­full Name in our hearts: especially when his Iudgements breake in upon men, even in his owne house, mingling their bloud with their sacrifices, and that in a most terrible manner smiting, and wounding, and killing, as in this ensu­ing Relation may appeare: which for the suddennesse and strangenesse, and in a manner miraculous, con­sidering [Page 5] the circumstances thereof, I beleeve few Ages can paralell, or pro­duce the like. The Lord teach thee to profit thereby, that it may bee as a Ser­mon preached to thee from Heaven by the Lord himselfe.

VPon Sunday the 21. of Octo­ber last, In the Parish Church of Withycombe in the Dartmoores in Devonshire, there fell in time of Divine Service a strange darkenesse, increasing more and more, so that the people there assembled could not see to reade in any booke, and suddenly in a fearefull and lamentable manner, a mighty thunde­ring was heard, the ratling whereof did answer much like unto the sound and report of many great Cannons, and terrible strange lightening therewith, [Page 6] greatly amazing those that heard and saw it, the darkenesse increasing yet more, till they could not (in the interim) see one another; the ex­traordinarie lightening came into the Church so flaming, that the whole Church was presently filled with fire and smoke, the smell whereof was very loathsome, much like unto the sent of brimstone, some said they saw at first a great fiery ball come in at the win­dow and passe thorough the Church, which so affrighted the whole Congregation that the most part of them fell downe into their seates, and some upon their knees, some on their faces, and some one upon another, with a great cry of burning and scalding, they all giving up themselves for dead, supposing the last Iudgement day was come, and that they had beene in the very flames of Hell.

The Minister of the Parish, Master George Lyde, being in the Pulpit [Page 7] or seate where prayers are read, how­ever hee might bee much astonished hereat, yet through GODS mercy had no other harme at all in his body, but to his much griefe and amazement heard, and afterward beheld the lamen­table accidents; and although himselfe was not touched, yet the lightening sei­zed upon his poore Wife, fired her ruffe and linnen next to her body, and her cloathes; to the burning of many parts of her body in a very pitifull manner. And one Mistresse Ditford sitting in the pew with the Ministers wife, was also much scalded, but the maid and childe sitting at the pew dore had no harme. Be­side, another woman adventuring to run out of the Church, had her cloathes set on fire, and was not only strangely burnt and scorched, but had her flesh torne a­bout her back almost to the very bones. Another woeman had her flesh so torne and her body so grievously burnt, that she died the same night.

[Page 8] Also one Master Hill a Gentleman of good account in the Parish, sitting in his seate by the Chancell, had his head sud­denly smitten against the wall, through the violence whereof he died that night, no other hurt being found about his body; but his sonne sitting in the same seate had no harme. There was also one man more, at the same instant, of whom it is particularly related, who was Warriner unto Sir Richard Reynolds, his head was cloven, his skull rent into three peeces, and his braines throwne upon the ground whole, and the haire of his head, through the violence of the blow at first given him, did sticke fast un­to the pillar or wall of the Church, and in the place a deepe bruise into the wall as if it were shot against with a Cannon bullet.

Some other persons were then blasted and burnt, and so grievously scalded and wounded, that since that time they have died therof; and many other not like to [Page 9] recover, notwithstanding all the meanes that can bee procured to helpe them. Some had their cloaths burnt and their bodies had no hurt, and some on the contrary, had their bodies burnt, and their cloathes not touched, and some their stockings and leggs burnt and scalded, and their outward buskings not one thred singed. But it plea­sed GOD yet in the midst of judgement to remember mercy, sparing some and not destroying all, yet very many were sorely scalded in divers parts of their bodies, and as all this hurt was done upon the bodies of men and wo­men, so the hurt also that was then done unto the Church was remarkable.

