The History of the Devil Part 12

Besides some are of the Opinion, tho' I hope without Ground, that _Noah_ was not only overtaken 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 saw his Nakedness; that is, he continually exposed himself for a long Time, a hundred Years, say they, and that his Son _Ham_, and his Grandson _Canaan_ having drawn him into it, kept him in it, encourag'd and prompted it, and all the while Satan still prompting them, join'd their Scoffs and contempt of him, with their wicked Endeavours to promote the Wickedness; and both with as much Success as the Devil himself could wish for.

Then as for his two Sons modestly and decently covering their Father, they tell us, that Represents _Shem_ and _j.a.phet_ applying themselves in an humble and dutiful Manner to their Father, to entreat and beseech him to consider his ancient Glory, his own pious Exhortations to the late drowned World, and to consider the Offence which he gave by his evil Courses to G.o.d, and the Scandal to his whole Family, and also that they are brought in effectually prevailing upon him; and that then _Noah_ cursed the Wickedness of _Ham_'s degenerate Race, in Testimony of his sincere Repentance after the Fact.

The Story is not so very unlikely as it is certain that it is not to be proved, and therefore we had better take it as we find it (_viz._) for one single Act; but suppose it was so, 'tis still certain that _Noah_'s Preaching was sadly interrupted, the Energy of his Words flatter'd, and the Force of his Persuasions enervated and abated, by this shameful Fall; that he was effectually silenc'd for an Instructor ever after, and this was as much as the Devil had Occasion for; and therefore indeed we read little more of him, except that he lived three hundred and fifty Years after the Flood; nay, we do not so 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 super-annuated Wife, who it was very likely he had had four or five hundred Year, unless you will suppose he was allow'd to marry some of his own Progeny, Daughters or Grandaughters, which we do not suppose was allow'd, no not to _Adam_ himself.

This was certainly a Master-piece of the _Devil_'s Policy, and a fatal Instance of his unhappy Diligence, (_viz._) that the Door of the Ark was no sooner open, and the Face of the World hardly dry from the universal Destruction of Mankind, but he was at work among them; 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 strikes at the very Root, and flies at the next general Representative of Mankind, attacks the Head of the Family, that in his Miscarriage the Rise and Progress of a Reformation of the new World should receive an early Check, and should be at once prevented; I say, like a bold Devil, he strikes at the Root, and _alas!_ poor unhappy _Noah_, he proved too weak for him, _Satan_ prevail'd in his very first Attempt, and got the Victory over him at once.

_Noah_ thus overcome, and Satan's Conquest carried on to the utmost of his own Wishes, the _Devil_ had little more to do in the World for some Ages, than to carry on an universal Degeneracy among Mankind, and to finish it by a like diligent Application, in deluding the Generality of the Race, and them as they came on gradually into Life; this he found the less difficult, because of the first Defection which spread like a Contagion upon the Earth immediately after.

The first Evidence we have of his Success in this mischievous Design was in the Building that great stupendious Stair-case, for such it seems it was intended, call'd _Babel_, which if the whole World had not been drunk, or otherwise infatuated, they would never have undertaken; even Satan himself could never have prevail'd with them to undertake such a preposterous Piece of Work, for it had neither End or Means, Possibility or Probability in it.

