The Story of Patriarchs and Prophets
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 6: Seth and Enoch
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To Adam was given another son, to be the inheritor of the
divine promise, the heir of the spiritual birthright. The name
Seth, given to this son, signified "appointed," or "compensation;"
"for," said the mother, "God hath appointed me another seed
instead of Abel, whom Cain slew." Seth was of more noble
stature than Cain or Abel, and resembled Adam more closely
than did his other sons. He was a worthy character, following
in the steps of Abel. Yet he inherited no more natural goodness
than did Cain. Concerning the creation of Adam it is said, "In
the likeness of God made He him;" but man, after the Fall,
"begat a son in his own likeness, after his image." While Adam
was created sinless, in the likeness of God, Seth, like Cain,
inherited the fallen nature of his parents. But he received also the
knowledge of the Redeemer and instruction in righteousness. By
divine grace he served and honored God; and he labored, as Abel
would have done, had he lived, to turn the minds of sinful men
to revere and obey their Creator.
"To Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his
name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah."
The faithful had worshiped God before; but as men increased,
the distinction between the two classes became more marked.
There was an open profession of loyalty to God on the part of
one, as there was of contempt and disobedience on the part of the
other.
Before the Fall our first parents had kept the Sabbath, which
was instituted in Eden; and after their expulsion from Paradise
they continued its observance. They had tasted the bitter fruits
of disobedience, and had learned what every one that tramples
upon God's commandments will sooner or later learn—that the
divine precepts are sacred and immutable, and that the penalty of
transgression will surely be inflicted. The Sabbath was honored by [p. 81] all the children of Adam that remained loyal to God. But Cain
and his descendants did not respect the day upon which God had
rested. They chose their own time for labor and for rest, regardless
of Jehovah's express command.
Upon receiving the curse of God, Cain had withdrawn from
his father's household. He had first chosen his occupation as a
tiller of the soil, and he now founded a city, calling it after the
name of his eldest son. He had gone out from the presence of
the Lord, cast away the promise of the restored Eden, to seek his
possessions and enjoyment in the earth under the curse of sin,
thus standing at the head of that great class of men who worship
the god of this world. In that which pertains to mere earthly
and material progress, his descendants became distinguished. But
they were regardless of God, and in opposition to His purposes
for man. To the crime of murder, in which Cain had led the way,
Lamech, the fifth in descent, added polygamy, and, boastfully
defiant, he acknowledged God, only to draw from the avenging
of Cain an assurance of his own safety. Abel had led a pastoral
life, dwelling in tents or booths, and the descendants of Seth
followed the same course, counting themselves "strangers and
pilgrims on the earth," seeking "a better country, that is, an
heavenly." Hebrews 11:13, 16.
For some time the two classes remained separate. The race
of Cain, spreading from the place of their first settlement,
dispersed over the plains and valleys where the children of Seth had
dwelt; and the latter, in order to escape from their contaminating
influence, withdrew to the mountains, and there made their
home. So long as this separation continued, they maintained the
worship of God in its purity. But in the lapse of time they
ventured, little by little, to mingle with the inhabitants of the
valleys. This association was productive of the worst results. "The
sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair." The
children of Seth, attracted by the beauty of the daughters of
Cain's descendants, displeased the Lord by intermarrying with
them. Many of the worshipers of God were beguiled into sin by
the allurements that were now constantly before them, and they
lost their peculiar, holy character. Mingling with the depraved,
they became like them in spirit and in deeds; the restrictions of
the seventh commandment were disregarded, "and they took
them wives of all which they chose." The children of Seth went [p. 82] "in the way of Cain" (Jude 11); they fixed their minds upon
worldly prosperity and enjoyment and neglected the commandments
of the Lord. Men "did not like to retain God in their
knowledge;" they "became vain in their imaginations, and their
foolish heart was darkened." Romans 1:21. Therefore "God gave
them over to a mind void of judgment." Verse 28, margin. Sin
spread abroad in the earth like a deadly leprosy.
For nearly a thousand years Adam lived among men, a witness
to the results of sin. Faithfully he sought to stem the tide of
evil. He had been commanded to instruct his posterity in the way
of the Lord; and he carefully treasured what God had revealed to
him, and repeated it to succeeding generations. To his children
and children's children, to the ninth generation, he described
man's holy and happy estate in Paradise, and repeated the history
of his fall, telling them of the sufferings by which God had
taught him the necessity of strict adherence to His law, and
explaining to them the merciful provisions for their salvation. Yet
there were but few who gave heed to his words. Often he was met
with bitter reproaches for the sin that had brought such woe upon
his posterity.
