D. It is his Will, that thou his elded Son, his

Image, his belov'd, fhould be maintained in all the Rights of Sovereignty deriv'd to thee from him j and not be left expos'd to injury and Power ufurp- ed, but fhould do thy felf Juilice on the rebel Race.
Cain. And fo I will > Abel {hall quickly know what 'tis to trample on his elder Brother j lhall know that he's thus fentenc'd by his Father, and I'm commiflion'd but to execute his high Com mand, his Sentence, which is God's, and that he falls by the Hand of Heavenly Juftice.
So now Satan had done his Work, he had de luded the Mother to a Breach againft the firft and only Command, he had drawn Adam to the fame Snare, and now he brings in Cam prompted by his own Rage, and deluded by his, (Satan's,) Craft, to commit Murder, nay a Fratricide, an ag gravated Murther.
Upon this he fends out Cainj while the bloody Rage was in its Ferment, and wickedly at the fame Time bringing Abel^ innocent and fearing no ill, juft in his Way, he fuggefts to his Thoughts fuch Words as thefe.
Look
122 The HIS TORY
Look you Cain^ fee how Divine Juftice con curs with your Father's righteous Sentence, fee there's thy Brother Abel directed by Heaven to fall into thy Hands unarm'd, unguarded, that thou may'ft do thy felf Juftice upon him without Fear > fee thou may'ft kill him, and if thou haft a Mind to conceal it, no Eyes can fee, or will the World ever know it, fo that no Refentment or Revenge upon thee, or thy Pofterity, can be apprehended, but it may be faid fome wild Bead had rent him; nor will any one fuggeft that thou, his Brother, and Superior, could poffibly be the Perfon.
Cain prepared for the Fact, by his former a- vow'd Rage and Refolution of Revenge, was fb much the lefs prepar'd to avoid the Snare thus artfully contriv'd by the Mafter of all Sub- tilty, the Devil > fo he immediately runs upon his Brother ^^/,and after a little unarm'd Refiftance, the innocent poor Man expecting no fuch Mif- chief, was conquer'd and murther'd 5 after which, as is to be fuppofed, the exafperated Crew of Cairis outrageous Race, overrun all his Family and Houfhold, killing Man, Woman and Child.
It is obje&ed here that we have no Authority in Scripture to prove this Part of the Story; but I anfwer, 'tis not likely but that Abel^ as well as Cain* being at Man's Eftatelong before this, had feveral Children by their own Sifters, for they were the only Men in the World who were al- low'd the Marrying their own Sifters, there be ing no other Women then in the World ; and as we never read of any of Abel's Pofterity, 'tis likewife as probable they were all murther'd, as that they fhould kill Abel only, whofe Sons might immediately fall upon Cain for the Blood of their Father, and fo the World have been involv'd in a Civil War as foon as there were two Families in it,
But
of the DEVIL. 123
But be it fo or not, 'tis not doubted the Devil wrought with Cain in the horrid Murther, or he had never done it 5 whether it was directly or by Agents is not material, nor is the Latter unlike ly > and if the Latter, then there is no Improba bility in the Story, for why might not he that made Ufe of the Serpent to tempt Eve^ be as well fuppo- fed to make a Tool of fome of Cain's Sons or Grandfons to prompt him in the wicked Attempt of murthering his Brother ? and why muft we be oblig'd to bring in a Miracle or an Apparition into the Story, to make it probable that the Devil had any Hand in it, when 'twas fo natural to a de generate Race to act in fuch a Manner?
However it was, and by whatever Tool the Devil wrought, 'tis certain that this was the Confe- quence, poor Abel was butcher'd, and thus the Devil made a fecond Conqueft in God's Creation j for Adam was now., as may be faid, really Childlefs, for his two Sons were thus far loft, Abel was kill ed, and Cain was curft and driven out from the Prefence of the Lord, and his Race blafted with him.
It would be a ufeful enquiry here, and worthy our giving an Account of, could we come to a Certainty in it, namely, what was the Mark that God fet upon Cain^ by which he was kept from being fallen upon by Abel's Friends or Relations? but as this does not belong to the Devil's Hiftory, and it was God's Mark, not the Dm'/'s, I have nothing to do with it here.
The Devil had now gain'd his Point, the King dom of Grace, fo newly erected, had been as it were extinct without a new Creation, had not Adam and Eve been alive, and had not Eve^ tho' now 1 30 Years of Age, been a breeding young Lady, for we muft fuppofe the Woman, in that State of Longevity, bare Children till they were feven or
eight
124 The HISTORY
eight hundred Year old : This Teeming of Eve peopled not the World fo much as it reftored the blefled Race> for tho' Abel was kill'd Cain had a numerous Offspring prefently, which had Setb9 (Adam's third Son) never been born, would foon have replenifh'd the World with People, fuch as they were ; the Seed of a Murtherer, curfed of God, branded with a Mark of Infamy, and who afterwards fell all together in the univerfal Ruine of the Race by the Deluge.
But after the Murther of Abel^ Adam had ano ther Son born, namely, Seth^ the Father of Enos9 and indeed the Father of the holy Race * for du ring his Time and his Son Enos9 the Text fays that Men began to call on the Name of the Lord 5 that is to fay, they began to look back upon Cain and his wicked Race, and being convinc'd of the Wickednefs they had committed, and led their whole Pofterity into, they began to fue to Heaven for Pardon of what was paft, and to lead a new fort of Life.
But the Devil had met with too much Succefs in his firft Attempts, not to go on with his ge neral Refolution of debauching the Minds of Men, and bringing them off from God > and therefore as he kept his Hold upon Cain's curfed Race, em- broiPd already in Blood and Murther $ fo he pro ceeded with his degenerate Offspring, till in a Word he brought both the holy Seed and the degenerate Race to joyn in one univerfal Confent of- Crime, and to go on in it with fuch aggra vating Circumflances, as that it repented the Lord that he had made Man, and he rcfolv'd to overwhelm them again with a general Deftruc- tion, and clear the World of them.
