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

of þe chirche cam in, all-þouȝ [I] rehers & blame her synne, þan I do petir & his felowis whan I say þat þai synfully forsoken criste, or poule whan [page 29b] i say þat he wickidly pursuyd cristis chirche. for I blame of no þinge wher-of þai schuld be sayntis, no more þan I do þes apostles; alle-þouȝ I blame her synnys, þe whiche þai hem self dampnyd, & wer sori þat euer þai synned so. For petir wept sore for his [Matt. xxvi. [75.]] synne, as þe gospelle saiþ. and saynt poule, mekely knowlech|ynge his synne, saide þat he was not worþi to be callid [[1] Cor. xv. [9.]] apostle of criste, and þat bi-cause þat he pursuyd cristis chirche. And on þe same wise siluestre and þes sayntis diden, or ellis schuld haue do for her synne. For whan we will preyse sayntis, we schul loke wherin þai suyd criste and his lawe in worde, dede, or maners, and so ferr þai ben worþi [Matt. xi.] preysynge [page 30] and no ferþer; for crist is þe mesure of vertuous lyuynge & worchynge; and herfore he calliþ alle men to sue [Matt.xxviii.[20.]] hym & to lerne of hym, & namely prestis to teche þat þat he tawȝte, and þan we may not erre. And herfore saynt poule [Eph. v. [1.]] [[should be 1 Cor. xi. 1.]] tauȝte cristen peple to sue hym, but no ferrer þan he sueþ ihesu criste. And saynt petir remittiþ þe pepille to criste, for to take of hym ensaumple; saiynge þus: "Crist haþ suffred for [1 Peter ii. [21.]] vs, leuynge ȝou ensaumple þat ȝe filow þe steppis of hym þat did no synne, neþir was eny gyle founden in his mouþe." And so a man may euer saafly sue his lyuynge and techynge wiþ-owte eny errynge; but & we sue in alle þingis eiþer petir, poule, or siluestre, or eny [page 30b] oþer synfulle man, we must nedis erre in many þingis, as þai diden. Loke þan if siluestre suyd criste whan he forsoke þe pouert of þe gospelle & by-cam a lorde vpon þe west empire of þe worlde. And if he so did, þan preyse hym in þat doynge, & ellis not. for whi no man may putt an oþer grounde bisidis þat þat is putt, þe whiche is criste ihesu.