remayne And after seueÌ„ dayes the worlde that yet awaketh not shal be raysed vp shal dye corrupte And the earth shal restore those that haue slepte in her and so shall the dust those that dwell in syleÌ„ce and the secrete places shal delyuer those that be committed vnto them And yeâ—ost hyest shal be openly declared vpon the seate of iudgment all misery shal vanysh awaye and loÌ„ge suffringe shal be gathered together But the iudgment shall contynue y e trueth shal remayne and faith shal waxe stroÌ„ge the worke shal folowe and the rewarde shall be shewed the righteousnesses shall watch and the vnrighteousnesses shall beare no rule Then sayde I Abraham prayed first for the Sodomites Moses for the fathers y t synned in the wyldernes he y t came after him for Israel in y e tyme of Achas and Samuel and Dauid for y e destruccion and Salomon for them that came in to the Sanctuary Helias for those that receaued rayne and for the deed that he might lyue and Ezechias for y e people in the tyme of Senna cherib dyuerse other in like maner which haue prayed for many EueÌ„ so now seynge y e corrupte is growne vp and wickednes increased and the righteous haue prayed for the vngodly wherfore shal it not be so now also He answered me and sayde This present worlde is not y e ende there remayneth moch honoure in it therfore haue they prayed for the weake But the daye of dome shal be the ende of this tyme and y e begynnynge of the immortalite for to come wherin all corrupcion vanysheth all volupteousnes is lowsed all myszbeleue taken awaye righteousnes growne and the verite spronge vp Then shall no man be able to saue him that is destroyed ner to oppresse him y t hath gotteÌ„ y e victory I answered theÌ„ sayde This is my first last sayenge y t it had bene better not to haue geuen the earth vnto Adam or els whan it was geueÌ„ him to kepe him that he shulde not synne For what profit is it for men now in this present tyme to lyue in heuynes after death to loke for punyszment O thou AdaÌ„ what hast thou done For though it was thou y t synned thou art not falleÌ„ alone but we all y t come of the. For what profit is it vnto vs yf there be promysed vs an immortall tyme where as we medle w t deadly workes that there is promysed vs an euerlastinge hope where as we o r selues are euell vayne y t there are layed vp for vs dwellynges of health fredome where as we haue lyued euell and that the worshipe of y e Hyest is kepte to defende them which haue led a pacient life where as we haue walked in y e most wicked wayes of all and that there shal be shewed a paradyse whose frute endureth for euer wherin is fredome and medycyne where as we shal not go in for we haue walked in vnpleasaunt places And that the faces of them which haue absteyned shal shyne aboue the starres where as oure faces shal be black and darcke For whyle we lyued and dyd vnrighteously we considered not that we shulde suffre therfore after death TheÌ„ answered he me and sayde This is the consideracion thought of the battayl which man hath vpon earth that yf he be ouercome he shall suffre as thou hast sayde But yf he gett the victory he shall receaue the thinge that I saye For this is the life wherof Moses spake vnto the people whyle he lyued sayenge Chose the life that thou mayest lyue Neuertheles they beleued him not nether the prophetes after him No ner me which haue spoken vnto them that heuynes shulde not reach vnto them to their destruccion like as ioye is for to come ouer those that haue suffred theÌ„ selues to be enfourmed in saluacion I answered then sayde I knowe LORDE that the Hyest is mercyfull in y t he hath mercy vpon them which are not yet in the worlde and vpon those also that walke in his lawe and that he is pacient and longe sufferinge towarde those that haue synned in their workes and that he is liberall to geue where as it requyreth and that he is of greate mercy for he multiplieth his louynge kyndnesses towarde those that are present and that are past and to them which are for to come For yf he multiplie not his mercies the worlde shal not be made lyuynge with those that dwell therin He geueth also for yf he gaue not of his goodnesse that they which haue done euell might be eased the ten thousande parte of men shulde not be made lyuynge And yf the iudge forgaue not those y t be healed with his worde and yf he wolde destroye y e multitude that stryueth there shulde be very few left in an innumerable multitude The VIII Chapter ANd he answered me sayeÌ„ge The most hyest made this worlde for many but the worlde to come for few I wyl tell the a symilitude Eszdras As whan thou axest the earth it shal saye vnto the that it geueth moch moulde wherof erthen vessels are made but litle of it y t golde coÌ„meth of Euen so is it with the worke of this worlde There be many created but few shall be preserued Then answered I sayde Then swalowe vp the witt thou soule and deuoure the vnderstondinge for thou art agreed to herken and to geue eare and wyllinge to prophecie for thou hast no longer space geuen the but