I must confess I am sometimes apt to vindicate our old Ancestors, in my Thoughts, from the Charge it self, as we generally understand it, namely, that they really design'd to build a Tower which should reach up to Heaven, or that it should secure them in case of another Flood; and Father _Casaubon_ is of my Opinion, whether I am of his or no, is a Question by it self; his opinion is that the Confusion was nothing but a Breach among the Undertakers and Directors of the Work, and that the Building was design'd chiefly for a Store-house for Provisions, in Case of a second Deluge; as to their Notion of its reaching up to Heaven, he takes the Expression to be allegorical rather than little, and only to mean that it should be exceeding high; perhaps they might not be Astronomers enough to measure the Distance of s.p.a.ce between the Earth and Heaven, as we pretend to do now; but as _Noah_ was then alive, and as we believe all his three Sons were so too, they were able to have inform'd them how absurd it was to suppose either the one or the other (_viz_.) (1.) that they could build up to Heaven, or (2.) that they could build firm enough to resist, or high enough to overtop the Waters, supposing such another Flood should happen; I would rather think it was only that they intended to build a most glorious and magnificent City, where they might all inhabit together; and that this Tower was to be built for Ornament and also for Strength, or as above, and for a Store-house to lay up vast Magazines of Provisions, in Case 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, suits better with Satan's Measures at that Time; and as he was from the Beginning prompting them to every Thing that was contrary to the Happiness of Man, so the more preposterous it was, and the more inconsistent with common Sense, the more to his Purpose; and it shew'd the more what a compleat Conquest he had gain'd over the Reason as well as the Religion of Mankind at that Time.

Again, 'tis evident in this Case, they were not only acting contrary to the Nature of Things, but contrary to the Design and to the Command of Heaven; for G.o.d's Command was that they should replenish the Earth, that is, that they should spread their Habitations over it, and People the whole Globe; whereas they were pitching in one Place, as if they were not to multiply sufficient to take up any more.

But what car'd the Devil for that, or to put it a little handsomer, that was what _Satan_ aimed at; for it was enough to him, to bring Mankind to act just contrary to what _Heaven_ had directed or commanded them in any thing, and if possible in every Thing.

But G.o.d himself put a stop to this foolish Piece of Work, and it was time indeed to do so, for a madder thing the Devil himself never proposed to them; I say, G.o.d himself put a stop to this new Undertaking, and disappointed the Devil; and how was it done? not in Judgment and Anger, as perhaps the Devil expected and hop'd for, but as pitying the Simplicity of that dreaming Creature Man, he confused their Speech, or as some say, divided and confused their Councils, so that they could not agree with one another, which would be the same Thing as not to understand one another; or he put a new Shibboleth upon their Tongues, thereby separating them into Tribes or Families, for by this every Family found themselves under a Necessity of keeping together, and this naturally encreased that Differing Jargons of Language, for at first it might be no more.

What a Confusion this was to them we all know, by their being oblig'd to leave off their building, and immediately separating one from another; but what a Surprize it was to the old Serpent, that remains to be considered of, for indeed it belongs to his History.

Satan had never met with any Disappointment in all his wicked Attempts till now; for first, he succeeded even to triumph upon _Eve_, he did the like upon _Cain_, and in short upon the whole World, _one Man_ (Noah) _excepted_; when he blended the Sons of G.o.d, and the Daughters of h.e.l.l, for so the Word is understood, together, in promiscuous voluptuous Living as well as Generation.

As to the Deluge, Authors are not agreed whether it was a Disappointment to the Devil or no, it might be indeed a Surprize to him, for tho'

_Noah_ had preach'd of it for a hundred Year together, yet as he (_Satan_) daily prompted the People not to heed or believe what that old Fellow _Noah_ said to them, and to ridicule his whimsical Building a monstrous Tub to swim or float in, when the said Deluge should come; so I am of the Opinion he did not believe it himself, and am positive he could not foresee it, by any insight into Futurity that he was Master of.

'Tis true the Astronomers tell us, there was a very terrible Comet seen in the Air, that it appeared for 180 Days before the Flood continually; and that as it approach'd nearer and nearer every Day all the while, so that at last it burst and fell down in a continual Spout or Stream of Water, being of a watry Substance, and the Quant.i.ty so great, that it was forty Days a falling; so that this Comet not only foretold the Deluge or drowning of the Earth, but actually perform'd it, and drown'd it from it self.

