The voice of the Lord, from the deep places of the earth. A sermon preach'd on the Thursday-lecture in Boston, in the audience of the General Court, at the opening of the sessions, Nov. 23. 1727. Three weeks after the earthquake. / By Thomas Foxcroft. ; [Three lines from Amos]

The voice of the Lord, from the deep places of the earth. A sermon preach'd on the Thursday-lecture in Boston, in the audience of the General Court, at the opening of the sessions, Nov. 23. 1727. Three weeks after the earthquake. / By Thomas Foxcroft. ; [Three lines from Amos]

Table of contents

§

Title page

In the House of Representatives, Nov. 23. 1727.

THE Voice of the LORD, FROM The deep Places of the Earth.

[Page]

THE Voice of the LORD, FROM The deep Places of the Earth.

PSALM XCV. 4, 7, & 8th Verses.

IN his Hand are the deep Places of the Earth—To day, if ye will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts, as in the Provocation, and in the day of Temptation in the Wilderness.

REASON or Thought is that excellent Power in Man, by which he is nearly ally'd to the Angelick World, and advanc'd above the Level of sensitive Beings here below. 'Tis one essential Character of the Divine Image instamp'd on Man at his Creation: and as the regular Exercise of this noble Power is one of the brightest Ornaments of Humanity, so the highest and best Object of our Knowlege and Contemplation is the Blessed GOD, whom to know is Life eternal. But then as the Glory of GOD is very conspicuously display'd in the things which his Hand hath formed; so his Creatures and Works, with the greatest Justice, challenge a Room in our Thoughts, and demand our deliberate Attention to them.

[Page]AS the Works of Nature & Grace, so the Works of Providence, are to be seriously consider'd by us, if we would shew our selves Men. Who is wise, and he will observe these Things: Prudent, and he shall know them? The Works of the Lord are great; sought out of all Them that have Pleasure therein. Remember then that thou magnify his Works which Men behold. To consider them indeed in their Essence and natural Causes & Properties, is not so much the Business of the Christian, as the Philosopher. But the same things which are the Subjects of Philosophy, do under different Respects, as they are referred to their Efficient, and Final Cause, also come into Consideration in Divinity. — Hence the Scriptures do every where lead us into Contemplations on the Works of Nature, and various Phaenomena or Events that come to pass in the World, as the Works of GOD; whose ‘Efficiency runs thro' & influences all Second Causes, and enters into every Effect; preserves the Being and Powers of all the Creatures, and directs all their motions thorow all and above all their next inferiour Ends, to GOD himself as the last End of all.’ Of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all Things; to Whom be Glory for ever.

THE Doctrine of a Divine Providence, whereby the vast Variety of Creatures and Things in the Universe, are powerfully upheld in their Existence, Operation, and beautiful Order, and wisely directed to the several Ends and Uses they were made for; is one of the first Dictates of Reason, & abundantly confirm'd by Revelation, which teaches us the unlimited Extent of almighty Providence, unfolds many Mysteries in the Divine Conduct, and shews us infinite Perfections & Beauties shining in the Works of GOD: — Calls us to Adoration and Praise, and teaches us to acknowlege GOD in every Appearance and Event, and to consider the Operations of his Hand, with a sutable Application to our selves, and Improvement to the Ends of Devotion; so as not only to see the Name of GOD written upon every Dispensation of Providence, but also to hear [Page] his Voice, comport with his wise Designs, and engage our Hearts in the Love, Fear, and Service of Him, who is over all GOD blessed for evermore.

THIS Observation is but agreable to the Scope of the Psalm before us; where the devout Psalmist stirs up himself and others to praise GOD, with a holy Joy and humble Awe, from an affecting Sense of his infinite Greatness and Goodness, and of their special Obligations, and Relation to him as a peculiar People: And he calls upon his Nation to live as well as speak the Praises of GOD, to lend an obedient Ear to his Voice, without which all their Songs of Praise would be but an Abomination to Him, an empty Sound yea lothesome Flattery. And he presses them to an instant Compliance: To day if ye will hear his Voice. —Some take it as a wish, O that you would hear his Voice, and be obedient, without delay! And no longer harden your hearts, as they of old in the Provocation and day of Temptation, lest you provoke GOD to destroy you by awful Judgments, even as He did them, whose Carcases fell in the Wilderness, & to whom He sware, they should not enter into his Rest: So they could not enter in because of Unbelief. They were a rebellious and stiffnecked Generation; full of Infidelity, Murmuring, and Disobedience. They saw the Works of GOD, both his Miracles of Mercy and of Judgment; and yet they were not to be wrought upon by these things. Neither the Goodness of GOD in the most eminent Deliverances, nor his Severity in tremendous Judgments, whether on their Enemies, or on some among themselves, wou'd prevail to lead them to Repentance. Particularly when Korah and his Company were for their Murmurings destroy'd suddenly by an Earthquake, and devouring Fire, though the Remnant of the People were affrighted for the present, and fled at the Shrieks of their sinking Friends, saying, Lest the Earth swallow us up also: Nevertheless after Peace was spoken to them, we find them the very next day returned unto Folly, and acting over the same Perverseness and Unbelief, which [Page] their Companions had so awfully perish'd for. Numb. 16.41. But on the Morrow all the Congregation of the Children of Israel murmur'd again. Tho' they had seen so many fall before them, yet they wou'd not take warning: Tho' GOD had signalised his Goodness and Patience in reprieving them from deserved Perdition, yet they repented not to give Him Glory; but turned his Grace into Wantonness, and after their Hardness and impenitent Hearts treasured up unto themselves Wrath; so that the Plague brake in upon them, and GOD wou'd have consum'd them all as in a Moment, had not Moses & Aaron fallen on their Faces, and quickly made an Atonement for them.

NOW these Things were written for our Admonition. Hence the Apostle writing to the Christian Hebrews, makes use of the awful Example of Israel's Fall in the Wilderness, as a loud Caution to them. Heb. 3.7, &c. Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To Day if ye will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts, as in the Provocation. — Take Heed, Brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil Heart of Unbelief,. in departing from the living God. And in the 15th Verse, he resumes the Quotation he had made (which you observe is from our Text) and he brings home the Words of the Psalmist, by a particular Application, to the Christians he was writing to; as if that Scripture was of equal Concern to the present Generation, as to former Ages. And in the 4th Chapter he repeats the Words again, and warns the Christian Hebrews to labour lest any Man fall after the same Example of Unbelief. GOD'S Wrath will as soon flame out against impenitent Christians, as against Unbelieving Jews; against the present, as well as against any former Generation of his People; against his People in Canaan, as well as against his People in the Wilderness.

HENCE then the Admonition in the Text belongs to Us in these Days, as much as to those of the Psalmist's or the Apostle's Times. And O that the Counsel here given may be acceptable to this People [Page] of GOD! That we may be prevail'd with to give a speedy Attention to the Call of our GOD, whose Voice has been crying to the City and Land in a Variety of awful Providences; and particularly in the late surprising Earthquake, which spread a sudden and universal Terror among us! — In a most calm serene Night, just as we were composing our selves to Rest, a dreadful Sound struck our Ears, the Earth trembled and our Houses shook in a fearful manner. * Verily [Page] it is a Night to be much observ'd and remembred, for the uncommon Terror, and the great Deliverance. And surely it can't be forgotten, at least while the Repetition of the doleful Murmurs & Shakes is continued, as we hear it is yet in divers Places. Last Lord's Day Evening it is said several Towns were surprised with the roaring Noise.

UPON this extraordinary Occasion you have doubtless all of you already heard proper Lessons and Admonitions from the Pulpit. Yet I think it meet to stir you up, by putting you in Remembrance; and hope it will be a word in Season, especially since it is as it were an Address to the whole Province together, in our honorable Rulers, and Representatives met at this time in a new Assembly.

AND I beseech you, Brethren, suffer the Word of Exhortation, which speaks to you in the Psalmist's Language; The LORD is a great GOD, and a great King above all Gods: In his Hand are the deep Places of the Earth,— To day if ye will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts as in the Provocation, and in the Day of Temptation in the Wilderness.

IN the Words we have first a Proposition laid down, In his Hand are the deep Places of the Earth. And then an Exhortation leading us into a proper Improvement of that general Truth, To day if ye will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts. Which is enforced by the awful Consideration of the Fall and Destruction of the unbelieving Israelites in the Wilderness, who tempted and provoked the most high GOD, so that He was wroth with his Inheritance, and abhorred his People.

IN discoursing on the Text, I shall proceed in the Order & Method of the Psalmist: First, I shall say something to illustrate the Truth he asserts here: Secondly, I shall inculcate the Duty he exhorts to. And finally press the Motive taken from the Example of the Israelites that sinned and fell in the Wilderness.

[Page]I shall begin with the Psalmist's Pro position, which you may take for the Doctrine or Ground of my Discourse,

IN the LORD'S Hand are the deep Places of the Earth.

THE Meaning is, That the whole Earth is the LORD'S, and even from it's Centre, and in all it's Parts, is supported and govern'd by a Divine Power and Influence. GOD has the Propriety, and the Disposal of all.

(1.) HE has a Propriety every where, and even the deep Places of the Earth are his Possession.

THIS appears the Meaning in part from what follows; The Strength of the Hills is HIS also; The Sea is HIS, and He made it; and his Hands formed the dry Land.

IT was GOD that originally gave Being to the Earth; 'Twas the Product of his mighty Power, the Contrivance of his Wisdom, and Efflux of his Goodness. The holy Scriptures every where ascribe the Creation of the Earth to GOD, and mention it in many elegant & lofty Descriptions of the great Creator and Sovereign of all Things, as a marvellous Display of his adorable Perfections; a glorious Piece of divine Workmanship *. Yea we find the Almighty challenging it as his peculiar Glory †.

NOW therefore, if GOD created the Earth, He must needs have an indisputable Right of Propriety in it. Hence the Scriptures do frequently assert his Title. Thus, Deut. 10.14. Behold, the Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens is the Lord's thy God, the Earth also with all that therein is. Psal. 24.1. The Earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the World, and they that dwell therein. And so our Text, In his hand are the deep Places of the Earth: the subterraneous Springs and Mines; the [Page] abundance of the Sea, and the Treasures hid in the Sand. Yea He tells us, Job 41.11. Whatsoever is under the whole Heaven is mine.

INDEED it is said, GOD hath given the Earth to the Children of Men: but it means only, That he has lent or let it out to them: Given it them for a Possession to occupy for the present. We are but Tenants: He is the Landlord, and has reserv'd to Himself the whole Property. Even our very Houses, with all their Furniture, and our Lands, with all the Improvements upon them; all the Produce upon the Surface, and all the Riches within the Bowels of the Earth, are the LORD'S. All the Ends of the Earth, and all the secret Places of it; even the Regions that are out of all human Sight and Reach, They and their rich Contents are His: Not only under his Eye, but in his Hand, possessed by him as much as any other parts of the World.

THIS shows the unsearchable Riches & Greatness of GOD. Agreably the Psalmist says, Great is the Lord: In his Hand are the deep Places of the Earth. Surely none of the great Men of the Earth, that trust in their Wealth, and boast themselves in the Multitude of their Riches, can vie with GOD. However large their Possessions, tho' they have added House to House, and Field to Field, and extended their Purchases or Conquests so far that they seem to be placed almost alone in the Earth; yet they cannot compate with GOD: for He is Lord of the whole Earth; the utmost parts of the Earth, and the deep places of it, are his Possession; while the Richest of Men possess only some small spots of the upper Strata. Let this Reflection teach Men Humility.—And let it teach us to admire the Condescension of GOD in accepting the Alms & Devotions of his People. 1 Chron. 29.14. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. Surely He is not ministred to by Men's Hands, as tho' He needed any thing, seeing that He is Lord [Page] of Heaven and Earth. Hence He put a slight upon the legal Sacrifices, in those Terms, Psal. 50.12. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the World is mine, and the fulness thereof.