only to lyue O LORDE wilt thou not geue thy seruaunt leue y t we maye praye before the and that thou mayest geue sede vnto oure hert and buylde oure vnderstondinge that there maye come frute of it and that euery one which is corrupte and beareth the state and place of a man maye lyue For thou art alone and we all are one workmanshipe of thy handes like as thou hast sayde and like as the body is fashioned now in the childeszbed and thou geuest the membres and thy creature is preserued in fyre and water ix monethes doth thy worke suffre thy creature which is fashioned in her but the thinge that preserueth and it y t is preserued shal both be kepte together whan tyme is the childeszbedd delyuereth y e thinge that is kepte and growne in her For thou hast commaunded the brestes to geue mylck vnto the frute that the thinge which is created and fashioned maye be norished for a tyme and then thou disposest and ordrest it with thy mercy bryngest it vp with thy righteousnes nurturest it in thy lawe and refourmest it with thy vnderstondinge mortifiest it as thy creature and makest it lyuynge as thy worke Seinge then that thou destroyest him which w t so greate labours is created and fashioned thorow thy commaundement thou coudest lyghtly ordene also that the thinge which is made might be preserued And this I speake now of all men in generall as thou knowest
maye be detter vnto God because y t by y e dedes of the lawe no flesh maye be iustified in his sighte For by the lawe commeth but the knowlege of synne But now without addinge to of y e lawe is the righteousnes which avayleth before God declared hauynge witnesse of y e lawe and the prophetes but I speake of y e righteousnes before God which cōmeth by the faith on Iesus Christ vnto all and vpō all them that beleue For here is no difference For they are all synners and wāte the prayse that God shulde haue of thē but without deseruynge are they made righteous euē by his grace thorow the redempcion that is done by Christ Iesu whom God hath set forth for a Mercyseate thorow faith in his bloude to shewe the righteousnes which avayleth before him in that he forgeueth the synnes which were done before vnder the sufferaunce of God which he suffred that at this tyme he mighte shewe y e righteousnes which avayleth before him y t he onely mighte be righteous the righteous maker of him which is of the faith on Iesus Where is now then thy reioysinge It is excluded By what lawe By the lawe of workes Nay but by the lawe of faith We holde therfore that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the lawe Or is God the God of the Iewes onely Is he not also the God of the Heythen Yes verely the God of the Heythen also for so moch as he is the God onely that iustifieth the circumcision which is of faith and the vncircūcision thorow faith Destroys we then the lawe thorow faith God forbyd But we mantayne the lawe The fourth Chapter WHat shal we saye thē that Abrahā o father as pertayninge to y e flesh dyd fynde This we saye Yf Abraham were made righteous thorow workes then hath he wherin to reioyse but not before God But what sayeth y e scripture Abrahā beleued God y t was counted vnto him for righteousnes Vnto hī y t goeth aboute w t workes is the rewarde not rekened of fauoure but of dutye Howbeit vnto him y t goeth not aboute with workes but beleueth on him y t iustifieth the vngodly is his faith counted for righteousnes Euen as Dauid sayeth also that blessednes is onely that mans vnto whō God counteth righteousnes without addinge to of workes where he sayeth Blessed are they whose vnrighteousnesses are forgeuen and whose synnes are couered Blessed is the man vnto whom the LORDE imputeth no synne Now this blessednes goeth it ouer the circūcision or ouer the vncircumcision We must nedes graunte y t Abrahās faith was coūted vnto hī for righteousnes How was it thē rekened vnto him In the circūcision or in the vncircumcision Doutles not in the circūcision but in the vncircumcision As for the tokē of circūcision he receaued it for a seale off the righteousnes off faith which he had yet in y e vncircūcision y t he shulde be a father of all thē y t beleue beinge in y e vncircūcisiō y t it might be coūted vnto thē also for righteousnes that he might be a father of circumcision not onely of thē that are of y e circumcision but of them also that walke in the fotesteppes of the faith which was in the vncircumcision of oure father Abraham For the promes that he shulde be y e heyre of the worlde was not made vnto Abraham or to his sede thorow the lawe but thorow the righteousnes of faith For yf they which are of the lawe be heyres thē is faith vayne and the promes of none effecte for so moch as the lawe causeth but wrath For where the lawe is not there is also no transgression Therfore was the promes made thorow fayth that it myght come off fauoure wherby the promesse myghte be made sure vnto all the sede not onely vnto him which is off the lawe but also vnto him that is of the faith of Abrahā which is the father of vs all As it is