1AND he answered me, and sayd: The Highest hath made this world for manie, but the world to come for few.stylus2I wil tel thee a similitude Esdras: As when thou askest the earth, it wil say to thee, that it geueth much earth whereof earthen vessels are made, but a litle dust, whereof gold cometh: so is the act of this present world.stylus3manie in dede are created, but few shal be saued.stylus4And I answered, and sayd: Swalow vp then sense O soule, and deuoure wisdom.stylus5For thou didst agree to obey, and willing to prophecie: for to goe to hel there is no space geuen but death.stylus6O Lord, if thou command not thy mercie to thy seruantes, that we that are not, may be burned.stylus7For what is man, but that thou art angrie with him? or the corruptible generation, but that thou art bitter to it?stylus8For thou hast not commanded thy mercie, for thy worke had bene nothing in this world to thy malice.stylus9But be thou merciful to the worke of thy handes: far thou art my hope & my life, and I wil speake in thy sight. O Lord,stylus10not for vs, but for thy people wil I pray: and I wil be sorie not for the inhabitants of the earth, but for thy inheritance.stylus11and I wil be sadde not for the seede of the world, but for the sheepe that are pastured not in the feeld.stylus12For I am briefe, and after a verie litle time they shal fal.stylus13Now therefore I wil speake before thee couenient wordes: for I wil pray to my God.stylus14And I sayd: Lord which inhabitest the world, from whom the starres, and the pearles tremble.stylus15O Lord which dwellest in high places, whose eyes are eleuated, whose seate is inestimable, and glorie incomprehensible,stylus16before whom the armies of Angels stand with trembling,stylus17whose keeping is turned into winde and fire: whose word is true, and sayings permanent:stylus18whose commandment is strong, and ordinance terrible:stylus19whose looke drieth the depth, and indignation maketh the mountaines to melt, and truth beareth witnesse:stylus20heare the prayer of thy seruant, and geue eare to the petition of thy creature. For as long as I liue I wil speake, and whiles I haue vnderstanding I wil answer.stylus21Looke not vpon the iniquities of thy people, but on them that serue thee in truth.stylus22Neither attend thou the impious endeuours of the nations, but them that haue kept thy couenants with afflictions.stylus23Neither thinke thou of them, that haue conuersed falsely in thy sight: but remember them that haue knowen thy feare voluntarily.stylus24Neither wil thou destroy them that haue liued as beastes: but looke on them that haue taught thy law gloriously.stylus25Neither be thou angrie with them, that are iudged worse then beastes: but loue them that haue alwayes trusted in thy iustice.stylus26Because we, and ours that haue languished in mortal maner, & euil conuersation: but thou O Lord shat be called merciful, in that thou hast mercie on vs.stylus27For if thou shalt be merciful to vs, then shalt thou be called merciful, to vs that haue no workes of iustice.stylus28For the iust, which haue manie workes layed vp with thee, shal receiue reward for their owne workes.stylus29For what is man, that thou art angrie with him: or the corruptible generation, that thou art so bitter against it?stylus30For in truth there is no man of the borne, that hath not done impiously: nor of them that confesse thee, which hath not sinned.stylus31For in this, O Lord, thy justice, & thy goodnes shal be declared, if thou be merciful to them that haue no substance of good workes.stylus32And he answered me, and sayd: Thou hast spoken rightly somewhat: and according to thy worde so shal it be done.stylus33Because I wil not consider the fashioning of them that haue sinned, or death, or iudgement, or perdition:stylus34but I wil delight in the facioning of the iust, and pilgrimage, and saluation, and receiuing of reward.stylus35As I haue spoken therefore, so shal it be.stylus36For as the husbandman soweth vpon the ground manie seedes, and planteth manie plants, but not al that are sowen in time are preserued, nor yet al that are planted, shal take roote: so they also that are sowen in the world, shal not al be saued.stylus37And I answered, and sayd: If I Haue found grace, let me speake.stylus38Euen as the husbandmans seede, if it come not vp, because it receaueth not thy raine in time, & if it be corrupted with too much raine, it perisheth:stylus39so man likewise, which is made with thy handes, & to his image thou art named, because thou art like to hi, for whom thou hast created al thinges, & hast likened him to the husbandmans seede.stylus40Be not wrath with vs, but spare thy people, and haue mercie on thine inheritance: for thou art merciful to thy creature.stylus41And he answered me, and sayd: Things present to them that are present, and future to the future.stylus42For thou wantest much, that thou mayst loue my creature aboue me: & I haue often approched to thee, and to thee, but neuer to the vnrighteous.stylus43But in this also thou art meruelous before the Highest,stylus44in that thou hast humbled thy self, as it becameth thee, and hast not iudged thy self among the iust to be glorified rowsey.stylus45For manie miseries & miserable thinges shal be done to them, that inhabite the world in the later time, because they haue walked in much pride.stylus46But thou for thy self be careful, and for the like to thee seeke glorie.stylus47For to you paradise is opened, the tree of life is planted, the time to come is prepared, abundance is prepared, a cititie is builded, rest is approued, goodnes is perfected, & perfect wisedom.stylus48The roote of euil is sealed from you: infirmitie, and the moth is hid from you, and corruption is fled into hel to forgetfulnes.stylus49Sorowes are past, and the treasure of immortalitie is shewed in the end.stylus50Aske not therefore any more of the multitude of them that perish.stylus51For they also receiuing libertie, haue despised the Highest, and contemned his law, and forsaken his wayes.stylus52Yea and they haue troden his iust vnder foote.stylus53And they haue sayd in their hart, that there is no God: and that knowing that they dye.stylus54For as the thinges that are foresayd, shal receiue you: so thirst and torment them that are prepared: for he would not man to be destroyed.stylus55But they also themselues that were created, haue blotted out the name of him that made them, and were vnkind to him that prepared life for them.stylus56Therefore my iudgement is now at hand to come.stylus57Which I haue not shewed to manie, but to thee, and to few like thee. And I answered, and sayd:stylus58Behold now Lord thou hast shewed me a multitude of signes, which thou wilt doe in the later times, but thou hast not shewed me at what time.stylus
