about the End of August, the fubterraneous Fires, which at firft made a terrible rumbling, burst out at last with such violent Noifes, as if fix or feven Pieces of great Cannon were difcharged at the fame time, and made continually new Rents and Open ings, through which fometimes a great Quantity of Afhes, and fometimes fo vaft a number of little glowing Stones, were caft up into the Air, that they made adittle Inland near that of Santorini, where they frequently fell down, making it appear as if it were all on Fire: Befides that, there were frequently feen huge burning pieces of Rocks toffed into the Air like Bombs and Carcaffes, with fuch a Force, that they were carried feven Miles before they dropt into the Sea. The rest of thefe terrible Circumftances may be read in the abovemention'd Placer most youotes monal oni bas!I -om i to oldi.ud vino di bue ei snod. A gris bus SECT. XIX. Fire in the Air, and an Experiment.

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Now if we pass from the Fire of the Earth to that of the Air; mult not even the most obftinate Atheist acknowledge, that this Element is likewife full thereof; in Cafe he ever faw the fame difturbed sand put into Combuftion by Thunder and Lightning, and the dreadful Effects thereof? Butt fuppofing it to be in the midfe of fine and calm Weather, and a bright Sun-fhine, yet even there could he not reflect, without trembling, upon the great Quantity of Fire wherewith he is furrounded, i efpecially, if ever he had an Opportunity to obr ferve the Effects of great Burning-Glaffes, which by only collecting the Beams of the Sun into a Place fo much smaller, as the Focus is fmaller than the Superficies of any fuch Burning-Glafs) can kindlea Fire of fo terrible a Heat, that in a few Minutes it will do that which our greatest Fires are not able to do in Hours, Days, yea, Months and VOL. II. Years

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Years; of which more largely in another place. But to fhew here, that the Air, even warmed with a Kitchen Fire, acquires a fufficient) Quantity of the Heat thereof to do harm, one need only také a polished Silver or Pewter Spoon and puts the Cavity of it againftathe Fingers, and hold it faft with the Thumb, infuch a manner that the Handle offit may ftick out about half way above the Fore fingers Nows if you hold the back of your Hands and the Concave part of the Spoon against the Fire, fo that the Appearance,lor Image of the Fird collected therein, throws a bright and enlighten'd Spot upon the Forefinger, you will finds that the Fire which is inthe Air, being tes Bected from the Cavity of the Spoon upon the Fin+ ger will.buradhe fame intolerably, even whilft the Hand fuffers no Inconveniency from the Fire itfelf and the Air about it, and is only fenfible of a moderate Heat. i na hup riA gift me G.XIX But to be entirely convinced of the great Quantity of Fire in the whole Univerfe; Let any Body viewi with Attention the Sun and the Stars, which do not only fhew themselves tous thro' Tele fcopes, but even to our naked Eye ai and let him confider, what a vast quantity of Light descends! from them to us, which is either plain. Fire itfelf or at least brings along with it the moft fubtil Fire imaginables: And then ask fuch a one, whether he be noto convinced of the Probability of what we have faid, and particularly of this, that the Hea vans dikewisendog Contain Fires, the Number of which exceeds all Conception, go hidrovic) 55:19 & otai nu2 od: lo amisů eru gaidollo yinə adfasds in ism ai 22ca ais 19sal cả elboid mo (also gone out yns to astomed 18 253uriM wol & ni sd soldier of SECT. -zon es fessura noordw 38d1 ou Me A • bas et UM 1997 oya mo ni ob usica

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Now to come to a Conclufion of all thefe Matters, let a Man ferioufly confider with himself all that has been juft now related concerning to

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in the Bowels of the Earth, or thofe of the Air and Heavens, and let him tell us, fince the Property of Fire is fuch, that when once put into Motion, it will kindle every thing that is capable of being burnt or inflamed, and wholly destroy the fame, whether it does not appear a greater Wonder to every one that argues rightly, that the Earth, with all about it, is ftill fubfifting, than that it has not long fince been entirely devoured and confumed by fo many Fires as are in and round about it. Certainly, if the Volcanos, or burning Moun tains, that are to be found in all Corners of the World, had a Communication with each other by fubterraneous Rivers of Fire (as many think may be proved by Hiftory and Experiments) it is hardly conceivable, that it could have continued in Being to this very Day.

