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Goode men, who is þis Emperour? Hope we hit is our lord ihesu crist, þe whicℏ hatℏ ordeyned̛ for lawe, þat ecℏ man shold̛ kepe þe sabotℏ day. virgil that payntitℏ & settitℏ this ymage, is þe Holy gost, þe whicℏ settitℏ vp a prechour, to shewe vertuys & vicis, not sparing no mor̛ þe ricℏ þan þe poore. but nowe on days, if the prechour seye sotℏ, or teƚƚ ho brekitℏ þe commaundement, or þe wiƚƚ
of crist, forsotℏ he shaƚƚ be thretenyd of þe enemeys of crist, scil. Ivel men, þe whicℏ neyþer lovitℏ god, neyþer hire neghebowre. And þerfore in þe days þat ben nowe, the prechour may sey þe wordis, þat wer̛ wretyn in þe front of þe ymage, Tempora mutantur [de pejore in pejus], Tymys ben chaungyd fro worse to worse; Homines deteriorantur, This is to sey, men ben y-chaungyd or ben made worse.—How so? For in tyme afore thei were deuoute, blessid, and meke, and now þei haue no deuocion̛, and ben crueƚƚ, and wickid, and havitℏ no soule; and þerfore he that wol sey sotℏ now, may be shent, and haue a brokyn [leaf 155, back, col. 1] hed̛. And þerfore hit is nedefuƚƚ, þat þer stond armyd men by þe prechour, scil. goode werkis, for to be witℏ him; And if it be so, he dare not drede, if he haue with him god and sotℏfastnesse, as the apostiƚƚ seyetℏ, Si Deus pro me, quis contra me, This is to sey, if God be with me, who may be aȝenst?—as who seyitℏ, noon̛. By þis smytℏ focus is vndirstond euery goode cristyn̛ man; þe whicℏ owitℏ euery day to worcℏ goode workys, and so ben worthi to be presentid to þe Emperour of Hevene, by þe mynystris of þe same Emperour, scil. angelis and holy sayntis, þat haven taken heede to his goode werkis. And as þis smytℏ ȝelde ecℏ day to his fadir ijd, so owe we to ȝelde to oure fadir of hevene oþer too, þat is
to sey, love and honour. For whenne we wer̛ aƚƚ childryn of perdicion̛, and myȝte not helpe vs selfe, Thenne sent god adowne his owne geten sone to delyuer vs out of þraldom, as seyitℏ saynt Ion, Sic Deus dilexit mundum, vt filium suum vnigenitum daret, This is to sey, god lovid þe wordle so wele, that he fowchid-safe to ȝeve his owen geten sone. Also as focus lent to his sone oþer ijd, Riȝt so owe we to ȝelde to þe sone of goode wiƚƚ and meretory workis, that he may ȝelde it to vs aȝen in the day of dome, whenne the body shal be glorified with þe soule. and þat he may be callid our sone, it shewitℏ wele in scriptur̛, wher it is y-saide, Puer nobis natus est, et filius datus est nobis, This is to sey, A child is borne to vs, and a sone is ȝoven to vs. Also he lost ijd vpon̛ his wife,—howe so? Þi wife is þi fleshe, þat þou myȝte not lefe; þe ijd but delectacion̛ and consenting̘, þat þou hast to synne; And so the flesℏ is euer contrarie to þe spirite, and redy to Ivil. Also he spende ijd vpon̛ him selfe, as þus, By þe first peny is vndirstond penaunce for synne, for þe wicℏ þe soule is glorified in hevene; The secounde peny is good
perseueraunce, þat þou owist to haue aƚƚ þe tyme of þi life; For þe aposteƚƚ seyþ, Qui perseuerauerit vsque in finem, saluus erit, This is to sey, He that contynuytℏ vn to the last ende, shaƚƚ be safe. And þerfore if þou wolt in þis Maner spend þyn viijd, douteles þou myȝtℏ come to þe kyndom̛ of heven.