The Annals of the World, History 1 · Age of the world 1
IN the beginning God created Heaven and Earth, Gen. 1. v. 1. Which beginning of time, according to our Chronologie, Year before Christ 4004 fell upon the entrance of the night preceding the twenty third day of Octob. The Julian Period 710 in the year of the Julian Calendar, 710.
Upon the first day therefore of the world, or Octob. 23. being our sunday, God, together with the highest Heaven, created the Angels. Then having finished, as it were, the roofe of this building, he fell in hand with the foundation of this wonderfull Fabrick of the World, he fashioned this lowermost Globe, consisting of the Deep, and of the Earth; all the Quire of Angels singing together, and magnifying his name therefore. [Job. 38. v. 7.] And when the Earth was void and without forme, and darknesse covered the face of the Deepe, on the very middle of the first day, the light was created; which God severing from the darknesse, called the one day, and the other night.
On the second day [October 24 being Monday] the firmament being finished, which was called Heaven, a separation was made of the waters above, and the waters here beneath enclosing the earth.
Upon the third day [Octob. 25. Tuesday] these waters beneath running together into one place, the dry land appeared. This confluence of the waters, God made a Sea, sending out from thence the rivers, which were thither to return again [Eccles. 1. vers. 7.] and he caused the Earth to bud, and bring forth all kinds of herbs and plants, with seeds and fruits: But above all, he enriched the garden of Eden with plants; for among them grew the tree of Life, and the tree of Knowledge, of good and evil. [Gen. 2. vers. 8, 9.]
On the fourth day [Octob. 26. which is our Wednesday] the Sun, the Moon, and the rest of the Stars were created.
On the fifth day [Octob. 27. Thursday] Fish and flying Fowl were created, and endued with a blessing of encrease.
And upon the sixth day [Octob. 28. which is our Friday] the living creatures of the earth took their creation, as well going, as creeping creatures. And last of all, man was made and created after the image of God, which consisted principally in the divine knowledge of the minde, [Coloss. 3. vers. 10.] and in the naturall and proper sanctity of his will, [Ephes. 4. vers. 24.] And he forth-with, when all living creatures, by the Divine Power, were brought before him, as a Lord appointed over them, gave them their names, by which they should be called. Among all which, when he found none to help him like to himself, lest he should be destitute of a fit companion, God taking a rib out of his side, whiles he slept, fashioned it into a woman, and gave her to him for a wife, establishing, withall, a law of marriage between them; then blessing them, he bade them wex and multiply, and gave them dominion over all living creatures, and for them all he provided a large proportion of food and sustenance to live upon. To conclude, sin being not yet entered upon the world, God beheld all that he had made, and, behold, it was exceeding good. And so was the evening, and so was the morning of the sixth day. [Gen. 1. vers. 31.]
Now upon the seventh day, [Octob. 29. which is, with, us Saturday,] when God had finished his work which he intended, he then rested from all labour, and blessing the seventh day, he ordained and consecrated the Sabbath, [Gen. 2. vers. 2, 3.] because therein he took breath, as himself is pleased to speak of himself, [Exod. 31. vers. 17.] and, as it were, refreshed himself. Nor as yet (for ought appeareth) had sin set footing into the world. Nor was there any punishment laid by God, either upon man-kinde, or upon Angels. Whence it was, that this afterward was set forth for a signe, as well of our sanctification in this world [Exod. 31. vers. 13.] as of that eternall Sabbath, to be enjoyed hereafter; wherein we expect a full deliverance and discharge from sin, and the dregs thereof, and all punishments belonging thereunto, [Heb. 4. vers. 4, 9, 10.]
After the first week of the world ended, as it seemeth, God brought the new married couple into the garden of Eden, and charged them not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; but left them free use of all the rest.