But to leave this Tale to them that told it, let us consider the Devil, surpris'd, and a little amaz'd at the Absorption or Inundation, or whatever we are to call it, of the Earth in the Deluge, not, I say, that he was much concern'd at it, perhaps just the Contrary; and if G.o.d would drown it again, and as often as he thought fit, I do not see by any thing I meet with in Satan's History, or in the Nature of him, that he would be at all disturb'd at it; all that I can see in it, that could give Satan any Concern, would be that all his Favourites were gone, and he had his Work to do over again, to lay a Foundation for a new Conquest in the Generation that was to come; But in this his Prospect was fair enough, for why should he be discouraged, when he had now eight People to work upon, who met with such Success when he had but two? and why should he question breaking in now where Nature was already vitiated and corrupted, when he had before conquer'd the same Nature, when in its primitive Rect.i.tude and Purity, just come out of the Hands of its Maker, and fortify'd with the Awe of his high and solemn Command just given them, and the threatning of Death also annext to it, if broken?

But I go back to the Affair of _Babel_: This Confusion of Language or of Councils, take it which way you will, as the first Disappointment that I find the Devil met with, in all his Attempts and Practices upon Mankind, or upon the new Creature, which I mentioned above; for now he foresaw what would follow; namely, that the People would separate and spread themselves over the whole Surface of the Earth, and a thousand new Scenes of Actions would appear, in which he therefore prepares himself to behave as he should see Occasion.

How the Devil learn'd to speak all the Languages that were now to be used, and how many languages they were, the several ancient Writers of the _Devil_'s Story have not yet determined; some tell us they were divided only into fifteen, some into seventy two, others into one hundred and eighty, and others again into several Thousands.

It also remains a doubt with me, and, I suppose, will be so with others also, whether Satan has yet found out a Method to converse with Mankind, without the Help of Language and Words, or not: Seeing Man has no other Medium of Conversing, no not with himself: This I have not time to enter upon here; however, this seems plain to me (_viz._) that the _Devil_ soon learn'd to make Mankind understand him, whatever Language he spoke, and no doubt but he found Ways and Means to understand them, whatever Language they spoke.

After the Confusion of Languages, the People necessarily sorted themselves into Families and Tribes, every Family understanding their own particular Speech, and that only; and these Families multiplying grew into Nations, and those Nations wanting Room, and seeking out Habitations wandred some this Way, some that, till they found out Countries respectively proper for their settling, and there they became a Kingdom, spreading and possessing still more and more Land as their People encreased, till at last the whole Earth was scarce big enough for them: This presented _Satan_ with an Opportunity to break in upon their Morals at another Door, (_viz._) their Pride; for Men being naturally Proud and Envious, Nations and Tribes began to jostle with one another for Room; either one Nation enjoy'd better Accommodations, or had a better Soil or a more favourable Climate than another; and these being numerous and strong thrust the other out, and encroach'd upon their Land; the other liking their Situation, prepare for their Defence, and so began Oppression, Invasion, War, Battle and Blood, Satan all the while beating the Drums, and his Attendants clapping their Hands, as Men do when they set Dogs on upon one another.

The bringing Mankind thus to _War_ and _Confusion_, as it was the first Game the Devil play'd after the confounding of Languages and Divisions at _Babel_ so it was a Conquest upon Mankind, purely devilish, born from h.e.l.l, and so exactly tinctured with Satan's original Sin _Ambition_, that it really transform'd Men into meer Devils; for when is Man transform'd into the very Image of Satan himself, when is he turn'd into a meer Devil, if it is not when he is fighting with his fellow Creatures and dipping his Hands in the Blood of his own Kind? Let his Picture be consider'd, the Fire of h.e.l.l flames or sparkles in his Eyes, a voracious Grin sits upon his Countenance; Rage and Fury distort the Muscles of his Face; his Pa.s.sions agitate his whole Body, and he is metamorphos'd from a comely Beauteous angelic Creature into a _Fury_, a _Satyr_, a terrible and frightful Monster, nay, into a _Devil_; for _Satan_ himself is describ'd by the same Word which on his very Account is chang'd into a Substantive, and the Devils are call'd _Furies_.