wrytten I haue made the a father of many Heythē before God whom thou hast beleued which quyckeneth the deed and calleth it which is not that it maye be And he beleued vpō hope where nothinge was to hope that he shulde be a father of many Heythen Acordinge as it was sayde vnto him Euen so shal thy sede be And he was not faynte in faith nether cōsidred his awne body which was deed allready whyle he was almost an hundreth yeare olde nether the deed wombe of Sara For he douted not in the promes of God thorow vnbeleue but was strōge in faith and gaue God the prayse was sure that loke what God promyseth he is able to make it good And therfore was it rekened vnto him for righteousnes But this is not wryttē onely for his sake y t it was counted vnto him but also for oure sakes vnto whō it shal be counted yf we beleue on him that raysed vp oure LORDE Iesus from the deed Which was geuen for oure synnes and raysed vp for oure righteousnesse sake The V. Chapter BEcause therfore that we are iustified by faith we haue peace with God thorow oure LORDE Iesus Christ by whō also we haue an intraunce in faith vnto this grace wherin we stonde reioyse in the hope of y e glorye for to come which God shal geue Not onely y t but we reioyse also ī troubles for so moch as we knowe y t trouble bryngeth paciēce paciēce bryngeth experiēce experiēce bryngeth hope As for hope is letteth vs not come to cōfusion because the loue of God is shed abrode in oure hertes by the holy goost which is geuen vnto vs. For whan we were yet weake acordinge to the tyme Christ dyed for vs vngodly Now dyeth there scace eny man for the righteous sake Peraduenture for a good man durst one dye Therfore doth God set forth his loue towarde vs in y t Christ dyed for vs whan we were yet synners Moch more then shal we be saued from wrath by him seynge we are now made righteous thorow his bloude For yf we were recōcyled vnto God by y e death of his sōne whā we were yet enemies moch more shal we be saued by him now y t we are reconcyled Not onely that but we reioyse also in God thorow oure LORDE Iesus Christ by whom we haue now receaued the attonement Wherfore as by one man synned entred in to the worlde and death by y e meanes off synne euen so wente death also ouer all men in so moch as they all haue synned For synne was in y e worlde vnto the lawe but where no lawe is there is not synne regarded Neuertheles death reigned from Adam vnto Moses euen ouer them also that synned not with like transgression as dyd Adam which is y e ymage of him y t was to come But it is not with the gifte as
with the synne for yf thorow the synne of one many be deed yet moch more plenteously came the grace and gifte of God vpon many by the fauoure that belonged vnto one man Iesus Christ. And the gifte is not onely ouer one synne as death came thorow one synne of one that synned For the iudgment came of one synne vnto condempnacion but the gifte to iustifye fro many synnes For yf by y e synne of one death raigned by the meanes of one moch more shal they which receaue the abūdaunce of grace and of the gifte vnto righteousnes raigne in life by y e meanes of one Iesus Christ. Likewyse thē as by the synne of one condemnacion came on all men euen so also by the righteousnes of one came the iustififienge off life vpon all men For as by the disobedience of one many became synners euen so by the obedience of one shal many be made righteous But the lawe in the meane tyme entred that synne shulde increace Neuertheles where abundaunce of synne was there was yet more plenteousnes of grace that like as synne had reigned vnto death euē so mighte grace reigne also thorow righteousnes to euerlastinge life by the meanes of Iesus Christ. The VI. Chapter WHat shal we saye then Shal we contynue in synne that there maye be abundaunce of grace God forbyd How shal we lyue in synne y t are deed from it Knowe ye not that all we which are baptysed in to Iesu Christ are baptysed in to his death Therfore are we buried w t him by baptyme in to death that like as Christ was raysed vp from the deed by the glory of the father euen so we also shulde walke in a new life For yf we be grafted w t him vnto like death then shal we be like the resurreccion also For so moch as we knowe that oure olde man is crucified with him that the synfull body mighte ceasse that hence forth we shulde serue synne nomore For he that is deed is made righteous frō synne But yf we be deed with Christ we beleue that we shal lyue also with him and are sure that Christ raysed from the deed dyeth nomore Death shal haue nomore power ouer him For as touchinge that he dyed he dyed cōcernynge synne once but as touchinge that he lyueth he lyueth vnto God Likewyse ye also counte youre selues to be euen deed concernynge synne and to lyue vnto God thorow Iesus Christ oure LORDE Let not synne reigne therfore in youre mortall bodye that ye shulde obeye vnto the lustes of it Nether geue ye ouer youre membres vnto synne to be wapens of vnrighteousnes but geue ouer youre selues vnto God as they that off