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

ÞE FIRSTE SONDAI GOSPEL AFTER OCTAVE OF TWELFÞE DAY.

[SERMON XXXII.]

Cum factus esset Jesus.—LUC. ii. [42.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ a lore of Crist whan he was twelfe ȝeer olde, and þis lore is ful of myraclis as oþer dedis ben þat he dide. Þe story telliþ þat, whan Jesus was maad of twelfe ȝeer olde he wente wiþ Joseph and Marye unto Jerusalem, as þei hadden custum at Paske for to make þis pilgrimage. And whan þe daies weren endid, of makinge of þis pilgrimage, his fadir and his modir wenten hoom, and Crist lefte aloone in þe citee. And his fadir and his modir wisten not þat Jesus was left bihynde, for children hadden in free custom to chese wheþer þat þei wolden wende wiþ fadir or wiþ modir; and þus Joseph wende þat Crist hadde come wiþ his modir, and oure Lady supposide þat Crist hadde come wiþ Joseph. And among Jewis was þis religioun kept, þat men shulden go bi hemsilf, and wymen bi hemsilf; for þei kepten hem fro lecherie in siche pilgrimage; but now pil|grimage is mene for to do lecherie. And al þis ordeyned oure maister for to teche his Chirche to enfourme þe prelatis after general doinge [doyngis, C.] [The meaning seems to be, 'in order to teach his Church so to fashion the mode of life of her pre|lates as that it may serve for a general example.'] , for errour in hem is more, and more harmful to þe Chirche. And whan þei weren met togidir, and wantiden þe child Jesus, þei wenden þat he hade [badde, B; bad, C.] ben in felowship wiþ sum kyn of his freendis, and þei wenten aȝen to seke him amonge hem, and oo dai þei wenten aȝen and fond him not in þe wey. Þe þridde dale þei souȝten in þe citee, and þei fond him not, and after þe þridde day þei fond him in þe temple, sittynge amonge doctours, heerynge and axinge hem. No drede þat ne Crist kepte good order in his doinge, ffirst heerynge and after axinge

wordis of þe lawe. And alle þat herden him hadden wounder upon his wisdom and his answeris, and seynge þe ȝouþe of þe childe þei hadden wounder of his dedis. And his moder seide to him, Sone, whi didist þou þus to us? lo, þi fadir and Y boþe sorwynge have souȝt þee. And Crist seide unto hem, Wherto have ȝe souȝt me? ne wisten ȝe not þat Y moste be in þe nedis of my Fadir? And here shulde prelatis lerne first to worshipe þer God, and to serve his Chirche, bifore þat þei bisieden hem aboute worldely werkes. For [So B and C; A has 'And, for,' which gives no sense.] ech man shulde serve God bifore þat he servede oþer þing, for his first entent shulde be to worship God whatever he dide; and þis mut nede be in Crist, for he did al þingis as he shulde. But þei undirstooden not þe word þanne þat Crist spake here to hem. And Crist wente doun wiþ hem fro Jerusalem to Nazareþ, and he was suget unto hem, in þingis þat þei baden him do. And his moder kepte alle þes wordis, berynge hem in her herte. And Jesus profitide in wisdom, in age, and in grace boþe to God and to man.

We shal wite þat oure Jesus, siþ he was þis manhede, and suget to oþer men, and growide [So B; grouyd, C; A has growiþ.] in wexinge and elde, he profitide in kunnynge which þat cam of his wittis; but he had cunnynge of godhede and blesside cunnynge of man, bi which he was in al his tyme yliche wiys and knewe al þing. Here may holy Chirche knowe boþ þe religioun of Crist and partis of þis religioun, as obedience and mekenesse. For Crist was suget to his lesse, and servede hem ful mekely, for Goddis lawe tauȝte him þat þei weren in spirit more þan Crist was bodily. And Goddis reule shulde suffice to men, al if þei cloutiden not newe reulis. For Crist tauȝte perfitli a ful reule for al Cristene men, and it is a foul pryde to cloute our errours to his wisdom, for olde cloiþ cloutid to newe makiþ more hole, as Crist seiþ. And we ben certeyne of oure bileve, þat Crist haþ mesurid his ordre in liȝt|nesse and in fredom more þan oþer men kunnen shape. How shulden blynde foolis after amende þis reule þat Crist haþ ȝovun? And so God enformeþ men of þes pryvat ordres þat þre þingis of her ordres ben ydil and noyous; first þer clouting of þer reule, and siþ þer obedience, and after þer obligacioun to þer

habitis and oþer uses. First, Cristis reule were fulli suffisant to alle men, and more free and more liȝt, and of more autorite. How myȝte þe fend for shame combre men wiþ sich cloutinge? And ȝif a man shulde wende aweie, it were noo nede to charge him wiþ þingis þat weren unprofitable ȝif he hadde ynowȝ bisyde. And so as God forfendiþ men to adde to his lawe, or for to drawe þerefro, for it is made in ful mesure, riȝt so we shulden holde his reule bi whiche he techiþ al Cristene men, neiþer adde to ne drawe þerfro, lest we peiren Goddis ordenaunce. And litil errour in þis bileve growiþ to more in longe tyme, and þis fendis blasfemye in God disturbliþ þe Chirche more and more. As anentis obedience, it is knowen þat Cristis obedience kept clene were sufficient to alle men here on lyf, and oþer obedience þat is cloutid doiþ harm manye weies. For it supposiþ þat þis prelate erriþ not in his commandementis, but ever more biddiþ his sugettis þe same þinge þat God biddiþ; and þus ech prelat shulde be yliche-wyse and evene wiþ God; and whan þei ben made prelatis bi synful menes as ofte falliþ, God shulde algatis ȝyve hem witt, and conferme hem in grace; for if þei myȝten after do synne, þei myȝten be proud in þer prelacie and reule þer sugettis amys aȝen þe comandementis of God. And þan were it profitable to wante siche blynde leders, siþ affiance in God and proving of his governaile myȝte not faile to men but ȝif þei shal faile first.—Lord! whi ordeynede not God siche ordris in þe olde lawe ne in state of innocense; but distryede newe þat weren mad? wher God be not as wise as he was in þe olde lawe, and ordeniþ [This is the reading of C; A and B have ordeynede, clearly the wrong tense.] now for his spouse as tendirly as he dide þanne? And þus alle newe ordres ben ful of heresie. And as anentis þes newe habitis, certeinly þei ben of þe fend, but ȝif þere be sum nedeful cause byndynge men þus to hem, for ellis þei weren superflue, and not of God but of þe fend, siþ þei tarrien [tauȝten, C.] [Some words seem to have dropt out here, (though the MSS. con|sulted all concur in the reading given in the text,) which would have completed the sense, which is, that to attach more importance to the friar's habit than to counsels or commandments of God, is to do the devil's work.] mennis wittis and her kepynge fro Goddis werkes. But it is knowen þinge to men þat þes habitis profiten not to

werkes of vertues, but hiden þes ypocritis, siþ þei may wiþ siche habitis be quyke fendis in þis world. And ȝif þei profite bi ony caas, þei done harm ofter, as doiþ synne, and crien to men ypocrisie of siche ordris þat usen hem. And ȝif þes signes ben fals, þei maken men fals þat usen hem; and so algatis, siþ vertues myȝte be kepte wiþouten sich signes more pryvyly and sikirly, þei ben brouȝt in bi þe fende, and specialy, to charge hem more þan conseilis or mandementis of God. Ech man mut hav sum custom, but loke he wedde him not þerwiþ, ne bisye him not þat it be kepte of many men, for þei ben dyverse and axen dyverse costoms aftir þat God moveþ hym.