rent of Infidelity; and there was nothing then for them to gain any Expectations from by Fraud and Deceit, as there had been, while Honefty and Religion kept any Ground; for, when there were none left to be thus overcome, then must open Force and Violence be employ'd against each other, to effect the Ends of their contrived Schemes, with the most premeditated Rage and implacable Malice and Fury.

And thus was Wickednefs then grown to that contagious Infection, that there being none innocent to be over-reached by hypocritical Cants, every one's Design against another must be carried on, and fucceed according as their fecret Stratagems were more or less artfully contrived, or as by their Power and. Strength they should be able to overcome each other.

So that Confufion muft neceffarily attend fuch hellish Disorder and ungovernable Anarchy, and where the whole Earth's Inhabitants, except fome few, were concern'd in it, then muft the Earth be filled with Violence, and. bring upon itself a most shocking Destruction, if their original Superintendant, whofe tender Mercies are conftantly over all his Works, had not by a timely Deftruction of them all together, prevented their deftroying of one another; and, by fuch a Deftruction from their Maker, it might bring Multitudes of them to a confused Repentance, which would be better than to have died in Rage and Malice by,,

and

and with one another; fince this must have been more fatal to them in a future State, than the Imprisonments of their Spirits in an hopelefs State of Redemption, till the Preaching of Chrift to their Spirits in Prifon, after he had died for the Redemption of the World; of which in the next Chapter.:

CHAP. VII.

Of Chrift's Preaching to the Spirits in Prifon, I Pet. Chap. iii. Ver. 18, 19, & 20.

OR Chrift alfo hath once fuffered for

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Sins, the Juft for the Unjuft (that he "might bring us to God) being put to Death " in the Flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.By which alfo he went and preached unto "the Spirits in Prifon. Which fometime were difobedient, when once the Long-fuffering of God waited in the Days of Noah, "while the Ark was preparing, wherein a "few, that is, eight Souls, were faved by "Water."

§. 1. In all the Difpenfations of Providence, and God's Inflictions of Punishments upon his Creatures, or in his neceffary Corrections of them for vicious Practices, he never cou'd have any Views to please and gratify himself by his inflicting fuch Corrections or Punishments; nor can there flow any Satisfaction or Pleasure to him by the Exercife of his divine Power, and

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and abfolute and uncontroulable Authority, in the neceffary Corrections or Punishments which he inflicts upon them.

§. 2. If then the Good of thofe, upon

whom Corrections or Punishments are inflicted, was not the fole Aim and End of God's Purpose in the difpenfing of them, they wou'd not be at any time inflicted, either in a natural or fupernatural Way.

But as Man has involved himself and Pofterity in manifold Inconveniencies and Vanities, by his Relapfe from his original Purity, fo the Oeconomy and Harmony of the pri mitive State of the Creation is thereby become difordered, and the firft sweet Streams of the Current of Nature are quite reverfed, and turned to troublesome Waves to tofs us about, till they fhall at last weary us of our inchanting Chains, that wou'd invite us rather to continue in our Shackles than to feek for Liberty.

§. 3. So that it became abfolutely neceffary for Mankind to be fubjected by that contrary Current in Nature, and that fuch Evils fhou'd be confequent upon fuch Vices as their natural Result.

Thus Vice does naturally carry with it an inherent Diffatisfaction upon the Mind of its Practicers, in Oppofition to its inchanting Charms, to draw back and diffuade the Practicers of it from its Allurements, fince it always entails a Punishment adequate to its Degree of Heinoufnefs, as a natural Effect from

an

an efficient Caufe; and this, in common Affairs, always attends the prefent reverted Current from the firft concordant Streams of uncorrupted Nature.

§. 4. So when extraordinary Punishments, which attend or come upon extraordinary Wickedneffes, whether the Punishments proceed from a fecondary, or fupernatural Power and Authority, they are always fo ordered or fent, that they either tend to reclaim the Punished, or are for Warnings to others to shun their vile Practices, and fo to escape their Punishments, or for both.

For God is both good and merciful in all his Difpenfations with his Creatures; and it is juft to be fo; and that it is, and ever was fo with God, will at last be made appear to the whole univerfal Creation of them.

And which all reafonable Men may at prefent be convinced of, înce his Love has been fo infinitely extended to his Creatures, that when Man had involved himself in a Guilt, from which it was impoffible for him to have been redeemed by any Corrections or Punishments, that his Guilt had naturally involved him in; yet God, even then, did not leave him in that State of Mifery, which the Effects of his Difobedience had expofed him to, but fent his only Son into the World to take Man's Nature upon him, and in an human Body to perfect that Obedience, that was at firft required of Man, and after a Life of Holiness, Mercy, Juftice, and Goodness,

refer you, fince it wou'd here be an unneceffary Repetition; only I fhall once more obferve, that the Promife of Chrift was continued in Noah, who, as the Toil and Labour of their Hands fhou'd be shorten'd after the Flood, by fhortening the Lives of his future Race, fo by the Promise of this Redeemer, who was to come of Noah's future Race, there is alfo included in it a Promise of a Bleffedness to those that die in the Lord, and a Reft from their Labours, &c.

§. 7. Thus we find, as before obferv'd from former Paffages, that Religion and Virtue were continued by Lamech and his (this) Son Noah, as it had been by the former Succeffion in that Line: But it is reasonable to doubt, from the Accounts of the otherwise univerfal Degeneracy, that fo foon after overfpread the Antediluvian World, that the reft of their Sons and Families became corrupted by the bold and daring Infidelity of the rest of Mankind, and that there were very few who distinguished themselves from running into that common Current; but those who did preferve themselves therefrom, muft the more deferve the most distinguishing and valuable Characters to all the future Generations of the Poftdiluvian World, and alfo then their exemplary and extraordinary Conduct drew down upon them the most indulgent Favours and Bleffings, which are always particularly referv'd for the Righteous, when the Wicked,

who