Prototypes, or, The primary precedent presidents out of the book of Genesis showing, the…Prototypes, or, The primarie precedent presidents out of the booke of Genesis shewing, the…

The professors of the true religion were called sons of God, that did worship the true God after the manner that God taught by Adam. The other were called sons of men, that gave themselves over to worldliness, and vanity, and profaneness; for my part I suppose that before the flood there was no Idolatry, because the Holy Ghost would not have omitted the taxing of that sin as well as those it doth ⟨p. 49⟩tax if it had been then used in the world. But let us take the words to mean, then it was begun to call on the name of the Lord, and then it shall be added as a commendation of Seth, that in his days religion began to flourish more then ever before, by his diligence joining with his Father Adam, much more respect was had to piety, and greater numbers of men embraced the profession of piety. And this ought to be the care of every good man to further the progress of true religion, and to cause the name of God to be faithfully called upon of many.

The professors of the true religion were called sonnes of God, that did worship the true God after the manner that God taught by Adam. The other were called sonnes of men, that gave themselves over to worldlinesse, and vanity, and prophanenesse; for my part I suppose that before the floud there was no Idolatry, because the Holy Ghost would not have omitted the taxing of that sinne as well as those it doth ⟨p. 49⟩taxe if it had beene then used in the world. But let us take the words to meane, then it was begun to call on the name of the Lord, and then it shall be added as a commendation of Seth, that in his daies religion began to flourish more then ever before, by his diligence joyning with his Father Adam, much more respect was had to piety, and greater numbers of men imbraced the profession of piety. And this ought to be the care of every good man to further the progresse of true religion, and to cause the name of God to be faithfully called upon of many.

Now of the rest of Adams seed there is a Catalogue made in the fifth Chapter of all the ancient Fathers, from the first man Adam to Noah, in whose days the flood fell out, by which it appears of what standing the world was, when it was grown so corrupt, that the Lord could no longer endure the manners of it. And in this Catalogue the Holy Ghost takes this order; 1. He shows of what age every one was when he begat his eldest son. How many years he lived after the birth of that son. 3. How old he was when he died. The number of the persons are in all ten, Adam, Seth, Enoch, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. Adam at a hundred and thirty years begat Seth, and after lived eight hundred years and had more children in that time, and died aged nine hundred and thirty years. Adam was in truth the eldest man all things considered, for though Methuselah out-lived him thirty nine years (for he was nine hundred sixty nine years, and Adam but nine hundred and thirty) yet Methuselah was borne an infant, Adam was made a perfect man the first day, and in those times a man was but a child at thirty nine years, for no question they would give their minds to marriage in that newness of the world, paucity of men, and plenty of ground so soon as they were fit for it. So Adams perfect estate at the first countervailed the living of forty years and more. Seth he lived a hundred and five years and begat Enos, and living eight hundred and seven years begat divers more children, and ended his days at nine hundred and two. Enos lived ninety years and begat Cainan, &c. as you may read in the story. Nothing is mentioned of any one but the length of his life, the time when he had his first son, and that he had more sons.