Page images
PDF
EPUB

A. That Chrift fhould deftroy the wicked Works and Defigns of the Devil, and thereby fave Mankind from the Sin and Death which were brought in among them by his Temptation, 1 John iii, 8. Heb. ii. 14, 15.

19 Q. Whence came the Skins of the Beafts with which God clothed Adam and Eve ?

A. It is likely God taught Adam to offer Sacrifices at this Time, and that these were the Skins of the Beasts that were offered in Sacrifice.

Note, Whether Flesh was eaten by the religious Families before the Flood, is uncertain; but it does not appear that God had given Adam exprefs Leave to eat Flesh, Gen. i. 29. chap. ii. 26. and ix. 23. and then there could be no Skins to be had from Beasts killed forFood. But the Sin of Man deferved Death; and it was probably at this Time that Godappointed Beafts to be facrificed or put to Death, to fhew that Sin deserved Death, and to make a fort of typical Atonement, or Answer for the Sin of Man; fince cutting and burning God's living Creatures, does not feem to be a Contrivance of Man himself to appeafe God for his own Sin.

Then it is natural to fuppofe that God clothed Adam

and Eve with the Skins of those Beasts which were facrificed; to fhew them, in a typical or figurative :: Way, that as Clothes covered the naked Body from Shame and Harm, fo Sacrifices, offered according to God's Appointment, fhould in fome Sense protect them from the Punishment which Sin had deserved. And it is very póffible God might inform Adam, that all thefe Appointments were only a Figure of Chrift the great Sacrifice, the Seed of the Woman, who fhould make a real and effectual Atonement for Sin hereafter by his own Death. I confefs all this does not fo evidently appear in the Writings of Mofes, nor could it be expected, where the Account of

Things

Things in these early Times is fo exceeding short; though it is very agreeable to the Discoveries made in the following Parts of Scripture.

I add yet further, that Sacrifices might be inftituted at this Time with this View and Defign,even though Adam himself might not be informed of it; for the greatGod does not always immediately reveal to his Creatures the Reafon and Design of all his Precepts or his Providences, Job xxxiii. 14.

30 Q. What was the Religion of Man after the Fall or Sin of Adam ?

4. All the Duties of the Light of Nature, which were required before: And befide thefe, he was now called to Repentance for Sin, Faith or Truft in the Mercy of God, Expectation of the promised Saviour, and Offering of Sacrifices. This is called: the ADAMICAL DISPENSATION of the Covenant. of Grace, and it reached to Noah's Flood. 31 Q. Who were Adam's firft Children? A. Cain and Abel, Gen. iv. 1, 2.

32 Q. What was Cain?

A. Adam's eldest Son, and he was a Tiller of the Ground, Gen. iv. 1, 2.

33Q. But what Mifchief did Cain do?

A. He killed his Brother Abel, who was a Keeper of Sheep, Gen. iv. 2, 8.

34 Q. Why did Cain kill him?

A. Because his own Works were evil, and God did not accept his Sacrifice; but his Brother's Works were righteous, and God gave fome Token that he accepted him, Gen, iv. 4, 5. 1 John iii. 18.

35 Q. Whither went Cain when God reproved him for this Murder?

A. He went out, and departed from the Prefence. of the Lord, and from his Father's Family, where God was worshipped, Gen. iv. 16.

B 5

36 Q. What

36Q. What were the Pofterity of Cain?

A. Some of them are famous for the Inventions of Mufic and Handicraft-Trades, but they are fup pofed to have neglected Religion, Gen. iv. 20, 22. 37 Q. What other Sons had Adam?

A. Seth, who was born foon after the Death of Abel, and feveral others after him, Gen. iv. 25,&c.4. 38 Q. Did the Children of Seth neglect Religion too?

A. Religion was publickly maintained for fome Generations in Seth's Family, for they diftinguished themselves from the wicked Sons of Men, they prayed to God, and were called the Sons of God, Gen. iv. 26. and chap. vi. 2, 4.

