of here, ben þre wakingis fro synne, and algatis fro þe laste synne þat is þe worste yvel þat mai be; and so we preien in þe Pater noster God to delyvere us fro þis yvel. Þes vigiles ben clepid þre, for þe Holy Trinite, for þouȝt of resoun of him, shulde make men to wake wel. And so ech tyme þat man lyveþ here is departid in þree parties, and tyme to þe dai of dome is also de|partid in þree; and, for þe quantite of þes þree is uncertein to man, þerfore he shulde ever wake, and þanne he wakiþ þes þree vigilis. Þe first þree haþ ech seint, bifore þe soule go fro þe bodi; þe toþer þre haþ þe Chirche, bifore þe dai of dome come. And so unknowing of þes tymes, and knowinge how men shulden ever wake, profitiþ unto Goddis children, as done alle þingis. As Poul seiþ [The passage referred to is not in any of the Pauline epistles, but in 1 Pet. i. 17.] , bi þat þat we knowun not þe quantite of þes þre tymes, shulden we ever more be in drede and ever wake out of synne.
And þis lore techiþ Crist in a parable to his children. Þis þing he seiþ, wite we [ȝe, E.] wel þat ȝif þe housebonde wiste what tyme þe [So E; om. A.] þeef wolde come, and stele his goodis, he wolde wake warli, and suffre not þis þeef þus to breken his hous, and spoylen him. It is touchid bifore [See Sermon LXXVI, p. 251.] how þis þeef is þe fend, þat doiþ al his diligence to tempte man whanne he shal die. For ech man and a fend ben couplid togider in a liste and fiȝten boþe niȝt and dai, and algatis whanne þe fend hopiþ to overcome. And so whanne þe nyȝt of synne blindiþ men to knowun hemsilf, þanne is tyme to þe fend to fiȝte fastist [fast, E.] wiþ his make; for riȝt as nestis in a sunne beem ben wel per|ceyved wiþ filþe of man, so synnes ben wel perceyved of a man þat is in grace. Þis þeef worchiþ ever bi disseitis, and fiȝtiþ bleþeliest [So E; blelyerst, A.] on nyȝtis; and in tyme of mannis deþ he enforsiþ moost to overcome, for þis victorie shal ever laste, on wheþer side þat it falle. Þis housebondis hous is his bodi, þat his soule is kept ynne; and undirmynyng of þis hous mai be don on two maneres. First, whanne þe fend supposiþ þat a man shal die here, he gaderiþ togidere mannis spiritis, and temptiþ him to mony synnes, as to ire and lecherie, and algatis to dis|peire.
