The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials are in the public domain. If you have questions about the collection, please contact [email protected]. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact [email protected].
DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States
On þat is put is þis; þat þe pope is not þe vicar of Crist nor of Petir. I knowlech to a felid and seid þus, wan he filliþ not in dede, ne in word, þe office of Petir in ȝerþ, ne doiþ not þe þing in þat office þat he is holden to do: but doþ contrarili, and so in dede he is not þe vicar of Petir in dede. And þis steriþ me to fele þus:
þe apostil Poul seiþ þus; If ani man haue not þe Spirit of Crist, he [Ro. viijo.] is not of him; þat is, as þe glose seiþ, he þat haþ not þe Spirit [Glose.] aftir witt or dedis, he is not of þe body of Crist. Also þus seiþ seint Jerom; Noght alle bischoppis in name ar bischoppis in dede; [Jerom.] þu tend… to Petir, but considir Judas; þu takst vp Steuen, lok ageyn to Nicol; þe kirkis dignite makiþ not only a cristun man. Corneli centurio, ȝet vncristund, is clensid wiþ þe Hooli Goost. Daniel, ȝet a barne, jugid þe prestis. It is not liȝt to stond in þe place of Petir and Poule, and hald þe place of hem þat regnun in heuen wiþ Crist. Sonnid salt is not worþ, but þat it be cast forþ, and soilid of suynne. Also Austeyn seiþ, Nout ilk þat seiþ pes to [Austeyn.] ȝou, is to be hard as colver or a doue. He þat haþ not in him þe resoun of gevernauns, ne haþ not wipid a wey his defautis, ne mendid þe crime of his synnes, is more to be seid a vnschamfast hound þan a bischop. Not alle prestis ar had for prelats, for þe name makiþ not þe bischop, but þe lif. And Gregor seiþ; Poul [Gregor.] seiþ, blam þu not an heldar man; but þis reule is þan to be kept in him, wan þe synne of þe heldar man drawiþ not be his ensaumple þe hertis of þe ȝungar in to deþ; but wan þe heldar gifiþ ensaumple to þe ȝong to deþ, þer is he to be stregun wiþ scharp blamyng, for it is writoun, Al ȝe be grynnies of þe ȝong. And eft, Waried þe barn of an vndrid ȝere. And þis is put after in decreis, Weþer þe priuilege of dignite is not to be tan a wey from [Decreis.] hem to wham Austeyn, Jerom, and Gregor tak a wey þe name of þe bischop, or heldarman, þat he may be correctid of wudlowtis. Also Austeyn seiþ, He þat desiriþ bischophed, he desiriþ a good [Austeyn.] werk; he wold expound what is bischophed, for is it þe nam of werk, and not of honor; it is Grek; and þer is seid a word, þat he þat is maad a prest, tak he ȝed to þe þingis þat he is maad prest to, doing þe cure of hem; scopos is locand vp on; þer for, if we wil, we mai calle bischoppis, locars up on, þat he þat lufith to be a prest not furþer to, vnderstond him not to be a bischop; þus seiþ
Austeyn. But if þu sei he sekiþ ai to furþer, it be howfiþ þat it be schewid in dede; for seynt Jam seiþ, Feiþ wiþ outun werkis is deed; [S. Jam. ijo.] so to seke to profit is but deed, but if it be put forþ in dede after power. And as feiþ is forþfillid of þe werkis, so is also desir. And ellis desir sleþ þe soule; þerfor seiþ Crist to Petre, þrise, Simon of [Jo. xxio.] Jon, lufist þu me? feede my schep. þerfor as Gregor seiþ, He þat [Gregor.] is chosun in to schepherd, he howiþ to feed wiþ word, and en|saumple, and sustinaunce of body; þan if he be conuicted not to luf, ne to do þe office of Crist, in þis he is conuict not to be his vicar. Also þus seiþ Crisostom; Sin Jhu was temptid, he ouercam [Crisostom.] hunger in desert, he despicid auarice in þe hille, he strak ageyn