1   Againe, another man purposing to saile, and intending to passe thorowe the raging waues, calleth vpon a stocke more rotten then the shippe that carieth him.

2   For as for ^note it, couetousnesse of money hath found it out, & the craftesman made it by cunning.

3   But thy prouidence, O Father, gouerneth it: ^note for thou hast made a way, euen in the sea, and a sure path among the waues,

4   Declaring thereby, that thou hast power to helpe in all things, yea, though a man went to the sea without meanes.

5   Neuerthelesse thou wouldest not, that the workes of thy wisdome should be vaine, & therfore doe men c&obar;mit their liues to a small piece of wood, & passe ouer the stormie sea in a ship, and are saued.

6    ^noteFor in the olde time also when the proude giants perished, the hope of the worlde went into a ship which was gouerned by thine hand, and so left seede of generation vnto the world.

7   For blessed is the tree whereby righteousnes commeth.

8   But that is cursed þt; is made with hands, ^note both it, and he that made it: he because he made it, and it being a corruptible thing, because it was called God.

9    ^noteFor the vngodly, and his vngodlinesse are

both like hated of God: so truely the worke and he that made it, shall be punished together.

10   Therefore shall there be a visitation for the idoles of the nations: for of the creatures of God they are become abomination, ^note and stumbling blockes vnto the soules of men, and a snare for the feete of the vnwise.

11   For the inuenting of idoles was the beginning of whoredome, and the finding of them is the corruption of life.

12   For they were not from the beginning, neither shall they continue for euer.

13   The vaine glory of men brought them into þe; world: therefore shall they come shortly to an end.

14   When a father mourned grieuously for his sonne that was taken away suddenly, he made an image for him that was once dead, whom nowe he worshippeth as a god, and ordeined to his seruants ceremonies and sacrifices.

15   Thus by proces of time this wicked custome preuailed, and was kept as a lawe, and idoles were worshipped by the commandement of tyrants.

16   As for those that were so farre off that men might not worship them presently, they did counterfeit the visage that was farre off, and made a gorgeous image of a King, whom they would honour, that they might by all meanes flatter him that was absent, as though he had bene present.

17   Againe the ambition of the craftesman thrust forward the ignorant to increase the superstition.

18   For he peraduenture willing to please a noble man, laboured with all his cunning to make the image of the best fashion.

19   And so thorowe þe; beautie of the worke the multitude was allured, and so tooke him nowe for a God, which a litle afore was but honored as a man.

20   And this was the deceiuing of mans life, when men, being in seruitude, through calamitie and tyrannie ascribed vnto stones and stockes the name, which ought not to be communicate vnto any.

21   Moreouer, this was not ynough for th&ebar; that they erred in the knowledge of God: but where as they liued in great warres of ignorance, those so great plagues called they peace.

22   For either ^note they slewe their owne children in sacrifice, or vsed secret ceremonies, or raging dissolutenes by strange rites,

23   And so kept neither life nor mariage cleane: but either one slewe another by treason, or els vexed him by adulterie.

24   So were all mixt together, blood and slaughter, theft and deceit, corruption, vnfaithfulnesse, tumultes, periurie,

25   Disquieting of good men, vnthankfulnesse, defiling of soules, changing of birth, disorder in mariage, adulterie and vncleannesse.

26   For the worshipping of idoles that ought not to be named, is the beginning and the cause and the ende of all euill.

27   For either they be mad when they be merie, or prophesie lyes, or liue vngodly, or els lightly forsweare themselues.

28   For in so much as their trust is in the idoles, which haue no life, though they sweare falsely, yet they thinke to haue no hurt.

29   Therefore for two causes shall they iustly be punished, because they haue an euill opinion of God, addicting them selues vnto idols, and because they sweare vniustly to deceiue, and despise holines.

30   For it is not þe; power of them by whom they sweare, but þe; vengeance of them that sinne, which punisheth alwayes the offence of the vngodly.

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