ÞE GOSPEL ON SEYNT ANDREUS DAY.

[SERMON LXXXVII.]

ÞIS gospel of Mathew telliþ how Crist clepide foure apostlis: Petre and Andrew, James and Joon, fro craft of þer fishing. And so seiþ Mathew þat Crist wandride bi þe water of Galile. Ebreus clepen ech water a see; and so ech ryver is a see. And þis ryver of Galile likide Crist ofte to wende*. [go, E.] biside it. Crist saw þes foure breþeren þat weren fisheris in þis water. First he saw Symound Petre, and Andreu þat was his broþer, putting þer nett into þe water; for þei weren fisheris. And he seide to hem, Come after me, and Y shal make ȝou to be maad fisheris of men. Crist spak ofte bi his manhede, and dide worship to his Fadir; as here Crist bad þes two disciplis þat þei shulden come after him, —neiþer go bifore him ne come aside in þer lyvyng,—but as þei sawen þer maistre lyve, so shulden þei sue him in þeir lyf. And herfore Crist reprovede Petre, as þe gospel telliþ after, and seide; Go bihinde me, Sathanas, for þou savorist not Goddis þingis. Crist clepide not þes two apostlis to his chaumbre to ete applis; but in þe comun feld, he clepide hem fro worldli traveil, and tolde hem Page  302 of a betere traveile, in which þei shulden take men. And þes two anoon leften þer nettis, and þer boot, and sueden Crist. Mathew telliþ not how fer þes apostlis sueden Crist; but oo þing we trowen as bileve,—þat no gospel contrarieþ to oþer, and no part of þe gospel is fals; but ech part acordiþ to oþer. We trowen also þat Jesus Crist mevede þes men, boþe wiþinne and wiþoute, and shewide his vertue in þer soulis, and made hem bowe to his bidding. But God forbede þat we shulden trowe, for men wolen not bowe to us, þat we shulden clepe hem worldli, contrarie to Cristis cleping, or ellis grounde a newe ordre, as we wolden passe Crist. For if we wolen holde Cristis ordre, we moten nedeli sue Crist. And þus it semeþ*. [Two leaves of the MS. E (Douce 321) are here wanting; the hiatus, beginning at this point, extends to the words 'muche in gloterie,' in|clusive, on p. 306. The text is therefore solely dependent on A, up to that point.] to many men þat patrouns of þes newe ordris gon bifore Crist, as Sathanas; and leeven and dispisen his ordre.

And Jesus goinge forþ þennes, saw oþere two breþeren, James and Joon, whiche weren Zebedees children; and wiþ þis fadir in þe boot, beetinge þer nettis to take fishe. And Crist clepide þes two breþeren; and þei anoon leften þer nettis, and þer fadir, and sueden him; for þes two disciplis weren meevyd of Crist, as oþer two, and it semeþ þei loveden more Crist, for þei leften more þer fadir; and þus þei weren worþi of Crist, siþ þei loveden him so muche. For Crist seiþ, whosoever loveþ ony man more þan him, he is not worþi of him, and so not worþi of hevenli blis. It is told ofte bifore of alle þes newe ordris, how þei ben not groundid in Crist, ne in ony dedis þat he dide. Þei done sumwhat þat is good, and many þingis amys; and so stondiþ þer cloutid reule, boþe in good and in yvel; and þus is Macometis lawe and conjourisons maad. And shortli, noon yvel is suffrid, but ȝif it be groundid in good.

