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

ÞE GOSPEL ON ÞE TRINITE SONEDAY.

[SERMON LIV.]

Erat homo ex Phariseeis Nychodeme.—JOHN iii. [I.]

ÞIS gospel undir a story telliþ of þe Trinite, and boþe þes ben harde, as comounly is Jones gospel. Þe storye telliþ þat þer was a man of Pharisees þat hiȝte Nichodeme, and was prince of þe Jewis; he cam to Jesus on a nyȝt and seide þus to him; Rabi we witen wel þat þou art come fro God; and raby is as myche as maister in Englishe. And Nichodeme tolde þe cause whi he trowide þis, for no man may make, he seide, þes signes þat þou makist, but ȝif God be wiþ him, and so he comeþ fro God. And Jesus answeride Nychodeme, and seide þus to him, bi my double kynde Y seie to þee, but ȝif a man be born aȝen, he may not se Goddis rewme. And þes wordis weren woundirful to Nichodeme, and þerfore he axide where a man myȝte be bore whan he were an old man, wher he myȝte crepe in to his moder wombe for tyme þat he was olde and be born aȝen.

Þis Nichodeme cam in þe nyȝt, þat figuride his ignoraunce, but to þe literal witt, he dredde him for his breþeren, to come

apertly in þe day, and speke wiþ Jesus Crist; and boþe þes undirstondingis shope þe Holy Goost. And so þis goostly birþe þat Nichodeme mut first have bitokeneþ þe Fadir of hevene þat þryngeþ forþ two oþer persones; and so Nichodeme to litil knewe þis persone of God, and for þis unknowinge he axide þis questioun. For he seide not þat Crist was kyndely Goddis Sone, ne þat he was Goddis word and so God him silfe; and so þis Nichodeme hadde nede to be cristened in feiþ, and so Crist lovede his persone, alȝif he hatide his ordre, for Crist savyde his persone and distryede his ordre. And þus Crist lovede Poul, þat seiþ he was a Pharisee; but þe more part of Pha|risees weren fals and heretikes. And þis nativite shewiþ Crist in þes wordis; Forsoþ, forsoþ, Y seie to þee, but ȝif man be born of water and þe Holy Goost he may not entre in to Goddis rewme. And þus bi þis baptym, þis water and þe Holy Goost, Crist tolde him þe Trinite ȝif he koud conseyve it. Þis baptym seiþ þe Trinite, in whos name it is mad; þis water is þe waishinge þat ranne of Cristis herte; and so baptym and water and þe Holy Goost tellen Nichodeme þe Trinitee, and þerwiþ þe sacra|ment, for Crist is compendious in spekynge of his wordis.

But Crist makiþ distynccioun of two manere of birþis, and seiþ þat þing born of fleishe is fleish in his kynde, and þing þat is born of spirit is spirit on sum manere; and þerfore, wounder þou not þat Y seide to þee, Ȝe moten be born aȝen, and bi Goost made children of holy Chirche, and so in spirit maad Goddis children, and so his spouse shal be your moder. Þis gendrure of þis Goost is boþe free and wilful, and herfor Crist seiþ to Nicho|deme, þat þe spirit breþiþ wher he wole, and þou herest his vois bi which he moveþ þee. And on þis maner þe Spirit of oure Lord haþ fillid þis world wiþ witt of oure feiþ, and þat þing þat holdiþ alle haþ science of vois. And herfore at Wit-Sonday whan þis Goost apperide was a greet soun, and tungis of fier, to telle þat men shulden speke on hiȝt [beyȝt, E; beiȝþe, B; beiȝe, C.] to þer breþeren, and þei shulden have charite, þe which seiþ þe Holy Goost. And alle ȝif we knowen þe vois of þis Goost, neþeles we witen not whennes þat it comeþ ne whidir þat it goiþ, to men þat ben

biside us; for we knowen not þe ordenaunce of God, whi he enspireþ þes men, and to what ende, or wheþer he shal save þis man or wende awey from him. And so ech man þat is born of þis spirit is unknowun to oþer by many hid resoun, and so ech man is sumwhat knowun and sumwhat unknowun for wisdome of þis spirit.

