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fore ye that glory in your Riches, left perhaps they groan who are in want, and their fighing come up unto God, and ye be shut out with your Goods C without the Gate of the Tower. Thofe C therefore who have exercifed themselves in Abftinence and Alms-Deeds, fhall be wrought into this Tower: i.e. Be living Members of Chrift's Myftical Body, and by confequence fhall efcape thofe Evils and Punishments, which in the End of the following Chapter are foretold, as coming upon thofe who are fhut out. Agreeable to which is that Declaration of our Bleffed Lord, Matth. 25. 35. That in his Judg ment of Men, he chiefly regards thefe Virtues, telling thofe Holy Souls whom he admitted into his Kingdom, that it was for (or becaufe) they had fed him (in his Members) when he was hungry, and given him Drink when he was thirsty, took him in when he was a Stranger, and viftted him in Prifon. Such as thefe shall dwell on high, their place of Defence (in the Day of Evil) fhall be the Munition of Rocks; (even the Rock of Ages, upon whom the whole Spiritual Building is founded, Jefus Chrift himself being the Head-corner Stone ;) Bread fhall be given them, their Waters fhall be fure, Ifa. 33. 16. 33.16.

Other leffer $10. THUS have I endeavoured to give Evils fhall an Account of thofe Three Great Evils, prevail at viz. Of the Sword, Peftilence and Fathat time. mine; which fhall be, as it were, the

great and principal Strokes of that great Deftruction, whereby God will punish the

Apoftate

Apoftate World, when their Iniquities are come to the heighth. Befides which, we may imagine feveral other leffer Manifeftations of Judgment and Terror ever now and then, flashing forth in a dreadful Variety, reprefenting as well as punishing that vaft Variety of Iniquities, in which the Body of Sin difplays it felf, though it be briefly expreffed by that three-fold Divifion, The Luft of the Flesh, the Luft of the Eye, and the Pride of Life. Such may be particularly, First, Strange Appearances in the Heavens, as Comets, &c. expreffed in St. Luke 21. 25. By Signs in the Sun, and in the Moon, and in the Stars. By fearful Sights and great Signs, V. II. 2dly, Earthquakes, foretold alfo by our Bleffed Lord, Matth. 24.7. St. Mark 13. 8. St. Luke 21. 10. These have been lately felt in a dreadful manner in America, and fince that in Italy more than ufual: As alfo in our own Country, which has been all along reputed to be lefs fubject to them than many other Countries, we have had feveral warning Shocks. 3dly, Tempeftuous and Stormy Winds; fuch was that never-tobe-forgotten-one, in 1703, which made

fo

many Widows and Orphans in this Nation; and which, like a Befom of Destru&tion, swept through the Length of Europe, from the Shoars of the Atlantick Ocean, to the North of Mofcovy. 4thly, Innundations; fuch was (not to mention those occafioned by the aforefaid Tempeft) that dismal one which lately happened in Italy, in the Venetian Territories, which over

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flowed

flowed vaft Tracts of Land, and a very great Number of People and Cattle, 5thly, Fiery Eruptions out of the Bowels of the Earth; fuch have been very lately in the Canary-Ilands, breaking out in different Places, where many of the Inhabitants perished, either by the Flames or by the Terror. So fays the Apochryphal Author of the Second Book of Efdras, Chap. 15. fpeaking of the Deftruction of Myftiçal Babylon, v. 38. There shall come great Storms from the South, and the North, and another part from the Weft, and strong Winds Shall arife from the Eaft, &c. Fire, and Hail, and flying Swords, and many Waters, that all Fields may be full, and all Rivers with the abundance of great Waters. And they shall break down the Cities and Walls, Mountains and Hills, Trees of the Wood, and Grafs of the Meadows, and their Corn, 6thly, Terrible Thunders and Lightnings; fuch as we have often experienced in moft dreadful and fatal Inftances; of which one Phænomenon in particular, our Modern Mechanical Philofophers have put us off with very trifling Accounts, the moft probable of which would be easily confounded, only by asking two or three Queftions. But Job, who may be prefumed to have known as much of the Philofophy of Nature as any of them, calls it (p) the angry Voice of God, Chap. 37. 2. Which, though our English Tranflation reads (the Noife of his Voice) fo making the Word (1) fignifie no more than Sonitus or Commotio, as fome

render

render it; yet LXXII render it by (O) Wrath or Anger, as they have alfo in Chap. 3. v. 26. Chap. 14. v. 1. Chap. 39. v. 24. and Habb. 3. v. 1. fo calling it the Voice of his Anger; and he fays it was fo terrible to him, (though we may fuppofe him to be too good and too wife a Man to be frighted at Trifles) that his Heart trembled at it, and was moved out of its place. Lastly, Fires in divers Places, which fhall devour Towns and Cities, and all the other Inftruments of Vengeance, which God has referved in his fecret Treasures against the time of Trouble, against the Day of War, and Battle, and Destruction of the Ungodly. By all these various Tokens of his Indignation, is our Good God at this Day alarming and awakening the impenitent World, and warning them to flee from the Wrath to come; which is now ready to be poured out to the full in the Heighth of the Antichristian Kingdom, when that Man of Sin fhall be revealed, who is the Perfection of the Apoftacy, the Top-Fruit of the Myftery of Iniquity, whofe coming will be after the Energy of the Devil, with all Power, and Signs, and lying Wonders, and with all deceivableness of Unrighteousness, in (or among) them that perish; or (as the Word muμévis rather fignifies) that are already loft or reprobate, i. e. whofe Measure of Iniquity is full, because they would not receive the Love of the Truth that they might be faved, 2 Theff. 2.10. I fhall conclude this with thefe remarkable Words of Hippolitus, pag. 10. (Edit,

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Par

Par. per Morellium, 1561.) De confum. Mundi & de Antichrifto, &c. These Things have we told you before, that ye may know C the Trouble and Affliction that fhall come in the laft Days, and the Envy, 'Hatred and Strife, that fhall be at that time rife among Mankind; the neglect C of the Clergy towards their Flocks, and the Contempt of the People to their Paftors: The Children fhall lay Hands C on their Parents; the Wife fhall deliver up the Husband to Death, and the HufC band the Wife. Mafters fhall be cruel to their Servants, and Servants fhall be difobedient to their Mafters: None fhall reverence the grey Heirs of the Ancient, or pity the Beauty of Youth; Churches fhall be as Common Houfes, and in many places fhall be deftroyed: The Scriptures fhall be defpifed, and Prophane Songs fhall be fung up and down: Out of those who call themselves Chriftians, fhall arife falfe ? Prophets and falfe Apoftles, Deceivers, Corrupters, Evil-Doers, Lyers, Adulterers, Unclean, Greedy, Covetous, FalfeC Swearers, Slanderers. The Shepherds fhall be as Wolves; the Priests fhall C embrace a Lie Those who have dediC cated themselves to God (Mova vox meritò fufpecta) fhall covet the Things of this World. The Rich fhall be unmerciful to the Poor; Great Men fhall caft off all Compaffion; Magiftrates shall be unjuft, and for Bribes fhall pervert the Truth. The Elements alfo fhall be con

founded,