Without tribulations no man can attayne immortal life: 17. which the
iust shal inherite: and the wicked shal perish. 28. Christ wil come,
and dye for mankind. 36. Prayers of the iust shal profite til the end
of this world, but not after the general iudgement. 48. Al sinned in
Adam. 52. and haue added more sinnes, 57. but it is in mans powre, 62.
by Gods grace, to liue eternally.
AND it came to passe when I had ended to speake these wordes, the Angel
was sent to me, which had bene sent to me the first nights, 2 and he
sayd to me: Arise Esdras, and heare the wordes which I am come to
speake to thee. 3 And I sayd: Speake my God. And he sayd to me: The sea
is set in a large place, that it might be deepe and wide: 4 but the
entrance to it shal be set in a straict place, that it might be like to
riuers. 5 For who witting wil enter into the sea, and see it, or rule
ouer it: if he passe not the streite, how shal he come into the bredth?
6 Also an other thing: A citie is built, and set in a plaine place, and
it is ful of al goodes. 7 The entrance therof narrow, and set in a
stepe place, so that on the right hand there was fire, & on the left
depe water: 8 and there is one onlie pathe set betwen them, that is,
betwen the fire and the water, so that the pathe can not conteyne, but
onlie a mans steppe. 9 And if the citie shal be geuen a man for
inheritance, if he neuer passe through the peril set before it, how
shal he receiue his inhertance? 10 And I sayd: So Lord. And he sayd to
me, So it is: Israel also a part. 11 For I made the world for them: and
when Adam transgressed my constitution, that was iudged which was done.
12 And the entrance of this world were made streite, and sorowful, &
paynful, and few and euil, and ful of dangers, & stuffed very much with
labour. 13 For the entrances of the greater world are large andsecure,
and making fruite of immortalitie. 14 If then they that liue entring in
enter into these streite and vayne thinges: they can not receiue the
thinges that are layd vp. 15 Now therfore why art thou trubled, wheras
thou art corruptible? and why art thou moued, wheras thou art mortal?
16 And why hast thou not taken in thy hart that which is to come, but
that which is present? 17 I answered, and sayd: Lord dominatour: behold
thou hast disposed by thy law that the iust shal inherite these
thinges, and the impious shal perish. (Deut 8) 18 But the iust shal
suffer the streites, hoping for the wyde places, for they that haue
done impiously, haue both suffered the streites, and shal not see the
wide places. 19 And he sayd to me: There is no iudge aboue God, nor
that vnderstandeth aboue the Highest. 20 For manie present doe perish,
because the law of God which was set before, is neglected. 21 For God
commanding commanded them that came, when they came, what doing they
should liue, and what obseruing they should not be punished. 22 But
they were not perswaded, and gaynesayd him, and made to them selues a
cogitation of vanitie, 23 and proposed to them selues deceites of
sinnes, & they sayd to the Highest that he was not, and they knew not
his wayes, 24 and dispised his law, and denyed his couenaunces, and had
not fidelitie in his ordinances, and did not accomplish his workes. 25
For this cause Esdras, the emptie to the emptie, and the ful to the
ful. 26 Behold the time shal come, and it shal be when the signes shal
come, which I haue foretold thee, and the bride shal appeare, and
appearing she shal be shewed that now is hid with the earth: 27 and
euerie one that is deliuered from the foresaid euils, he shal see my
meruelous thinges. 28 For my sonne IESVS shal be reueled with them that
are with him, and they shal be merie that are leaft in the foure
hundred yeares. 29 And it shal be after these yeares, and my sonne
CHRIST shal dye: and al men that haue breath, 30 and the world shal be
turned into the old silence seuen dayes, as in the former iudgementes,
so that none shal be leaft. 31 And it shal be after seuen dayes, and
the world shal be raysed vp that yet waketh not, and shal dye
corrupted: 32 and the earth shal render the thinges that sleepe in it,
& the dust them that dwel in it with silence, and the cellars shal
render the soules that are commended to them. 33 And the Highest shal