But Nichodeme answerede and seide here to Jesus, How may þes þingis be done? And Crist seide to him; In þe lond of Israel ben manye blynde maisters, for þou art maister in Israel, and ȝit þou unknowist þes þingis: and so it is noo wounder ȝif þis lond be mysled, ffor ȝif þe blynde leden þe blynde, þei fallen boþe into þe lake. And neþeles Y teche hem as myche as þei ben worþi; and so seiþ Crist to Nicho|deme, Soþely, soþely, Y seie to þee, defaute is not in me, in teching of þes puple, but in untrewe hardnesse of it; for, þing þat we knowun, we tellen to hem, and þat we have sene in Godhede, we witnessen, and ȝe taken not oure witnesse, for ȝoure unkynde hardnesse. And þerfore ȝe knowen not þe gendrure of þe firste persone. Ȝif Y seide to ȝou erþely þingis and ȝe trowen hem not, how, ȝif Y seide to you hevenly þingis, shal ȝe trowen hem? Crist tolde here of bodily birþe, and ofte tymes of erþely treuþe, but þei trowiden him not for þer fole hard herte; but neþeles Crist telliþ þis man knowinge of þe secounde persone, and in an article of bileve, þat is, his ascensioun; and no man, seiþ Crist, steieþ in to hevene but he þat cam doun fro hevene, mannis sone þat is in hevene. And in þes wordis myȝt Nichodeme undir|stonde boþe þe godhede of Crist and þerto his manhede, and so shulde he knowe wel þe secounde persone of God. By þat þat Crist steied þus, and þus is mannis sone, miȝt he knowe his manhede bifore oþer manhedis; for alȝif oþer men steieden a litil in þis eire, neþeles no man steieþ in to hevene þus but Crist. And so noon oþer man comeþ to hevene but ȝif he be Cristis membre, and be drawun bi þe Trinite in to þis hey place. And þus seiþ Crist soþ, þat no man steieþ in to hevene, but him silf aloone; and seiþ þere ben foure manere of bryngingis forþ of man, and þe fourþe and þe laste, apropred unto Crist, is þat man comeþ clene of womman wiþout man. Crist clepiþ him wel here a sone of mankynde; and þus bi þes two wordis

myȝt he knowe Cristis manhede. And by oþer two wordis myȝt he knowe Cristis godhede; first by þat he seiþ þat þis man cam doun bifore fro hevene, and þis myȝt nevere be but ȝif Crist were God or [or='before that.'] he were man. Þe secounde word þat shewiþ þe godhede of þis persone, is, þat Crist seiþ þat he is mannis sone þat is in hevene, ȝhe, after þat he bycam man; ffor þus is Crist [Crist is, B, C.] two kyndes godhede for evermore, and evermore [So E; A, B, C, om. and evermore.] in hevene drawynge to him whom him likeþ. And þus Crist techiþ wel ynouȝ to knowe þe secounde person, boþ in godhede and in manhede, as myche as he shulde þan knowe him.

But to telle þe þridde persone, in pointis of bileve, Crist telliþ to Nichodeme, As Moyses heied þe addre in desert to hele þe puple by lokynge on him, so mut mannis sone be hyed in þe cros, þat ech man þat trowiþ in him, perishe not in helle, but have lyf wiþouten eende, þat is blisse of hevene. Here mut we knowe þe storye of þe olde lawe hou þe puple was hirt by stynging of addres, and Moses preied God to telle him sum medecyne; and God bade him take an addre of bras, and hong hym hye on a tree to þe puple to loke on, and he þat lokid on þis addre shulde be helid of þis yvel. And al þis was figure of hanging of Crist, for Crist was in forme of addris of venym, but he hadde no venym in his owene persone, as þe addre of bras hadde no venym in him. But as riȝt lokynge on þis addre of bras savyde þe puple fro venym of serpentis, so riȝt lokynge bi ful bileve in Crist saveþ his puple fro synne of þe fendis. And þe fende was þe first addre þat ever noyed man, and Crist was hongid in tre, as þis addre hongide in tree. But it were to wite over, hou þis story perteyneþ to þe Holy Goost, siþ al þis was done in Crist; but we shal wel wite þat ech of þes þre persones is in ech oþer, as ech bitokeneþ oþer. And siþ þat Crist seiþ þat no man haþ more love þan for to put his lyf for his frendis, þis blesside hanginge of Crist in þe crosse is þat hye charite þat God lovede man inne, and þis charite is þe Holy Goost; and þus was Nichodeme tauȝt þe feiþ of þe Trinite, and in þis feiþ many oþer articlis, and þus is þis gospel approprid to þis feste.

Þere ben many witnessis and resouns to þe Trinite, but þis manere of lore is more plentenouse and more profitable to men; and herfore Crist seiþ it þus; and þus eche man shulde reule al his lyfe after þis holy Trinite, for ellis he must faile. Loke first þat he be groundid in stable bigynning, and siþ þat he procede in gracious mene, and siþ þat he ende in ful|nesse of charite, and þan his lyfe is ensaumplid aftir þe Trinite.