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

ON ASSUMPCIOUN EVYN.

[SERMON CXIII.]

Loquente Jesu ad turbas.—LUC. xi. [27.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ how it is more to heere Goddis word and kepe it, þan to bere Crist bodili and norishe him, as Mary dide. And so a litil storie is told in presing [preysyng, E.] of our Ladi; and after is knitt a blessid sentence bi distinccioun of Crist. Þe storie telliþ how Crist spak to þe peple of soule helþe. And a womman of þe puple hadde devocioun in his wordis, and burst out in an hyȝe vois, and seide on þis manere to Crist: Blessid be þe wombe þat bare þee, and þe tetis þat þou didist soke. And Crist answeride to þis womman, and tolde a more presciouse treuþe, and seide þat, but bi more resoun, blessid be þei þat heeren Goddis word and kepen it.

But we shal undirstonde here, þat on two maner is Goddis word herd,—first bodili, bi eeren of bodi, and eke goostli, bi eeren of soule. Þe firste heeringe is litil worþ, but in as mouche

as it helpiþ to þe toþer; siþ Scarioth herde Crist þus, and beestis and briddis myȝten also. On þe toþer manere heeriþ no man but ȝif he knowe sentence of Goddis word. And on þis wise seiþ þe Psalme [So E; Salm, A.] þat I shal heere what þe Lord God spekiþ in me; but wel Y woot þat he shal speke pees and love to his peple. And þus, on two maneris, may a man kepe Goddis word; first, to printe þe witt in his soule, and after to reule his liif þerbi. And þus shulde ech Cristen man heere and kepe þe word of God. But over þis kepyng shulde preestis kepe wiseli þe word of God, and shape hem for to preche it, for profit of þe Chirche; and þis is þe beste work þat ony man mai travaile here. And þus mai we liȝtli see how þis sentence of Crist is soþ; siþ no man mai come to blis but ȝif he heere and kepe Goddis word; but many men and wymmen ben saved þat baren not Crist bodili; ne oure Ladi myȝte not come to blisse, but ȝif she hadde herd and kepte þis word.

And herfore God ordeynede hir to be maistiresse to his apostlis, for she fel not fro þe feiþ, ne fro þe wordis of hir sone, but kepte hem wel in her herte, and caste wel what þei menten. And herfor it is no wondur ȝif she be more blessid þan oþer. Þe Chirche singiþ of oure Ladi þat she haþ distroied alle heresies ['Gaude Maria virgo, cunctas haereses sola interemisti.' Tract used in Masses of the B. V. M. from Christmas to Easter.] , for she is special maistiresse to distroie þes heretikes. And siþ she is aftir þe dai of dome, whanne þei shal no more noie þe Chirche, it is soþ to þis entent þat she haþ distroied alle heresies.

And siþ she was occasioun of þe wordis þat Crist seide here, se we how þes wordis helpen men to distroie þes vices. A comune heresie þat now rengneþ in þe Chirche is lettris of fraternite, generali among þes ordris [See p. 67, note B.] . And herfor se we how þes lettris stonden wiþ Goddis lawe. Heryng and kepyng of Goddis word is betere þan þe birþe of Crist; þis birþe is betere þan þes lettris; and so heeryng and kepyng of Goddis word is algatis betere þan þes lettris. But Cristis word in no place techiþ þat men shulden have þes lettris; and þerfore

shulden men reste in þes wordis, and traveile not aboute þes lettris. For as ful and sufficiaunt is Cristis lawe as his man|hede; but his manhede is ynowȝ wiþouten oþer to come to hevene; and so his lawe is ynowȝ, to here his word and to kepe it, for to come to blisse of hevene, wiþouten ony sich lettris. And þis þing mai be confermed. For ȝif a man have a þousand of sich lettris, but ȝif he kepe Goddis word, he shal be dampned in helle. And ȝif he kepe wel Goddis word, wiþouten havyng of sich lettris, he shal be savyd in hevene, as oure bileve techiþ us. And so havyng of siche lettris is oþer impertinent to blis, or ellis it is harmful, letting men to come to blisse. Also bi siche lettris is not sibbirede [sibreden, E.] getun of Crist; but ȝif þei brouȝten a man to hevene, þei maden þat man Cristis broþir and sister and his modir, as þe gospel beriþ witnesse. For Crist seiþ, Whoever doiþ þe wille of his Fadir þat is in hevene, he is Cristis broþer, and his sister, and his modir. Also, ȝif sich lettris diden þis good to men, brennying or dstroiyng of hem shulden pryve þes men fro sich good, ouþer in bodi or in soule. And so, ȝif we hadden þes lettris brent, or eeten wiþ myis [mys, E.] , or distroied, we shulden wante þe profite of þes lettris; ȝhe, ȝif we weren þanne betere wiþ God. Bi siche resouns þinken many men þat þes lettris mai do good for to covere mostard [mustard, E.] pottis, but not þus for to wynne men blis; siþ sich men þat graunten þes lettris wyten not wheþer þei ben fendis lymes, or þat her preier shal ouȝt availe to hem silf or to oþer. And þes resouns letten many to chaffre wiþ þeir preier. For preier of men mai profite to oþer, but not þus bi chaffaring; siþ parting of meritis of men hangiþ oonli in Goddis wille, and not in shewing of sich lettris, neiþer to God ne to man; siþ we oblishen not us bi hem to þing þat is not in oure power. And þus þis help is newe feyned to injurie of God, siþ it is propre to God to graunten sich help to whom he wole. And þes lettris helpen not þerto, but raþer letten, for blasfemye. And sich broþirheed of blasfemes shulden be fled, for fendis sibreden.