The Succeffion of Blood in the royal original / Line of Adam^ is prefcrv'd in the facred Hiflories and brought down as low as Noah and his three
Sons,
of the DEVIL: 125
Sons, for a continu'd feries of I4)*o Years, fay fome, 1640 fay others 5 in which Time Sinfpread it felf fo generally thro' the whole Race, and the Sons of God, fo the Scripture calls the Men of the righteous Seed, the Progeny of Seth, came in unto the Daughters of Men, that is, join'd them- felves to the curs'd Race of Cain, and married promifcuoufly with them, according to their Fan cies, the Women it fecms being beautiful and tempting j andtho' the Devil could not make the Women handfome or ugly in one or other Families, yet he might work up the Guft of wicked Incli nation on either Side, fo as to make both the Men and Women tempting and agreeable to one another, where they ought not to have' been fo * and perhaps, as it is often feen to this Day, the more tempting for being under legal Rcftraint.
It is objected here, that we do not find in the Scripture that the Men and Women of either Race were at that Time forbidden intermarrying with one another 5 and it is true, that literally it is not forbid 5 but if we did not fcarch rather to make doubts than to explain them, we might fup- pofe it was forbidden by fome particular Command at that Time 5 feeing we may reafonably allow every Thing to be forbidden, which they are tax'd with a Crime in committing -y and as the Sons of God taking them Wives as they thought fit to choofe, tho' from among the Daughters of the curfed Race, is there charg'd upon them as a general Depravation, and a great Crime 5 and for which, 'tis faid, GOD even repented that he had made them, we need go no farther to fatisfy our felves that it was certainly forbidden.
Satan no doubt too had a Hand in this Wick-
ednefs 5 for as it was his Bufinefs to prompt Men
to do every Thing which God had prohibited, fo
the Reafon given why the Men of thofe Days
i did
The HISTORY
did this Thing was, they faw the Daughters of Men, that is of the wicked Race or forbidden Sort, were fair ', he tempted them by the Luft of the Eye j in a word, the Ladies were beautiful and agreeable, and the Devil knew how to make life of the Allurement $ the Men liked and took them by the meer Direction of their Fancy and Appetite, without regarding the fiipreme Pro hibition > They took them Wives of all which they chofe^ or fuch as they lik'd to choofe.
But the Text adds, that this promifcuous Ge neration went farther than the meer outward Crime of it, for it fhew'd that the Wickednefs of the Heart of Man was great before God, and that he refented it ; In £hort,God perceived a Dege neracy orDefedk of Virtue had feiz'd upon the whole Race, that there was a general Corruption of Manners, a Depravity of Nature upon them, that even the holy Seed was tainted with it, that the Devil had broken in upon them, and prevaiFd to a great Degree , that not only the Pra&ice of the Age was corrupt, for that God could eafily have reitrain'd, but that the very Heart of Man was debauch'd, his Defires wholly vitiated, and his Senfes engag'd in it > fo that in a Word, it became neceflary to fhew the divine Difpleafure, not in the ordinary Manner, by Judgment and Re proofs of fuch kind as ufually reclaim Men, but by a general Deftru&ion to Yweep them away, clear the Earth of them, and put an End to the Wickednefs at once, removing the Offence and the Offenders all together ^ this is fignify'd at large, Gen. vi. f. God faw that the Wickednefs of Man was great in the Earth, and that every Imagination of the Thoughts of his Heart was only evil continu ally. And again ^ 1 1, it. The Earth atfo was corrupt before God ; and the Earth was fitted with Violence. And God looked upon the Earth, and be hold
of the DEVIL: 127
hold it was corrupt -3 for all Flejh bad corrupted his Way upon the Earth.
It muft be confefs'd it was a ftrange Conqueft the Devil had made in the Antediluvian World, that he had, as I may fay, , brought the whole Race of Mankind into a general Revolt from God -y Noah was indeed a Preacher of Righte- oufnefs, and he had preach'd about foo Years to as little Purpofe as moil of the good Minifters ever did j for we do not read there was one Man converted by him, or at leaft not one of them left, for that at the Deluge there was either none of them alive, or none fpar'd but Noah and his three Sons, and their Wives -y and even they are ('tis evi dent) recorded, not fo much to be fav'd for their own Goodnefs, but becatife they were his Sons j Nay, without Breach of Chanty we may conclude, that at leaft one went to the Devil even of thofe three, namely, Ham or Cham for triumph ing in a brutal Manner over his Father's Drunk- ennefs 5 for we find the fpecial Curfe reached to him and his Pofterity for many Ages 3 and whether it went no farther than the prefent State of Life with them, we cannot tell.
We will fuppofe now that thro' this whole i f oo Years the Devil having fo effe&ually debauch'd Mankind, had advanc'd his infernal Kingdom to a prodigious Height > for the Text fays, the whole Earth ivasfilFd with violence; in a Word, Blood, Murder, Rape, Robbery, Oppreffion and Injuftice prevail'd every where, and Man, like the wild Bear in the Foreft, liv'd by Prey, biting and devouring one another.
At this Time Noah begins to preach a new Doctrine to them, for as he had before been a Preacher of Righteoufnefs, now he becomes a Preacher of Vengeance $ firft he tells them they ftiall be all oyerwhelm'd with a Deluge, thac i for
The HISTORY
that for their Sins God repented they were made, and that he would deftroy them all, adding, that to prevent the Ruin of himfelf and Family, he refolv'd to build him a Ship to have recourfe to when the Water fhould come over the Reft of the World.
What Jefting, what Scorn, what Contempt did this Work expofe the good old Man to for above a 100 Years? for fo long the Work was building, as antient Authors fay > let us reprefent to our felves in the moil lively Manner how the witty World at that Time behav'd to poor old Noah •, how they took their Evening Walks to fee what he was doing, and paiTed their Judgment upon it, and upon the Progrefs of it 5 I fay, to reprefent this to our felves, we need go no far ther than to our own Witicifms upon Religion^ and upon the molt folemn Myileries of Divine Worfhip -y how we damn the Serious for Enthu- fiafts, think the Grave mad, and the Sober me lancholy y call Religion it felf Flatus and Hyp- po -y make the Devout ignorant, the Divine mer cenary, and the whole Scheme of Divinity a Frame of Prieflcraft j and thus no doubt the building an Ark or Boat, or whatever they call'd it, to float over the Mountains, and dance over the Plains,, what could it be but a religious Frenzy, and the Man that fo buried himfelf, a Lunatick ? and all this in an Age when divine Things came by immediate Revelation into the Minds of Men ! the Devil muft therefore have made a ftrange Conquer! upon Mankind to obliterate all the Reverence, which but a little before was fo ftrangcly imprefs'd upon them concerning their Maker.