Further, THIS teaches us the Blessedness of Them that have an Interest in the LORD as their GOD! Behold, Happy is the Man whose Hope is in the Lord. They that have Him for their Portion may be said to possess all Things: Things present and Things to come, all are theirs, 1 Cor. 3.22. Hence Psal. 89.11, 12, 15. The Heavens are thine, the Earth also is thine: as for the World, and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. The North and the South thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoyce in thy name. Blessed are the People that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord in the light of thy Countenance.

In a word, THIS Reflection affords a Motive to Obedience; because GOD is able out of his rich Stores abundantly to reward us. Exod. 19.5. Now therefore, If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my Covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar Treasure unto me above all People: for all the Earth is mine. Particularly it is a strong Incentive to Charity & Bounty, in all those Instances which GOD requires of us. For all the Store that we have prepared cometh of his Hand, and is all his own. He justly therefore expects that we honour Him with our Substance: and in special by willingly expending upon pious and charitable Uses, the Proportions which he hath out of our Estates and Incomes separated to such Ends. We are solemnly charged to give, every Man as he is able, according as GOD hath prospered him †. And if we withhold more than is meet, He charges us with Stealth and Injustice. Mal. 3.8. Will a Man rob God? yet ye have robbed me: but ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes & offerings. Wherefore as we wou'd not incur the Guilt of Injustice, as [Page] well as Ingratitude, let us see to it that we be ready to distribute, willing to communicate. To do Good and to communicate, forget not: for with such Sacrifices GOD is well pleased. Render to all their dues, Tribute to whom Tribute is due, Honour to whom Honour, Charity to whom Charity. Bring ye all the Tithes into GOD'S Store-house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord, if I will not pour you out a Blessing, so that your Barns shall be filled with Plenty, and ye shall dwell in a delightsome Land, saith the Lord of Hosts, the most High GOD, Possessor of Heaven and Earth.

I pass now to say,

(2.) ANOTHER Thing imply'd may be, That GOD Upholds the Earth in it's Being, and continues it's several Virtues, Riches and Ornaments.

THE Earth, and all it's deep Places, He holds in his Hand, and keeps from Desolation. Should He withdraw His sustaining Influence but for a moment, the Earth wou'd immediately return to it's primitive Chaos, or relapse into Nothing. By his Almighty Fiat the Earth, with it's immense Stores and Treasures, started into Being; and He upholds all Things by the same Word of his Strength. No Creature has a Power of Self-preservation; nor can one preserve another: but all depend upon the First Cause, and equal is the Efficiency of the Almighty, in the Sustentation of the Earth, as in it's original Creation.

THE upholding and preserving of this visible World is every where in holy Scripture declar'd the Work of his omnipotent Arm, and celebrated as one of the high Glories of infinite Majesty. Jer. 51.15. He hath made the Earth by his Power; He hath established the World by his Wisdom.— When He had created the Earth, He fixed this vast Globe on it's Centre, and settled the Orders and Uses of all Things therein. Hence we read, Psal, 104.5. Who laid the Foundations of the Earth, or as it is in the Margin, [Page] Hath founded the Earth upon her Bases. This vast Terraqueous Globe has no visible Foundations to support it, no Pillars to rest upon, nor Axletree on which it hangs; but is suspended in the Air, pois'd with it's own weight, we know not how. A Mystery this is, celebrated by all Philosophers as one of the inscrutable Arcana of Nature, and the Result of Divine Power & Wisdom. Job mentions it with wonder, Chap. 26.7. He stretcheth out the North over the empty Place, and hangeth the Earth upon Nothing. When GOD spake to Job out of the Whirlwind, among other Challenges, He made that, Chap. 38.5, 6. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the Foundations thereof fastned? or who hath laid the Corner-stone thereof? "The vast Bulk of the Earth is model'd as regularly as if it had been done by Line and Measure": And retains to this Day the same Figure & Dimensions that it had at first; continued by the Power of GOD, who laid the Corner-stone thereof, which preserves the Parts of it in a just Consistence, and saves them from crumbling into Confusion. And He also fasten'd the Foundations, so that this prodigious Weight has kept thro' many Ages it's primitive Situation, which gives it still the Advantage of the Atmosphere, and the heavenly Orbs round about it. This is the Work of GOD. His strength setteth fast the Mountains, and He is the Confidence of all the Ends of the Earth. He comprehendeth the Dust of the Ground in a measure, and weigheth the Hills in a Balance. He visits the dark Caverns of the Earth, and preserves it's Bowels from gushing out. He guards the Earth from the Violence of the Sea, and continues the ancient Division of the Waters from the dry Land. He sets Bars to the Ocean, and holds the mighty Abyss in the Hollow of his Hand. He poises this terraqueous Globe so equally on every side; maintains a just Proportion of the Elements, and the convenient Distribution of solid and fluid Bodies.

[Page]HE also preserves the different Natures of Things, their essential Qualities, and original Instincts, or Tendencies to the various Ends & Uses they were adapted and design'd for. The Laws of Gravitation and Magnetism, and the Law of Instinct, those mysterious Contrivances of His infinite Wisdom, are establish'd in the Word by his Almighty Hand; by which Means the several Parts of the Earth afford their various Productions for the Support & Service of it's Inhabitants, in their innumerable Species, and with a most surprising Harmony all Things conspire to serve the particular Purposes they were made for, which terminate in the Benefit of the Universe and Glory of the Creator. Well may we make those Reflections, with the devout Psalmist *, O Lord, how manifold are thy Works! In Wisdom hast Thou made them all: The Earth is full of thy Riches; so is the great and wide Sea: wherein are Creatures innumerable. These wait all upon Thee. Thou preservest Man and Beast. Thy Faithfulness is unto all Generations: Thou hast established the Earth, and it abideth. They continue this Day according to thine Ordinances: for all are thy Servants. The Day is thine; the Night also is thine.— Thou hast set all the Borders of the Earth: Thou hast made Summer and Winter.

O let us stand up and bless the Lord our GOD for ever and ever; whose glorious Name is exalted above all Blessing and Praise. And let all the Earth fear the Lord: let all the Inhabitants of the World stand in Awe of Him: for He spake, and it was made: He commanded, and it stood fast †.

In a word, LET the People of GOD improve this Consideration to confirm their Faith, and invigorate their Hope in the Covenant of Grace, that it shall stand fast for ever, even as the Covenant of Nature. So GOD himself has taught his People to reflect and argue, Jer. 31.35, 36, 37. Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the Sun for a light by day, and the [Page]ordinances of the Moon and of the Stars for a light by night; which divideth the Sea when the Waves thereof rore; the Lord of hosts is his name. If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall depart from being a Nation before me forever. Thus saith the Lord, If Heaven above can be measured, and the Foundations of the Earth searched, out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel, for all that they have done, saith the Lord. So Chap. 33.20, 21, 25, 26.

IT may be added now in the last place,

(3.) GOD not only preserves, but also governs the Earth, and all Things that are therein.

THIS Act is imply'd in the former, and the Right of Dominion is justly founded thereon. Neh. 9.6. Thou, even Thou art Lord alone: Thou hast made the Heaven, Earth & Seas, and all that is therein; and Thou preservest them all.— So the Psalmist, The Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods▪ In his Hand are the deep Places of the Earth.

THE Government is in his Hand; His right Hand, and his holy Arm governs the Wheels of universal Nature. In his Hand is Power & Might, and He reigneth over all. Heaven is his Throne, and the Earth his Foot-stool.

HE governs the Rational World; doth what He pleaseth among the Armies of Heaven above, and amongst the Inhabitants of the Earth below. The Kingdom is the Lord's, and He is the Governor among the Nations. In his Hand it is to make great, or bring low; to make rich, or poor. The Lord is the Judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another. For the Pillars of the Earth are the Lord's, and He hath set the World upon them. He governs in all Societies, and rules over all Individuals; restraining, guiding, punishing, or blessing, as He pleaseth. He ruleth by his Power for ever: His Eyes behold the Nations: let not the Rebellious exalt themselves. But rejoyce in the Lord ye Righteous. The Lord [Page] reigneth: GOD is my King of old, working Salvation in the midst of the Earth.

HE also presides over the Natural World. He extends his Care and Influence to all his Creatures, both small and great. None are so little as to escape his Notice: Nor any too big for Him to manage. Whatsoever the Lord pleaseth, that doth He in Heaven and in Earth, in the Seas & all deep Places, Psal. 135.6. Nature is not left to govern it self; is not resign'd to the wild Steerage of blind Chance: But GOD sitteth upon the Circle of the Earth, as a wise & powerful Director, influencing all natural Causes, and disposing all Effects & Accidents, Periods, Revolutions, and Successions of Things.

THE glorious Orbs of Light, that roll over our Heads, are preserv'd by Him in their Beauty & Order, and directed by Him in all their Motions and Effects. The Earth also under our Feet, and the Air we breathe in, are under his absolute Dominion.

HE made the Elements, and He governs them: directs their natural Powers, and orders all their Influences & Operations; suspending, or enlarging, as He will. Men are indeed sometimes apt to imagin, that the Elementary World is under no Direction, that a wild Loose is given to natural Causes, and that they act with an unbounded Liberty. But verily in the midst of all the Confusion and Impetuosity that is seen at any time, GOD inspects, restrains, and over-rules, to make every thing subserve his own blessed Purposes. Hence that of the Psalmist, Psal. 148.7, 8. Praise the Lord from the Earth, ye Dragons and all Deeps, Fire & Hail, Snow & Vapour, and stormy Wind, fulfilling his Word.

IN the Depths as well as Heights, GOD shews his Power and Dominion. He sendeth forth his Commandment upon Earth; His Word runneth very swiftly *: and none can resist his Will, countermand his Orders, or retard their Execution.

[Page]THIS earthly Globe is continually passing under Changes and Revolutions. There are perpetual Removes & Alterations, Increases & Decays, visible on the Face of the Earth; and doubtless the like in it's interiour Parts. There is a kind of Circulation among natural Principles; a Revolution of the Elements. Thus the terrestial Matter wash'd off the Earth by Floods, is a great part of it exhal'd up into the Atmosphere with the daily ascending Vapours, and restored to the Ground by Rain, Snow & Hail. Again, The Waters which by various methods of Conveyance are sent forth upon the Earth, are return'd back to the Seas. And so the Elements of Fire & Air mutually lose & gain, by frequent Condensations & Rarefactions. Insomuch that all these sublunary Things are in a perpetual Flux & Change: even the most consistent Parts not exempted. The Earth feels terrible Convulsions in it's very Bosom many times, so that it groans and trembles: and were it not for the Spiracles or Vulcanoes, those awful, yet merciful Contrivances of Divine Wisdom, which serve to extract & evaporate the subterraneous Fumes; innumerable Mischiefs, greater and oftner than is now known, wou'd befall the World, by Earthquakes, Damps, &c.

NOW, in the midst of all these Vicissitudes of Nature, GOD presides; directing the most secret and distant Causes, and ordering all their Effects, by his Power and Wisdom. —Indeed in all the Revolutions of the World, we may suppose there wou'd be no proper Tumult or Confusion, were it not for the Permission of Divine Providence. For the GOD of Nature hath so equally poised the Earth on every side, and formed all Things in Number, Weight & Measure, in such Order & Harmony, with those Instincts which fit and dispose them to the particular Uses & Designs they were made for, and so to be subservient to one another, that we may reasonably conclude our Globe wou'd be free from all those Violences it sometimes feels, were it not for the Will & Power of Divine Providence.

