First, just Noe coming forth of the ark with his family, professed his religious mind to One God Almighty, supreme Lord of all [Gen. 8], by Offering external, voluntary, speedy, pure, solemn, and bountiful Sacrifice of Holocausts, as a Priest, upon an Altar. [Gen. 9.] After which most grateful office, God making a covenant with him and his seed never again to destroy the world by water, confirmed the same by the sign of the rain-bow, which represented the second Person of the B. Trinity, the Son of God, Christ our Lord, to be born The Son of man, and extended upon the Cross: In whom Noe believing was instituted heir of the justice, which is by faith in our Redeemer. [Heb. 11.]

We have here again God’s operative blessing [Gen. 9], with the effect of increase and multiplication, the issue of Noe by his three sons, in short time making many Nations. [c. 9 v. 25.] By the way also we have an example of Fathers’ solemn Blessing and Cursing their children. The effects whereof succeeded afterwards accordingly. Likewise in this Age was given a particular precept Not to eat blood. [c. 9 v. 4.] And Noe observed distinction of Clean beasts, offering Sacrifice in them only [c. 9 v. 20], as before the flood he was commanded to take more of them into the ark than of the Unclean.

In that so ample mention is made of sin and wickedness [c. 10, 10], there is no doubt but Noe, the Preacher of justice [c. 11], admonished and exhorted sinners to Repentance [2 Pet. 2]: yea he Punished Cham and Chanaan, by his curse in their posterity. And God himself Threatened to exact the blood of man unjustly shed. [c. 9, 5.] In the mean time Inflicted also some punishment upon the builders of Babel [c. 11], by confounding their tongues. And that by the Ministry of Angels.

Which punishment in part, and threats of more, import a General Resurrection, and Judgement, where all things shall be exactly discussed and judged. And then will follow Eternal life to the good, and Everlasting pain to the damned.

All these points of Religion (and others mentioned in the former Age, and no doubt taught by Noe and his sons) show clearly a Visible Church, consisting of good and bad. Noe remaining the same man as before the flood, Sem and Japheth are commended and blessed for well doing [Cap. 8. & 9.]; Cham blamed, and cursed in his posterity: yet neither he nor any of his sons or daughters fell into heresy or other infidelity, for any thing that appeareth in Scripture, or other authentical testimony. Heber also and his family are particularly commended by Moyses, as the right followers and the spiritual children of Sem (who had innumerable other carnal children) as those that were innocent touching the presumptuous building of others, who for the same fault lost their old tongue, which the family of Heber kept: As S. Chrisostom and S. Augustine do prove. [Ho. 30. in Gen. l. 16. c. n. 1. & l. 18. c. 39. civit. L. 5. c. 35.] Again, divers of this family falling afterwards by little and little to other nations, the Family of Thare, saith the same S. Augustine (li. 16. c. 12.) albeit not all, or not always, yet ever some of them, and Abraham continually, with Sem, Heber, Phaleg, and many others not mentioned by Moyses in his brief description (as S. Gregory doubteth not to suppose [Moral. in 3. Job.]) were just, and kept the true faith and undefiled Religion.

But Nemrod Cham’s nephew, and son of Chus, described for a valiant hunter, a violent giant, and tyrant [Joseph. l. 1. c. 4. Antiq.], was an Archheretic, a diviser and teacher of false doctrine against God and true faith. By subtlety and tyranny he induced many of liking or of fear to follow him, and so in schism he maintained heresy: That men were not beholding to God, but to themselves for temporal prosperity.

Whereof began a new and cruel confederacy against the City of God, and the second great Sect of Infidels. For Barbarism being the first, begun by Cain and ended by the flood: The second mother of all Sects beginning after the flood (as S. Epiphanius writeth [L. de heresibus.]) was Scythism: so called of the Scythians, a most cruel people. Who according to Nemrod’s heresy (not thinking themselves beholding to God for temporal happiness, but to their own forces) tyrannized over the weaker, and many wicked banning together extremely oppressed the more peaceable, especially the Church and true servants of God. And this was one special cause of building Babylon, besides their ambitious desire of perpetual fame, and their bearing the simple in hand of a defence against a new flood, to make it indeed a strong hold for tyrants to offend others, and to defend themselves. Wherefore God (who before destroyed all Infidels by the flood) confounded these builders by dividing their tongues, and so forced them to break and part into many countries.

Thus mankind being divided upon the earth, opinions also were multiplied concerning Religion. For shortly the persuasion of men’s trusting in themselves, and in other mortal men appeared absurd, even the strongest feeling adversities, or failing sometimes of their purposes, saw there was need of supernal help, and that earthly things depended much upon divine will and power. But having forsaken God Almighty, the only maker and conserver of all, they began to imagine and serve false Gods, both famous dead men, which had prospered in this world, and divers other things, by which they received commodity or feared damage.