But it were to wite over, wheþer þese chesingis þat preestis maken, and þis dowyng þat þei have, ben groundid in Goddis lawe. And trewe men witen wel þat boþe þes reversen Crist. As anentis þis chesing, foolis maken þis resoun. Crist chees him apostlis, and prelatis shulde sue Crist, and speciali popis Page  303 and bishopis; whi shulden not þei chese curatis? for ellis shulden officeris perishe, and, bi defaute of hem, Goddis hous. And þus þes two þingis wolen sue: þat oþer popis shulden not sue Crist, or ellis þei shulden chese prelatis, as þe popis lawe techiþ. Þe secounde þing þat sueþ here is foule inconvenient, þat þe pope, Cristis viker, þat haþ his Chirche for to kepe, shulde lete þe Chirche perishe for defaute of siche chesinge. And it is fittinge þat þe pope, þat haþ more witt and autorite, shulde ordeyne for þis chesing, siþ he is heed of holy Chirche. Here we shal suppose, first, þat we speken in þis mater, as if þe pope hadde not ȝit ordeyned lawis of sich eleccioun, but how Goddis lawe and resoun wolde teche for to worche here; and þanne many men þenken þat þis eleccioun shulde not be, siþ it mai not be groundid in resoun ne in Goddis lawe. And to þe resoun þat is maad for þe contrarie part, we shal suppose þat ech man, but algatis þe pope, shulde sue Crist. But ȝit, for dignite of Crist, men shulden ever putte him bifore, and ȝyve to Crist a worþines þat mai oonli acorde to him, for ellis Crist were not abbot over alle oþer men, and maister over alle hise breþeren, as he is boþe God and man. And þus ech oþer preest shulde mekeli sue Crist, and neiþer go evene wiþ Crist, ne bifore him, as dide Petre, and þerfore he was clepide Saþanas, and beden go bihynde Crist. And þus a perel in þe Chirche, þat Poul tauȝte for to come, is, þat Anticrist hiȝe him above Crist, boþe God and man. And þus we graunten þat Crist chese to him apostlis and oþer disciplis, oþerwise þan þe Pope of Rome mai or can chese him servauntis; siþ Crist was boþe God and man, and knewe alle þingis þat shulde be, and wiste fulli what was best, and wrouȝte ever wiþoute defaute. And þus seiþ þe gospel bifore, þat disciplis sawun where Crist shulde dwelle; for alle þingis þat Crist dide he shulde do so for þe beste. And þus ȝif Crist chees disciplis, þe pope shulde not þerfore chese þus; for þe pope mai not be evene wiþ Crist, in witt, ne in autorite; but he shulde sue Crist here as diden Cristis apostlis bifore. Goddis lawe telliþ, whanne þei chosen Mathi as þe twelfþe postle of Crist in þe stede of Scarioth, þei kepten þis ordre in þis eleccioun: þei chosen two, þe whiche þei wisten moost able to be apostle, and moo þei wolden have Page  304 chosen ȝif þei hadden knowe siche moo; but, for þei knewun not þe beter of Joseph and Mathi, þei putten it in Goddis juge|ment wheþer of þes two Crist wolde have; and preieden ful devouteli, siþ Crist knewe þe hertis of men, þat Crist shulde shewe wheþer of þes two he hadde chosen, bi casting of lottis. And siþ Petre and oþer apostlis weren in þis chesinge, and þei weren moo, and more witti, þan þe Pope of Rome, it semeþ þat he shulde after hem make his more elecciouns. Apostlis chosen preestis in contres þat þei wenten bi, and maden hem dwellinge curatis; and þei hadden myche goodis. But apostlis weren algatis pore men and overseeris; for þis poverte was perfeccioun þat felde more to hem. For Crist, her alþer maister, was moost pore man. But oþer fourme of chesinge can we not grounde in Goddis lawe. And siþ Crist, God and man, chees so fewe men in þis office, and þe pope chesiþ so many, wiþoute siȝt in Godhede, it semeþ þat he is hied over Crist, and so over al þat is seid God. For certis Crist myȝte not make al þes eleccions; siþ Crist ne myȝte not chese, but þat he saw þe Godhede chese. But popis chesyn, for moneie or for preier of princis, many men þat ben unable to bere haly water in chirchis*. ['men þat ben unable to bere haly water in chirchis.'] This may either mean laymen,—men who are not qualified to discharge even the hum|blest ecclesiastical function,—or, as I am more inclined to believe, clerks, so ignorant and incompetent as to be unfit even for the duty of an acolyte in carrying the Asper|sorium with holy water, for the priest to use in the ceremony of the Asperges. To bere is the expression, not to use, for the act of sprinkling could only be performed by a priest. See Ferraris' Bibliotheca, articles Aspersorium, Aqua Benedicta, Ordo.]. Lord! siþ Crist myȝte not do þis,—and þis þei taken for excellence,—how sich men hien hem not above Crist and al þat is God! for certeinli Crist myȝte not make siche elecciouns. Þes men suen not Crist, as diden Peter and oþer apostlis, but algatis gon bifore Crist. And so Crist clepide hem Saþanas; siþ Crist acceptiþ not persones, but takiþ ech man as he is worþi, sum men goode and sum men fendis, after þat þei suen Crist. And þus it semeþ to many men, ȝif þe Pope wolde be Cristis disciple, he shulde leeve þes elecciouns, or use hem as Petre dide. Wel Y woot þat Crist forsook to juge in temporal goodis; and þis jugement, evyl done, is myche worse to þe juge. And þus apostlis makinge preestis hadden Page  305 shewing of God; for ellis þei hadden do folili in þingis þat þei knewen not. And ȝif þe pope lefte þis þing for peril þat lieþ þerinne, holi Chirche shulde not perishe, but profite more þan it doiþ now. For þanne weren bishopis ful apostlis and pore men as þei weren first, and not chargious to þe peple, but doinge þingis þat felde to hem. And so, wiþouten sich signes, miȝte þe chirche be wel governed. And þus is þis resoun as|soilid þat was first maad for þe pope, þat he mot nede, for Cristis love, and for love of his Chirche, be þus occupied, for prelacie þat holi Chirche must nedis have. Certis þis is a false ground and mychel harm comeþ þerof. But whanne o blinde lediþ a blynde, þei fallen boþe in þe lake. And þus seien men, þat coveitise of worshipis and worldli goodis blinden prestis bi symonye, þat al þe chirche fariþ þe worse. And þus mai men see here. If þes prelatis wolden sue Crist, and putte his Chirche out of peril, þei shulden leve þis, as Crist dide. But boþe þis chesing of þe pope, and oþer þing þat bringiþ*. [That is, contributeth.] herto, is brouȝt in bi þe fend, and not bi Cristis autorite. For certis Crist miȝte not himsilf make þes elecciouns. But as þei seien, þe pope mai make a lewid man, for money, a greet bishop on his chirche; but þis is chirch of wickide men.

