' Anlw. So 1gno- ant People conceive;bur ir isa fond conceit to think, that there wereno more Men than areexp:eſſed in this Book,where God never intended to give aCatilogue of all Wen,but only of the Church, or thoſe « ho had ſome relati n to, -rconcern with it.Nay, that rhere were ve: y many thouſand: of Meri, now in beings very credible upon theſe rational grounds and ſuppoſitions. 1. That Adam and Eve did according to God's prec-pt and bleſſing, Gen: 1. 26 procreat Children preſently after the fall, and God's gracious reconcil'ment to them; and conſequently their Children did fo, when they came to competent age 2.That thoſe firſt Men and Wo- men were endowed, by God with extrao-dinary Fruitfulneſs, and might have rwo, three, four or mr: re at a time, (as divers perſons long after had ) which was then expedient for the repleniſhing of the ® o:1d;and the like may be judged of their Children during the Wo 14's infancy. That this Murder was commitrred bur a litrle before the hundred and thirty year of Adaw .age,which appears by
comparing Gen 4 25. and 5. 3. Before which rime, How vaſt and numerous an off-ſpring might haye come from Atam, none can be ignorant, that can, and ſhall ma
ke a ratnal computation,
i5 And the LORD faid yo him, Therefore t who» ſoever ſlayeth Cain, vengtance fhall be taken on_ him ſeven-fold x. And the LORD feta mark upon Cain x, leſt any finding him ſhould kill him.
t Or, Aſſuredly, as the word ſighifies, Jer: 2. 22. and 5. 2. Zech. 11. 17. Thar thou mayeſt ſee how I hate Murde-, and how im- partially I ſha] puniſh all-Murtherers ; and that thou mayeſt be un- happily free from this fear, that thon mayelt live for an example to Mankind, for a terrour to thy ſelf and othe:s. « (7. e. ) Abun-
dantly ; he ſhall be plagued with many and grievous Puniſhments, as the phraſe is uſed, Levit. 26. 28. Pſal. 12.7. and 79. 12. and in
© n; \ oi , » g % VE I % © IE SC». a" 4 a ; 7 -
Body, or a gha{tlineſs of his 'Countenance, or what other viſible to- ken of the divine Diſpleaſure, God hath not revealed, nor doth it concern us to know. |
16 4 And Cain went out from the preſence of the LORD y, and dwelt in the land of Nod z, on the eaft of Eden. * 4.4
y (.e. ) Was baniſhed from the place of God's,fprcial Preſence and Habiration, from the Society of his Fath&f, -and -the only: Church which God had upon Earth. & In the Land:which was af- terwards called Ned, from Cair's unſettled Condition, becauſe he continued wandring hither and thither in it.
17 And Cain knew ' his wife «, and ſhe conceived
bet
Heb. hanch: Name of the city, after thename of his ſon, Enoch c.
many other places. x What this was, whether a trembling of his |
and bare + Enoch, and he built a city, andcalled the.
s Of which phraſe ſee onchop. 4 r. 6. Partly to divert his trou-
murdered a Man, to my wounding, &c. (7.e. ) to my utter ruin, -or to the wounding and grief of my Hearr and Conſcience. But this ſeems nor to agree either ith the quality of Cains Family, or with the temper of Lamech's Perſo',, o: with the ſcope of the Holy Ghoit in this place; which is to deſcribe not the Ve:tues, bur the Crimes of that wicked Race. According to the marginal Franſla- tion, the ſenſe may be this, Fear nor for me ; for if any Man, tho' in his youth and i{trength, ſhou'd affaulr me. and give me the firſt ound, he ſhould pay dearly for it; and though 1 were rounded and veakned, the -emainders ofmy ftrengch would be ſuificienr ro give him his dearhs Wound. The words alſo may be orher=:iſc rend-ed; the Farticle c5/ being taken interrogatively, as it is, iſ. 29. 6. and- 36. 19, and elſewhe:e, Have 1 /Tain # Man to my wound ing, and i oy, or. | a young Manto my hurt? (i.e. ) That thereby EF ſhould deſerve ſuch a mortal Wound or Hurt to be infli ted upon me by way of Retaliation ? , You have therefere no caulc of fear, cis ther for my ſake, orfor your own. |
24 if Cain ſhall be avenged o ſcven- fold, truly La- mech ſeventy and ſeven-fold p.
o If the flaughter of Cain ſhall be puniſhed in him that ſhall kill him, . whoſoeyer he be. p(z.e.,) My death ſhall be much more certainly and ſeverely revenged by God up-n any Man that ſhall murde: me. Theſ words may be either 1. A profane ſcoff. q. d. Since Cain, my Father and Pattern in Murther, was fo far from be- ing punithed by the Hand of God, that he had a ſpecial Prote&ion from him,that no Man ſhould darerc touch him ; If whoſe murther is not ſo hain us as his was) ſha! not fire worſe than he, and rhete- fo e have no -eaſt.n to fear either Gord »r Men. Or 2. An argu- ment or ground *f his Security, 9.4. Iam not cnly ſecured by my own Puiſſan-e, but by God's Providerice ; which ce:tainly will be more watchful over me, who have not commirted any ſuch horrid Crime; than overh-A\ that killed his own inn<cent P. other.
:5 T And Adam knew bis Wife again, and ſhe bars -aſon, andcalled his name ÞF Seth q : for God, /aid ſhe r, # j1ch,
[ hath appointed me arother Seed s 1nftead of Abel *, Sherh, whom Cain ſlew.
q She gave the n»me, but not without Adam's conſent. Gen. 5.3. -» By divine Inſpirafior. 5s Nore that the woid Seed is uſed of ons ſingle Perſcn here, and Gez: 21. 13.and 38.8. Which confirms the Apoſtle's argumenr. Gal. 3.16, 7: To ſucceed his Father Adam, as Abel ſhould have done in the Prieſthood, and adminiſtration and care of holy Things in the Church of Ged. | ; 26 And toSeth, to him aifo chere was borna Son ; and he called his name Þ Enos # : then began taen * to ca!l + Heb. x: upon the name ofthe LORD x _. | moſh; Which properly ſignifies a myſerable Man, to note the great *Or,cs call wickedneſs and wretchednets of that Generation ; which the He- them- | brew Writers generally obſerve. x To p*ay unto God, to Wor- ſelves by ip God in a more publick and ſolemn manner :, Prajing bein te name of bere pur for the whole Worſhip of God, as Gen: 12.8. and 26, #he Lord, 25, and in manly other places. According to the marginal Verſion; . the ſenſe is this; then when, the World was univerſally corrupr, and bad forſaken God and his _— good Men grew my a- : 11s .
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