Of the Chaos

been on purpose to prevent such a mistake.

Whether this separation of the Land andWater, and gathering the waters togetherinto one place, were done by the immediateapplication and agency of God’s AlmiglityPower, or by the intervention and instru-mentality ot second Causes, I cannot deter-mine. It might possibly be effected by thefame Causes that Earthquakes are, viz. sub-terraneous Fires and Flatuses. We fee whatincredible effects the Accension of Gunpow-der hath : it rends Rocks, and blows up themost ponderous and solid Walls, Towers andEdifices, lo that its force is almost irresisti-ble. Why then might not such a propor-tionable quantity of such Materials set onfire together raise up the Mountains them-selves, how great and ponderous soever theybe, yea the whole Superficies of the dry Land(lor it must all be elevated ) above the Wa-ters ? And truly to me the Psalmist seems tointimate this Cause, Psalm 104.7. For afterhe had said, The waters flood above the moun •tains ; he adds, At thy rebuke they fled , atthe voice of thy thunder they hasted away »Now we know that an Earthquake is but asubterraneous Thunder, and then immedi-ately follows, The mountains ascends the val-leys dejeend , 6tc. If there might be a highHill railed up near the City Trœzen , out of