[Page]THE Almighty Hand of GOD reaches the very Centre of our vast Globe, and equally governs in the inward Parts, and the superficial: So that it is liable to no Accidents whatever, without his active Concurrence, who worketh all things according to the Counsel of his own Will.

IN his Hand are the deep Places of the Earth, says my Text. And therefore all Events in the habitable World must be the Result of his Efficiency: For the subterranean Kingdom gives Law to the World we dwell in. The upper Stratum of the Earth yields us no other Comforts, but what depend upon the Regularity & Influence of the deep Places beneath, which are the common Magazines of all Riches.

THE small Fissures & wider Cavities in the low Places of the Earth, as well as the high Hills and rocky Mountains, appear the Work of Counsel, and are of indispensable Use to the World. We have not only our Treasures of useful Minerals and Metals, and Salts from below: but from hence also we have our Supply of Springs & Rivers. From hence ascend the Vapours, the watry and fiery Steams, which exhal'd by the Sun, form our Clouds, and distil in Rain, Snow & Dew, that refresh the Earth, and make it Fruitful. From hence likewise arise the Winds, which fan our Air, and purify the Atmosphere that surrounds us, from those noxious mineral Exhalations, that tend to breed pestilential Fevers, and threaten the Health and Lives of Men.

IN a word, All the Seasons of the Year, and the several Circumstances of them, are very much govern'd by the subterraneous Regions. Our Wealth and the valuable Comforts of Life, are mostly of a subterraneanean Extract. Job observes not only that Iron is taken out of the Earth, & there are the Veins of Silver & Gold: But he adds, As for the Earth, Out of it cometh BREAD. The vegetable Productions of Nature, the orderly Returns of Seed-time & Harvest, Cold and Heat, in their due Season, and in a just Proportion, depend very much upon a regular State of Things in the Mineral [Page] Kingdom, and dark Retreats of the Earth below us.

WHAT follows then, if in GOD'S Hand be the deep Places of the Earth, but that He must be the supreme Moderator and Disposer of this universal Globe! And consequently we learn from our Text these two important Lessons:

First, THAT GOD must have the Praise of all the beneficial & beautiful Appearances in the Kingdom of Nature.

AND then,

Secondly, THAT in all terrible & evil Events, we must see his Hand, and acknowlege his Providence.

AGREABLY the Scriptures every where teach us to consider GOD as the Author of all those Benefits and Salvations, which the Earth and it's Inhabitants do experience. They tell us that He is the Father of Lights and Fountain of Living Waters. He giveth unto all Life and Breath and all Things. He feeds the Fowls of Heaven, which neither sow nor reap, and he giveth the Beast his Food. And He provideth Bread for Man. It is He that prospers a People in their Trade abroad and Business at home: makes Zebulun to rejoyce in his goings forth, and Issachar in his Tents: and giveth them Power to get Wealth; to suck of the abundance of the Sea, and the Treasures of the dry Land. He causeth his Sun to rise, and giveth the Rain in it's Season; making the Ground to yield it's Increase, and the Trees their Fruits; and He reserveth to us the appointed Weeks of the Harvest. When he uttereth his Voice, there is a multitude of Waters in the Heavens, and He causeth the Vapours to ascend from the Ends of the Earth: He maketh Lightnings with Rain, and bringeth forth the Wind out of his Treasures, by which he preserves our Air from stagnating, and prevents the innumerable Mischiefs that otherwise wou'd be done by poisonous Steams out of the Earth; and by which also He carries our Ships to the desired Haven. By his Skill & Power [Page] the Depths are broken up, and the Dew & Clouds formed, which gently distill to refresh the thirsty Ground. He causeth the Bud of the tender Herb to spring forth; maketh the Grass to grow, filleth the Trees with Sap, and prepareth the Corn; so that the Mountains rejoyce, and the little Hills on every side; the Valleys break forth into Singing, and all the Fields & Orchards clap their hands for joy. He also preserveth the Fruits of the Faith; gives a sutable Time for Ingathering, and crowns the Year with his Goodness. Thus He governs the Spring, and Summer, and Autumn.

HE maketh also the Winter, and governs all the Affairs and Circumstances of it. He saith to the Snow, Be thou on the Earth, and bringeth the Cold out of the North. By the Breath of GOD, Frost is given, and the Breadth of the Waters is straitned. He casteth forth his Ice like Morsels; scattereth the Hoar-frost like Ashes, and giveth Snow like Wool: So He covereth the Earth as with a Garment, to cherish the Soyl, that it may give Seed to the Sower, and Bread to the Eater. Moreover, He provides our Fuel; furnishes our Table, preserves our Health, and maketh our Garments warm upon us, in this difficult Season of the Year: Else who cou'd stand before his Cold? In a word, He returns the Heats and Thaws of the Spring. He sendeth out his Commandment, and the frozen Surface of the Ground melts and softens. He quieteth the Earth by the South-Wind: and by the gradual Increases of the Day and Advances of the Sun, He revives universal Nature, and strips it of it's Winter-Complexion. He sends forth his Spirit (his warm and animating Breath) and renews the Face of the Earth.

HENCE then let us give all the Glory to GOD, and celebrate his Wisdom and Power, his Goodness and Mercy to us from Year to Year, with Thanksgiving and Praise. O how unworthy are we of the least of his Mercies! Yet He crowneth the Year with a Variety and Plenty of Blessings. What but infinite Goodness cou'd so triumph over the Unworthiness of sinful [Page] Creatures; and be kind to the Evil and Unthankful! Verily the Earth is satisfied with the Fruit of his Works, and is full of his Riches. All our Senses present us with numerous Instances of Divine Goodness. We taste and see that the Lord is gracious: Our Ears also have heard the Fame thereof. O let us awake up our Glory, to sing and give Praise! Let the Heaven and Earth praise the Name of GOD; the Seas also, and every thing therein. O come let us sing unto the Lord (says the Psalmist in the Context) let us make a joyful Noise to the Rock of our Salvation. Let us come before his Presence with Thanksgiving, and make a joyful Noise unto Him with Psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods: In his Hand are the deep Places of the Earth. He is our God, and we are the People of his Pasture.

BUT yet the Lord has not left us altogether unpunished. He has been correcting us with Stripes from Year to Year: and this Year in a particular manner, He hath been alarming us by a Variety of awful Dispensations, which call for our solemn Observation and Remembrance. Our Text teacheth us to look above natural Causes, and ascribe to a Divine Hand all the evil Accidents which happen in the Earth. The sovereign GOD controuls and commands all Things here below, so as to make them even forget their particular Instinct, act contrary to their native Tendency, and desert their proper Place, according to his absolute Will and Pleasure. Who is a strong Lord, like unto HIM, whom Fire, and Wind, and Seas obey; who looketh upon the Hills and they tremble! All Meteors and Elements are obsequious to Him, who gave Nature it's Laws, and directs it's Motions as He pleaseth. His Way is in the Whirlwind, and in the Storm, in the Thunder and Lightning, in the Flame of Fire, in the stifling Damp, and tremendous Earthquake▪— All which, and other Judgments, we have this Year been visited with. O let us see the Hand of GOD lifted up, and tremble at his repeated loud Reproofs.

[Page]IN this Town particularly, how has GOD been calling to contend by Fire once and again! Tho' in his great Mercy He has set Bounds to this wild Element, and soon extinguish'd the threatning Flames.

IN the Beginning of the Year what uncommon Colds & Sicknesses (occasion'd by noxious Vapours out of the Earth) prevail'd every where: And what a Mortality since in several Towns! Tho', blessed be GOD! It has been in general a healthy Year.

WHAT repeated awful Instances have we seen of very sudden Death! And one GREAT Instance, which has put the whole British Dominions into universal Mourning, by the Bereavement of our late glorious KING; of happy Memory! Tho' blessed be GOD the Judge, who in as sudden a manner fill'd the Throne with another Protestant King, and is incircling Him with Glory and Happiness, in a fruitful VINE by the sides of his House and flourishing Olive-Plants around his Royal Table.

IT has been a Year fill'd with a Variety of strange Accidents, and surprising Mortalities, whereby we have been alarm'd from time to time. In particular, because of it's obvious Reference to my present Subject, I wou'd mention the awful Instance of the fatal Damp, by which two Men perish'd almost in the same Moment in one Well ‖.

[Page]WHAT an uncommon Summer have we had, for Heat, the most extreme, and of long Continuance! By which GOD appointed over us Terror, and seem'd to intimate his firy Indignation. Yet notwithstanding the extraordinary Drought, which threaten'd us, He hath in his great Goodness allow'd us a plentiful Harvest of many Fruits of the Earth.

MOREOVER, How has the LORD of Hosts been frequently uttering his Voice from the Skies in very dreadful Accents of amazing Thunder, and shooting out his incensed Arrows from above: Whereby several received Damage in their Substance *; tho' thro' the sparing Mercy of GOD, no human Life has been lost.— Once in particular how did He set the Heavens over our Heads on a Blaze, in a most unusual and surprising manner; bright Streams of Fire darting incessantly in every part: So that we tho't we saw some Resemblance of the Day of GOD, when the Lord JESUS shall be reveal'd from Heaven in flaming Fire; and many were sore afraid! His Lightnings illuminated the World; the Earth saw and trembled.

Again, HE prepared the Stormy Wind, and blew upon us with an horrible Tempest. He sent forth the Blast of his Mouth, and caused the Rain of his Strength to come down. So that universal Nature seem'd to be out of Course; the Foundations of the World breaking up, and the Pillars of Heaven falling down. It was a very distressing Season, both on the Sea & Land. And all the People (as they in Ezra's Time) sat trembling for the great Rain. †

[Page]AND in a few Weeks after, GOD has been pleas'd to visit us in another and more unusual Form, by EARTHQUAKE, and great Noise, which may be call'd Subterranean Thunder; a Thunder-Storm under ground, in the deep Places of the Earth. This I shall take Notice of with a little more of Enlargement.

PHILOSOPHY teaches us to suppose that the Earth is not a perfectly solid Body, but has mighty Caverns within it, and innumerable lesser Veins and hollow Spaces; where are Fountains of Water, or Treasures of Winds & Vapours. And the whole Globe is filled with vast Stores of Fire and combustible Materials. These appear to be the Provisions in Nature for those terrible Convulsions the Earth is sometimes thrown into.

BUT the Lord of Hosts is the grand EFFICIENT. All the Power and Skill of Men can't produce an Earthquake. It must be said of it, This is the Finger of GOD. There have been some Instances, wherein it's thought physical Reasons have been wanting, and the Commotion of the Earth intirely miraculous, the immediate Effect of a supernatural and divine Influence, without any Preparations in Nature: as that at the giving of the Law, when the Lord descended upon Sinai, and the whole Mount quaked greatly. So those at the Death and Resurrection of CHRIST; and others mention'd in Scripture.

HOWEVER, doubtless in ordinary Cases at least, there are natural Causes of this Phaenomenon. But yet the most critical Inquirers into Nature are at a loss how to account for the generating of the Earthquake, and the Operations of it, without ascribing a great [Page] deal to the more immediate Influence of some supernatural Power. Naturalists agree in this general Concession, That the Earthquake is not any regular Motion of Nature, but a Violence to it, and throws the Earth into a praeternatural State. They confess it is contrary to the establish'd Laws of the Creation, and results from some mighty Obstruction to the stated Order and Course of Things.—But what that Obstruction is, or what the particular Principle & Ground of it, remains yet an Inquiry that the most penetrating Philosophers are to this Day perplex'd & divided about. Some derive it's Origin from this natural Cause, and others from that. One ascribes it chiefly to that Element, and another to this. They mutually oppose one another's Sentiments: And the most that is said upon this mysterious Appearance is but Conjectural.

