1. BVT o thou our God, art sweete, and true, patient, and disposing al thinges, in mercie.
2. For if we sinne, we are thine, knowing thy greatnes: and if we sinne not we know that we are counted with thee.
3. For to know thee, is absolute iustice: and to know iustice, and thy powre, is the roote of immortalitie.
4. For mens inuention of euil art hath not brought vs into errour, nor the shadow of a picture being a labour without fruite, a shape grauen by diuerse colours,
5. the sight wherof geueth concupiscence to the senses, and he loueth the shape without life of a deade image.
6. The louers of euils, are worthie to haue their hope in such thinges, both they that make them, and that loue, and that worshippe them.
7. Yea and the potter pressing softe earth, with labour fashioneth euerie vessel to our vses, and of the same clay maketh the vessels, that are cleane to vse, and in like maner them that are contrarie to these: but what the vse of these vessels is, the potter is iudge.
8. And with vaine labour he fashioneth a god of the same clay: he which a litle before was made of earth, and a litle after returneth backe whence he was taken, being exacted the debte of the life which he had.
9. But his care is, not because he shal labour, nor because he hath a short life, but he contendeth with goldsmithes and siluer smithes: yea and he imitateth the copper smithes, and counteth it a glorie, because he maketh vaine thinges.
10. For his hart is ashes, and his hope vaine earth, and his life viler then clay:
11. because he was ignorant who made him, and who inspired into him the soule which worketh, and who breathed into him the vital spirite.
12. Yea and they estemed our life to be a pastime, and the conuersation of life made for a gayne, & that we must get euerie way euen of euil.
13. For he knoweth that he offendeth aboue al men, which of the matter of earth fashioneth frayle vessels, and sculptils.
14. For al the vnwise, and vnhappie aboue measure of the soule, proude are the enemies of they people, and rule ouer them:
15. because they haue estemed al the idols of the nations for goddes, which neither haue vse of eies to see, nor nosthrels to take breath, nor eares to heare, nor singers of the hands to handle, yea and their feete are slow to walke.
16. For a man made them: and he that borowed breath, the same fashioned them. For no man can make God like to himself.
17. For wheras himself is mortal, he maketh a dead thing with his wicked handes. For he is better then they, whom he worshippeth, because he in deede liued, though he were mortal, but they neuer.
18. But they worship also most miserable beasts: for the senslesse thinges compared to these, are worse then they.
19. Yea neither by sight can any man see good of these beasts. But they haue fled from the prayse of God, and from his blessing.