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

ÞE SECOUNDE SONDAI IN LENTEN.

[SERMON XLI.]

Egressus Jesus secessit in partes Tyri.—MATT. XV. [21.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ a myracle of Crist to stire men to hope mercy, al ȝif þei ben synful. Þe story telliþ how Jesus wente oute of Jude and fel in þe contrees of Tiry and Sidon, þat were countres occupied wiþ heþene men, and nyȝe to Jude. And hem visitide Crist, and lo, a womman of Canaan wente out of hir coostis, and cryede upon Crist, and saide þus to him, Lord, have mercy on me, David sone, my douȝtir is yvel traveilid of a fend. And Crist to contynue devocioun of þis womman, answeride not first a word to hir. And here may we lerne to contynue oure good werke, al ȝif God graunt not oure wille at þe bigynnyng; for God wole have oure herte devoute to him wiþouten ende, here and in hevene. Þe disciplis cam to Crist and spake þus to him, Leve þis womman, for sche crieþ after us. But Crist answeride and seide þus comounly, Y am not sent but to þe perishid sheep of þe hous of Israel, wher þis woman be siche. And bi þis þis womman came and loutide Crist, and seide, Lord, help me, and Crist answeride and seide, It is not good to take þe breed þat falliþ to children and ȝyve it to houndis to ete fro þes children. And þis womman answeride knowinge Cristis speche, and grauntide þat it were good; as if she wolde mene þus; siþ þou clepist me an hound, and Y suffre mykely, ȝyve þou sum mete of children to þis hound, for whelpis eten of crummes þat fallen fro lordis boordis. And Jesus answeride to her, and wiste hir entent, and seide, O womman, grete is þi feiþ; be it done to þee, riȝt as þou wilt. And hir douȝter was heelid riȝt in þat hour.

Here men douten comounly, where Crist mysseide þis womman or scornede hir, or putt on hir þat she was an hound.

Or ellis al þes wordis of Crist shulde be take axingly.— Here we shal bileve þat Crist dide alle gatis evene as he shulde do, and þus ȝif Crist scornede hir, þat Y dar not seye, scornynge was leveful, as holy writt proveþ. For Hely þe prophete bade priestis of Baal þat þei shulde strongely crye, leste þer god slepte, or spake wiþ oþer men, þat he myȝte not here hem. And þus scorneþ Poul spekynge to Corynþios, Where Y dide lasse to you þan oþer apostlis diden, but þat Y toke not of ȝou, forȝyve ȝe me þis wronge. And so ofte in Goddis lawe is scornynge wel ment, as ȝif it were leveful done on good manere. But it is seide comounly þat þre þingis ben hard to men, to scorne men medefully, or medefulli plete wiþ men, or ellis for to fiȝt wiþ man, bi þe weye of charite. But al þis may be done, as wise men þenken. But for þei ben perelous, many men supposen þat Crist uside hem never, but wente þe kyngis hye weye. And so Crist axide bi manere of ques|tioun where it were not good to take children mete and ȝyve it unto houndis, as who seiþ, Telle þou, and þus heþene men weren clepid houndis of Goddis folc, for properte of houndis acordinge to heþene men. But þis womman mekely grauntide siþ question, and þus men clepid houndis may bicome Goddis children as it bifel of many heþene, þat weren convertid to Crist and made Cristene men. And þus Crist preiside þis womman by hir greete feiþ, and wiþ þis bodili myracle made hir soule hole, and figuride þat heþene folk shulden be turned to him, and of men þat weren first houndis shulden be maad by grace his children. And so þe word of Crist, þat he was not sent but to þe seke children of Jacobis hous, was sooþ to þis entent, þat he was sent to hele þes. For what man it be þat Crist convertiþ and saveþ him in hevene, he is Israelis sone, for he supplantiþ þe fend as Jacob dide Esau, and he is maad a man þat seeþ God bi feiþ. And Crist is clepid þus boþ Jacob and Israel, and oþer holy fadris þat figureden Crist, and þus men ben maad by grace of þe hous of Jacob.

