Page:History of the Devil, ancient and modern (2).pdf/13

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the ſucceſſion of blood in the royal original line
of Adam, brought down as low as Noah and his
three ſons, for it continued a ſeries of 1450 years,
ſay ſome, 1640, ſay others; in which time, ſin
ſpread itſelf ſo generally through the whole race;
and the ſons of God, ſo the ſcripture calls the
men of the righteous ſeed, the progeny of Seth
came in unto the daughters of men, that is, join-
ed themſelves to the curſed race of Cain, and
married promiſcuouſly with them according to
their fancies—the women it ſeems being beauti-
ful and tempting; and though the Devil could
not make the women handſome or ugly in one or
other family, or either ſide, ſo as to make both
the men and women tempting and agreeable to
one another, where they ought not to have been
ſo; and perhaps as it is often ſeen to this day,
the more tempting for being under a legal re-
ſtraint, Thus having completely debauched them
the whole 1500 years, he led them to ſcorn and
contemn, Noah, and treats him as a fantaſtic reli-
gious fool for building the ſhip in which he and
the flock on board were to ſkip over hills and
dance over plains: but ſoon were they left in
the Devil's lurch; and he no doubt amazed and
nonpluſſed to gueſs what would enſue from this
inundation.
No ſooner did the Devil ſee the ark reſting
on Mount Araret, and Noah and his family and
every living creature deſcend from it; and know-
ing all his infernal work was to begin, that he
might again ſtrike at the root inſtantly com-
mences with Noah, who had been a very great
preacher; and by means of his witched child
Canaan gets him drunk, and ſo ſtopt his mouth;
for we never hear of him after, though he lived
a long time.