a token of

as it cannot be denied, but that all they which are just and righteous be made righteous through the blessed Seed, and Abel was justified; it followeth that he was made righteous Sacrifice was through faith in Jesus Christ. In that he did sacrifice, it is a thankfulness. token and fruit of a heart that was thankful and feared God. It was no such enterprise, that he would cleanse and make himself acceptable unto God through that outward sacrifice. For certain it is, that no outward oblation purifieth man within; but the grace of God, granted unto us through Jesus Christ, purifieth us aright. And the outward sacrifices of the old fathers, beside that they were tokens of thankfulness, praise, and magnifying of God, as it is said afore, were figures of the only perpetual sacrifice of our Saviour Christ and in this behalf they were even as much as sacraments of things to come. Thus also, and in like understanding, have our first fathers done sacrifice, as hereafter it shall follow more largely.

Cain the father of

As

Now like as in Abel there is set forth unto us an ensample of God's seed, and of a regenerate, true, faithful, christian man; so is Cain a seed of the serpent, a child of wickedness. the devil, which despised the inspiration of God, and hearkened to the deceitful serpent. And in these two brethren we may see what God meaned, when he said: "I will put enmity between the seed of the woman and thy seed." though he would say: "There shall be two manner of people the one shall cleave unto Christ, the blessed Seed; the other shall cleave unto the devil: and these two generations shall in no wise agree, but be at variance in faith and religion. I will endue my seed, that they shall cleave only unto me, fear me, honour and worship me, seek all salvation in me through the blessed Seed, live virtuously, honestly, and soberly. Then shall the serpent tempt their seed with hypocrisy, not to love me, nor serve me right, not to hold of me as they should, not to trust in me, but to love the world, and to follow the lusts and temptations thereof." All this find we here in these two brethren, in whom beginneth the first difference of true and false believers. For Abel was simple, godly, and of a constant faith in God: and inasmuch as he took God for his refuge, he brought him gifts of his best substance; no doubt, because he had first given over his soul and all his power unto God, at whom alone he sought all good, without any

martyr.

ence of true

hypocrisy. He was also innocent, virtuous, and friendly, and followed not his own tentations'. And for this faith's sake did his sacrifice please God. But Cain's pleased him not, for his heart was not right with God: he was a dissembler, greedy, and unfaithful person, which set his heart and mind upon earthly things, alway despising God's word, and following his own tentation. Which thing was evident in this, that he, having no cause, only of a wilful heart and through the temptation of the serpent, murdered his own brother; whereby he hath obtained to be the archfather of all murderers, which persecute and murder the seed of God, that is to say, the true believers, only for their faith's sake. Thus became Abel the first martyr and instrument of God Abel the first and of Christ in the holy church. For these two brethren have set forth before us the whole battle and strife, which the world, the city of the devil, the children and citizens of the cursed city, wherein the serpent is head and master and hath the dominion, shall make against the city and citizens in whom Christ is the head, unto the end of the world. The freemen of the city of God and of Christ do The differcleave only unto God, serve him with all their heart, build and false only upon Christ. The citizens of the serpent despise God; and yet they boast of God, to whom also they offer and do service, but not as they ought to do. Now when they perceive that their faith is not right, and that their hypocrisy is espied and misliked; then fall they to murdering, to the which God is an enemy, and forbiddeth it with his word. For Cain also exhorted he from his purpose, and said: "Thou needest not to arm thee because of thy brother, for thou hast none occasion to be angry with him. For if thou doest right, thou shalt find it, and have joy thereof; but if thou dost not right, then is thy misfortune, sin, and trespass open, and thou shalt shame and destroy thyself. Thy brother goeth on without fault, he shall do thee no hurt nor harm: he shall also not be lord over thee, nor minish thy right; yea, he shall have respect unto thee, and thou shalt have dominion over him, and so keep thy birthright, and still remain the firstborn, although his sacrifice be acceptable unto me, and not thine. Cease therefore from thy wicked purpose, and offend not against thy brother." [ Tentation: an essaying; or inclination tempting him.]

faith.

But Cain did as all ungodly do; for he went forth and slew his innocent brother. And afterward, when the Lord would have brought him into the knowledge of his great sin, and pardon him, he despised the voice of the Lord The first de- with craking and facing. faith was by was wroth with him, and

cay of the

cursed Cain.

Gen. iv.

Adam was not of the

For the which cause the Lord cursed him. Then despaired he first, and went forth, and became yet more wicked, dealt altogether ungodly, set first his mind upon earthly things, thought to exalt his name upon earth, and builded the first city, which he called Hanoch. He begat sons and daughters; but little fear of God was before their eyes, insomuch that the scripture saith, "Adam lay with his wife again, and she bare a son, whom she called Seth: for God, said she, hath given me another seed for Abel, whom Cain slew. Seth also had a son, and he called him Enos. And then began men to call upon the name of the Lord." Out of the which words it is easy to understand, that, as touching holy Adam, faith of Cain. he held no more of Cain, than as though he never had had child. For Adam feared God: Cain with his progeny despised God, and became the serpent's generation. Wherefore, when Adam had gotten another son, he was of a good hope, that in Abel's stead God had given him another son, which should do right, and of whom the root of the blessed Seth, the first Seed should spread out afterward. For the which cause the true faith. also he called him Seth, which by us is called " a plant;" meaning, that God had set and planted him as a branch, out of which the Messias should be born. For, as for Cain, he doubted of him. And from the same Seth proceeded the generation of the righteous until Noe, and from him to Abraham, and so unto David; and from thenceforth unto The repara- Christ. This Seth repaired our holy faith, which received great hurt at the death of Abel. This did Seth, I say, forasmuch as he, being taught inwardly of God, and by mouth or outwardly of Adam, learned his children and their seed to put their trust in God, and to comfort themselves in the blessed Seed, and to cleave unto the same. For it is written manifestly: "And then began men to call upon the name of the Lord."" Till this time was Adam,