IT seems truly to be a more immediate Act of Providence, than most other Events. It must be look'd upon as a more special Work of GOD; visibly out of the Course of Nature: produc'd and govern'd by the great Creator, who has all the Wheels of the Universe under his arbitrary Command. He gathereth the Wind in his Fists; bindeth the Abyss in a Garment; restraineth the subterraneous Fires; and establisheth all the Ends of the Earth. His Eye and Hand reach the profoundest Caverns; and his Footsteps are not known. If the Lord our GOD did not govern the Elements in our Favour, how wou'd they persecute a guilty World, by Fire, and Tempest, Plague, and Famine! How soon wou'd the Heavens dissolve and fall upon us in Cataracts of Vengeance: And the Earth and Sea combine to destroy all their Inhabitants! Why does not the Earth sink into the mighty Deep, on the face of which it is stretched out *? Or what Hand confines and rules the flaming Fires in it's spacious Cavities? What power visits one City or Country with the desolating Earthquake, and not another? Verily the same DIVINE Power, which in the Days of Korah created that new Thing, when the Earth [Page] open'd, and Multitudes together went down alive into the Pit.

WHEN the Order of Nature is subverted, the Rule of natural Causes violated, and praeternatural Commotions happen, all must be ultimately resolv'd into an higher Principle, than any second Causes, even the Providence of GOD. When Things move and act either against or above their own Nature, a superior Power is to be acknowleg'd: And in some Instances especially, the Earthquake consider'd in it's extraornary Circumstances and Effects, must be ascribed to the more immediate Hand of GOD, as in a sense his alone Work.— Whatever subordinate Means & Instruments GOD may see fit to make use of in this stupendous Event; yet his terrible Majesty appears imprinted upon it in very peculiar Characters. It has a bright Stamp of Divinity on it's Face; Men behold in it those clear Impresses of Divine Power, Sovereignty and Greatness, as irresistibly carry up their Eyes to the First Cause; and they cannot but apprehend the Invisible GOD therein displaying his Perfections to the World. The Lord as it were comes down, & at his Presence the Earth shakes & rores. That is the Language of this Providence, Give Ear, O Heavens; and hear, O Earth! I will publish the Name of the Lord: Ascribe ye Greatness unto God. These awful Shocks and Rumblings are design'd (as the Thunder and Shakings of the Heavens ‖ are) to let us know that the Universe is the LORD'S, and to magnify Him in the Eyes of his intelligent Creatures. Thus it is said ‡, In that day there shall be a great SHAKING in the Land of Israel; So that the Fishes of the Sea, and the Fowls of the Heaven, and the Beasts of the Field, and all the Men that are upon the face of the Earth, shall shake at my Presence, and the Mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep Places shall fall, and every Wall shall fall to the Ground; &c. Thus will I magnify my self, — and I will be known in the Eyes of many Nations, and [Page]they shall know that I am the LORD.— The Earthquake that Elijah * saw, was to shew him the Glory and Majesty of GOD.

WE may further observe,

AS the Earthquake is an eminent Demonstration of the Divine Power and Presence: So it is usually a Token of Wrath kindled against a Place for the Wickedness of them that dwell therein.

SOMETIMES indeed it has been a Testimony of the gracious Presence of GOD with his People, and his Approbation of them. An Instance you have, Acts 4.31. And when they had prayed, the Place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. So the Earthquake that destroy'd Korah and his rebel Crew, was a Divine Testimony to Moses & Aaron the Servants of GOD. And that at the Resurrection of CHRIST was design'd, not only as a Signal to give Notice of that great Event, but also as a Testimony from Heaven to the Majesty & Glory of his Divine Person.—Sometimes Earthquakes have been sent to work Salvation for the Servants of GOD, by destroying their Enemies. The Skies have pour'd down Righteousness; the Earth also hath open'd, and brought forth Salvation. When Joshua compassed Jericho, we are told, at the Sound of the Trumpet, and the Shout of the People, the Walls suddenly fell down flat ‖, and so the City given up into the Hand of Israel. It's thought it was by an Earthquake.— We read, when Jonathan and his Armour-bearer assaulted the Philistines Garrison, there was a Trembling in the Host; the Garrison trembled, and the Earth quaked; which struck a Terror upon all the People, and threw them into the utmost Confusion; so that the Multitude melted away; for they went on beating down one another †. All imagining each other to be Enemies. [Page] I might mention also the Earthquake, which was the Means of the Apostles Deliverance out of Prison, and a Testimony from GOD to their Innocence and Divine Mission. Acts 16.25, 26. At Midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the Prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great Earthquake, so that the foundations of the Prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed, &c. Thus sometimes the Earthquake is in Token of the Divine Favour to GOD'S People.

BUT usually it is a Visitation in Displeasure: a Sign of Wrath gone out from the Lord. Hence it is made the Subject of a Divine Threatning. As you may see, if you consult the Texts in the Margin †.— And hence the dreadful Effects of Earthquakes are declared in Scripture the Tokens of GOD'S Wrath. Isa. 5.24, 25. Because they have cast away the Law of the Lord of Hosts, therefore the Anger of the Lord is kindled against his People; and He hath stretched forth his Hand and smitten them; and the Hills did tremble, and their Carcasses were torn in the midst of the Streets. This might be the Earthquake that Zechary speaks of, in the days of Uzziah King of Judah ‖. Which tho' the Scriptures give no particular Account of; yet 'tis probable it was a very awful and destructive one. Hence this Prophet says, Ye shall flee like as ye fled from before the Earthquake in the Days of Uzziah. Amos dates his Prophecy two Years before the Earthquake, which in all probability was the same: And he said, ‘The Lord will roar from Zion; the Habitations of the Shepherds shall mourn, and the Top of Carmel shall wither. Hear ye, saith the Lord; In the day that I shall visit the Transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also visit the Altars of Bethel, and I will smite the Winter-house with the Summer-house, and the Houses of Ivory shall perish. I saw the Lord standing upon the Altar, and He said, Smite [Page] the Lintel of the Door, that the Posts may shake, &c.’ This was the Threatning and Burden of the Lord by the Prophet Amos. Now Isaiah & Zechariah, who were younger Prophets, may hint to us the woful Accomplishment of it in the forequoted Passages ‖.

IT is a surprizing Account we have of the Execution done among the Israelites in the Wilderness by an Earthquake. Numb. 16.31, 32, 33. And it came to pass as he had made an end of speaking these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the Earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their Houses, and all the[Page]Men that appertained unto Korah, and all their Goods. They and all that appertained unto them; went down alive into the Pit, and the Earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the Congregation. Awful Instances there have since been of the like Destruction. The Earth has cleav'd and swallow'd Men up, and closed it's Bars upon them *.

SOMETIMES Earthquakes have shook down Men's Houses over them, and bury'd Multitudes of Persons in the Ruins **.

SOMETIMES the Earth has open'd, and spued forth vast Quantities of Sand or Ashes, in which many Houses have been overwhelm'd. ***

SOMETIMES there have been Eruptions of Fire, like melted Glass, or burning Brimstone: which [Page] has spread its Flames abroad, and devour'd all before it. ****

[Page]SOMETIMES the Earth has sunk down, and been overwhelmed with a Flood of Water. The Mountains have as it were been carry'd into the midst of the Sea, and the mighty Waters have filled the Valleys. Houses and Inhabitants have gone down together, and been cover'd with the prevailing Inundation. Whole Cities, yea Countries have been laid under an universal Devastation by this Means. The Scriptures inform us, That this intire Globe was once drown'd with a Flood, when there was probably (if ever) an universal Earthquake, and all the old World were destroy'd; save eight Souls preserv'd by a Miracle in Noah's Ark. But after the Earth's Recovery, it pleased GOD to make a Covenant, that He would never again let the Waters return to destroy all Flesh. Yet he has singled out some particular Countries, and made them Instances of the like destructive Vengeance. Sodom and the adjacent Towns for nigh fourscore Miles were destroy'd in one day by Thunder & Earthquake, by Storm and the Flame of devouring Fire; and it became one mighty sulphurous Lake: to which perhaps the Scriptures allude, when they speak of impenitent Sinners being cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. O what Innumerable Multitudes perish'd in that dreadful Overthrow!— And other Parts of the World since have experienced the same terrible Effects of Earthquakes **†{inverted †}.

[Page]IN a word, Sometimes Earthquakes have occasion'd great Sicknesses, and pestilential Distempers, by spreading abroad those poisonous Vapours which infect the Air, and by innumerable Accidents, which often fall out at such Times. {inverted †}*.

[Page]THUS I have enumerated some of the principal Effects of Earthquakes. And now they must needs appear to us very terrible Judgments, being so fatal many times, and so extensive in their injurious Influences. Surely these, if any Events at all, are manifest Indications of GOD'S holy Displeasure. In the Case of the Israelites that perish'd in the Gainsaying of Kore, the Earthquake was expresly declared to be the Vengeance of GOD upon them. By this all Israel shou'd know that those Men had provoked the Lord, (Numb. 16.30.)

I shall only add here, That Earthquakes may be Tokens of Divine Anger, when yet no Execution is done, no Injury receiv'd. It is not to be doubted but that was so, which attended the Crucifixion of our blessed LORD. The Scripture-Story informs us not of any Death or Damage occasion'd by it to any Person among all the Multitude that surrounded the Cross of CHRIST. ‘Some Ecclesiastical Writers indeed say, That Earthquake destroyed several Towns in other Lands ‖, but none in the Land of Judea. Nevertheless it came as a Sign of Divine Anger kindled against the Jews, for their crucifying the Son of GOD; and it presag'd the Destruction hastening upon Jerusalem.’ The Earth trembled, and the Rocks rent, at the accursed Fact, to proclaim the Indignation of GOD. The Mountains quaked, because He was wroth, and He threw [Page] down the Rocks in his Anger. He as it were smote his Hands at the wicked Deed, and rent his Garments at the detestable Blasphemies that accompanied it. He exhibited Himself in the most lively Emblems of Horror & Displeasure. The Sun hid it's head, and the Heavens put on Mourning: the Earth also was horribly afraid, and the very Stones cry'd out, as being burst with Anguish, and flaming with Indignation.

IT is the current Opinion of Expositors, that King David personated the Messiah in several of his Psalms: And some learned Men think he spake prophetically in Psal. 18. Particularly in Ver. 6, 7. where he says, In my Distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of his Temple, and my Cry came before Him, even into his Ears. Then the Earth shook & trembled; the Foundations also of the Hills moved, and were shaken, because He was wroth. It seems to be a prophetical Passage, pointing at the terrible Earthquakes that attended the Death & Resurrection of CHRIST; and may comprehend the many Earthquakes that happen'd afterwards, by which GOD poured out his Vengeance upon the wicked Jews for murdering the Messiah. Tho' in the Verses read, the Earthquake attending the Crucifixion of CHRIST, it's probable, may be more particularly refer'd to: and if you compare the History with the Prophecy, you will find an admirable Harmony.

HAD our Saviour died a natural Death, we might have expected such a Miracle wou'd accompany the Fall of so great a Person ‡: and there might have been nothing of the Wrath of GOD expressed in it. [Page] But yet seeing they were wicked Hands by which JESUS CHRIST was crucified and slain, we must needs conclude, their Sin procured this terrible Appearance, as a Display of the Anger of GOD at their Wickedness, by which the Earth was so defiled under it's Inhabitants, as it never was before. 'Twas a wonder the Earth did not instantly open and swallow them up. But GOD in his infinite Patience only warn'd and threaten'd them, without any present Execution. Yet we may well think Fury came up into his Face, when his Beloved SON was thus despis'd and rejected of Men: His Lips were full of Indignation, and he made his glorious Voice to be heard; tho' as yet He shewed not the lighting down of his holy Arm to destroy.