This was certainly the Height of the Devtrs Kingdom, and we fhall never find him arrive to fuch a Pitch again-, he was then truly and lite rally
of the DEVIL. I2p
rally the univerfal Monarch, nay the God of this World 5 and as all Tyrants do, he governs them with an arbitrary abfolute fSway > and had not God thought fit to give him a Writ of Ejectment, and afterwards drown him out of Pof- feiHon, I know not what would have been the Cafe, he might have kept his Hold for ought I know till the Seed of the Woman came to bruife his Head, that is to fay, cripple his Government, Dethrone him and Depofe his Power, as has been fulfill'd in the Meffiah.
But as he was, I fay, drown'd out of the World, his Kingdom for the prefent was at an End j at leaft., if he had a Dominion he had no Subjects, and as the Creation was in a Manner renewed, fo the Devil- had all his Work to do over again : Unhappy Man ! how has he, by his weak Reiif- tance, made the Devil^ recovering his Hold too eafy to him, and given him all the Advantages, except as before excepted, which he had before? Now whether he retired in the mean Time, and how he got footing again after Noah and his Fa mily were landed upon the New Surface, that we come next to enquire.
C H A P. X.
Of the ^Devil's fecond Kingdom, and how he got footing in the renew' d World by his Victory over Noah and his Race.
THE Story of Noah, his building the Ark, his embarking himfelf and all Nature's Stock for a new World on board it 5 the long Voyage they took, and the bad Weather they met with,
tho' it would embellifh this Work very well, and
KJ come
i$o The HISTORY
come in very much to the Purpofe in this Place, yet as it does not belong to the Devtfs Story, for I cannot prove what fome fnggeft (viz.) that he was in the Ark among the Reft, I fay, for that Reafon I muft omit it.
And now having mentioned Satan's being in the Ark j as I fay, I cannot prove it, fo there are, I think, fome good Reafons to believe he was not there : Fir ft ^ I know no Bufinefs he had there $ fecondly^ we read of no Mifchief done there, and thefe joyn'd together make me conclude he was ab- (ent } the la ft I chiefly infift upon, that we read of no Mifchief done there, which if he had been in the Ark, would certainly have happened > and there fore I fuppofe rather, that when he faw his Kingdom diflblv'd, his Subjects all ingulph'd in an inevitable Ruin and Defolation, a Sight fuitable enough to him, except as it might unking him for a Time} I fay, when he faw this, he took care to fpeed himfcif away as well as he could, and make his Retreat to a Place of Safety, where that was, is no more difficult to us, than it was to him.
It is fuggefled that as he is Prince of the Power of the Air, he retired only into that Region. It is molt rational to fuppofe he went no further on many Accounts, of which I fliall fpeak by and by : Here he ftay'd hovering in the Earth's Atmof- pherc, as he has often done fince, and perhaps now does > or if the Atmofphere of this Globe wasafFc£ted by the Indraft of theAbforption,asfomc think, then he kept himfelf upon the Watch, to lee what the Event of the new Phenomenon would be, and this Watch, wherever it was, I doubt not, was as near the Earth as he could place himfelf perhaps in the Atmofphere of the Moon, or in a Word, the next Place of Retreat he could find.
i
From
'of the DEVIL; 131
Froni hence I took upon me to irififtj that Sa tan has not a more certain Knowledge of Events than we > I lay, he has not a more certain Know ledge -9 that he may be able to make ftronger Con jectures and tnore rational Conclufions from that he fees, I will not deny -y and that which he moil outdoes us in is, that he fees more to conclude from than we can, but I am fatisfied he knows nothing of Futurity more than we can fee by Obfer- vation and Inference $ nor, for Example) did he know whether God would repeople the World any more or no.
I muft therefore allow that he only waited to fee what would be the Event of this flrange E- ruption of Water, and what God proposed to do with the Ark, and all that was in it.
Some Philofophers tell us, befides what I hinted above, that the Devil could have no Retreat in the Earth's Atmofphere, for that the Air being wholly condens'd into Water, and having continual ly pour'd down its Streams to deluge the Earth, that Body was become fo fmall, and had fufFer'd fuch Convullions, that there was but juft enough Air left to furround the Water, or as might ffcrve by its PrefTure to preferve the natural Pofition of Things, and fupply the Creatures in the Ark with a Part to breath in.
The Atmofphere indeed might fuffer feme ftrange and unnatural Motions at that Time, but not (I be lieve) to that Degree, however, I will not affirm that there could be room in it, or is now for the Devil, much lefs for all the numberlefs Legions of Sa tan's Ho ft j but there was, and now certainly is, fuf- ficient Space to receive him, and a fufficient Body of his Troops for the Bufinefs he had for them -a c that time, and that's enough to the Purpofe j cr if the Earth's Atmofphere did fuffer any particular Convulflon, on that Occafion, he might make his K i Retreat
1 33 The HISTORY
Retreat to the Atmofphere of the Moon, or of Mars^ or of Venus ^ or of any of the other Pla nets y or to any other Place, for he that is Prince of the Air could not want Retreats in fuch a Cafe, from whence he might watch for the I flue of Things > certainly he did not go far, becaufe his Buiinefs lay here, and he never goes out of his Way of doing Mifchief.
