ANNOTATIONS. CHAP. V.
4. Begate 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 of 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 sal downe on the earth. And what els (saith S. Gregorie) is this daylie decaying of our corruption, but a lingering 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 Patriarkes 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 benne, we should al haue benne 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 hartes and mouthes of the faithful, saith S. Augustin in his first booke, de peccat. merit & remiss. c. 3. and confirmeth the same in diuers other places. And it is testified by very many both Greeke and Latin Doctors. 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 Pamach. 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, & preach, & be slaine with an other witnes of Christ, before the terrible day of Iudgement. Of Enoch Moyses here maketh the matter more then probable, saying of euerie one of the rest, he dyed, onlie of Enoch saith not so, but that he appeared, or was seene no more. For which the seuentie two interpreters say, 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 author of Ecclesiasticus, saying: Enoch pleased God, and was translated. But most clearly S. Paul saith. Enoch was translated, that he should not see death. and he was not found for God translated him. With what plainer wordes can any man declare, that a special person were not dead, then to say: He was translated, or conueyed away, that he should not see death? Neither is it a reasonable euasion to interprete this of spiritual death. For so Adam being eternally saued (as S. Ireneus li. 3. c. 34. Epiphan. con. heresim 46. S. Agustin epist. 99. ad Euodium, and others teach,
