fact, came against him, he might be safe from them. As Adam hid himself from Gods prefence in his bushes, fo doth Cain goc about to defend himself with walls: Howbeit fo it is that a guilty confcience cannot finde any reft or fecurity by any fuch means, but it findes the truth of that which the Apostle faith, in the fecond to the Corinthians, the seventh chapter and the fifth verfe, pugna foris, intus terrores. And yet by the taking order for the continuance of his name, it appeares he had not only fear, but a fecular defire of fame in the world; he contenteth not himself with Adams dwelling, bur builds a City. Adam and his Children dwelt under Trees, or fome Tents; but the Pofterity of Cain builds themselves Cities to dwell in.

For the generall, as the beginning of good Lawes is the evill fashions and naughty manners of men, so the remedy against fear is Cities,that by them people may be fafe from wilde beasts,and wicked and cruel men more wilde than beafts. But as firft neceffity invented Garments,& fince pride; fo it is of Cities: A City was founded firft in regard of fear, but fince they are become the only places of pride; for in the Country where men are imployed in husbandry we fee no fuch pride, they content themselves with plain dwelling; but in the City all things are for pride. That is for the building of the City.

Touching the Builder, we fee the beginning of buildings is bomi, nem occidere, & arbem condere: Therefore the Prophets crie out, that the faces of the poor are ground for the maintenance of Cities, Feremiah the twenty (econd chapter and the thirteenth verse, Habakkuk the fecond chapter and the thirteenth verfe, Micha the third chapter: Even as we see Cain that killed his brother is the Builder of this City, fo there are many like Cain,that kill and undos a great company of young Occupiers, to build themselves a City: For they content not themselves with their Fathers Houses, but build themselves Houses of Cedar, Feremiah the thirty fecond chapter.

Secondly, Out of the Builder Auguftine hath this note, that as the building of this City of Enoch by the blood of Abel, was a foretelling what kinde of City this fhould be, namely full of cruelty; fo in as much as Rome was founded by Romulus in the blood of Remus, that was a figne that it would be a cruel and bloody City, as we fee it came to pass, that it hath been the chief perfecuting City, and fhed moft blood

Thirdly, We are to speak of the name, wherein the itch of Cains vanity breaks forth; for in giving this name he faith as much as they dos, Genefis the eleventh chapter, paremus nobis nomen, he fecks to make his pofterity famous, for it is the course of the world, And men think their houses shall continue for ever, and therefore call their lands by their names, Pfalm the fourty ninth and the eleventh verss: when they cannot be written in the book of life, they seek to be in remembrance of men. We fee it is in Saul when God took his hagor from him, he would be honoured of the people, in the first of

Samuel

Samuel the fifteenth chapter; fo that upon thefe three things in fatisfying the flesh, in building Cities for the glory of this world, and in leaving a name behinde, stands all Cains defire. But the ving of this name is in one of these two respects.

Firft, If a man will fee what is true dedication, let him look upon the worldly minded man, for none doe fo truly dedicate themfelves to the true God, as they doe confecrate themselves to the World: It is indeed facra fames; for as Chrift faith, The Children of this world are wifer in their generation, than the Children of light, Luke the fixteenth chapter. Therefore in them we may fee the lively example of true dedication.

Secondly, If not that, yet for as much as every dedication is the firft act; for the first thing to be done when a new House is to be built, is to dedicate it by great feastings. This fheweth that as all the things of this life.are but beginnings, for as Chrift kept the best wine laft, John the fecond chapter, fo the confummation of all things is in Salem, which is Gods City: But Cains Enoch is nothing but fair fhewes of joy and feastings, which fhall end in mournings. Where it is faid Cain was building a City, and not that he built it, it is to teach us that he did but begin it: we fee the like in the worlds coutfe, men are ever building and pulling down, they are never at reft, but continually in the Land of Nod: Nunquam adificaverunt, as the Preacher faith, The foul ftill defireth, but is never fatisfied, Ecclefiaftes the fifth chapter, even fo Cain is alwayes occupied in building the City, but never makes an end; but even before he hath done he drops into the grave; like the rich man, Luke the twelfth chapter, that suddenly while he was confulting how to build Barns, was taken away. Thefe are Cains three waies, fufceptio Prolis, extruxio Urbis, & propagatio Nominis; the one is the luft of the flesh, the other the luft of the eyes, the third the pride of life, Fohn the fecond chapter: And these are the waies of the world. All the defires of worldly men stand in these three; to have many Children, to build fair houses, and to get an honorable name among men. Thus far goeth worldly men, and no farther, as we fee not only in Cain, but in Nimrod, and Pharaoh, all whofe ftuddy was in getting Children, in building Cities, and leeking to make their name famous. These are the men of this world, from whom the Prophet prayeth to be delivered, That have their portion in this life, their bellies are filled with id treasure, their Children have enough, and leave the reft to their Chil tren, and this is all they feek for; but the Godly fay with the Prohet, Pfalm the feventeenth and the fourteenth verfe, But I will feek hrthy prefence in righteousness; that is Seths Enoch, and not Cains. We hve not here (faith the Apostle) any abiding City, Hebrews the thitenth chapter and the fourteenth verfe; that is true, for albeit we hve Cities, yet they continue not, therefore we feek for a City of Gods· bilding, Hebrews the eleventh chapter and the ninth verse, and not a City built by Cain. This is a point of examination, for it is to be: confidered, whether a man in the course of his life reach any further Nan 2

