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

ÞE GOSPEL ON ÞE SIXTE DAY AFTER CRISTMASSE DAI.

[SERMON XCIV.]

Erat Joseph et Maria.—LUC. ii. [33.]

To sum men it plesiþ for to telle þe talis þat þei fynden in seintis lyves, or wiþouten holi writt; and sich þing plesiþ ofte more þe peple. But we holden þis manere good,—to leeve sich wordis and triste in God, and telle sureli his lawe, and speciali his gospelis; for we trowen þat þei camen of Crist, and so God seiþ hem alle. And þes wordis, siþ þei ben Goddis, shulden be taken as bileve; and more wolen þei quykene men þan oþer wordis þat men knowen not. And þus þes festis of þes seintis han þis good biside oþer, þat man mai wel telle in hem þe understonding of þe gospel.

Þis gospel telliþ a treuþe to us, how Joseph and Marie, Cristis eldris, weren woundringe of þes þingis þat weren seid þanne of Crist; for alle þes wordis weren newe to hem, and seid of God, as we bileven. And as Austin seiþ on þe Psalm [I have not been able to verify this reference.] : Trowe it not, for Y seie so; but, ȝif Crist seie so, wo is him þat trowiþ it not. And as we shulden have bileve þat alle Cristis wordis moten nede be trewe, so we shulden have bileve þat þis sentence was seid of Crist; which sentence is told to us bi figuris and bi mannis writing. And þis is þe leste bileve þat we shulden have in al oure feiþ. And ȝif we ben disseyved in þis, oure owne synne is in cause. We shulden not trowe in þis ynke, ne in þe skynnes þat is clepid book [a boke, E.] , but in þe sentence þat þei seien, which sentence is þe book of liif. For, al if þer ben many treuþis and dyverse resouns in þe gospel, neþeles ech of þes treuþis is þe substance of God himsilf.

Symeon was an oold man, and blessid Marie and Joseph; for he bilevede þat Jesus hir sone was togidere God and man, and so he trowide þat bi him Marie and Joseph coulden [schulden, E.] be saved.

Þis Symeon seide to Marie, þat he trowide was Goddis modir [So in E; A italicizes the words Goddis modir.] : Lo, þis child is putt here into falling doun and rysyng up of many folk þat ben in Israel, and into a signe to which it shal be aȝenseid, of wickide men; and þi soule, which is his, shall passe swerd of compassioun. For Marie suffride in herte wiþ Crist and hadde myche sorewe in þis world. For to sich folk wolde Crist ȝeue blisse, and þus þer blisse savouride more; for it is seid comunli þat man may not passe fro þis joie streiȝt unto þe joie of heven, for þanne hevenli joie savouride him not. And þus ech man of worldli lust, ȝif he shal after come to hevene, mote nedis have a litil space to purge him of his worldli lyf; and þanne shal blisse savoure him, whanne he is purgid þus fro þis world. And so Crist, wiþ his modir and alle hise apostlis, hadden here sorowe; and þus þei weren disposid here to take betere þe blisse of hevene. And it is no drede to clerkes þat ne þe spirit of oure Ladi, þe which is lyf of hir, and in which Crist was wlappid, was a spirit of Crist; as alle þingis moten nedis be hise. Lord! siþ sophistris graunten þat þis [Þe, E.] fadir of þe [Þis, E.] hound is myn, and ȝit he is not my fadir [On the fallacies arising from ambiguity of the middle term, see the chapter on Fallacies in Whately's Logic, §§ 8-12, and the collection of examples in the Appendix, Part II.] , whi shulde we not graunte also þat oure Ladies soule is Cristis; and so myche more, as Cristis wille and hir wille was ever at oon? Þe eende whi oure Ladi suffride þus, was herfore ordeyned of God, for she shulde be more hooli, and more disserve to Cristene men, and beter printe Cristis dedes, and telle hem hise evaungelistis.

And þus many men tellen þis cause to dyvers ententis; þat oure Ladi shulde have sorewe, þat þouȝtis be shewid of many hertis. Sum men construen þis þus: þat oure Ladi, bi þis sorewe, lovede more tendirli mankynde, and made hem shewe her pryvy synnes. And so, bi þis merit of oure Ladi, þouȝtis of apostlis and oþer weren shewid of many hertis to God, bi confession; or ellis, þat þus oure Ladi þouȝte betere on dedes þat Crist dide, and shewide hem to Luke and oþer, to witnesse hem of many hertis.

And þer was an oold womman, Anna, þat was a prophete in þis tyme: she was douȝter of Fanuel, of þe kynrede of Aser. Þis Anna wente wel in her daies, and she lyvede sevene ȝeer wiþ hir hosebonde þat was weddid wiþ hir fro her maidenhod. And þis Anna was widewe unto foure score ȝeer and foure, þat wente not out of þe temple, but servede þerinne, boþe niȝt and dai, bi fastinge and devoute preieris. And þis Anna cam þe same tyme, and made hir confession to God, and spake of Crist, as [So E; A reads and.] of God and man, to alle oþer, þat camen to hir and weren in bileve, and abiden þe biyng aȝen of mankynde. Here men douten comunli how old þis Anna was, and wheþer þes foure score ȝeer and foure ben countid in hir two eeldis bifore, as in tyme of hir maidenhood, and in tyme of hir wedlok. But leve we þis witt to God, and wite we wel þat þis Anna was an old womman; and so Crist wolde have witnesse of ages and statis of folk. Crist wolde have witnes of old folk, as weren Anna and Symeoun; and he hadde witnesse of ȝong folk, as weren Innocentis martrid for him; and he hadde witnesse of myddil folk, as weren his fadir, and modir, and herdis. But comunli Crist hadde witnesse of just folk of good name.

And whanne þei hadden do alle þingis in þe temple, þat fel to be done bi Goddis lawe, þei turneden aȝen to Galile, to þe citee Nazareth. For, siþ Crist was circumcisid, and pore offringe was maad for him, þer was no more þere to do bi Crist, of so tendir age; but whanne he was of twelfe ȝeer, he cam aȝen wiþ his eldris and enfourmede þe doctours of þe temple, as þe gospel of Luk seiþ. And in þe meene while, þe child wexide and was confortid, ful of witt, and þe grace of God was wiþ him.