deed are become lyuynge and youre membres vnto God to be wapēs off righteousnes For synne shal not haue power ouer you in so moch as ye are not vnder the lawe but vnder grace How then Shal we synne because we are not vnder y e lawe but vnder grace God forbyd Knowe ye not that loke vnto whō ye geue ouer youre selues as seruauntes to obeye his seruauntes ye are to whom ye obey whether it be of synne vnto death or of obediēce vnto righteousnes But God be thanked that though ye haue bene the seruauntes of synne ye are now yet obedient of herte to the ensample off the doctryne whervnto ye are commytted For now that ye are made fre from synne ye are become the seruauntes of righteousnes I wil speake grosly because of the weaknes of youre flesh Like as ye haue geuen ouer youre membres to the seruyce of vnclennesse from one wickednesse to another Euē so now also geue ouer youre membres to the seruyce of righteousnesse that they maye be holy For whan ye were the seruauntes of synne ye were lowse from righteousnes What frute had ye at that tyme in those thinges wherof ye are now ashamed For the ende of soch thinges is death But now that ye be fre from synne and are become the seruauntes of God ye haue youre frute that ye shulde be holy but the ende is euerlastinge life For death is the rewarde of synne but the gifte of God is euerlastinge life The VII Chapter KNowe ye not brethren for I speake vnto them that knowe the lawe how that y e lawe hath power vpon a man as longe as he lyueth For the woman y t is in subieccion to the man is bounde vnto the lawe whyle the man lyueth but yf the man dye then is she lowsed from the lawe that concerneth the man Yf she be now with another man whyle the manlyneth she shal be called a wedlocke breaker But yf the man be deed then is she fre from the lawe so that she is no wedlocke breaker yf she be with another man Euen so my brethren ye also are deed vnto the lawe by the body of Christ that ye shulde be with another namely w t him which is raysed vp from the deed that we shulde brynge forth frute vnto God For whan we were in the flesh the synfull lustes which were stered vp by the lawe were mightie in oure membres to brynge forth frute vnto death But now are we lowsed from the lawe and deed vnto it that helde vs captyue so that we shulde serue in a new conuersacion of the sprete and not in the olde conuersacion of the letter What shal we saye then Is the lawe synne God forbyd Neuertheles I knewe not synne but by y e lawe For I had knowne nothinge of lust yf the lawe had not sayde Thou shalt not lust But then toke synne occasion at the commaundement and stered vp in me all maner of lust For without the lawe synne was deed As for me I lyued some tyme without lawe Howbeit whan the commaundement came synne renyued but I was deed And the very same commaundement that was geuen me vnto life was founde to be vnto me on occasion of death For synne toke occasion at the cōmaundement and disceaued me and slewe me by the same commaundement The lawe in dede is holy and the commaundement holy iust and good Is that then which is good become death vnto me God forbyd But synne that it mighte appeare how y t it is synne hath wroughte me death thorow good that synne mighte be out of measure synfull by the commaundement For we knowe that the lawe is spirituall but I am carnall solde vnder synne because I knowe not what I do For I do not y t I will but what I hate y t do I. Yf I do now that which I wil not thē graunte I that the lawe is good So then it is not I that do it but synne that dwelleth in me for I knowe that in me y t is in my flesh there dwelleth no good thinge To wyll is present w t me but to perfourme y t which is good I fynde not For y e good that I wyll do I not but the euell which I wil not
in the worlde sene the begynnynge which was wrytten in thy lawe that men maye fynde the path and that they which wyl lyue in the latter dayes maye lyue And he answered me sayēge Go y t waye gather thy people together saye vnto thē that they seke the not for xl dayes but loke thou gather the many boxe trees and take with the Sarea Dabria Selemia Echanus and Asial these fyue which are ready to wryte swiftly and come hither and I shal light a cādle of vnderstōdinge in thine hert which shal not be put out tyll the thinges be perfourmed which thou shalt begynne to wryte And then shalt thou declare some thinges openly vnto the perfecte and some thinges shalt thou shew secretly vnto y e wyse Tomorow this houre shalt thou begynne to wryte Then wēte I forth as he commaūded me and gathered all y e people together and sayde Heare these wordes o Israel Oure fathers from the begynnynge were straunges in Egipte from whēce they were delyuered and receaued the lawe of life which they kepte not which ye also haue trāsgressed after thē Then was this londe and the londe of Sion parted amōge you by the lot to possesse But yo r fathers and ye yo r selues also haue done vnrighteousnes haue not kepte the wayes which the Hyest cōmaunded you And for so moch as he is a