This sowing 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 History, and abundance of extraordinary Things would occur in relating the particulars; for there have been very great Conflagrations kindled in the World, by the Artifice of h.e.l.l, under this Head, (_viz._) of making War; in which it has been the _Devil_'s Master-piece, and he has indeed shewn himself a Workman in it, that he has wheedled Mankind into strange unnatural Notions of things, in order to propagate and support the fighting Principle in the World; such as Laws of War, fair Fighting, behaving like Men of Honour, fighting at the last Drop, and the like, by which killing and murdering is understood to be justifiable. Virtue and a true Greatness in Spirit is rated now by Rules which G.o.d never appointed, and the Standard of Honour is quite different from that of Reason and of Nature: Bravery is denominated not from a fearless undaunted Spirit in the just Defence of Life and Liberty, but from a daring Defiance of G.o.d and Man, fighting, killing and treading under Foot his fellow Creatures, at the ordinary Command of the Officer, whether it be right or wrong, and whether it be in a just Defence of Life, and our Country's Life, that is Liberty, or whether it be for the Support of Injury and Oppression.

A prudent avoiding causeless Quarrels is call'd Cowardice, and to take an affront Baseness, and Meanness of Spirit; to refuse fighting, and putting Life at a Cast on the Point of a Sword, a Practice forbid by the Laws of G.o.d 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 up these imaginary Things call'd Bravery and Gallantry, naming them Virtue and Honour, is all from the _Devil_'s new Management, and his subtil influencing the Minds of Men to fly in the Face of G.o.d and Nature, and to act against his Senses; nor but for his Artifice in the Management, could it be possible that such Inconsistencies could go down with Mankind, or they could pa.s.s such absurd Things among them for reasoning; for Example, A is found in Bed with B's Wife, B is the Person injur'd, and therefore 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 rise and take my Sword_.

A very good Story indeed! fit for no body but the Devil to put into any Man's Head; But so it is, B being put in mind, forsooth, that he is _a Man of Honour_, starts back and must act the honourable Part; so 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 G.o.d, of Nature and of Reason taken Place, the Adulterer and the Adulteress should have been taken Prisoners and carried before the Judge, and being taken in the Fact, should have been immediately sentenc'd, he to the Block and she to the Stake, and the innocent abus'd Husband had no Reason to have run any Risque of his Life for being made a Cuckold.

But thus has _Satan_ abus'd the Reason of Man; and if a Man does me the greatest Injury in the World, I must do my self Justice upon him, by venturing my life upon an even Lay with him, and must fight him upon equal Hazard, in which the injur'd Person is as often kill'd as the Person offering the Injury: Suppose now it be in the same Case _as above_, a Man abuses my Wife, and then to give me Satisfaction, tells me, he will fight me, which the _French_ call _doing me Reason_; _No Sir_, say I, _let me lie with your Wife too, and then if you desire it, I may fight you; then I am upon even Terms with you_; but this indeed is the Reasoning 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 so to fight in order to dispossess one another of their Settlements: This began at a Time when certainly there were Places enough in the World for every one to choose in, and therefore the _Devil_, not the want of Elbow-room, must be the Occasion of it; and 'tis carried on ever since, as apparently from the same Interest, and by the same original.

But we shall 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 Present, and come to the next Steps the _Devil_ took with Mankind after the Confusion of Languages, and this was in the Affair of Worship; It does not appear yet that ever the _Devil_ was so bold, as either,

1. To set himself up to be worship'd as a G.o.d, or which was still worse,

2. To persuade Man to believe there was no G.o.d at all to worship.

Both these are introduc'd since the Deluge, _one_ indeed by the _Devil_, who soon found Means to set himself up for a G.o.d in many Parts of the World, and holds it to this Day; but the _last_ is brought in by the Invention of Man, in which it must be confess'd Man has out-sin'd the Devil; for to do Satan justice, he never thought it could ever pa.s.s upon Mankind, or that any Thing so gross would go down with them; so that, _in short_, these modern Casuists, in the Reach of our Days, have, _I say_, out-sin'd the _Devil_.

