favoured with the light of his countenance, then whether we have a home, or wander abroad, whether we live or die, we fear no harm, we are safe for evermore. "And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." This was a token for Cain's own assurance, as well as a mark for the direction of others. And it was unto Cain himself that the Lord said, "Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." It is to be hoped therefore that this our guilty brother had manifested some signs of repentance. And we may probably interpret the grief he felt at being shut out from the presence of the Lord, as a proof that he was in some sort penitent. And shall not we also be hence encouraged to repentance? If God spared Cain's life, suffered him to beget children, and to found a city, and to leave behind him a numerous race upon the earth, shall not we hence feel assured, that the Lord is longsuffering, and willeth not that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance? See 2 Pet. 3. 9. Truly we know nothing of his boundless love, if we doubt that He is ever ready for his Son's sake to give respite to the worst of sinners, so they do but really endeavour to repent. And we should be yet more mistaken as to the mercifulness of God, if we were to suppose that it holds out to us encouragement in sinning. No, the same Gospel which proclaims his goodness, declares that He is also just; and tells us of a day when they "who obey not the gospel of our Lord," however loudly they profess to believe it, "shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." 2 Thess. 1. 9. It is amongst the posterity of Cain that we first meet with the practice of polygamy, or a man's having more wives than one. In the same family were invented several of the arts which add greatly to the comfort and enjoyment of this present life. And from Lamech's justifying himself to his wives for having slain a man, who had first hurt or wounded him, it appears that whilst so much attention was paid to worldly joys, there was also in this family somewhat of worldly strife. How different was this condition of the children of Cain from the state of Seth, and his son Enos, and their family! "Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord." Or according to the other version in the margin of our Bibles, "Then began men to call themselves by the name of the Lord." As the disciples of Christ were called Christians, see Acts 11. 26, so in the earliest period of the world, the faithful servants of God were not ashamed to call themselves after the name of Jehovah. How much better like Seth and Enos to bear God's name, or to be employed in calling on Him, and worshipping Him, than with Lamech and his family to be studying how to multiply our comfort upon earth, or how to justify our offences! Behold how many are the advantages of godliness! Behold how great is God's love bestowed on us Christians, in allowing us to be called, and to be, his sons! The book of the generations of Adam. 1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years and he died. 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. 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: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with 9 And Enos lived ninety years, God: and he was not; for God 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 took him. 25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: 26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. 28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. 30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: 31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. 32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. LECTURE 12. The honour of being related to Christ. This chapter contains nearly all that is now known of the history of at least sixteen hundred years; at a period when in all probability the earth was as well peopled as it is now, or more so. They lived, they begat sons, they died; this is the sum of what remains on record. So little was there that we needed to know of all the actions of all those multitudes of mankind! God created Adam, gave him a help meet for him, bade them be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. See ch. 1. 28. They and their children after them for several generations lived to ten times the length of life we usually attain to. And yet at length they died. "Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return," ch. 3. 19, was fulfilled in every instance except one. "Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." Which is thus explained in the Epistle to the Hebrews: "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death." To which it is added that he was not found, because God had translated him," that is to say, taken him at once to heaven. "For before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." Heb. 11. 5. Then it was by faith that he pleased God. It is by faith that we must hope to be accepted of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. But besides the faith and the translation of Enoch, there was one circumstance which attached importance to every one of the names here mentioned, and which made them worthy of mention, when all the wisdom of the wise, and all the glory of the great, who lived before the flood, was allowed to perish in oblivion. They were fathers, after the flesh, of the promised Messiah. And this record of their genealogy, this "book of the generations of Adam," is of inestimable value, as a document whereby to prove the lineal descent of Jesus, through Noah and Seth to Adam. Other sons, and also daughters, they might have in abundance older or younger, more noted in the world for stature or for strength, for valour, wisdom, wealth, or victory. But neither these things, no, nor even piety towards God, nor charity to man, could ensure them a memorial in this ancient record, sacred to the names of those from whom our Lord descended. If it were so great a distinction to be amongst the forefathers of Jesus, how great ought to be our rejoicing in the title of his brethren; how diligent ought to be our care, and watchfulness, to walk worthy of our heavenly lineage, and never to do dishonour to our Lord! The wickedness of mankind provoketh God's wrath. 1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And GoD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagina tion of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. LECTURE 13. How much we ought to feel concerned at sin. The inhabitants of the earth before the flood seem to have been divided into two great classes, the children of God and the children of men; the former meaning those who through faith received the promises of a better life, the latter those who lived only to this present world. Such was the division amongst them of old. Such is the division amongst us at present. And as the intermarriage of these two classes led formerly to the universal reign of iniquity; so likewise the too easy conformity to the world, to which the devout amongst ourselves are often tempted, proves the fruitful source of the decay of piety and the prevalence of sin. The beauty of woman, and the renown of man, these are still the causes of manifold temptation. All that God has so richly provided for our comfort here, is made by Satan the occasion of our falling into misery here and hereafter. And when we ought to be admiring the Almighty Maker in the loveliness of his works, and acknowledging in all that is fair to the sight or pleasant to the sense, his goodness and kindness to ourselves, we are too apt to be taking only our own pleasure, too ready to be setting up our rest on earth, forgetful of our home eternal in the heavens. And is not the result, such as might well make God once more repent that He had made man on the earth? Is not the wickedness of man, including all men now living, or confining ourselves only to Christian countries, or taking only our own, so highly privileged as it is, is not the wickedness of man now great on the earth? Are not the imaginations of the thoughts of man's heart still only evil continually? Are not they who through faith in Jesus walk with God, and please Him, few, compared with those who walk after their own will and do that which is abomination in his sight? Is there not more of covetousness than of bountifulness? Is there not more of selfishness than of selfdenial and charitableness? The love of money, the love of pleasure, the love of the world, the love of character in the world, eminence in the world, comfort in the world, not to mention the crying sins of more gross sensuality, are not these now more obviously prevalent, than the love of heaven, and the love of Christ, and the love of God? And shall these things grieve Him, and yet not grieve us? Shall He be ready to repent that He has made man, shall He destroy with a flood the world which He created, yea and threaten to destroy with endless fire those for whom Christ died, if they sin wilfully; and shall sin cost us no concern for others, no compunction for ourselves? Shall the earth be so nigh to be filled with impurity and violence, and all manner of iniquity, and we feel no shame for our past transgressions, no thankfulness for our respite and deliverance, no glowing ardour of affection to our Saviour, and of zeal to do Him service? 66 After the Lord had been moved to say, "My spirit shall not always strive with man;" He graciously resolved to spare the world yet an hundred and twenty years." And when notwithstanding this warning and reprieve all flesh was corrupt before Him, yet "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." And "Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." Have we been spared hitherto? Is it God's will to spare us yet a little longer? Let us use our opportunity to find grace in God's sight. Let us ask and we shall receive. Let us endeavour to stand justified by faith, through grace. Let us aim to become perfect, according to the commandment of our Lord, even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect. See Matt. 5. 48. May God teach us, by his Holy Spirit, how best to walk with Him! May He restrain our hands from all violence, and purify our hearts from all corruption! And as He has been pleased to take us for his children, may He grant that we, "as dear children," may be "followers of God!" Eph. 5. 1. |