sebius hence infers, that he is the same with the Atlas of the Grecian mythology. There is, indeed, great reason to believe that most of the deities of that system are but Scripture characters grossly corrupted; but whether the present conjecture is well founded, matters little. Enoch's fame rests upon a better basis, than upon his skill in astronomy.

Though that science is noble and divine, tending to enlarge the ideas of man, and to fill his mind with reverence for the great Creator of the universe, yet. the highest knowledge of it is less valuable than an acquaintance with divine truth, and the cultivation of moral excellence. To subdue the irregular passions of the mind, to live above the vanities of the world, and in a constant obedience to the will of Heaven, is a course infinitely more exalted than the pursuit of earthly wisdom.

A man may be able to name all the stars at sight, to calculate their distances, and to ascertain their magnitudes with extreme accuracy; he may also be able to enumerate and class the different orders of plants, from the "cedar which groweth on Lebanon, to the hyssop that springeth out of the wall;" he may, moreover, be minutely acquainted with the various tribes of animals, the properties of minerals, and have besides the most extensive knowledge of men and things---yet, with all his store of information, he may be still poor and ignorant, knowing nothing of the value of his immortal soul, having no acquaintance with religious truth, nor enjoying any communion with GOD.

The encomium of Enoch is, that "he walked with GOD." He might trace the divine footsteps in the works of creation and providence, but the expression implies something more particular and endearing. Enoch is here represented as the friend and companion of the Almighty; and the Scripture elsewhere remarks, that "two cannot walk together except they are agreed." This walking together implies a cordial sympathy and mutual love and esteeni; the

very thing intended by the historian in his description of the patriarch. Enoch was not contented with a mere formal profession of religion, or with a general acknowledgment of his belief in a Deity; but his soul was filled with love to GOD: a warm and lively sense of the Divine presence occupied his mind, and his faculties were rendered wholly subservient to the Divine will. He studied constantly to keep his thoughts, words, and actions in a strict conformity to the holy law of GOD, from pleasure and not from fear. His morning vows ascended to the eternal throne, his active hours were employed in doing good, and the day closed with grateful thanksgiving to the GoD of mercies.

In this course every good man walks with GOD, as Enoch did; and it is only by such a course that any one can find comfort and satisfaction in this varied, troublesome, and sinful world. But Enoch, m consideration of his eminent virtues, was admitted to a near intercourse with the Almighty.---St. Jude calls him a prophet, and he appears to have been the first who obtained that honourable character.

In his time the world was become sadly corrupted and idolatrous; so soon did sin and infidelity spread among the sons of men. The fall of man produced evils in abundance. The next circumstance recorded is the murder of Abel, soon after which we read of the introduction of polygamy by Lamech; and before the death of Adam, iniquity seems to have covered almost the whole earth.

Amidst this dismal scene of corruption, one bright exception was found in the person of Enoch. While mankind at large were living in open rebellion against Heaven, and provoking the Divine vengeance daily by their ungodly deeds, he obtained this exalted testimony, "that he pleased GOD." This he did, not only by the exemplary tenour of his life, and by the attention which he paid to the outward services of religion, but by the soundness of his faith and the purity of his zeal. St. Paul speaks thus of him :

"By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death, and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had his tcstimony, that he pleased GOD. For without faith it is impossible to please GOD; for he that cometh to GOD must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews xi. 5, 6.

The intent of the apostle, in the discourse containing this passage is, to show that there has been but one way of obtaining the Divine favour ever since the fall, and that is by FAITH, or a firm belief in the atonement to be made for human transgression, by the obedience, sufferings, and death of the Messiah. The cloud of witnesses which the apostle has produced of Old-Testament worthies, all bore, in their respective generations, their testimony to this great doctrine, in opposition to the moral theism and gross idolatry which prevailed around them. All the patriarchs are celebrated for their being faithful to this great truth, and for preserving this principle of religion in the midst of a corrupt generation. Enoch, therefore, is said, by another evangelical writer, to have preached Christ unto the antediluvian sinners; a position strange and unnatural, if the knowledge of the Messiah was not communicated to man at that early period. The words of the apostle are remark able: "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints; to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." Jude 14, 15. This prophecy is a clear, and it is also an awful description of the day of judgment, when the Messiah shall sit upon his throne of justice to determine the final condition of mankind according to their works.

Where the apostle found this prediction, has been matter of much speculation and inquiry. Some, in

deed, have produced a treatise, called "The Book of Enoch," which, as they pretend, contains the cited passage; but its authority is not proved, and internal evidence sufficiently marks its spurious origin. It is therefore reasonable to suppose that either the prophecy mentioned by St. Jude was traditionally handed down, or was specially communicated to that apostle.

Thus Enoch was found faithful in his generation, not only as a pious and an upright man, but as a preacher of righteousness. His mind, strengthened and directed by the spirit of GOD, penetrated through a long series of intervening ages, and beheld the incarnation and death of the Messiah; saw him rise triumphant from the grave, then ascend to the throne of GoD, and, at the consummation of all things, descend in glory, surrounded with his holy angels, as the judge of all the earth.

The patriarch, being grieved at the abominations which he beheld every day, denounced the terrors of the Almighty against the authors of them with that zeal which became one who was clothed with a divine commission. He was not content with living according to the rule of righteousness himself, but it was his desire to see the authority of GoD universally respected.

It is impossible that we can hear the name of the object we love slightingly spoken of, without expressing a friendly zeal. And can any one pretend to love God, and be unconcerned at seeing his holy name, his law, his word, and his ordinances despised and blasphemed? Where this love is really seated in the heart, there will be a zeal for all that concerns the honour of GoD and for the credit of religion. This will not be a blind, persecuting spirit, composed of bigotry, prejudice, and conceit; but an open and generous readiness to defend the truth, to reprove vice, and confute error. A person of this disposition may be despised by the ignorant and wicked, and he may be spurned by the proud man and the philoso

pher, but his name shall be recorded with honour; the good of every age will mention him with reverence; and, at the great day of account, he shall receive the approbation of God himself, in the presence of an assembled world.

The Divine favour eminently distinguisheth the righteous man both in life and death. It is true, he may not enjoy great distinction among men, he may not roll in riches, or be celebrated as a prodigy of wisdom; but he will possess an inward comfort and pleasure, which the world can neither give nor take away.

While he "walks with GOD," who is the fountain of good, he cannot but enjoy serenity of mind, which is superior to every earthly delight. The sense of the Divine favour will be a cordial to him in every trying season, and sweeten every calamity. If he is visited by affliction, or is deprived of any temporal good, he does not sorrow as those who have no hope, but is comforted by the consideration that he "has an inheritance beyond the skies, which fadeth not away."

There "remaineth a rest for the people of God," Hebrews iv. 9; even a mansion of bliss, where no pain shall torment, no sin defile, nor any wicked trouble them. They who "walk with God" in the path of holy duty and virtue, continue to have that glorious state before them in every circumstance of life. Prosperity doth not dazzle them, nor adversity depress them. The view of death and eternity, in the former case, keeps them humble, and, in the latter, it cheers their hearts, to consider that the time is coming when all trouble shall be done away, and when tears shall be for ever wiped from their eyes.

In the departure of Enoch from this world of sin and sorrow, the Almighty altered the ordinary course of things, and gave him a dismissal as honourable to himself as it was instructive to mankind. To convince them that holiness only was acceptable with