ALthough the whole Univerſe throughout its Vaſt Circumference, be (as Naturaliſts excellently Phraſe it) but one great Volume, wherein in viſible effects of Power, the Inviſible, former of all things, is too plainly legible, not to be diſcerned by all Eies; Yet in this great Folio, the Meteors, that is, the Clouds, Wind, Thunder, Comets, prodigious Flames, Earthquakes, and other wonderful Apparitions in the Elements, are the great Characters wherein his Divinity doth in the courſe of Nature moſt conſpicuouſly declare it ſelf.

Eor if we compare theſe amazing Phaenomena with other works of Nature, we may juſtly pronounce that there he expreſſes himſelf in ſmall, but here all in Capitals: And accordingly we may obſerve the Scripture to make theſe Regions of the Air which give theſe Miſcellaneous ſubſtances their Birth, to be as were the Sphere of Gods Armory, his great Storehouſe and Magazine, from whence upon occaſion of the Worlds wickedneſs, when eaſe and pleaſure makes Mortals ſo inſolent, as to queſtion his Being, he takes out Artillery to Terrifie into a ſenſe, thoſe, who in the ſoft Whiſpers of a Calm and Serene Skie will not acknowledge him. For there are ſaid to be the Treaſures of his Chariots, there he utters that voice of his we call Thunder, and thence diſcharges the dreadful Shot of his right aiming Thunderbolts. And as we poor Mortals in Fleſhy Cottages are moſt moved by ſenſe, ſo the Omnipotent Creator makes choice of theſe ſtrange Exhalations, as the moſt effectual means to work on our external Organs, and thereby to effect our otherwiſe inſolent and audacious minds with a juſt awe and terror of his Majeſty. For although the conception and Idea of a Deity be a Celeſtial Fire ſo natural burning in out Souls, as that like the ſtone Asbeſtos it is not to be quenched, yet by the Atheiſtical endeavours of terrene and Voluptuous men, it may ſo far be ſmothered, as not to manifeſt it by any Viſible Flame, but the effects of his Power are ſo moving, and violently forcible, that when God is pleaſed to utter his Voice in Thunder, or Attacque our Deſperadoes hearts in Mountains of Briny Liquor, and roar his Greatneſs in their Ears, with the violent guſts of Tempeſtuous winds, attended with the horrid Flames ſpit out of fiery Hurricanes, or the aſtoniſhing Yells Ecchoed from the Bowels of the Quaking Earth; 'Tis not the ſtouteſt Atheiſt in ſuch a time that will not bate of his courage, and in ſpight of his deſperate Principles, eat his own words, and in horror and trembling confeſſe that Power, which other times he not only denies, but with Oaths and Damees would Hector out of the world, That Rhodomantado of Atheiſm. Caius Caligulae, though in his Pride he could have the Artogance to ſtile himſelf the Lord God Caligula, and once in a Huffing Pet could challenge his great God Jupiter into the Field, yet when it Thundred, his Gyant courage ſhrunk into a Mouſe-hole, for then in a pittiful fear he would creep under a Bed from Shelter, and confeſs himſelf as he was indeed a man. Therefore, however ſuch things may truly be attributed to ſecond cauſes, yet both from Scripture and their own Nature, we may be well aſſured, that they are Inſtruments which God oftner uſes in an Extraordinary manner than any others, and which in their firſt deſignment ſeem peculiarly levelled at thoſe men, and their bold thoughts, who would firſt only Droll the world out of conceit of his Power, that they may as they think, the more pleaſantly Huff him out of his Throne. In ſuch an Age then, when not only Profaneneſs is Rampant, but Atheiſm its ſelf is ſo Predominant, as to have obtained the Reputation of wits for thoſe, as convicted by the Law of Nations for Monſters of Mankind, the whole world adjudged to the Fire; It cannot be ſtrange if Omnipotence for its own Vindication, has ſo viſibly ſtretched forth its Arm by many late, ſtrange, and unuſual Marks of Power in almoſt all the Elements, given us ſuch ſufficient Proofs, that if we ſlight theſe, we may ex • ect that he will ſhortly write to us in Belſhazzars Characters. For ſtill we ſee one Prodegy ſucceeding on the Neck of another, and as you will hear by the following known Relation, we are called ſtill from one ſtrange accident to behold another. As wickedneſs has been ſome times more eminently prevalent at ſome times than at others, ſo in ſeveral Ages, at ſuch times, we have anſwerable notices of Gods Anger in effects of like Nature. Thus in the wicked Reign of Tiberius, in whoſe time Chriſt was Crucified, ſeveral of the moſt flouriſhing Cities of Aſia were either totally ſwallowed by Earthquake, or deſtroyed by Tempeſt. And the City of Conſtantinople in the time of the Gothik War, was ſo prodigiouſly afflicted this way, that Hiſtorians tell us that the ſtrange kinds of Noiſes, Thunder, Whiſtling, Howling, Crackling that were heard then, were Incredible. Infancy are the examples of theſe times, but to cone nearer, In the Reign of our Queen Mary, in her 5th Year, within a Mile of Nottingham, ſo violent a Tempeſt of Thunder happened that it beat down all the Houſes and Churches thereabouts, caſt the Bells to the outſide of the Church-yard, and ſome webs of Lead four Hundred foot into the Field wrethen like Leather, (The River of Trent running between the two Towns) The water with the Mud in the bottom, was carried a quarter of a Mile, and caſt againſt Trees, with the violence whereof the Trees were pulled up by the Roots, and caſt 12. ſcore foot.

