Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	apostle_n	speak_v	word_n	1,386	5	3.9429	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35233	The general history of earthquakes being an account of the most remarkable and tremendous earthquakes that have happened in divers parts of the world, from the creation to this time, as they are recorded by sacred and common authors, and perticularly those lately in Naples, Smyrna, Jamaica and Sicily : with a description of the famous burning mount, Ætna, in that island, and relation of the several dreadful conflagrations and fiery irruptions thereof for many ages : likewise the natural and material causes of earthquakes, with the usual signs and prognosticks of their approach, and the consequents and effects that have followed several of them / by R.B.	R. B., 1632?-1725?	1694 (1694)	Wing C7328; ESTC R40369	98,213	196

these prodigious effects that were produced upon our Saviour's Crucifixion were acknowledged and attested as well by Heathens as Christians At the time of his Death a very great darkness happened in the Day time which continued from six a Clock till nine and yet there was no Ecclipse of the Sun for it was at a Full Mood so that it was Miraculous and contrary to the Order of Nature and only by the immediate Power of God who deprived the Sun of its Light for that space of time And therefore Dyonisius the Arcopagite being that Day in Athens and seeing the Sun so darkned and also knowing as a Man learned in the course of the Heavens that such an Ecclipse must needs be contrary to the Rule of Nature spake with a loud voice saying Either the World is at an end or the God of Nature Suffers We like wise read of another Supernatural Earthquake at the Resurrection of Christ St. Matthew 28. In the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn toward the first day of the Week came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary to see the Sepulchre And behold there was a great Earthquake for the Angel of the Descended from Heaven and came and rolled back the Stone from the Door and sate upon it His countenance was like Lightning and his Raiment white as Snow And for fear of him the Keepers did shake and became as dead men This was in the year of the World 4036. XIV Lastly We read of two Earthquakes in the Acts of the Apostles which can be attributed to no other cause but that of the Power of God for the confirmation of the Gospel and the Resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. The first is in Acts 4.31 And when they had prayed the Earth was shaken where the Apostles were assembled together and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the Word of God with boldness The second is in Acts 17. And at Midnight Paul and Silas Prayed and Sang Praises to God and the Prisoners heard them And suddenly there was a great Earthquake so that the Foundations of the Prison were shaken and immediately all the Doors were opened and every ones Bands were losed And the Keeper of the Prison awaking out of his sleep and seeing the Prison Doors open he drew out his Sword and would have Killed himself supposing that the Prisoners had been fled But Paul cried with a loud voice saying Do thy self no harm for we are all here Then he called for a Light and sprang in and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas And brought them out and said Sirs what must I do to be saved and they said believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved and thy House And they spake unto him the word of the Lord and to all that were in his House And he took them the same hour in the Night and washed their stripes and was baptized he and all his straightway And when he had brought them into his House he set meat before them and rejoiced believing in God with all his House This was in the 55 year after our Saviours Incarnation XV. These are all the Earthquakes that we find mentioned in Holy Scripture to have actually happened but there are others spoken of which may be termed Metaphorical Earthquakes and may signify great Alterations and Commotions in the several States and Kingdoms of the World wherein by the shaking moving removing breaking down and dissolving the Earth we may understand the Inhabitants of the Earth and the punishments that God would inflict upon them for their repeated Sins and Provocations such as these we find Isaiah threatning the Narion of the Jews withal in the 29th Chapter of that Prophecy Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of Hosts with Thunder and with Earthquakes and great noise with Storm and Tempest and the flame of devouring Fire And in Chapter 24. And it shall come to pass that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the Pit and he that cometh out of the midst of the Pit shall be taken in the snare for the Windows from on high are open and the Foundations of the Earth do shake The Earth is is utterly broken down the Earth is clean dissolved the Earth is moved exceedingly The Earth shall real too and fro like a Drunkard and shall be removed like a Cottage and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it and shall fall and not rise again XVI And our blessed Saviour foretelling the destruction of the Temple and what great Earthquakes shall be before it and of the Signs of his coming to Judgment St. Mat. 24. he says And ye shall hear of Wars and Rumours of Wars For Nation shall rise against Nation and Kingdom against Kingdom and there shall be Famines and Pestilences and Earthquakes in divers places and the Sun shall be darkned and the Moon shall not give her Light and the Stars shall fall from Heaven and the Powers of the Heavens shall be shaken And then shall appear the Sign of the Son of Man and he shall send his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather together his Elect from the four Winds from one end of Heaven to the other XVII Such Metaphorical Earthquakes are those thought to be which are Prophesied of in several places of the Revelations as Chapter 6. And I beheld when the Lamb had opened the sixth Seal and lo there was a great Earthquake and the Sun became black as Sack-cloth of Hair and the Moon became as Blood And the Stars of Heaven fell unto the Earth even as the Fig-tree casteth her untimely Figs when she is shaken of a mighty Wind. And the Heaven departed as a Scrowl when it is rolled together and every Mountain and Island were moved out of their places And the Kings of the Earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief Captains and the mighty Men and every Bondman and every Freeman hid themselves in the Dens and in the Rocks of the Mountains And said to the Mountains and Rocks Fall on us and hide us from the Face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the Wrath of the Lamb For the great day of his Wrath is come and who shall be able to stand So in Chapter 8. And the Angel took the Censer and filled it with Fire of the Altar and cast it into the Earth and there were Voices and Thundrings and Lightnings and an Earthquake And again in Chapter 11. And they heard a great Voice from Heaven saying unto the Witnesses Come up hither and they ascended up to Heaven in a Cloud and their Enemies beheld them And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great Voices in Heaven saying The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall Reign forever and ever And the four and twenty Elders which sate before

