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ÞIS gospel telliþ, as oþer bifore, how Crist helpiþ his martris, whan þe fend and hise lymis pursuen hem for Cristis lawe. For Christ suffride for þis lawe al þe peyne þat he suffride, and hise martris aftir him suffriden for þis same law. Crist tauȝte
opinli his lawe to þe peple, and þe hiȝe preestis of þe temple, wiþ Scribis and Phariseis, þouȝten þat þis was aȝens hem; and þus þei weren aȝens him; and speciali, for Cristis wordis weren aȝens þese þre mennis pride, and aȝens her coveitise, in which þei disseyveden þe peple, but not bi so opyn blasfemye as prelatis use to daie. For þei seien, þat þei han power of Crist to assoile alle men þat helpen in her cause, for to gete þis worldli worshipe, to assoile men of peyne and synne, boþe in þis world and in þe toþir, and so whanne þei dien, flee to hevene wiþouten peyne. And þus durst not þe fend feyne for þe tyme þat Crist was here; and siche blynde leden blynde men, and maken falle boþe in þe lake. And þus þis is a perilous tyme, for many men ben dryvun to helle, and þat is more perilouse þan ony deeþ þat þe bodi haþ here, and þe peril is þus more for feynynge of ypocrisie; and we moun not see þis peril, ne fele it in þis liif. And many witnessis ben aȝens þis, and seien þat it is fals; but, as þei seien, we han þe fals part, and þei han þe goode religion. And so þis is more perilous þan sectis de|partid fro Crist, as Jewis or Sarasines, or oþer heþene men; for þese worchen bi ypocrisie and ben myȝti heretikes, and medlid among trewe men, and þus her fiȝting is feller.
But neþeles Crist supposiþ þat hise disciplis shulden sue him, and lyven wel after his lawe, and þei shulen be sure ynowȝ, for þanne God shal fiȝte for hem aȝens enemyes of Crist. And herfore bigynniþ Crist and biddiþ hem, putte in þeir hertis, not to þenke bifore wiþ bisinesse, how þei shulen answere to her enemyes, for Crist shal answere þanne for hem, and ȝyve hem þanne mouþ and witt, to which alle her adversaries moun not aȝenstonde ne aȝenseie. And siþ þei ben not þo þat speken, but þe Holi Goost spekiþ in hem, it is soþ þat God himself shal answere for his part. It is seid ofte tymes, þat maner of speche of Goddis lawe is to denye þe instrument, and to graunte þe principal, and þus seiþ Crist þat þei speken not but þe Hooli Goost in hem. But Crist prophecieþ of betraying þat hise shal hav: Ȝe shulen be betrayed, he seiþ, of your owne eldris,
of ȝoure breþeren, and ȝoure cosyns, and ȝoure owne frendis. Þis lettre was verified of martiris of Crist, for alle þes foure con|sentiden to deþ of þese martiris, for þei þouȝten obeishe to God in killinge of Cristene men. And as Cristis lawe seiþ þat sevene þingis shulden be hatid for Crist, as fadir and modir, wyves and children, breþeren and sistren, and mennis owne liif, so feynede þe fend þat þese foure frendis shal be hatid of man, for þe love of Anticrist. And þus many fadris killiden her owne children, for þei confessiden Crist; and þus, as we sup|posen, þe Jewis diden. And to speken generali of Anticristis scole, þese popis ben fadris, and her churches ben modirs, þese bishopis ben breþeren, and oþer prelatis ben cosyns; seculer men for muk ben to þese prelatis, frendis, and alle þese be|traien Cristene men to turment, and putten hem to deeþ for holdinge of Cristis lawe. And þis is more perilous for her fals feyning, for þei seien þat her Chirche mai no weie faile þat haþ lastid so longe in truþe and in holinesse. And þus as Crist was pursued and kild of þese foure folk, so bi cautels of Anticrist ben men kild to dai. And ȝit þe pope is clepid holyeste fadir, and þe bishopis hise breþeren, and abbotis his cosyns, and seculers ben frendis þat helpen to þis pursuyte; and þese foure goostli frendis ben most perilous. And Crist telliþ hise disciplis how þei shulen be hatid of alle worldli men, for þe name of him; and þus ben men hatid now bi lesengis of freris, for þei holdin þe gospel and lawis of Crist. But Crist comforteþ hise and telleþ hem þat no part of her bodi shal perishe at þe daie of dome; so þat an heere of her heed shal not þanne perishe. And armer to fiȝte wiþ in Criste men is pacience, for wiþ þis fouȝte Crist, and alle hise gloriouse lymes; and in þis pacience bihetiþ Crist to hise, þat þei shulen hav her soulis in pees, as Crist hadde his soule.
And here moven many men, siþ Cristis lawe is opyn, and his part is knowun good, and Anticristis wickid, and many devoute men holden wiþ Crist, what moveþ Cristene men to move hem not to fiȝtinge? For siþ þe fend haþ but þree partis for his side, Cristene men myȝte soone meve to fle þes þree partis.
