Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.

& not to þe lawe. But what criste commaundiþ, here ȝe: 'He [[Luke xiv. 33.]] þat forsakiþ not alle þingis þat he haþ in possession may not be my disciple.' Crist denyeþ him to be his disciple þat haþ [page 19b] any þinge in possess[i]on, and him þat forsakiþ not alle þingis þat he haþ; & what do we? how rede we þes þingis oure sijlfe, oþer how expowne we þes þingis to þe peple? þe whiche renounce not þes þingis þat we han, but we willen gete to vs þo þinges þat we hadden neuer bifore we cam to criste. That is to forsake pouert and bodely trauelle for to haue riches and ese. But certis þis is contrarie to þe apostles lijfe, as saynt petir witnessiþ, saynge to criste: what schal be to vs þat han [Matt. xix. [27.]] forsaken alle þingis & swen þe? so petir axed not lordeschip & ese of þis lijfe to rewarde for his seruyce." And þerfor þe holy doctoure Odo in a sermon saiþ, þat bigynneþ þus, [page 20] Ecce, nos reliquimus omnia: "Abel is dede; þe bissynes of schipard and spiritual mornynge or weylynge is slayne; but cayme, þat is possession, is kept, ȝee and caym þe erþe-tyllere, is made þe hirde or gouernor [gouer MS.] of sowlis. For it is not axyd in þe chirche if he kan welle teche, or if he kan wepe & weyle for synys, but ȝef he be caym, þat is an erþe-tilyere þat kan welle tille þe londe. And it is no wondir þouȝ possession sle ful many, siþ it is venym. For þe same day þat the chirche was endowid bi constantyne, þer was herde a voyce in þe eyre: 'to-day is venym sched in-to þe chirche.' for the chirche was made more in dignite but lesse in religion. And if it be axid of siche oone: [page 20b] 'where is þe schepe þat was bytaken to þe?' he awnsweriþ 'wheþer I am kepar of my broþer?' as þouȝ he sayde, 'what charge is to me of þe sowlis, so þat I haue welle ordenyd for þe temporalle goodis.' Syche ben acursid, as cayme was, þat led owte þe schepe abel & brynge hym not aȝen, but disseyuen hym; of whiche god saiþ by þe prophete Ezechiel, her schipardis han disseyuyd hem." Alle þis saiþ þe goode doctour Odo. To siche holy sentence of scripture & doctouris schulden lordis take hede; for saynt ysydre saiþ,
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Title
The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew.
Author
Wycliffe, John, d. 1384.
Canvas
Page 374
Publication
London,: Pub. for the Early English text society, by Trübner & co.,
1880.

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"The English works of Wyclif hitherto unprinted.Edited by F. D. Matthew." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/aeh6713.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 16, 2025.
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