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

ÞIS IS ÞE GOSPEL ÞAT IS RAD ON CRISTEMASSE EVYN.

[SERMON LXXXIX.]

Cum esset desponsata.—MATT. i. [18.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ of Cristis birþe, how his modir was pore womman, and seiþ; Whanne Joseph was weddid to Marie, þe which Marie was Jesus modir [So in E; A includes the whole clause, except the word Marie, in the quotation.] , bifore þat þei shulden com togidere, she was founden of her housebonde, havynge of þe Holi Goost; for Joseph perseyved wel þat oure Ladi was wiþ childe. Here holy doctours seien þat Joseph was weddid wiþ Marie, and, bifore þei shulden go to bedde, Marie was gret of þe angel, and con|seyved, of þe Holi Goost, Jesus oure Savyour. Soþeli þe Holi Trinite made þis concepcioun; but siþ charite is proprid to þe Holi Goost, and moost charite was, þat God wolde make him|silf man, it is soþ þat Crist was conseyved of þe Holi Goost. And bi þis þe two oþer Persones ben not excludid, but includid. Crist was conseyved in oure Ladi of her clene blood wiþouten

man, and hadde anoon mannis forme, and growide in hir as oþer done. And þus Joseph, bi lyȝt touching, or ellis bi þe lore of God, perceyvide þat she was wiþ childe, and wolde not dis|seyve oure Ladi. And seintis selen þat Crist was conceyved after þis weddinge; for Crist wolde be conseyved in wedlok of his fadir and modir; and ellis myȝten þe Jewis forsake Crist as unlawful, and not þe greet bihiȝte prophete. And so Joseph shulde have oure Ladi more unsuspect, and more love Crist, and betere kepe him as his lawful sone, and serve him, and nurishe him. And so we ben more certified of maidenhed of oure Ladi; for Joseph, ȝif he wiste [hadde wiste, E.] hir have knowe man bifore, for repreef he wolde have told it. And, for Joseph was a just man and loved of God, God tolde him bi an angel þat he shulde not drede to take Marie to his wif. Ech word of þis gospel shulde be take bi his sentence. And so, siþ Joseph was a just man, God myȝte not faile to him, how he shulde do in þingis þat weren hid to him. It is seid comunli, bi processe of Lukes gospel, þat oure Ladi, fro þat she was grett of Gabriel, as Luk telliþ, wente to Elizabeth, and dwelte wiþ her a long tyme, and in al þis tyme Crist growide in her wombe. And whanne she cam hoom to Joseph, he myȝte betere knowe hir wiþ childe; but Joseph wiste, bi Goddis lawe, þat ȝif oure Ladi were corrupt in þis caas, she shulde be punishid; but he coude not prove þis, and so he wolde not defame oure Ladi, ne put hir up to mannis jugement; siþ he trowide þat oure Ladi myȝte conceyve þus bi þe Hooli Goost. Not þat þe seed of þe Holi Goost was put in to oure Ladi, but þat God, of hir blood, gedride in place of hir wombe; and wiþouten oþer seed, God formede þis bodi, and ȝaf it soule. And þus, bi þe aungel's lore, Joseph was afer enfourmed, and not of alle þingis togidre, but now a litel, and now a litil; and þus he shulde betere lyve bi feiþ, and hope, and charite; for bi whiles he shulde be confortid bi speche of þis aungel, al ȝif he apperide to Joseph for þe tyme þat Joseph slepte. And þis is a beter siȝt þan ben comune dreemes of men. And Joseph was clepid Daviþis sone, for he shulde þenke þat Crist was bihiȝt for to come of Daviþis kynde; and

so myȝte he muse, and þenke how Marie myȝte þus be wiþ childe. And he hadde noon occasioun to have Marie suspect, for þis tyme, and þes wordis of þe aungel, moveden Joseph to þis treuþe: for þat þat is born in her is of the Holi Goost. Wel he wiste þat ech man is maad of þe Holi Goost, but þis aungel mente sumwhat ellis; for ellis his speche hadde be veyn. And so Joseph undirstood þat Marie hadde conceyved bi myracle; and to þis witt he was disposid, but not to no [om. E.] more ȝit.

Þe aungel seide þat Marie shulde bere a child, and he shulde clepe his name Jesus, as Gabriel hadde seid bifore. And siþ Jesus is savyour, bi þis Joseph þouȝte more; and speciali, siþ þis aungel seide, þat þis Jesus shulde save his peple fro þer synnes. And þat is moche; for þanne he shulde boþe have a peple, and shulde save it fro synne, þat oonli God mai do. A man mai save fro bodili perilis, but oonli God mai save fro synne; and speciali fro þe laste synne, þat makiþ a man be dampned in helle.