39. Did they grow degenerate afterwards?

A. All mankind grew fo wicked, except a very few, that God faw it proper to manifeft his righ teous. Judgment, and his Anger 594, by deftroying them, Gen. vi. 5-7.

40 Q. Who were fome of the chief Perfons of Seth's Pofterity mentioned in Scripture in those early Times?

A. Enoch and Metbufelah, Lamech and Noah, were the moft remarkable.

41 Q. Who was Enoch?

A. The Man who walked with God, and pleafed him in the midft of a wicked World, and foretold the Judgment of God on Sinners, Gen. v. 22. Jude 14, 15.

Note, When Enoch and Noah are faid to walk with God, fome learned Men have fuppofed, that it does not only fignify that they behaved themselves always as in the Prefence of God, and converfed with Him by Meditation and Prayer, and walked in his Ways; but that God appeared of old to thefe pious Men,

as

[ocr errors]

as He did to Abraham, and walked and converfed with them in a bodily Form; and this was the Criginal of that Phrafe, walking with God, to fignify the Practice of Religion.

42 Q. What became of Enoch?

A. God took him to Heaven without dying, as a peculiar Favour and Honour done to him, Gen. v. 24. Heb. xi. 5.

43 Q Who was Methufelah?..

A. The Son of Enoch, and the oldeft Man that we ever read of, Gen v. 21.

44 Q. How long did he live?

A. Nine hundred and fixty nine Years, Gen.v.27. 45 Q Who was Lamech?

A. Noah's Father, who prophefied of the Bleffing the Earth fhould find in his Son, which had been laid under a Curfe for the Sin of Adam, Gen. v. 29.

CHA P. II.

Of NOAH, ABRAHAM, and their Families, after the Flood.

SECT. I. Of NOAH and his Sons.

[ocr errors]

HO was Noah?

A. The righteous Mán, who was faved when the World was drowned by a Flood, Gen.

vii. 23.

2Q How did God drown the World?

A. When Mankind had provoked him by their Sins, which were exceeding great, Gen. vi. 5, 6, 7. he broke up the Fountains of the great Deep

under

under Ground, and caufed it to rain forty Days and forty Nights, Gen. vii. 4, 11,

3 Q. How was Noah faved?

A. In an Ark, or great Ship or Veffel, which God taught him to build, Gen. vi. 9, 14, &c.

Note, Noah had Warning of this Judgment of God one hundred and twenty Years before it came to pass, Gen. vi. 3. And as he was a Preacher of Righteoufnefs, 2 Peter ii. 5. fo we may juftly fuppofe he gave continual Warning to a finful World while the Ark was building, 1 Peter iii. 19, 20. Heb. xi. 7.

4 Q. Who was faved with him?

A. All his Family, and fome living Creatures of every Kind, namely, two of every unclean Beaft and Bird, which were neither fit for Food or ¡Sacrifice, and seven of every clean Creature which were fit for one or both Ufes, Gen. viii. 2, 3, 13, 14.

5 Q. How long did Noah tarry in the Ark?

A. At nine Months end he fent forth a Dove, which brought in an Olive-branch, to fhew him that the Waters were abated: And at the end of twelve Months and ten Days he came forth, and the Creatures which were with him, Gẹn. vii. 11. and viii. 5-13.

6Q. What Command did God give Noah ?

A. The Offerings of Sacrifices were continued, Gen. viii. 20, 21. Fleth was given to Man for Food, as Herbs were before, Gen. ix. 2, 3. Blood was forbidden to be eaten, the Blood of Man was exprefly forbid to be fhed, and Murder was to be punished with Death, Gen. ix. 4, 5, 6.

Note, The Religion of Noah was the fame with that of Adam after his Fall, (See Chap. I. Q. 30) with these few Additions here mentioned. And this was the

I

NOAHCHI

« PreviousContinue »