C 72 ] 
quarter after a eleven o’clock, while I was in the latter 
end of the Litany fervice, we had a very fierce flafh 
of lightning, followed at the difiance of about four 
or five feconds by the loudeft thunder I remem- 
ber ever to have heard ; but which did no damage, 
nor Teemed in the leaft to difiurb any of the congre- 
gation, though at the fame time the roof of the 
church was rifling, and the hail made a noife ter- 
rible to be heard. In half a minute after this, as 
near as I can pofiibly guefs, the whole congregation, 
except five or fix perfons, were at once ftruck out of 
their fenles. I myfelf received the Ihock To luddenly 
as not to remember I either heard the thunder or 
fiw the lightning : the firfi; thing that I can recolledl 
with any degree of certainty is, that I found myfelf 
in the vicarage feat, which is very near the defk, 
without either gown or furplice, bearing in my arms 
as I then thought a dead fifier, and God knows it was 
a miracle that The was not fo; 1 perceived a very 
ftrong fulphureous fmell, almofi; fuffocating, and a 
great heat. At this time the confufion among the 
congregation was inconceivable, Tome running out of 
the church for fafety, and returning into it again 
(for the ftones from the roof were falling on our 
heads, both in and out of the church) ; fome on 
their knees, imploring the divine affifiance, giving 
themfelves up to certain deftrudtion ; and a great 
many, in different places of the church, lying quite 
motionlefs, whom I thought then to be quite dead. 
In the afternoon, my thoughts being a little com- 
pofed (I believe for full two hours I could not be 
laid to be rightly in my fenfes), I walked to the 
church, to fee what damage was done j and fuch a 
fcene 
