A Complete and Compendious Church History, Chapter 3
The Third Plot againſt the Church, in SETH, Defeated by GOD.
CHAP. III.
WHen Satan ſaw his 2d. Plot Defeated, and Laugh'd to Nothing by the Lord, that Seth muſt Live and have many Children, (though Abel was Dead, and that Childleſs) Gen. 5. 7. Numb. 24. 17. And the Church not onelyonly Maintained but Advanced by them. This Reſtleſs Adverſary Projects a 3d. Plot: that is, To Corrupt the White Line, (the Poſterity of Seth,) and to make them as Black as thoſe of the black Line, the Curſed brood of Cain.
That the latter Line was very Obnoxious and Injurious to the former all along, may eaſily be believed, though the Scripture doth not expreſs it: even until they were all ſwept away with the Flood, Job 22. 16, 17. However this is Expreſt, That the Devils deſign was now to Debauch thoſe bold Profeſſors; (who had ſo openly oppoſed his Kingdom) and this he promotes and purſues by ſetting the Fair Faces of the Daughters of Men (Cain's Brood) before the Eyes of the Sons of God, the off-ſpring of Seth, Gen. 6. 2. This, by the Tempters Inſtigation drawing out Mans Corruption, Corrupted the very Church it ſelf: The Sons of God, (Deut. 14. 1.) or Members of the Church, looks, loves, and Luſts after the Daughters of Men, that were out of the Church, Their Eyes became Burning-Glaſſes to ſe… their Hearts on Fire, even Loop-holes of Luſt, and Windows of all Wickedneſs, the Luſt of the Eyes uſher'd in the Luſt of the Fleſh and the Pride of Life, 1 Joh. 2. 16. Profeſſors then began to be proſligate with the Prophane, and made Prophane Marriages with them, as prophane Eſau did, Gen. 26. 34, 35. and 28. 8, 9. contrary to God's Law, Deut. 7. 3, 4. They took them Wives, of all which they choſe: that is, Such as their wanton Eyes and Wild Affections liked and loved, without either Gods Licenſe, or their Godly Parents leave: [Cù… multùm Caepiſſent Generare, Multùm Caepiſſen… Degenerare.] When the Two Seeds mingled multiply'd, and began to Generate much, they began to Degenerate much: Their Marrying by the Eye, more than by the Ear, (thinking a fair Face enough, though covering never ſo foul a Soul, without either Holy Grace, or an Honeſt-Race) made them as Carnal as the Off-ſpring of Cain: Hence ſprang the Gyants call'd Nephilims, that is, Faln Ones, (as the Hebrew Word ſignifies) for they were faln from God, as they had faln on Men, and made Men (by force and fear) to fall before them: They fall into Lamechs ſin of Poligamy, and muſt have more Wives than one; [Item pollices Quot & Quas Volebant,] and as many Whores as they pleaſed: Hence all the World was overſpread with Cruelty and Corruption, even a World of ungodly Men, 2 Pet. 2. 5. Hereupon God ſaith, Gen. 6. 3. I'le Conſult no more with my Mercy for ſparing them, I am Reſolved with my Juſtice to Ruine them: Satan had Conſulted to Deſtroy, (and his Conſult had an Happy (or rather Unhappy) Hit here.) 'Tis ſad when God will not (at ſuch a time) Conſult to Deliver:
The World was now become ſo Fowl with Sin, that there was no Remedy but to Waſh it clean with a Flood, the whole Earth (plainly) ſtank before God, v. 11, 12. and he Sweetens it with a dowſing Deluge: This Reſolve to Ruine the World, (to wit) both the Seeds, of Seth, as well as of Cain) muſt needs make the Devil Laugh to ſee his Deſign ſo ſeemingly ſucceſsful; notwithſtanding all this, The Lord laughs this Project to nothing: God ſtill conſults to Save, as well as to Deſtroy; Though the World ſhall be Drown'd, yet the Church ſhall not be ſo, according to the Devils Deſign: for unto Noah God graciouſly gives a Promiſe of Preſervation, and the Platform of an Ark, wherein he and his ſhould be Preſerved, Gen. 6. 8, 14. Yea, and for the Churches future Suſtenance and Accomodation, Two of every ſort of Creatures ſhall be preſerved alſo, Gen. 6. 20. And ah how Sequacious were they all to God their Centurion, they All come at his Call; and even Beaſts of Prey were ſo cicurated and Tamed for this Time, that they all Liv'd together and Dyeted together, (the Lyon with the Lamb, Iſa. 11. 6.) without any diſſention: Yea, the Antipathy and Enmity 'twixt the Serpent and the Woman, was here Reſtrained: By Faith Noah prepares the Ark, Heb. 11. 7. and every ſtroke upon it was a Real Sermon to Fore-warn the Old World, that they flee from the Wrath to come: And ſo this Preacher of Righteouſneſs Preached without Preaching; In the midſt of Wrath, (reſolv'd on) God remembred Mercy, Habb. 3. 2. Thoſe Corrupters of the Earth, and of their Ways had 120 Y. given them, wherein to be Reclaim'd by this Preacher of Right: but they had the Space (not the Grace) of Repentance, and they Jeered where they ſhould have Feared; looking upon Noah's Work (of Preparing an Ark) onelyonly as a Work of Dotage: as if he had Dreamed, not ſo much of a Dry Summer, as of a Wet Winter. This long-Suffering of God is Admir'd and Ador'd, 1 Pet. 3. 18, 19, 20. All the Devils Vaſſals were Drown'd, (Yea, and Burn'd too,) (So Deep is the Stain of Sin, it Requires Fire as well as Water to fetch it out.) For they are call'd, The Spirits, once in Pleaſure, now in Priſon, and in pain of Everlaſting Burnings; but Noah, Gods Servant, was Saved, who in the Spirit of Chriſt ſtrove long with them for their Salvation, to whom he was but a little Beholden for his own, in this Reſpect eſpecially. The Door into his Ark muſt be in the ſide of the loweſt Story, and ſo it was under Water a whole Year, all the time of the Flood; and it muſt be a prodigiouſly great Door for ſo vaſt and Bulky a Body as an Elephant to enter; Noah within cannot ſhut it, 'tis too heavy for him: This Jeering Generation without would not; they ought him no ſuch Service. Now rather than the Church ſhould be drown'd, either by an Open, or a not well-ſhut Door, the moſt High God ſtoops to that low Office of Shutting the Door after Noah: That which God does, is well done, therefore it Leaked not for ſo long a time; and he that Vouchſaf'd to be Noah's Turnkey, condeſcends to be his Pilot too for a long and dangerous Voyage, whereby the Ship (or Church) Swam ſafe to ſhore: the Ark arrives at Arrarat its place of Reſt, Gen. 7. 16. and 8. 4.