righteous iudge he toke from you in tyme the thinge that had geuen you And now are ye here and yo r brethren amōge you Therfore yf so be that ye wil subdue yo r owne vnderstandinge and refourme youre hert ye shal be kepte aliue after death shal ye opteyne mercy For after death shall the iudgment come whan we shal lyue agayne and then shal the names of the righteous be manifest and y e names of the vngodly with their workes shal be declared Let no mā therfore come now vnto me ner axe eny question at me these xl dayes So I toke the fyue men as he commaunded me and we wente in to the felde and remayned there The next daye a voyce called me sayēge Eszdras Open thy mouth drynke that I geue the. Thē opened I my mouth beholde he reached me a full cuppe which was full of water but the colo r of it was like fyre And I toke it and dranke And whā I had dronken it my hert had vnderstondinge and wyszdome grew in my brest for my sprete was kepte in remembraunce and my mouth was opened and shut nomore The Hyest gaue vnderstondinge vnto the fyue men y t they wrote y e hye thīges of the night which they vnderstode not But in the night they ate bred as for me I spake in the daye and helde not my tonge by night In xl dayes they wrote two hundreth foure bokes And it happened whā the xl dayes were fulfilled that the Hyest spake sayenge The first that thou hast wryttē speake openly y t the worthy and vnworthy maye rede it But kepe y e lxx last y t thou mayest shew it onely to soch as be wyse amonge thy people For in them is the sprynge of vnderstōdinge the fountayne of wyszdome and the streame of knowlege And I dyd so The XV. Chapter BEhelde speake thou in the eares of my people the wordes of prophecie which I wyll put in y e mouth saieth the LORDE and cause them to be wrytten in a letter for it is the trueth Feare not the ymaginaciōs against y t let not y e vnfaithfulnes of them trouble the that speake agaynst the. For all the vnfaithfull shal dye in their vnfaithfulnes Beholde saieth the LORDE I wil brynge plages vpon the worlde y e swerde honger death and destruccion for wickednes hath the vpper hande in all y e earth and their shamefull workes are fulfilled Therfore saieth the LORDE I wil holde my tonge nomore vnto their wickednesse which they do so vngodly nether wil I suffre them in the thinges that they deale with all so wickedly Beholde the innocent bloude of the troubled crieth vnto me and the soules of the righteous complayne cōtynually and therfore saieth the LORDE I wil surely auēge and receaue vnto me all the innocēt bloude from amonge them Beholde my people is led as a flock of shepe to be slayne I wil not suffre them now to dwel in Egipte but wyl brynge them ou◠with a mightie hande and a stretched out arme and smyte it with plages as afore and wyl destroye all the londe off it Egipte shal mourne and the foundacions of it shal be smytten with the plage and punyshment y t God shal brynge vpon it They that tyll y e groūde shal mourne for their sedes shal be destroyed thorow the blastinge and hale and an horrible starre Wo worth y e worlde and them that dwell therin for y e swerde their destrucciō draweth nye one people shal stōde vp to fight against another swerdes in their hādes For mē shal be vnstedfast and some shal do violence vnto other they shal not regarde their kynge and prynces the wayes of their doinges and hādelinges in their power A man shal desyre to go in to the cite shal not be able For because of their pryde y e cities shal be brought in feare y e houses shal shake and men shal be afrayed A man shal haue no pitie vpon his neghboure but one shal prouoke another vnto battayll to spoyle their goodes because of the honger of bred and because of the greate trouble Beholde I gather call together all the kynges of y e earth which are from the vprysinge from the south from the east and Libanus to turne vnto them and restore the thinges that they haue geuē them Like as they do yet this daye vnto my chosen so wil I do also and recōpense thē in their bosome Thus sayeth y e LORDE God My right hande shal not spare y e synners and my swerde shal not ceasse ouer them that shed the innocēt bloude vpon earth The feare is gone out frō his wrath and hath cōsumed the foundacions of the earth and the synners like the strawe that is kindled Wo worth them that synne and kepe not my commaundementes saieth the LORDE I wil not spare them Go youre waye ye children from violence defyle not my Sanctuary for the LORDE knoweth all thē that synne agaynst him and therfore delyuereth he them vnto death and destrucciō For now are the plages come vpon the worlde ye shal remayne in thē For God shal not delyuer you because ye haue synned agaynst him Beholde an horrible vision commeth frō the east where generacions of Dragons shal come out and the people of the Arabes with many charettes and the multitude of them shal be as the wynde vpō earth that all they which heare them ragynge in their wrath maye feare and be afrayed and as the wylde bores out of y e wod so shal they go out and with