myȝt he knowe Cristis manhede. And by oþer two wordis myȝt he knowe Cristis godhede; first by þat he seiþ þat þis man cam doun bifore fro hevene, and þis myȝt nevere be but ȝif Crist were God or [or='before that.'] he were man. Þe secounde word þat shewiþ þe godhede of þis persone, is, þat Crist seiþ þat he is mannis sone þat is in hevene, ȝhe, after þat he bycam man; ffor þus is Crist [Crist is, B, C.] two kyndes godhede for evermore, and evermore [So E; A, B, C, om. and evermore.] in hevene drawynge to him whom him likeþ. And þus Crist techiþ wel ynouȝ to knowe þe secounde person, boþ in godhede and in manhede, as myche as he shulde þan knowe him.
But to telle þe þridde persone, in pointis of bileve, Crist telliþ to Nichodeme, As Moyses heied þe addre in desert to hele þe puple by lokynge on him, so mut mannis sone be hyed in þe cros, þat ech man þat trowiþ in him, perishe not in helle, but have lyf wiþouten eende, þat is blisse of hevene. Here mut we knowe þe storye of þe olde lawe hou þe puple was hirt by stynging of addres, and Moses preied God to telle him sum medecyne; and God bade him take an addre of bras, and hong hym hye on a tree to þe puple to loke on, and he þat lokid on þis addre shulde be helid of þis yvel. And al þis was figure of hanging of Crist, for Crist was in forme of addris of venym, but he hadde no venym in his owene persone, as þe addre of bras hadde no venym in him. But as riȝt lokynge on þis addre of bras savyde þe puple fro venym of serpentis, so riȝt lokynge bi ful bileve in Crist saveþ his puple fro synne of þe fendis. And þe fende was þe first addre þat ever noyed man, and Crist was hongid in tre, as þis addre hongide in tree. But it were to wite over, hou þis story perteyneþ to þe Holy Goost, siþ al þis was done in Crist; but we shal wel wite þat ech of þes þre persones is in ech oþer, as ech bitokeneþ oþer. And siþ þat Crist seiþ þat no man haþ more love þan for to put his lyf for his frendis, þis blesside hanginge of Crist in þe crosse is þat hye charite þat God lovede man inne, and þis charite is þe Holy Goost; and þus was Nichodeme tauȝt þe feiþ of þe Trinite, and in þis feiþ many oþer articlis, and þus is þis gospel approprid to þis feste.