Adam's life was one of sorrow, humility, and contrition.
When he left Eden, the thought that he must die thrilled him
with horror. He was first made acquainted with the reality of
death in the human family when Cain, his first-born son, became
the murderer of his brother. Filled with the keenest remorse for
his own sin, and doubly bereaved in the death of Abel and the
rejection of Cain, Adam was bowed down with anguish. He witnessed
the wide-spreading corruption that was finally to cause
the destruction of the world by a flood; and though the sentence
of death pronounced upon him by His Maker had at first appeared
terrible, yet after beholding for nearly a thousand years
the results of sin, he felt that it was merciful in God to bring to
an end a life of suffering and sorrow.
Notwithstanding the wickedness of the antediluvian world,
that age was not, as has often been supposed, an era of ignorance
and barbarism. The people were granted the opportunity of
reaching a high standard of moral and intellectual attainment.
They possessed great physical and mental strength, and their
advantages for acquiring both religious and scientific knowledge
were unrivaled. It is a mistake to suppose that because they lived [p. 83] to a great age their minds matured late; their mental powers were
early developed, and those who cherished the fear of God and
lived in harmony with His will continued to increase in knowledge
and wisdom throughout their life. Could illustrious scholars
of our time be placed in contrast with men of the same age who
lived before the Flood, they would appear as greatly inferior in
mental as in physical strength. As the years of man have
decreased, and his physical strength has diminished, so his mental
capacities have lessened. There are men who now apply themselves
to study during a period of from twenty to fifty years, and
the world is filled with admiration of their attainments. But how
limited are these acquirements in comparison with those of men
whose mental and physical powers were developing for centuries!
It is true that the people of modern times have the benefit of the
attainments of their predecessors. The men of masterly minds,
who planned and studied and wrote, have left their work for those
who follow. But even in this respect, and so far as merely human
knowledge is concerned, how much greater the advantages of the
men of that olden time! They had among them for hundreds of
years him who was formed in God's image, whom the Creator
Himself pronounced "good"—the man whom God had instructed
in all the wisdom pertaining to the material world. Adam had
learned from the Creator the history of creation; he himself
witnessed the events of nine centuries; and he imparted his
knowledge to his descendants. The antediluvians were without
books, they had no written records; but with their great physical
and mental vigor, they had strong memories, able to grasp and
to retain that which was communicated to them, and in turn to
transmit it unimpaired to their posterity. And for hundreds of
years there were seven generations living upon the earth
contemporaneously, having the opportunity of consulting together
and profiting each by the knowledge and experience of all.
The advantages enjoyed by men of that age to gain a knowledge
of God through His works have never been equaled since.
And so far from being an era of religious darkness, that was an
age of great light. All the world had opportunity to receive
instruction from Adam, and those who feared the Lord had also
Christ and angels for their teachers. And they had a silent witness
to the truth, in the garden of God, which for so many centuries
remained among men. At the cherubim-guarded gate of Paradise [p. 84] the glory of God was revealed, and hither came the first worshipers.
Here their altars were reared, and their offerings presented.
It was here that Cain and Abel had brought their sacrifices, and
God had condescended to communicate with them.
Skepticism could not deny the existence of Eden while it stood
just in sight, its entrance barred by watching angels. The order
of creation, the object of the garden, the history of its two trees so
closely connected with man's destiny, were undisputed facts. And
the existence and supreme authority of God, the obligation of His
law, were truths which men were slow to question while Adam
was among them.
Notwithstanding the prevailing iniquity, there was a line of
holy men who, elevated and ennobled by communion with God,
lived as in the companionship of heaven. They were men of massive
intellect, of wonderful attainments. They had a great and
holy mission—to develop a character of righteousness, to teach a
lesson of godliness, not only to the men of their time, but for
future generations. Only a few of the most prominent are mentioned
in the Scriptures; but all through the ages God had faithfully
witnesses, truehearted worshipers.
Of Enoch it is written that he lived sixty-five years, and begat
a son. After that he walked with God three hundred years. During
these earlier years Enoch had loved and feared God and had
kept His commandments. He was one of the holy line, the preservers
of the true faith, the progenitors of the promised seed.
