CRITICISM AND BIBLE FACTS
By Bryn Mawr
ADAM was 622 years old when Enoch, the "seventh from Adam," was born. He had an opportunity to converse with Adam face to face many times during their 300 years of contemporaneous existence, and learn directly from his lips the story of creation. Enoch "walked with God." Moreover, he was a prophet, and he prophesied of the judgment—yet future. He made a record of these things, and Jude—a relative of Christ according to the flesh—quotes from it in his epistle. Jude 14, 15. Methuselah lived 243 years with Adam, and Lamech, his son, 56 years, and Noah himself was born only 126 years after Adam died. So Enoch, Methuselah, and Lamech were contemporary with Adam a period of from 50 to 300 years, and were also contemporary with Noah almost to the day of the flood, except Enoch, who was translated 69 years before Noah's birth. Noah lived 350 years after the flood, and Abraham was about 40 years of age when Noah died, making a contemporaneous post-diluvian existence of nearly a half century with one who had an antediluvian existence of 600 years. Shem was antediluvian 98 years, and postdiluvian 502 years, which gave him opportunity to clasp hands and talk face to face with Isaac for 130 years. Jacob was with his father 120 years, and Joseph continued 54 years after Jacob's death, and 64 years later, or 145 years after the death of Isaac, Moses was born of the house of Levi. This gives one generation only from the active life of Joseph to the active life of Moses. And we know from the personal experience, that that is not a long time for the transmission of written records of fresh traditions. Moses was learned in "all the wisdom of the Egyptians," who were the most highly-civilized people of the earth at that time; and there was an antediluvian written language transmitted by Noah and his family. There were written languages, also, immediately following the flood, to which Moses had access, besides being a "friend of God," with whom he talked face to face. From Adam, the first man, to Isaac were only two living links, Methuselah and Shem; and from Isaac to Moses' active participation in the experiences of God's people, was about 200 years; not long enough for the world to consider itself very modern, dating from the last living ante-post-diluvian representative, nor for the anteflood period to appear very ancient. And, from the manner in which Moses handled the records, we would judge it all very fresh to him. The attempts to brush aside the prophecies by affirming that they were written after the events transpired, are too weak for serious consideration; for the most marvelous prophecies have been, and are, fulfilling, many centuries after their utterance, some of them of the gravest import to us, now. Altho God often uses the most ordinary agents for the manifestation of His wondrous power, He also often sets aside those forces that we call natural laws, and works wonders, "they" say, contrary to all laws. That is not the true conception of the fact, however, for He works in harmony with the greatest law of His being, and that is, the law of creation. It is so strange that a puerile man will try to place a limit on the power of God, in the manipulation of the forces. He has already created. The Scripture record is true in all that is contained therein, and the day is very near, and "hasteth greatly," when all the boastful pride and haughtiness of man will be laid low. A "mighty," and a "beautiful," angel gazed upon himself until he fell. So will it be with the critics, who, forgetting Christ, denying His life and His Word, are puffed up almost to the point of bursting with self, the mightiness of self, believing not the sure destruction that hasteneth with the coming of the Lord.