THIS then may serve to interpret to us the Language of Providence in the late awful Dispensation among our selves, and may convince us that GOD hath been in his Anger marching through our Land, crying to the City & Country, Alas for all the Abominations of the House of Israel! By which they are crucifying to themselves the Son of GOD afresh, and putting Him to an open Shame!

WHEN we heard the Lord of Hosts roring out of the Deep, ††, and felt Him shaking the Earth and our Habitations upon it; was the Lord displeased with the Sea? Was his Anger against the Land? Was his Wrath against our Houses, when they saw Him, and trembled? No, but against the guilty Inhabitants. We may take up the Psalmist's words, Psal. 60.1, 2. O God! Thou hast been displeased: Thou hast made the Earth to tremble. He not only overturns the Mountains in his Anger, and kindles [Page] a Fire, or brings an Inundation, in his Wrath: But when there is merely a great Noise & Trembling, without any desolating Effects, even such an Earthquake is usually the Visitation of an angry Providence, and carries in it a loud Reproof of the Sins of a Land. It is a Sign 'tis a Land laden with Iniquity. Its Transgressions are heavy upon it; a Burden too heavy to bear. Therefore it groans, it quakes & reels, and is ready to sink under the oppressive Weight. Places have trembled often, before they fell. Repeated smaller Earthquakes have gone before to warn the Inhabitants; but these being disregarded, more calamitous ones have in time come upon them, wherein GOD has poured out his Fury like Fire; and it has overwhelmed them as a Flood {inverted †}.

HENCE then how severely are they to be reprov'd, who are nothing affected with the awful Dispensation this Land is under!— We can scarce believe what is reported; That some are so harden'd as to treat this Providence with no serious Regard at all, but rather make light of it, and laugh at the superstitious Weakness of Those who entertain it with any thing of Surprize, and a trembling posture of Spirit.— O amazing Stupidity! The very heathen Soldiers and Crucifiers of our Lord, shall rise up in Judgment with these pretended Christians, and shall condemn them: for They, when they saw the Earthquake, and the terrible Appearances that accompany'd the Death of CHRIST, are said to fear greatly, and to glorify GOD. [Page] Yet these Christians are not afraid! O their Stupidity! 'Tis worse than heathenish, even brutish, yea worse than brutish: for the very Beasts tremble at an Earthquake ‖. But these Men (if they may be allow'd the Name, who have so shamefully forfeited it) are insensible, as if they had transform'd themselves into very Stocks or Images. Give Ear, O Heavens! Hear, O Earth! And be astonish'd, yea be horribly afraid. And let these sottish Creatures hear, and be ashamed. Go to the Brutes, ye fearless Wretches, and learn of them to fear GOD. Hear now this, O foolish People, which have Eyes and see not, which have Ears, and hear not. Fear ye not me, saith the LORD! Will ye not tremble at my Presence; who have placed the Sand for the Bound of the Sea, and tho' the Waves thereof toss and rore, yet they cannot prevail!— Receive ye the Pagan Mariners Reproof to stupid Jonah; What meanest thou, O Sleeper! Arise, call upon thy GOD, if so be GOD will think upon us, that we perish not.

SHALL a Trumpet be blown in the City, and the People not be afraid? Shall there be Evil in a City, and the Lord hath not done it? Seek the Lord, lest He break out like Fire; and there be none to quench it. Boast not thy self of to morrow: for thou knowest not what a Day may bring forth. Be ye not Mockers, lest your Bands be made strong! My Son, Despise not the Chastening of the Lord. It will be the Madness of Folly in you, not to regard the Operations of the Lord. Whoso is wise will observe these Things. The Man of Wisdom will see his Name, and tremble at his Rod.

[Page]SURELY they act a reasonable Part, who are fearing greatly because of the Earthquake. 'Tis but a just Comportment with the Voice & Call of Providence. The Dispensation in it's own Nature has a powerful Tendency to work on the Minds of Men by way of Conviction and Terror, and to beget a trembling frame of Spirit, from the apprehension of an invisible Almighty Hand shaking the Earth. And it is what GOD expects, that we tremble at his Presence, and fear his Wrath at such a time. He says now unto New-England, "Surely thou wilt fear Me; Thou wilt receive Instruction: So thy Dwellings shall not be cut off.

HENCE we may look upon it as a Token for Good, that such extraordinary Impressions are made upon the Hearts of many by this awakening Dispensation. For by the Terrors of the Lord Men are often persuaded and prepared to turn unto GOD, and believe on the Name of JESUS. The Evangelists tell us, That all the People which came to see the Crucifixion of our Lord, when they saw the Earthquake, and the awful Things that came to pass, smote on their Breasts and returned — sorrowful and in a very pensive frame, deploring the wicked Fact, which had been committed, and trembling for fear of the dreadful Judgments they cou'd not but apprehend were coming upon them. Thus their Hearts were in a manner soften'd, and made susceptible of the Impressions of sanctifying Grace. It's thought the Convictions they now were under, prov'd happy Preparatives to the good Work which was afterwards wro't upon them, when several Thousands together were converted by Peter's Preaching.— So in the Case of the Jaylor, (Act. 16.26, &c.) the sudden and terrible Earthquake which open'd the Prison-Doors, and set loose his Prisoners, was the Occasion of his Awakning and Repentance.

AMONG ourselves, it is a hopeful Symptom of the Spirit's co-operating with Divine Providence▪ that we hear so many, in great fear & concern for their Souls, [Page] crying out with the Jaylor, What must I do to be saved? Hitherto the awful Dispensation we are under, seems to have been in Mercy unto Many, to bring them to Repentance *. It's like Absalom's firing the Field, to bring Joab to him.

IT affords a happy Opportunity for Persons in Places of Authority and Influence, to endeavor a Reformation of Manners, and the Revival of dying Religion.

O that Heads of Families may be excited to walk in their Houses with greater Exemplariness, & Circumspection, and to counsel, instruct, reprove and warn their Children and Servants! Now GOD hath been terribly shaking our Houses, and has preserv'd them from falling into Ruins, let us every one take up David's pious Resolutions, Psal. 101. I will Sing of Mercy & Judgment: unto Thee, O Lord, will I sing. I will behave my self wisely in a perfect way. I will walk within my House with a perfect Heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.— He that walketh in a perfect way, shall serve me: But he that worketh Deceit shall not dwell in my House. He resolv'd to set an Example in his House of Family-Order and Worship. Let us go and do likewise. O that from henceforth there may no more be any prayerless, irreligious and disorderly Houses among us: lest GOD shou'd be provoked to come forth in his Wrath, and pour out his Fury upon the Families that call not upon his Name!— O that Heads of Families may be excited to look to the ways of their Household, and command all under their Charge to [Page] worship, fear and serve GOD: lest the Lord swear in his Anger concerning our Houses, as in the Case of Eli, 1 Sam. 3.13. I will judge his House for ever, for the Iniquity, which he knoweth; because his Sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

AND O that our Civil RULERS may be awaken'd by the late awful Dispensation, to a greater Application, Activity & Zeal in the performance of their respective Trusts: to stand up for GOD, against the workers of Iniquity; and set themselves to be a Terror, not to good Works but the evil! As the LORD has arisen, and lifted up his Arm, to take hold on Vengeance: So let our Magistrates be Imitators of GOD, in taking Hold on Judgment, and not bear the Sword in vain. Trim your Lamps, to search out all punishable Iniquity: and whet the Weapons of Justice, not only to brandish them over the heads of Sinners, but to execute Wrath upon him that doth Evil, without partiality or connivence. You are GOD'S Ministers, and he requires you to be attending continually upon this very thing. Let none content themselves with the Honour of being in Authority; but let all make Conscience of discharging the Duties of their Post, to preserve Peace and Order, and promote Virtue in the midst of us. We beseech you, Sirs, in the Name of CHRIST, that in the first place you will every one labour to set the brightest Example of all Morality and Religion, (and blessed be GOD, we have at this day so many worthy Examples in the Magistracy) that you may drive away Iniquity with the Rebukes of your grave Countenances, and in your unblemish'd Lives speak Conviction and Terror to bold Transgressors. O let there never be Reason for Complaints, that any of those who make the Laws, or that are solemnly Sworn to maintain them, do themselves put a slight upon them in any Instance, and so expose their Authority to the Contempt of others. Particularly as your faithful Monitor this Day I will take Leave to exhort and intreat, that those in places of Power and Rule will carefully [Page] avoid all Tavern-Clubs, or unnecessary Resort to Public Houses; as you wou'd not have Fellowship with the unfruitful Works of Darkness: and even as you wou'd pay a just Regard to the good Laws of the Province; which as they exclude Town-Dwellers the Tavern after nine o' Clock in the Night, and forbid them to sit drinking idly there at any time; so they likewise do forbid all (except Travellers and Persons upon Business or some extraordinary Occasions) even to continue there above the space of one Hour: and whosoever continues there above the Space of one Hour (other than as aforesaid) is liable to a Fine, or to be set in the Stocks †.— Now then, my Fathers and Brethren, after our own Laws have thus put such Discountenance and Disgrace upon all unnecessary frequenting public Houses, will any in the Magistracy, claim as a Privilege, the Indulgence of being there One Hour, upon any pretence whatever! Let it not be!

BUT then as you are to be Examples of all Virtue and good Order, so you ought to employ all the Powers of your respective Offices to promote the same in all Places where you come: and being your selves Patterns, you may do this with the better grace and advantage.

O let us beseech you, Sirs, to stir up your selves and call upon one another to bear Testimony against Vice and Immorality, in a faithful, zealous, and resolute Attendence to the Law, in all it's important branches. By the wisdom of the Legislature, we have a Body of Laws excellently calculated to the publick Weal: Let it not be complained that they are not put in Execution.

MAY the Terror of the Earthquake immediately awaken all in places of Power, from an affecting view of the great Necessity of a Reformation, to labour the Subduing of the many provoking Evils, which make the Land tremble!

[Page]MUST it not be said to thee, O Boston! to thee O New-England! as the Prophet said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ezek. 16.49. Behold, this was the Iniquity of thy Sister Sodom: Pride, Fulness of Bread, and Abundance of Idleness was in her and in her Daughters. And can there be nothing done to correct the Extravagance of the Times, to reform the Idle and Dissolute! Surely the Judgments of GOD call this People to lay aside their vain Ornaments, to retrench the Superfluities of their voluptuous Tables, and to awake out of that criminal Sloth & indolent trifling way of spending their precious Time, which Multitudes are guilty of.

IS it not said, Wo to the City that is filthy and polluted!— Now are there not abominable Fornicacations and Adulteries committed in this Land? And might not more be done for the Restraint of this growing Wickedness!

IS it not said, Wo to the oppressing City! And is there not much of Oppression, Extortion, and unrighteous Dealing practised among us? May it not be complain'd, All the foundations of the Earth are out of Course! And is it not the Language of Providence, How ye down Trees, and cast a Mount against Jerusalem: This is a City to be visited; She is wholly Oppression in the midst of her! GOD seems to be smiting his Hands at our dishonest Gain. May not the Earthquake, which came as a Thief in the Night, put us in mind of the Cousenage and clandestine Villanies (as well as the secret Impurities) which are practised by so many!

