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

ÞE FIRSTE SONDAI GOSPEL AFTIR EESTIR.

[SERMON XLVII.]

Cum esset sero die una.—JOHN XX. [19.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ of þe fifþe apperynge, þat was þe last, and late done upon Paske daie, and þis is told wiþ oþer to conferme bileve of þe Chirche. As þe secounde apperynge was to þe holy wommen, so þe first apperynge was alone to Marye Mag|dalene, as telliþ þe gospel of Joon in þe same capitle. Þe þridde tyme Crist apperide to Petir as Seint Luke telliþ in eende of his gospel; and þis was, as sum men seyen, whan Petre and Joon comen fro þe sepulcre, and Petre went bi him|silfe woundrynge and musinge. Þe fourþe apperynge was maad to two disciplis þat wenten to Emawus, and Crist soupid wiþ hem. Of þis telliþ þe eende of Seint Lukes gospel. Þe fifþe apperynge was þis þat oure gospel telliþ of, and þis was last of fyve, þat Crist

shewide on Paske daye. And on þat dai sevene niȝt Crist ap|peryde þe sixte tyme, and of þes two apperingis telliþ þis gospel.

Þe storye seiþ, whan it was late, þe first day of þe woke þat came nexte after þe Frydaye þat God was done to deþ on, and þat was in þe Sonenday next after þe Sabot. But it was late, and þe disciplis weren gedrid þere, to conforte hem to gidere, and for drede þat þei hadde of Jewes þat weren her enemyes: þer ȝatis weren fast shitt, for drede of þe same folk; Jesus cam, not lettinge þat þe ȝatis weren shitt þus, and stood in þe myddis of his disciplis, and seide þus unto hem; Pees be to ȝou, for Y am alyve, wole ȝe not drede þe while ȝe have siche a keper. And he shewide to hem his hondis and his side, and þe disciplis hadden joie [So in E; A wrongly excludes the words 'and — joie' from the italics.] whan þei hadden seen þus þe Lord. For sorewe of his deþ and drede of Jewis weren clenly putt awey bi siȝt of þis lord. And Christ seide aȝen, Pees be to ȝou, to tellen hem þe ful pees þat þei shulden have þerafter boþe in bodi and soule, for þere medeful pacience. And þei shulden not grutche for þis short pursuynge, for Crist telliþ þat, as his Fadir sent him so he sendiþ hem, to suffre tribulaciouns; and þei shulden holden hem paied of sich form of sendinge. And whan he hadde seid þus, he blew on hem and seide, Take ȝe þe Holy Goost, for herby ȝe shulen be stronge by power and by witt, þat ȝe shal have by him.

Here we shal wite þat Crist blew not bi childhode upon his apostlis but bi greet witt; for herby Crist tauȝt þat þe Holy Goost comeþ boþe of þe Fadir and þe Sone, as wyne of erþe and water. And comyng forþ of þis Gost is not nativite, but sutil inspiringe of þes two persones, and her|fore þei ben clepid o principle of þis Gost. And holy writt grauntiþ þat þe Sone sendiþ þis Goost, and herfore Crist grauntiþ þis privylegie to his disciplis, þat whos synnes þat þei forȝyven, þei ben forȝovun to hem, and whos synnes þat þei wiþolden, þei ben holden to hem. And boste men not for þis privylegie grauntid to þe apostlis, for it is undirstonden in as myche as siche apostlis acorden wiþ þe keies of þe chirche above. And herfore shulden siche bostours ben certeyne at