In particular, his more than ordinary Concern was, to fee whnt would become of the Ark > he was wife enough doubtlefs to fee, that GOD, who had directed its making, nay even the very Struc ture of it, would certainly take Care of it, preferve it upon the Water, and bring it to fome Place of Safety or other > tho' where it fhould be, the Devil with all his Cunning could not refolve, whether on the fame Surface the Waters draw ing off, or in any other created or to be created Place 5 and this State of Uncertainty being evi dently his Cafe, and which proves his Ignorance of Futurity, it was his Bufinefs, If*)'-* to watch with the utmoil vigilance for the Event.
If the Ark was (as Mr. Burnet thinks) guided by two Angels, they not only held it from foun dering or being fwallow'd up in the Water, but certainly kept the Waters calm about it, efpecially when the Lord brought a flrong Wind to blow over the whole Globe, which by the Way was the firft, and, I fuppofe, the only univerfal Storm that ever blew, for to be fure it blew over the whole Surface at once 5 I fay, if it was thus guided, to be furc the Devil faw it, and that with Envy and Regret that he could do it no Injury, for doubt lefs had it been in the Devil's Power, as God had drown'd the whole Race of Man, except what was in the Ark, he would have taken care to have difpatch'd them too, and fo made an End of the Creation at once 5 but either he was not empowered
4 to
of the DEVIL. 135
to go to the Ark, or it was fo well guarded by Angels, that when he came near it he could do it no harm : So it relied at length, the Waters abating on the Mountains of Arrarat in Armenia^ or fome where elfe that Way, and where they fay a Piece of the Keel is remaining to this Day •, of which, however with Dr. • I fay, I be lieve not one Word.
The Ark being fafe landed, 'tis reafonable to believe Noah prepared to go on Shore, as the Sea men call it, as foon as the dry Land began to ap pear > and here you mufl allow me to fuppofe Satan, tho' himielf cloth'd with a Cloud, fo as not to be feen, came immediately, and pearching on the Roof, faw all the Heaven-kept Houmold fafely landed, and all the Hoft of living Creatures difperfing themfelves down the Sides of the Moun tain, as the Search of their Food or other proper Occafions directed them.
This Sight was enough -, Satan was at no Lofs to conclude from hence that the Defign of God was to repeople the World by the Way of ordi nary Generation, from thePofterity of thefe eight Perfons, without creating any new Species.
Very well, fays the Devil r, then my Advan tage over them, by the Snare I laid for poor Eve,, is good ftill -, and I am now juft where I was after Adam's Expulfion from the Garden, and when I had Cain and his Race to go to work with y for here is the old expung'd Corrupted Race ftill, as Cam was the Object then, fo Noah is my Man now, and if I do not matter him one way or another, I am miftakenjn my Mark. Pardon me for making a Speech for the Devil.
Noah big with a Senfe of his late Condition,
and while the Wonders of the Deluge were frefh
in his Mind, fpent his firft Days in the Extaiies
of his Soul, giving Thanks, and praifing the Power
K 3 that
134 The HISTORY
that had been his Prote&ion, in and thro' the Flood of Waters, and which had in fo miraculous a Manner, lately landed him on the Surface of the newly difcover'd Land 3 and the Text tells us, as pnc of the firft Things he was employ'd in, H& built an Altar unto the Lord^ and offered Burnt-Of ferings upon the Altar. Gen. viii. 20.
While Noah was thus employ'd he was fafe? the Devil himfelf could no where break in uponf him , and we may fuppofe very reafonably, as he found the old Father invulnerable, he left him for foine Years, watching notwithstanding all poflible Advantages againil his Sons and their Children j for now the Family began to encreafe, and Noah's Sons had feveral Children j whether himfelf had any more Children after the Flood or not, that we are not arrived to any Certainty about. Among his Sons the Devil found Ja'phet and Sbem^ good, pious, religious, and very devout Per- fons -, jerving God daily, after the Example of their good old Father Noah^ and he could make no thing of them, or of any of their Pofterity -, but Ham the fecond, or according to fome, the young er Son of Ncah^ had a Son who was nam'd Ca-. naan^ a loofe young profligate Fellow, his Edu cation was probably but curfory and fuperficial? his Father Ham not being near fo religious and ferious a Man as his Brothers Shew and Japhet were 3 and as Canaan's Education was defe&ive, fo he prov'd, as untaught Youth generally do, a wild, and in fhort a very wicked Fellow, and con- fequcntly a fit Tool for the Devil to go to work with.
Noah) a diligent induftrious Man, being with all his Family thus planted in the rich fruitful Plains of Armenia^ or wherever you pleafe,let it be near the Mountains of Caucafas or Arrarat > went immediately to work? cultivating and improv ing
of fife DEVIL: 135
Ing the Soil, encreafing his Cattle and Paftures, Tow ing Corn, and among other Things planting Trees for Food, and among the Fruit Trees he planted Vines, of the Grapes thereof he made no doubt, as they ftill in the {ame Country do make, moil excel lent Wine, rich, lufcious, thong, and pleafant.
I cannot come into the Notion of our Criticks, who to excufe Noah from the guilt of what follow ed, or at leaft from the Cenfure, tell us, he knew not the Strength or the Nature of Wine, but chat gathering the heavy Clutters of the Grapes, and their own weight cruthing out their balmy Juices into his Hand, he tafled the tempting Li quor, and that the Devil afliiling he was charm'd with the delicious Fragrance, and tafted again and again, preffing it out into a Bowl or Difh, that he might take a larger Quantity 3 till at length the heady Froth afcended and feizing his Brain, he became intoxicate and drunk, not in the leaft ima gining there was any fuch Strength in the Juice of that excellent Fruit.
But to make out this Story, which is indeed very favourable for Noah^ but in it felf extremely ridiculous, you mull neceflarily fall into fome Abr furdities, and beg the Queition moil egregioufly in fome particular Cafes, which way of arguing wilt by no means fuppoie what is fuggefled \ at firffc you muft fupport there was no fuch Thing as Wine made before the Deluge, and that no Body had been ever made drunk with the Juice of the Grape before N&ab, which, I fay, is beg ging the Qucftion in the grofTeil Manner.
