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

SEXAGESIME SONDAY GOSPEL.

[SERMON XXXVIII.]

Cum turba plurima.—LUC. viii. [4.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ in a parable hou þat holy Chirche growide bi graciouse sowynge of Crist, and growinge of þis holy seed; and in tyme of Sexagesime men sowen bodili seed. Þe storye of þe gospel telliþ, Whan myche puple was come to Crist, and þei hastiden of citeis to heere of him Goddis word, he seide bi a simili|tude; He wente out þat sowiþ ay to sowe his seed in his lond; but on foure maneres felle his seed upon his lond. Sum fellen bi side þe wey, and was defoulid, and foulis of heven ete it. And sum felle on a stone, and whan it was sprongen, it dryed up, for it hadde no moisture. Sum felle among þornes, and þornes grow|inge strangliden it. And sum felle in to good erþe, and þat sprong up, and made an hundrid fold fruyt. And Crist, seiyng þes wordis, cryede and seide to þe puple, He þat haþ eeres to heere, heere he, and undirstonde þis witt. And evermore, as seintis seyen, whan God biddiþ men heere þus, his sentence is presciouse and shulde be markid wel of men. And his disciplis axiden him what ment þis parable, and Crist seide unto hem, þat to hem was grauntid to knowe þe privyte of þe rewme of God, and to oþer men in parablis, þat þei, seynge wiþouten forþ, se not wiþynne in her soule, and þei heerynge þe wordis of þe parable undirstonden not þe witt of þem.

Crist seide þat þis is undirstonding of þis parable. Þe seed is Goddis word, þat felle to men on foure maneres.—Þis first seed is Goddis word, þat fell in sum biside þe wey; for sum ben

cumbrid wiþ þe fend, and so defoulid wiþ þe worlde þat þe erþe is not able to take þis seed and hilen it; and herfore comeþ þe fend and takiþ Goddis word fro þer hertis, for he puttiþ in her þouȝt strange þing fro þis seed and so he takiþ fro þer witt þe vertue of Goddis seed. And herfore it is perelous to dwelle þus biside þe weye, and be defoulid wiþ þe fend and wiþ sentence þat he wole teche. Þe fend takiþ fro men Goddis word þat þei trowe not in it; and for, bi suche trouþe, men may sunnest be saif, þe fend purposiþ to take awey Goddis word, last þat men trowen in it, and so be saaf. Þe fendis may dwelle in comoun weye, where God wole not sowe his seed, and pike awey þe seed biside, and aspie unsow place, and gedere þe seed þat is sowen. He haþ noo power of þis seed, but power of þe man by synne. And þus men out of bileve, þat ben hardid in þer untreuþe, maken a comoun weye and playne, where fendis and beestis may freely go; and on londis biside þis weye ben many voide places, for many semen in bileve, but feiþ is voided fro hem. Þe secounde place of þis lond þat Goddis seed is sowen ynne, is stony lond wiþ brood stoonys, upon which þis seed falliþ, and stones ben hard and erþe litil, and for a tyme þei taken wiþ joie þe wordis of God þat ben sowen, but hem wantiþ rootis of charite; and so þei turnen to þe world, for coveitise of worldely goodis. And þis seed wantiþ rotis of love to stonden in Goddis lawe, for þei loven more erþely goodis þan þe fruyt of bileve. For þis seed of Goddis word mut be rootid in charite, so þat neiþer poverte ne peyne ne manasse made of Antecrist make men falle fro Goddis lawe, for stabilnesse in þe roote. Þe þridde lond þat takiþ þis seed is ful of þornes and yvel weedis, and þes growen up wiþ þe corn, and distrye good seed; for siche ben ȝoven [So B; A has ȝyve.] to worldely lustis, and lustful þing lykeþ hem, as þingis þat plesen þe bodi, as mete and drynke, and ydlenesse, and leichery, wiþ worldely goodis þat susteynen bodily lustis. And þus it fareþ as Gregory seiþ [S. Greg. Homil. in Evang. xv. § 3.] : al ȝif rychesse liken þe fleishe, neþeles þei ryven [reyven, C.] þe soule, and maken it bisye aboute veyn þingis; and þus þei prycken and wounden þe soule, as þornes done harm to þe fleishe.