restorer of

tion of our faith.

Gen. iv.

[ With this agrees the text of the authorised version. In the margin it is translated: "Then began men to call themselves by the name of the Lord." And the passage, thus translated, admits of a

the name of

is.

with Heva his wife, only a true friend and server to God. Adam's life. The generation of Cain was now well spread abroad, and come to two hundred and fifty years, and above; but the more part lived without the fear of God, unrepentant and ungodly. Wherefore, inasmuch as the generation of Seth To call upon now increased, and the fear of God and right belief was God, what it among them, the scripture saith well: "And then began men to call upon the name of the Lord." And by this calling upon, doth the scripture mean the true right belief and God's service, that he most alloweth. Of the progeny, therefore, of righteous Seth sprang the servants of God, and presidents of our christian faith. As for the cursed generation of Cain and of the ungodly, it was destroyed and drowned with the flood.

To the holy genealogy of the true believers pertaineth the patriarch Enoch; of whom it is written, that "he walked before God," that is, he ordered his life and conversation altogether after the will of God, being constant and upright, no doubt, in all that which God had spoken unto Adam. Therefore became he also an ensample of the immortality of the soul and resurrection of the body; and that all God's servants shall be saved after this life. For thus saith the scripture: "And inasınuch as he applied himself Gen. v. to walk after God, God took him away, and he was no more seen." The holy apostle Paul also, in the eleventh chapter to the Hebrews, speaketh very excellently of Enoch's faith; so that no man may doubt, but that he had respect to the blessed Seed, and pleased God through Christ.

Moreover, the enmity between the children of God and of man, that is, the issue of the serpent, grew ever more and more; so that, on the one side, the multitude of God increased, and on the other side, the multitude of the devil. Yet at the last the multitude of the wicked was greatest. The number For when the children of God withheld not themselves from ever greatest. the children of the world, but took wives and husbands among them; they begat rough people, which had no faith

meaning similar to that which is here given to it by Coverdale : "Then began men, i. e. the children of Seth, to call themselves by the name of the Lord; i. e. the servants or worshippers of the Lord, in distinction from the Cainites, and such profane persons as had forsaken him." See Bishop Patrick, ad locum.]

of the wicked

at all, and lived only after their own lust and temptation, forgat God utterly, and regarded not the hundred and The wrath of twenty years, which God gave them to amend. Therefore

God upon

the wicked.

was God constrained so to punish the unfaithful world once, that all posterities, unto the end of the world, might have a terrible ensample of the just wrath of God; whereby they might learn, how ungodliness and unrighteousness displeaseth Noah's flood. God. Thus the Lord brought the flood upon all the earth, overthrew all that stood up, and destroyed every thing that had life, when the world had stood now a thousand six hundred and fifty-six years'. For so many years find we in the fifth and seventh of Genesis, where it is written, that Noe was six hundred years old, when the flood came upon the earth. Now if we reckon the years of the old fathers, in the fifth chapter, until Adam, we shall find the foresaid sum. And thus the issue of the serpent had an end, and all ungodly and unrighteous living was mightily suppressed and destroyed of God.

umph of

Here our

And in this horrible destruction of the ungodly was faithful Noe saved, he being the eighth, and preserved in The first tri- the ark, through the grace and mercy of God. faith in Noah. holy true christian faith had the victory and triumphed. For Noe was of our faith, even of the seed of God, and put his trust in the blessed Seed, our Lord Jesus. Yea, the ark or ship of Noe was a figure of Christ, as we may easily understand by the words of St Peter. Seeing then that Noe was preserved through the ark, it followeth that he was saved by Jesus Christ; therefore is it manifest, The renewing that he first believed in Christ. Noe also was he, with mise concern- whom God first renewed the covenant made with Adam. ing Christ.

1 Pet. iii.

of the pro

Gen. vi.

For it is but one covenant only, even the foresaid promise and end, made by God unto Adam. Howbeit, the same covenant was afterward at certain times renewed by reason of certain occasions. Here might Noe have thought that all the world and all men should utterly have been undone; forasmuch as the Lord said, "I am determined to destroy all flesh." Therefore immediately he addeth moreover, and saith: "But with thee will I set up my covenant," that is

[1 Coverdale here follows the chronology of the Hebrew text. With respect to the chronology of the Samaritan text and the LXX. see Shuckford's Connection, Vol. I. p. 30, &c. Ed. Oxf. 1810.]