Page:The Philosophy of Earthquakes, Natural and Religious.djvu/50

 46 ''the sea saw it and fled. Jordan was driven back. ''

''The mountains skipped like rams: and the little bills like young sheep. ''

Then he asks the question, ''What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? and thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?''

Ye mountains that ye skipped like rams, and ye little hills like young sheep?

He answers: Tremble thou earth at the presence of the Lord: at the presence of the God of Jacob.

He fails not to attribute these marvellous appearances, to their true cause. Tho' he knew full well, that the God of nature administred the ordinary course of the earth by second causes; yet he could not be so blind but to perceive, when the waves of the ocean retreated; when the waters of Jordan divided; when mount Sinai was all in fire, smoke, lightning and thunder, with the trumpet of God founding, and the whole mountain shaking: he could not but perceive the presence of the author of nature, in these extraordinary appearances.

But every where in sacred scripture earthquakes are particularly singled out, above all other natural phænomena, as having more of the majesty and terrific pomp, to denote an immediate operation of God's hand; to excite our fear, and shew his anger, as in our text,