s, by the mighty force
of the overwhelming waters.

VII. GENERATIONS OF CAIN AND OF THE RIGHTEOUS.

A. IN GENERAL.

1. Why Cain's generations were described before those of the
righteous 245.

2. How the Holy Spirit is interested more in the generations of
the righteous than in those of Cain 246-247.

3. Why the Holy Spirit gives this description of both 248.

4. The relation of the two to each other 248.

5. How the generations of the righteous are attacked and
conquered by those of the godless 249.

* Of Cain's marriage.

a. Who was his wife, and the question of his being married
before he committed the murder 250-251.

* How to read the writings of the Jews 251.

b. The question of his being married after the murder
252-254.

* That some of his posterity were saved 254.

VII. THE GENERATIONS OF CAIN AND THE GENERATIONS OF THE GODLY.

A. The Posterity of Cain in General.

V. 17. _And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and
he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of
his son, Enoch._

245. It is worthy of admiration that Moses describes the generation of
the sons of Cain before the generation of the sons of God. But all
this is done according to the fixed counsel of God. For the children
of this world have in this life and in this their generation the
advantage of the children of God (Lk 16, 8) with reference to the
first promise. The spiritual seed of the woman indeed possess the
spiritual blessing, but the seed of the serpent arrogate to themselves
the corporal, or temporal, blessing, and they bruise the heel of the
blessed seed. In this respect the temporal has precedence over the
spiritual.

246. But a great difference comes to the surface at a later day.
Although Moses records the history of the posterity of Cain before the
posterity of the righteous, yet we afterwards see that the latter are
more especially the care of the Holy Spirit. He does not confine
himself to a bare registration of their names, but he carefully
numbers their years, makes mention of their death, and not only
chronicles their own doings, as he chronicles in this passage those of
the sons of Cain, but also the transactions and the conversations
which Jehovah had with them, the promises he made, the help rendered
in danger, and the blessings vouc