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

ÞE EIȜTENÞE SONDAI AFTIR TRINITE.

[SERMON XVIII.]

Accesserunt ad Jesum Pharisei audientes.—MATT. xxii. [34.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ how Crist distroiede sectis, techinge us how we shulden traveile suying Crist in þis. Þe storye of þe gospel seiþ þat whan þe Phariseis hadden herd þat Crist hadde stemned [The reading of B is stonyed, i.e. astonished; C, stoned, a 'y' being inserted by a later hand; stemnyde, E. Both Wycliffite versions have 'put to silence.'] Saduceis, on of þe Phariseis, þat was a doctour of lawe, temptide Crist on þis wise, and axide him þis question, Maister, which is a greet mandement in þe lawe? And Jesus seide to him þus, Þou

shalt love þi Lord God of al þi herte, in al þi soule, and in al þi mynde; þis is þe firste and þe moste mandement of alle. And þis mandement is þe first of þre of þe first table, ffor þre of þe first table techen to love God, and conteyneþ þre partis answeringe to þe Trinite. It is seid comounly þat in tyme of Crist weren þre sectis of religions, Pharises, Saduceis, and Esses, but of þe two first makiþ þis gospel mencioun. Þe firste was moost myȝty, and þerfor it lastide lengest; for aboundance of goodis, and long rotyng in þe sect, defenden þes sectis, and maken hard to distroie hem. But Crist distriede þes sectis and savede þe persones; as Poul and Nichodeme weren makid bi grace Cristen men. And herfore seiþ þis gospel, þat Crist stemned [B here reads stemnede, in agreement with A; C has stoned or stilled.] Saduceis, not þat he distriede hem, siþ he lovede þer persones; and so Crist distriede þe errours of Phariseis, as he distriede þe errours of þe oþer two. Sum men þenken licly þat þis doctour þat here temptide Crist, dredde him of his sect þat Crist shulde distroien it, or ellis enfeblen it, as he distriede þe myddil sect, and þis is more licly þan þat þis doctour dide for veyn glorie or to be holden [This is the reading of B; A has biholden; be holdun, E.] wise or to lerne Goddis lawe. He clepide Crist reverently maister, ffor it is manere of ypocritis and of sophists to fage and to speke plesantli to men, but for yvel entent. But oure Pharisees to dai done wel wers, ffor þei putten abac goddis lawe and magnifien þer ordres; and þus þei failen in þe first mandement, and so in al oþer. And many men trowen not ne supposen þat þei ben men of holi Chirche, but supposen þat þei ben lymes of þe fend. But he loveþ God of al his herte þat loveþ him of al his witt; and he loveþ God in al his lyf þat loveþ him in al his werkes; for Cristen men lyven in God, and ben moved to al her werkes; for Crist is forme of god, and in Crist we lyven, as Poul seiþ. And herfore we shal not take þe word of oure God in veyn. Þe þridde part of þis mandement, answerynge to þe Holy Goost, biddiþ þee love þi God in al þi mynde, siþ he is mynde of þe Fadir, and of þe Sone, and love of hem two; for undirstonding in a man, and acte of him, þat is his lyf, and refleccioun of lyf, þat is mynd

and wille of soule, bitokeneþ to Cristene men her God, þat is þe Trinite. And herfore biddiþ Goddis lawe, have mynde to holde þin halidai. And þan we loven þis Trinite perfitli as we shulden, whan we loven it more þan ony oþir þing; and as many men þenken, ȝif þis Pharisee kepte þis, he shulde leve þis straunge sect, as shulden þes newe religions.—Þe secounde mandement, þat is sevene, biddiþ þe love þi neiȝbore as þou lovest þisilfe, and þat art þou tauȝt by kynde, and in þese two mandements hongiþ al þe lawe and þe prophetis. And whan þe Farisees were gedrid, Crist axide hem a questioun of þing þat þei shulden bileve, What hem þouȝt of þe kynde of Crist, and, whos sone Crist is; and þei seiden, He is David sone; and Crist replied aȝens þis, how David clepide him his lord, siþ Crist is David sone, and porer man þan David was. Þe psalm telliþ how David seide of þe Fadir and þe Sone, Þe Lord, þe Fadir, seide to my Lord, Sitte up on my riȝt side as long as Y putt þi enemyes in helle a stool undir þi feet. And siþ þis dampnyng shal be ever, God grantide here to Crist þat he shulde ever sitt in heyene on his Fadir riȝt hond; Ffor ȝif David clepiþ him Lord, how is pore Crist David sone? And þei myȝte not here answere Crist, ne dursten not axe him more fro þat dai. —And here convyctide Crist þes men of open untreuþe in hir bileve; and so mente privily þat þes sectis shulden be distried, siþ he shal reprove þe worlde of þe synne of untreuþe. And it semeþ to many men þat alle þes sectis synnen þus, for þei loven not hir God as þe gospel biddeþ here; for ȝif þei loveden wel God, þei shulden kepe þis word of him. Generaly þes newe sectis loven more þer owen ordre þan þei done þe ordre of Crist, which he ȝaf his owne persone; and þan þei loven her sect more þan þei loven þe sect of Crist. Þis sect of Crist by þat is lasse þat þei putten in þes newe sectis; siþ þei, kepinge Cristis secte, bi þat maken his sect more; and it is oon to love a þing and to willen þat þing good; but þei wolden þat al þis world were suget unto þer sect. And, Lord! if þat men wolden undirstonden, what it is to love a þing; and whanne men loven, loven þer god over al oþir þingis; þanne heresie of þes newe sectis, and oþir errours in þe worlde shulden be more knowen unto folk þan þei ben now for ypocrisie. Þes ypocritis seien þat þer sectis and al þe deedis þat þei done is groundid upon

Crist, and is Cristis religioun; and so þei have none newe ordris, but new customes, þat þei may leve; and so þei shulden seie bi resoun þat þer be not many ordris of freris, ne accepcions of persones to helpe or to punishe men; siþþe ech man of Cristis religioun is of alle manere ordre; and so lawe of apos|tataas and of oþir reulys þat þei have founden, shulden ben contrarye to hemsilf, as freris dedis reversen þis lawe.