his name
implies that the Church had been overwhelmed by some terrible
disaster, yet God raised her up again by his grace and mercy, and
added the great spiritual blessing of godly assemblage in a particular
place, with preaching, prayer and the offering of sacrifices,
blessings which had hitherto perhaps been either hindered or forbidden
by the Cainites. We have here, then, another evidence of the promised
seed warring with the serpent and bruising its head.

303. Furthermore, as Moses does not say: Jehovah began to be called
upon, but the name of Jehovah, the reference to Christ recommends
itself to our approval, since also in other passages the Schem Jehovah
(the name of Jehovah) is so to be understood. This expression, "then
men began to call upon the name of Jehovah," contains a meaning most
important. It signifies that Adam, Seth, and Enosh taught and exhorted
their posterity to expect redemption and to believe the promise
concerning the seed of the woman, and to overcome by that hope the
snares, the crosses, the persecutions, the hatred and the violence of
the Cainites, and not to despair of salvation, but rather to give
thanks unto God, assured that he would at some time deliver them by
the seed of the woman.

304. What could Adam and Seth teach greater or better than that the
great deliverer, Christ, was promised to their posterity? And this is
quite in keeping with the proper principle to be observed in religious
instruction. The first care should ever be directed to the first
table. When this table is well understood, the right understanding of
the second table will soon follow; yea, it is then easy to fulfil the
latter. For how is it possible that, where pure doctrine is taught,
where men rightly believe, rightly call upon the name of Jehovah, and
rightly give thanks unto God, the second and inferior fruits can be
wanting?

305. In this manner did it please God at that time to comfort the
afflicted church of the godly and to prevent their despair concerning
the future. We see throughout the pages of sacred history a perpetual
succession and change of consolations and afflictions. Joseph in Egypt
keeps alive his parents and his brethren when divinely visited by
famine. After this, when these people were oppressed by wicked kings,
they were again delivered from their cruel bondage. And Cyrus delivers
them when captives in Babylon. When God permits his own people to be
oppressed by the violence and guile of