In our Nebouring Country of Holland, on the ſecond of Auguſt new ſtile, being our 21. of July, there hapned a moſt horrible Tempeſt which laſting in ſome parts about an hour, in ſome longer, and in ſome not half the time, in that ſhort ſpace did in all parts ſuch incredible ſpoil and miſchief, that the like hath been ſeldom heard of; to paſs by the more minute particulars which are too tedious to mention, we ſhall only give you a brief account of what hapened at Ʋtrecht and Amſterdam. It is deſcribed to have been a moſt violent and unuſal Hurricane, in which the Heavens all the time by the continual Lightning Ayr and curled all ore with Flames, not unlike what is mentioned commonly in Almanacks to have happened not many years ſince in England, the noiſe of the Thunder, and roaring of the Wind, was ſo far above what is uſual, that it extreamly terified the hearers, but was more ſadly dreadful, when they not only heard, but many to their coſt felt its Rage, by the horrible ſhaking and fall of Houſes Steeples, and other Buildings; of which it ſpared no ſort, but ſeemed to threaten to bury them all in one heap of Rubbiſh. In Ʋtrecht the Cathedral Church called the Dome, in leſs than a quarter of an hour, with all ſtately Pillars was utterly Ruined; all but the Steeple, which remains untoucht, the high and coſtly Steeple of St. James Church, with the Steeples of moſt of the other Churches there, are thrown to the Ground: and all the Houſes were ſo far involved in this general Convulſion, that ſcarce fifty Houſes remain in that great City, but wear the the marks of its Fury.

In Amſterdam, it laſted but half an hour, but the force of the Thunder, Lightning, Wind and Hail in that time, was prodigious. Chimneys, tops of Houſes, and Houſes themſelves, were in great numbers blown down, and moſt Trees blown down, many of which were carryed a great diſtance from their former Places: the Ships that lay there before the Pal • s brake looſe, of which about half a ſcore were ov • rſet, many people were blown into the Water, and many killed by the fall of Trees and Houſes, about thirty Mills there were blown down to the ground, and thoſe eſcaped are much damnified, Five Waggons coming from Arnheim with Paſſengers, were overturned, and moſt of the perſons killed or ſpoiled.

Laſtly, to conclude, its fury extended ſo far, as to force above 20 Ships on Shore in the Texel, and its dammage and Terror is related by ſufferers to have been above what my weak Pen or a more fluent Tongue can expreſs. Thus you have a Relation wherein you ſee how loudly in ſigns and wonders, in Storm and Thunder, God calls to Earthly Mortals, let not your Ears be deaf, but make ſome uſe of it. It is Chronicled that in the time of our victorious Edward the third, being in France and ready to fall upon the French Army, then juſt by him, there happened ſuch a terrible Storm and Tempeſt of Thunder and Lightning, that that couragious Warriour being affrighted with it, as taking it to be a ſign that God was diſpleaſed at that cruel War, he took an Oath preſently to make Peace on any reaſonable condition, which he accordingly performed.