For popis and bishopis and prestis of her sort, and þese new religiouse, possessioneris and beggeris, and seculer men þat ben disseyved wiþ hem, ben þe moste enemyes to Crist and his lawe. Whi wolen not holi seculers risen aȝens þese þree, siþ þei moven seculers to fiȝte aȝens her enemyes? Here men þenken þat Cristene men shulden algatis loven pees, and not procure to fiȝte; for Crist is a pesible kyng, and he seiþ in his gospel þat in oure greet pacience we shulen have oure victorie; and Crist shal fiȝte for us. But many men þenken þat seculer men shulden helpe here, not to fiȝte bodili aȝens Cristis enemyes, but wiþdrawe her conceil and consent fro þes þree folk; and þis dede were sure before God and man.
And siþ þese false freris camen last into þe Churche, it semeþ þat at hem shulden men begynne to practise, for þei semen leste groundid or rotid in malice, al if her malice be sharpest, as fevere of a daie. Þe rote of possessioners semeþ harder to overcome, for þei ben rotid in richessis and frendship of þe world; but liȝtli miȝten trewe men discomfite þese freris, not but wiþdraw her defence and consente to hem; and þese fendis shulden faile, as þei began wiþouten ground. And here moun men liȝtli se wheþer seculers ben trewe men, for þei confessen communli þat þei loven Crist moost, and wolen stonde bi his lawe, and also bi his ordenaunce, for to suffre deþ, but þei failen in þes wordis. Hem nediþ neþer to fiȝte ne dispende ne traveile, but consent not wiþ þes fendis, ne defende hem aȝens Crist, and þei shulden soone be destryed among hemsilf. Wel Y woot þat begging holdiþ hem up, and oþer lesingis upon Crist and his Churche. Comune not wiþ hem, ne ȝyve hem noon almesse, bifoore þei hav declarid þese gabbingis aȝens bileve, and liȝtli shulde be an ende of þese false prophetis. Her preieris, and her massis, and oþer false signes, ben signes þat þei chaffaren wiþ disseyvynge þe peple. But dwelle we in þis bileve, and tell hem boldli þat þei witen never wher þei ben fendis; and if þese ypocritis ben fendis, her preiris doiþ harm, ȝhe, boþ to hemsilf and to oþer men; and no man þat hadde witt shulde chaffare wiþ her preiris. And herfore biddiþ Crist
flee from false prophetis þat come in cloþing of sheep, but þei ben wolves wiþ men, and her comyng is moost to ravyshe bi ypocrisie.
As anentis her massis, a man þat hadde Cristis hert shulde seie hem soþeli, þat he wolde not truste þerynne, but if þei purgiden hem of heresie, of which þei ben suspect. It was taken as bileve, longe bifore þat freris cam ynne, þat þe sacrid ost þat men seen at iȝe is verrili Goddis bodi, bi vertue of hise wordis. Freris seien þat þis is fals, but it is an accident wiþouten ony suget, and þei gilen þe peple. If a man charge Goddis lawe more þan fals in name of sich lyeris in þe world, þat doiþ myche harm. Comune he not wiþ hem, ne ȝyve hem no goodis, before he have asaied wheþer þei ben here heretikes; and seie he, þat Crist takiþ not service of man but if he ȝyve betere aȝen, and þus shulden prestis done; and herfore, but if þe frere bringe under his comune seel, what is þe sacrid oost, þei wolen not comune wiþ him. For, as Seint Joon seiþ, who|ever gretiþ an heretike shal hav of his synne, what man ever he be. And þus, if a trewe man love more Crist þan þe worldis fame, he mai liȝtli wiþ worship avoide sich fals freris. And certis þis dede were unsuspect boþe to God and man. For if þei hav a riȝt bileve, þei shulden telle it for charite, and if her bileve were fals, þei shulden wille þat it were dis|troied. And algatis þei witen wel, þat þei varien in bileve fro þe gospel and comun peple, and many weies disseyve men. For þei tellen not what is þat, but þat þis is Goddis bodi. But þese idiotis shulen wite, þat boþe þere and everywhere is betere þing þan Goddis bodi, for þe holi Trinitie is in ech place. And so men axen what is þat, þat þe prest sacriþ, and aftur brekiþ, and þat men worshipen as Goddis bodi, but not accident wiþouten suget. And þus defaute of riȝt bileve, practisid among þes freris, shulden dampne hem as heretikes, and take hem in her owne falshede.
And so, bi alle oþer signes þat þei feynen in religioun, aspie how þes freris camen inne, and by whos auctorite; for if þei camen not in bi Crist, þat is dore of his Churche, þei ben þeves and heretikes, and stien up by þe roof. And þis proof were not costli, ne chargious, ne shameful; and
for levyng of siche proofe synnen men ful grevousely boþe aȝens Crist and his Churche, ȝhe, aȝens freris þat men þenken þei helpen. And þis shulden alle men do in dede, and stire oþer men þerto, sum bi love, sum bi drede; and þus shulden oure bileve be shewid, and rotyn heresie, hid now, shulde come to proof wiþ false lesingis. And here moun men wel assaie wheþer clerkes and knyȝtis wiþ her comunes love God as þei confessen, and doren stonde bi his lawe; for he þat is necligent in so litil þing for to do, wolde soon be necligent in harder þing of more charge.
So in E; xix. A, perperam.
See page 136, note.
So in E; om. A.
om. E.
Cristen, E.
þe, E.
not, E.