than

than these three. It he goe no farther in the practile of his life, but to get Children, to build Cities and fair Houles, and to get a name, he is in the way of Cain: But if with the other Enoch we continue ftill in Gods prefence, then we doe well: Cain having life granted for repentance, mifpends it in building of a City, and fuch like vanities; And as there is a woe to him, fo woe to them that like him mifpend their time which God giveth them for repentance, Fude the cleventh verfe. Cain is in a place of torment, where he cryeth, woe that he mispent his time fo vainly, and therefore we must beware by his example; for this is the ufe we are to make of Cain and the Reprobate, that when we fee what is their end, we beware that we walk not in their waies, that we mifpend not our time in fulfilling the lufts of the flesh, and vanity of buildings, and fecking the glory and honor of this world, because to all fuch there belongs a woe no less than to Cain, as it is in the epiftle of Fude.

Gen. 4, 18.19.

Decemb1 9. 1599:

Deinde Chanacho natus est Hirad, & Hirad genuit Mechujaëlem: Machujaël verò genuit Methufchaëlem, Methuf chaël genuit Lemecum. Affumpfit autem fibi Lemec uxores

duas :

IN these two verfes we have two points to confider, the one is a journey which the Holy Ghost undertaketh, the other is the end of that journey. In the journey Mofes begins to let down the Pedigrees of Cain, and the end of that journey is the ftory of Lamech, wherein it may justly be inquired, Firft, why any mention is made in Scripture of the Reprobate? Secondly, why it makes mention of the ge neration of Gain before the generation of Seth?

For the first; It is a matter of abfolure neceffity,that the Scripture fhould make mention of the ungodly and reprobate; for whereas God proclaimed enmitie between the Serpents feed and the feed of the Woman, Genesis the third chapter and the eleventh verse, it was his will that it fhould appear in the world, how the one was an ene mie to the other; therefore it is called liber bellorum domini, Foshua the tenth chapter: The life of man is called militia (uper terram, Fob the seventh chapter, and the Church is called the Church militant, e bec eft patientia Sanctorum, Revelations the fourteenth chapter and the twelfth verfe, to fhew that the godly have enemies in this world, whereby their patience is tried.

Secondly, why mention is made firft of the pedigree of Can, there is fufficient reafon to be given, that is, In as much as the wicked are called the men of this world, Pfalm the seventeenth, ad

be

the Children of this generation, Luke the fixteenth chapter and the eighteenth verse, it is reason they should be first remembred in this world, for that they shall not be mentioned any where else, they only have their intereft in this life; but in the morning the righteous have the dominion, Pfalm the fourty ninth and the fourteenth verfe, that is, in the life to come mention fhall be first made of the godly, and therefore Chrift, before he speaks of condemning the wicked, faith firit, Matthew the twenty fifth chapter, Venite benedicti patris mei, that is in regard of the perfons, and for finne it felf, as the Philofopher faith, ad neminem ante venit mens kona quàm antmus malus, every man is firft poffeffed with an evill minde before he can have a good minde: as the Apostle faith, in the first to the Corinthians, the the fifteenth chapter and the fourty fift verle, That is nos first which is spirituall, but that which is naturall: We are all by nature prft the Children of wrath, Ephefians the second chapter, and belong to the pofterity of Cain, before we can be partakers of grace; and therefore it is good reason that in Scripture our state by nature be first spoken of, before our ftate by grace; that the Law should goe before the Gofpel; the feed of the Serpent before the bleffed iced of the Woman.