Hence therefore rose the third principal Sect called Graecism, beginning also in this second Age, as the same S. Epiphanius writeth. For Ninus the first King of the Assirian great Monarchy, brought to pass that his father Belus Jupiter was esteemed and worshipped for the only great God by the Assirians. To him the Babylonians erected first Temples, Altars, and Statues. Nemrod also by the name of Saturnus, as the progenitor of Belus, and first great King or Tyrant of Babylon, was accounted a God, and the father of Gods. [Satur Deorum.] About this time likewise began the Dynasty among the Aegyptians, and not sooner, as they vainly brag to have been before the flood, yea much longer than indeed the world hath been. Moreover the Chaldees worshipped the fire. Others the sun, the moon, and innumerable other feigned Gods. Against all which (and likewise against all heresies) are two special arguments. First, that they were not from the beginning, as the true God, and all truths are known and received by continual Tradition, but brought in afterwards by men, and commonly by ill men. Secondly, they are not accepted and esteemed for Gods or truths in all places, but with great diversity and dissention, one sort allowing that others despise, as holy Athanasius notably writeth in his oration against Idols in these words: Quot sunt gentes totidem Deorum genera confinguntur &c. How many nations (saith he) so many kinds of Gods are feigned. Also the same country, the same city dissenteth within itself in superstition of Idols. The Phenicians certes acknowledge not the Aegyptians’ Gods, neither do the Aegyptians adore the same Idols with the Phenicians. Nor the Scitians receive the Gods of the Persians, nor the Persians of the Scithians. The Pelasgies refuse the Thrasian Gods, the Thrasians know not the Thebians. The Indians are against the Arabians, the Arabians against the Aethiopians: and in like sort the Aethiopians differ in their religious affairs from the Arabians. The Syrians worship not the Gods of the Cilicians, and the nations of Capadocia besides all these have Gods of other names. The Bithinians also feigned divers Gods, the Armenians again divers from them. What need we many words? Those that are in the continent honour other Gods from the Island-people. In brief, each city and each village not knowing the Gods of their neighbours, setteth forth their own, and esteemeth them only in place of Gods. Thus far S. Athanasius. Name we like countries, provinces, cities, and towns in these parts of Europe, where Luther’s scholars have set their feet, consider the form of Religion and opinions which they hold, and we shall see as unorderly beginnings, and as horrible dissentions in heresies (which S. Hierom calleth the Idols of the New Testament [in c. 11. Osee.]) as the ancient fathers have descried in Paganism. For Lutherans or Protestants having no lawful generation, but proceeding of bastards’ race, upstarts of unknown progeny, are no less at discord among themselves, only all agreeing against Catholics, like syncretisants against their common enemies, or Herod, Pilate, and the Jews against Christ. And in England alone are divers Sects without possible means to agree in one. For albeit the civil state endeavoureth prudently and seriously to bring all to uniformity, at least in public show, yet they are but like many faces under one hood, every sort keeping their own opinions; yea almost every Preacher and mean scholar (to say nothing of artificers and common Ministers) arrogating to be his own Judge, contemneth to stand to Luther or Calvin, to Geneva or Parliament, to Convocation or Synod of their own, but to his own only understanding and interpretation of holy Scripture. Nor yet to that always; for when he is pressed with that he once said, he will forget it, or eat his own word, if he have not written it, or that you have ready witness against him, so hard it is to make a deceived Protestant or Puritan confess that he is convinced, except by very pregnant means you can first cast out of him, or bind fast the spirit of presumption, dissention, and contention: whereas the simplest Catholic in the world hath the self-same faith in all points with the whole Church, in which he remaineth, and upon whose judgement he dependeth.

To return therefore from whence we are not unnecessarily digressed, we conclude with S. Augustine [li. 16. c. 10. civit.]: When Moyses had showed the beginning and progress of Nemrod’s earthly city, leaving it in Babylon, that is confusion, as needless to prosecute it further, he returneth to declare the perpetual succession of the City of God, the Church, as before the flood from Adam to Noe, by the line of Seth, so after the flood from the same Noe, by the line of Sem, Arphaxad, Sale, Heber, Phaleg, Reu, Sarug, Nachor, Thare, and Abraham. The rest of Sem’s children, and all the progenies of Japheth and Cham, as not pertaining to this purpose, omitted, so connecting those in order of generations, by whom the succession is directly brought to Abraham, Prince of the elected people, a most special Patriarch, to whom new and great promises are made of multiplication of his seed, and possession of the land of Chanaan, but especially of Christ our Redeemer, and the same many ways confirmed, as will appear in the next Age.