Select English works of John Wyclif; edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.

ÞE ÞRIDDE SONDAY GOSPEL IN ADVENT.

[SERMON XXVIII.]

Cum audiisset Joannes in vinculis.—MATT. xi. [2.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ a storye of Joon Baptiste þat touchiþ al þree adventis of Crist, but specialy þe þridde, to whom serven two bifore. Baptist was in prison wiþ Heroude Antipas, for he reprovede his advoutre wiþ his broþer wyf. And Joon bounden in prison herde of Cristis werkes, and he made moche joie and preiside myche Crist, as oþer gospellis tellen, and specialy Jones gospel. Sum men in þe countre helden Joon more þan Crist, and Jones disciplis weren in þis errour; but ȝit þei trowiden þat þe greet prophete bihiȝt in þe lawe, þat þei cle|piden Messias, was more þan Joon Baptist. And herfore sente Baptiste two of his disciplis, for to speke wiþ Crist and purge hem of þis errour. And Jon bade hem axe þus Crist on his bihalve, Ert þou he þat is to come, and to save mankynde, þat þe law spekiþ of? or we abide anoþer? We shal suppose þat Baptist was stable in his trouþe, and coveitide þat þe feiþ of Crist and love of Crist growide, and bifore þat he were deed, þat he trowide shulde come soone. For trewe men coveiten more þe honoure of God þan þer owen honour, for ellis þei weren unreasonable. And þus cast Joon þis weye to worship of Crist, and to þis entent of Joon Crist spake and wrouȝte in dede. Go ȝe and telle aȝen to Joon what ye have herd and sen, Blynde seen, crokide gone, meselis ben heled, deefe heeren, dede rysen, pore men ben preisid of God [This is a different mistranslation from that found in the Wycliffite versions, which is, 'pore men ben taken to prechynge of the gospel.'] , and blessid be he þat shal not be sclaundrid in me.

And on two maneres men ben sclaundrid in Crist. Sum men bi worchinge putten errours in him, and þis manere of sclaundrynge is algatis yvel, siþ þei fallen in heresie þat þus trowen of Crist. Þes men ben sufferyngly sclaundrid in Crist þat fallen fro bileve þat þei shulden have of Crist. On þe

þridde maner we seyen þat men ben sclaundrid whan þei ben defamyd of ony kyn þing þat þei have hem amys aboute ony siche þing; and þus many holy men weren sclaundrid of Crist. And so, of þes sevene myraclis, þe laste is þe moste; and alle þes sevene miraclis techen how we shulden love Crist; for we þat weren first blynde bi defaute of feiþ, sen aftir in oure soule what we shulden trowe; and so first crokid in medeful werkes, wandren after in holynesse of lyf; and so first leprous by heresyes of feiþ, ben after clensid of alle þes heresyes; deef men fro Goddis word, heeren his lawe; and dede men in soule bi custome of synne, rysen to spiritual lyf of þer soule; men þat weren pore bifore for þer holy werkes, ben seid good lyvers of him [So in B; hym, C; A has hem.] þat may not erre. And it semeþ þat Jones disciplis saien summe of þes miraclis, or ellis hem alle, in feiþ þat Crist ȝaf hem.

And whan þei weren wente fro Crist, he preiside Joon Bap|tist, techinge þat men shulden not preise a man in his presence ne in presence of his, lest he were a faioure [See Glossary.] . Crist preiside Baptiste, axinge of him þre þingis, so þat þe peple were nedid to graunte þat Joon was holy. Whan ȝe seien Baptist in desert, what wente ȝe to see? sawe ȝe a reede wawinge wiþ þe wynde? nay, suche men ben unstable for lovynge of worldely mukke, for Joon was stable in þe love of God, and so was he groundid in þe stone of riȝt-wisnesse. Or what wente ȝe out to see whan ye wente to see Joon? wher ȝe wenten to see a man cled in softe cloþis? nay, lo, men þat ben cled þus drawen hem to kyngis hous, and ben tenderly fedde wiþ metis þat plesen þe fleishe. For Joon Baptiste was contrarie to such men in boþe þes, siþ he dwelte in desert, and was fedde wiþouten foode þat was maad bi mannis crafte, and so þe world and his fleish overcame he perfitli, and it is no drede to us þe fende hadde þan noon holde in him. But what went ȝe out to see? certis to see a prophete; ȝhe Y seie to you, Joon was more þan a prophete, for Joon hadde office of God to se Crist, and waishe him, and to shewe hym at eye, þat is more þan prophetis office. And he is of whom it is writun, þat þe Fadir spekiþ to þe Sone,

Lo Y send myn angel, þat is myn owen messenger, to fore þi face þat shal make redy þi weie tofore þee; for Joon Baptiste movede men to trowe in Crist many gatis.

Here men may touche many synnes þat rengnen [regnen, B; regne, C.] amonge men, and specialy synne of clerkes þat lyven in lustis of foode and in lustis of atire contrarie to Joon Baptiste. And þus, as þe gospel seiþ, þei putten on Joon þat he hadde a fend, and was ladde in desert bi þis spirit þat susteynede him, and he lyvede not mannis lyfe, ne ȝaf ensaumple to sue him; and in Crist þei ben sclaundrid, and seiden he lyvede a lustful lyf and was frend to synful men, and þus shulden not men lyve. And þus þese newe religiouse fallen in heresie of Jewes, for neiþer þei make Baptist ne Jesus Crist þer patroun, but þei chesen hem a newe patroun and newe religioun; þei seien þat Baptist was to harde, and Cristis lyf was to large, but þei have founden a good mene and vertues to lyven inne. And þus boþe clerkes seculers and þese newe religiouse forsaken þes two weies and taken weie of þe fend; for þere is noon oþer weie but Cristis weie and þe fendis, siþ no man may lyve in vertues but ȝif þat he sue Crist, and no man may lyve in synne but ȝif þat he sue in þat þe fend. Boþe þes endes ben to blame, but more þes newe religiouse; ffor þes ypocritis leven Crist and Joon Baptist his prophete, and chesen hem a newe wey þat mut ofte tymes be cloutid and be dispensid wiþ bi Anticrist, as þe fend techiþ hem. Þe seculers ben lasse ypocritis, but þei lyven al amys, siþ þei dwellen wiþ kyngis and lordis for to geten hem bene|fices; and in þe mene tyme þei lyven in lustis, and leven þe state þat þei shulden kepe; and þus blynde men leden þe blynd, and boþe fallen in þe lake. For þere nys noon oþer wey but ouþer wende upward aftir Crist or ellis to wende doun aftir þe fend into þe deppest lake of alle [B agrees with A; C reads hel, which must surely be right.] . Ȝhe, þes þat semen in þe heyer state suen Petir in his errour, and seien, Sire, God forbede þat þou lyve þus in þi membris, for witt and worship þat þou shouldist have. And certis al siche ben Saþanas, for þei wolen reverse Crist, or addinge to Cristis lawe, or ellis wiþdrawinge þat he bad.