veyn glorie vp on þe temple; þat he schwe to us, þat he þat may ageynsey his wombe, and despice þe goodis of þis world, and desire not veynglorie, he howiþ to be maad Cristis vicar, and preche Cristis riȝtwisnes, and for þoo þre chimneis ich low of þe fendis blowing is sett in fire. And þus seiþ an oþer; It is wel wetun þat Crist [Another.] was mekist man, pure, and moost obedient to God; it is not þan inconuenient his vicar to be moost lik him in þeis þre, namly. Now deme þis fiȝting kirke, if þe pope be moost mek, reseyuing wrongis don til him; if he be purist man as to seculer lordship, moost hatyng to be enpliȝed wiþ seculer bisines; and þe þrid, if he be moost obedient to God, and to his lawe, most content of þe boundis of his lawe, not presumand to put to his lawe, ne to minys þerfro. For soþ, if þe pope do þeis befor oþer men, þan is he, by for oþer men, þe folower of Crist; ellis is verified in him þe sentence of Crist, He þat is not wiþ me, he is ageyn me. And [Matt. xijo.] Crisostom seiþ, He þat desiriþ primacy in ȝerþ schal fynd confusion [Crisostom.] in heuen, and he schal not be countid among þe seruaunts of Crist þat tretiþ of primacy; nor no man hast to be seen more þan oþer, but þat he be seen lower þan oþer; for he is not þe ritwisare þat is more in honor, but he þat þe riȝtwisare, he is þe more. Ensaumple lediþ us to þis same þus; If a man haue an
hired plowman in to serueys to dwel wiþ him, to do ani dede, and feiþfully to serue to him in to þat werk, and þat seruaunt obliche him to do so, ȝefing feiþ to þis; if he felle not aftir in dede and tyme aftir his hiȝt and couenaund, but goþ a wey þer fro, and leuiþ to wirke, and doþ contrarily directly, and in to þe harme of his maistir, it is certayn þan, þowe he be his seruaunt of dette and oblisching, naþles he is not his seruaunt in filling of werk, and so not in dede; but raþer aduersari, fals trespasor, and traytor. And þus it semiþ in þe propos. If ani chosun of God himselue, and of þe puple, in to pope, or prelate, and ordend in to vicar of Crist to his office in ȝerþe, and he hiȝt it; whan he filliþ not in dede, but doþ contrarily to his behest in degre, he semiþ not to be þe vicar of Crist in dede. And so, þowe he be his vicar vp degre and dignite, and oþer tyme in dede, wan he doþ þe dedis of þe office, þerfor þe pope ioi not, or ani prelat, or oþer in þe nam of dignite or of state, wan it is not to perpetual blis to þe soule. But al dred more lest þei geit þer of harme to þe soule, and tymung for defaut of trespase; for þi þat in swelk þe synne aggregiþ bi resoun of þe degre; for þus it is writun, Joi þu not of þe vnpitouse [Ecclus. xvio.] sonis, if þe drede of God is not befor hem; for better is oon dredan God, þan a þowȝand vnpitouse. And better to die wiþ out barnes, þan to lef vnpitouse barnis aftir. And efte þus seiþ Crist; Joi ȝe not for spiritis are sogetis to ȝowe, but joi ȝe þat ȝor namis [Luc. xo.] are writun in heuen. And eft seiþ þe gospel, Makiþ worþi frutis of [Matt. iiio.] penaunce, and wil ȝe not sei wiþin ȝor self we haue þe fadir Abra|ham, for God is miȝti of þe stonis to reise þe sonis of Habraham; for now is þe axe sett to þe rote of þe tree, þerfor ilk tree þat makiþ not good fruȝt, schal be kyt doun, and cast in to þe fire. And eft Jerom seiþ; It is not liȝt to stond in þe place of Petir and [Jerom.] Poule, and hold þe chaur of hem þat regnun wiþ Crist; for þer of it is seid; þei are not þe sonis of seyntis þat holdun þer placis, but þei þat vse þer werkis. An Gregor seiþ, We þat are prestis how [Gregor.]