And þus þis lond is undisposid bi þree enemyes of a man, þe which be, þe fend, þe world, and þe fleishe wanton of a man. Of þes speken Joon and James, and Crist here in her [his, C.] wordis; for þes þree letten Goddis word to bryng forþ fruyte in mannis soule. And þerefore, ȝif þou coveite in God þat his seed profite to þee, chastise wele þes þree enemyes þat letten Goddis seed to growe, and þan þou hast good land and wel disposid to take þis seed, and it bryngiþ in siche soulis fruyte to an hundrid fold; siþ goodis of blisse þat ben in hevene passen alle oure goodis here, as an hundrid done oon. And þes in substaunce ben þis seed, and þis lore is profitable to holi Chirche and makiþ it growe, and reisiþ it fro þe erþe to þe heynesse of hevene. Þis seed haþ many propertees þat fallen to bodily seed, for it is litil in quantite and þe vertue of it is hid, but Goddis grace mut quykene it, as liȝt of hevene quykeneþ oþer seed, and dewe of grace þat comeþ of God, wiþ þe hete of charite, norishen þis goostly seed, and maken it growe up to hevene. But as þe gospel of Joon seiþ, þe corn of whete falliþ in to erþe, and siþ it dieþ, and þan it groweþ many folde to myche corn. Þis whete corn is Cristis bodi, þat bicam man here in erþe, þat first was deed and siþ roos, and brouȝte of him many partis; and þus growide holi Chirche from oon to hir ful noumbre. But beestis and lymes of þe fend be myche to blame for þis fruyte, for þei letten it to growe many weies bi fendis cautelis, and sum, bifore þat it be rype, þei kitten [om. E.] and [om. E.] letten fruyte to come. And her|fore hey wardis shulden be ware and do þer office in þe Chirche, for ellis þei ben traitours to God, in fals kepinge of his felds. And vertues of a soule, and specialy mannis pacience, ben as marle or dunge to men, and maken hem bryng forþ siche fruytis.

Aboute þis tixt may men doute, how þis seed may wexe drye, or faile in ony wyse, siþ it is Cristis word, and Crist seiþ þat hevene and erþe shal passe and faile, but not his word. But here we witen how treuþe of God may not faile in his substaunce, siþ it is kynde of God, þat nedely is ȝif ouȝt be; but þe fruyte þat it shulde make may faile in men by synne of hem. And þus þis seed haþ many names, and bi

many resouns is knowen, and bi diversite of resouns may men assoile þes doutes. But moreover þes men douten here, siþ God is sower of þis seed, and He is ful of witt and myȝt, whi sowiþ he in yvel lond? But here we shal undirstonde þat noo defaute may be in God; but as he ȝyveþ reyn and wedris to good men and to yvel, so he offrid his seed boþe to lond good and yvel; and al ȝif fruyte þat it shulde have perishe ofte for mannis synne, neþeles substaunce of þis seed may not faile, siþ it is God. And þus meneþ Anselme ['Improprie hujus vel illius rei esse dicitur [veritas]; quoniam illa non in ipsis rebus, aut ex ipsis, aut per ipsas, in quibus esse dicitur, ha|bet suum esse; sed cum res ipsae secundum illam sunt, quae semper praesto est his quae sunt sicut de|bent, tunc dicitur hujus vel illius rei veritas.' S. Anselm Dialog. de Veritate, ch. xiii. The heading of the chapter is 'Quod una sit veritas in omnibus veris.'] , þat þere is no treuþe but oone, for ech treuþe in his ground is þe first treuþe of alle. And leve we to ȝonge men scole tretynge of þis matere, but ȝit men douten what moveþ God to wiþdrawe his grace fro men, and to lette þis seed for to growe, as he shewiþ it in parablis. But here seiþ Poul þat no man shulde blame God for his good dede, siþ he doiþ bi his grace al þingis þat he doiþ, and wiþdrawiþ never his grace, but ȝif man unable him selfe; and þan bi riȝtwisnesse of God nediþ þis synner to be punishid. But sum men seyen þat alle þingis moten nedis come by God, and so what harmes comen in þis world, profiten unto þis world, eiþer [euþer, A; for, E; the reading in the text is that of B.] to make good þing beter, oþer to make good anewe [So in B; onewe, A; of newe, E; of new, C.] , or ellis to preyse God and to joie for peyne þat is to men in helle. And so Crist telliþ in parablis his witt for many causis. First, for men unworþi to knowe it ben blyndid bi derke speche; moreover, for men þat medefulli traveilen for to knowe þis parable witt boþe shal traveile more medefulli and betere printe þe witt þus gate; and also, in siche parablis as myche philosophie is knowen as is nedeful for a man for to cunnen in þis weie. And so, ȝif God ordeyne þus, it is best þat it be so.