Here men douten comounli, siþ alle men shulden sue Crist, how preestis shulde not have peple þat were suget to hem. And siþ þe peple shulde serve to prestis and do hem worldli wor|shipis, it semeþ þat for worship of God men shulden þus ȝyve hem rentis, and þus encreese hooli Chirche in devocioun of dowyng. Here we graunten, as we seiden next [See page 310.] , þat ech man after Crist shulde sue him, ferþer or nerer, or ellis he comeþ never to hevene. And herfore Crist ledde comun lyf, neiþer to large ne to streit, þe which liif myȝte be ensaumple to alle men of þis world. But ȝit Baptist, ne ony oþer, myȝte not passe Crist in o vertue; for Cristis fasting was betere þan ony oþer fastyng myȝte be, and his passioun was more as his charite was gretter. But siþ Crist dide al þing so þat he myȝte not be amendid, he myȝte not take worldli lordship to þe worship of his Chirche, for, if he hadde, he hadde fuylide [So E; A has foilid.] his stait, and fordone him and his Chirche. And þis wisten apostlis wel, and dwelten þerfor in þer povert. And þus pore staat of men is liker to staat of innocence þan is rich worldli staat, seme it

nevere so glorious. And þus þe pope, takinge dowing, — were it Silvester or oþer,—foulide [So E; A has foilide.] þe Chirche and dide it harm oþer weie þan Crist myȝte do. And so it is not bileve þat ne þis pope synnede myche. But men supposen þat he hadde sorewe in his ende for þis synne; and so we supposen now, þat bi grace þat Crist ȝaf him, he is a seint now in hevene, as oþer men þat token þis dowyng. But oþer apostlis, bi oure bileve, passen in heven sich staat; for it is bineþe bileve þat þes popis ben in hevene, siþ bileve of holi writt seiþ not þat þei ben seintis. And so for blyndenes of þis world þei token to worship þat was shame. And Crist myȝte not have do þus, for Crist myȝte not have synned. And þus, where ypocritis seien þat þis dowing doiþ worship, it doiþ myche shame to men, ȝif riȝt bileve coude conceyve it. For shame of synne is þe moste þat ech man shulde eschewe, for it bringiþ to þe moste shame, þat shal be at þe daie of dome. Wel Y woot þat fendis lymes wolen argue aȝens þis sentence, and disprove oure wordis here; but jugement of þe firste treuþe, and his liif, wiþ his reule, techiþ us sumwhat here how þis is Goddis treuþe. And sich lordship of preestis, wiþ oþer synnes þat comen after, may dis|troie rewmes here, and do harm to al þe Chirche. For, siþ sich lordship is rote of batailis and divisiouns, it mai falle bi þis synne þat prestis taken fiȝting fro lordis; and so þes lordis shulden lyve as vikeris, and þes prestis shulden lyve as knyȝtis. And þus myȝte Cristis religioun be reversid for þe more part. And prelatis, boþe more and lesse, mai assente to þis sentence, and freris mai falle wiþ hem, and chide bi wordis þat it is soþ; as it falliþ in þis tyme þat prestis fiȝting is preisid, ȝhe, for a feyned cause, þat noon in þis world can grounde. And after þis synne mai falle, þat ladies ben taken privyly, and afterward apertli, fro þer hosebondis, bi preestis. And þis wey may fiȝting falle wiþinne rewmes and distrye hem; for preestis mai coveiten to myche of rewmes, and chef lordship of hem. God shilde us fro sich perils; for ȝif þei fallen in oure tyme, many helpers shulden þei have of Anticristis clerkis þat darken now. For Goddis lawe seiþ þus; þat þei ben cursid of him þat bowen

fro Goddis comandementis; and þis cursing is more to charge, for þis Lord mai not erre. And herfore alle men shulden defende Goddis lawe on þer manere; for litil errour in þis lawe wole growe to a greet harme.

Crist axiþ here mekenes and poverte, wiþ verri pees; and algatis in hise preestis þat ben hier in degree; and ever þe hiȝere þat þei ben, þe more þei shulde have of þes vertues. And ȝif þou seie, þat þes richessis ben goode, and Cristis prestis ben more worþi; whi shulde not þei have þes goodis passinge bifore oþer men? many sich blynde resouns ben maad bi Anticristis clerkis; as sum men arguen for þeves, þat þei ben more hardi men, whi shulden þei not have þe goodis þat þei robben fro oþer men? Speciali, siþ bi Goddis lawe alle þingis shulden be comune. But here men seien, þat þeves ben hardi but to do synful dedes, and þei ben þe moste cowardis in doinge of dedes of vertue. And as a corde is a good þing, and þe tree is a good þing, but ȝit þe hanging on þe galewis is harmful to þis þef; so worldli goodis ben good, but mysuse of hem is yvel. For God haþ put alle þingis in mesure, and passyng þerof is foul and yvel; as many creaturis ben good, and habitude of hem is yvel. And Goddis lawe techiþ þis ordre, and which of þis is better þan oþer. Certis, worldli richesse is good, but not so good as ben vertues; and cloþis of þe ordris ben good, but not so good as ordre in soule. Goddis lawe techiþ in what ordre hise servantis shulde use his goodis; and mesure of þis ordre is betere þan is havynge of þes goodis. And þus we graunten þat preestis shulden have peple þat were suget to hem, but first suget to Cristis lawe; and þus þei shulden have þis peple for þe traveile and þe service þat þei shulden do to þis peple. But Crist haþ in anoþer manere peple, and alle goodis of þis world; for he is boþe God and man, þat mai faile in noþing.