ÞE FOURÞE SONDAY GOSPEL AFTER OCTAVE OF TWELFÞE DAI.

[SERMON XXXV.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ a myracle þat Crist dide in þe water, and syche myraclis confermen þe feiþ of holy Chirche ful myche in rude men; al ȝif þei ben hard. And so doinge of myraclis in water and londe bitokneþ þat Crist shewide his woundris to dyverse men. Sum resseyveden hem not to hele of her soule, for þei weren unstable as water, and fordiden soone Cristis prente*. [prynte, B.]; but oþer men weren stable as lond, þat helden þe prente þat Crist putt in hem, and bi þe ground of siche feiþ þei wenten fulli þe wey to hevene. Þe storye telliþ of Jesus þat he stepide in to a boote, and his disciplis sueden him. And lo, þe water movede fast, so þat þe boot was hid with wawis, for þe wynd and þe water weren contrarye to hem:—Criste slepte in þis tyme*. [A and B include the words 'in þis' in the italics; C rightly excludes them.] in þe boot, as he hadde ordeyned. Þe disciplis comen and wakiden him, and seide þus to Crist, Lord, save us, for we perishen. And Crist seide to hem, What dreden ȝe of litil feiþ? And Crist roos up anoon, and comandide to þe wyndis and þe water, and þei weren restid anoon. And al þe puple woundridePage  93herof, and saiden among hem selfe, What is he þis, for the wyndis and þe see obeishen to him?

Siþe alle þe dedes þat Crist dide techen men how þei shulden do, þis restyng of Crist in þis boot bitokeneþ lore to be markid. We shulden be tymes reste, and preye to God in scilence*. [silence, C.], and heere of him heelful lore þat we shulden after teche þe puple. And þus shulde techers flee preisynge of þe peple, as Crist dide. And þis is a pryvy synne amonge men þat prechen to þe puple, and certis it is a greet synne, for God shulde have al hool þe þank. And þus þe sleping of Crist bitokeneþ his verre manhede, and makiþ his*. [þis, C.] myracle more, and to preye him hertlier in nede. And þus al oonli we dreden for defaute of feiþ in us, and Crist slepiþ not to us but for defaute of feiþ, for þe godhede may not slepe, and ȝit we speken unto him, Ryse, why slepist þou, Lord? and helpe us in þis nede. And þus on two maneres failiþ bileve in men. First, whan men wantiþ bileve, as þes þat trowiden not þat Crist was God; for ȝif þei hadden trowid þis hooli, þei shulde have trowid þat Crist myȝte slepinge have done þis myracle and myche more. On þe secounde manere failiþ bileve, whan it worchiþ not wele in dede, but is ydel as a slepynge man; and þan clerkes seyen it is in habite*. [That is, [gap: 1] , to use the language of Aristotle, not [gap: 1] .]. And þus may no man do synne but ȝif his bileve faile ouþer on oo manere or on oþer; for ȝif he hadde freishely bileve how foul his synne is, and hou myche it harmeþ him, he wolde not for al þis worlde do þis synne, but fleen it. And herfore preyden dis|ciplis to alarge him*. [hem, B; hem in, C. Him is the purer and older form for the dative plural of the third personal pronoun.] bileve, and Crist seide to Petre, Whi doutist þou of litil bileve? And Crist seide to a man þat he shulde trowe, for alle þingis ben possible to men þat bileve. And shortly no kyn vertue was preisid more of Crist þan was riȝt bileve, for it is ground of alle oþer; ne doute we not how bileve may now be lesse and now be more, siþ þan partis of bileve myȝten go awey and come newe, and þan þer weren dyverse bileves for dyversitee of parties. Siche doutes we shulden sende to þe scole of Oxenforde, and we shulden wite wel bi God þat dyverse feiþis in a man, now on*. [oon, B.] and now oþer, Page  94 make no feiþ in him, ȝhe, ȝif þe tyme be dyverse þat þis feiþ þus comeþ or goiþ. And þus may God encrese oure feiþ, and we by synne enfeblen oure feiþ; and Crist slepiþ ofte to us for siche slepynge of oure synne. For whan wyndis of mennis bost maken us to drede of worldely harmes, and flodis of tribulacioun comen to us, þei maken us dreden and crye on Crist to have helpe for failinge in our bileve. For we shulden trowe þat noo siche a cas myȝte anoy us but for synne, and ȝif it come for oure synne, it is just, and Goddis wille. Whi shulde we be þus distemprid for þing þat is nede to come? Love we God, and do we his wille, and drede we noo þing but hym. For defaute in oure bileve makiþ us to drede for siche þingis. For þes foure mannis affecciouns, drede and sorewe, hope and joye, changen a mannis wille after þat he haþ vertues. And if he be rootid in synne þei chaungen myche in a man, for he haþ drede of þing of not*. [nouȝt, B.], and after joye of worldely þingis, and also sorewe of losse of þinge þat were betere to him to want, and hope of þingis ferre fro his helpe, as is welfare of þis worlde. And alle þes techen þat his wille is not sette on hevenly þingis, ne his bileve groundid in God for defaute of good love, for ech man shulde drede more loss of Goddis love by synne þan he shulde drede losse of ony worldely þingis. For as bileve techeþ us loss of Goddis love were wers, whi shulde we not drede þis more, siþ it bringiþ more harm to us, and hope more helpe bi charite þan bi any mannis helpe? And þus cursiþ þe prophete him þat tristiþ þus in man. And here may men have a myrroure to juge wher þei love God and where þei ben in charite, bi þe ordre þat þei shulden have ȝif þei loven God wel; þei shulde more have joie of him þan of ony erþelye þinge. And so of his loss, ȝif it come; ȝif þei lesen þe love of God bi þer synne, þat þei shulden knowe, þei shulde have more sorewe þerof þan of loss of oþer þing. And þis joye, wiþ þis loss, wolde make men to flee synne. Siþ many men with diligence fleen losse of worldely goodis, and kepen hem þat þei ben not dampned in siche los by mannis lawe, and drede not so myche to lese goodis of grace þat be beter, it is open þat charite is not ordynel in Page  95 hem. And þus of goodes of kynde, men drede myche to lesen hem, as reule of kynde techiþ us, and comoun expe|riens; and ȝif þei comen to us, we joien ful myche, as we witen well; but goodis of grace we putten bihynde, and þat fordoiþ oure charite. And ȝif we feynen falsehede in þes two þingis, boþe God and our bysynes shal be jugis aȝens us. Lord! wheþer traveilen we more, aboute goodis of þes two þingis or aboute goodis of grace? Oure owne traveil shal juge us; what preest bisieþ him more now for to sue Crist in vertues, þan for to gete a benefice, or for to gete worldely goodis? And þis techiþ þat he joieþ more of worldely goodis þan goodis of grace. How ever þat we stryven now, oure juge shal dampne us at þe laste. And bi þis same skile, hope and sorewe shal jugen us, for we casten more oure bisynes in hope of a worldely prowe þan we done in hope of hevene or hevenly blisse þat we shulden have; and þus we dreden more of loss of worldely goodis þat we hopen þus, þan we done of goodis of blisse; and þis reversiþ al oure lyf.