was quykid bi Crist, þat was oon wiþ his breþeren; and he, alȝif he myȝte not synnen, suffride peyne for his sheep. And more joie is in hevene of him and his membris þan of nyne ordris of angelis, for þei ben beter and lyveden more medefully as trewe knyȝtis of God. Þe seconde parable of Crist stondiþ in þis, þat a wyse womman þat hadde ten dragmes, ȝif she hadde lost oon, she wolde liȝtne her lanterne, turne up hir house to seke þis lost dragme, and whan she hadde founden it, she wolde make joie as it was seid bifore of him þat lost þe sheep.—¶ Þis womman is Jesus Crist, wysdom of þe fadir; þese ten dragmes ben his resonable creaturis, for þei ben maid alle to ymage and licnesse of þe Trinite. Þe tenþe dragme þat was lost is man|kynde, þe lanterne þat was liȝtid is þe manhede of Crist, þe turning up of þis house is changinge of statis þat ben maid in þis world by manhede of Crist. For þe angel wolde not suffren Joon to knele and worshipe him, for his lord was Joones broþir, and þe aungelis weren hise servauntis; and so many þingis of þis world weren turnid up so down, siþ evry parte of þis worlde was beterid bi Cristis manhede.
We may touche in þis gospel what spediþ men and what þing lettiþ men for to be saved, for men mote nede do penaunce in berynge of þis sheep, and have liȝt of þis lanterne for to fynde þis lost dragme.
ÞE FOURÞE SONDAI GOSPEL AFTER TRYNYTE.
[SERMON IV.]
Estote misericordes.—LUC. vi. [36.]
ÞIS gospel moveþ men to mercy aȝen þe ypocrisye of þes false Pharisees, and Crist biddiþ first generally men to be merciful as your fadir is merciful. For whanne a general word is seid bi himsilf, it shal be taken for þe most famous. Þere ben many fadris, as fadir of kynde, and fadir of lore, but þe mooste propre fadir is he þat makiþ men of nouȝt, for he is fadir of mennis bodies, and fadir of her soulis, and in vertue
