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

ÞE GOSPEL OF OON CONFESSOR AND DOCTOUR.

[SERMON LXXX.]

Vos estis [So E; Vos qui estis, A.] sal terre.—MATT. v. [13.]

ÞIS gospel is seid of Crist, as it semeþ to many men, to alle þo þat he ȝyveþ witt to profite to his Churche. But it is seid speciali to bishopis, and to confessouris, and to techeris of Goddis lawe, for to alle þes God ȝyveþ salt. And Crist telliþ to alle siche what office þat þei shal have, and whanne þei faile in her office, and what wise þei shal be punished. First seiþ Crist to þes servantis: ȝe ben salt of þe erþe. And ȝif þe salt vanishe awey, in what þing shal þe erþe be saltid? Þis salt is not worþ after but to be casten out and be defoulid of men, þat shulden

take hede to þis salt. Þis salt of þe erþe ben techeris þe whiche bi þe lawe of Crist speken sharpli to men, and tellen hem þer defautis. Þis þei done to erþeli men whanne God rubbiþ þy hem his lawe. We shal first wite þe kynde of salt, and siþ what properties it haþ. And bi þis mai we wite where men þat comen as apostlis done þe office of her stat, or ellis þei failen of her office. Clerkis seien þat salt is maad of gravel and of water, wiþ hete of þe sonne or of fier, and maad hard wiþ blast of þe wynd. And by Aristotlis reule it is dissolved bi þe contrarie […. Categ. 6, 18; compare Topi|cokum, ii. 7, 4.] . And so cold þing and moist dissolvyþ salt, siþ hote þing and drie makiþ it hard. Þes disciplis ben made salt, þat sum tyme weren unstable as gravel, bi þe water of bap|tem, and hete of charite, and wynd of þe Holi Goost, to savore men as salt doiþ. And þes ben maad whittere þan snow fro þe blaknes of her synne. And kynde of water saddid in hem bitokeneþ þe stable witt of God. And þus, for Goddis lawe commandiþ in offringe to be devocion and hete of charite, þerwiþ Goddis lawe biddiþ, in figure of þis, in ech offringe to be salt offrid. And þus shulden doctours teche þe peple how þei shulden lyv to God, and how þei shulden do here almes. For ȝif coveitouse men rubben to hem, þei ben not salt but cold water.

Many propirteis ben of salt, and to telle few here is ynowȝ. O propirte of salt is þat it makiþ fleish drie and kepiþ it fro rotting and fro stinkinge and fro wormes. So prestis, bi Goddis wordis, shulden have hem to fleishli men. Þei shulden drie hem from lecherie, and kepe hem from yvel conscience, and fro stynking of synne, and þanne þei hav þe kynde of salt. And þus salt makiþ mete savory, and salt makiþ þe erþe bareyne, and salt heliþ fleishli woundis whanne it is stoppid in hem. Bi þes þre propirtees of salt shulden doctours worchen in fleishli men, and avoide hem fro ivel workis, and make hem bareyne fro fleishli dedis. And þei shulden savore Goddis wordis, and declare hem bi resoun, and pronounce hem to þe peple, as þes wordis wolden plese to hem. And þus depe woundis in man þat weren groundid

in old synne shulden be heelid bi virtue of God. And þanne men kepten þe kynde of salt, and failing in ony of þes wolde make failinge in oure salt.

And þus mai men wite wher bishopis or oþer prechours to þe peple failen in þis kynde of salt, or ellis done treuli her office. Crist techiþ þat ȝif þei faillen þei shal be cast out, and defoulid of men, and to þes two ben þei worþi. And þis shal be at þe last dome, whanne þese false men shal be cast out into þe fier of helle and to be defoulid of many men. But, as many þenken, sich men shulden be punishid here, and be put out of her office and be defoulid of oþer men. Þus þe wise kyng Salomon tretede þe hiȝe preest of his fadir. For siþ lordis shulden reule Cristis Chirche, and þes don so moche harm þerto, a greet charite were it in lordis to put doun þes Goddis enemyes, and bi forme of Goddis lawe to maken hem serve in her office. And þis is oon þe moste defaute þat rengneþ now in þe Chirche. Þese prelatis þat shulden be salt and make Goddis lawe savory — for, as Seint Poul techiþ, oure word shulde be savorid wiþ salt—þei ben now fresh brotel [britil, E.] and stinkinge, and turnid al fro þe kynde of salt, and wiþ stinkinge wordis and lawe þei maken Goddis lawe unsavery. And goodis put in preestis possessioun is rote of al þis synne; for þei wolden ellis be stable as salt and savoren her word and stonde þerbi, and suffre for Goddis lawe deþ, and distrie þe fendis lawe. But now þei ben fresh as foolis and wanten witt and charite. And herfore þe charite of many wexiþ cold, as Crist haþ told.

