God is merciful in this world, yet fewe are saued. 6. Gods workes, and
disposition of his creatures are meruelous. 15. Esdras prayeth for the
people of Israel: 37. and saluation is promised to the iust, and
punishment threatned to the wicked.
AND he answered me, & sayd: This world the Highest made for manie, but
that to come for few. 2 And I wil speake a similitude Esdras before
thee. For as thou shalt aske the earth, and it wil tel thee, that it
wil geue much more earth wherof earthen worke may be made, but a litle
dust wherof gold is made: so also is the act of this present world. 3
Manie in deede are created, but few shal be saued. (Matt 20:16) 4 And I
answered, and sayd: Then o soul swallow vp the sense, and deuoure that
which is wise. 5 For thou art agred to obey, and willing to prophecie.
For there is no space geuen thee but only to liue. 6 O Lord if thou
wilt not permitte thy seruant, that we pray before thee, and thou geue
vs seede to the hart, and tillage to the vnderstanding, wherof may the
fruite be made, wherby euerie corrupt person may liue, that shal beare
the place of a man? 7 For thou art alone, and we are one workmanshippe
of thy handes, as thou hast spoken: 8 and as now the bodie made in the
matrice, and thou doest geue the members, thy creature is preserued in
fire & water: and nine monethes thy workemanship doth suffer thy
creature that is created in it: 9 and it self that keepeth, and that
which is kept, both shal be preserued: and the matrice being preserued
rendreth agayne at some time the thinges that are growen in it. 10 For
thou hast commanded of the members, that is the brestes to geue milke
vnto the fruite of the brestes, 11 that the thing which is made, may be
nourished til a certayne time, and afterward thou mayst dispose him to
thy mercie. 12 For thou hast, brought him vp in thy iustice, and hast
instructed him in thy law, and hast corrected him in thy vnderstanding:
13 and thou shalt mortifie him, as thy creature: and shalt geue him
life, as thy worke. 14 If then thou wilt destroy him that is made with
so great labours: it is easie by thy commandment to be ordayned, that
also which was made, might be preserued. 15 And now Lord I wil speake,
of euerie man thou rather knowest: but concerning thy people, for which
I am sorowful: 16 and concerning thine inheritance, for which I mourne,
and for Israel for whom I am pensiue, and concerning Iacob, for whom I
am sorowful. 17 Therfore wil I begin to pray before thee for me, & for
them: because I see our defaultes that inhabite the earth. 18 But I
haue heard of the celeritie of the iudge that shal be. 19 Therfore
heare my voyce, and vnderstand my word, and I wil speake before thee.
20 The beginning of the wordes of Esdras before he was assumpted: and I
sayd: Lord which inhabitest the world, whose eyes are eleuated vnto
thinges on high and in the ayre: 21 and whose throne is inestimable,
and glorie incomprehensible: by whom standeth an host of Angels with
trembling, 22 whose keping is turned in wynde and fire, thou whose word
is true, and sayings premanent: 23 whose commandment is strong, and
disposition terrible: whose looke dryeth vp the depthes, and
indignation maketh the mountaynes to melt, and truth doth testifie. 24
Heare the prayer of thy seruant, & with thine eares receiue the
petition of thy creature. 25 For whiles I liue, I wil speake: and
whiles I vnderstand, I wil answere: 26 Neither doe thou respect the
sinnes of thy people, but them that serue thee in truth. 27 Neither doe
thou attend the impious endeuours of the nations, but them that with
sorowes haue kept thy testimonies. 28 Neither thinke thou of them that
in thy sight haue conuerst falsly, but remember them that according to
thy wil haue knowen thy feare. 29 Neither be thou willing to destroy
them that haue had the maners of beastes: but respect them that haue
taught thy law gloriously. 30 Neither haue indignation towards them,
which are iudged worse then beastes: but loue them that alwayes haue
confidence in thy iustice, and glorie. 31 Because we and our fatheres
languish with such diseases: but thou for sinners shalt be called
merciful. 32 For if thou shalt be desirous to haue mercie on vs, then
thou shalt be called merciful, to vs hauing no workes of iustice. 33
For the iust which haue manie workes layd vp, of their owne workes shal
receiue reward. 34 For what is man, that thou art angrie with him: or
the corruptible kinde, that thou art so bitter touching it? 35 For in
truth there is no man of them that be borne, which hath not done
impiously, and of them that confesse, which haue not sinned. (3 Kings
8:46 / 2 Par 6:36) 36 For in this shal thy iustice be declared, and thy
goodnes, o Lord, when thou shalt haue mercie on them, that haue no
substance of good workes. 37 And he answered me, and sayd: Thou hast
spoken somethinges rightly: and according to thy wordes, so also shal
it be done, 38 because I wil not in dede thinke vpon the worke of them
that haue sinned before death, before the iudgement, before perdition:
39 but I wil reioyce vpon the creature of the iust, and I wil remember
their pilgrimage also, and saluation, and receiuing of reward. 40
Therfore as I haue spoken, so also it is. 41 For as the husbandman
soweth vpon the ground manie seedes, and planteth manie plantes, but
not al which were sowen in time, are preserued, nor yet al that were
planted, shal take roote: so they also that are sowen in the world,
shal not al be saued. (Matt 13 & 20) 42 And I answered, and sayd: If I
haue found grace, let me speake. 43 As the seede of the husbandman, if
it come not vp, or receiue not the rayne in time, if it be corupted
with much rayne, perisheth: 44 so likewise also man who made with thy
handes, and thou named his image: because thou art likened to him, for
whom thou hast made al thinges, and hast likened him to the seede of
the husbandman. 45 Be not angrie vpon vs, but spare thy people, and
haue mercie on thy inheritance. And thou hast mercie on thy creature.
46 And he answered me, and sayd: The thinges that are present to them
that are present, and that shal be, to them that shal be. 47 For thou
lackest much to be able to loue my creature aboue me: and to thee often
times, euen to thyselfe I haue approched, but to the vniust neuer. 48
But in this also thou art meruelous before the Highest, 49 because thou
hast humbled thyself as becometh thee: & hast not iudged thyself, that
among the iust thou maist be very much glorified. 50 For which cause
manie miseries, and miserable thinges shal be done to them that
inhabite the world in the later dayes: because they haue walked in much
pride. 51 But thou for thyselfe vnderstand, & for them that are like
vnto thee seeke glorie. 52 For to you paradise is open, the tree of
life is planted, time to come is prepared, abundance is prepared, a
citie is builded, rest is approued, goodnes is perfited, & perfit
wisdome. 53 The roote of euil is signed from you: infirmitie, and mothe
is hid from you: & corruption is fled into hel in obliuion. 54 Sorowes
are past, & the treasure of immortalitie is shewed in the end. 55 Adde
not therfore inquiring of the multitude of them that perish. 56 For
they also receiuing libertie, haue despised the Highest, and contemned
his lawe, and forsaken his wayes. 57 Yea and moreouer they haue troden
downe his iust ones, 58 and haue sayd in their hart, that there is no
God: and that, knowing that they dye. (Ps 13 & 52) 59 For as the
thinges aforesayd shal receiue you: so thirst and torment, which are
prepared shal take them: for he would not man to be destroyed. 60 But
they them selues also which are created, haue defyled his name which
made them: & haue bene vnkind to him that prepared life. 61 Wherfore my
iudgement now approcheth. 62 Which thinges I haue not shewed to al, but
to thee, & to few like vnto thee. And I answered, and sayd: 63 Behold
now Lord thou hast shewed me a multitude of signes, which thou wilt
beginne to doe in the latter times: but thou hast not shewed me at what
time.