þing profitiþ to oure soule. And if we heeren sich falsenes þat we wite profitiþ not, we shulden not heeren but wiþ peyne, and trowe not þerto, and algatis fle sich men þat tellen sich talis; for God haþ ȝovun us heeringe to heeren his workes, þat ben moo and sutiler þan þis witt wole suffise to.
And herfore þe gospel telliþ how Crist dide a miracle, and heelide a deef man and domb upon þis manere: Crist toke him aside fro þe comune peple, and putte his fyngris in his eeris, and wiþ his spitting touchide his tonge, and ȝaf him þanne vertue to heeren and to speke. God here techiþ man for to fle fablis þat ben in comune peple, and take hede to him. Þe sutil workes of God ben hise smale fyngris, þat men shulden heer and trowe, and þerwiþ fede þer wittis, and wiþ sich savery treuþis occupien her speechis. And þus mai we þenke how we ben deffe and dumbe; but we shulden wiþ þes two wittis wake to oure God, for he wole have rekenynge, boþe in oure deþ and at þe daie of dome, how we have dispendid vertues þat he haþ ȝovun us.
And siþ we witen not whanne þis rekenynge shal falle, it is a greet wisdom to wake aȝens þis tyme; and herfore seiþ Crist, Þis þing wite we wel, þat ȝif þe hosebonde wiste whanne þe þeef were to come, certis he wolde wake, and suffre him not to myne his hous [In the first Wycliffite version—'suffre not his hous to be undirmynyd.'] Þis þeef is þe fend, joyned to man, to tempte him, and to harme him al þat he can, and speciali in tyme þat þis man shulde die; for if he take þeefli virtues fro þis man in hour of hise deeþ, he doiþ þise þefte moost. And ȝif he have maistrie to sle siche a man, he chesiþ sich a tyme whanne he is moost unredi; and þanne he is ful bisie to bringe in þe worste synne, for þanne his ful victorie is endid in þat man. And here men douten comunli, what hour men shal dien, wheþer God shal take hem in her beste tyme. But here we shal wite, þat alle þo þat shal be saif waken in hour of her deþ, and over comen þe fend, and suffren him not þanne to undirmyne her hous. And so þes men dien, whanne þei ben moost ripe. But ȝif þe fend lede hem þanne as his owne servantis, and þei shal be dampned, he waitiþ him a tyme whanne he trowiþ best
