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are to be blessed al the Nations of the earth? ¹⁹For I know that he wil command his children, and his house after him that they keep the way of the Lord, & doe iudgement and iustice: that for Abrahams sake the Lord may bring to effect al the things that he hath spoken vnto him.

Therfore said our Lord: ²⁰The cry of Sodome, and Gomorre is multiplied, and their sinne is aggrauated exceedingly. ²¹I wil descend, and see whether they haue in acte accomplished the cry that is come to me: or whether it be not so, that I may know. ²²And they turned themselues from thence, and went their way to Sodome: but Abraham as yet stood before our Lord. ²³And approching he said: What! wilt thou destroy the iust with the wicked? ^{24 [1]} If there shal be fiftie iust persons in the citie, shal they perish withal? and wilt thou spare that place for fiftie iust, if they be therin? ²⁵Be it farre from thee, that thou doe this thing, and that thou kil the iust with the wicked, and that the iust be in like case as the wicked, this is not beseeming thee: which iudgest al the earth: no, thou wilt not doe this iudgement. ²⁶And our Lord said to him: If I shal find in Sodome fiftie iust persons within the citie, I wil spare the whole place for their sake. ²⁷And Abraham answered, and said: Because I haue once begun, I wil speake to my Lord, wheras I am dust and ashes. ²⁸What if there shal be fiue lesse then fiftie iust persons? wilt thou for fourtie fiue destroy the whole citie? And he said: I wil not destroy it, if I shal finde fiue and fourtie. ²⁹And againe he said vnto him: But if fourtie shal be found there, what wilt thou doe? He said: I wil not strike it for fourties sake. ³⁰Lord, saith he, be not angrie I beseech thee, if I speake: What if thirtie shal be found there? He answered: I wil not doe it, if I shal find thirtie there. ³¹Because, saith he, I haue once begun, I wil speake to my Lord: What if twentie shal be found there? He said: I wil not destroy it for twenties sake. ³²I beseech thee, saith he, be not angrie Lord, if I speake yet once more: What if ten shal be found there? And he said: I wil not destroy it for tennes sake. ³³And our Lord departed after that he ceased to speake vnto Abraham: and Abraham returned into his place.

1. What a wal are iust men to their countrie? their faith saueth vs, their iustice defendeth vs from destruction. S. Amb. li. 1. de. Abrah. c. 6.