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he came to pafs fentence on the criminals-That, in the fcripture-accounts in general, his perfonal vifitation of mankind is often, if not always, attended with fome aweful tokens of his presence, efpecially when he vifits in anger-And that earthquakes, and the like terrible appearances, are fet forth in the divine writings as marks of God's anger, and as his fcourges and judgments upon guilty mortals-That they have been looked upon in the fame view, by the wifer heathens-That there are probable grounds in nature, for fuppofing that the mountains were originally all raised by earthquakes That there have been several inftances in fact of mountains and iflands having been fo raised, within knowledge

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That there is no other power in nature adequate to the production of them That the force, with which earthquakes act, hath been on fome occafions exhibited very visibly, and subjected to the examinations of obferving men, who have conveyed

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conveyed defcriptions and accounts of them to pofterity; whence may be judged, how prodigiously great it is, beyond what could otherwise be conceived-That fome very general earthquakes have been felt, that shook many kingdoms-and even whole continents And that therefore an universal earthquake is the more credible And that, fuppofing fuch a one, which would have force fufficient to raise all the mountains of the earth to their prefent height, yet it would be fo far from having any fatal effects, that the bulk of the earth in general would not at all be difturbed or affected by it. Laftly, it hath been fhewn, from the opinions of many modern philofophers, which have been recited, that they feem to be coming into this notion, that the mountains in general were originally raised by earthquakes. And from all the foregoing confiderations, there feems to be a fair prefumption, that they were raised by that, and no other means.

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If this account of the rife and production of the mountains, at the time, and upon the account, that is here fet forth, appears fatisfactory; it furnishes an additional argument for the truth and reality of the fall of man; whence a better estimate may be formed of the effects and confequences of it.

It is not many years, fince the literal fense of the Mofaic account of the fall of man was called into question, and made the fubject of controverfy *. To what was then offered, by many, in its defence, however fufficient and fatisfactory to all reasonable and unprejudiced perfons; we have now an argument, before unthought of- An argument from fact, which appeals to our fenfes; and hath, ever fince the time of the unhappy event which caused it, appealed to the fenfes of all mankind, in all ages, and all parts of the world, to this day; however it

* See the Historical Senfe of the Mofaic Account of the Fall proved and vindicated, 1751.

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hath happened not to have been attended to. If it carries conviction at present, it will make an additional instance, and be a fresh proof, of the growing evidence of revealed religion *.

This is a monument of that great revolution, which, for its antiquity, its permanency, and extent, its grandeur and awefulness, is beyond the poffibility of a parallel in this world, because the whole world is occupied by it.

What therefore are we to think of the cause of this fad catastrophe? What fentiments must we have, and what judgment are we to form, of the malignancy of that evil, which thus convulfed the whole frame of nature, and threw it into all this disorder and confufion? Surely this was no light offence, how light foever fome may think of it, that was pregnant of fo much mifchief, and drew after it a train of fuch dreadful confequences!

* See the Evidence of Christianity deduced from facts, &c. CHAP.

CHA P. V.

OF THE UNIVERSAL DELUGE.

HE phenomenon, which in order of

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time comes next under confideration, is the univerfal deluge: The fcripture-account of it is as follows

That all the fountains of the great deep were broken up; and the windows of heaven were opened: And that the rain was upon the earth forty days, and forty nights, in continuance: Whereby the waters increafed greatly, and prevailed exceedingly upon the earth: To that degree, that all the high bills and mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered; to the height of fifteen cubits upwards, or, above the fummits of them. This Noah might find by found

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