Thirdly, It may be demanded why this paffage is made to the ftory of Lamech, next after the ftory of Cain? the reason is, for that it is Gods will to bring finne to a head: For as in Adam we saw the poyfon of the Serpent, and the infection of it in Cain, so here is a new infection: For as there is a spirit that lufteth after envy, Fames the fourth chapter, which made Cain kill his brother, fo in Lamech we fee that spirit which fude speaks of, verfe the seventh, that is a spirit that longesh after strange flesh, which he fhewed in taking two Wives: That is, there is an unclean spirit as well as an envious fpirit; whereas there are two parts of the will our and imbvuxiv in Cain; the angry part was infected with the Serpents poyfon, his heart was inflamed with a defire of revenge. Now in Lamech we fee this infection goeth lower, even to his reins, and ftirs him up to luft. There are but two temptations, Deuteronomie the thirty third chapter and the eighth verle, which the Hebrews call meribah and Maffah, which the Apoftle termeth maguis and muçaquòs, Hebrews the third chapter; the one is the temptation unto contention and revenge, wherewith Cain was infe&ted, of which the Apostle faith, Fames the fourth chapter and the firft verte, From whence are warres and contentions among you; are they not from your lufts: The other is the temptation of concupifence, which poifoned Lamech: In the Gofpel we have them both, that is fpiritus malignus & immundus, Luke the eighth chapter and the fecond verfe, Chrift healeth certain women poffeffed with malignant and envious fpirits and Luke the eleventh chapter, The unclean spirit departing out of a man, walketh in dry places. The malicious fpirit fhewed his poyfon in Cain by the temptation of meribah; and now Lamech is infected with the unclean fpirit, and yeelding to the temptation of maffah

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And in these two Reprobates, infected with these two kindes of temptations, the Holy Ghoft fheweth the perfection of finne: For fanctification hath two parts: First, Thac we poffeffe our veffels in holinels, which is an expofition to the uncleanels of Lamech, and in the firft to the Theffalonians, the fourth chapter and the fixt verse, that no man oppreffe or tread down his brother, which oppofeth it selfagainst the fpirit of Cain, whotrod down his brother and violently flew him. Charity and chastity are a full comprehenfion of the duty of fanctification, which God willeth us to perform: And as Cains finne ftands first in the story, so it is first in nature; for a Child before he be able to fpeak one word, will by his fower face fhew that he hath a revenging fpirit. But in this ftory of Lamech we must. observe a farther thing, for it ftandeth upon two parts: First in the ninteenth verfe is fhewed not only that he was infected with a fpirit of uncleannefs, but allo verfe the twenty third, a contemptuous and infolent fpirit, which is a degree beyond Cain, for there he braggeth of his finne, and contemneth God and his Judgments, as if he should not be revenged of him for it. For when a finner is not only poffeffed and infected with malice and envy in his heart, and with luft in his reins, but braggs of his fin in contempt of God and his Judgments, then he is at the height of finne: Peccator cum in profundum venerit contemnit. Thus where there are but three fa. culties of the foul, all are corrupted by the infection of the Serpent: as for reason it was corrupted in Adam, when the Serpent perfwaded him that he should be like God and the angry part was corrupted in Cain, when he was ftirred up to kill his Brother without all caufe. Thirdly, the will and the coveting part was corrupted in Lamech, so as neither the bond of nature, nor the will of God, which is a fpirituall bond, could keep in order; but he will fhew his uncleannefs. When not only Adam looseth faith, and Cain charity, but Lamech chastity, then is finne at the height. In the first verfe there is a genealogic of four difcents, wherein there is no matter of great edification: Howbeit as when mens Fields and Clofes are laid out, all must not be taken up for pafture, but a little way must be left, whereby every man may pass to his own ground, fo in the Scripture there must be a paffage from one ftoric to another: And as in the body, for that there are a great many lymbs and parts, they muft of neceffity be compacted one with another by the help of the finews; fo both in prophane Writers and in the Scripture, many things are fet down to fhew the dependance that one ftory hath with another, which otherwife would not seem to neceffary. Even to the fhewing how Cain is joyned with Lamech, which is done in this verfe, is very neceffary. Secondly, There is a farther matter in this heaping of names, befides the continuance of the ftory for it would have feemed ftrange that the Scripture doth make mention of Lamech and his wicked courfe, unless it were withall. fhewed from whence he came : But in fetting down, that Lamech is of the pofterity of wicked Cain, no man will marvell that

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