þe firste þat þei ben verrey vikers of þe holy apostlis. And siþ God enspiriþ [So in B and C; enspireþ, E; A has enspirit.] hem and ȝyveþ hem witt and power to bynden and to lousen as Crist him silfe doiþ, or ellis hem wantiþ þis power, and þanne þei shulde not boste þat þei have siche power, so þei myȝte not pleynher shewen hem to have no siche power þan fer to bargayn herwiþ, and boste hem to have siche power. For þanne þei ben noon of hem to whom Crist ȝaf þis power; for ȝif þer weren two popis, the toon aȝens þe toþir, and þe toon looside alle þat þe toþer boond, it were not for to dreme wheþer of hem did soþely, but wheþer more suede Goddis doynge and resoun. And siþ God may not folde fro riȝt and resoun, it is knowen bi Goddis lawe þat no pope assoiliþ but in as myche as Crist assoiliþ first [This position recalls one of the twenty four conclusions, condemned by the 'earth-quake' synod of 1382: 'That no prelate ought to excom|municate any one, unless he first know that he is excommunicated by God.' Lewis's Wyclif, p. 108.] . And her|fore Seint Petre and oþer Cristis apostlis asoilliden not þus, ne ȝyve siche indulgencis; for þei diden never siche dedis but whan God enspiride hem. And so no þing is falser þan ypocritis to boste þus, and ȝif men loke to resoun þei may wele se þat many siche feynyngis ben of þe fendis scole. For ellis myȝte a pope assoile men boþe of peyne and blame [The ordinary indulgence ab|solved poena sed non culpa. In theory, the guilt of sins, and the eternal punishment due to them, were remitted in the sacrament of penance; it was the temporal pun|ishment only, the poena, which the indulgence professed to remit, in whole or in part. But it is well known that, during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, a great laxity prevailed, if not in the actual word|ing of indulgences, at any rate in the language of those to whom their distribution was entrusted. The form was probably observed strictly enough all along; so that the preacher's words must be taken with some allowance. In turning over the pages of the Bullarium, I observe, under the year 1515, only two years before the first public appearance of Luther, the formal grant by Leo X of two indulgences, and in both cases the form of words is; — [Indulgemus] 'quod quilibet Christi fidelis . . . . . . plenariam omnium peccatorum suorum, de qui|bus corde contritus, atque ore confessus fuerit, indulgentiam et remissionem consequatur.'] , for þei killen þer evene cristene [The allusion is to Bishop Spen|cer's crusade. When it was over, and men should cease to kill their fellow-Christians, then the papal in|dulgence, or 'assoilinge,' would also cease.] , and ever while þei done so; and ȝif þei ceessen fro sich killing, þer assoilinge shal ceesse. But what men wolden triste to siche assoilinge? Wel we witen

þat God is moost lord of al oþer, and no man may do synne, but ȝif he synne aȝens him, and no synne may be forȝovun but ȝif God first forȝyve it. And so it is propre to God to forȝyve þus offence, and ȝif a man forȝyve siche synne, þat is bi power of viker; and siche power haþ he not, but ȝif God shewe it him. For ellis myȝte he graunte pardoun for longe after þe day of dome to men þat God wole have dampnyd, for a newe founde praier, and heien it for mannis love more þan þe Pater Noster: as men seien þat a pope haþ grauntid two þousand ȝeer to ech man þat is contrite and confessid of his synne, þat seiþ þis orisoun 'Domine Jesu Christe' bitwene þe sacringe of þe masse and þe þridde Agnus Dei. And þan it were ydil to traveile for ony pardoun, siþ a man myȝte at home gete him fourty þousand ȝeer bi noone. And so þat man þat shal be dampned, þat is confessid and contrite, and seiþ þus ofte þis praier, shulde have many þousand ȝeer in helle after þe daie of dome. Triste we to þe old bileve þat Crist assoiliþ as he wole, and þis forme is hid to men as oþer treuþis þat God wole hide.

Thomas oon of þe twelve þat is clepid Didimus was not wiþ þes ten whan Jesus came and dide þus; and oþer disciplis tolden him hou þat þei saien þe Lord. But he seide unto hem, But ȝif Y see in his hondis picching [pitchyng, E.] of þe naillis, and putt my fynger in þe place þat Crist was ynaillid in, and put my hond in his syde where he was persid wiþ þe spere, Y shal nevere trowen þat oure Jesus is rysen. And on þe Sonday nexte after, weren þes disciplis inne and Thomas wiþ hem; and Crist shewide him as bifore. For he came whan þe ȝatis weren closid and stood amyddis, and saide, as he saide bifore, Pees be to you. And after he seide to Thomas, þat he sente after to Inde, Putt in here þi finger and se my hondis and putt hidir þin hond and putt in to my side, and wole þou not be untrewful but trewe in bileve. Thomas answeride and seide to Crist, My Lord and my God. And Jesus seide to him þan, For þou say me þus, Thomas, þou bilevidst in me; but blessid ben þo þat saien not þis, and trowen as þou doist. Many oþer signes dide Crist in siȝt of his disciplis, but þes few ben writun in þis book for þis ende, þat ȝe bileve þat Jesus is Goddis sone, and þat ȝe for þis bileve have blisse in his name. Amen.