ÞE MONEDAY GOSPEL IN ÞE FOURÞE WEKE IN LENTE.

[SERMON CLXVI.]

ÞIS gospel telliþ what Crist dide to reprove synne of þe *. [Christ purify∣ing the temple.] Chirche. Joon telliþ þat, Pask was nyȝ, a feeste dai of þe Jewis, and Jesus wente up to Jerusalem. And fond men biyng and sellyng in þe temple, sheep, and neet, and dowves, and monyours sittinge. And whanne he hadde maad as a scourge of smale cordis, he caste al out of þe temple.

And here Crist shewide his regaly 2. [regalie, E, Q.], and tauȝte how lordis *. [The Church in equal need of purification.] shulde chastise symonye, and oþer synnes þat ben usid in þe Chirche. For siþ clerkis ben lege men to kingis in whos londis þei ben inne, kyngis han power of God to punishe hem in Page  89 Goddis cause, boþe in bodi and in catel; and þis figuriþ Cristis dede. Þes preestis sillen sheep, þat in þe Chirche feynen symple liif, þat þe puple shulde offre to hem, more þan for þe love of God. And þes preestis sillen oxen, þat doon grete werkes and stronge, to be holden pilleris of þe Chirche, and champiouns in Goddis cause. And ȝif þei doon siche worldli dedes for to gete name of þe world, and not for love of Cristis Chirche, þanne þei ben enemyes to God. As, ȝif bishopis fiȝten now, and ben arayed in hors and meyne, or ben greet in hous∣hold, and oþer þingis to fede þe world, þei ben enemyes to Crist, and not in þis sutours of him. Þes men sillen dowves, þat sillen werkes of preestis, as sacraments, and oþer werkes þat longiþ hem for to do. For dowve bitokeneþ þe Holi Goost, and telliþ how prestis shulden worche freely. And þis chaffaryng wiþ dowves is not oonly bi selling of chirchis, but in prechinge and shryvyng, and wel nyȝ in alle werkes of preestis, as halowyng of chirches, and auteris, and visiting, wiþ oþer japis. So þat holi chirche were betere þat sich japis weren not uside, for þes preestis bi siche japis fuylen hem and harmen þe puple. And as Crist cast out of þe temple sheep and neet, bi bodili strengþe, and shedde out metale of monyours, bi which þei chaffariden in þe temple, so lordis shulden wiþdrawe mater of þis synne of preestis. For ellis þei maynteyneden þis synne, and disusiden aȝens God goodis þat þei shulden be lordis of, and þus þei harmeden hem and þe chirche. And þanne þei, turnen doun þes bordis, whanne þei distrien þer menes bi whiche þis synne shulde be nurishid, to harm of þe rewme and of þe Chirche. And þus seculer men shulde seie to preestis þat sillen þus dowves, Take ȝe þes þingis hennes. For þus bad Crist to teche us; for siþ þe hous of þe Fadir of hevene shulde be figure of Goddis dede, and God mut nedis do freeli, and chaf∣fere not wiþ sich þingis, þes men þat chaffaren þus blasfemen fouli 1. [foule, E.] in God. And so þe hous of holi chirche shulde not be hous of chaffaring.

And disciplis of Crist þouȝten over how it was writtun, in þe Salme, Þe zele of ipocritis in Goddis hous haþ eten Crist in þeir Page  90 lyvyng. For þei feynen of alle þer dedis þat þei ben Cristis werkes, and þus þei lyven bi title of Crist, and geten al þer chaffare here. And so þer feestis and oþer dedis ben fals fruyte of Cristis liif, and þus þei eten falseli Crist bi þer feyned ypocrisie. And þes wordis mai þe Sone seie to his Fadir of false preestis; for þei feynen þat it is love þat þei han to Goddis hous, but it is foul envie and coveitise of ypocritis. And so þei bacbiten Crist, and eten false goodis feyned of him.

And herfore þe Jewis answeriden, and seiden to Crist, What signe shewist þou to us, þat þou doist þes maistris? Jesus answeride, and seide to hem, Undo ȝe þis temple, and in þree daies Y shal reise it. Herfore seiden þe Jewis, In fourti and sixe ȝeer was þis temple bildid, and shalt þou reise it in þree daies? But Crist seide of þe temple of his bodi, and þei meneden of þat material temple. And whanne Crist hadde arisen fro deed, þanne his disciplis þouȝten on þat Crist seide þes wittes, and þei trowiden to þe writing, and to þe word þat Jesus seide. And whanne Crist was in Jerusalem in Pask, many trowiden in his name, seyinge þe signes þat he dide. But Jesus trowide not himsilf to hem, for he knew alle men, and for it was no nede to him þat ony shulde bere witnesse of man, for he wiste what was in man;—siþ he wiste of ech man what he shal do, boþe good and yvel, and so he hadde no nede of spies, to wite what men spaken of him. And herfore Crist trowide not in 1. [om. Q, E.] him∣silf to hem, þat þei weren trewe in his love. And of þis tixt mai men take, what signe Crist shewide of his dedis. For Crist bi his manhede telde of his suffryng and his deþ, and bi autorite of hem Crist spak and dide his dedis. And þus preestis feynen falseli þat þis lordship and glorie of þis world longiþ to patri∣monye of Crist, þat was don upon cross 2. [þe crosse, E.]. And as þes blas∣femes mai speke, þei sclaundren Crist in þeir speche.