ed longer, the
additional years would have been contained in the enumeration.

Moses, however, does this with the definite purpose of pointing out
the unspeakable wrath of God against sin, and the inevitable
punishment of it, inflicted by him on the whole human race, on the
righteous as well as on the wicked. So does the Apostle Paul pursue
his argument, drawn from this very portion of the Holy Scripture: "As
through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and
so death passed upon all men, for that all sinned," Rom 5, 12. This is
a consequence perpetuated through all generations. Adam died,
therefore Adam was a sinner. Seth died, therefore Seth was a sinner.
Infants die, therefore infants partake of sin and so are sinners. This
is what Moses intends to set forth when he says, concerning the whole
line of patriarchs, that, though they were all sanctified and renewed
by faith, yet, "they died!"

3. Nevertheless, from this line of the dying there flames starlike a
most lovely light of immortality when Moses here records concerning
Enoch that "he was not;" that is, he no longer appeared among men, and
yet he did not die but was taken up into heaven by the Lord himself.
By this glorious fact is signified that the human race is indeed
condemned to death on account of sin, and yet the hope of life and
immortality is left us, that we need not abide in death forever.

4. For this cause God thought it needful, not only that the promise of
life should be given to the original world, but that immortality
should be demonstrated by an object lesson. Accordingly Moses said of
each patriarch that he fulfilled so many years of life and "died":
that is, suffered the punishment of sin, or, was a sinner. But the
divine historian does not use these expressions concerning Enoch. Not
because that patriarch was not a sinner, but because, even unto such
sinners as he, there was left a hope of eternal life through the
blessed seed. Therefore all the patriarchs, who died in the faith of
this seed, held fast the hope of eternal life.

Enoch, therefore, is the second object lesson by which God makes it
manifest that it is his will to give unto us life eternal after this
life. The Lord says that Abel, who was killed by his brother, still
lived, and that his voice cried from the ground. In the present
instance, Enoch is taken up by the Lord himself into heaven.

5. We will not despair, therefore, though we see death, derived f