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.