Þe secound word of þis gospel seiþ to þes Cristis disciplis: ȝe ben liȝt of þe world. And foure propirtees ben in liȝt, þat shulden acorde to þese techeris; and þanne Crist seiþ soþ of hem as he dide of his apostlis. Þe first propirte of liȝt stondiþ in þis þing, þat among bodili qualitees liȝt is more spiritual. Þe secounde propirte of liȝt stondiþ in þis þing, þat among bodili formes liȝt is moost general, for it bringiþ forþ alle þing þat groweþ here in erþe. Þe þridde propirte of liȝt stondiþ in þis, þat in al his worchinge it worchiþ bi ordre; for

reule of þe [om. E.] hiȝe kynd lediþ liȝt ever. Þe fourþ propirte of liȝt stondiþ in þis, þat among oþer qualitees it confortiþ more man; for a man kyndeli hidousiþ derknesse and is gladid bi liȝt as oure witt telliþ. As anentis þe firste propirte prelatis shulde be spiritual, and holden hem paied of litil bodili goodis; for so dide Crist and Baptist and oþer apostlis; but now þei axen worldli fare in fode and aray. As anentis þe secounde pro|pirtee, prelatis shulden be comun and profite to alle men, and acorde wiþ hem in goode, and be to alle alle þingis, as Seint Poul was. For he shulde grutche aȝens nouȝt but þat þat smacchiþ synne. After þe þridde propirte prelatis shulden worche wiseli, now prechinge, now preiynge, now wel lyvynge. And what liif ever þei lyveden shulde [So E; shulden, A.] profite to þe Chirche, and wher þei myȝten more profite, more þei shulden worche. After þe fourþe propirte a prelat shulde ȝyve confort to lyve after Crist, and fle derkenes of synne, and nevere speke of peyne but for þis entent, to make men fle synne and ȝyve hem to virtues. And al þe lif of prelatis shulde sowne counfort to þe peple. And shortli, noþing falliþ to þe reule of preestis þat it ne is ensamplid in propirtees of liȝt. Liȝt worchiþ redili, and boþe in fair and in foule, and takiþ not but beyng of þe place to which it profitiþ. And þus shulde prestis be liȝt of þis world, and gendre witt and charite among men þat þei delen wiþ.

Þe þridde tyme lickeneþ Crist his clerkes to a cite, and seiþ, þat it may not be hid whanne it is sett on a hill. Prelatis shulde be a citee and take fleying of þe contre whanne þei ben pur|sued of her goostli enemyes. Liȝt and al maner of fode shulde þis cite hav, þat ȝif it failide in þe contre þere shulden men fynde it. Al maner of marchaundise shulde it have to selle, and store þe contre wiþouten ony charging; for goostli þing encresiþ whanne it is more usid. And so as Ysaye techiþ, þei shulden not chaffere wiþ moneie; but as þei token freeli of God so shulden þei ȝyve freeli. This cite shulde be sett upon an hill, þe which hil is Jesus Crist, þat is hied over oþer hillis as Ysay telliþ. For Crist is fondement and hill and dore bi many resouns. And no man shulde take þis state but in virtu of Crist, lest he be a smoky hill, wyndi, and of yvel wedris.

Þe fourþe liknesse of Crist is of a liȝt lanterne þat men putte on a candelsticke in a derk hous, þat men þat comen in see soone liȝt. And, for sich prelatis ben not liȝt in kynde, þerfore þei ben likned of Crist to a lanterne; and wyndis of þis world shulden not quenche her liȝt. Þe candilsticke þat þei ben inne shulde be Cristis lawe. And so, ȝif a prelate implie him wiþ seculer nedis, he crepiþ undir a bushel and failiþ of his liȝtyng. Þis hous is holi Chirche, to which prelatis shulde profite wiþouten envie for taking of her liȝt. And herfore biddiþ Crist to his disciplis, þat her liȝt shal shyne in presence of men, þat þei see her goode workes, and so þanke God of hevene. And here mai we see how dowing of þe Chirche is not tauȝt of Crist, but evene þe contrarie of it. For bi þis prestis ben hid under þe bushel, and þe peple seeþ not þer postlis workes, but workes of þe world. And þei glorifie not God bi hem, but preisen þe emperour. And wise men holden him a fool, for he derkide þus þe Chirche. And, for men myȝten seien þat Crist cam to unbinde þe lawe, and so office of his preestis shulden chaunge fro þe olde lawe, as Anticristis prestis serven now to þe world,— herfore seiþ Crist, þat men shulden not gesse þat he cam to louse þe lawe, but for to fulfille it. And so as preestis in þe olde lawe weren bisee aboute her bestis, so prestis in Cristis lawe shulden be more spiritual, and liȝtne folk bi þe gospel, and bicome profetis. But þe fend haþ turned þis work al to worldli liif, alȝif disciplis of þis worlde shulden have here her blisse. And for filling of þis law Crist seiþ þus: Soþeli, Y seie to ȝou, til þat hevene and erþe passe aweie, an i ne a title shal not passe fro þe lawe bifore alle þingis ben doone. And þis word of Crist is aȝens lawe of Anticrist, for Crist spekiþ here of þe old lawe of God, and wole þat, as longe tyme as hevene goiþ aboute, and peple dwelliþ here in erþe by chaunging of men, þe leste mandement of God, [is] [om. E; rightly.] undirstonden bi leste lettre [Yōdh, or iōta, the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet.] , ne þe leste counseil, or þe witt of ceremonie, shall not passe fro Goddis lawe til þe dai of dome come. For alȝif Anticrist have brouȝt a lawe þat lettiþ þe use [So E; uss, A.] of Goddis lawe, ȝit þe treuþe

of Goddis lawe and þe dette to usen it lastiþ evermore and bindiþ men ful harde. And it is not liȝt to unbinde oon of Goddis heestis; for Crist bihetiþ here; Þat who ever doiþ þus he shal be clepid leste in þis Chirche wanderinge, siþ þe Chirche above jugiþ him in þis Chirche and not of þe Chirche, but to be dampned in helle. And þis cleping of þe Chirche above mut nedelingis stonde; but defending and teching of þe lawe of God makiþ a man clepid of him grete in þe blisse of hevene.