Page:The Philosophy of Earthquakes, Natural and Religious.djvu/97

Rh, by what we call nature. And nature alone, ſays he, ſuffices for all things, to animals: ſhe knows herſelf, and what is neceſſary for them. We muſt extend this thought to the inanimate world. And can we deny then, that he here means a conſcious and intelligent nature, that preſides over, and directs all things, moves the ethereal ſpirit or fire, that moves all things: a divine neceſſity, but a voluntary agent, who gives the commanding nod, to what we commonly call nature; the chief inſtrument in the moſt important operations of the vaſt machine, as well as in the ordinary ones, particularly the human one: adminiſtring the whole œconomy (as he ſays) without noiſe, unſeen, unfelt. And this leads us,

14ly, Laſtly, in regard to the ſpiritual uſe we ought to make of theſe extraordinary phœnomena, or of our inquiries about them, I ſhall firſt obſerve, that we find abroad, ſeveral of theſe earthquakes this year have been very fatal. In the laſt we read of, at Philippopoli in Thrace, the whole city was deſtroyed, above 4000 inhabitants killed. At home, where about half a ſcore ſeparate concuſſions have been felt, there has not been one houſe thrown down, one life loſt. This ought to inſpire us with a very ſerious reflection about them; nor is it altogether unworthy of our remark, that they began with us in London, in february laſt: and after viſiting the circle of the globe, at preſent, end with us. 2dly,