There were some Seates in the Body of the Church turned upside downe, and yet they which sate in them had little or no hurt; also a Boy sitting on a seate had his hat on, and neare the one halse thereof was cut off, and he had no hurt, And one man going [Page 10] out at the Chancell doore, his Dogg running out before him, was whirled about towards the doore and fell downe starke dead: at the sight whereof his Master stepped backe within the doore, and GOD preserved him alive. Also the Church it selfe was much torne and defaced by the thunder and light­ning; and thereby also a beame was burst in the midst, and fell downe betweene the Minister and Clarke and hurt neither; and a weighty great stone, neare the Foundation of the Church is torne out and remooved, and the stee­ple it selfe is much rent, and there where the Church was most rent, there was least hurt done to the people, and not any one was hurt either with the wood or stone, but a maid of Manaton, which came thither that afternoone to see some friends, whom Master Frynd the Coroner by circumstances, supposed she was kild with a stone, considering of her mortall wound, and a great stone lying [Page 11] by her. There were also stones throwne from the Tower and carried about a great distance from the Church, as thick as if a hundred men had beene there throwing, and a number of them of such weight and bignesse, that a very strong man could hardly lift them. Also one Pinacle of the Tower was torne downe and broke through into the Church.

Moreover the Pillar against which the Pulpit standeth, being but newly whited, is now by this meanes turned black and sulphry. Furthermore, one man that stood in the Chancell, with his face to­ward the Bellfrey, observed as it were the rising of dust or lime, in the lower end of the Church, which suddenly (as with a puffe of winde) was whirled up and cast into his eyes, so that hee could not see in twelve houres after; but now his sight is restored, and hee hath no other hurt. The terrible lightening being past, all the people being in a wonderfull [Page 12] maze, so that they spake not one word, by and by one Master Raph Rouse, Vinte­ner in the Towne, stood up, saying these words, Neighbours, in the name of God shall we venture out of the Church, to which M. Lyde answering, said, it is best to make an end of prayers, for it were better to die here then in another place, but they looking about them, and seeing the Church so terribly rent and torne over their heads, durst not proceed in their publike devotions, but went forth of the Church.

And as all this was done within the Church, and unto the Church; so there were other accidents without the Church; of which I will give you a touch. There was a Bowling-alley neare unto the Church-yard, which was turned up into pits and heapes, in man­ner almost as if it had beene plowed. At the same time also at Brixston neare Plymmouth, there fell such store of Haile, and such Haile-stones, that for quantity [Page 13] they were judged to be as big as ordina­ry Turkies eggs; some of them were of five, some of six, and others of seven ounces weight.

We are also certainely informed that at the same time, as neare as it can bee guessed, there fell out the like accident unto the Church at Norton in Somerset­shire, but as yet wee heare of no per­sons hurt therein: Also it is related by a Gentleman who travelled in those parts at that time, hee being since come to London, that where he was the lightening was so terrible, fiery and flaming, that they thought their houses at every flash were set on fire, in somuch that their hor­ses in the stable were so affrighted that they could not rule them.

All which most sad and lamentable Spectacles were done (as it were) in a moment of time.

This is the Summe of those dismall [...]ccidents and terrible examples happen­ [...]g in the place aforesaid, as it hath been [Page 14] carefully extracted out of the letters of Ministers and other men of quality and good account and credit living not one­ly in the Parish of Withicombe, but in the adjoyning Parishes and places, and by those that had the full relation from Master Lyde his own mouth. And the maine drift in the publication of this great ludgement, is for thy humiliation and edification, not onely to acquaint thee with the great and mighty works of Gods Power and lustice, who in a mo­ment can do mighty things to us, & arme the creatures against us at his owne plea­sure, but also to moove pitty and com­passion in us towards our Brethren who were patients therein. Which relati­on you can difficultly reade without sighs, nor understand without teares. I know it is the fashion of too too many to question and talke, and make things of this nature, but a nine dayes wonder: But let us not deceive our selves any longer, but consider, wee [Page 15] have beene lookers on a great while, and others have beene made our exam­ples, and felt the smart at home and abroad, whilst wee have gone free; but wee know not how soone our turnes and changes may come; these accidents might as well have happened to us as them; the LORD therfore in much mercy fit us both for the worst of times and the best of Ends. I end all with that prayer in our Letany, commending thee and this to the blessing of the Al­mighty.