Heaven being all three extream bright and that which occasioned astonishment in the Spectators and made it really Supernatural was that during the whole time of the appearance of the Rainbows not the least Cloud was visible in any part of the Horizon In July following in one of the Churches of Carania Father Baletti a Person much Reverenced by the Common People lay buried whose Tomb was much adored and daily Prayers and Offerings made at his Shrine It happened that one merning when the Doors of the Church were opened the Image of this Saint which was erected on his Tomb was fallen flat on the ground It was thought at first to be a common accident but being again set up in its place for seven or eight nights together it was found constantly fallen on the ground and at last was sorted to be said flat upon the Tomb where it continned till the ruin of the Church and City together The People were taught to believe that about an hundred twenty years since a Flood of Brimstone and Fire breaking out of Mount Aetna and approaching with great fury and the destruction of all in its passage toward the Gates of Catania the Citizens expecting nothing but immediate Ruin from it this Holy Man by his Prayers and Exorcisms put a stop thereto in the presence of all the People and thereby prevented the approaching desolation Again in February before about Sunset the Counntrey People about Alari a small village within three Miles of Catania verily thought they saw that Village all in Flames which shewed at first but little yet in a quarter of an hour all the Houses seemed on a light Fire which appearance continued about six minutes and then seemed to decay for want of Fuel The People that saw it ran with all speed thither to help to quench it and all along the Road they imagined it increased but being come thither they found all but an Apparition or rather Prognostick of the Calamity that some Months after befel the place LXVIII This terrible Earthquake communicated it self to the Island of Malta on the one side and to Calabria on the other All the account we have of the Desolations in the former is in a Letter dated from thence Jan. 16. 1692. published by Authority They began to perceive it on the ninth and next day they felt five or six shakes and on the 11th about 3 afternoon it was so violent and lasted so long that the Inhabitants believed the whole City would have been instantly destroyed the Bells of the Metropolis of the Island rung the Roof of the Church of our Lady de Pelay was thrown down with part of that of St. Laurence The Church and Colledge of the Jesuits also suffered very much but the Cathedral and the Church of la Gusmane received the greatest damage and are so ruined that they can hardly be repaired The rest of the Churches and most of the Houses are extreamly shattered and deferted by the Inhabitants The Great Master of the Order was then abroad a hunting with a great number of other Persons who were all in danger to have been buried in the Gulph that was made in the midst of a Rock almost under their feet It is reckoned that the losses occasioned by this Earthquake in the Isle of Malta amount to two hundred thousand Crowns The Grand Master having understood what had happened in Sicily and that their principal Cities from whence they had their sustenance were ruined he instantly dispatcht away several Galleys laden with Corn to relieve those wretched People but arriving at the Port of Syracuse there were such mighty Thunders and Lightnings that they could not enter in They went back to Sea and staid for better weather and then made a second attempt but there arose so violent a Wind that they were forced to return for fear of being caft away LXIX The Monthly Mercury gives an account that toward the end of September 1693. Another great Earthquake happened at Catania and the Parts adjoining but the damage that ensued was very small Nevertheless it was observed that during the most violent shakes the top of Mount Aetna was considerably sunk The Duke of Canastra Vicar General who was then about Catanea sent certain Persons to view the Mount who perceived that the top was fallen in above 600 foot within the compass of about 2000 feet and that all the Earth was tumbled down into the gaping Chasm which was about six miles in circumference At the same time all the Fountains of Taurmina and parts adjacent dried up and the Earth opened at the foot of an Hill which is about a mile distant and out of it issued forth five or six Torrents of Sulphurous Waters of different colours These new Accidents have put the trembling Inhabitants of Sicily into fresh Consternations of some impending mischief ready again to overwhelm them LXX I shall conclude these Relations with some natural Reflections of an ingenous Author These two or three years past saith he have been general for Earthquakes they have been felt all over Europe as well as in America Some have been of opinion that the Earth was a great Animal and that the shivering of some Ague Fit was the Cause of his trembling The greatest part of the Heathen Philosophers accused the Stars of these disorders But to speak one word of the Causes of them I say there are two which are Natural the subteraneal Fires and Winds are the first cause The Bowels of the Earth are full of Mines of Coal Sulphur and Salt Petre and when it happens that one Stone falling upon another strikes Fire by Collision those combustible matters being kindled and the Winds blowing up the flame they cause most terrible overturnings of the Earth unless they find Outlets as in Aetna Vesuvius and other Mountains of the same Nature The second natural cause proceeds from the Water that is under the Earth which undermining the Foundations that support the subterraneal Vaults which extend themselves for several Leagues together in divers parts these Vaults deprived of their usual support overpressed by their own weight sink down and all of a sudden impetuously pushing forward the Air and the Water enclosed in the Earth give the upper part such violent and hoistrous jolts as quickly overturn the weaker structures of human Art which must of necessity give way to those more than Gygantick Impetuosities that rend and shatter the more solid frame of Nature it self And of this there is no question to be made considering what so many Authors have written of the vast Regions that are under the Earth they say that there is in the Island of Malta a Hill within the Concavities whereof inhabits a famous Plantation of People that have no other day but what they see through the Clefts of the Rocks this place is called Gaar Kebir or the Great Cavern In the Territory of Viterbo in Tuscany there is a large subterraneal Burrough called Meonia over which there