no such Mischief, was
conquer'd and murther'd; after which, as is to be supposed, the
exasperated Crew of _Cain_'s outrageous Race, over-run all his Family
and Houshold, killing Man, Woman and Child.

It is objected here that we have no Authority in Scripture to prove this
Part of the Story; but I answer, 'tis not likely but that _Abel_, as
well as _Cain_, being at Man's Estate long before this, had several
Children by their own Sisters, for they were the only Men in the World
who were allow'd the Marrying their own Sisters, there being no other
Women then in the World; and as we never read of any of _Abel_'s
Posterity, 'tis likewise as probable they were all murther'd, as that
they should kill _Abel_ only, whose Sons might immediately fall upon
_Cain_ for the Blood of their Father, and so the World have been
involv'd in a Civil War as soon as there were two Families in it.

But be it so or not, 'tis not doubted the Devil wrought with _Cain_ in
the horrid Murther, or he had never done it; whether it was directly or
by Agents is not material, nor is the Latter unlikely; and if the
Latter, then there is no Improbability in the Story, for why might not
he that made Use of the Serpent to tempt _Eve_, be as well supposed to
make a Tool of some of _Cain_'s Sons or Grandsons to prompt him in the
wicked Attempt of murthering his Brother? and why must we be oblig'd to
bring in a Miracle or an Apparition into the Story, to make it probable
that the _Devil_ had any Hand in it, when 'twas so natural to a
degenerate Race to act in such a Manner?

However it was, and by whatever Tool the _Devil_ wrought, 'tis certain
that this was the Consequence, poor _Abel_ was butcher'd, and thus the
_Devil_ made a second Conquest in God's Creation; for _Adam_ was now, as
may be said, really Childless, for his two Sons were thus far lost,
_Abel_ was killed, and _Cain_ was curst and driven out from the Presence
of the Lord, and his Race blasted with him.

It would be a useful enquiry here, and worthy our giving an Account of,
could we come to a Certainty in it, namely, what was the Mark that God
set upon _Cain_, by which he was kept from being fallen upon by _Abel_'s
Friends or Relations? but as this does not belong to the _Devil_'s
History, and it was God's Mark, not the _Devil_'s, I have nothing to do
with it here.

The _Devil_ had now gain'd his Point, the Kingdom of Grace, so newly
erected, had been as it were extinct without a new Creati