ÞE SEVENTENÞE SONDAY [AFTIR TRINITE].

[SERMON XLVII.]

POUL telliþ in þis epistle al Cristene men to kepe charite, for *. [The apostle urges all Chris∣tian men to keep charity.] þis is lore ful and ynowȝ to ech man to come to hevene. Poul bigynneþ, and seiþ þus; Y, bounden in þe Lord, preye ȝou to kepe þis lore, for love of God and of ȝoure soule. Poul meneþ þat he was bounden, not for þefte ne for mansleyng, but for þe love of God þat he hadde to teche his lawe. And þus he was boundun in prisoun at Rome bi enemyes of Crist; and 2. [So in E; om. A.] siþ Crist is Lord of alle, in þis Lordis name was he bounden. And þis shulde move þes Ephesies to take hede to Poulis wordis, for he chargiþ hem not bi money, ne biddiþ hem bi lordly mandementis, but preieþ hem for þer soulis helpe of þing þat shulde be good for hem. Lord, what love hadde þis Poul to Crist and to Cristene men, whan he wroot þus in prisoun Page  357 to folk to turne hem to Crist! And whan he myȝt frely go, he traveilide to hem many perils. Lord, how ferre is oure pope and his bishopis fro Poulis lyf! whan þei comanden men to come to him, alȝif God comande þe contrarie; and þis is for worldli wynnynge, and to shewe þer lordshipe. Poul preieþ þes men mekeli and honestli, not for 1. [So E; om. A.] his wynnynge, þat þei walken worþili in þe cleping þat þei ben clepid. Þei ben clepid Cristene men of Crist, Lord of al lordis; and ȝif þei taken worþili þis name of þis Lord, þan þei muten holde his lawe 2. [So E; lawes, A.], and teche it and defende it; for he is traitoure to þis Lord, þat fouliþ falsly his name. And þis preiyng þat Poul preieþ is ferre fro Anticristis somounnyng, for it conteyneþ fyve partis, þat drawun to oonhede and pees, and not to rebellioun ne lord∣ship of Anticrist.

Poul biddiþ hem at þe first to go wiþ al mekenesse. It is *. [and humility.] greet mekenesse þat þe lasse obeishe to þe more, but it is more meeknesse þat þe even obeishe to his even. But it is moost mekenesse, þat þe Lord obeishe to his servaunt; and þus came Crist to Baptist, to be baptisid of him. And þus shulde Cristene men kepe þes þree degrees of mekenes; and specialy siþ men witen not what witt þat God haþ ȝovun þer breþeren to telle 3. [telle hem, E.], and to consaile hem to þing þat is Goddis wille. And herfore Poul biddiþ aftir, þat þei go in bonernesse, þat is a vertue of *. [and tractable∣ness.] mekenesse, whanne men done as þei ben conseilid; for þes men ben tretable in Goddis name, as þei shulden. But Cristene men shulden not trowe to ech spirit þat spekiþ to hem; for ȝif it be aȝen resoun, and sowne to worldly heynesse, and not to profite to mennis soulis, þei shulden not do aftir it; for þat were fendis obedience, and unobedience to God. Þe þridde *. [and be patient, and bear with one another, in peace and unity.] tyme preieþ Poul, þat þei go wiþ pacience to God, and suffre wrong of þer neiȝboris, for bi siche pacience may oo man sup∣porte anoþir, and overcome his pride and ire, bi whiche þe fend temptiþ him. And þis is a gret work of goostli mercy to þi broþir, and bi siche pacience ben þe fend and man overcomen.

And aftir þes foure honest preiyngis biddiþ Poul, þat men be bisie to kepe oonhede of spirit in bond bi which God knittiþ pees.Page  358 And wolde God þat þes foure sectis wolden traveile aboute þis *. [Would that this last pre∣cept were ob∣served by the four sects!] oonhede! for þan shulde pees be in þe Chirche wiþouten strif of doggis in a poke. Anticrist haþ put diverse doggis in þe poke of his obedience; and þei grutchen aȝens þis, for it is so unkyndely. For al men shulden be o bodi, siþ þei shulden be o chirche; and þei shulden be o spirit, as it was in þe former chirche. Luk seiþ, þat of þe multitude of men þat trowiden þan in Crist, was o herte and o soule, and so shulde it ȝit be, siþ al þe Chirche is clepid ȝit, in oon hope of þer clepyng. For al Cristene men ben clepid to þe fest of hevenli blis, but Crist seiþ þat fewe ben chosen, for fewe holden oonhede of love. And herfore haþ þe fend brouȝt in diversite of þes newe ordris.

And herfore telliþ Poul oonhede in foure þingis, þat shulden *. [The four-fold unity of be∣lievers] move þes foure sectis to kepe oonhede in þer lif. Þer is o Lord, seiþ Poul, and o bileve to alle men, and o baptym in þe ground. For o Crist baptisiþ þe soule, o water cam out of his herte, o vertu makiþ men clene; and þis is oonhede of þe Trinite. Þe fourþe oonhede þat Poul telliþ is, o God, þat knyttiþ al þes, for he is fadir of alle men, and speciali of al his children; and ȝit he is above alle þingis, and bi alle þingis, and in us alle. Blessid be þis God, þat þus drawiþ men to oonhede of himsilf.

And here trowun Cristene men þat diversite of bileves þat *. [disturbed by mis-belief con∣cerning the Eucharist.] ben in þe sacrid oost makiþ diversite in þe Chirche; and þis mut nedis make aftir diversite at þe day of dome, and maken sum men be taken to hevene, and sum men to go to helle. For Poul seiþ, þer is oo bileve þat alle Cristene men shulden have; and diversite in o part þerof makiþ diversite in al þe bodi. And wolde God þat lordis knewun þe errour 1. [knewen errours, E.] in þis unite, and constreyneden men in þe Chirche to acorde in þis bileve; as Crist seiþ, and seintis aftir, þat þe oost, whan it is sacrid, is verili Cristis owne bodi in forme of breed, as Cristene men bileven, and neiþer accident wiþouten suget, ne nouȝt, as heretikes seyn. And errour in witt of holy writt haþ brouȝt in þis heresie. And þey seyen 2. [So E; A has þei þat seyn.] þat holy writt is fals, and ȝyven it witt aftir hemsilf; and þus þis witnes moveþ hem not þat Crist seiþ þus in holy writt. But oon newe secte seiþ on Page  359 in þis, and anoþir sect seiþ þe contrarie. But wolde God þe bodi of holy Chirche wolde forsake hem til þei acordiden; siþ o sect haþ o feiþ, and anoþir haþ here þe contrarie; but ech of þes fals sectis aȝen-seiþ bileve of Crist. And ȝif þei seien, to plese þe puple, þat þis oost is Cristis bodi, þei seyn pryvely 1. [So E; om. A.] þe contrary, and sclaundren þe pope and his courte, þat alȝif he seide sum tyme þat þis oost was Cristis bodi, now þei han tauȝte him bettere, and seien þat it is worse þan ouȝt 2. [nouȝt, E.].