with those that conueyed Seths seede before the deluge, downe vnto Noah. It beginneth therefore thus. These are the generations of Sem: Sem was an hundred yeares old and begat (a) Arphaxad, two yeares after the floud. And Sem liued after hee begat Arphaxad fiue hundred yeares, and begat sonnes and daughters, and dyed: And thus of the rest, shewing when euery one begot his sonne, that belonged to this generation that descendeth to Abraham, and how long euery one liued after hee had begotten his sonne, and begot more sonnes and daughters, to shew vs 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a great multitude might come of one, least wee should make any childish 〈◊〉〈◊〉 at the few that it nameth: Sems seede beeing sufficient to replenish so 〈◊〉〈◊〉 kingdomes, chiefly for the Assyrian Monarchie, where Ninus the subduer 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the East raigned in maiesty, and left a mighty Empire to bee possessed 〈◊〉〈◊〉 yeares after by his posterity: But let vs not stand vpon trifles longer then 〈◊〉〈◊〉 must: wee will not reckon the number of euery mans yeares till he dyed, •…•…ely vntill hee begat the sonne who is enranked in this genealogicall rolle. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 gathering these from the deluge to Abraham, we will briefly touch at other •…•…ents as occasion shall necessarily import. In the second yeare therefore 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the deluge, Sem being two hundred yeares old begat Arphaxat: Arphaxat 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a hundred thirty fiue yeares old begat Canaan: hee beeing a hundred and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 yeares old begat Sala, and so old was Sala when hee begot Heber: Heber 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hundred thirty and foure yeares old when he begat Phalec: Phalec a hund∣•…•… and thirty and begat Ragau: hee one hundred thirty and two, and begat Se∣•…•…ruch one hundred and thirty and begot Nachor: Nachor seauenty and nine 〈◊〉〈◊〉 got Thara: (b) Thara seauenty, and begot Abram whom God afterward 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Abraham. So then from the deluge to Abraham are one thousand seauenty 〈◊〉〈◊〉 yeares, according to the vulgar translation, that is the Septuagints. But 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Hebrew the yeares are farre fewer, whereof wee can heare little or no 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shewen.
〈◊〉〈◊〉 therefore in this quest of the Citty of God, wee cannot say in this time 〈◊〉〈◊〉 those men were not all of one language, (those seauenty and two na∣•…•… meane wherein wee seeke it) that all man-kinde was fallen from GODS 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…uice: but that it remained onely in Sems generation, descending to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 by Arphaxad. But the earthly Citty was visible enough in that pre∣•…•…ion of building the tower vp to heauen (the true type of deuillish exal∣•…•…): therein was it apparant, and euer after that. But whether this other 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ot before, or lay hid, or rather both remained in Noahs sonnes, the godly 〈◊〉〈◊〉 two blessed ones, and the wicked in that one accursed, from whom that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 giant-hunter against the Lord descended, it is hard to discerne, for it may 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that most likely) that before the building of Babilon, GOD might haue 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of some of Chams children, and the deulil, of some of Sems and Iaphets. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 may not beleeue that the earth wanted of eyther sort. For that, saying: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 all gone out of the way, they are all corrupt, there is not one that doth good, no 〈◊〉〈◊〉 euen in both the Psalmes that haue this saying, this followeth; Doe not 〈◊〉〈◊〉 worke iniquity know that they eate vp my people as it vvere bread? so that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 his people then: And therefore that same, No not one, is meant restric∣•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the sonnes of men, and not the sonnes of GOD, for hee sayd before, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 looked downe from heauen vpon the sonnes of men, to see if there were any 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ld vnderstand and seeke GOD? and then the addition that followeth, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that it was those, that liued after the lawe of the flesh, and not of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ome hee speaketh of.