¶ The miracles done for Israel. The vengeaūce of synners The great power and mercy of God.
CAPI. XI.
SHe ordred their worckes in the handes of [unspec A] the holy prophete: so that they went tho∣rowe the wildernes that was not inhabyted, and pitched their tentes in the waste deserte. They stode agaynst their enemies / and were auenged of theyr aduersaryes. ‡ When they were thyrstye / they called vpon the / and wa∣ter was gyuen thē out of the most hye rocke / and theyre thyrst was quenched out of the harde stone. For by the thynges / where tho∣rowe theyr enemyes were punished, were the chyldren of Israell helped in theyr nede / to theyr comforte. For vnto the enemyes thou gauest mans bloude in steade of lyuynge wa¦ter. And where as they had scarcenesse in y• rebuke, when the chyldren were slayne, thou gauest vnto thyne owne a plentuous water vnloked for: declarynge by the thyrste that was at that tyme / howe thou woldest bryng thyne owne vnto honoure / and sleye their aduersaries.
‡ For when they were tryed and nourtured [unspec B] with fatherly mercy / they knowledged how the vngodly were iudged, and punished tho¦rowe the wrath of God. These hast thou ex∣horted as a father / and proued them: but vn∣to y• other thou hast bene a boysterous king, layed hard to their charge, & condēpned thē. Whether they were absent or presente / theyr punyshment was alyke. For their grefe was double: namely, mournynge / and the remē∣braunce of thynges past. But whē they per∣ceyued that their punishmētes did thē good, they thought vpon the Lorde / and wonde∣red at the ende. For at y• last they helde much of him, of whome in the out castynge they thought scorne, as of an obiecte. Neuerthe∣lesse / the ryghtuous dyd not so when they were thyrstye: but euen lyke as the though∣tes of the folyshe were, so was also the wyc∣kednes. [unspec C] ‡ Where as certayne men nowe (tho¦rowe errour) dyd worshyppe dōme serpentes and vayne beastes thou sendedst a multitud: of domme beastes vpon them for a venge∣aunce: that they myght knowe, y• loke where withall a man synneth / by the same also shal he be punysshed. ‡ For vnto thy almyghtye hande, that made the worlde of naught, it was not vnpossyble / to sende amonge them an heape of Beeres, or wood Lyons, or cruel beastes of a straunge kynde / suche as are vn¦knowen / or spou••e fyre or cast out a smoking breth / or shote horryble sparkes out of theyr eyes / whiche myght not onely destroye them with hurtynge / but also kyl them with their horyble syght. Yee wythout these beastes might they haue bene slayne with one winde, beyng persecuted of there owne workes, and scatered abroade thorowe the brethe of thy power.
Neuertheles, thou hast ordred all thinges [unspec D] in measure, nombre & weight. For thou haste euer had great strēgth & myght, & who maye wt stande y• power of thyne arme? And why? lyke as the smal thyng y• the balaūce weyeth so is the worlde before y•: yee as a droppe of y• mornynge dewe, that falleth downe vpon the earth. Thou hast mercy vpō al / for thou hast power of al thynges: & makest the as though thou sawest not the synnes of men / because they shulde amende. For thou louest