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

ÞE ENLEVENÞE SONDI AFTIR TRINITE.

[SERMON XI.]

Dixit Jesus ad quosdam qui confidebant tanquam justi.—LUC. xviii. [9.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ in a parable how þat men shulden be meke and not justifie hemsilf and dispise oþir men, for þis is a spise of pride þat men clepen ypocrisie Þis parable telliþ þat two men wente into the temple for to preye, þe toon was a Phariseie and þe toþir was a publican. Þe Pharise stood as a proud man and preiede þes þingis bi himsilf; God, Y þanke þee for Y am not as oþir men of þe world, robberis, unjust men, avoutrers, as þis publican [So in B; puplican, A.] ; Y fast twies in þe woke, and ȝyve tiþes of alle my goodis. And þe publican stood aferre, and wolde not lifte his iȝen to heven, but he smote upon his breest, to figure true confessioun, and seide, God be helplich to me þat am synful. But Crists juge|ment seiþ þat, þis publicane wente hoom, made riȝtful fro þis Pharise for þe mekenesse þat he hadde, for ech þat þus heieþ himsilf shal be made lowe, bi peyne, and he þat mekiþ him, bi grace, shal be heyed, by mede of God. Of þis gospel may we wite how þe firste spice of pride, þat is ypocrisie, envenymeþ gretely þe churche, and, for þis ypocrisie is comounly amounge religiouse, þerfore biddiþ Crist his disciplis beware wiþ sour dow of Pharisees, and Crist himsilf expowneþ and seiþ, it is ypocrisie. Phariseis ben seid, as departid from oþir puple, and weren religiouse in Cristis tyme, as Saduceis and Esses. And al þes þree ordris of men Crist distried, and savyd þe persones, siþ boþe Poul and Nichodeme weren Phariseis, as Goddis lawe seiþ. And siþ al Cristis dedes ben ensaumples to trewe men, many men þenken þat þes newe sectis shulden be distried and þe persones saved, for þus ordeynede Crist maister best of alle; and Y clepe sectis newe mannes ordres, þat oon sueþ anoþir as he shulde sue Crist, and so eche secte smatchiþ [smacchiþ, B.] many synnes;

but if it be þat sect which Crist himsilf made, þat Goddis lawe clepiþ secte of Cristene men, for we shal bileve þat Crist may not do synne in ȝyvynge of his reule to lede Cristene men. And so þis secte is þe beste þat ony man may have, siþ Crist, almygty, alwitty, and alwilful, ordeyne þis sect covenable for eche man; but oþir newe sectis founden bi mannis witt mut nedis smatche synne for errour of þe fynder. And riȝt as þer weren þre suche sectis in Cristis tyme, so þer ben now monkes, chanouns, and freris; and dyvysyons in þes þree seien dyvy|siouns in mennis wille. Al þes þree sectis mote nedis smatche errour, siþ þei grounden a perpetuel reule to all men of þes ordres þat þe gospel lefte by wisdom of Crist; and it were woundirful þat þes synful foolis shulde fynde a betere reule þan Crist himsilf fond. For who shulde make a reule to men þat he knoweþ not, ne haþ no maistrie of hem, ne techyng to kepen it? but o complexion and oon elde axiþ o manere of lyvynge and anoþir anoþir, þat þes patrons knewe not. And so oonly oure patron Crist, þat is boþe God and man, calengiþ as propre to himsilf to grounde siche ordres, and herfore seint Poul and Petre, wiþ oþir apostolis, fledden to grounde siche ordris for drede of blasfemye. And it were more suffrable to dwelle amonge Sarazynes or oþir paynym sectis as doen many Criste men þan to dwellen among sectis of þese newe religiouse. And þat þei seien, þat þei ben erberis betir þan comoun pasture, for erbis of vertue þat growen in hem, certis makinge of erberis in a comoun pasture wolde distrie þis pasture and lyf of þe comouns, boþe for dichyng and hegging and delvynge of tounes. And ȝif we marke alle siche erberis in Engelond, þat ben plantid of newe in comoun Cristis religioun, as þei spuylen þe reme|naunt of temporal goodis, so, þat is more deel, þei spuyle hem of vertues, for alle Cristene men shulden be of oo wille, and variaunce in siche sectis makiþ variaunce in wille, and gendriþ discencioun and envye among men. And herfore ordeynede Crist but þree partis of þe Churche, ech to have nede and helpyng of oþir; but certis it is not þus of þese new religions. Of þis treuþe may be maad such a good resoun. It is a greet synne of two þingis to chese þe worse, whan a man may as freely have þe betere as þe worse; but þese new ordris ben

worse þan þe sect of Crist, and it is more liȝt, more fre, and more perfit, þan ony oþir sect þat man may chese. And her|fore it is a synful errour to chese siche sectis, siþ þe ordre of Crist wole betere occupie at þe fulle þan ony siche sect founden of men. And so siþ þese patrons han no leeve of God to make siche erberis in his comoun pasture, law of þis cheef lord shulde distrie þes sectis, siþ Crist loveþ more his comounes þan þes newe erberis. And þus meneþ þe gospel þat þe þridde servaunt of God shal constreyne men to entre and soupe wiþ him in hevene, boþe men in comoun weyes and þes þat dwellen in heggis, and þus was Poul constreyned to crepe out of his hegge, and holde þe sect of Crist, forsakinge þe sect of Pharisees; and þus þis publican þat was a comoun laborer was beter þan þis Pharisee, as þis gospel seiþ.