But the Devil play’d his Game sure, he set his two Daughters to work, and as the Devil’s Instruments seldom fail, so he secur’d his by that hellish Stratagem of deluding the Daughters, to think all the World was consum’d but they two and their Father: To be sure the old Man could not suspect that his Daughters Design was so wicked as indeed it was, or that they intended to debauch him with Wine, and make him drink till he knew not what he did.
Now the Devil having carried his Game here, gain’d a great Point; for as there were but two religious Families in the World before, from whence a twofold Generation might be supposed to rise religious and righteous like their Parents, (viz.) that of Abraham and this of Lot; this Crime ruin’d the Hopes of one of them; it could no more be said that just Lot was in Being, who vex’d his righteous Soul from Day to Day with the wicked Behaviour of the People of Sodom; righteous Lot was degenerated into drunken incestuous Lot, Lot fallen from what he was, to be a wicked and unrighteous Man; no pattern of Virtue, no Reprover of the Age, but a poor fallen Degenerate Patriarch, who could now no more reprove or exhort, but look down and be asham’d, and nothing to do but to repent; and see the poor mean Excuses of all the three.
Eve says, The Serpent beguil’d me, and I did eat.
Noah says, —— My Grandson beguil’d me, or the Wine beguil’d me, and I did drink.
Lot says, My Daughters beguil’d me, and I also did drink.
It is observable, that as I said above, Noah was silenc’d, and his Preaching at an End, after that one Action, so the like may be said of Lot; and in short, you never hear one Word more of either of them after it; as for Mankind, both were useless to them, and as to themselves, we never read of any of their Repentance, nor have we much Reason to believe they did repent.
From this Attack of the Devil upon Lot, we hear no more of the Devil being so busily employ’d as he had been before in the World; he had indeed but little to do, for all the rest of the World was his own, lull’d asleep under the Witchcraft of Idolatry, and are so still.
But it could not be long that the Devil lay idle; as soon as God call’d himself a People, the Devil could not be at Rest; till he attack’d them.
‘Wherever God sets up a House of Prayer,
‘The Devil always builds a Chapel there.
Abraham indeed went off the Stage free, and so did Isaac too, they were a Kind of first Rate Saints; we do not so much as read of any failing they had, or of any Thing the Devil had ever the Face to offer to them; no, or with Jacob either, if you will excuse him for beguiling his Brother Esau, of both his Birthright and his Blessing, but he was busy enough with all his Children; for Example,