it
was appalling to them to hear that so holy a man as Enoch had
disappeared so completely that his whereabouts or manner of death was
beyond everybody's ken. Great, therefore, was the grief of the pious
parents and elders. But afterwards incredible joy and consolation were
theirs when they heard that their son lived with God himself and had
been translated by God to an angelic and eternal life.

60. This consolation God made known to Seth, who was the greatest
prophet and high priest after his father Adam had fallen asleep in the
faith of the blessed seed fifty-seven years before, Seth having then
arrived at about his eight hundred and sixtieth year. Seth, being now
an old man and full of days and without doubt fully confirmed in the
faith of the blessed seed to come, and anxiously awaiting deliverance
from the body and earnestly desiring to be gathered to his people,
died with greater joy about fifty-two years afterward, because of the
translation of his son Enoch. Fifty-two years were indeed but a short
time for an old man wherein to make his will and visit all his
grandchildren, and preach to them and exhort them to persevere in the
faith of the promised seed and to hope in that eternal life unto which
his son and their father Enoch had been translated to live with God.
In this manner, doubtless, the aged saint employed his time among his
descendants, bidding farewell to and blessing each one. Full of years
and full of joy, he no doubt thus taught and comforted both himself
and them.

61. If I knew that I were appointed to die in six months' time, I
should scarcely find time enough wherein to make my will. I would
remind men of what had been the testimony of my preaching, exhort and
entreat them to continue and persevere therein, and warn and guard
them as far as my powers of mind could do so, against the offense of
false doctrine. All these things could not be done in one day, nor in
one month. Those fifty years during which Seth lived after the
translation of Enoch, formed but a very short period for him (for
spiritual men have an altogether different method of calculating time
than the children of this world) in which to instruct all his family
in the nature of this glorious consolation--that another and eternal
life is to be hoped for after this life, a hope which God revealed to
his saints by the marvelous fact of his having taken to himself Enoch,
who was of the same flesh and blood with ourselves.

62. "F