If the Contrary is true, as I fee no Reafon to queflion, if, I fay, it was true that there was Wine drank, and that Men were or had been drunk with it before, they cannot then but fup- pofe that Noah) who was a wife, a great and a good Man, and a Preacher of Righteoufmfs, both K 4 knew
ij6 The HISTORY
knew of it, and without doubt had in his preach ing againft their- Crimes, preach'd againfl this among the reft, upbraided them with it, reprov'd them for it, and exhorted them againft it.
jigain^ 'tis highly probable they had Grapes growing, and confequcntly Wines made from them, in the Antediluvian World, how elfe did Noah come by the Vines which he planted ? For we are to fuppofe, he could plant no Trees or Shrubs, but fuch as he found the Roots of in the Earth, and which no doubt had been there before in their higheft Perfection, and had confequent- ly grown up and brought forth the fame lufci- ous Fruit before.
Befides, as he found the Roots of the Vines, fo he underftood what they were, and what Fruit they bore, or elfe it may be fuppofed alfo he would not have planted them 5 for he planted them for their Fruit, as he did it in the Provilion he was making for his Subfiflence, and the Sub- iiftence of his Family : and if he did not know what they were, he would not have fet them, for he was not planting for Diverfion but for Profit.
Upon the whole it feems plain to me he knew what he did, as well when he planted the Vines as when he prefled out the Grapes > and alfo when he drank the Juice that he knew it was Wine, was llrong and would make him drunk if he took enough of it : He knew that other Men had been drunk with fuch Liquor before the Flood, and that he had reprehended them for it $ and there fore it was not his Ignorance, but the Devil took him at forne Advantage, when his Appetite was eager, or he thirfty, and the Liquor cooling and pleafant ; and in fhort, as Eve faid, the Serpent be- gmldedher^ and ihe DID EAT, fo the Devil beguiled Noah, and be DID DRINK -y the Temptation was too llrong for Noab^ not the Wine$ he knew
well
of the DEVIL. 137
well enough what he did, but as the Drunkards fay to this Day, it was fo good he could not for bear it, and fo he got drunk before he was aware j or as our ordinary Speech exprefTes it, he was over taken with drink) and Mr. Pool and other Expo- fitors are partly of the fame Mind.
No fooner was the poor old Man conquer'd, and the Wine had lighten'd his Head, but it may be fuppofed he falls off from the Chair or Bench where he fate, and tumbling backward his Clothes, which in thofe hot Countries were only loofe open Robes, like the Vefts which the Armenians wear to this Day, flying abroad, or the Devil fo affifting on purpofe to expofe him, he lay there in a naked indecent Poiture not fit to be feen.
In this juncture who fhould come by but young Canaan^ fay fome $ or as others think," this young Fellow fir It attack'd him byway of Kindncfs and pretended Affection ; prompted his Grandfather to drink, on Pretence of the Wine being good for him, and, proper for the Support of his old Age, and fubtilly let upon him, drinking dfo with him, and fo (his Head being too ftrong for the old Man's) drank him down, and then, Devil like, tri- umph'd over him 5 boafled of his Conqueir,, in- fulted the Body as it were dead, uncovered hi in on purpofe to expofe him, and leaving him in that indecent Poihire, went and made Sport with it to his Father Ham^ who in that Part, wicked like himfelf, did the fame to his Brethren Japhet and Shew > but they like modeil and good Men, far from carrying on the wicked Infult on their Parent, went and cover'd him, as the Scripture exprelles it, and as may be fuppofed inform 'd him how he had been abus'd, and by whom.
Why elfe fhould Noah^ when he came to him felf, {hew his Refentment fo much again ft Canaan }iis Grandfonj rather than ag^inft Ham his Father,
and
i38 The HISTORY
and who 'tis fuppofed in the Story the guilt chief* ly lay upon? we fee the Curfe is (as it were) laid wholly upon Canaan the Grandfon, and not 3 Word of the Father is mentioned, Gen. ix. if, 16,
2.j, Cur fed be Canaan, a Servant of Servants Jball he be, 8cc.
That Ham was Guilty, that's certain from the Hiilory of Fact, but I cannot but fuppofe his Grandlon was the Occafion of it ; and in this Cafe the Devil fcems to have made Canaan the Tnftrument or Tool to delude Noah^ and draw liim in to Drunkennefs, as he made the Serpent the Tool to beguile Eve^ and draw her into Difobe- dience.
Poffibly Canaan might do it without Defign at fir ft, but might be brought in to ridicule and make a Jeft of the old Patriarch afterward, as is too frequent lince in the Practice of our Days 5 but I rather believe he did it really with a •wicked Defign, and on Purpofe to expofe and in*- fult his Reverend old Parent 5 and this feems more likely too, bccaufe of the great Bitternefs with which Noah relented it, after he came to be in- form'd of it.
But be that as it will, the Devil certainly made a great Conquer! here, and as to outward Ap^ pcarance no Ids than that which he gain'd be fore over Adam-y nor did the Devil's Victory con- fid barely in his having drawn in the only righte ous Man of the whole Antediluvian World, and fo beginning or initiating the new young Progeny with a Crime} but here was the great Oracle filenc'd at once; the Preacher of Righteoufnefs, for fuch no doubt he would have been to the new World, ns he was to the old, I lay, the Preacher was turn'd out of Office, or his Mouth itopt, which was worfe •, nay, it was a flopping of his Mouth in 'cheworft kind5 far wprfc than Hopping his Breath,
for
DEVIL; i^
for had he died, the Office had defcended to his Sons Shem and Jafhet, but he was dead to the Office of an Inftru6bor, tho' alive as to his Being -9 For of what Force could his Preachings be, who had thus fallen himfelf into the moil fharneful and bealHy Excefs?
Befides fome are of the Opinion, tho' I hope without Ground, that Noah was not only over taken once in his Drink, but that being fallen into that Sin it became habitual, and he continued in it a great while, and that it was this which is the meaning of his being uncovered in his Tent, and that his Son faw his Nakednefs •, that is, he conti? nually expofed himfelf for a long Time, a hun^ d'red Years, fay they, and that his Son Ham^ and his Grandfon Canaan having drawn him into it, Jccpt him in it, encourag'd and prompted it, and all the while Satan ftill prompting them, joined their Scoffs and contempt of him, with their wicked En-* deavours to promote theWickednefsj and both with as much Succefs as the Devil himfelf could wifli for.
