The History of the Devil, As Well Ancient as Modern: In Two PartsDefoe, Daniel
Philosophy
The History of the Devil, As Well Ancient as Modern: In Two Parts
Defoe, Daniel
Devil -- Early works to 1800
But after the Murther of _Abel_, _Adam_ had another Son born, namely,
_Seth_, the Father of _Enos_, and indeed the Father of the holy Race;
for during his Time and his Son _Enos_, the Text says that Men began to
call on the Name of the Lord; that is to say, they began to look back
upon _Cain_ and his wicked Race, and being convinc'd of the Wickedness
they had committed, and led their whole Posterity into, they began to
sue to Heaven for Pardon of what was past, and to lead a new sort of
Life.
But the _Devil_ had met with too much Success in his first Attempts, not
to go on with his general Resolution of debauching the Minds of Men, and
bringing them off from God; and therefore as he kept his Hold upon
_Cain_'s cursed Race, embroil'd already in Blood and Murther; so he
proceeded with his degenerate Offspring, till in a Word he brought both
the holy Seed and the degenerate Race to joyn in one universal Consent
of Crime, and to go on in it with such aggravating Circumstances, as
that it repented the Lord that he had made Man, and he resolv'd to
overwhelm them again with a general Destruction, and clear the World of
them.
The Succession of Blood in the royal original Line of _Adam_, is
preserv'd in the sacred Histories and brought down as low as _Noah_ and
his three Sons, for a continu'd series of 1450 Years, say some, 1640
say others; in which Time Sin spread it self so generally thro' 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'd themselves to the curs'd Race of _Cain_, and
married promiscuously with them, according to their Fancies, the Women
it seems being beautiful and tempting; and tho' the Devil could not make
the Women handsome or ugly in one or other Families, yet he might work
up the Gust of wicked Inclination on 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 legal Restraint.
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; and it is true, that literally it is not forbid; but if we
did not search rather to make doubts than to explain them, we might
suppose it was forbidden by some particular Command at that Time; seeing
we may reasonably allow every Thing to be forbidden, which they are
tax'd with a Crime in committing; and as the Sons of God taking them
Wives as they thought fit to choose, tho' from among the Daughters of
the cursed Race, is there charg'd upon them as a general Depravation,
and a great Crime; and for which, 'tis said, GOD even repented that he
had made them, we need go no farther to satisfy our selves that it was
certainly forbidden.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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