As then both these are modern Inventions, _Satan_ went on gradually, and being to work upon human Nature by Stratagem, not by Force, it would have been too gross to have set himself up as an Object of Worship at first, it was to be done Step by Step; _for Example_.

1. It was sufficient to bring Mankind to a Neglect of G.o.d, to worship him by halves, and give little or no Regard to his Laws, and so grow loose and immoral, in direct Contradiction to his Commands; this would not go down with them at first, so the Devil went on gradually.

2. From a Negligence in worshiping the true G.o.d, he by Degrees introduc'd the worship of false G.o.ds; and to introduce this he began with the _Sun_, _Moon_, and _Stars_, call'd in the holy Text the Host of Heaven; these had greater Majesty upon them, and seem'd fitter to command the Homage of Mankind; so it was not the hardest Thing in the World, to bring Men, when they had once forgotten the true G.o.d, to embrace the Worship of such G.o.ds as those.

3. Having thus debauch'd their Principles in Worship, and led them from the true and only Object of Worship to a false, it was the easier to carry them on; so in a few Gradations more he brought them to downright Idolatry, and even in that Idolatry he proceeded gradually too; for he began with awful Names, such as were venerable in the Thoughts of Men, as BAAL or BELL, which, in _Chaldaick_ and _Hebrew_, signifies Lord or Sovereign, or Mighty and Magnificent, and this was therefore a Name ascrib'd at first to the true G.o.d; but afterwards they descended to make Images and Figures to represent him, and then they were call'd by the same Name, as _Baal_, _Baalim_, and afterwards _Bell_; from which, by a h.e.l.lish Degeneracy, Saturn brought Mankind to adore every Block of their own hewing, and to worshipping Stocks, Stones, Monsters, Hobgoblins, and every sordid frightful Thing, and at last the _Devil_ himself.

What Notions some People may entertain of the Forwardness of the first Ages of the World, to run into Idolatry, I do not enquire here; I know they tell us strange Things, of its being the Product of meer Nature, one remove from its primitive State; but I, who pretend to have so critically enquir'd into _Satan_'s History, can a.s.sure you, and that from very good Authority, that the _Devil_ did not find it so easy a task to obliterate the Knowledge of the true G.o.d, in the Minds and Consciences of Men, as those People suggest.

It is true he carried Things a great Length under the Patriarchal Government of the first Ages, but still he was sixteen hundred Years bringing it to pa.s.s; and tho' we have Reason to believe the old World, before the Flood was arrived to a very great Height of Wickedness, and _Ovid_ very n.o.bly describes it by the War of the _t.i.tans_ against _Jupiter_, yet we do not read that ever Satan was come to such a Length as to bring them to Idolatry; indeed we do read of Wars carried on among them, whether it was one Nation against another, or only Personal, we cannot tell; But the World seem'd to be swallow'd up in a Life of Wickedness, that is to say, of Luxury and Lewdness, Rapine and Violence, and there were _Giants_ among them, and Men of Renown, that is to say, Men fam'd for their mighty Valour, great Actions of War we may suppose, and their Strength, who personally oppos'd others. We read of no considerable Wars indeed, but 'tis not to be doubted but there was such Wars, or else it is to be understood that they liv'd (in common) a Life somewhat like the Brutes, the Strong devouring the Weak; for the Text says, _the whole Earth was filled with Violence_, hunting and tearing one another in Pieces, either for Dominion or for Wealth, either for Ambition or for Avarice, we know not well which.

Thus far the old Antediluvian World went, and very wicked they were, there is no doubt of that; but we have Reason to believe that was no Idolatry, the _Devil_ had not brought them to that Length yet: perhaps it would soon have follow'd, but the Deluge interven'd.

