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Seth. And Mathusala liued, after he begat Lamech, seuen hundred eightie two yeares, and begat sonnes and daughters. And al the dayes of Mathusala came to nine hundred sixtie nine yeares, and he died. And Lamech liued an hundred eightie two yeares, & begat a sonne: and he called his name Noe, saying: This sonne shal comfort vs from the workes & labours of our hands on the earth, which our Lord cursed. And Lamech liued, after he begat Noe, fiue hundred nintie fiue yeares, and begat sonnes and daughters. And al the dayes of Lamech came to seuen hundred seuentie seuen yeares, and he died. And Noe when he was fiue hundred yeares olde, begat Sem, Cham, and Iaphet.

ANNOTATIONS. CHAP. V.

4. Begat sonnes and daughters.) Moyses in this genealogie reciteth not alwayes the first-begotten, nor the whole progenie by their names (for then he should haue repeated Cain and Abel, and haue named many others) but those onlie by whom the Church of God continued, signifying the rest in general, whose succession was cut off by the floud.

5. And he died.) By this Gods word is verified saying, that Adam should dye, if he should eate of the forbidden tree. And the diuel is proued a lyer, saying, they should not dye. It is also most true that Adam dyed that day in which he did eate. For he began that very day to decline to death; and so doth al mankind euer since as truly said the woman of Thecua to King Dauid: we doe al die, and as waters that returne not, we fal downe on the earth. And what els (sayth S. Gregorie) is this daylie decaying of our corruption, but a lingring death? And none of al these that liued longest reaching to a thousand yeares (which with God is as one day) man dyed in that day in which he transgressed.

Morally ancient Fathers here note, that albeit the life of the Patriarks seemeth long to vs, yet if we compare the same to eternitie it is nothing. Neither by the iudgement of Philosophers may aniething be counted long, that hath an end: as Tullie bringing Cato wisely disputing, sheweth the longest life to be but a short moment. Whereby againe we may see what losse we sustaine by sinne: seeing if sinne had not been, we should al haue been translated from earth to heauen, and neuer haue dyed.

24. Was seene no more.) That Enoch and Elias are yet aliue is a constant knowne truth in the harts and mouths of the faithful, saith S. Augustin in his first booke, de peccat. merit. & remiss. c. 3. and confirmeth the same in diuers other place. And it is testified by very many both Greeke and Latin Doctours: S. Ireneus li. 5. S. Iustinus Martyr, q. 85. ad Orthodoxos, S. Hippolitus li. de Antichristo, S. Damascen, li. 4. de Orthodoxa fide, S. Hierom. epist. 61. ad Panach. c. 11. S. Ambrose in Psalm 45. S. Chrysostom. ho. 21. in Gen. ho. 58. in Mat. ho. 4. in Epist. 2. ad Thess. ho. 22. in ep. ad Heb. S. Greg. li. 14. Moral. c. 11, ho. 12. in Ezech. S. Prosp. li. vlt. de promis. S. Bede in c. 9. Marc. Theophilact and Oecumenius in cap. 17. Mat. and others innumerable. Touching Elias it is manifest in Scriptures, that he shal come, and preach, & be slaine with an other witnes of Christ, before the terrible day of Rh