The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
About this Item
Title
The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Publication
London,: Pub. for the Early English text society, by Trübner & co.,
1880.
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"The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/AEH6713.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 28, 2024.
Pages
Capitulum 10m.
Generaly ypocrisie regneþ among alle statis of cristen men; for whanne men ben cristened þei forsaken þe deuyl, al his pride & al his werkis, þat ben werkis of synne; and ȝit þei turnen to synne as an hound to his spuyng and here-wiþ holden hem goode cristen men. but summe don verrey penaunce for þes synnes, & summe dwelle euere stille þer-inne & rennen to helle, as crist seiþ in þe gospel & in þe bok of iob; & many men don bodily penaunce, as fastynge and goynge barfote, but þei fasten not fro pride ne enuye ne coueitise, but preien for wrongful vengaunce of oþere enemyes aȝenst charite, and þis is foule ypocrisie to make men holden hem holy whanne þei stynken bifore god for old endured synne. For god seiþ be ysaye þat a man to turmente his hed and peyne his bodi only is not þat fast þe whiche god chees, 1but þis is þe fast þat god ches; 1 a man to breke þe bondis of synne & do werkis of mercy to poore men & nedi. ¶ But vpon þe text of þis gospel bi ordre of seynt matheu Ion with þe gildene
mouþ seiþ þat a prest is in dette to teche openly and treuly þe treuþe of goddis lawe, and ellis he is traitour to þe treuþe of holy writt. 1So a lewyd man is boundyn to mayntene þe treuþe1 of holy writt, and ellis he is traitour to god & to his lawe and his peple. & here-fore riche men owen to drede of treson and traitre aȝenst god & his lawe whanne þei meyntene not þe treuþe of þe gospel, but ben aboute to stoppe it & techeris þer-of bi sotil cautelis & false lesynges for fleschli loue or coueitise. for as iudas dide þei sillen þe treuþe, and so crist þat is treuþe, [page 21] for money or fleschly loue. And siþ þei sillen treuþe þat is a spiritual good for money or worldely þyng þei ben cursed symo|nyentis & so heretikis. moche owen þei to quake, siþ crist seiþ in þe gospel þat who euere dispisiþ cristis disciplis, in þat he dispisiþ crist; and at þe day of dom þere schal be lesse peyne to sodom & gomor, þat weren distroied for synne, þan to þo men þat wolen not resceyue cristis disciplis and his gospel, ne lyue after þe techyng of cristis gospel. principaly siþ suche men slen crist as moche as in hem is, and dryuen þe holy gost out of his temple & þe holy trynite; & ȝit þei taken þe office to meyntene goddis lawe and techeris þer-of, & vpon þis seruyces þei han þes heiȝe statis & lordischipis. but certis it is foul ypocrisie þus to suffre synne regne, siþ lordis and men of grete statis, as maires, ben so muche biholden to destroie it, & mowne welle don it in dede, & to lette trewe prechoris of þe gospel, & meyntene prechours of lesyngis, fablis & cronyclys for monye & worldely frendschipe.
