mesure after Crist to oþer men þat suen hem. And certeyn þei ben not frendis to Crist þat han not þis love, but oonli þei þat han þis love; and siþ þis frenship axiþ þat boþe frendis loven togidir, and þat þe love be shewid in dede, as philosophris seien, if we ben frendis to Crist, it is þus in dede bitwixe him and us.
And Crist seiþ efte þis word of love, Now shal Y not clepe ȝou servauntis, for þe servaunt woot not in þat [in þat seems to mean, quâ servant.] what his lord doiþ. And þus men seien comounly þat þer ben two manere of servauntis, servaunt of condicioun, and servaunt of mynysterie. And servaunt of mynysterie may ben on two maneris. Sum men be oonli servauntis of greet service outward, and sum ben servauntis of þes two, boþe of privy counceilis and to do siche service. And on þis wise þe apostlis weren servauntis of Jesus Crist, as þey graunten comounly in bigynnynge of her epistlis; but on þe former manere weren not apostlis now servauntis, for Crist tauȝte hem his privyte and lymytide hem to worþi werkes. And þus spekiþ Crist here; and herfore wolde not þe aungel take worshipe of Joon, as seiþ þe book of pryvytees, but þe angel seiþ to him þat he was his servaunt, and hise breþeren boþe, siþ Crist was man in hevene, and he hadde ordeyned so hiȝe place for hise apostlis, and telden [teelde, E.] hem privytees unknowun to angels. And bi þis equivocacioun moun men liȝtli acorden to Cristis lawe; for, as clerkes witen wel ynowȝ, contradiccioun is not oonly in wordis. And þus seiþ Crist, þat he seiþ hise apostlis to be hise frendis from henneforþ, for alle, he seiþ, þat Y have herd of my Fadir I have maad knowun unto ȝou. And þis is soþ, siþ Cristis apostlis knewen comunly þe book of lyf, and weren in lernynge of þis book, til þat þei knewen aboven aungels; and apostlis wisten þanne truþis þat weren hid from aungels. And cheef cause of þis frendship stondiþ in Crist and not in hem, for þei chesiden not Crist her maistir, but he chees hem unto þis office, and ȝaf to hem vertue for to do al þe service þat he shope hem to.
Crist ordeynede þree þingis to be fillid bi hise apostlis, first þat þei shulden go forth in to þe world and preche his gospel,
