ÞE ÞURSDAI GOSPEL IN ÞE ÞRIDDE WEKE IN LENTE.

[SERMON CLXIII.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ of Crist, how he tauȝte þe soule fode. For *. [Christ admo∣nishing the Jews; the true bread from heaven.] it is knowun bi þis gospel, þat þer ben two metis; oon bodili mete, bi which þe bodi is fed, anoþer goostli mete, þe which fediþ mannis soule. And as mannis soule is betere þan þe bodi, so þis secounde mete is betere þan þe firste; and so men shulden take more hede to þis þan to þe first. Joon seiþ how, Crist bad þat we shulden worche, not mete þat perishiþ, but þat mete þat lastiþ unto þe liif wiþouten eende; þe which mete mannis sone shal ȝyve unto Cristene men. Here shulden we undir∣stonden þat Crist forbede not bodili metis, siþ he fedde ofte þe puple bi miracle, and bi bodili mete, but Crist forbede Page  81 bisynesse aboute sich bodili mete, and more love þerof þan love of goostli mete. Crist telliþ here two skiles, to prove þat goostli mete is betere. Oon, for bodili mete mut perishe, and goostli mete lastiþ evere. Anoþer, for goostli mete bringiþ man to þe liif þat evere shal laste, but no bodili mete fediþ a man but for a tyme. Goostly mete lastiþ wiþ man, boþe here and in heven, siþ vertues bigynnen here, and ben betere in hevene wiþ man. But Crist techiþ his Godhede, whanne he seiþ þat mannis sone shal ȝyve þis mete of vertues, for þei ben of Goddis grace. Þis Crist markide God þe fadir, for to ȝyve þe mete of vertues.

Þes Jewis seiden herfore to Crist, What shulen we do, for to worche Goddis werkes? And Crist tauȝte hem þe ordre of vertues, how þei shulden bigynne to worche. Þis is þe werk of God, seiþ Crist, þat ȝe trowen in him þat God sente. And so men shulden bigynne at bileve, þe which þei taken at manhede of Crist; for bileve is ground to man, to stable oþer vertues in him. And siþ bodili wittis of man ben liȝter þan goostli wittis, ordre axiþ to bigynne at þe manheed of Crist, and stye fro þis manheede to þe Godhede of Crist. For noon bileveþ in a man, but ȝif he leeve þat he is God. And herfore þei seiden to Crist, What signe doist þou, þat we see and trowe to þee? what þing worchist þou? Oure fadirs eeten aungels mete in desert, as it is writun, God ȝaf hem breed of hevene to ete. Þerfore Jesus seide to hem, Forsoþe, forsoþe, I seie to ȝou, Moises ȝaf ȝou not breed from hevene, but my fadir ȝyveþ ȝou verri breed fro hevene. As Crist haþ spoken of goostli mete, so he shulde speke of goostli breed. And as breed is ground of mannis mete, so bileve is ground of mete of soule. And siþ Crist is þis first bileve, verrili Crist is breed. For Goddis breed is þat ilke þat comeþ doun fro hevene, and ȝyveþ liif to þe world.

Crist spekiþ not ȝit of þe sacred oost, siþ on Shire Þursdaie *. [Bread; its various sig∣nifications in Scripture.] he ordeynede it. And so it is nedeful to men to knowe, how ofte breed is taken. It is seid comunli þat breed is taken on foure maneres. First, for breed þat men usen and maken for to fede þer bodi. Also, for al manere of virtue, but speciali for bileve. Also, for cause of þis virtue, as teeris 1. [teris, E.] ben clepid of Page  82 God breed a. [Can the reference be to Gen. i. 29?]. Also, þe sacrid oost is clepid breed in Goddis lawe; and þus þe myddil persone of God is breed, for he foundiþ bileve. And þus þe oost of þe auter is verri breed, to many wittis; it is breed maad of whete, and eke it is Goddis bodi; and so it groundiþ bileve, and it is an object of virtues. But flee to clepe þis breed, accident wiþouten suget. And þus men worchen vertues whanne þei traveilen in þeir soule, and heeren wordis of God, or worchen to vertues þat in hem is. And þe Jewis seiden to Crist, For evere ȝyve us þis breed. And Jesus seide to hem, Y am breed of liif; he þat comeþ to me shal not hungre, and he þat trowiþ in me shal nevere be aþirst. And here men treten comunli how þis breed shal be eeten. It shal be chewid b. [He means to say; chewing in the mouth of the soul must be in∣terpreted, discreetly treating and rea∣soning upon.] in mouþ of soule, for tretid godeli bi skilis; and siþ it shal be hid in mynde, as mete is hid in mannis stomake, and þere move men to worche werkes of love as God biddiþ; and aftir it passiþ to alle lymes of men, and turneþ man into God. For, as Austyn telliþ here c. [S. Aug. In Johannis Ev. Tract. XXV. 'Non ergo Moyses dedit panem de coelo; Deus dat panem. Sed quem panem? forte manna? Non, sed panem quem significavit manna, ipsum scilicet Dominum Jesum.'], þis breed varieþ from oþer breed. Oþir breed is þikke, partid, and turned into oþer kynde; and after it is turned into his bodi þat etiþ it. But þis breed, þat is Crist, etun goostli of man, mai not wende þes þree weies. For he mai not be þus partid, ne turned in anoþer kynde, ne þus drawun into mannis bodi; but he turniþ man into him, as man turneþ mete into his bodi. But over, siþ þis beste breed is ground of alle vertues of man, how faste shulde a man holde clere bileve of þis breed! And ȝif we seien þat so we doon, for Crist biddiþ us worche þis mete, neþeles oure liif and dedis beren witnes aȝens us here. For to fewe men ben now, þat ne þei hadden levere heere and lerne veyn lore biside þis, þan for to lerne þe lore of Crist; as þes men shewen, þat studien mannis lawe, and leven Goddis lawe, and doen more worship to mannis lawe, þan þei don to Goddis lawe; and however men excuse hem, þes ben heretikes out of bileve. And herfor many Cristen men dispisen þes lawes for Goddis lawe, and worshipen Page  83 it wiþ al þer myȝt, boþe in drede and in love. But how 1. [now, E, Q.] many enemyes haþ God, to turne men fro þis lawe 2. [Q adds the following words, not found in A or E: Certis non erþeliche man knowiþ fulliche, but þou, Lord, wost þe soþe. Þerfore, good God, helpe þi chirche, siþ it was nevere more nede.]!