AND when we have felt the Earth tremble, and our Houses reel to & fro like a drunken Man (as the Prophet gives us the elegant, but reprochful Comparison) shou'd it not mind us of the wicked Intemperance, which threatens (among other foolish and hurtful Lusts) to drown us in Perdition, unless there be some speedy and very powerful Stand made!

[Page]Furthermore, Is not Truth fallen in our Streets; and the Spirit of Falsehood reigning, to a scandalous degree among us? What Promise-breaking, Back-biting, Lying and Slandering, do Multitudes live in the practice of; who give their Mouths to Evil, and their Tongues frame Deceit!— Is there not also much of profane Swearing and Cursing; by reason of which the Land mourneth! How do Multitudes among us in the most impious and barefac'd manner rend and tear the sacred Name of GOD! The Earth surely might well rore at this: and 'tis a wonder it was not rent; that it did not open it's mouth, and swallow up the profane Wretches; bury them alive in some dark Recess, and so put their lying and swearing Lips to Silence.

Again, IF we reflect on the particular Season, when GOD visited us with the Earthquake, may we not see his Finger pointed at the great and growing Iniquity of Sabbath-breaking! O how is the Lord's Day polluted by Multitudes! Are there not many, who very frequently, if not habitually, do neglect the public Worship? Are there not many who prostitute the Day (or part of it) to worldly Business or vain Recreations! How general a Custom is it, for Men to continue exercising their Trades, or pursuing their Diversions, till late in the Evening before the Sabbath, and to spend the Evening after in Idleness and Vanity: by which means our blessed LORD, the Lord of the Sabbath, is defrauded of a valuable Portion of holy Time, and the good Ends of sacred Ordinances and Duties very much defeated! Well then may the Earth tremble, and the Heavens at this be astonish'd.— There are good and wholesome Laws providing sutable Remedies in these Cases: But how little are they regarded, and what a Coldness in many to have them put in Execution!

Moreover Is there all due Care taken to encourage and support the Ministry of the Gospel in this Land, in some Towns especially?— If GOD'S Altar be starv'd, and there be a Robbing of GOD in Tithes [Page] and Offerings; has He not said, I will even send a Curse upon you! — Now if our Rulers perceive that the Portion of the Levites hath not been given them, have they not as much Power, as Nehemiah of old, and are they not equally concern'd & oblig'd to apply some effectual Remedy? — Neh. 13.11. Then I contended with the Rulers, and said, Why is the House of God forsaken? "Why are the Levites starv'd out of it? Why did you not take Care, and prevent this? It is requir'd of Christian Magistrates, that they use their Power to oblige Ministers to do their Duty, and People to do theirs. And when they don't do what they can to encourage and support the Worship of GOD, they will have a great deal to answer for. *

IN a word, Is there not a deplorable Neglect of Family-Order among us? How little is there of Religion and Government in many Houses? And does not the late terrible Shaking of our Houses admonish us of our Family-Disorders and Neglects?— Shou'd not our Rulers then exert themselves for the Reformation of these things! Might not some further publick Laws be enacted for that End; to oblige Parents and Masters to keep better Hours and better Orders in their Houses; and to restrain Children and Servants from many vile Practices!— Are there not some Houses among us, that are mere Nurseries of Lewdness and Debauchery, or Receptacles of Thefts and Robberies, or full of scandalous Strifes and Brawlings? And might not more Pains be taken to subdue and reform such disorderly vicious Families!

THUS I have mention'd some of those Sins, which make the Times perillous, and expose the Land to shaking Dispensations. O that by the awful Hand of GOD stretched out, our Rulers may be excited to lay these things more to Heart; and not only as Christians, to sigh and cry in secret places for all [Page] these Abominations, but also as publick Ministers of Justice, to be open and swift Witnesses against them, both by Word and Deed! May our Magistrates put on Zeal, with Phinehas, and contend like Nehemiah, in this day of Degeneracy, that they may turn away Wrath from the Congregation!

AND O that the Ministers of the Word may be quickened, directed, and assisted of GOD, to improve their Opportunity! It seems to be a happy Season for the Ministry of the Word. After Men have been so terrify'd by Earthquake and great Noise, what more likely to melt and charm their Souls, than the still small Voice of the preached Gospel? The Lord make us wise to win Souls; give us the tongue of the Learned, that we may know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: and make us faithful, that we may cry aloud in the ears of Sinners, and spare not; warning every Man, and reproving with all long-suffering! The Lord pour out his Spirit upon us, that we may give ourselves wholly to these things, and unto Prayer!

AND O that the People of GOD in our several Churches may be rouzed and quicken'd to the Duties of Self-Examination, Humiliation and Prayer, Ecclesiastical Discipline, Brotherly Watch and Admonition, Peace and Union!

LET the Churches inquire into their State and Circumstances; examine how they observe the Feasts and Sabbaths of the Lord; whether they keep the Ordinances, as they have been delivered to them, and the Faith as it was once delivered to the Saints?— May not the Earthquake admonish us of the Spirit of Giddiness and Wavering, that is to be found in Multitudes of Professors! May we not speak of them in the Language of the Prophet, They are drunken, but not with Wine; They stagger, but not with strong Drink! — O look to your selves, that ye lose not those things which ye have gained. Be watchful, and strengthen the Things which remain, that are ready to die. So stand fast in the LORD, my [Page] dearly Beloved. Remember, O New-England, how thou hast received and heard; and hold fast & repent.

REMEMBER from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first Works: Or else, saith the Lord, I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy Candlestick out of it's place, except thou repent. Let us fall down upon our Faces in penitent Humiliations before GOD for all our Errors and Miscarriages, for all our Impenitency, Unbelief, Ingratitude and unfruitfulness under the Gospel; and let us besiege the Throne of Grace with our ardent Cries, that GOD wou'd pardon all our Iniquities, and turn away from us the fierce Anger, which we have seen such awful Tokens and Prognosticks of.— And let the Churches study a Reformation of all that is amiss among them. Purge out the old Leaven, that you may be a new Lump. Keep the Feast, not with the Leven of Hypocrisy, or the Leven of Malice, Hatred and Variance: for which things the Wrath of GOD cometh down upon a Land. Neither let any go in the way of Korah, with a spirit of murmuring and gainsaying; lest the Earth open it's mouth for them also, while they are muttering Perverseness against Moses & Aaron the Lord's Servants.— But keep the Feast with the unleavened Bread of Sincerity & Truth. And let such as neglect the Table of the Lord, speedily prepare and come. Let a Man examin himself; and so let him eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup. Let us judge our selves for our faulty Neglects, and our unworthy Receivings. If we would judge our selves, we should not be judged.

IN fine, May all the People of the Land lay to heart the terrible Visitation we are under! The surprising Earthquake and subterraneal Thunder was GOD'S Voice crying to the Town and Country. O let us hear attentively the Noise of his Voice, and listen to the Sound that goeth out of his Mouth. The Lord hath spoken in his Holiness: O hear ye the shaken Rod, and who hath appointed it. Hear ye now what the Lord saith: hear, O ye Mountains, the Lord's Controversy, and give Ear, ye little Hills! for the [Page] Lord hath a Controversy with his People, and He will plead with Israel.

SEARCH out the Lessons writ upon the present Dispensation: and be instructed, O Jerusalem, saith the Lord, lest my Soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a Land not inhabited.

WE shou'd learn how great & terrible a GOD we have to do with; and therefore make Him our Fear and our Dread.— We shou'd learn our absolute Need of an Interest in CHRIST; out of whom GOD is a consuming Fire: To Him therefore we shou'd fly for Refuge, and plead his Sacrifice as the Atonement for the Congregation.— We shou'd learn our intire Dependence upon Divine Providence for Preservation and all outward Comforts; and adore Him as the GOD of our Life.— We shou'd learn the Instability & Vanity of the World; how foolish it is to set our Affections on Things here below, and what an uncertain Foundation they stand upon, who build their Confidence on the Earth, and place their Happiness in it's Entertainments.—We should learn what a mutable World we live in, and how happy they that are got beyond the Reach of the Accidents of Time, and settled in a Kingdom which cannot be mov'd. — Moreover, We are admonish'd of a Day of Judgment coming, when our glorious Lord will arise to shake terribly the Earth; will rise up suddenly, and by his immediate Hand dissolve the whole Frame of Nature. And seeing we look for such things, we should give Diligence to make our Calling and Election sure, that if that Day of the Lord shou'd hasten and come upon us suddenly, we may nevertheless have Boldness and not be affrighted at the Noise of a dissolving World.

IN a word, We shou'd learn the Evil of SIN, which brings down Divine Judgments on the Earth, and throws Nature into the terrible Convulsions and Disorders we behold. — We shou'd inquire, What meaneth the Heat of this Anger? We shou'd study the Grounds of GOD'S Contention with us: and endeavor that all provoking Evils may be put away from the midst of us. We shou'd judge ourselves for our Sins [Page] as the moral procuring Causes of the Earthquake, and be found repenting in Dust & Ashes.—We shou'd consider how unworthy we are of the Earth for our Habitation, and admire the Riches of Divine Patience and Clemency in yet reprieving us from Death and Hell. Are we not as Brands pluck'd out of the Fire!

O let us realise the sparing Mercy and preventing Goodness, mix'd with the awful Dispensation we are passing under. If GOD had pleas'd, He could have by his Earthquake shook down our Houses, and bury'd Multitudes in the Ruins. He cou'd have caused the Earth to burst open, in many Chasms, and swallow Men up alive. He cou'd have kindled a Flame in his Anger, and pour'd out fatal Streams of liquid Fire to consume us: or have made the Earth sink under our feet, and drown'd us all in one moment under a desolating Flood of mighty Waters: as He overthrew Sodom, and as He destroy'd the Cities & Villages of Sicily, Jamaica, and other parts of the World. —But He has only appointed over us Terror, without Consumption: Blessed be his Name! — As great as the Miseries we were expos'd to so great is our Deliverance. Sing, O ye Heavens, for the Lord hath spared his Inheritance: Shout, ye lower parts of the Earth: Break forth into Singing, ye Mountains, O Forrest, and every Tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.

IN former days this Land has felt the gentle Shocks of Earthquakes, one after another. GOD has visited us once and again; but in Tenderness, remembring Mercy in the midst of Wrath. The Language of his Providence is that, How shall I give thee up! How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboim; which the Lord overthrew in his Anger and in his Wrath?— O let us consider the great Deliverance we have receiv'd, and never forget the Hazards we have passed thorow. GOD hath shewn us the Riches of his Patience & Compassion, together with his Power and Majesty. He hath shown us what He cou'd do, and hinted to us what we deserve. O that by the Terrors of the Lord we may be persuaded: [Page] and by his Goodness led to Repentance! Let us attend to the Voice of his monitory Rod: that his Long-suffering may be Salvation to us. As our Psalmist exhorts, O come let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the People of his Pasture & the Sheep of his Hand: To Day if ye will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts.

O that Such as are secure may be awaken'd; and that such as are under Convictions may be brought to a true Repentance! GOD has come, not to slay us, but only to affright us, and call our Sins to Remembrance. Let us reflect on the Motions and Thoughts of heart within us, when we were alarm'd by the Noise and Terror of the late melancholy Night. Did not Conscience rouze up, and begin to do it's Office, in accusing and condemning! O let us cherish the Impressions, retain the Thoughts of those distressing Hours, and improve the same to a thorow Repentance and Reformation. Beware that you don't relapse into Security: Quench not the Spirit. Satan and his Instruments will be busy to cancel any good Impressions begun upon you: but resist the Devil, forsake all vain Company, and fly the Inticements of an evil World. Strive to enter in at the strait Gate. Diligently attend the Means of Grace. Watch & pray, that ye enter not into Temptation. And exhort one another daily, lest any Man be hardned thro' the Deceitfulness of Sin. Often recollect the Vows, which your Lips uttered, in that tremendous Season, when your Soul was in Distress: and fail not to perform your Vows.

