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

ÞE FYFÞE SONDAI AFTER OCTAVE OF TWELFÞE DAI.

[SERMON XXXVI.]

Simile est regnum celorum homini qui seminavit. MATT. xiii. [24.]

CRIST in þis parable telliþ þe staat of his Chirche, and seiþ þat þe kyndom of hevene is lyke to a man þat sew good seed in his felde. Þe kyngdom of hevene telliþ boþe togidere, Crist and his maynè, but principali Crist. And herfore Crist is often clepid þe kyngdome of hevene, and þe Chirche, þat is his [So in C; om. A, B.] wyfe, is o persone wiþ him. And þus þe kyngdome of hevene seiþ þis spouse and his [þis, C.] wyfe; but here is þis kyngdom take for Jesus Crist, þat is boþe God and man, and ordeyneþ wel for his Chirche. Þis man sew first good seed in þe feld of þis Chirche; for he puttide first good feiþ in herte of his servauntis, and þis seed is Goddis word, as Crist himsilf seiþ. Ffirst þis seed growide clene, and brouȝt

forþ good fruyt, but þe fend had envye þat þis seed growide þus; and þis man þat is enemye to Crist and his Chirche cam and sew tares whan men weren aslepe. For bi dowynge of þe Chirche and necligence of prelatis is mannis lawe medlid wiþ Goddis lawe. And þes double mannis lawes, þe popis and þe emperours [The canon law and the civil law.] , letten Goddis lawe to growe, and gnaren þe Chirche, as tares gnaren corn, and letten it to þryve. And þe fend went awey, and ceesside sum what to tempte men, for he was sikir of þis tare þat it shulde myche lette þe Chirche. And þis is þe cautil of þe fend, to wiþdrawe his malice and shewe signes, as myraclis, whan he haþ sowen yvel seed, as if God were wel paied wiþ sowyng of siche seed. And as wete somers nurishen siche tares, so lustful lyf of men þat shulden florishe in vertues bryngiþ in siche lawes biside wordis of bileve. And þis lettiþ trewe men to telle Goddis lawe, and lettiþ þe Chirche to growe in feiþ and oþer vertues. And first, whan þe Chirche growid wiþ þis tare, ȝit it was hidd long after þe dowynge [The supposed endowment of the Church by Constantine under Pope Sylvester.] , but siþ was þis tare shewid, and Goddis lawe hidde. For many wete someres ben comen to þe Chirche, and so mannis lawe growiþ and Goddis lawe is lettid, and speciali bi lawes of þes newe ordres. But whan malice of þes lawes was knowun to trewe men, þanne þei and aungels spoken [So in B; spaken, C; speken, A.] to God and preyd Him þat þei myȝt gedre awey þes tares, so þat Goddis lawe myȝte renne freely as it first dide. But Crist denyeþ þis to hem, for harm þat myȝt come, for good corn myȝte be drawun up bifore þat it were rype, as trewe men in God myȝte be sone kild, ȝif þei shewiden to myche þis cause, of clennesse of Goddis lawe. But God haþ ordeyned his seed to growe til it be rype, as God haþ ordeyned his membris to helpe aȝens þe fendis lymes, as longe as it is good þat þe Chirche profite here bi hem. And þus ȝif sowynge of þe fend tarieþ here Cristis Chirche, and makiþ here Cristis corn ful þinne, and makiþ þicke þe fendis lymes, neþeles þis good corn groweþ more medefulli to þe Chirche, for þei have more lettinge, but wel is him þat may stonde. And herfor biddiþ Crist, þat men shal suffre boþe þes

two growe til þet yme of repinge, and þan shal he sey to þe repers, Gidere ȝe first þes tares togidere, and bynde hem in knytchis to brenne, but gedere ȝe þe good corn to my berne. Tyme of þis repinge is clepid þe day of dome, or ellis tyme nyȝ it, and þes repers ben good angelis, þat gederen partis of Cristis Chirche; and þes good angels shal bynde Cristis enemyes in knytchis; and after þei shal brenne in helle bi þe ryȝtful dome of God, and trewe servauntis of Crist shall be gederid bi good aungelis and come to hevene as Goddis bern. And here sup|posen men, siþ it is nyȝe domes day, þat soone hereaftir shal be distryed boþ mannes lawe and her makers, and so, ȝif God wil, boþe ypocritis and trynauntis [tirauntis, B; tyrantis, C.] shal be distryed, as þe Antipope wiþ his court, and þes newe religiouse. And þan shal Goddis lawe regne wiþ þe trewe partis of his Chirche; for, as þis gospel telliþ, þes tares shal be gedrid first; but at þe day of dome Cristis lymes shal first be comfortid; and so it semeþ þat Crist spekiþ here of tyme bifore þe day of dome, and þus he moveþ many men for to trete þis mater now. And prey we al devoutely þat God do here as him lykeþ, and stonde we stif in Goddis lawe, and preise we it bifore þis tare.

Many men musen [mosyn, C.] of undirstondinge of þis gospel, and þenken þat it is foly to speke aȝens Anticrist, siþ treuþe of Goddis lawe telliþ þat he shal vencuschen Cristene men for a tyme, and we may see þis at eye. And þus telliþ þe gospel þat God [So in C; om. A and B.] wole þat tare growe til þe day of dome among good corn, but who shulde reverse God and do aȝens his wille? Here shal we suppose comoun bileve and comoun distincciouns, þat ben said in Latyn, and þanne me þinkiþ þat we shulden preien þat Goddis wille be done, as it is in hevene, so here in erþe. And over þis we shulden stonde sadde in bileve of God, and lyve in vertues as Goddis lawe biddiþ us, and assenten not to synne of Anticrist þat regneþ now, but have sorewe þerfore, siþ Crist hadde sorewe for synne and wepte never but þries for synne, as Goddis lawe techiþ us, and resoun acordiþ herwiþ; siþ synne is moost yvel, and so we shulden more have sorewe for synne þan for ony

oþer yvel. And þus, ȝif we myȝte lette synne, we shulden be Goddis proctours, al if we dien þerfore, and profiten here no more. But lyve we wel, and God failiþ not to consaile us how we shal do, and þus assente we not to synne but profite we as God biddiþ us. And herby may we answere to þe fendis argument. Suppose we þat Anticrist shall vencushe trewe men for a tyme; but þis is in bodily victory and not in vencushing of treuþe; for þus he vencuschiþ no man, but ever is overcome him silf. And þus trewe men shal ever have mater for to fiȝte goostly, boþe wiþ þe fend and his membris, þat ben wickide men of þis world. And so wiþ þis undir|stondinge fiȝte we wisely wiþ þis world, but algatis loke þat we be armed wiþ pacience and charite; and þan þe fiȝting of þe fend may no wey do us harm. And if þis skile shulde move men to performe Goddis wille, never shulde man fiȝte wiþ synne, for God wole þat synne profite. But what witen we wher tyme be come þat God wole þat þis tare be distryed? And herfore worche we wiseli, and fiȝte we aȝens þe fend, siþ þis stondiþ wiþ Goddis lawe and wiþ fillinge of Goddis wille.