e 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.

_Satan_ no doubt too had a Hand in this Wickedness; for as it was his
Business to prompt Men to do every Thing which God had prohibited, so
the Reason given why the Men of those Days did this Thing was, they saw
the Daughters of Men, that is of the wicked Race or forbidden Sort,
_were fair_, he tempted them by the Lust of the Eye; in a word, the
Ladies were beautiful and agreeable, and the _Devil_ knew how to make
use of the Allurement; the Men liked and took them by the meer Direction
of their Fancy and Appetite, without regarding the supreme Prohibition;
_They took them Wives of all which they chose_, or such as they lik'd to
choose.

But the Text adds, that this promiscuous Generation went farther than
the meer outward Crime of it, for it shew'd that the Wickedness of the
Heart of Man was great before God, and that he resented it; In short,
God perceived a Degeneracy or Defect of Virtue had seiz'd upon the whole
Race, that there was a general Corruption of Manners, a Depravity of
Nature upon them, that even the holy Seed was tainted with it, that the
Devil had broken in upon them, and prevail'd to a great Degree; that not
only the Practice of the Age was corrupt, for that God could easily have
restrain'd, but that the very Heart of Man was debauch'd, his Desires
wholly vitiated, and his Senses engag'd in it; so that in a Wo