From the lips of Adam he had learned the dark story of the Fall,
and the cheering one of God's grace as seen in the promise; and
he relied upon the Redeemer to come. But after the birth of his
first son, Enoch reached a higher experience; he was drawn into
a closer relationship with God. He realized more fully his own
obligations and responsibility as a son of God. And as he saw the
child's love for its father, its simple trust in his protection; as he
felt the deep, yearning tenderness of his own heart for that
first-born son, he learned a precious lesson of the wonderful love of
God to men in the gift of His Son, and the confidence which the
children of God may repose in their heavenly Father. The infinite,
unfathomable love of God through Christ became the subject
of his meditations day and night; and with all the fervor of
his soul he sought to reveal that love to the people among whom
he dwelt. [p. 85]
Enoch's walk with God was not in a trance or vision, but in
all the duties of his daily life. He did not become a hermit, shutting
himself entirely from the world; for he had a work to do for
God in the world. In the family and in his intercourse with men,
as a husband and father, a friend, a citizen, he was the steadfast,
unwavering servant of the Lord.
His heart was in harmony with God's will; for "can two walk
together, except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3. And this holy walk
was continued for three hundred years. There are few Christians
who would not be far more earnest and devoted if they knew that
they had but a short time to live, or that the coming of Christ
was about to take place. But Enoch's faith waxed the stronger,
his love became more ardent, with the lapse of centuries.
Enoch was a man of strong and highly cultivated mind and
extensive knowledge; he was honored with special revelations
from God; yet being in constant communion with Heaven, with
a sense of the divine greatness and perfection ever before him, he
was one of the humblest of men. The closer the connection with
God, the deeper was the sense of his own weakness and imperfection.
Distressed by the increasing wickedness of the ungodly, and
fearing that their infidelity might lessen his reverence for God,
Enoch avoided constant association with them, and spent much
time in solitude, giving himself to meditation and prayer. Thus
he waited before the Lord, seeking a clearer knowledge of His
will, that he might perform it. To him prayer was as the breath
of the soul; he lived in the very atmosphere of heaven.
Through holy angels God revealed to Enoch His purpose to
destroy the world by a flood, and He also opened more fully to
him the plan of redemption. By the spirit of prophecy He carried
him down through the generations that should live after the
Flood, and showed him the great events connected with the second
coming of Christ and the end of the world.
Enoch had been troubled in regard to the dead. It had seemed
to him that the righteous and the wicked would go to the dust
together, and that this would be their end. He could not see the
life of the just beyond the grave. In prophetic vision he was
instructed concerning the death of Christ, and was shown His
coming in glory, attended by all the holy angels, to ransom His
people from the grave. He also saw the corrupt state of the world [p. 86] when Christ should appear the second time—that there would be
a boastful, presumptuous, self-willed generation, denying the only
God and the Lord Jesus Christ, trampling upon the law, and despising
the atonement. He saw the righteous crowned with glory
and honor, and the wicked banished from the presence of the
Lord, and destroyed by fire.
Enoch became a preacher of righteousness, making known
to the people what God had revealed to him. Those who feared
the Lord sought out this holy man, to share his instruction and
his prayers. He labored publicly also, bearing God's messages
to all who would hear the words or warning. His labors were
not restricted to the Sethites. In the land where Cain had sought
to flee from the divine Presence, the prophet of God made known
the wonderful scenes that had passed before his vision. "Behold,"
he declared, "the Lord cometh with ten thousands of
His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all
that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds." Jude
14, 15.
He was a fearless reprover of sin. While he preached the love
of God in Christ to the people of his time, and pleaded with
them to forsake their evil ways, he rebuked the prevailing iniquity
and warned the men of his generation that judgment would surely
be visited upon the transgressor. It was the Spirit of Christ that
spoke through Enoch; that Spirit is manifested, not alone in
utterances of love, compassion, and entreaty; it is not smooth
things only that are spoken by holy men. God puts into the heart
and lips of His messengers truths to utter that are keen and cutting
as a two-edged sword.
The power of God that wrought with His servant was felt by
those who heard. Some gave heed to the warning, and renounced
their sins; but the multitudes mocked at the solemn message, and
went on more boldly in their evil ways. The servants of God are
to bear a similar message to the world in the last days, and it will
also be received with unbelief and mockery. The antediluvian
world rejected the warning words of him who walked with God.
So will the last generation make light of the warnings of the
Lord's messengers.
In the midst of a life of active labor, Enoch steadfastly
maintained his communion with God. The greater and more pressing
his labors, the more constant and earnest were his prayers. He [p. 87] continued to exclude himself, at certain periods, from all society.
