The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ The summe of the creacyon of the worckes of God.

CAPI. XLIII.

[ A] THe glory of the height, is the fayre and clere fyrmament,* 1.1 the bewtie of the hea∣uen in his gloryous clerenesse. The sun when it appeareth, declareth the daye in the goynge oute of it, a meruelous worke of the hyghest. At noone it burneth the earthe, and who maye abyde for the heate therof? Who so kepeth an ouen when it is hote, thre tymes more doth the Sunne burne vpon the moun∣taynes, when it breatheth out the fyrie bea∣mes and shyneth: with the bryghtnesse of it, it blyndeth the eyes. Greate is the Lord that made it, and in his commaundement he cau∣seth it to ren hastelye.

* 1.2The Moone also is in all, and at conueni∣ent season it sheweth the tymes, and is a to∣ken of the tyme. The token of the solemne feast is taken of the Moone,* 1.3 a light that my∣nissheth and increaseth agayne. The Moneth is called after the Moone, it groweth won∣derously in her chaungynge.

[ B] The armye of heuen also is in the heyght, in the fyrmament of heauen it gyueth a clere and gloryous shyne. This is the clerenesse of the starres, the bewtifull apparell of heuen, the apparell that the Lorde lyghteneth in y^e heygth. In his holy worke they contynue in their ordre, and not one of them fayleth in his watche. Loke vpon the rayne bowe, and prayse him that made it:* 1.4 very bewtyfull is it in his shyne. He compasseth the heuen about with his clerenesse and glory, the handes of the hyghest haue bended it. Thorow his com∣maundement he maketh the snowe to fall, and the thondre of his iudgement to smyte hastly. Thorow his commaundemēt the trea∣sures are opened, and the cloudes flye as the foules. In his power hathe he strengthened the cloudes, and broken the hayle stones.

The moūtaynes melt at the syght of him, the wynde bloweth accordynge to his wyll. The sounde of his thondre beareth the earth so doth the storme of the northe: the whirle wynde also lyghteth downe as a fethered fowle, casteth oute and spredeth the snowe a∣brode: and as the greshoppers that destroye all, so falleth it downe. The eye marueleth at the bewtye of the whytenesse therof, and the hert is afraied at the rayne of it. He pou∣reth oute the frost vpon the earth, lyke salte, and when it is frosen, it is as sharpe as y^e prik of a thystle.

When the colde Northwynde bloweth, [ C] harde Chrystall commeth of the water. He lyghteth downe vpon all the gatherynges togyther of water, and putteth on the wa∣ters as a brest plat. He deuoureth the moun∣taynes, and burneth the wyldernesses, and loke what is grene, he putteth it oute lyke fyre. The medicyne of all these is, when a cloude commeth hastely: and when a dewe commeth vpon the heate, it shall be refreshed agayne.

In his worde he stylleth the wynde. In his counsell he setteth the depe, and the Lorde Iesus planted it. They that sayle ouer the see, tell of his peryls and harmes: and when we heare it with our eares, we maruell ther∣at. For there be straunge wonderous workes dyuerse maner of nyce beastes, and whalefis∣shes. Thorow him are al thinges set in good ordre & perfourmed, and in his worde al thin¦ges endure.

I speake moch, but I can not suffycyently [ D] attayne vnto it, for he hym selfe onely is the perfection of all wordes. We shulde prayse the Lorde after al our power, for he is great in all his workes. The Lord is to be feared: yea very great is he,* 1.5 and is merueylous is he power. Prayse the Lorde, and magnifye him as moche as ye maye, yet doth he farre farre exceade all prayse. O magnyfye hym withal youre power, and laboure earnestlye,* 1.6 yet are ye in no wise hable sufficiently to prayse him. Who hath sene hym, that he myght tell vs? Who can magnyfye him so greatly as he is? For there are hyd yet greater thynges then these be: as for vs, we haue sene but few of his workes. For the Lorde hathe made all thynges, and giuen wisdom to such as feare God.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal .ix. a
• * 1.2

  Gene .i. b
• * 1.3

  Exod .xii. a
• * 1.4

  Gen .ix. d
• * 1.5

  Psalm xxvi ••
• * 1.6

  Psalm .cvi. a