þei þat taken worldli fode ever in resoun, to serve God, and not to lustli fede þe fleish, for likyng þat is þerinne. Þe þridde tyme seiþ Crist, he cam to departe þe housebondis broþer aȝens his wyves sister; and þat is done whan love of manhede of Crist puttiþ awei fleishli workis. And þus not oonli fleishli fadir but goostli fadir shulde be left, whanne þei ben aȝens God, for þat love shulde be kyng. Ȝhe, ȝif þi pope or þi bishop or þi persoun bidde þee do þat God biddiþ þee not do, leve hem þanne and holde wiþ God. And we mai not seie to þes, þat þei mai not erre, ne be aȝens mannis soule, siþ þei ben put to reule it;—certis so ben many þingis put bi kynde to helpe and reule, and ȝit yvel custom of mannis enemy mai turne hem to anoie þe soule, much more þes þree fadris [Namely, a man's pope, bishop, and parish priest.] þat ben more strange fro [to, E.] man. And þus seiþ Crist, þat mannis enemyes ben his owne homely; for more enemyes haþ no man þan is lust þat sueþ his fleishe, and moche more þes þree fadris, þat shulden helpe man to hele of soule. For ech þing þat lettiþ þis hele, and bringiþ in siknes of soule, is enemy to þis man, ȝhe, more þan he þat sleeþ his bodi.
And to shewe þat al þis reule stondiþ in skilful love of God, seiþ Crist moreover, þat whoso loveþ his fadir or modir more þan Crist, he is not worþi of him, for he is not worþi to have Crist in hevene, boþe God and broþer. And so bi reule þat Crist ȝyveþ here, boþe fleishli fadir and modir shulde be lesse loved þan Crist, and if þei stireden aȝens Crist þei shulden be left, and dispisid, and moche more þes oþer fadirs þat ben more strange to men. As, ȝif þi pope or þi bishop or þi persoun bidde þee fiȝte or ȝyve him of þi goodis aȝens þe resoun þat Crist haþ ȝovun, dispise hem utterli, and holde þe reule þat Crist techiþ; and ever flee þis heresie, þat þes fadirs mai not erre here. And to þis witt seiþ Crist after, þat he þat loveþ his sone or douȝter more þan Crist, is not worþi of him; and þis is soþ of fleishli children and of workes þat þe soule doiþ; for summe ben workes of þe soule, and summe workes of þe fleishe. And ofte tymes in boþe þes erriþ a man fro þe reule of treuþ, as ofte tymes is a mannis soule occupied to
