a probable argument; especially if we add, that, as these unusual appearances are, in their own nature, fit to be premonitions, so, 3. It seems natural to mankind to view them in that light : and they have universally been looked upon in that light in all ages and countries. As to the Jews, the matter is clear; for Josephus tells us, that their wise men actually put this construction upon those alarming appearances, which preceded the destruction of Jerusalem.* And as they had been accustomed to miracles for the confirmation of their religion, they were even extravagant in their demands of this sort of evidence upon every occasion; as we find in the history of the Evangelists. As to the Gentiles, this was the general sentiment of all ranks among them, not only of the vulgar, but of their poets and philosophers. This I could prove from their best authors: but I can now only select a few testimonies. That accurate naturalist, Pliny, says, "An earthquake is not a simple evil; it is at once a present calamity, and a foretoken of an equal or greater calamity to come." And he gives this instance of it: "The city of Rome (says he) was never yet shaken with an earthquake, but it portended some future event." Cicero, the greatest philosopher, perhaps, as well as the greatest orator, among the Romans, repeatedly speaks of these things as portentous. "The world has been so formed from the beginning," says he, "that certain signs do precede certain events; some in the lightning, some in strange appearances, some in the stars," &c. "How often," says he, in another place," has the senate ordered the prophetic books of the Sybils to be consulted, when two suns or three moons have appeared; when blazing meteors have been seen in the night; when a strange noise has been heard in the air? When the earth in the Priverniam fields sunk to a prodigious depth, and Apulia * This, as I observed, is also evident from the text; where Christ foretels that these disastrous prodigies should actually cast the nations into distress and perplexity; and that men's hearts, at these premonitions, should fail for fear, and for looking after those things which should come upon the earth. † Non simplex malum, aut ip ipso motu tantum periculum est; sed par aut majus ostentum, Nunquam urbs Romana tremuit, ut non futuri eventus alicujus id prænuntium esset. Vide Grotius, in Matt. xxiv. 7. A principio inchoatum esse mundum, ut certis rebus certa signa præcurrerent, &c. De divin. 1. 1. was shaken with most violent earthquakes; which things," says he, were portentous, and foreboded terrible wars and pernicious seditions to the people of Rome."* In another placet he mentions, as striking evidences of a supreme Being, and as omens of some grand futurities, unusual "thunders, hurricanes, storms, snows, hail, devastation, pestilence, the quakings and roarings, and sudden clefts or openings of the earth and rocks blazing meteors in the heavens, and comets; which lately," says he," in the wars of Octavianus, were predictions of dreadful calamities; and a double sun foreboded the extinction of that other sun, Publius Africanus.” To these testimonies I might add those of Tacitus, Suetonius, Plutarch, Homer, Virgil, Horace, and many others of the best authors in the heathen world. But my time will not allow me; and besides, it is needless to descend to particulars; for any one that has the least acquaintance with these authors, cannot but know that they are full of omens, prodigies, prognostics, &c. And they hardly relate any important event, without mentioning some strange thing or other that foreboded it: and this is sufficient to show, that this was the common sentiment of mankind in the heathen world. Indeed, they carried it to an extravagant degree of superstition, and made an omen of almost every thing * Quibus portentis magna populo Romano bella, perniciosæq; seditiones denuntiabantur. Ibid. De Nat. Dear. 1. 2. See also a poem recited by Cicero, de diy. 1. 1. (mihi) p. 258. To this common opinion Milton alludes, when he says, a comet -from its horrid hair To this also the still more sublime psalmist may refer ; "They that dwell in the uttermost parts of the carth, (i. e. the remotest and most barbarous heathen nations) are afraid at thy tokens." (Psalm lxv. 8.) Remote as they are, these illustrious terrors can reach them; and, barbarous as they are, they can understand their portentous language. "Behold, his ensigns sweep the sky! WATTS. they met with. Even the flight of birds, the feeding of chickens, the entrails of beasts, and a thousand such things, were, with them, significant tokens of some important events. But though this shows their superstition, yet it also seems to show that it is natural to mankind to look upon some things as ominous, and that some extraordinary things are really so. From mankind's generally looking for miracles to prove a religion divine, and from imposters pretending to them, we justly infer that God has so formed our nature, that it is natural to us to expect and regard this sort of evidence in this case; and that God does adapt himself to this innate tendency, and has actually wrought true miracles to attest the true religion and we may, with equal reason, infer from the superstitions of mankind, with regard to omens and prodigies, that God has given a natural bent to our minds to look for them; and that in extraordinary periods he really does give such previous signs of future events. The consent of mankind is always counted a strong argument, and therefore ought to have its weight in this case.