The Synagogue expostulateth with her children for their ingratitude;
10. shewing that they shal be forsaken, and the gentiles called.
THVS saith our Lord: I brought this people out of bondage, to whom I
gaue commandment by my seruantes the Prophetes, whom they would not
heare, but made my counsel frustrate. 2 Their mother that bare them,
sayth to them: Goe children, because I am a wydow and forsaken. 3 I
brought you vp with ioy, & haue lost you with mourning & sorow, because
you haue sinned before our Lord your God, & haue done that which is euil
before him. 4 But now what shal I doe to you? I am a wydow and
desolote, goe my children, & aske mercie of our Lord. 5 And I cal thee o
father a witnes vpon the mother of the children, that would not keepe my
testament, 6 that thou geue them confusion, & their mother into spoile,
that there be no generation of them. 7 Let their names be dispersed into
the Gentiles, let them be destroyed out of the land: because they haue
despised my sacrament. 8 Woe be to thee Assur, which hidest the wicked
with thee. Thou naughtie nation, remember what I did to Sodom &
Gomorrha: (Gen 19:24) 9 whose land lieth in cloddes of pitch, & heapes
of ashes: so wil I make them, that haue not heard me, saith our Lord
omnipotent. 10 Thus saith our Lord to Esdras: Tel my pople, that I wil
geue them the kingdom of Ierusalem, which I ment to geue to Isreal.
11 And I wil take to me the glorie of them, and wil geue them eternal
tabernacles, which I had prepared for them. 12 The wood of life shal be
to them for an odour of oyntment, and they shal not labour, nor be
wearied. 13 Goe & you shal receiue. Aske for your selues a few dayes,
that they may abide. Now the kingdom is prepared for you, watch ye.
14 Cal thou heauen and earth to witnes: for I haue destroyed euil, and
haue created good, because I liue sayth our Lord. 15 Mother embrace thy
children, bring them vp with ioy. As a doue confirme their feete:
because I haue chosen thee, sayth our Lord. 16 And I wil raise againe
the dead out of their places, and out of the monumentes I wil bring them
forth, because I haue knowen my name in Israel. 17 Feare not o mother of
the children, because I haue chosen thee, saith our Lord. 18 I wil send
thee ayde, my seruantes I saie, and Ieremie, at whose counsel I haue
sanctified, and prepared for thee tweleue trees loden with diuerse
fruites, 19 and as manie fountaines flowing milke and honie: and seuen
huge mountaines, hauing the rose and the lilie, in the which I wil fil
thy children with ioy. (Ex 15:27) 20 Iustifie thou the widow, iudge for
the pupil, geue to the needie, defend the orphane, cloth the naked,
21 cure the broken & feeble, mocke not the lame, defend the maimed, and
admitte the blind to the vision of my glorie. 22 The old man & the yong
keepe with in thy walles: 23 where thou shalt finde the dead, committe
them to the graue signing it, & I wil geue thee the first seate in my
resurrection. (Tob 1:20) 24 Pause and rest my people, because thy rest
shal come. 25 As a good nurce nourish thy children, confirme their
feete. 26 The seruantes that I haue geuen thee, none of them shal
perish. For I wil require them of thy number. 27 Be not wearied. For
when the day of affliction and distresse shal come, others shal weepe,
and be sad, but thou shalt be merie and plenteous. 28 The gentiles shal
enuie, and shal be able to doe nothing against thee, sayth our Lord.
29 My handes shal couer thee, that thy children see not hel. 30 Be
pleasant thou mother with thy children, because I wil deliuer thee sayth
our Lord. 31 Remember thy children that sleepe, for I wil bring them out
of the sides of the earth, & wil doe mercie with them: because I am
merciful, sayth our Lord omnipotent. 32 Embrace thy children til I come,
& shew them mercie: because my fountaines runne ouer, and my grace shal
not faile. 33 I Esdras receiued commandment of our Lord, in mount Oreb;
that I should goe to Israel: to whom when I came, they refused me, and
reiected the commandement of our Lord. 34 And therfore, I say vnto you
gentiles, which heare, and vnderstand, Looke for your pastor, he wil geue
you the rest of eternitie: because he is at hand, that shal come in the
end of the world. 35 Be ye readie for the rewardes of the kingdom,
because perpetual light shal shine to you for time euerlasting. 36 Flee
from the shadow of this world: receiue ye the pleasantnes of your
glorie. I openly cal to witnes my sauiour. 37 Receiue the commended
gift and be pleasant, geuing thankes to him that called you to the
heauenlie kingdomes. 38 Arise, & stand & see the number of them that are
signed in the feast of our Lord. 39 They that haue transferred them
selues from the shadow of the world, haue receiued glorious garmentes of
our Lord. 40 Receiue o Sion thy number, and shut vp thyne made white,
which haue accomplished the law of our Lord. 41 The number of thy
children, which thou didst wish is ful. Desire the powre of our Lord
that thy people may be sanctified, which was called from the beginning.
42 I Esdras saw in mount Sion a great multiude, which I could not number,
and they did al prayse our Lord with songes. (Apoc 7:9) 43 And in the
middes of them was a young man high of stature, appearing aboue ouer them
al, & he put crownes vpon euerie one of their heades, and he was more
exalted. And I was astonied at the miracle. 44 Then asked I an Angel,
and sayd: Who are these Lord? 45 Who answering sayd to me: These are
they that haue laid of the mortal garment, and taken an immortal, and
haue confessed the name of God. Now they are crowned, and receiue
palmes. 46 And I sayd to the Angel: That yongman what is he, which
putteth the crownes vpon them, and geueth palmes into their handes?
47 And answering he sayd to me: The same is the Sonne of God, whom they
did confesse in the world: & I begane to magnifie them, that stood
strongly for the name of our Lord. 48 Then sayd the Angel to me: Goe,
tel my people, what maner of meruelous thinges and how great, thou hast
sene of the Lord God.