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

ÞE GOSPEL ON EESTIR DAY.

[SERMON XLVI.]

Maria Magdalene.—MATT. xxviii. [I.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ hou þes holy wymmen comen to bileve þat Crist was rysen fro deþ. Sum men seien þat here weren but two Maries, þat was Marie Magdalene, and Marie James modir; and þis secounde Marye was boþe our ladyes sister and Sa|lomens dauȝter. But sum men seien þat þere weren þree. But it is ynow to us to trowen þat þei weren two, and leve to knowynge of God ȝif þere weren moo. Þes two Maries bouȝten hem at even oynementis, for it was leveful to wirchen at even in þe Sabotis. And eerly on þe Sonnenday þei comen to þe sepulcre of Crist, at þe sunne rysynge, and seiden to gidere, Who shal turne to us þe stone fro dore of þe sepulcre? And þei lokiden þerto, and siȝen it turned awey, for soþe it was ful grete; and passide þes wommans power to removen it fro þe dore, by castynge of þe Pharisees; for þei seiden þat Cristis dis|ciplis wolden come and stelen his bodi. And so þis stone was removed bi service of aungelis, for disciplis of Crist dredden hem ȝit to walken. And þes wymmen comen in to þe sepulcre of Crist, and þei seien an angel of God in forme of a ȝonge man sittynge on þe riȝt side and hild [bilyd, E.] wiþ a whiȝt stole. And þei woundriden of þe siȝt, but þe aungel seide to hem, Wole ȝe not drede, for Y knowe youre purpos, Ȝe seken Jesus of Nazareþ þat was done on þe cros, but he is rysen to lyve, and is not now here. For here is þe stede voide, where þei hadden putt him. But go ȝe and seie ȝe to Christis disciplis, and algatis to Petir, þat Crist shal go bifore ȝou to þe contre of Galile. And þere shal ȝe see him as he saide ȝou bifore; and he may not lye.

Ech word of þis gospel bereþ grete mysterye. First Crist

apperide to þes holy wommen, fer to graunt a privylegie to wom|man's kynde. For it is seid comounly þat Crist apperide ten tymes from hour of his rysynge to his steiynge into hevene. First Crist apperide unto Marye Magdalene, and made her sterre of þe see, to ȝyve liȝt to men, and to put hir fro dispeire of hir first synnes. We denyen not þat ne Crist bifore þis apperide to his modir, hou þat he wolde, or in body or in soule, for she was ever sad in feiþ. Þe comynge of þes two Maries, þat was þe secounde shewynge þat Crist shewide him on lyve þat þe gospel telliþ, techiþ hou Crist wolde shewyn him unto many statis, and hou men shulde be disposid to have the siȝt of Crist. Þis eerly comynge with liȝt of þe sunne is redy comynge in grace for to serve Crist, and ȝit þe making redy on þe nyȝt bifore is done of Crist, but not in siche grace. The musing of þese wommen as þei wenten by þe wey, bitokeneþ bisy þouȝt how men shal come to serve Crist. But lore of good aungelis opneþ to men þis lessoun, for þe stoone of unbileve is first ful grete in synful men. Þis entrynge to þe sepulcre is comynge to þe service of Crist. Þis aungel þat techiþ men treuþe is good aungel of God þat sittiþ on þe riȝt side, to teche men þe wey to hevene, and to sitten on Cristis riȝt hond on þe daie of dome. Þe whitnesse of þis stole is clenesse of victorye þat siche men have of þer goostly enemyes. And as Gregory notiþ [S. Greg. In Evang. Hom. xxi. 'In fulgure etenim terror timoris est, in nive autem blandimentum candoris. Quia verò omnipotens Deus et terribilis peccatoribus, et blandus est justis, recte testis resur|rectionis ejus Angelus et in fulgure vultus et in candore habitus demon|stratur; ut de ipsâ suâ specie et ter|reret reprobos, et mulceret pios.'] , þe face of þis aungel semed as liȝtnynge, and his cloþis whiȝt as snow; for Crist and his aungelis ben dredeful to wickide men, and plesyng to good men. Ȝhe, to þe day of dome þis aungel confortiþ men, and riȝtiþ þer purpos, and telliþ hem how now Crist is sittynge in hevene, for his staat here in erþe is fulli performed. And office of suche men is aftirward enjoyned hem, þat þei shulden parte wiþ þer breþeren goostly werkes of mercy, not oonly wiþ comounnes [comyns, E.] but also wiþ prelatis. Þe goynge bifore of Crist to þe contre of Galile is, goinge bifore of Crist to hevene. Þere he shal shewen him to men as he haþ hiȝt to hem ofte in þe gospel.