AMEND now your Doings, saith the Lord: and trust not in lying Words. Be not deceived: GOD is not mocked. Beware of Hypocrisy. It is a melancholy Account we have, Psal. 78.34, 36. When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned, and enquired early after God. Nevertheless, they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. And tho' we do the like, GOD may (as in their Case) yet have Compassion, and not stir up all his Wrath, speedily to make an utter End [Page] of us. But verily his Patience will not last always. Abused Patience will sooner or later turn into implacable Fury.— Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord, He is GOD in Heaven above, and upon the Earth beneath: with whom is terrible Majesty. The Earth shook & trembled; the Hills also moved & were shaken, because He was wroth. He hath lifted up his Voice, and spoken to us from the invisible Caverns below, in the most awful Accents of holy Displeasure. Hear this, ye old Men, and give Ear, all ye Inhabitants of the Land: Hath this been in your days or even in the days of your Fathers? Tell ye your Children of it, and let your Children tell their Children, and their Children another Generation: that they may fear GOD, and not forget the Works of the Lord, but keep his Commandments, that it may be well with them.

THEREFORE also now, saith the Lord, Turn ye even to ME with all your Heart, and with Fasting, and with Weeping, and with Mourning; and rent your Heart, and not your Garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious & merciful. Who knoweth if He will return, and repent Him of the Evil! Only acknowlege thine Iniquity, that thou hast transgressed, O backsliding Israel! So I will not cause mine Anger to fall upon you, saith the Lord. Circumcise therefore your Heart to the Lord, and be no more stiffnecked. O let us hear his Voice to Day, while it is called to day, and turn at his Reproof. — That's the Call of GOD; Repent and turn, lest I come quickly, and smite the Earth with a Curse, that shall devour the Inhabitants. O let us make Haste to put far away all Iniquity from our Tabernacles, that our Houses may be safe from Fear. Let us immediately labour to get Sin purged out of our Hearts and Lives, and let us cry mightily to GOD, that Salvation may be nigh to us, and Glory dwell in our Land. It is Time to seek the LORD, till He come and rain Righteousness upon us. It is high time to awake out of Sleep. Awake unto Righteousness, and sin not.— So shall we in the most effectual way flee from the Earthquake, and obtain [Page] Lengthning out of our Tranquillity. But if by these things we will not be reformed; if we will not hear, and if we will not lay it to Heart, to give Glory to GOD, we have Reason to fear He will punish us yet seven times more, as He did his People Israel of old

THEREFORE our Text warns us in those terms; To day if ye will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts, as in the Provocation, and the day of Temptation in the Wilderness: when your Fathers tempted me; unto whom I sware in my Wrath, that they should not enter into my Rest.—Agreably the Apostle observes, 1 Cor. 10.5, 6. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. So the Prophet, Jer. 7.12. But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it, for the wickedness of my people Israel. In like manner it may be said, Go to Antioch; Go to Smyrna, and to Laodicea, and to Sardis; and see what an incensed GOD has done to them for all their Wickedness. And let us fear the like Doom. Places they were once famous for the Christian Profession, but growing degenerate were finally destroy'd by terrible Earthquakes. O let not New-England be highminded, but fear: be zealous, and repent. To come nearer home, I might say, Go to Lima, in the Southern Part of America ‖; or go to Jamaica, to Antego, [Page] and other Islands in the Northern Part *: and consider the Works of the Lord, how terrible He has sometimes been in his Dealings with impenitent Christians. And what Plea now has Boston; what Plea has New-England to make for an Exemption, if we go on still in our Trespasses! GOD has once and again put into our Hands a Cup of Trembling: and we may expect He will make us to drink deep of his Vengeance, if we continue impenitent; even deeper than other places, in proportion to the Guilt & Demerit of our most aggravated Sins. GOD may cause the Calamity to rise up a second time, and then give it a Commission to destroy; except we repent. Verily there is no Contending with GOD, as Job speaks, [Page] Job 9.4, 5, 6. To day then if ye will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts; lest there come upon us sudden Destruction without Remedy.

BUT if utter Desolation hasten not upon the Land, by literal Earthquakes, and other the like Judgments; yet have we not Reason to fear sad Revolutions, Church-quakes & State-quakes, that shall swallow up all our dearest Privileges! Have we not felt repeated Shocks already, that have made the very Foundations tremble under us, and threatned a terrible Dissolution! Are there not many that hate our Zion, who cease not crying, Rase it, Rase it to the very foundations! And is not the Number of New-England's best Friends lessning every day! How is the ancient Stock of pious praying Christians, and faithful, active, zealous Servants of the Publick dying off apace? [Among others I wou'd here mention two late Instances, one in the Magistracy, and the other in the Ministry; the Honourable Col. John Otis, of his Majesty's Council, and the Rev. Mr. Samuel Danforth, Pastor of the Church in Taunton, who having in their various Stations faithfully serv'd their Generation, are now fallen asleep in JESUS.] And of those rising up, how few are there possessed with with the first Spirit of New-England! Are we not daily degenerating from the Principles and Zeal of our primitive Times! Is not Apostasy growing upon our Churches in regard of Faith, Worship, Discipline and Conversation! Are there not those Sins abounding among us, which might justly provoke GOD to take away his Kingdom from us, to tear in pieces our happy CHARTER, and visit us with Persecution & Oppression! And does not a Spirit of Contention & Perverseness, the Love of the World, and licentious Customs, threaten to ruin us, in our best Interests, by a natural and powerful Efficacy!

O let these Reflections awaken all that love Jerusalem, to tremble for the Ark of GOD, and to plead for the City of our Solemnities. Hear the Exhortation, with which I now conclude, Isa. 62.6, 7. —Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence; And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the Earth.

FINIS.

Notes

*

It was on the Night after the Lord's Day (Octob. 29.) a little more than half an hour past Ten, that the first and great Shake was felt: — when the Heavens were most serene, the Atmosphere in a perfect Calm, and there had been no generally observed Presages of any such Event.

Some say, Before they were sensible of the Shock, they saw Flashes of Light glance by their Windows, and others observ'd their Dogs give a sudden bark, as when affrighted. But before any cou'd look about them, to know the meaning of these things, they heard first a gentle Murmur, like a small ruffling Wind, and then a more noisy Rumbling, as of Thunder at some Distance: which seem'd to approach nigher, and grew louder, till it roared terribly; and then we felt our Houses totter and reel, with the tremulous Motion and Heaving of the Earth, as if they wou'd tumble down into Ruins.

It's tho't the greatest Earthquake this Country ever knew. Had the first Concussion lasted a few Minutes longer, or been repeated often with equal Force, it's probable much Damage had been done: But by the Mercy of GOD, the Violence was soon over (I believe it scarce exceeded a Minute & half) and they were but feebler Shakings, that follow'd, the same Night; or that have in some Places since been perceived: For several Towns to the Northward have, for some Weeks now, been scarce a Day free from the rumbling Noise, & fainter Shocks.

As to the Extent of the Earthquake, it's beyond what has been common. We are already inform'd, it reach'd Five Hundred Miles. And the Time of the first Shock seems to have been in all parts with little or no observable Variation — So that the inflamed Damp, or subterraneous Fermentation, which was the Principle of this great Earthquake, must needs be emphatically in the deep Places of the Earth; and there appears a marvellous Hand of the ALMIGHTY in it.

↵

*

Psal. 102 35 & 104.5. Isa. 51.13. Jer. 51 15.

↵

†

Isa 44 24. Isa. 48 12, 13. Job 38 4,-7.

↵

†

Deut. 16.17. 1 Cor. 16.2

↵

*

Psal. 104.24.—119.90, 91.—74.16.17.

↵

†

Psal 33.8.

↵

*

Psal. 147.15.

↵

‖

In Boston, July 19. this surprising Accident happen'd. The Well had not been open'd for many Years before: and in going down to examin it, the Master & Servant successively were both smother'd; by some mineral Exhalation, or other suffocating Vapour, they were immers'd in. And a Third essaying to follow them, with a Rope lash'd about him, had not descended two Yards before he felt his Breath expiring: but being instantly drawn up, he soon recovered.— Surely every Man at his best Estate is Vanity. LORD, make me to know how frail I am!

↵

*

One and another had their Buildings hurt, and their Beasts kill'd. And some Persons were struck, but I think none given over to Death.

↵

†

This Storm was on Sept. 16. "By it great Damage was done to our Wharves & Shipping; as also to the Fruits of the Earth, and to many Buildings. Great Numbers of Trees were torn up by the roots, and several Chimneys blown down. A Kitchen-Chimney falling, beat in the Roof; kill'd a Child, and very much wounded several.— The Storm lasted till Midnight: And it was very awful the next Morning to see the Desolations that were made in the Earth. Yet the Prospect was brighten'd by a very fair Rainbow in the Heavens; a Sign of the Covenant of GOD, that the Waters shou'd no more become a Flood to destroy all Flesh.

↵

*

Psal. 136.6.

↵

‖

Deut. 4 35, 36. & Exod 9 29

↵

‡

Ezek. 38.19— 23

↵

*

1 Kin. 19.11.

↵

‖

Josh. 6.20.

↵

†

1 Sam. 14.15, 16.

↵

†

Isa. 13.13. So Chap. 24.17, &c. Amos 1.2.

↵

‖

Zech. 14 5.

↵

‖

Josephus, the celebrated Jewish Historian, informs us of some awful Circumstances of this Earthquake in the Days of Uzziah. It happen'd upon Occasion of the King's going into the Temple to burn Incense upon the Golden Altar. Azariah and the Priests oppos'd him, saying, It appertaineth not to thee, Uzziah, but to the Priests. This kindled the King's Wrath, and he bid them be quiet upon the Peril of their Lives. Immediately on this Menace there follow'd a terrible Earthquake, which rent the Roof the Temple; and tore down great part of a Mountain at some small distance from the Town, which rolling along choak'd up the high-ways, and cover'd the King's Gardens all over with Rubbish. [L' Estrange's Josephus, p. 570.] Very probably it was then GOD smote the Winter-house and Summer-house, and the Bodies of Men were torn to pieces in the midst of the Streets, while they fled from the falling Mountain. — So we are told, in the Earthquake in Sicily, (which happen'd in the Year 1693,) Great Rocks were thrown down from the Mountains every where, and great Numbers of People perish'd in the Houses, which were beaten down by them in their way, as they rolled along. And in the terrible Earthquake at Jamaica, which is fresh in the Memory of many among us, we are told, The Mountains were so thrown in Heaps, as to destroy the Roads; and one of them splitting, and falling down into level Land, drove all the Trees before it, intirely ruin'd a Plantation, and bury'd the Inhabitants. — Lowthorp's Philosoph Transact. Vol. 2. p. 407, .413.

↵

*

In the Jamaica-Earthquake, it's reported, That in many places the Ground wou'd crack, and open & shut quick and fast Of these small Openings, several Report, they have seen 2 or 3 hundred at a time; in some whereof many People were swallow'd up: Some the Earth caught by the middle, and squeez'd to Death: others had their Heads only appearing above-ground, many of which the Dogs made their Food. — Lowthorp p. 415. Doolittle of Earthq. p. 50.

↵

**

Josephus speaks of a terrible Earthquake in Judea, in the Reign of Herod (but a few Years before the Birth of Christ) which shook the whole Land in a more grievous manner than had been ever before known, and destroy'd about Thirty Thousand of the Inhabitants in the Ruins of the Houses, which it overthrew.— Prideaux Connect. Part II. p. 577.

