The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-05-08
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him." Genesis S. "a.
The oldest man that ever lived is
not living to-day. This solemn SEN
tence follows the statement OF his
years and eEds the narrative OF his
life as it does that OF six OF his pro.
penltors-"And he died. ~ The
father OF Methusaleh. Enoch, is the
only exception to this rule. 1t is
not said that he died. This is the
way, the scripture reads: "All the
DAYS of Adam were $50 years and
he died: all the days OF Seth were
9l2 years and he died; all the davs
OF Enos we're 9O5 wears and he died;
all the davs of Cainan were $40
Years and he died; all the davs of
Mahalaleel were S95 years and he
died: all the davs of Jared were
| O52 wears and he died: all the davs
of Enoch were S65 years and God
took him
What reliet is this last sentence
| from the monotonv of all that pre-
! cedes it. Enoch did not die, he was
ira slated, that he should not see
| death SUCH IN unusual Occurrence
| dem ands our intelligent investiga-
| ton and our honest study. As in
| the case of Moses "kissed to sleep
bv the lips OF God. or that Of Eli
! iah carried to God in a chariot OF
| fire, so in that of Enoch walking so
| near to God on the hills of high ex-
perience that God could simply onfn
| the windows OF heaven and let him
| step in. We are forced to ask our.
selves the question, WHY should
there be execution. from the usual
death made with these mem What
was the secret OF Enoch's godly
| walk?
There must have been agreement
| In Amos 3. 3. we read: "Shall two
walk together except thev be
aoreed?" Now this NAV mean
either of two things or both. 1t
NAV mean, shall two walk togeth-
er excart thev make an appoint
ment-thatis. except they be agreed
i before the walk begins. Or 1t may
mean how shall two walk together
EXCEPT there be agreement while
thev walk. except they be compan-
ionabl. You NAV be sure God eag-
erlv awaits to make an appoint
ment with every inquirng soul and
YOU NAV be euuallv sure he will not
be companon to disagreeab!e
pcrson. There must be both ap-
! polntment and agreement if we eX-
| pect, like Enoch. to walk with God.
There must have been trust.
Trust on both sides. 1t is one thing
| to trust God. and quite another to
be God trusted. The name Enoch
means "consccrated. dedicated "
but Tor anything we know. the ded-
ication was not the result ot his
fathers influence. All we know
about either Enoch's father or
Erocb S son, is that his son was the
oldest man that ever lived and that
his father died when only seven
wears Younger. But, nv friends.
length OF days is not sufficient evil
dence of pietv. To have lived long.
is not Of as much value to the world
or to God as to have lived well.
There was simple trust. We walk
today in constant maizes OF dis
trust. In tie social world no one
trusts another: in the business
] world the hand Of every man is at
| the throat OF every other, and IN
the domestic world divorces follow
marriages. courting precedes by
only a little way the court, while
each believes the other untrue.
Not so in spiritual things. The
walk with God is walk of trust.
# Adam had been walking with
God instead OF hiding from God. lie
would not have been frightened at
the sound of the Almighty 5 tread
as he heard Him walking IN the
garden in the cool Of the day.
There must have been intimacy.
Delightful intpacv-threc hun
drec wears with God is heaven be-
gun below. To be Gods intimate
Companion for SO long a time 10 a
privilege grand indeed and Enoch
had it. He walked so long with
God that he must have become like
Him. aud walked so lar with God
that he never came back to die.
Enoch had this testimony before
his translation that "he pleased
Cod" (Heb. ll.5.) And this oi it.
self Indicates his piety. Enoch
was and must have been a good
man, for he was Gods man. lie
was forgiven. Gods forgiveness
is assured when God companion
ship is granted. We DO not know
whether Adam was saved put we
do know Enoch was. We hear
. much about the first man = sIn aud
5 of his punishment, but nothing OF
t his repentance or pardon. but o.
, the seventh man Enoch, we do hear
. of his pleasing God and this is proof
of God S forgiveness. We may never
. meet Adam IN heaven, but We II DC
sure TO NEE, Enoch. 1t is not saic
that the oldest man that ever lived
Me,husaleh, loved God, but we may
, he sure that Euoch did. There !:
, a heaven for God took Enoch there
t No Que is translated into death -
, he is translated into l.te, and lha'
] life is unending.
c Now what are the lessons iron
e all this for us. Well this fot one
4 A man is known by his walk How
crooked the path we take Loos
o back in the winter time over SOM
!, snow-trodden path you've taket
n aud see what crooked !lne Q
n tracks you've left behind. See tha
e saake.like path across hundre'
4 farm land hi!ls-why is it s.
c crooked! 1t is because mans pa't
is a winding one and he, unaide'
o BY a dlviner guide than self, eanno
| ~I.ai..hf ,,aihS ENerN ma