And þus alle þes popis lawes, biside þe lawis þat Crist made, and alle þe dedis þat he doiþ þat ben not groundid in Cristis liif, ben ful venym to þe chirche,—ȝif a man durste seie þus,—and popis lawis beren no strengþe aȝens men þat holden þis. Lord, what vertue is in þis lawe!—þat ȝif two han þe popis grace, at o tyme, in oo cuntre, where many benefices mai falle, he þat presentiþ first his grace, he shal be sped bifore þe toþer. It haþ fallen ofte tymes, and so mai it falle hereafter, þat two men have grace at oo tyme of oo collacioun, and þe more unable man, þat loveþ more worldli good, presentiþ first his grace to patrons,—for Scarioth slepiþ not,—and þanne, bi vertue of þis lawe, shal þis fend be putt bifore, and þis good man putt bihynde. But þis is yvel fruyt of lawe; and God myȝte not make þis lawe, for God myȝte not do amys. How mai ony viker of Crist sue Crist in doinge þus? But certis he goiþ bifore Page  306 Crist, or ellis on oþer side weie. What woot þe pope þe stat of contreis of many hundrid myle from him? And wordis of false coveitouse men shulden not in þis lede þe pope; but he shulde lyve as Crist haþ tauȝt, and not þus blyndeli lede þe Chirche. Of þis comen a þousand errours, þat siche prelatis fallen ynne. Þei seien þat þei mai not synne in þis state, as Crist myȝte not; for Crist haþ hiȝt to his Chirche, þat he shal never faile to it; and þus þe pope is God in erþe, and þe moste blessid fadir. Sich heresies ben sowen, þat a man þat lovede Crist, shulde, for to suffre deeþ, aȝens stonde þes heresies; for it were all oon to seie þus, and to putt Anticrist above Crist.