After the Deluge, _as I have said_, he had all his Work to do over again, and he went on by the same Steps; _first_ he brought them to Violence and War, then to Oppression and Tyranny, then to neglect of true Worship, then to false worship, and then Idolatry by the meer natural Consequence of the Thing; who were the first Nation or People that fell from the Worship of the true G.o.d, is something hard to determine; the _Devil_, who certainly of all _G.o.d_'s Creatures is best able to inform us, having left us nothing upon Record upon that Subject, but we have Reason to believe it was thus introduc'd.

_Nimrod_ was the Grandson of _Ham_, _Noah_'s second Son, the same who was cursed by his Father for exposing him in his Drunkenness: This _Nimrod_ was the first who it seems _Satan_ pick'd out for a Hero: Here he inspir'd him with ambitious Thoughts, dreams of Empire, and having the Government of all the Rest, _that is to say_, universal Monarchy; the very same Bait with which he has plaid upon the Frailty of Princes, and ensnar'd the greatest of them ever since, even from his most August Imperial Majesty King _Nimrod_ the first, to his most Christian Majesty _Louis_ the XIV. and many a mighty Monarch between.

When these mighty Monarchs and Men of Fame went off the Stage, the World had their Memories in esteem many Ages after; and as their great Actions were no otherwise recorded than by oral Tradition, and the Tongues and Memories of fallible Men, Time and the Custom of magnifying the past Actions of Kings, Men soon fabl'd up their Histories, _Satan a.s.sisting_, into Miracle and Wonder: Hence their Names were had in Veneration more and more; Statues and Bustoes representing their Persons and great Actions were set up in public Places, till from Heroes and Champions they made G.o.ds of them, and thus (_Satan_ prompting) the World was quickly fill'd with Idols.

This _Nimrod_ is he, who according to the received Opinion, tho' I do not find Satan's History exactly concurring with it, was first call'd _Belus_, then _Baal_, and worship'd in most of the eastern Countries under those Names; sometimes with Additions of Sir-names, according to the several countries, or People, or Towns where he was particularly set up, as _Baal Peor_, _Baal Zephon_, _Baal Phegor_, and in other Places plain _Baal_, as _Jupiter_ in after Times had the like Additions; as _Jupiter Ammon_, _Jupiter Capitolinus_, _Jupiter Pistor_, _Jupiter Feretrius_, and about ten or twelve _Jupiters_ more.

I must acknowledge, that I think it was a Master-piece of h.e.l.l to bring the World to Idolatry so soon after they had had such an eminent Example of the infinite Power of the true G.o.d, as was seen in the Deluge, and particularly in the Escape of _Noah_ in the Ark, to bring them (even before _Noah_ or his Sons were dead) to forget whose Hand it was, and give the Homage of the World to a Name, and that a Name of a mortal Man dead and rotten, who was famous for nothing when he was alive but Blood and War; I say, to bring the World to set up this Nothing, this meer Name, nay the very Image and Picture of him for _a G.o.d_, it was _first_ a Mark of most prodigious Stupidity in the whole Race of Men, a monstrous Degeneracy from Nature, and even from common Sense; and in the next Place 'twas a token of an inexpressible Craft and Subtilty in the _Devil_, who had now gotten the People into so full and compleat a Management, that in short, he could have brought them, by the same Rule, to have worship'd any thing; and in a little while more, did bring many of them to worship himself, _plain Devil as he was_, and knowing him to be such.

As to the Antiquity of this horrible Defection of Mankind, tho' we do not find the beginning of it particularly recorded, yet we are certain it was not long after the Confusion of _Babel_; for _Nimrod_, as is said, was no more than _Noah_'s great Grandson and _Noah_ himself, I suppose, might be alive some Years after _Nimrod_ was born; and as _Nimrod_ was not long dead, before they forgot that he was a Tyrant and a Murtherer, and made a _Baal_, that is a Lord or Idol of him, I say, he was not long dead, for _Nimrod_ was born in the Year of the World 1847, and built _Babylon_ the Year 1879; and we find _Terah_ the Father of _Abraham_, who liv'd from the Year 1879 was an Idolater, as was doubtless _Bethuel_, who was _Terah_'s Grandson; for we find _Laban_, who was _Bethuel_'s Son, was so, and all this was during the Life of the first Post-Diluvian Family, for _Terah_ was born within one hundred ninety three Years after the Flood, and one hundred fifty seven Years before _Noah_ was dead; and even _Abram_ himself was eight and fifty Years old before _Noah_ died, and yet Idolatry had been then, in all probability, above an hundred Years practised in the World.