But the Devil, envying Gods honour and mans felicity, tempted the woman to sin by the Serpent; whence himself got the name and title of the old Serpent. [Apoc. 12. vers. 9. and 20. vers. 2.] The woman then beguiled by the Serpent, and the man seduced by the woman, brake the ordinance of God concerning the forbidden fruit; and accordingly being called, and convicted of the crime, had their severall punishments inflicted on them: yet with this promise added, that the Seed of the woman should, one day, break the Serpents head, (i.) That Christ in the fulnesse of time should undo the works of the Devil, [1 Ioh. 3. vers. 8. Rom. 16. vers. 20.] From whence it was, that Adam then first called his wife Evah; because she was then ordained to be the mother, not onelyonly of all that should live this naturall life, but, of those also who should live by faith in her seed; which was the promised Messias: as Sara also afterward was counted the mother of the faithfull, [1 Pet. 3. verse 6. Gal. 4. verse 31.]
Upon this occasion our first Parents, clad by God with raiment of skinnes, were turned out of Eden, and a fierie flaming sword set to keep the way leading to the tree of Life, to the end they should never after eat of that fruit, which hitherto they had not touched Gen. 3. verse. 21. 22. &c. whence it is very probable, that Adam was turned out of Paradise the self same day that he was brought into it, which seemeth to have been upon the tenth day of the world (answering to our first day of November, according to supposition of the Julian Period) upon which day also, in remembrance of so remarkable a thing, as in all reason it should seem, was appointed the solemnity of Expiation, or attonement, and the yearly fast, spoken of by Saint Paul, Acts 27. verse 9. termed more especially by the name of foreign, wherein all, as well strangers as home-born people, were commanded to afflict their souls with a most severe intermination, that every soul which should not afflict it self upon that day should be destroyed from among his people, [Lev. 16. v. 29. and 23. verse 29.]
After the fall of Adam, Cain was the first of all mortall men that was born of a woman, [Gen. 4. verse 1.]
Abel being murthered by his brother Cain, Year of the World 130. d. the first born of all man-kind, God gave Eve another son in his stead; whence his name was called Seth, c. 4. v. 25. when Adam had now lived 130 years, c. 5. v. 3. From whence it is gathered, that between the death of Abel, and the birth of Seth, there was no other son born to Eve; for then he should have been recorded to have been given her instead of him: so that whereas now the race of man-kind had been continued to the terme of 128 years, it is probable, that the number of men was so encreased in the world, that Cain might justly fear, through the conscience of his crime, that every man that met him would also slay him. [c. 4. v. 14, 15.]
Seth now being 105 years old, Year of the World 235. d. begat a son, The Julian Period 945 whom he named Enoch; Year before Christ 3769 which signifies, the lamentable condition of all man-kind. For even then was the worship of God wretchedly corrupted by the race of Cain: whence it came, that men were even then so distinguished, that they who persisted in the true worship of God, were known by the name of the children of God; and they which forsook him, were termed the children of men, Gen. 4. v. 26. and 6. 1, 2.
Cainan the son of Enoch was born when his father was 90 years old, Year of the World 325. d. [c. The Julian Period 1035 5. v. Year before Christ 3679 10.]
Mahalaleel was born when Cainan his father had lived 70 years, Year of the World 395. d. [c. The Julian Period 1015 5. v. Year before Christ 3069 12.]
Jared was born when his father Mahalaleel had lived 65 years, Year of the World 460. d. [c. The Julian Period 1017 5. v. Year before Christ 3544 15.]
Enoch was borne when his father Jared had lived 162 years, Year of the World 622. d. [c. The Julian Period 1332 5. v. Year before Christ 3382 18.]
Mathusalah was born when Enoch his father had lived 65 years [c. Year of the World 687. d. 5. v. The Julian Period 1397 25.]
Lamech Year before Christ 3317 was born when his father Mathusalah had lived 187 years, Year of the World 874. d. [c. The Julian Period 1584 5. v. Year before Christ 3130 25.]
Now Adam the first father of all man kind, Year of the World 930. d. died when he had lived 930 years. The Julian Period 1640 Year before Christ 3074
As for Enoch, Year of the World 987. d. the seventh from Adam, The Julian Period 1697 God translated him in an instant, Year before Christ 3017 whiles he was walking with him, that he should not see death, after he had lived 365 years, [c. 5. 23, 24, Heb. 11. 5.]
