Vidit Johannes Jesum venientem ad se.—JOH. i. [29.]
ÞIS gospel telliþ a witnesse, how Baptist witnesside of Crist, boþ of his godhede and eke of his manhede. Þe storye seiþ þus, þat Joon say Jesus comynge to him and saide þus of oure Lord, Lo, þe loomb of God; lo him þat takiþ awey the synnes of þis world, for he is boþe God and man. Crist is clepid Goddis lombe, for many resouns of þe lawe. In þe olde lawe weren þei wont to offre a lombe wiþouten wem, þe whiche shulde be of o ȝere, for þe synne of þe puple. Þus Crist, þat was wiþ|outen wem, and of o ȝeer in mannis elde was offrid in þe cros for þe synne of al þis worlde, and where siche lambren þat weren offrid felden sum tyme to þe preestis, þis lombe þat made ende of oþer felde [fel, C.] fulli to Goddis hond. And oþer lambren in a maner fordide þe synne of o cuntre, but þis lombe proprely fordide þe synne of alle þis worlde. And þus he was ende and figure of lambren of þe olde lawe, and þus shewiþ Baptist by his double spekynge þe manhede of Crist and his godhede; for oonly God myȝte þus fordo synne, siþ alle oþer lambren hadden wemmes, þat þei myȝten not hem silfe fordo. And so, al if preestis have power to relese synne as Cristis vikeris, neþeles þei have þis power in as myche as þei acorden wiþ Crist; so þat ȝif þer keies and Cristis wille be discording atwynne, þei feynen hem falsely to assoile, and þan þei neiþer loosen ne bynden; so þat in ech siche worchynge þe godhede of Crist mut first wirche.
And herfore seiþ Baptist of Crist; Þis is he þat Y seide of, After me is to comen a man, þe whiche is made bifore me, for he was anoon my priour. For riȝt as Crist was a man, þe first tyme þat he was conseyved, so God made him þan priour of al his religioun; and he was abbot, as Poul seiþ, of þe best
