would follow the death of Enoch, and therefore bewailed his translation with such lamentation, that to weep for Enoch became a proverb; insomuch, that on any public or private calamity, it was usual to say the lamentations were as the lamentations for Enoch. But the predicted destruction not immediately following the translation of the prophet, and instead of the world being destroyed, new generations arising, the people became more hardened, and each succeeding generation were more wicked than the former. So that the prophecy which was intended for their reform, " became a stumblingblock," to the antediluvians, as "Christ crucified" was unto the postdiluvian Jews. This is confirmed by the Evangelists Matthew and Luke; where the coming of the Son of Man is compared to the coming of the flood. As the former believed not of their destruction" until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be; watch, therefore, for ye know not when your Lord cometh." The prophecy of Enoch was made publicly to the whole world. But the race of Cain, like "the Jews, required a sign, and, like the Greeks, sought after wisdom *." They were not satisfied with the information the Lord thought fit to give them; they went on 1 Cor. i. 22. regardless of the warnings of the prophet, "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away*." Therefore it was said by Christ, "As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." If we believe the Evangelists, we cannot believe that the sign was given. For if the Deity appeared two several times to give directions relative to the flood; the one descent being one hundred and twenty years, and the other seven days before the rain began to fall; then was the precise period known, and the " coming of the Son of Man" can not be "as the days of Noe were." It was not until after the death of Enoch, when the people began to disregard the prophecy, that the race of Seth became apostates; and not until 340 years subsequent thereto, that the general apostacy took place, with the execution of Noah and his immediate great ancestor Mathuselah, the son of Enoch. For there is much reason to think Lamech was an apostate, and one of the unbelievers; considering the prediction relative to his son Noah, as worldly: That he would by culture improve that earth which the Lord had oursed; not that he was born for the continuation * Matt. xxiv, 38. of the race of Seth in the new world. As Lamech was born 113 years before the death of Enoch, this could not have been the case, had the Deity appeared again on the same mission, 115 years before the death of Lamech. Thus was Noah placed amidst a lost abandoned world; and although firm in faith, moved with fear; and while others continued eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, employed himself on the one great work which had been enjoined him, by his great ancestors Cainan and Mathuselah. He not only devoted his time and labour agreeably to the command of God, conforming in all things with the direction which he had received; but led a life of abstinence. He continued in a state of celibacy for near 500 years; when that the prophecy should be fulfilled, " prepare an ark for the preserving of thee and thy family for the saving of thy house." He knew his wife and she bare Japheth, Shem and Ham. And it is observable, that no other children are recorded of this patriarch. Whereas in the genealogy of each of the others, after naming the birth of the son in whom the line of patriarchs was continued, is added the number of years each lived, and it is specified, that they subsequently begat sons and daughters*." So that if the *Gen. v. Hebrew and Hindu accounts differ in trivial matters, that of the latter is amply confirmed by Christ and his Apostles. That the Pentateuch was compiled from the writings of Moses seems as certain, as that the compiler flourished very many years after the death of that prophet*. And so it appears that the fourth Veda was compiled from the three divine Vedas of very much earlier date which accounts for inaccuracies being found in each. For although Moses is admitted to have been an inspired writer, the author who compiled his works many centuries after his death was not SO. And as the five books of Moses in their present form appear to have been compiled many centuries later than the Vedas, it is a probable conjecture, that, when the compiler of the former met with difficulties, he had recourse both to the Hindu and Chaldean records, which Moses had brought with him out of Egypt. Such, I conceive, was the seven days; and on such presumption, had the sentence "yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years" been taken from an Hindu record, I should have considered it as the date when the prophecy was made, and I should have fixed the period at A. M. 828; because 120 × 360=43200. And as seven Maha prophetic days * Vide Deut. xxxiv. 5, and following. denoted 1680 current prophetic years, so does 120 years of days denote seven half prophetic days, the former being produced by multiplying the seven days, by the Matires of a whole day or 24 hours, divided by 360; and the latter, or 7 half days, by multiplying them by the seconds of 12 hours and dividing by 360. Now in 120 years there are just 43200 days: and the expression is, "yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.' (7 × 43200÷360 = 840 = 828 Julian years.) I should therefore have understood from the word, yet, that the prophecy was delivered A. M. 828; that being 828 years before the flood. To return to the Purana, the prophet says to Satyavatar, "I will remain on earth until a night of Brahma shall be completely ended;" that is, the divine spirit, who had just delivered the prophecy, would not end his mortal career, until that period. The night of Brahma ended with the year 1000. Enoch was translated A. M. 988; and 988 x 365 360=1001. "Then shalt thou know my true greatness, rightly named " the Supreme Godhead," or, when the first thousand years of 360 days shall be completely ended*, then shall my translation to heaven convince thee, that I * Denoting that the second year of the second Calpa had commenced. |