the bodies of the twelue sonnes of Iacob were translated from Sichem, as Iosephus writeth. And Sichem also was specially honored, because such persons had benne buried there, as S. Hierom witnesseth, of his owne knowledge in his time.
Againe by religious care of burying the dead in this first age, Enoch was more certainly knowen to be Translated aliue, and not to be dead. For the seuentie Interpreters, and S. Paul say He was not found, which importeth that they sought diligently for him, and that his bodie could not be found, for God translated him.
By al which we see mutual offices, and communion of good workes amongst good men aliue and dead, which is called Cōmunion of Saincts. And herein Angels lacked not their offices. For God set Cherubins to kepe the gate of Paradise, that neither man should enter, being iustly expelled for sinne, nor diuels, as S. Augustin noteth; lest they should take fruite of the tree of life, and geuing it to men, allure them to more sinne. And now Saincts being exalted to Angels glorie, haue like honorable offices towards other men, as Angels haue. Yea the bloud of Abel vniustly shed by Cain, and iustly to be reuenged by God, sheweth the peculiar honour, which God bestoweth vpon his Saints, for their vertues and merites in this life, & especially in their death. For Precious in the sight of our Lord, is the death of his Saincts.
Hence also is proued, that seeing in this life the good are afflicted, and the bad oftentimes prosper temporally, there must nedes be an other Court of exact Iustice, and an other Reaconing day, wherin euerie one shal receiue, according as they haue donne good or euil. which was sufficiently intimated by Gods discussing, and manifesting Abels and Cains deserts, which were hidden before, and in part rewarding them accordingly, yet reseruing the ful reward of the one, and punishment of the other to the next world. Of the Iudge and his sentence Enoch (alleadged by S. Iude the Apostle) proficied clerly, saying: Behold our Lord cometh in his holie thousands, to doe iudgement aganst al, and to reproue al the impious, of al the workes of their impietie, wherby they haue donne impiously, and of al the hard things which impious sinners haue spoken against him. Thus holie Enoch preached touching the wicked, which thought there was no Iudgement to come, nor Iudge to be feared.
At this Iudgement al shal appeare in bodie and soule returning to life. For that Al men shal rise from death is proued, by the immortalitie of mans soule, which God did not make nor produce of corruptible matter, but immediatly Breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a liuing soule. so the soule being immortal, and hauing a natural