Then as for his two Sons modeftly and decent ly covering their Father, they tell us, that Repre- fents Shem and Japhet applying themfelves in an humble and dutiful Manner to their Father, to. entreat and befeech him to confider his antient Glory, his own pious Exhortations to the late drowned World, and to confider the Offence which he gave by his evilCourfes to God, and the Scandal to his whole Family, and alfothat they arc brought in effectually prevailing upon him 5 and that then Noah curfed the Wickednefs of Ham's degenerate Race, in Teftimony of his fincere Re pentance after the Fact.
The Story is not fo very unlikely as it is cer tain that it is not to be proved, and therefore we had better take it as we find it (viz.) for one fin- gle A£t j but fuppqfe it was fo, 'tis ftill certain
that
I4o The HISTORY
that Noab's Preaching was fadly interrupted, the Energy of his Words flatter'd, and the Force of his Pcrfuafions enervated and abated, by thisfhamc- ful Fall 5 that he was effectually filenc'd for an Inftruc~bor ever after, and this was as much as the Devil had Occafion for 3 and therefore indeed we read little more of him, except that he lived three hundred and fifty Years after the Flood j nay, we do not fo much as read that he had any more Children, but the contrary, nor indeed could Noah have any more Children, except by his old and perhaps fuper-annuated Wife , who it was very likely he had had four or five hundred Year, unlefs you will fuppofe he was allow'd to marry fome of his own Progeny, Daughters or Gran* daughters, which we do not fuppofe was allow'd, no not to Adam himfelf.
This was certainly a Matter-piece of the Devil's Policy, and a fatal Inftance of his unhappy Di ligence, (viz.) that the Door of the Ark was no fooner open, and the Face of the World hardly dry from theuniverfal Deftruftion of Mankind, but he was at work among them j and that not only to form a general Defection among the Race, upon the Foot of the original Taint of Nature, but like a bold Devil he ftrikes at the very Root, and flies at the next general Reprefentative of Mankind, attacks the Head of the Family, that in his Mifcarriage the Rife and Progrefs of a Re formation of the new World fhould receive an early Check, and {hould be at once prevented; I fay, like a bold Devil, he ftrikes at the Root, and alas ! poor unhappy Noah^ he proved too weak for him, Satan prevaiPd in his very fir/ft At tempt, and got the Victory over him at once.
Noah thus overcome, and Satan's Conqueft carried on to the utmoft of his own Wiihes, the Devil had little more to do in the World
for
of the DEVIL. 141
for fome Ages, than to carry on an univerfal De generacy among Mankind, and to finilh it by a like diligent Application, in deluding the Generality of the Race, and them as they came on gradually into Life j this he found the lefs dif ficult, becaufe of the firft Defection which fpread like a Contagion upon the Earth immediately after.
The firft Evidence we have of his Succefs in this mifchievous Defign was in the Building that great ftupendious Stair-cafe, for fuch it feems it was intended, calPd Babel^ which if the whole World had not been drunk, or otherwife infatua ted, they would never have undertaken > even Sa tan himfelf could never have prevaiPd with them to undertake fuch a prepofterous Piece of Work, for it had neither End or Means, Poffibility or Probability in it.
I muft confefs I am fometimes apt to vindicate our old Ancestors, in my Thoughts, from the Charge it felf, as we generally underftand it, name ly, that they really defign'd to build a Tower which fhould reach up to Heaven, or that it fhould fccure them in cafe of another Flood ; and Father Cafaubon is of my Opinion, whether I am. of his or no, is a Queflion by it felf 5 his opini on is that the Confufion was nothing but a Breach among the Undertakers and Direftors of the Work, and that the Building was defign'd chiefly for a Store-houfe for Provinons, in Cafe of a fe- cond Deluge $ as to their Notion of its reaching up to Heaven, he takes the Expreffion to be alle gorical rather than little, and only to mean that it fhould be exceeding high ; perhaps they might not be Aftronomers enough to meafure the Dif- tance of Space between the Earth and Heaven, as we pretend to do now , but as Noah was then
alive,
I4i the HISTORY
alive, and as we believe all his three Sons were fo too, they were able to have inform'd them how abfurd it was to fuppofe either the one or the other .(•viz.) (i.) that they could build up to Heaven, or •(2..) that they could build firm enough to refill:, or high enough to overtop the Waters, fuppofing fuch another Flood Should happen > I would ra ther think it was only that they intended to build a moft glorious and magnificent City, where they might all inhabit together j and that this Tower was to be built for Ornament and alfo for Strength, or as above, and for a Store- houfe to lay up vaft Magazines of Provifions, in Cafe of extraordinary Floods or other Events, the City being built in a great Plain, namely, the Plains of Shimar near the River Euphrates.
But the Story, as it is recorded, fuits better with Satan's Mealurcs at that Time -y and as he was from the Beginning prompting them to every Thing that was contrary to the Happinefs of Man, fo the more prepofterous it was, and the more inconfifient with common Senle, the more to his Purpofe; and it fhew'd the more what acornpleat Conqueft he had gain'd over the Reafon as well as the Religion of Mankind at that Time.
Again, 'tis evident in this Cafe, they were not only aching contrary to the Nature of Things, but contrary to the Defign and to the Command of Heaven j for God's Command was that they fhould replenifh the Earth, that is, that they fhould fpread their Habitations over it, and People the whole Globe j whereas they were pitching in one Place, as if they were not to multiply fufficient to take up any more.
But what car'd the Devil for that, or to put it a little handfomer, that was what Satan aim ed at 5 for it was enough to him, to bring Man kind
bf the D E V I L; 143
kind to a£b juft contrary to what Heaven had di- re&ed or commanded them in any thing, and if poffiblc in every Thing.
