apostle had it by immediate revelation, or whether by tradition, doth not appear; but that there was such a prophecy is certain. Enoch was a friend of God. Now a friend in the Hebrew language is the man of one's counsel. God told Enoch five thousand years ago that which is not yet come to pass, namely the day of judgment. Shall I hide from Abraham, (shall I hide from Enoch,) that thing which I do? Gen. xviii. 17. Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. Amos iii. 7.

2. His leaving the world. As he did not live like the rest, so he did not die like the rest. He was not, for God took him; that is, translated him, so that he should not see death. Heb. xi. 5. Whence did God take him? Out of a sinful, miserable world. Whither did he take him? To a holy, happy world. He took him, body and soul, to glory. When he had walked long enough with God on earth, he was called to rest with him in heaven; and probably a chariot of fire and horses of fire were sent to fetch him, such as were sent to fetch Elijah. This was a signal honour put upon Enoch, and a reward of his close walking with God. All those, and only those, that walk with God in grace here, shall be taken to live with God in glory hereafter.

God took Enoch when he had lived but three

hundred and sixty-five years; (a year of years;) which was, as men's ages went then, in the midst of his days; for there were none of these patriarchs that did not more than double that. And why so soon, I wonder? Was it lest he should cool and decay in grace, lest he should flag in his walking with God? Or was it because God saw the world was not worthy of him, and that it was time,- -as they did not know the worth of such a jewel,-to take him from them? Or was he so much above and so weary of the world, as to desire to get out of it, and had his desire granted? Or was not his course finished the sooner, because he went so fast? And did not God know that the time he gained on earth he lost in heaven?

The translation of Enoch to heaven was perhaps for the comfort and encouragement of the patriarchs, and for the confirmation of their faith concerning the glory promised; for they were all at this time alive together, and were or might be witnesses of it, except Adam, who died fifty-seven years before, and Noah, who was not born till sixty-nine years after. And Adam had encouragement enough from God's own mouth in paradise; and Noah was to receive encouragement enough from God, before, in, and after, the flood.

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.

Concerning Methuselah three things are observable: 1. His name. Methuselah signifies he dies, or, there is a dart, or, there is a sending forth, that is, of the flood of waters which came the same year that Methuselah died. So Enoch prophesied, in the name that he gave his son; which would remain a standing warning to the careless world, of the approaching deluge; a warning given of the judgment coming, almost a thousand years before it came. That was fair warning indeed. Who will not say that God is slow to anger? Joel ii. 13.

2. His age. Methuselah lived nine hundred and sixty nine years; not quite a thousand, though very near it. A thousand years carries some shadow of perfection; (Ps. xc. 4;) and therefore no man ever attained to that age. Methuselah came nearest to it.

3. His death:-and he died. Though the stroke

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of death comes slowly to some, it comes surely to all.

length must die, for that is Eccles. vii. 2. The pitcher

The longest liver at the end of all men. doth not go so oft to the well, but it comes home broken at last. Eccles. xii. 6. Methuselah died a little before the flood, and so was, as good men use to be, taken away from the evil to come. Isa. lvii. 1. The Jewish writers say that he died just seven days before the flood, (chap. vii. 10,) so that people might have taken warning by his death; but then, as afterwards, none laid it to heart.

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.

Concerning Noah, of whom much is said in the following chapters, but little is said in this chapter. We have,

1. His name-Noah, which signifies rest, with the reason of it; this same shall comfort us. He was a son that his parents promised themselves rest and comfort in. Some think they imagined him to be the promised seed, -the Messiah. What occasion they might have to think so, doth not appear; but the hearts of good people then were, perhaps, so much set upon the fulfilment of the promise of a Messiah, that they were ready to catch at the least occasion. Because of the ground. The curse of the ground was a judgment: comfort in Noah, a mercy. When we have one mercy to put in the scale against another affliction, we may with the more patience bear that affliction, whatever it is.

2. His children. Three only are mentioned,— Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Whether he had more or not, doth not appear. It should seem that Japheth was the eldest; (see chap. x. 21;) but Shem is named first,-to him perhaps the birthright being given, because from him the Messiah-the head,