After remaining for a time among the people, laboring to benefit
them by instruction and example, he would withdraw, to spend a
season in solitude, hungering and thirsting for that divine knowledge
which God alone can impart. Communing thus with God,
Enoch came more and more to reflect the divine image. His face
was radiant with a holy light, even the light that shineth in the
face of Jesus. As he came forth from these divine communings,
even the ungodly beheld with awe the impress of heaven upon his
countenance.
The wickedness of men had reached such a height that destruction
was pronounced against them. As year after year passed
on, deeper and deeper grew the tide of human guilt, darker and
darker gathered the clouds of divine judgment. Yet Enoch, the
witness of faith, held on his way, warning, pleading, entreating,
striving to turn back the tide of guilt and to stay the bolts of
vengeance. Though his warnings were disregarded by a sinful,
pleasure-loving people, he had the testimony that God approved,
and he continued to battle faithfully against the prevailing evil,
until God removed him from a world of sin to the pure joys of
heaven.
The men of that generation had mocked the folly of him who
sought not to gather gold or silver or to build up possessions
here. But Enoch's heart was upon eternal treasures. He had
looked upon the celestial city. He had seen the King in His glory
in the midst of Zion. His mind, his heart, his conversation, were
in heaven. The greater the existing iniquity, the more earnest was
his longing for the home of God. While still on earth, he dwelt,
by faith, in the realms of light.
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."
Matthew 5:8. For three hundred years Enoch had been seeking
purity of soul, that he might be in harmony with Heaven.
For three centuries he had walked with God. Day by day he
had longed for a closer union; nearer and nearer had grown the
communion, until God took him to Himself. He had stood at
the threshold of the eternal world, only a step between him
and the land of the blest; and now the portals opened, the walk
with God, so long pursued on earth, continued, and he passed
through the gates of the Holy City—the first from among men to
enter there. [p. 88]
His loss was felt on earth. The voice that had been heard day
after day in warning and instruction was missed. There were
some, both of the righteous and the wicked, who had witnessed
his departure; and hoping that he might have been conveyed to
some one of his places of retirement, those who loved him made
diligent search, as afterward the sons of the prophets searched for
Elijah; but without avail. They reported that he was not, for God
had taken him.
By the translation of Enoch the Lord designed to teach an
important lesson. There was danger that men would yield to
discouragement, because of the fearful results of Adam's sin.
Many were ready to exclaim, "What profit is it that we have
feared the Lord and have kept His ordinances, since a heavy
curse is resting upon the race, and death is the portion of us all?"
But the instructions which God gave to Adam, and which were
repeated by Seth, and exemplified by Enoch, swept away the
gloom and darkness, and gave hope to man, that as through
Adam came death, so through the promised Redeemer would
come life and immortality. Satan was urging upon men the belief
that there was no reward for the righteous or punishment for the
wicked, and that it was impossible for men to obey the divine
statutes. But in the case of Enoch, God declares "that He is, and
that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Hebrews
11:16. He shows what He will do for those who keep His commandments.
Men were taught that it is possible to obey the law
of God; that even while living in the midst of the sinful and
corrupt, they were able, by the grace of God, to resist temptation,
and become pure and holy. They saw in his example the blessedness
of such a life; and his translation was an evidence of the
truth of his prophecy concerning the hereafter, with its award of
joy and glory and immortal life to the obedient, and of condemnation,
woe, and death to the transgressor.
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By faith Enoch "was translated that he should not see death;
. . . for before his translation he had this testimony, that he
pleased God." Hebrews 11:15. In the midst of a world by its
iniquity doomed to destruction, Enoch lived a life of such close
communion with God that he was not permitted to fall under the
power of death. The godly character of this prophet represents
the state of holiness which must be attained by those who shall be [p. 89] "redeemed from the earth" (Revelation 14:3) at the time of
Christ's second advent. Then, as in the world before the Flood,
iniquity will prevail. Following the promptings of their corrupt
hearts and the teachings of a deceptive philosophy, men will rebel
against the authority of Heaven. But like Enoch, God's people
will seek for purity of heart and conformity to His will, until they
shall reflect the likeness of Christ. Like Enoch, they will warn
the world of the Lord's second coming and of the judgments to
be visited upon transgression, and by their holy conversation and
example they will condemn the sins of the ungodly. As Enoch
was translated to heaven before the destruction of the world by
water, so the living righteous will be translated from the earth
before its destruction by fire. Says the apostle: "We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trump." "For the Lord Himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and
with the trump of God;" "the trumpet shall sound, and the dead
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." "The dead
in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore
comfort one another with these words." 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52;
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.
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"The Flood"
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