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good, and either auoideth or disposeth of euil which he suffereth, by ordinarie meanes, as appeareth Act. 27, v. 31. and that because man hath freewil, with which God concurreth, & destroyeth not nor forceth. as S. Augustin teacheth.

24. Placed Cherubins.] Man being cast out of paradise, the same is defended with duble gard. with Angels, that are watchful, wise, and potent; and with fire and sword, most terrible armoure to man. wherby againe we see, that God vseth ordinarie meanes in his prouidence, as the ministrie of Angels & humane terror, and would neither destroy the tree, nor depriue it of the vertue to prolong life, nor bereue man of freewil, by which he might desire to returne: but conseruing nature in al creatures, preuenteth inconueniences otherwise.

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CHAP. IIII

Wicked Cain killeth holie Abel. 9. whose bloud cryeth for reuenge. 11. Cain a cursed vacabond, 17. hath much issue. 25. Adam also hath Seth, and Seth Enos.

And Adam knewe Eue his wife: who conceiued and brought forth Cain, saying: I haue gotten a man through God. ²And againe she brought forth his brother Abel. And Abel was a shepehard, & Cain a husbandman. ³And it befel after manie dayes that Cain offred of the fruites of the earth giftes to our Lord. ⁴Abel also^[1] offred of the first begotten of his flocke, and of their fat: and our Lord had respect to Abel, & to his giftes. ⁵But to Cain, and to his giftes he had not respect: & Cain was exceeding angrie, and his countenance abated. ⁶And our Lord said to him: Why art thou angrie? and why is thy countinance fallen? ⁷If thou doe wel, shalt thou not receiue againe: but if thou doest il, shal not thy sinne forthwith be present at the dore? but the lust therof shal be vnder thee, and thou shalt haue dominion ouer it.

⁸And Caine said to Abel his brother: Let vs goe forth abroad. And when they were in the filde, Caine rose vp against his brother Abel, and slewe him. ⁹And our Lord said to Cain: Where is Abel thy brother? Who answered: I know not: am I my brothers keper? ¹⁰And he said to him: What hast thou done?^[2] the voice of thy brothers bloud crieth to me out of the earth. ¹¹Now therfore cursed shalt thou be vpon the earth, which hath opened her mouth, & receiued the bloud of thy brother at thy hand. ¹²When thou shalt til

1. A figure of the Lambe that was slaine from the beginning of the world. Apoc. 13. v. 8.
2. Wilful murther is one of the sinnes that crie to God for reuenge.