A   O how fayre is a chaist generacion &wt; vertue? The memoriall therof is immortall, for it is knowne &wt; God and men. When it is present, m&ebar; take ex&abar;ple thereat: and yf it go awaye, yet they desyre it. It is allwaie crowned ∧ holden in hono&highr;, ∧ wynneth þe; rewarde of the vndefyled battayll. But the multitude of vngodly childr&ebar; is vnprofitable, and the thinges þt; are planted &wt; whordome, shal take no depe rote, ner laye eny fast foundacion, ^note Though they be grene in the braunches for a tyme, yet shal they be shak&ebar; &wt; the wynde: for they stonde not fast, ∧ thorow the vehemence of the wynde they shalbe roted out. For the vnparfecte braunches shalbe broken, their frute shalbe vnprofitable ∧ sower to eate, yee mete for nothinge. And why? all the children þt; are borne of the wicked, must beare recorde of the wickednesse agaynst their fathers ∧ mothers, when they be axed. But though the righteous be ouertaken &wt; death, yet shal he be in rest.

B   Age is an honorable thinge: neuertheles it stondeth not only in the lenth of tyme, ner in the multitude of yeares: but a mans wy&esset;dome is the graye hayre, and an vndefyled life is the olde age. He pleased God, ∧ was beloued of him: so that where as he lyued am&obar;ge synners, he tr&abar;slated him. ^noteYee sod&ebar;ly was he taken awaye, to the intent þt; wickednesse shulde not alter his vnderst&obar;dinge, ∧ þt; ypocrisye shulde not begyle his soule. For þe; craftie bewitchinge of lyes make good thinges darck, þe; vnstedfastnesse also ∧ wickednes of voluptuous desyre, turne asyde þe; vnderstondinge of þe; symple. Though he was soone deed, yet fulfilled he moch tyme. For his soule pleased God, therfore haisted he to take him awaye fr&obar; amonge þe; wicked. This the people se, ∧ vnderstonde it not: they laye not vp soch thinges in their hertes, how þt; þe; louynge fauo&highr; ∧ mercy of God is vp&obar; his saintes, ∧ þt; he hath respecte vnto his chosen.

C   Thus þe; righteous þt; is deed, c&obar;demneth the vngodly which are lyuinge: ∧ þe; youth þt; is soone brought to an ende, þe; l&obar;ge life of þe; vnrighteous. For they se þe; ende of þe; wyse, but they vnderst&obar;de not what God hath deuysed for him, ∧ wherfore þe; LORDE hath taken him awaie. And why? they se him ∧ despyse him, therfore shall God also laugh th&ebar; to scorne: So þt; they th&ebar; selues shal dye here after (but without hono&highr;) yee in shame amonge þe; deed for euermore. For without eny voyce shal he burst those þt; be puft vp, ∧ remoue th&ebar; fr&obar; þe; foundacions, so þt; they shalbe laied waist vnto the hyest. They shal mourne, and their memoriall shall perishe. So they beynge afrayed shall remembre their synnes, and their owne wickednesse shal bewraye th&ebar;.

Previous section

Next section