Chapter 5—Seth and Enoch
Seth was a worthy character, and was to take the place of Abel in
right doing. Yet he was a son of Adam like sinful Cain, and inherited
from the nature of Adam no more natural goodness than did Cain.
He was born in sin, but by the grace of God, in receiving the faithful
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instructions of his father Adam, he honored God in doing his will. He
separated himself from the corrupt descendants of Cain, and labored,
as Abel would have done had he lived, to turn the minds of sinful men
to revere and obey God.
Enoch was a holy man. He served God with singleness of heart.
He realized the corruptions of the human family, and separated him-
self from the descendants of Cain, and reproved them for their great
wickedness. There were those upon the earth who acknowledged God,
who feared and worshiped him. Yet righteous Enoch was so distressed
with the increasing wickedness of the ungodly, that he would not daily
associate with them, fearing that he should be affected by their infi-
delity, and that his thoughts might not ever regard God with that holy
reverence which was due his exalted character. His soul was vexed
as he daily witnessed their trampling upon the authority of God. He
chose to be separate from them, and spent much of his time in solitude,
which he devoted to reflection and prayer. He waited before God,
and prayed to know his will more perfectly, that he might perform it.
God communed with Enoch through his angels, and gave him divine
instruction. He made known to him that he would not always bear
with man in his rebellion—that his purpose was to destroy the sinful
race by bringing a flood of waters upon the earth.
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The pure and lovely garden of Eden, from which our first parents
were driven, remained until God purposed to destroy the earth by a
flood. God had planted that garden, and especially blessed it, and in
his wonderful providence withdrew it from the earth, and will return it
to the earth again, more gloriously adorned than before it was removed
from the earth. God purposed to preserve a specimen of his perfect
work of creation free from the curse wherewith he had cursed the earth.
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