The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1871-06-06
CA Z N :
Whom was He Afraid Of,and Who
was His Wife!

How were these things in the begin
ming? What diG the first people do p
What was the population when the first
century closed, and what were their Gus
toms, employments, ordinances,& DC DC. ?
These and similar questions often arise
in the mind. Some Of these questions
are suggested by mere curiosity; others
are deeply interesting and important.
Cain was the first-born man. With
his terrible crime all are familiar; but
many have asked whom he was afraid of
when no others lived but his parents, and
who was his wife with whom he dwelt.ia
the land of Nod, when as yet no wonIdn
is spoken of as born?
1. Who could have slain him?-But
two persons came out of Eden; yet
about century afterwards we find Cain
complaining that every one finding him
would kill him. This implies the popu.
ation of the earth at that time was very
considerable. Many stumble here be-
cause up to this time they find mention
of but two children of Adam, and one
of these had been slain and the other
was Cain himself But there is no occa-
sion to suppose these were the only chill
dren of Adam and Eve at the time of
Abers murder In chapter v. 4, just
before the account of Adams death, we
have the general statement that he "be-
gat sons and daughters. This certainly
refers to his whole life, and not to the
period just before death. And when it
is remembered that Adam lived $50
years, or nearly one-fourth Of the entire
period of the Old Testament history, ,and
that the race had not yet become physi-
cally deteriorated by fast living and
modern customs, and that they lived i'm
1nediately under Gods ordinance to "be
fruitful and multiply and replenish the
earth," it would be utterly incredible that
during the first 130 years of their exist
ence, our first parents had but three
children whose names are here given
Let it be borne in mind that the Bible
does not pretend to give history of the
human race, but simply of the family or
line of our Lord Jesus Christ Many in
this family are only mentioned by name,
and thousands who may have some con-
nection with it are not mentioned Al all.
The truth is, from the premises referred
to, we infer the children of the antede-
luvians were numbered by hundreds, not
by units,a is now the case and the pop
ulation of the world may very readily be
supposed to have exceeded thousand
at the death of Abel, which appears to
have occurred not very long before the
birth of Seth. These were they OF whom
Cain was afraid. Why God did not call
any of these to avenge the murder of
Abel, is question as useless for us to
attempt to answer as il would he 10 at
tempt to explain the "mark" He put on
Cain to prevent it. Suffice it to say,pre-
vious to the food there appears to have
been no particular laws or magistrates
for the punishment of crime The whole
race was under sentence of death simply
serving out the time of their reprieve j;
and when this had lost its terror, and
crime began to increase, God executed
His justice and wrath, not on few indi-
viduals, but in one fearful judgment
which swept away the entire race, except
Noah and his family. After the flood,
Gods plan was changed, and individual
offenders in certain crimes were punish
ed Immediately with death. We must
be careful to distinguish between Gus.
toms and ordinances before the food ,and
the great change that took place after
that event.
2. Concerning the other question, who
was Gains wife? Not much need be
said, as the answer is implied above
Two difficulties surround the question.
No sister is mentioned whom he could
have married, and even if there was,it is
revolving to think of the marriage of
brother and sister, The first of these
difficulties we have already removed by
reference to chapter v. 4, where we are
told "Adam begat sons and daughters" :"
One of these became Gains wife. Our
ideas of propriety are shocked at this
Incest is crime by the laws Of God and
man. But We must recollect that it was
not always so.> In period very much
later than the first century of our race,
it was customary for persons close of
kin to marry. Abraham was married to
his half sister, daughter of the same
father, but not the same mother; (Gen.
xx-12) Major married his brother 8
daughter. Jacob married his two cous-
ins Judah his daughter-in law; and Mo-
ses' mother was an aunt to his father
The truth is, in the patriarchal times the
custom and laws were against marrying
out Of ones own family. Abraham
sends back to bis own family to get a
wife for Isaac, and Jacob went on the
same errand for himself. The laws of
Moses changed all this intermarrying of
near relatives, and specified no less than
fifteen marriages, within certain degrees
of consanguinity, which were strictly
prohibited.
No matter, therefore, how much our
sense Of propriety may be shocked at
the thought that Gains wife was his sis
ter, We affirm that there was no impro-
priety about it then. 1t was the custom
and law for 1000 years to marry within
the same blood. That law is changed,
and now it is crime from which the
human heart properly revolts. But we
must not confound things as they then
were with what they are now. God is
always the same but his laws and ordi-
nances for the human race have been re-
peatedly changed, as may best accom-
plish his purposes and work out the
happiness and salvation of men,
Watchman.
A SMART Boy GAINESVILLE, Wisconsin,
is noted for its smart boys. The latest
story is told of Il youth OF six summers,
who was taken to task by his aunt for
some supposed offense which he per-
sistently denied.
"Now, Johnnie" said she, 81 know
you ale not telling me the truth i; l see it
in your eye"
Pulling down the lower lid of the or.
non Which hoI xUol1 n; ,t l,otroyo6 h;o ,yo