[15]. Gen. 5:5.
[16]. D. and C. 116.
ARTICLE FIFTEEN.
Enoch and his City.
"Glorious things are sung of Zion,
Enoch's city seen of old,
Where the righteous, being perfect,
Walked with God in streets of gold.
Love and virtue, faith and wisdom,
Grace and gifts were all combined;
As himself each loved his neighbor,
All were of one heart and mind."
"The Seventh from Adam."—Enoch, "the seventh from Adam" in patriarchal succession, was contemporaneous with the father of the human family. Indeed, he was ordained and blessed by Adam, and was with him in the historic Valley where the future of the race was foretold by its venerable founder,[[1]] Enoch's period was prolific of wonderful events, but the two standing out most prominently are:
First:—The successful practice of the Law of Consecration, resulting in the founding of Zion, City of Holiness, which was sanctified through obedience to that high and holy principle, and translated or taken into Heaven without tasting of death.[[2]]
Second:—Enoch's vision of the future, extending past the Deluge, past the Crucifixion, down even to the Last Days and the glorious coming of the Christ.
The Power of Godliness.—Did the Zion-builder of the Adamic age stand at the head of a Gospel dispensation? Whether he did or did not, it is evident, from what has been revealed concerning him and his ministry, that the message of salvation was preached by him in mighty power and with marvelous success. The world, though young, had grown old in wickedness, and the need for repentance was urgent.[[3]] "So great was the faith of Enoch," and so powerful the language that God had given him, "the earth trembled and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch."[[4]]
The Law of Consecration.—Among warring nations and in the midst of sanguinary strife, Enoch, inspired and directed by the Almighty, introduced and established a social order which cannot be better described than in the simple, sublime phrasing of the Book of Moses, the sacred volume just cited: