Select English works of John Wyclif. Vol. 3. Miscellaneous works / edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.

CAP. II.

See now how wickid mennis preiere displesiþ God, and [The prayers of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord.] harmeþ hemself and þe peple. God himself seiþ to evele men þat preien to hym in nede on þis manere: 'I have clepid and [Prov. i. 24.] ȝe han forsaken, and han dispisid alle my blamyngis, and I schal lieþe in ȝoure perischynge, and schal scorne ȝou whanne þat þing þat ȝe han dred schal come to ȝow. Þanne þei schullen clepe, and I schal not here; þei schullen rise here∣lyche, and þei schullen not fynde me; for þei hatiden disciplyne,' þat is, lernynge and chastisynge, 'and þus res∣ceyveden not þe drede of þe Lord. And þei assentiden not to my conseile, and depraveden and mysdemeden al my cor∣reccioun,' þat is, reprovynge warnynge and chastisynge of synne. And bi þe prophete Ysaie God seiþ þus to wickide [Is. i. 10.] men: 'ȝe princes of Sodom, here þe Lordis word; þe peple of Gomor, perseyveþ wiþ heris þe lawe of oure Lord God. oure encence is abhomynacioun to me; I schal not suffre ȝoure neomye [A mistake of the scribe for 'neomenye,' which is found in the second Wycliffite version at this place.] ,' þat is a principal feste, 'and Sabaoth and

oþere festis; ȝoure compaynes ben yvele; my soule haþ hatid ȝoure festis of calendis and solempnyties; þei ben made to me hevy and noiful. And whanne [ȝ [not in X.] ] schulden holde forþ ȝoure hondis, I schal turne myn eiȝen awey fro ȝou; and whanne ȝe schullen make many preieris, I schal not here, for ȝoure hondis ben ful of blood,' þat is, of wrong sleynge of men, or foule synnes. Also God seiþ þat þe preiere of þat man þat turneþ awey his ere, þat he here not þe lawe, is abhominable or cursed. Also God seiþ bi þe prophete Malache: 'And now [Mal. ii. 1.] to ȝou, prestis, is þis comaundement, ȝif ȝe wolen here. And ȝif ȝe wolen not putte on ȝoure herte to ȝeve ȝou glorie to my name, siþ [a mistake for seiþ.] þe Lord of compaynyes, or hostis, I schal sende into ȝou nedynesse and schal curse to ȝoure blyssyngis; and I schal curse to hem, for ȝe han not seet þis comaundement on oure [should be ȝoure.] herte. Loo, I schal caste to ȝow þe armie, and sprede abrood upon ȝoure face þe þost, or dirt, of ȝoure solempnyte.' Also bi þe same prophete seiþ God to prestis and mynistris of þe temple; 'Woo is among ȝow, þat schal sitte, and encence myn [Mal. i. 10.] auter wilfully and frely, wiþouten mede?' as who seiþ, noon. 'Þe Lord of companyes seiþ, þer is no wille to me among ȝow, and I schal resceyve no ȝiftis of sacrifice of ȝoure hond.' And God seiþ bi þe same prophete to prestis, 'ȝe han coverid þe [Mal. ii. 13.] auter of þe Lord wiþ teris and wepynge and mornynge,' þat is of widewis and pore men þat [ȝe] oppressen, and disceyven, 'so þat I schal no more biholden to þe sacrifice, and I schal not resceyve only pleasaunt þing of ȝoure hond.' Þerfore seiþ Davyd; 'Ȝif I have biholden wickidnesse in myn herte, þe Lord [Ps. ixvi. 18.] schal not here bi grace;' þat is, ȝif I wilfully and gladly do wickidnesse. And God seis to þe synful man, 'Whi tellist [Ps. l. 16.] þou my riþtwisnesse, and takist my testament bi þi mouþ?' And þe Holy Gost seiþ of Judas Scariot, 'His preiere be maad [Ps. cix. 6.] into synne.' And oure Lord Jesus seiþ, 'Þis peple worschipiþ [Matt. xv. 9.] me wiþ lippis, but here herte is fere fro me. But þei techen loris and maundementis of men, worschipen me wiþouten cause,' þat is, siche men as techen and chargen mennis lawis and tradicions and comaundementis, more þan holy writt and

Goddis hestis, veynly and falsly worschipen God. Also Jesus seiþ to wickid men; 'What seie ȝe to me, Lord, Lord, and don not þe þingis þat I comaundede?' For Jesus seiþ, 'Woo to ȝow, Scribis and Phariseis, ypocritis, þat eten widewis houses, preiynge longe preieris; þerfore ȝe schulle take grettere juge∣ment.' And in þe gospel of Seynt Jon is writen þus: 'And ȝe witen þat God heriþ not synful men, but ȝif ony man wor∣schipiþ God and doiþ his wille, God heriþ hym.' And whanne a prest seiþ his masse out of good lif and charite, and makiþ þe sacrament, he etiþ and drynkiþ his owen dampnacion, not demynge wisly þe body of oure Lord, as Seynt Poul techiþ in holy writt. Þerfore Crisostom seiþ on þe gospel of Mathew [S. Joh. Chrysost. in cap. Matt. vii. Homilia xviii.] ; As a þing may be wiþoute odour or savour, but odor may not be wiþouten sum þing, so a good dede wiþouten preiere is sumwhat, but preire wiþouten goode dede is nouȝt. And Seynt Austyn seiþ on þe Sauter; Ȝif þou passe mesure in mete and drynk, and lyve in glotonye and dronkenesse, whatevere heriyingis [supplied conjecturally; bereiþgis, X.] þi tonge speke, þi lif blasphemeþ God [S. Aug. Enarr. in Ps. cxlvi: 'Si modum naturae debitum immo∣deratione voracitatis excedas, et vinolentia te ingurgites, quantas libet laudes Dei lingua tua sonet, vita blasphemat.'] . Þerfore Seynt Poul seiþ, Many men knowlichen þat þei knowen God, [Tit. i. 16.] but þorowȝ here dedis þei denyen God. And Seynt Gregory writtiþ þus in many bokis, A man seet in grevous synnys, þer∣while he is overchargid wiþ his owen, he doþ not awey oþer mennis synnes. For it is knowen to alle men, þat whanne he þat dispiseþ is sent forþe to preie, þe herte of him þat is worþi is stired to more wraþþe and vengaunce. Soþly it is writun, Þe sacrafies of wickide men ben abhominable to þe Lord; þe vowis of sacrifices of just men ben pleasaunt. For in þe dom of God Almyȝtty, it is not souȝt what is ȝoven, but of whom. Þerfore it is written in holy writt; Þe Lord biheld to Abel and to his ȝiftis. Whanne Moyses schulde seie þat þe Lord tok reward to ȝiftis, bisily he sette bifore þat God biheld Abel; of whiche þing it is schewed opynly þat þe offerere pleside not of ȝiftis, but ȝiftis pleseden of þe offerere or ȝevere. Forsoþe þe heiste

God approveþ not þe ȝiftis of wickid men, ne biholdiþ in here offryngis, ne schal have mercy of synnys in þe multitude of here sacrifices. Also þe Lord is fer fro wickide men, and he schal graciously here þe preieris of juste men. Al þis seiþ Seynt Gregory in þe popis lawe.