But it were to wite þe moral sense of þese wordis, siþ þis kernel is more swete þan sense of þe storye. Tyrus and

Sidoun weren of þe lond of biheest, nye þe hill of Libanye, but Israel sufficide not to cast hem out of þis lond, and so heþene folk dwelten þere til þat Crist came. And so þis paynym womman is þe substans of mennis soule, þat is moved of God to preye for hir douȝtir heele. For boþe vertues of þis soule and werkes þerof ben drecchid of þe fend and lyven un|medefully. And suche a soule wendiþ out of þe coostis of Chanaan, ffor it forsakiþ þe paynym life þat it was before inne, and it sekeþ not oonly Crist in þe hous but upon þe weye, and cryeþ on him keneli whan by contemplacioun it is devoute in God. And in doinge of werkes it preieþ to him þat it do fully to plesaunce of God. And interpretacioun of Canaan acordiþ, siþ Canaan is chaungid or chaunging, and a soule þat is first heþene and þus turned to Crist is chaungid by myracle more þan ony body. And Crist norishiþ and scharpiþ þe preier of siche soulis til þat þei ben worþi to have grace of him. And so þes soulis knowun þat þei ben seke sheepe of þe hous of Israel þat have nede of confort. And þei seien þat siche whelpis shulden ete trenchours of lordis, and knowe how God haþ fed his children, and so do bi hem. For it is liȝt to God to make of siche whelpis hool sheepe of Jacobis hous, and þus converte her soulis. And þus bi greetnesse of feiþ enfourmed wiþ charite ben siche soulis maad hool, and turned unto Goddis children. And riȝt as in Cristis tyme, and after bi hise apostlis, he turnede many heþene men to Cristis religioun, so now in tyme of Ante|crist ben Cristene men maad heþene, and reversen Cristis lawe, his lore and his werkes. As now men seyen þat þei shulden, bi lore of þer feiþ, werre upon Cristen men, and turnen hem to þe pope, and slee þer persones, þer wyves, and þer children, and reve hem þer goodis, and þus chastise hem. But certis þis came nevere of chastyment of Crist, siþ Crist seiþ he cam not to lese lyves, but save hem. And herfore þis is chastyment of þe felle fend, and nevere chastyment of Crist, þat uside pacience and myraclis. For Crist techiþ in his lawes þat al þat we shulden

wille þat men diden skilfulli to us, we shulden do to hem. But what man wolde by skile be þus chastisid of his broþer, for mannis obedience þat he doutiþ to be a fend? Crist axide not siche obedience to be done to him, but who so wolde wiþ good wille obeishe to him wiþouten ȝifte, Crist wolde take hem to grace; but þes men taken to tirantrie. But, as þe sixte sermoun seiþ, scribis and pharisees seiden þat man-sleynge was forfendid, but neiþer yre ne yvel word. But Crist diffineþ þus, þat who so is wroþ to his broþer is worþi of jugement, to be dampnyd in helle; and who so wiþ þis ire spekeþ wordis of scorne, he is worþi to be dampned bi counseile of þe Trinite. And whoso wiþ þis wraþe spekiþ folily wordis of sclaundre, he is worþi to be punishid wiþ þe fier of helle. Myche more ȝif preestis now wiþouten cause of bileve sleen many þousand men, þei ben worþi to be dampnyd—Croiserye ne assoilinge feyned now of prelatis, shal not at þe daie of dome reverse Cristis sentens. And take we hede to þes þree þat Crist chargiþ bi ordre: wraþe, and scorneful speche, and foli speche of sclaundre; and to þes þree Crist shapiþ jugement, conseil, and þe fier of helle. It is hard to be dampned bi jugement of Cristis manhede, but it is hardere to be dampnyd bi conseile of þe Trinite, but it is hardest to be putt bi þes to þe fier of helle. Lord! ȝif God punishe þus wille and mannis wordis, myche more shal he punishe wille, word, and wickide dede.

Notes

• So rightly in E; A and B include the words in the italics.
• comounly is equivalent to 'in general terms.'
• So rightly in B, C, and E. The clause is included in the italics in A.
• So rightly C; clause included in the italics in A and B.
• So B and E; axid, C; axinge, A.
• A and B insert here the word shewiþ, which makes the sentence ungrammatical; E and C have it not.
• This sentence is almost literally translated from De Lyra.
• dretchid, E.
• So B; kenely, C, E; A has keneely.
• See Excursus at the end of the volume.
• See page 16, supra.
• So B and E; A has slen.