plied to the reign of the Meffiah, to which it belongs; importing, in a moral fenfe, that all obstacles, impeding the establishment of his kingdom, fhall be removed; and that, when the Gofpel fhall have its due influence upon the tempers and manners of men, it will be productive of much improvement in them-that the humble fhall be exalted by it, and the proud debased; the perverfe reduced to a better temper, and the rude and favage civilized. This prophecy is in fubftance repeated by Isaiah himself. I will make waste mountains and hills*, I will make crooked things ftraight, I will make all my mountains away, and my highways fhall be exalted‡. Though thefe predictions, and fome others that fhall be taken notice of hereafter, are * Ifa. xlii. 15. + Ver. 16. Ch. xlix. 11. Dr. Lowth would tranflate this laft place, My causeways shall be exalted; implying a road raised with ftone, in low and marshy grounds. But this cannot be better expreffed, than in the common' term of high way; which fignifies a way raised above the level of the ground every where. 3 principally principally to be understood, in a moral fenfe, of the bleffings of the Gofpel, and the happy effects of Chrift's kingdom, when he fhall reign in the hearts and lives of men, meliorating their tempers, and foftening and refining their manners: Yet it is not impoffible, but that they may have their accomplishment in the literal meaning likewife; how fingular and paradoxical foever this notion may feem to be-That even inanimate nature fhall be meliorated under the reign of the Meffiah-that the outward face of the earth fhall be improved-the mountains gradually lowered; and the vallies raised; and the furface of the earth reduced nearer to a level; and laid out in a more regular and beautiful manner, than it before appeared in. There are fome appearances in nature, that feem to favour this notion; and which have a tendency, a remote one at least, towards this end; and a gradual, however flow, working, towards the accomplishment of the prophecy in this fenfe. Naturalifts Naturalists are generally agreed, that the mountains are lowering, and do fubfide; for which a concurrence of various caufes may be affigned. 1. By the clouds breaking upon them, the rain falling, and mist drizzling down their fides, the foil is washed away; every shower carrying down fome part of it. 2. The springs, working their way through the veins of the earth and clefts of the rocks; and, collecting themselves into brooks and rivers, are constantly bringing down new, acceffion of matter into the vallies; by which they are raised, as the hills are lowered. 3. Large collections of water, contained in the caverns of hills, are known to have fo loosened the foundations of them, as to occafion their falling; of which we shall see feveral instances prefently: And fire generated in their bowels, and difcharging the contents of them in Volcanoes, must neceffarily confume even those mountains which they have raised; and in time cause the finking finking of them, though not instantaneoufly, yet by imperceptible degrees. 4. Large heaps of ftones, and fragments of rocks, are in many places thrown down by ftorms, hurricanes, and earthquakes; and fometimes, without any additional caufe, tumble down by their own weight. Veftiges of this kind may be seen in many places at the bottom of hills; in the Alps, Switzerland, Wales, and other mountainous countries. Inftances of this fort are given us by feveral writers of travels, and natural history. Bishop Burnet informs us, that about 500 years ago, the town of Chavennes in Italy was quite buried by a flice of the Alps, which came down upon it; and occafioned the building of a new town fouth of the former. He acquaints us likewise, that the town of Pleurs, about a league from Chavennes, met with the fame fate, in the year 1618; the mountain having been obferved to cleave, at length fell down, and buried the town, and and all the inhabitants, confifting of about 2200 persons, not one escaping; though forewarned of the deftruction impending over them. Chavennes was twice as large as Pleurs. He farther fays, that the flices from the hills frequently fall down, and extremely fatten the ground which they cover; fo that it becomes fruitful beyond expreffion*, In June 1714, part of the mountain of Diablere in Valais, fell fuddenly, about two or three o'clock in the afternoon, when the fky was very clear: It was of a conical figure. It deftroyed fifty-five cottages; killed fifteen perfons, above a hundred head of cattle; a great number of sheep, and covered with its rubbish a full fquare league. Its duft greatly darkened the air; and the heap of ftones which fell from it was thirty perches, of ten foot each in height; which pounded up the water to that degree, as to * Bishop Burnet's fecond letter from Italy. + This is the figure of those mountains, which Sir WV. Hamilton decides to have been raifed by eruptions" of fire. Obf. on Vefuvius, &c. p. 77. form |