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

ÞIS gospel techiþ alle men how þat þei shulden lyve to Crist, but speciali prelatis, þat shulden be liȝt to þe peple. And so, for confessours kepten þis lore in her liif bifore oþer men, þer|fore þe Chirche rediþ þis gospel whanne men seien of con|fessouris. First Crist biddiþ to his disciplis, þat her lendis be girdid bifore, and lanternes brennynge in her hondis, as þei shulden bide her Lord whanne he comeþ aȝen fro bridalis. Þes lendis þat Crist spekiþ of ben þe fleishli kynde joyned wiþ þe soule. And þes lendis helpen þe spirit upon two maneres; and for þes two maneris þei ben clepid lendis. Þis fleish serveþ to þe soule, suffringe as it shulde suffre, and doinge as it shulde do, whanne it is tauȝt wel of þe soule. And þus seiþ Poul [Compare Hebrews vii. 10, Gal. iii. 17. The writer of the sermon appears to have misunderstood the first of these passages.] , þat Crist was in Abrahams lendis. And so Crist techiþ here chastite, as Gregory seiþ [S. Greg. Homilia xiii. 'Lumbos enim praecingimus, cum carnis lux|uriam per continentiam coarctamus.'] ;—but not oonli chastite but alle fleishli vertues. Þes lendis ben girded bifore, whanne man, by discrescioun, drawiþ from his fleish þe norishment þerof; or chastiseþ it, on oþer manere, bifore it falle in synne. Brenn|ynge lanternes ben medeful workes þat men have in her vertue, bi whiche þei shulden worche; and, for þes workes comen boþe of bodi and of soule, þerfore þei ben clepid of Crist two lanternes, and þei ben in oure hondis whanne we worchen wiþ hem. For it is not ynowȝ to kepe us fro synnes, but if we worken gode workes bi þes two lanternes.

But for þes bridalis, we shal wite þat þei ben taken on many maneres; first for þe weddingis þat Crist is joyned wiþ þe soule; after for þe dwellinge þat Crist dwelliþ wiþ þe soule;