But God himfelf put a flop to this foolifh Piece of Work, and it was time indeed to do fo, for a madder thing the Devil himfelf never propofed to them 5 I fay, God himfelf put a flop to this new Undertaking, and difappointed the Devil j and how was it done? not in Judgment and An ger, as perhaps the Devil expefted and hop'd for, but as pitying the Simplicity of that dreaming Creature Man, he confufed their Speech, or as fome fay, divided and confufed their Councils, fo that they could not agree with one another, which would be the fame Thing as not to underftand one another > or he put a new Shibboleth upon their Tongues , thereby feparating them into Tribes or Families, for by this every Family found themfelves under a Neceffity of keeping together, and this naturally encreafed that Differing jargons of Language, for at firft it might be no more,
What a Confufion this was to them we all know, by their being oblig'd to leave off their building, and immediately feparating one from an other j but what a Surprize it was to the old Serpent, that remains to be confidered of, for in deed it belongs to his Hiftory.
Satan had never met with any Disappointment in all his wicked .Attempts till now -, for firft, he fucceeded even to triumph upon Eve^ he did the like upon Cam^ and in fhort upon the whole World, one Man (Noah) except ed-, when he blend ed the Sons of God, and the Daughters of Hell, for fo the Word is underftood, together, in pro- mifcuous Voluptuous Living as well as Genera tion.
As to the Deluge, Authors are not agreed whe ther it was a Difeppointment to the Devil or no,
it
144 The H I STORY
it might be indeed a Surprize to him, for tho* Noah had preach'd of it for a hundred Year toge ther, yet as he (Satan) daily prompted the People not to heed or believe what that old Fellow Noah faid to them, and to ridicule his whimfical Build ing a monftrous Tub to fwim or float in, when the faid Deluge fhould come; fo I am of the Opi nion he did not believe it himfelf, and am pofitive he could not forefee it, by any infight into Futu rity that he was Matter of.
'Tis true the Aftronomers tell us, there was a very terrible Comet feen in the Air, that it ap peared for 1 80 Days before the Flood continual ly -, and that as it approach'd nearer and nearer every Day all the while, fo that at laft it burft and fell down in a continual Spout or Stream of Water, being of a watry Subftance, and the Quantity fo great, that it was forty Days a falling ; fo that this Comet not only foretold die Deluge or drowning of the Earth, but actually performed it, and drown'd it from it felf.
But to leave this Tale to them that told it, let us contider the Devil, furpris'd, and a little amaz'd at the Abforption or Inundation, or what ever we are to call it, of the Earth in the Deluge, not, I fay, that he was much concerned at it, per haps juft the Contrary 5 and if God would drown it again, and as often as he thought fit, I do not fee by any thing I meet with in Satan's Hiflory, or in the Nature of him, that he would be at all difturb'd at it$ all that I can fee in it, that could give Satan any Concern, would be that all his Fa vourites were gone, and he had his Work to do over again, to lay a Foundation for a new Conqueft in the Generation that was to come$ But in this his ProfpecT: was fair enough, for why fhould he be difcouraged, when he had now eight People to work upon, who met with fuch Succefs when he
had
of the D E V I L. 145
had but two ? and why fliould he queftion break ing in now where Nature was already vitiated and corrupted, when he had before conquer'd the fame Nature, when in its primitive Re£Htude and Purity, juft come out of the Hands of its Maker, and fortify 'd with the Awe of his high and fo-* lemn Command juft given them, and the threat- ning of Death alfo annext to it, if broken?
But I go back to the Affair of Babel : This Confufion of Language or of Councils, take it which way you will, as the firll Difappoint- ment that I find the Devil met with, in all his At tempts and Practices upon Mankind, or upon the new Creature, which I mentioned above 5 for now he forefaw what would follow j namely, that the People would feparate and fpread themfelves over the whole Surface of the Earth, and a thoufand new Scenes of Actions would appear^ in which he therefore prepares himfelf to behave as he fhould fee Occafion.
How the Devil learn'd to fpeak all the Lan guages that were now to be ufed, and how many Languages they were, the feveral ancient Wri* ters of the Devil's Story have not yet determin ed > fomc tell us they were divided only into fif teen, fome into feventy two, others into one hun dred and eighty, and others again into feveral Thoufands.
It alfo remains a doubt with mej and, I fuppofe, will be fo with others alfo, whether Satan has yet found out a Method to converfe with Mankind, without the Help of Language and Words, or not : feeing Man has no other Medium of Con verting, no not with himfelf: This I have not time to enter upon here 5 however, this feems plain to rne (viz.) that the Devil foon learn'd to make Mankind underfland him, whatever Lan* gunge he fpoke, and no doubt but he found L Ways
146 The HISTORY
Ways and Means to under ftand them, whatever Language they fpoke.
Alter the Confufion of Languages, the People neceflarily forted themfelves into Families and Tribes, every Family understanding their own particular Speech, and that only j and thefe Fa milies multiplying grew into Nations, and tho(e Nations wanting Room, and feeking out Habi tations wandred Come this Way, fome that, till they found out Countries refbettively proper for their fettling, and there they became a Kingdom, fpreading and poflcfling (till more and more Land as their People encrealed, till at laft the whole Earth was fcarce big enough for them : This pre- fented Satan with an Opportunity to break in upon their Morals at another Door, (viz.) their Pride ; for Men being naturally Proud and Envi ous, Nations and Tribes began to joflle with one another for Room j cither one Nation enjoy'd better Accommodations, or had a better Soil or a more favourable Climate than another 3 and thefe being numerous and ftrong thru ft the other out, and encroach'd upon their Land -, the other liking their Situation, prepare for their Defence, and fo began Oppreffion, Invafion, War, Battle and Blood, Satan all the while beating the Drums, and his Attendants clapping their Hands, as Men do when they fet Dogs on upon one another.