to ask to knowe, not of dignite of place, ne of kirkis, but of nobley of maneris; not bi clerte of citees, but bi purte of feiþ; places ne orderis makun not vs nekist God, but oþer good meritis ioynun to gidir, or ellis departen, þat is wit, as to mede merit and blis. And Crisostom seiþ; A cristun man falliþ strongli in to synne for two [Crisostom.] causis, oþer for gretness of þe synne, or for heiȝt of þe dignite. Also of þe dedis of Boneface þe martir; If þe pope ben tan rekles [Bonef.] of his and his breþer's ȝele, vnprofitable and slow in his dedis, more ouer and stille fro good, þat more noyeþ to him and alle oþer, þan he lediþ wiþ him silf going bifore to helle peple wiþ outun nowmbre, to be dongun wiþ him wiþouten ende, wiþ mani digingis. þerfor, siþ þe office of Crist [on] þe ȝerd was to liue most purist and mekly, and to preche bisili þe word of God to þe peple, and to calle hem aȝen to þe lord God, fadir of alle, and in to þe vnite and prosperite of body, and cam to serue and not be seruid, and to ȝif his lif raumsum for mani, and bi þis haþ ȝefun to vs mani good þingis, and to fille þis ordeynid Petir, seying to [Joh. xxio.] him, lufist me? feed my schep, and folow me, and in him he biddiþ þe same to alle successors of Petre, as als in Petir a gaf to hem power of bindyng and lowsing, and þus ordeynd him his vicar, and þus his successor; and Petir himsilf þus fillid þe office of Crist, in liuing, and in teching, and in þoling; and þis same he biddiþ to his successors, as is opun in his pistil. But þei þat do not in dede, it is clere þat in dede þei hald not, ne do, his office, ne office of Crist; and þus it semiþ þat þei are not led be þe same spirit. þerfor as be þe dedis of Crist in his persoun, and bi þe dedis þat he dide in Petre, moost goodis are comyn to vs in þis tyme, and in tyme to come, so it is to drede, þat bi þe slownes of þe pope, and of prelats succedand in his place, and bi her peruerse werkis, moost iuil comiþ to vs, boþ of synnis and of peyn, now in þis tyme, and ay to dwell wiþ vs, but if we mend.
And þus I graunt now, as oft I haue knowlechid bifor mani wit|nes, þat þe lawfulli ordenid his Cristis vicar, or wan he doþ, or biddiþ, ony þing in þe nam of Crist, as if Crist do þat bi him, þat þan he is þe vicar of Crist in dede, and þan it is to obey to him, as to Cristis vicar, and as to Jhu Crist. And so to folow after þe sentence of þe apostel seyng; Be my folowars as I am Cristis. [1 Cor. xio.] And eft, ȝe tok me, he seiþ, as an aungel, ȝe as Crist Jhu, for Crist [Gal. ivo.] spekiþ in me, and he þat dispiciþ our teching, dispiciþ not man, but God þat ȝaf his Holy Gost in vs, for Crist seiþ, he þat heriþ ȝow, [1 Thes. ivo.] heriþ me, and he þat dispiciþ ȝow dispisiþ me, þat is, wan ȝe spek [Luc. xo.] of my spirit. But not so wan ȝe spek of a noþer spirit. But wan þe pope goþ a wey fro Crist, and doþ þe contrari, as is be for seid, or doþ þe contrari, þan is not he Cristis vicar, ne it is not to obey ne folow him in þeis þingis. þus haue I oft seid; and, as I suppose, cordandli wiþ holi writ, and feiþful doctors, and autentik decreis. And it semiþ me, þat it be howfiþ me to sey þus, for it is knowun þat many popis han synnyd, and ben snibbid; and sum tan in heresy and deposid. And, þerfor, þei are not to be folowid sympli in al þing. Also non lyuyng in þis frel lif is simply wiþout synne, non but Crist, holi writ witnessiþ. Also ani in popehed aftir Petir is not holier, nor mor confermid in þat office, þan he, and he, aftir þe Holi Gost taking, synnid opunly in siȝt of þe [Gal. ijo.] puple, constreyning þe gentil to be com Jewes in obseruaunce; werfor Poule aȝenstod him in þe face, and redarguid him, for he was reprouable. þan it semiþ to me, þat it is helsum to þe pope, and to prelatis, and to þe peple, and worschipful to God, þat þe peple be riȝtly enformid, how þei owe to accept þe pope as þe vicar of Crist, and how þei owe to bowe fro him; þat þe peple, deseyuid ani tyme, worschip not God and þe fend to gidir, ne ani tyme þe fend in þe sted of Crist, and þe wrathe of God com boþ on þe peple and on þe prestis.