Here after þis witt men may large þis gospel, and trete what mater þat þei wenen shulde profite to þe puple; but it is comounly told of þe sacrament of þe auter, and how men shal disposen hem now to take þis sacrament. And it is seid comounly, þat as þes holy wymmen hadde lefte þer former synne, and taken þer freishe devocioun; so men shulden come to þe chirche to take þis holy sacrament, and þus come wiþ þes hooly wymmen wiþ liȝt of þe sunne. And þus men shulden cloþen hem wiþ þes þre vertues, bileve, hope, and charite, to resceyve þis sacrament. Bileve is first nedeful; and algatis of þis breed, hou it is Goddis body by vertue of Cristis wordis. And so it is kyndely breed, as Poul seiþ [I do not know to what passage the writer refers.] , but it is sacramentally verre Goddis bodi. And herfore seiþ Austyn [I am indebted to the kind as|sistance of Professor Stubbs for the discovery of the passage in the works of St. Augustine to which the text probably refers, though some force appears necessary to make the words of the saint bear the meaning which Wyclif imposes on them. The pas|sage is in a remarkable sermon, No. 272 (vol. v., p. 1104 of the Bene|dictine edition), addressed 'ad In|fantes' on their due reception of the Eucharist. The impression left by the entire sermon might certainly, to a mind already prepossessed. accord with the view of the Eucharist taken by Wyclif; on the other hand, the language is quite compatible with the view taken by his opponents, the friars. The words most to the pur|pose are these: 'Ista, fratres, ideo dicuntur sacramenta, quia in eis aliud videtur, aliud intelligitur. Quod videtur, speciem habet corporalem; quod intelligitur, fructum habet spi|ritalem.'] , þat þing is breed þat þi iȝen tellen þee and þat þou seest wiþ hem. For it was not trowid bifore þe fend was losid [It had become a popular belief by this time, among the spiritual Franciscans and the various revo lutionary sects, that since the year 1000 A.D the devil, after his mil|lennary captivity (Apoc. xx. 2), had been let loose from the bottomless pit 'to deceive the nations.'] , þat þis worþi sacrament was accident wiþouten suget. And ȝit dwellen trewe men in þe old bileve, and laten freris foulen hem silfe in þer newe heresie. For we trowen þat þere is beter þing þan Goddis bodi, siþ þe holy trinite is in eche place. But oure bileve is sette upon þis point; what is þis sacrid hoost, and not what þing is þere. Þe secound vertue þat shulde cloþe trewe men is þe vertue of hope, þat is ful nedeful; how men shulde hope bi þer lyfe here, and first, wiþ þe grace of God, for to come to hevene. And to þis entent men taken now þis sacrament, so þat bi takynge herof þer mynde be freschid in hem to þenken

on kyndenes of Crist to maken hem clene in soule. And herfore seiþ Poul þat he þat wantiþ þis ende, etiþ and drynkeiþ his judgement, for he jugiþ not þe worþines of Goddis bodi, ne worshipiþ his ordenaunce. Þe þridde vertue nedeful for to take þis sacrament is vertue of charite; for þat is ever nedeful, siþ no man comeþ to Cristis fest but ȝif he have þis cloþing. And þus, as Austyn declariþ [I have to thank Professor Stubbs for this reference also. In Serm. 272, already quoted, and also in Serm. 227, the various processes that enter into the making of bread are com|pared to the spiritual operations which combine to make the perfect Christian. But in Serm. 229, these processes are distinctly set down as four: threshing, which answers to conversion by preaching; grinding, which represents the discipline of fasting and exorcism; mixing with water, which is Baptism; and baking, which corresponds to the flames kin|dled in souls by the Holy Ghost.] , foure poyntis þat falliþ [fallen, B, C, E.] to makinge of breed techen us þis charite, and algatis to have it now. For ellis we greggen [agreggen, E.] our synne in etynge of þis breed. And ȝif we have þis cloþinge, takinge þis mete in figure, it shal brynge us to hevene, þere to ete Goddis body goostly wiþouten ende; and þat is mennis blisse.