The bringing Mankind thus to JVar and Con- fit/ion, as it was the fir ft Game the Devil play'd after the confounding of Languages and Divifions at Babel) fo it was a Conqueft upon Mankind, purely devilifri, born from Hell, and fo exactly tinctured with Satan's original Sin Ambition^ that it really transform \i Men into meer Devils j for when is Man transformed into the very Image of Satan himfelf, when is he turn'd into a meer Devil, if it is not when he is fighting with his
fellow
of the DEVIL. 147
fellow Creatures and dipping his Hands in the Blood of his own Kind ? Lee his Picture be confider'd, the Fire of Hell flames or fparkles in his Eyes, a voracious Grin (its upon his Coun tenance , Rage and Fury diftort the Mufcles of his Face , his Paflions agitate his whole Body, and he is metamorphos'd from a comely Beauteous angelic Creatureinto a Fury, a Satyr ^ a terrible and frightful Monfter, nay, into a Devil $ for Satan himfelf is defcrib'd by the fame Word which on his very Account is ehang'd into a Subftantive, and the Devils are call'd Furies.
This fowing the Seeds of Strife in the World, and bringing Nations to fight and make War upon one another, would take up a great Part of the Devil's Hiftory, and abundance of extraor dinary Things would occur in relating the par ticulars y for there have been very great Conflagra tions kindled in the World, by the Artifice of Hell, under this Head, (viz.) of making War 5 in which it has been the Devil's Mailer- piece, and he has indeed ilicwn himfelf a Workman in it, that he has wheedled Mankind into fl range un natural Notions of things, in order to propagate and fupport the fighting Principle in the World j fuch as Laws of War, fair Fighting, behaving like Men of Honour, fighting at the lad: Drop, and the like, by which killing and murdering is underftood to be juftifiable. Virtue and a true Greatnefs in Spirit is rated now by Rules which God never appointed, and the Standard of Ho nour is quite different from that of Reafon and of Nature : Bravery is denominated not from a fear- lefs undaunted Spirit in the jufl Defence of Life and Liberty, but from a daring Defiance of God and Man, fighting, killing and treading under Foot his fellow Creatures, at the ordinary Com- majad of the Officer, whether it be right or wrong,
L i and
14* The HISTORY
and whether it be in a juft Defence of Life, and our Country's Life, that is Liberty, or whether it be for the Support of Injury and Oppreffion.
A prudent avoiding caufelefs Quarrels is calFd Cowardice, and to take an affront Bafenefs, and Meanncfs of Spirit ; to refute fighting,"and putting Life at a Call on the Point of a Sword, a Practice forbid by the Laws of God and of all good Government, is yet call'd Cowardice -, and a Man is bound to die duelling, or live and be laugh 'd at.
This trumping upthefe imaginary Things call'd Bravery and Gallantry, naming them Virtue and Honour, is all from the Devil's new Management, and his fubtil influencing the Minds of Men to fly in the Face of God and Nature, and to act againfl his Senfes j nor but for his Artifice in the Management, could it be poflible that fuch In- confidencies could go down with Mankind, or they could pafs fuch abfurd Things among them for reafoning ; for Example, A is found in Bed with B's Wife, B is the Perfoninjur'd, and there fore offended, and coming into the Chamber with his Sword in his Hand, A exclaims loudly, Why Sir^ you- won't murder me^ 'will you ? as you are a> Man of Honour let me rife and take my S-word.
A very good Story indeed ! fit for no body but the Devil to put into any Man's Head; But fo it is, B being put in mind, forfooth, that he is a Man of Honcnr^ Harts back and muft a£b the honourable Part; fo he lets A get up, put on his Clothes and take his Sword ; then they fight, and B is kill'd for his Honour ; whereas had the Laws of God, of Nature and of Reafon taken Place, the Adulterer and the Adulterefs fhould have been taken Prifoners and carried before the Judge, and being taken in the Fa£b, fhould have been immediately fcntenc'd, he to the Block and £he to the Stake, and the innocent abus'd Hus- 4 band
of the DE VIL. 149
band had no Reafon to have run any Rifque o^ his Life for being made a Cuckold.
But thus has Satan abus'd the Reafon of Man -y and if a Man does me the greateft Injury in the World, I mutt do my felf Juitice upon him, by venturing my life upon an even Lay with him, and muft fight him upon equal Hazard, in which the injur'd Perfon is as often kill'd as the Perfon offering the Injury : Suppofe now it be in the fame Cafe as above^ a Man abufes my Wife, and then to give me Satisfaction, tells me, he will fight me, which the French call doing me Keafon \ No Sir^ (ay I, let me lie 'with your PVife too^ and then if you defer e it ^1 may fight you -, then I am upon even 'Terms with you ; but this indeed is the Reafoning which the Devil has brought Mankind too at this Day : But to go back to the Subject, viz. the Devil bringing the Nations to fall out, and to quarrel for Room in the World, and fo to fight in order to difpofTefs one another of their Settlements : This began at a Time when certainly there were Places enough in the World for every one to choofe in, and therefore the Devil^ not the want of Elbow- room, muft be the Occaiion of it j and 'tis carried on ever fince, as apparently from the fame Intereft, and by the fame original.
But we (hall meet with this Part again very often in the Devil's Story, and as we bring him farther on in the Management of Mankind •, I therefore lay it by for the Prefent, and come to the next Steps the Devil took with Mankind after the Confufion of Languages, and this was in the Affair of Worlhip ; It does not appear yet that ever the Devil was fo bold, as either,
i. To fet himfelf up to be worftiip'd as a God, or which was ftill worfe,
^. To perfuade Man to believe there was no God at all to worfhip.
L Both
I5o The HISTORY
Both thefe are introduced fince the Deluge, one indeed by the Deroil^ who icon found Means to fet himfelf up for a God in many Parts of the World, and holds it to this Day 3 but the lafl is brought in by the Invention of Man, in which it mull bcconfefs'd Man has out-fin'd the Devil ; for to do Satan jutlice, he never thought it could ever pafs upon Mankind, or that any Thing fo grofs would go down with them ; fo that, injhort^ thcfe modern Cafuifts, in the Reach of our Days, have, I fay^ out-iin'd the Devil.
As then both thefe are modern Inventions, Sa tan went on gradually, and being to work upon human Nature by Stratagem, not by Force, it would have been too grofs to have fet himfelf up as an Object of Worihip at firlt, it was to be done Step by Step 3 for Example.