[6] And Seth lived an hundred
and five years, and begat Enos: [7] And Seth lived after he begat
Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: [8]
And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
[9] And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: [10] And
Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat
sons and daughters: [11] And all the days of Enos were nine hundred
and five years: and he died. [12] And Cainan lived seventy years,
and begat Mahalaleel: [13] And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel
eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: [14]
And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
[15] And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
[16] And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and
thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: [17] And all the days
of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. [18]
And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: [19]
And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons
and daughters: [20] And all the days of Jared were nine hundred
sixty and two years: and he died. [21] And Enoch lived sixty and
five years, and begat Methuselah:
We have here all that the Holy Ghost thought fit to leave
upon record concerning five of the patriarchs before the flood, Seth, Enos,
Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared. There is nothing observable concerning any
of those particularly, tho' we have reason to think they were men of eminency,
both for prudence and piety: But in general, observe how largely and expressly
their generations are recorded. We are told how long they lived that lived
in God's fear, and when they died, that died in his favour; but as for
others it is no matter: the memory of the just is blessed, but the name
of the wicked shall rot. That which is especially observable, is, that
they all lived very long; not one of them died 'till he had seen the revolution
of almost eight hundred years, and some of them much longer; a great while
for an immortal soul to be imprisoned in an house of clay. The present
life surely was not to them such a burden as commonly it is now, else they
would have been weary of it; nor was the future life so clearly revealed
then, as it is now under the gospel, else they would have been impatient
to remove it. Some natural causes may be assigned for their long life in
those first ages. It is very probable that the earth was more fruitful,
the products of it more strengthening, the air more healthful, and the
influences of the heavenly bodies more benign before the flood than they
were after. Though man was driven out of paradise, yet the earth itself
was then paradisaical; a garden in comparison with its present state: and
some think, that their knowledge of the creatures and their usefulness
both, for their food and medicine, together with their sobriety and temperance,
contributed much to it; yet we do not find that those who were intemperate,
as many were, 17:27, as short - lived as temperate men generally are now.
It must therefore chiefly be resolved into the power and providence of
God; he prolonged their lives, both for the more speedy replenishing of
the earth, and for the more effectual preservation of the knowledge of
God and religion, then when there was no written word, but tradition was
the channel of its conveyance. All the patriarchs here (except Noah) were
born before Adam died, so that from him they might receive a full account
of the creation, paradise, the fall, the promise, and those divine precepts
which concerned religious worship and a religious life: and if any mistake
arose, they might have recourse to him while he lived, as to an oracle,
for the rectifying of it, and after his death to Methuselah, and others
that had conversed with him; so great was the care of Almighty God to preserve
in his church the knowledge of his will, and the purity of his worship.
|