Genesis — Chapter 5

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 only by whom the Church of God continued, signifying the rest in general, whose succession was cut off by the floud.

And he died.] By this Gods word is verified faying, that Adam should dye, if he should eate of the forbidden tree. And the diuel is proued a lyer, faying, 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 else (fayth 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) escaped; man dyed in that day in which he transgressed.

Was seen no more.] That Enoch and Elias are yet aliue is a constant knowne truth in the harts and mouths of the faithful, faith S Augustin in his first booke de pec. cat. meri. & remiss. c. 3. and confirmeth the same in diuers other places. 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 Antichrifte, S Damascen. li. 4. de Orthodoxa fide, S. Hierom. epist. 61. ad Pamach. c. 11. S. Ambrofe in Psalm. 45. S. Chrysoftom. ho. 11. in Gen. ho. 58. in Mat. ho. 4. in Epist. 1. ad Thess. ho. 12. in ep. ad Heb. S. Greg. li. 14. Moral c. 11. ho 12. in Ezech. S. Profp. 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 another witnes of Christ, before the terrible day of Iudgement. Of Enoch Moyses maketh the matter more then probable, faying of euery one of the rest, he dyed, only of Enoch faith not fo, but that he appeared or was seen no more. For which the seuenty two Interpreters fay, And he was not found, for God translated him. Which can not signifie death, but transporting or remouing to an other place. Whereto agreeth the Authour of Ecclesiasticus, faying: Enoch pleased God, and was translated. But most cleerely S. Paul faith: Enoch was translated, that he should not see death, and he was not found, for God translated him. S. Chrysoftom affirmeth that The holy Scriptures say that God translated him, & that he translated him aliue, that he felt not death. And S. Augustin as expressly faith, Non mortuus, sed vivus translatus est. He (to wit Enoch) is translated, not dead but aliue. Diuers reasons are alleaged why God would reserue these two aliue: First to shew by example that mortal bodies can be conserued from corrupting; Secondly to giue vs an argument of immortalitie; Thirdly, these two (one of the law of nature, the other of the law of Moyses) are preferued aliue, to come amongst men againe towards the end of the world, to teach, testifie, and defend the true faith and doctrine of Christ against Antichrist.