Son, when thou comest to the service of God, stand in justice and in fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation.

Fili, accedens ad servitutem Dei sta in justitia et timore, et præpara animam tuam ad tentationem.

My son, if thy mind is to enter the Lord’s service, wait there in his presence, with honesty of purpose and with awe, and prepare thyself to be put to the test.

Humble thy heart, and endure: incline thy ear, and receive the words of understanding: and make not haste in the time of clouds.

Deprime cor tuum, et sustine: inclina aurem tuam, et suscipe verba intellectus: et ne festines in tempore obductionis.

Submissive be thy heart, and ready to bear all; to wise advice lend a ready ear, and be never hasty when ill times befall thee.

Wait on God with patience: join thyself to God, and endure, that thy life may be increased in the latter end.

Sustine sustentationes Dei: conjungere Deo, et sustine, ut crescat in novissimo vita tua.

Wait for God, cling to God and wait for him; at the end of it, thy life shall blossom anew.

Take all that shall be brought upon thee: and in thy sorrow endure, and in thy humiliation keep patience.

Omne quod tibi applicitum fuerit accipe: et in dolore sustine, et in humilitate tua patientiam habe:

Accept all that comes to thee, patient in sorrow, humiliation long enduring;

For gold and silver are tried in the fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation.

quoniam in igne probatur aurum et argentum, homines vero receptibiles in camino humiliationis.

for gold and silver the crucible, it is in the furnace of humiliation men shew themselves worthy of his acceptance.

Believe God, and he will recover thee: and direct thy way, and trust in him. Keep his fear, and grow old therein.

Crede Deo, et recuperabit te: et dirige viam tuam, et spera in illum: serva timorem illius, et in illo veterasce.

Trust in him, and he will lift thee to thy feet again; go straight on thy way, and fix in him thy hope; hold fast thy fear of him, and in that fear to old age come thou.

Ye that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy: and go not aside from him, lest ye fall.

Metuentes Dominum, sustinete misericordiam ejus: et non deflectatis ab illo, ne cadatis.

All you that fear the Lord, wait patiently for his mercies; lose sight of him, and you shall fall by the way.

Ye that fear the Lord, believe him: and your reward shall not be made void.

Qui timetis Dominum, credite illi, et non evacuabitur merces vestra.

Fear him? Ay, and trust him; you shall not miss your reward.

Ye that fear the Lord, hope in him: and mercy shall come to you for your delight.

Qui timetis Dominum, sperate in illum, et in oblectationem veniet vobis misericordia.

Fear him? Ay, and fix your hope in him; his mercy you shall find, and have great joy of it.

Ye that fear the Lord, love him, and your hearts shall be enlightened.

Qui timetis Dominum, diligite illum, et illuminabuntur corda vestra.

Fear him? Ay, and love him; your hearts shall be enlightened.

My children behold the generations of men: and know ye that no one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded.

Respicite, filii, nationes hominum: et scitote quia nullus speravit in Domino et confusus est.

My sons, look back on the ages that are past; was ever man yet that trusted in the Lord, and was disappointed?

For who hath continued in his commandment, and hath been forsaken? or who hath called upon him, and he despised him?

Quis enim permansit in mandatis ejus, et derelictus est? aut quis invocavit eum, et despexit illum?

Held fast to his commandments, and was forsaken, prayed to him, and found the prayer unregarded?

For God is compassionate and merciful, and will forgive sins in the day of tribulation: and he is a protector to all that seek him in truth.

Quoniam pius et misericors est Deus, et remittet in die tribulationis peccata, et protector est omnibus exquirentibus se in veritate.

A gracious God and a merciful; in times of affliction, he assoils us of our guilt, watches over all that with true hearts turn to him.

Woe to them that are of a double heart and to wicked lips, and to the hands that do evil, and to the sinner that goeth on the earth two ways.

Væ duplici corde, et labiis scelestis, et manibus malefacientibus, et peccatori terram ingredienti duabus viis!

Out upon the false heart, the cheating lips, the hands busy with ill-doing; upon the sinner that will go two ways at once to enter the land of his desire.

Woe to them that are fainthearted, who believe not God: and therefore they shall not be protected by him.

Væ dissolutis corde, qui non credunt Deo, et ideo non protegentur ab eo!

Out upon the unresolved will, that trust in God has none, and from him shall have no succour.

Woe to them that have lost patience, and that have forsaken the right ways, and have gone aside into crooked ways.

Væ his qui perdiderunt sustinentiam, et qui dereliquerunt vias rectas, et diverterunt in vias pravas!

Out upon the men who have given up hope, forsaking the right path, and to false paths betaking them;

And what will they do, when the Lord shall begin to examine?

Et quid facient cum inspicere cœperit Dominus?

what shift will they make when the Lord calls them to account?

They that fear the Lord, will not be incredulous to his word: and they that love him, will keep his way.

Qui timent Dominum non erunt incredibiles verbo illius: et qui diligunt illum conservabunt viam illius.

Fear the Lord, and doubt his promises? Love him, and not keep true to the way he shews us?

They that fear the Lord, will seek after the things that are well pleasing to him: and they that love him, shall be filled with his law.

Qui timent Dominum inquirent quæ beneplacita sunt ei, et qui diligunt eum replebuntur lege ipsius.

Fear the Lord, and not study to know his will? Love him, and not find contentment in his law?

They that fear the Lord, will prepare their hearts, and in his sight will sanctify their souls,

Qui timent Dominum præparabunt corda sua, et in conspectu illius sanctificabunt animas suas.

Fear God, and not keep the will alert, the heart holy in his sight?

They that fear the Lord, keep his commandments, and will have patience even until his visitation,

Qui timent Dominum custodiunt mandata illius, et patientiam habebunt usque ad inspectionem illius,

Men who fear God keep his commandments, and wait patiently until he comes to relieve them.

Saying: If we do not penance, we shall fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men.

dicentes: Si pœnitentiam non egerimus, incidemus in manus Domini, et non in manus hominum.

Be this our thought, they say, that it is God’s power we have to reckon with, not man’s, if there is no penance done.

For according to his greatness, so also is his mercy with him.

Secundum enim magnitudinem ipsius, sic et misericordia illius cum ipso est.

And he has mercy ever at his side, a God merciful as he is great.