/ honger, and plage / trouble and an¦guysh are sent, as scourges for amendemēt. But for all these thinges they shal not turne from theyr wyckednesse, nor be alway minde full of the scourges.
Beholde, vitailes shalbe so good cheape [unspec C] vpon erath, that they shall thinke thē selues to be in good case: & euen then shall myschefe growe vpon earth, warres, darth and great disquietnes. For many of them yt dwel vpon earth shal perish of honger, & the other that escape the hongre, shall the swerde destroy: & the deed shalbe cast out as dong, & there shal be no mā to cōfort them. For the earth shalbe wasted, & the cities shalbe cast downe: there shalbe no mā left to tyl the earth & to sowe it. The trees shal geue frute, & who shal plucke them of & gather them? The grapes shall be rype, & who shall treade thē? For all places shalbe desolate of men, so y• one man shal de∣syre to se another, or to here his voyce. For of one whole cytie there shalbe ten left, & two in the felde, which shall hyde them selues in the thycke busshes, and in the clyffes of stones: lyke as whē there remayne thre or foure oly∣ues vpon the olyue tree, oras when a vyne∣yard is gathered, there are left some grapes, of them that diligentely sought thorowe the vyneyarde.
Euen so in those dayes there shalbe thre [unspec D] or foure left, for thē that search theyr houses with the swerde. And the earth shalbe left waste, and the feldes therof shall waxe olde: and her wayes and al her pathes shall grow full of thornes, because no man shal trauaile there thorowe. The daughters shal mourne, hauynge no brydegromes: the wemen shall make lamentacion, hauyng no husbandes / their daughters shal mourne, hauīg no help of theyr brydgrome. In the warres shal they be destroyed, and theyr husbādes shal perish of hongre. O ye seruauntes of the Lord, here these thynges / and marke thē. Beholde / the worde of the Lorde, O receyue it: beleue not the Goddes of whom the Lord speaketh. Be holde / the plages drawe nye, & are not slacke in tarieng. Lyke as a trauaylynge woman / which after the. ix. moneth bryngeth forth a sonne, when the houre of the byrthe is come, an houre two or thre afore that the paynes come vpon her body, and when the chylde cō¦meth to the byrth, they tary not the twyncke lynge of an eye: Euen so shall not the plages be slacke to come vpon earth, and the worlde shall mourne, & sorowes shall come vpon it on euery syde.
O my people, heare my worde / make you redy to the batayle: and in all euyll be euen as pylgrems vpon earth. He that selleth / let him be as he that flyeth his waye: and he that byeth as one that wyll see. Whoso occu∣pyeth marchaundyes / as he that wynneth not: & he that buyldeth / as he that shall not dwell therin: he that soweth, as one that shal not reape: he that twysteth the vineyarde, as he that shall not gather the grapes: they that mary / as they that shal get no chyldren: and they that mary not: as the wyddowes: and therfore they that labour, labour in vayne For straungers shall reape their frutes, and spoyle their goodes, ouerthrow their houses, & take their chyldren captiue, for in captiuite and hongre shal they get chyldren. And they that occupye their marchaundies with rob∣bery, howe longe decke they theyr cytyes / theyr houses / theyr possessyons / and person∣nes? the more wyll I punyshe them for theyr synnes, sayeth the Lorde. Lyke as an whore enuyeth an honest woman / so shall ryghtu∣ousnes hate iniquite, when she decketh her selfe / and shall accuse her to her face, when he cōmeth that defendeth / whiche shal make inquisicion for all synne vpon earthe. And therfore be not ye lyke thereunto, nor to the workes therof: for or euer it be long, iniquite shalbe taken away out of the earth / & rightu¦ousnes shall raygne amonge you.
Let not the symer saye / that he hathe not [unspec F] synned: for coles of fyre shall burne vpon his head, which sayeth before the Lord God and his glory: I haue not synned. Beholde / the Lord knoweth all the worckes of men / their ymaginacions, their thoughtes and theyr hertes. For he spake but the worde: let the earth be made / and it was made: let the hea∣uen be made, and it was made. In his worde were the statres made / & he knoweth the nō∣bre of them. He searcheth the groūde of the depe, & the treasures therof: he hathe measu∣red the see•• and what it conteyneth. He hath shut the see in the myddest of the waters▪ and with his worde hath he hāged the eart•• vpō the waters. He spredeth out the heauen•• lyke a vawte, vpō the waters hath he founded it. In the deserte and drye wyldernes hathe he made springes of water / and poles vpon the toppe of the mountaynes / that the floudes myght poure downe frome the stony rockes to water the earth. He made man / & put hys herte in the myddest of the bodye / and gaue hym breth / lyfe and vnderstandyng, yee and the sprete of the Almyghty God, which made al thynges, and hath serched the grounde of all the secretes of the earth.