* We ought to guard against superstition in such things: but we should not * I am much confirmed in my opinion by the following passage in the great Mr. Howe, whom none can justly suspect of superstition or enthusiasm: "It is (says he) not only innocent, but commendable to endeavour the making a due improvement of moral prognostics; the like may be said of such unusual phenomena as fall out within the sphere, but besides the common course of nature; as comets, or whatever else is wont to be reckoned portentous. The total neglect of which things, I conceive, neither agrees with the religious reverence which we owe to the Ruler of the world, nor with common reason and prudence. That they should cause what they are thought to signify, I understand not; nor am I solicitous how they are themselves caused. Let that be as naturally as can be supposed-that hinders not their being signs to us, more than the natural causation of the bow in the clouds; though that being an appropriate sign for a determinate purpose, its signification cannot but be more cerpain and if we should err in supposing them to signify any thing of future events to us all, and that error only lead us into more seriousness, and a more prepared temper of mind for such trouble as may be upon the earth; it will surely be a less dangerous error, than that, on the other hand, would be, if we should err in thinking them to signify nothing; and be thereby made the more supine and secure, and more liable to be surprised by the calamities that shall ensue : besides that, we shall be less excusable in departing from the judgment of all former times and ages, upon no certainty of being more in the right. And why should we think such things should serve us for no other purpose than only to gratify our curiosity, or furnish us with matter of wonder, or invite us to gaze and admirę? extravagantly affect the philosopher, so as to look upon every thing as unmeaning, and a thing of course; and differ from the rest of mankind, without any good reason for it. 4. History informs us, that such unusual commotions and appearances in the natural world, have, with a surprising regularity, generally preceded unusual commotions and revolutions in the moral world, or among the nations of the earth. When an hypothesis is supported by experiments and matters of fact, it ought to be received as true. And this argument will appear decisive, if we find, in fact, that such commotions and revolutions in the world have been uniformly preceded by some prodigies for such an uniformity of such extraordinary periods, cannot be the effect of chance, or of blind natural causes, unadjusted and undirected by an intelligent superior power; but it must be the effect of design, a wise and good design, to alarm the world, and put them into a proper posture to meet these grand Such prodigies seem by the time, manner, and other circumstances of their appearance, to be particularly adapted to be significant and monitory; and we can give no plausible account of their appearing in such periods, in such circumstances, and with so much regularity, but upon this supposition. Occurrences, Now, I could make it abundantly evident from the history of the world, that such strange commotions and phenomena, have been the usual forerunners, and consequently the prognostications and tokens of great changes and revolutions in the kingdoms of the world; and that not only in the age of miracles, and in the country of Judea, which was under an immediate providence, but (which deserves special notice) in all ages, and in all countries, as far as we can receive intelligence. Of this I shall give a few instances: Not to mention the dreadful premonitions of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the preternatural darkness, the tremor of the earth, the renting of the rocks, &c. at the death of Christ ;* the It is not fit, indeed, we should be very particular or confident in our interpretations and expectations upon such occasions; but, I conceive, it is very safe to suppose, that some very considerable thing, either in a way of judgment or mercy, may ensue, according as the cry of persevering wick. edness or of penitential prayer is more or less loud at that time." Howe's works, vol. ii. pp. 129, 130. * Mr. Whiston supposes, that the preternatural darkness of the sun, at that time, was a cometary eclipse; for it could not proceed from the usual assassination of Julius Cæsar, the first Roman emperor, in the senate-house, was an event of the utmost importance, and produced the most terrible consequences to the world. It divided the vast Roman empire into two grand factions, which carried on a most bloody civil war for some years, in which many of the greatest men of Rome, and many thousands of others, lost their lives. Now, almost all authors that write of these times, agree that this event was portended by the most terrible prodigies; such as a preternatural darkness of the sun for a year, tremors and openings of the earth, unusual ferments of the sea, inundations of the Tiber, the river that run by Rome, and the great river Eridanus; unusual thunderings, and eruptions of Mount Etna; quakings of the Alpine mountains, the clash of arms in the air, strange meteors, and lightnings, and blazing comets.* cause, viz, the interposition of the moon, because it was at the full; whereas an eclipse of the sun can never happen, but at the change of the moon. He supposes that the comet which then appeared was not only the natural cause of the eclipse, but also of the uncommon phenomena at that time; related, some of them, by the evangelists, and others in the testament of Levi, and the recognitions of Clement, viz. the rocks renting; the sun looking fiery, and seeming for some time to be extinguished, and to tremble; the tides of the ocean and large seas swelling to an unusual height; commotions in the waters to an uncommon depth and in an uncommon degree: the waters of some lakes running down into the clefts newly opened in the earth, and so dried up. (See Whiston's Six Dissertations, p. 164, &c.) It is easy to see how many of these things have happened in our age. And if they were occasioned by the approach of a comet at that time, it seems to confirm Mr. Wesley's opinion, that the approach of the comet which is to appear in the year 1758, may be the cause of the like strange things now. It very much surprised me to find instances so nearly parallel; and yet Mr. Whis. ton ascribed the former to a comet, though he wrote about twenty years ago, and knew nothing of the similar phenomena of this year, before the approach of a comet. These are the prodigies which Virgil and Horace so beautifully describe : "Sol tibi signa dabit: solem quis dicere falsum Impiaq; æternam timuerunt sæcula noctem. Tempore quanquam illo tellus quoque et æquora ponti, Signa dabant; Quoties Cyclopum effervere in agros |