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

ÞE SECOUNDE SONDAY GOSPEL AFTIR EESTIR.

[SERMON XLVIII.]

Ego sum pastor bonus.—JOHN X. [II.]

CHRIST telliþ in þis gospel þe maners of a good herde, so þat herbi we may witen how oure herdis failen now. And defaute of siche heerdis is moost peril in þe Chirche; ffor, as riȝt office of hem shulde moost bringe men to heven, so defaute of þis office drawiþ men moost to helle. Crist telliþ of him silf, how he is a good herde, for he is þe beste herde þat mankynde may have. For he is good bi him silf and may no wey faile, for he is boþe God and man; and God may no wey synne. And þus we have þe mesure to knowe a good herd and an yvel, for þe more þat an herd is lyke to Crist, he is þe beter, and þe more þat he strangiþ from him, he is þe worse in þis office. And efte whan Crist haþ ȝyve þe mesure for to knowe good herdis, he telliþ þe heieste proprete þat falliþ to a good herde: a good herde, as Crist seiþ, puttiþ his lyf for his sheep; for more charite may noon have þan to putte his lyfe for his frendis, and ȝif he worchiþ wysely [om. E.] , for to bring þes sheep to hevene. For þus þe herde haþ moost peyne and þe sheep moost profit.

Þus we may see, who is good herde and who failiþ in þis office; for as Crist puttiþ wisely his owen lif for his sheep, so Antecrist puttiþ proudly many lifes for his foule lyfe. As, ȝif þe fend ledde þe pope to kille many þousend men to holde his worldely state, he suede Antecristis maneres. And siþ þis pro|pirte of herde groundiþ charite in men, eche man shulde have herof algatis more or lesse; as he is ferre fro þis maner þat wole not ȝyve his worldely goodis to his sheep or his breþeren, whan þei have grete nede þerto, for sich goodis ben worse þan mannis lyfe. And þus semen oure religious to be exempte fro charite; ffor nede a man nevere so myche to have helpe

of siche goodis, ȝee, alȝif þei have stoonys or oþer jewelis þat harmen hem, but þei wolen not ȝyve siche goodis ne value of hem to helpe þer breþeren, ne ceesse to anoye hem silf in bilding of hye housis, ne to gaderen sich veyn goodis, ȝif it do harm to þer breþeren. Sich averous men ben ferre fro maneres of a good herde, and so thes newe religious þat þe fend haþ tollid inne, bi colour to helpe þer former heerdis, harmen hem many weies, and letten þis office in þe chirche. For trewe prechinge and worldely goodis ben spuylid bi siche religiouse; and herfore techiþ Crist to flee hem, for þei ben ravyshinge wolvys. Sum wole, as breris, tere wolle of sheepe and make hem coold in charite, and sum wole sturdly, as þornes, sleye sheep of Holy Chirche, and þus is our moder shent for defaute of mennys help. And more mede myȝt no man have þan to helpe þis sory wydewe; for princis of preestis and Pharisees þat calliden Crist a giloure have crocchid [crocbid, B, C, E.] to hem þe chesynge of many heerdis in þe Chirche. And þei ben tauȝt by Ante|crist to chese hise herdis and not Cristis, and þus failiþ Christis Chirche. Lord! siþ heerdis shulden passe þer sheep as men passen bletyng sheep, how shulde Cristis Chirche fare, ȝif þes heerdis weren turned to woolvys! But Crist seiþ þat þus it fareþ among þe heerdis of þe Chirche, þat many of hem ben hired hynes and not heerdis over þe sheep, for þe sheep ben not þer owun. And so þei loven to litil þe sheep, for ȝif þei have þere temporal hire, þei recken not how þer flok fare. And þus done alle þes curatours, þat tellen more by worldely wynnynge þan by vertues of þer sugettis or soule hele to come to hevene. Siche ben not heerdis of sheep, but of dunge and wolle of hem, and þes shal not have in hevene joie of þer sheep þat þei kepen. Siche hynen seen þe wolvys comynge to flokkis þat þei shulde kepe, and þei fleen for drede of not [nouȝt, B, E.] , and þes wolvys ravyshen þe sheep and scateren hem, for þis eende þat þei þanne may souner perishe. And þus moved Poul to found none ordre, for Christis ordre is ynouȝ, and þanne shulde alle Cristen men be more surely in o flok. Lord! ȝif cowardise of siche hynen be þus dampned of Crist, how myche more shulden wolvys be

dampnyd þat ben putt to kepe Cristis sheep. But Crist seiþ a clene cause whi þes hired hynen fleen þus. For he is an hyred hyne, and þe sheep perteynen not to him, but þe dung of siche sheep, and þis dung suffisiþ to hem, howevere þe sheep faren. Sum ben wolves wiþouten forþ, and sum ben wolves wiþinne, and þes ben more perilous [So B; perilouse, E; A has perolous.] , for homely enemyes ben þe worste. Yvel wolvys ben religiouse, þat Crist seiþ in Mathew's gospel, ben wolvys ravyshinge, alȝif þei comen in sheepis cloþis; for bi þis ypocrisye þei disseyven sonner þe sheep. And alȝif þer dwellyng be wiþouten parishens of þes sheep, and þei ben strange and newe brouȝt in by þe fend, ȝit þei forȝiten not to come and visite þe sheep. But comounly whan þei comen, þei comen moost for to spuyle; and þus done generaly boþ freris and monkes and chanouns. But þei ben wolvys wiþinne þat seien þat þei have cure of soulis, and ravyshen goodis of þes sheep, and feden hem not goostli, but raþer moven hem to synne, and waken not in heerdis office.

But Crist seiþ he is a good heerde, and knowiþ his sheep, and þei him. For þe office þat falliþ to heerdis makiþ him known among hem, as my Fadir knowiþ me, and Y aȝen knowe my Fadir. So seiþ Crist, Y putt my lyf to kepe my sheep aȝen wolvys. And as þis knowynge myȝt not quenche bitwene Crist and his Fadir, so shulden þes heerdis waken upon þer sheep; and þei shulden knowen him not by bodili feestis ne oþer synnes þat he doiþ, but by þree offices of heerdis þat Crist haþ lymytid to hem. It falliþ to a good herde to lede his sheep in hole pasturis, and whan his sheep ben hirt or stabbid, to hele hem and to grese hem; and whan oþer yvel beestis assailen hem, þan helpe hem. And herto shulde he putte his lyfe to save his sheepe fro siche beestis. Þe pasture is Goddis lawe, þat ever more is greene in treuþe, and rotun pasture ben oþer lawes and oþer fablis wiþouten ground. And cowardise of siche heerdis þat dar not defende Goddis lawe witnessiþ þat þei failen in two offices suyng after; for he þat dar not for worldes drede defende þe lawe of his God, how shulde he defende his sheep for love þat he haþ to hem? And ȝif þei bryngen in newe lawes contrarie

to Goddis lawe, how shulden þei not failen after in oþer offices þat þei shulden have? But Crist þat is heed of herdis seiþ, þat he haþ oþer sheep þat ben not ȝite of þis flok, and hem mut he brynge togidere, and teche hem to knowe his vois. And so shal þere be oo flok, and oon herde over hem alle. Þes sheep ben heþene men or Jewes þat Crist wole converte, ffor al þes shal make o flok, þe which flok is holy Chirche; but ferre fro þis undirstondinge, þat alle men shal be convertid.