Select English works of John Wyclif; edited from original mss. by Thomas Arnold.

and what kyn þing he unbindiþ upon erþe shal be unbounden in hevene. And þes wordis weren not oonli seid unto Petre, but comunli to þe apostlis, as þe gospel telliþ after, and, in persones of þe apostlis weren þei seid to prestis, and, as many men þenken, to alle Cristen men. For, if man have mercy on his soule, and unbinde it, or binde it, God bi his jugement in hevene jugiþ þe soule sich. For ech man þat shal be dampned is dampned for his owne gilt, and ech man þat shal be saved is saved bi his owne merit. And þus men seien comunli, þat wordis of Crist ben undirstonden, whanne þes keies erren not fro þe keies above. And so it were nede here to wite what is holi Chirche, and what ben þe keies of hevene, or whanne prestis bynden or unbynden. In þis þrefold disseit ben many men blindid; for as bi þe firste leesyng was mankynde lost, so bi þis secounde lesyng is þe Chirche disseyved. Þe first lesyng was of þe fend, whanne he reverside God, and seide to Adam and Eve þat þei shulden not die. Þe secunde lesyng is of þe fend, and of [So E; om. A.] Anticrist his viker; þe which lesing is poudrid wiþ ypocrisie. He seiþ þat he is next Crist bi manere of lyvyng, and so whatever he seiþ mote nede be soþ; and bi þis foule heresie is þe Chirche disseyved.

ÞIS gospel telliþ how Crist answeride to feyned wordis of þe peple, and telde many hie treuþis to lore of his Chirche. And þes treuþis ben pertinent to chesyng of Mathi [Mathy, E.] , for þis feste telliþ how Mathi was chosen in þe stede of Scarioth, aftir þat he hadde hanged himsilf. And so telliþ Matheu, how Jesus in þat tyme answeride to þe peple, and seide on þis manere:— I confesse to þee, Fadir, Lord of hevene and of erþe, þat hiddist