be reueled vpon the seate of iudgement, and miseries shal passe, and
long sufferance shal be gathered together. 34 And iudgement onlie shal
remayne, truth shal stand, and fayth shal waxe strong, 35 and the worke
shal folow, and the reward shal be shewed, and iustice shal awake, and
iniustice shal not haue dominion. [See note below.] 36 And I sayd:
First Abraham prayed for the Sodomites, and Moyses for the fathers that
sinned in the desert. (Gen 18 / Ex 32) 37 And they that were after him
for Isreal in the dayes of Achaz, and of Samuel, 38 and Dauid for the
destruction, and Salomon for them that came vnto the sanctification. (2
Kings 24:17 / 2 Par 6:13) 39 And Elias for them that receiued raine,
and for the dead that he might liue, (3 Kings 17 & 18) 40 and Ezechias
for the people in the dayes of Sennacherib, and manie for manie. (4
Kings 19:15) 41 If therfore now when corruptible did increase, and
iniustice was multiplied, and the iust prayed for the impious: why now
also shal it not be so? 42 And he answered me and sayd: This present
world is not the end, much glorie remaineth in it: for this cause they
prayed for the impotent. 43 For the day of iudgement shal be the end of
this time, and the beginning of the immortalitie to come, wherein
corruption is past: 44 intemperance is dissolued, incredulitie is cut
of: and iustice hath increased, truth is strong. 45 For then no man can
saue him that hath perished, nor drowne him that hath ouercome. And I
answered, 46 and sayd: This is my word the first and the last, that it
had bene better not to geue the earth to Adam, or when he had now geuen
it, to restraine him that he should not sinne. 47 For what doth it
profit men presently to liue in sorow, and being dead to hope for
punishment? 48 O what hast thou done Adam? For if thou didst sinne, it
was not made thy fal only, but ours also which came of thee. (Rom 5:12)
49 For what doth it profit vs if immortal time be promised to vs: but
we haue done mortal workes? 50 And that euerlasting hope is foretold
vs: but we most wicked are become vayne? 51 And that habitations of
health and securitie are reserued for vs, but we haue conuerst
naughtely? 52 And that the glorie of the Highest is reserued to protect
them that haue slowly conuerst: but we haue walked in most wicked
wayes. 53 And that paradise shal be shewed, whose fruite continueth
incorrupted, wherin is securitie and remedie: 54 but we shal not enter
in: for we haue conuerst in vnlawful places. 55 And their faces which
haue had abstinence, shal shyne aboue the starres: but our faces blacke
aboue darkenes. 56 For we did not thinke liuing when we did iniquitie,
that we shal beginne after death to suffer. 57 And he answered, and
sayd: This is the cogitation of the battel which man shal fight, who is
borne vpon the earth, 58 that if he shal be ouercome, he suffer that
which thou hast sayd: but if he ouercome he shal receiue that which I
say: 59 for this is the life which Moyses spake of when he liued, to
the people, saying: Choose vnto thee life, that thou mayst liue. (Deut
30:19) 60 But they beleued him not, no nor the Prophetes after him, no
nor me which haue spoken to them. 61 Because there should not be sorow
vnto their perdition, as there shal be ioy vpon them, to whom saluation
is perswaded. 62 And I answered, and sayd: I know Lord, that the
Highest is called merciful in that, that he hath mercie on them which
are not yet come into the world, 63 and that he hath mercie on them
which conuerse in his law: 64 and he is long suffering, because he
sheweth long sufferance to them that haue sinned, as it were with their
owne workes: 65 and he is bountiful, because he wil geue according to
exigentes: 66 and of freat mercie, because he multiplieth more mercies
to them that are present, and that are past, and that are to come. 67
For if he shal not multiplie his mercies, the world shal not be made
aliue with them that did inherite it. 68 And he geueth: for if he shal
not geue of his bountie, that they may be releeued which haue done
iniquitie, the tenth thousand part of men can not be quickned from
their iniquities. 69 And the iudge if he shal not forgeue them that are
cured with his word, and wype away a multitude of contentions: there
should not perhaps be leaft in an innumerable multitiude, but very few.