↵

***

In the Lucrine Lake near the City of Puteoli, in Italy, (Anno 1538.) there was an astonishing Eruption of a new Mountain; which with a hideous roaring Noise vomited such Store of Earth and Cinders, as overwhelmed all the Buildings thereabout, smother'd many Cattle, and did a great deal of Mischief.— Gen. Hist. of Earthq. p. 59.

Some Idea of that terrible Eruption we may form, by those which we have seen in the late Earthquake among our selves. At Newbury, in 5 or 6 Places, were small Openings of the Earth, at which have been thrown up considerable Heaps of Cinereous Matter (upwards of an Hundred Cart-loads) by the force of the subterraneal Ferment.

↵

****

In the late dreadful Earthquake at Palermo, we are told, Great Desolations were made by firy Torrents, which broke out with great Fury. Many Buildings took Fire, and were consum'd; besides innumerable others that were thrown down by the violent Shocks of the Earth, and reduced to Heaps of Rubbish. Many Hundreds of the Inhabitants perished in the Ruins.— And other parts of Sicily, have frequently felt amazing Effects of these firy Eruptions. Many fruitful Villages have been destroy'd, and populous Cities laid in the Dust. In particular Catania, one of the most ancient and magnificent Cities of the whole Kingdom, was entirely demolish'd and lost in an Earthquake; that there hardly remains any Footsteps of it to be seen. A vast Destruction there was of the numerous Inhabitants. In the Ruines were heard nothing but Cries, Shrieks, and dying Groans. Eighteen or Twenty Thousand are said to have perish'd in that amazing Tragedy; which happen'd in the Year 1693. And in other parts of the Island a vast Number more. [Lowthorp, Vol II. p 402 Dr. I. Mather, of Earthquakes, p 26]— So the Country round about the City of Naples in Italy has sustain'd great Damages by frequent Eruptions. About the Year 1631. there was a dreadful Eruption, when Floods of Fire ran in astonishing Streams from the burning Mountain into the Sea, many Villages were destroy'd, and above Thirty Thousand Persons, with an infinite number of Cattle, perished. — [Mill Geograph. p 248.] — One reports, the Mountain burnt so violently, that by the best of his Observation, it cast up the Rocks three Miles into the Air.— Lowth II. p 400.

↵

**†{inverted †}

A few Miles from Naples is Puteoli, once the most famous Port in all that Coast, and the delightful Retreat of the Roman Emperors, but now an inconsiderable Place: Earthquakes & Insults of the Sea having almost reduced it to Nothing. When the Sea is turbulent, it throws out several Marks of the Magnificence of the ancient City, among which are oftentimes very precious Stones, Agats, Amethysts, &c. [Atlas Geogr. Vol. II. pag 1595.] The Country about it has been miserably torn in pieces by Earthquakes. The Sea has overwhelm'd a Multitude of Palaces; which may be seen at the bottom of the Water in a calm Day. — Hudson's Travels, p. 16 [...]

In the terrible Earthquake at Jamaica, some Parts of the Island sunk as Lead into the mighty Waters, which in a minute or two drown'd several hundred Families. The Streets rose up in Waves, like the Sea, and immediately dropt down into Pits: Then Floods of Water broke in. Many of the Houses were swallow'd up in an Instant: Multitudes of Corpses were presently seen floating on the Water over the Tops of Buildings. A large high Mountain was quite swallow'd up; and where it stood, there's a Lake of 4 or 5 Leagues over, &c. —[Atlas Geograph Vol. V. pag 561.]— Mr. Gordon observes of Jamaica, That Hurricanes & Earthquakes (so frequent in the Caribees) are seldom heard of there. And he makes this religious Reflection; "Whereupon we may justly impute that terrible Earthquake (Anno 1692.) rather to a Moral than a Natural Cause, viz the many and horrid Abominations abounding amongst the Inhabitants, which did loudly call for Judgments from Heaven. Geograph Gram p. 393.

↵

{inverted †}*

A very great Mortality follow'd the Earthquake at Jamaica. Vast Numbers that escaped that, soon after died of a malignant Fever; from Change of Air▪ Want of dry Houses, of warm Lodgings, proper Medicines, and other Conveniences: They died miserably in Heaps. Indeed there was a general Sickness (supposed to proceed from the hurtful Vapours belched out at the many Openings of the Earth, which filled the Air with ill Stenches, and made the Sky, that was clear & blue, now appear dull and reddish, like a red-hot Oven) all over the Island; so general, that few escap'd being Sick. And it's thought it swept away Three Thousand Lives, Lowthorp, p. 411, 419] After our late Earthquake, I have been inform'd, the Atmosphere was observ'd in one of our Towns to appear in an universal Flame, without any Thunder or Lightning, which might be the Effect of some extraordinary Steams out of the Earth. Tho' I hear not of any prevailing Sickness upon it.

↵

‖

Near the City of Naples, some few Years ago, they dug up a great Piece of Marble, with several Figures & Letters engraven round it: which all Antiquaries agree is the Pedestal of a Statue erected to Tiberius, by the fourteen Cities of Asia, which were flung down (according to the Opinion of many Learned Men) by the Earthquake that happen'd at our Saviour's Crucifixion. They have found in the Letters which are still legible, the Names of the several Cities, and discover in each Figure something particular to the City, of which it represents the Genius.— Addis. Trav.

↵

‡

History informs us, that Dionysius the Areopagite, in Aegypt, seeing the Eclipse which then happen'd (and perhaps feeling the mighty Earthquake) cried out with a loud Voice, "Either the World is dissolving, or the GOD of Nature suffering.

↵

††

In some of our Towns, it is said, Once after they had felt a shock of the Earthquake, they saw the Sea rise in furious Billows, and heard so hideous and uncommon a Roar of the mighty Waves, as made them afraid of a sudden Destruction.

↵

{inverted †}

Jerusalem is an Instance, which was visited with Earthquake and great Noise once and again without any considerable Desolations: but they repented not, until at the last a Destruction to the uttermost came, which was partly accomplish'd by terrible Earthquakes▪ as the Jewish Historian informs us. Jamaica is another Instance. They had Warning by a smaller Earthquake (like those we have seen) 4 or 5 Years before that great Shock, which threw down all their Houses, and sunk so much of the Island.

↵

‖

We are told, In the time of the great Shock of our Earthquake, Some who were then abroad, observ'd that the Brute Creatures ran roaring about the Fields in the greatest Fright and Agony.

↵

*

In many Towns and Congregations considerable Numbers have been awakened; so that ill Customs are broken off in a great measure: Family-Worship set up in prayerless Houses: the Table of the Lord more desired, and throng'd. Great Additions have been made to one Church and another. The Lord grant they may be of such as shall be Saved!— Now we live, if they stand fast in the Lord.

↵

†

Law-Book, Chap. 8.

↵

*

Henry in loc.

↵

‖

The Spaniards have met with terrible Blows in this City once and again by Earthquakes. Particularly in the Year 1687, it was totally overthrown; the Houses were thrown down, and above a Thousand of the Inhabitants perish'd in the Ruins, or were drown'd in the Sea, which breaking over it's Banks overflow'd the Sea-port Towns round about; carry'd Ships three Leagues up within Land, and made great Havock every where. Vast Numbers of Cattel were drown'd, and Multitudes of People in one Town and another, besides what perish'd in the City. It's said, Five Thousand Corpses were taken up at one place, after the retiring of the Waters: And doubtless many were carry'd out to Sea. Atl. Geogr. for America, p. 230. And Gen. Hist. of Earthq. p. 135.

↵

*

About the Year 1690, happen'd an Earthquake, which affected almost all the Leeward Islands, and was very terrible at Antego, Nevis, St. Christophers and Montserrat. At Antego, it threw down many of their Houses, Sugar-works, and Wind-mills. One then wrote to his Correspondent here. That the Earth was seen to heave & roll like the Waves of the Sea, that Rocks were thrown from the Mountains, Houses shattered, and some Points of Land swallow'd up. [Dr. I. Mather, of Earthq. p. 27.] — At Nevis, it made great Desolations. It ruin'd most of Charlestown. The Ground open'd in the Streets, and a hot stinking Water spouted out of the Earth to a great height. The Earth in many places broke open and swallow'd some Thousands of great Trees, that were never more seen. At St. Christophers, the Earth open'd nine foot wide in many places, bury'd solid Timber, Sugar-Mills, &c. And threw down the Jesuits College, and all the other Stone-Buildings — This Earthquake broke off part of another Island, and threw it into the Sea, with a Noise like a Cannon, and sent up a mighty Cloud of Dust into the Air — Atl Geo. p. 514, 516, 517, 524.] It was also at Barbadoes; but did no Hurt there.— And we are now inform'd, That the late Earthquake which shook New-England, was at Barbadoes, on the Day before, about Noon; which is nigh two Thousand Miles from Boston. The Shake much as it was here in some Places: Their Houses were in a great Convulsion; and the Streets rose and fell like the Waves of the Ocean; so that they were afraid of the Earth's sinking, and all ran down to the Wharves, to get into Boats & Ships for Security.

↵

§

§

[Page]

[Page]

Mr. Foxcroft's SERMON Before the GENERAL COURT After the EARTHQUAKE.

§

§

[Page]

THE Voice of the LORD, FROM The Deep Places of the EARTH.

A SERMON Preach'd on the Thursday-LECTURE in BOSTON, in the Audience of the GENERAL COURT, at the opening of the Sessions, Nov. 23. 1727. Three Weeks after the EARTHQUAKE.

By Thomas Foxcroft.

Amos iii. 8.

The Lion hath rored: who will not Fear? The Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but Prophesy?

BOSTON in NEW-ENGLAND: Printed for S. GERRISH, at the lower end of Cornhill. MDCCXXVII.

In the House of Representatives, Nov. 23. 1727.

[Page]

ORdered, That Mr. Thomas Cushing, Mr. Samuel Welles and Mr. John Foster wait on the Rev. Mr. Thomas Foxcroft, with the Thanks of the House for his Sermon Preached before them at the Publick Lecture this Day, and desire a Copy of the same for the Press.

Wm. Dudley, Speaker.

Information about this book

Title statement

The voice of the Lord, from the deep places of the earth. A sermon preach'd on the Thursday-lecture in Boston, in the audience of the General Court, at the opening of the sessions, Nov. 23. 1727. Three weeks after the earthquake. / By Thomas Foxcroft. ; [Three lines from Amos]

Foxcroft, Thomas, 1697-1769.

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI :

Date

2011-05.

ID [DLPS]

N02425

ID [TCP]

N02425

ID [STC]

Evans 2874

ID [NOTIS]

APV6937

ID [IMAGE-SET]

2874

ID [EVANS-CITATION]

99002453

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early American Imprints, 1639-1800 ; no. 2874.

Notes

(Evans-TCP ; no. N02425)

Transcribed from: (Readex Archive of Americana ; Early American Imprints, series I ; image set 2874)

Images scanned from Readex microprint and microform: (Early American imprints. First series ; no. 2874)

Source

— The voice of the Lord, from the deep places of the earth. A sermon preach'd on the Thursday-lecture in Boston, in the audience of the General Court, at the opening of the sessions, Nov. 23. 1727. Three weeks after the earthquake. / By Thomas Foxcroft. ; [Three lines from Amos], Foxcroft, Thomas, 1697-1769., Massachusetts. General Court..

Extent

[4], 52 p. ; 21 cm. (8vo)

Printed for S. Gerrish, at the lower end of Cornhill.,. Boston in New-England: :: MDCCXXVII. [1727]. (Half-title: Mr. Foxcroft's sermon before the General Court after the earthquake.)

Creation

Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford.

Editorial practices

EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.

Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.