And confequently, that which the Chriftians confefs, and St. Peter maintains in his Second Epiftle ch. iij. v. 7, 10, 12 does not deferve to be fo much cavill'd at and derided, as is done by fome Atheifts, namely, That the Heavens and the Earth which are now, by the fame Word are kept in Store, referved un to Fire against the Day of Judgment and Perdition of ungodly Men in the which the Heavens fhall pass away with a great Noife, and the Elements fhall melt with fervent Heat; the Earth alfo, and the Works that are therein, fhall be burnt up. He repeats the fame in the 12th Verfe: Looking for and hafting to The coming of the Day of God, wherein the Heavens being on Fike, fhall be diffolved, and the Elements fhall VOL. II. Pp 2

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melt with fervent Heat. Since Nature, and the dreadful number of fo many terrible Fires that are found almost every where, in the Heavens, in the Air, in the Body of the Earth, and almoft in every thing that it produces (as has been fhewn before) ought to make every one believe, that the Deftruction of all things by Fire, has long been at the Door; and that it is a certain Miracle, that the World has not fooner felt the Effects thereof.

SEGT. XXI. Convictions from reftraining the Power Lof Fire. à, no sma

Bur after all this, add yet fomething more, by which a Divine and Over-ruling Power is as fenfible, as if it were felt by the Hand: Can any one imagine, that it is by mere Chance, and without Wildom, that fo terrible a Creature, which by one fingle Spark can be put into Action, and into the most violent Motion, is bridled and curbed from doing Evil, and moreover compelled to be beneficial to Mankind in innumerable Manners, and infinitè Occafions; and that there is no Direction neceffary thereto, to prevent the fame from putting the whole Globe into a Conflagration, as it fometimes does feveral Parts thereof? Can we here difcover no Goodness nor Wisdom of a Great, Mighty and Gracious Ruler, fince by his Power only, this raging Matter is, as it were, imprison'd in Pitch, Oil, Brimftone, and whatever elfe is a Proper Food for it; and that he does not fuffer it to break out to the entire Deftruction of all Things: That befides this, he does deliver to Mankind the

Keys of thefe Prifons, which can at any time fet

free this tamed and chained Prifoner, and fet it at full Liberty, only by rubbing one piece of Wood against another, by ftriking Steel upon a little Stone, by putting a very fmall quantity of Fire

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to other combuftible Matters, and in fhort, after infinite other ways, as often as the Service thereof is neceffary? Again, if the bridling all this Fire is brought about by Chance, how can any one remain without a continual and deadly Fear, left by the fame Chance, which is no more determined to one Object than to another, this imprisoned Fire might thake off its Fetters, and fo produce a moft miferable Destruction, in the most dismal manner, of every thing that ftands in its way?

Let now a Philofopher, who will not admit of this, in order to be convinced, step once into a Magazine of Gun-powder, where a great Quantity of that Matter is laid up: Now if Experience had not taught him before-hand, would he have eafily believed, that in fuch a black and unfightly heap of Grains, fuch an unconceivable and dreadful Quantity of Fire were hid and lock'd up, in which he could neither difcover Light, nor Warmth, nor any fort of Motion? and yet, by the fall of a little Spark of Fire into this feeming unapt Matter, it would be in an inftant of Time turned into a con fuming and deftroying Flame, the Violence of which would rend the Earth, and caufe even remote Houses and Walls to fly up in the Air, and fall down in Heaps of Rubbish; infomuch, that the strongest Towers, nor even Rocks themfelves, how folid foever, would be able to refift the Force' thereof.

And to the End that our Philofopher may not flatter himself with this poor evafive Comfort, that there are but few Magazines of fuch destroy ing Matter, and that but few People have occa fion to come in the way of em, let 'em confult the modern Writers of Natural History; or let him only confider with Attention, the Experiments and Relations of the prefent and paft Years; and then Ton) 90 Rp3n sid. thei Pp