N. B. It is worth Remark here, what a terrible Advantage the Devil gain'd by the debauching poor _Noah_, and drawing him into the Sin of Drunkenness; for by this, as I said, he silenc'd and stop'd the Mouth of the great Preacher of Righteousness, that Father and Patriarch of the whole World, who not being able for the Shame of his own foul Miscarriage, to pretend to instruct or reprove the World any more, the _Devil_ took hold of them immediately, and for want of a Prophet to warn and admonish, ran that little of Religion which there might be left in _Shem_ and _j.a.phet_, quite out of the World, and delug'd them all in IDOLATRY.

How long the whole World may be said to be thus overwhelm'd in Ignorance and Idolatry, we may make some tolerable guess at by the History of _Abraham_; for it was not till G.o.d call'd him from his Father's House, that any such Thing as a Church was establish'd in the World; nor even then, except in his own Family and Successors for almost four hundred Years after that Call; and till G.o.d brought the _Israelites_ back out of _Egypt_, the whole World may be said to be involv'd in Idolatry and _Devil_ worship.

So absolute a Conquest had the _Devil_ made over Mankind immediately after the Flood, and all taking its Rise and Beginning at the fatal Defeat of _Noah_, who had he liv'd untainted and invulnerable, as he had done for six hundred Years before, would have gone a great way to have stem'd the Torrent of Wickedness which broke in upon Mankind; and therefore the _Devil_, I say, was very cunning and very much in the Right of it, take him as he is a meer _Devil_, to attack _Noah_ personally, and give him a Blow so soon.

It is true, the _Devil_ did not immediately raze out the Notion of Religion and of a G.o.d from the Minds of Men, nor could he easily suppress the Principle of Worship and Homage to be paid to a Sovereign Being, the Author of Nature and Guide of the World; the _Devil_ saw this clearly in the first Ages of the new World, and therefore, as I have said, he proceeded politically and by Degrees: That it was so, is evident from the Story of _Job_ and his three Friends, who, if we may take it for a History, not a Fable, and may judge of the Time of it by the Length of _Job_'s Life, and by the Family of _Eliphaz_ the _Temanite_, who it is manifest was at least Grandson or Great Grandson to _Esau Isaac_'s eldest Son, and by the Language of _Abimilech_ King of _Gerar_ to _Abraham_, and of _Laban_ to _Jacob_, both the Latter being at the same Time Idolaters; I say, if we may judge of it by all these, there were still very sound Notions of Religion in the Minds of Men; nor could Satan with all his Cunning and Policy deface those _Ideas_, and root them out of the Minds of the People.

And this put him upon taking new Measures to keep up his Interest and preserve the Hold he got upon Mankind; and his Method was like himself, subtle and politick to the last Degree, as his whole History makes appear; for seeing he found they could not but believe the Being of a G.o.d, and that they would needs worship something, it is evident, he had no Game left him to play but this, namely, to set up wrong Notions of Worship, and bring them to a false Worship instead of a True, supposing the Object worship'd to be still the same.

To finish this Stratagem, he first insinuates that the true G.o.d was a terrible, a dreadful, unapproachable Being; that to see him was so frightful, that it would be present Death; that to worship him immediately, was a Presumption which would provoke his Wrath; and that as he was a _consuming Fire_ in himself, so he would burn up those in his Anger that dar'd to offer up any Sacrifice to him, but by the Interposition of some Medium which might receive their Adorations in his Name.