(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

THE ADAMIC DISPENSATION—V.

NOTES.

1. The Descendants of Adam: The account of the family of Adam in the Book of Genesis is painfully brief and gives no idea of the number of sons and daughters born to him. During the first one hundred and thirty years it gives an account of but three sons; Cain, Abel, and Seth. "And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years, and he beget sons and daughters." (Gen. 5:3). Before the account of the birth of Cain is given, however, the sacred historian says: "And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living." (Gen. 3:20). In the Book of Moses (P. G. P.) there is an account of sons and daughters being born to the pair sometime before the birth of Cain, and even an account of their beginning to divide two and two and to till the land and to tend flocks; "and they also begot sons and daughters," all this previous to the birth of Cain. (Book of Moses, ch. 5:2, 3). Even in the Genesis' account of Cain's birth there seems to be something of an inference that sons and daughters had been born to Adam and Eve preceding Cain's birth, because some special hope seems to attach to the birth of Cain, Eve saying, when she bore him, "I have gotten a man from the Lord;" and the Book of Moses adds this conclusion to her words, "Wherefore he may not reject his (the Lord's) words." But alas! how that mother's hopes were to be blighted, for the record just quoted says, "But behold, Cain hearkened not." (Book of Moses, ch. 5:16). And the final result of his rejection of God's counsels are perhaps the saddest of all history.

2. The Wickedness of Cain: The Book of Moses represents the descendants of Adam as being early influenced by the flattery and evil persuasions of Lucifer who had been cast out of heaven to the earth. (Book of Moses, ch. 5:13.) Cain seemed especially subject to his influence and "loved Satan" more than God. (Ibid 28). A league and covenant was made in fact between the pair, and Satan even abdicated his place of bad eminence as chief rebel against God in favor of Cain. "And Satan swear unto Cain that he would do according to his commands. And all these things were done in secret, and Cain said truly, I am Mahan the master of this great secret, that I may murder and get gain, wherefore Cain wras called Master Mahan and he gloried in his wickedness." (Book of Moses, ch. 5:30, 31.) This throws some light upon an obscure passage in Genesis (IV:7), "If thou doest well,' the Lord is represented as saying to Cain on the latter's displeasure at his offering to the Lord not being accepted, 'shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his [Lucifer's] desire, and thou shalt rule over him." The question is whose desire shall be unto Cain? And who shall Cain rule over? The commentators usually assume that it is Abel who is to have the desires unto Cain, and over whom Cain is to rule, a most absurd conclusion, unless we can believe that God designed to place righteous Abel under the dominion of the evil minded Cain which is unthinkable. The truth of the matter is, that the record in Genesis is evidently imperfect, and should be as we find it in the Book of Moses, which represents that Satan's desires shall be towards Cain; He shall rejoice in Cain because the latter is a wicked man; and to win him completely to his kingdom Satan is even walling to abdicate his throne and consent for Cain to rule over him. All of which indicates the desperate wicked disposition of Cain before he reached the climax of his crimes in the murder of his brother, Abel.

3. Josephus on the Wickedness of Cain and His Descendants: "And when Cain had travelled over many countries, (after God's sentence upon him) he, with his wife, built a city named Nod, which is a place so called, and there he settled his abode; where also he had children. However, he did not accept of his punishment in order to amendment, but to increase his wickedness; for he only aimed to procure everything that was for his own bodily pleasure, though it obliged him to be injurious to his neighbors. He augmented his household substance with much wealth, by rapine and violence; he excited his acquaintance to procure pleasure and spoils by robbery, and became a great leader of men into wicked courses. He also introduced a change in that way of simplicity wherein men lived before; and was the author of measures and weights; and whereas they lived innocently and generously while they knew nothing of such arts, he changed the world into cunning craftiness. * * * * * Even while Adam was alive, it came to pass, that the posterity of Cain became exceeding wicked, every one successively dying, one after another, more wicked than the former. They were intolerable in war, and vehement in robberies; and if any one were slow to murder people, yet was he, bold in his profligate behavior, in acting unjustly, and doing injuries for gain." (Josephus' "Antiquities" Book I chap. II).

4. Seth and His Descendants: Adam was more fortunate in his son Seth and his posterity. It is written that "God revealed himself unto Seth and he rebelled not, but offered an acceptable sacrifice like unto his brother Abel. And to him also was born a son and he called his name Enos, and then began these men to call upon the name of the Lord, and the Lord blessed them. And a book of remembrance was kept, in which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration; and by them their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled." (Book of Moses, ch. V. 3-6.)

Of the righteousness of Seth's posterity, Josephus himself says: "Now this posterity of Seth continued to esteem God as the Lord of the universe, and to have an entire regard to virtue for seven generations; but in process of time they were perverted, and forsook the practices of their forefathers; and did neither pay those honors to God which were appointed them, nor had they any concern to do justice toward men; but for what degree of zeal they had formerly shown for virtue, they now showed by their actions a double degree of wickedness, whereby they made God to be their enemy."

But notwithstanding the wickedness even among the descendants of Seth, (Book of Moses, ch. VI:15) still there was a line of righteous men preserved through whom the holy priesthood continued in the earth and among them were preachers of righteousness. (Book of Moses, ch. VI:7).

5. The offering of Sacrifices Commanded: No explanation is given in Genesis as to the reason why sacrifice was to be offered. There is simply a statement of fact that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord, but that Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and that the Lord had respect unto Abel's offering, but not unto Cain's. It must be evident that this effort at honoring God was taught by their father, but why they were so taught is not stated. In the Book of Moses (P. G. P.), however, the matter is made very clear. "And Adam and Eve, his wife, called upon the name of the Lord, and they heard the voice of the Lord from the way toward the Garden of Eden, speaking unto them, and they saw him not; for they were shut out from his presence. And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord." (Book of Moses, ch. V:4, 5). There appears as yet, however, no explanation for this offering of sacrifices. With the fall of Adam there seems to have come a forgetfulness of the plan of salvation devised in the counsels of the Eloheim before Adam's earth-life began. And it needed the aforesaid commandment to Adam to bring to pass the introduction of those symbols which were intended to figure forth the Atonement of the Christ. And though Adam, in his fallen state, had apparently lost his recollection of these things ordained before the foundations of the world, yet he was obedient to the commands of the Lord. "And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me. And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth. Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou dost in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son for evermore. And in that day the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying: I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and for ever, that as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will." (Book of Moses, ch. VI, 6-9).

6. The Gospel Fully Revealed to Adam: It would seem also that Adam about this time received even more full explanations respecting his redemption than is given in the passage of the Book of Moses, quoted in the foregoing note; for in the passage attributed to Enoch sometime after the event above quoted, it is said: "And he [God] called upon * * * Adam by his own voice, saying: I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh. And he also said unto him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you. And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water? And the Lord said unto Adam: Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden. Hence came the saying abroad among the people, That the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world. And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good. And it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment. Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is His name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous judge, who shall come in the meridian of time. Therefore, I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying: That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory. * * * * And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water. And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man. And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever; and thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity. Behold, thou art one in me, a Son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen." (Book of Moses, chs. VI:51-59, 64-68).

Thus a dispensation of the Gospel was committed unto Adam, and the means of his redemption was clearly made known unto him. He was not left to perish in ignorance of God's purposes in respect of his earth life, and whatever intellectual or spiritual darkness, had come over him as a consequence of his fall and his banishment from Eden it was now dispelled by this dispensation of the gospel given unto him, granting to him a knowledge of that eternal life "which God that cannot lie, promised before the world began." (Titus, i; 2.)