Seth the son of Adam died when he had lived 912 years, Year of the World 1042. d. [c. The Julian Period 1752 5. v. Year before Christ 2962 8.]
Noah the tenth from Adam, Year of the World 1056. d. was born when his father Lamech had lived 182 years, The Julian Period 1766 Year before Christ 2948 [c. 5. v. 29.]
Enoch the third from Adam, Year of the World 1140 d. died when he had lived 905 years, [c. 5. v. 11.] The Julian Period 1850 Year before Christ 2864
Cainan the fourth from Adam, Year of the World 1235. d. died when he had lived 9…0 years. The Julian Period 1945 [c. Year before Christ 2769 5. v. 17.]
Mahalaleel, Year of the World 1029. d. the fifth from Adam died, The Julian Period 2000 when he had lived 892 years. Year before Christ 2714 [c. 5. v. 17.]
Iared, Year of the World 1422. d. the sixth from Adam, The Julian Period 2132 dyed wen he had lived 962 years. Year before Christ 2582 [c. 5. v. 20.]
God, Year of the World 1536. a. before he brought the deluge of waters upon the world of the wicked, The Julian Period 2245 sent Noah, Year before Christ 2469 a Preacher of righteousness unto them, giving them 120 years space to repent them of their evil waies, [1 Pet. 3. v. 20. 2 Pet. 2. v. 5. Gen. 6. v. 3.]
To Noah, Year of the World 1556. d. who now first began to set his mind to the propagating of an off-spring, The Julian Period 2266 when he was 500 years old; Year before Christ 2448 was borne first of all Iaphet, [Gen. 5. v. 32. and c. 10. v. 21.]
Noahs second son was Sem; Year of the World 1558. d. being two years after the flood, The Julian Period 2268 recorded to have been 100 years old, Year before Christ 2446 [Gen. 10. v. 11.]
Lamech, Year of the World 1651. d. the ninth from Adam, The Julian Period 2361 died when he had lived 777 years, year before Christ 2353 [c. 5. v. 31.]
Mathusalah, Year of the World 1656. a. the eighth from Adam, The Julian Period 2365 died in the 969 year of his age; Year before Christ 2349 and out-went all men in length of life. [c. 5. v. 27.]
Now in the second month of this year, upon the 10 day thereof, (answering to the 30 of our November, being sunday) God commanded Noah, that in that weeke, he should provide himself to enter into the Arke: whiles the world, (in the mean time) void of all fear, sate eating and drinking, and marrying, and giving in marriage, [Gen. 7. v. 1, 4, 10. Mat. 24. v. 38.]
In the 600 year of the life of Noah, upon the 17 day of the second month, answering to the 7 of our Decemb. upon a sunday, when he with his children, and living creatures of all sorts, were entered into the Ark, God sent a rain upon the earth forty days, and forty nights; and the waters continued upon the earth 150 days, [Gen. 7. v. 4, 6, 11, 12, 13, 17, 24.]
The waters abating upon the 17 day of the 7 month, May 6. upon a wedensday, the Ark rested upon one of the mountatines of Ararat, [c. 8. v. 6, 7.]
And the waters still falling upon the first day of the tenth month (with us July 19. being sunday) the tops of the mountains appeared above the water, [c. 8. v. 5,] And after 40 days, that is upon the 11 day of the 11 month (Being 28 of August, falling upon a friday) Noah opening the window of the Ark, sent forth a Raven, [c. 8. v. 6, 7.] And seven days after, as may probably be gathered, out of those other seven days, mentioned [v. 10] Noah sent forth a Dove and she returning, after seven days more, he sent her forth again: and about the evening she returned, bringing the leaf of an Olive tree in her mouth, and then staying yet seven days more, sent the same Dove out again, which never returned more unto him. [c. 8. v. 8. 12.]