¶ A woman is taken in aduoutry, Chryste delyue∣reth her. The fredome of suche as folowe Chryste, whome they accuse to haue the deuyl with him, and go about to stone him.
CAPI. VIII.
[ A] IEsus went vp to the mount Olyuete, and early in the mornyng came agayne into the temple, and all the people came vnto him, and he sate downe and taught them. Nowe, the Scribes and Pharises brought him a wo¦man taken in aduoutry, and settynge her in ye myddes, sayde vnto him: Master, this wo∣man was taken in aduoutry, euen as the dede was adoinge. Moses in the lawe commaū¦ded vs that suche shulde be stoned. What sayst thou therfore? And this they sayde to tempte him: that they might haue, wherof to accuse him. Iesus stouped downe, and with his fyn∣ger wrote on the grounde. So whyle they cō∣tynued askynge him, he lyft him selfe vp, and sayde vnto them: The faulteles person of you, fyrst cast the stone at her. And agayne he stouped downe, and wrote on the grounde. [ B] And as sone as they herde that, they went out one by one, begynninge at the Elders. And Iesus was lefte alone, and the woman stan∣dinge in the myddes. When Iesus hadde lyft vp hym selfe, agayne, and sawe no man, but the woman, he sayde vnto her: woman where are those thyne accusars? Hath no man con∣demned the? She sayde: No man, Lorde. Ie∣sus sayde: Neyther do I condemne the. Go / & synne no more. ⊦
Then spake Iesus agayne vnto them, say∣enge: I am the lyghte of the worlde. He that foloweth me, shall not walke in darckenesse: but shall haue the lyght of lyfe. The Phari∣ses sayde vnto hym: thou bearest recorde of thy selfe, thy recorde is not true. Iesus answered and sayde vnto them: though I beare recorde of my selfe, yet my recorde is true: for I know whence I came, and whyther I goo. But ye can not tell whence I come, and whither I go. Ye iudge after the flesshe, I iudge no mā. [ C] And yf I iudge, my iudgement is true. For I am not alone: but I and the father that sent me. It is also wrytten in your lawe, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that beare wytnes of my selfe, and the father that sent me, beareth wytnes of me. Then sayde they vnto hym: Where is thy father? Iesus answered: Ye neyther knowe me, nor yet my father. If ye had knowen me, ye shulde haue knowen my father also. These wordes spake Iesus in the tresury, as he taught in the tem∣ple, and no man layde handes on him, for his tyme was not yet come. ⊦
Then sayde Iesus agayne vnto them: ✚ I go my waye, and ye shall seke me, and shall dye in youre synnes. Whyther I go, thyther can ye not come. Then sayde the Iewes: wyll he kyll him selfe / because he sayth: Whyther I go, thyther can ye not come? And he sayde vnto them: Ye are frome beneth, I am frome aboue. Ye are of this world, I am not of this worlde. I sayd therfore vnto you, that ye shal dye in your synnes. For oneles ye beleue that I am he, ye shall dye in your synnes.
Then sayd they vnto hym, Who art thou? [ D] And Iesus sayde vnto them: First of all euen that I saye vnto you. I haue many thinges to saye, and to iudge of you. But he that sent me is true. And I speake in the worlde, those thinges which I haue herde of him. They vn¦derstode not that he spake vnto theym of his father. Then sayde Iesus vnto them: When ye haue lyft vp on hygh the sonne of man, thē shall ye knowe that I am, and that I do no∣thing of my self: but as my father hath taught me, these I speake: and he that sent me, is wt me. The father hath not left me alone, for I do alwayes those thynges that please him. ⊦ As he spake these wordes, many beleued on hym.
✚ Iesus therfore sayde, to those Iewes, whiche beleued on hym. If ye continue in my wordes, then are ye my very disciples, & shall knowe the trouthe: and the trouthe shall en∣fraunchise you. They aunswered hym: We be Abrahams sede, and were neuer bonde to any man: Why sayest thou then, ye shall be made free.
Iesus aunswered them: verely, verely I saye vnto you, that who so euer committeth synne, is the seruaunte of synne. And the ser∣uaunt [ E] abydeth not in the house for euer: But the sonne abydeth euer. Yf the sonne therfore shal enfraunchise you, so are ye truely franke, I knowe that ye are Abrahams sede: but ye seke to kyll me, because my sayenge taketh no holde in you. I speake that I haue sene with my father: and ye do that which ye haue sene with your father. They aunswered and sayde vnto him: Abraham is our father. Iesus sayd to theym. If ye were Abrahams children, ye wolde do the dedes of Abraham. But now ye go aboute to kyll me, a man that haue tolde you the trouth whiche I haue herde of God: this dyd not Abrahā. Ye do the dedes of your father. Then sayde they to hym: we were not borne of aduoutrye. We haue one father, euē God. Iesus sayde vnto theym: yf God were your father, so wolde ye loue me. For I pro∣ceded, and came frome God. Neyther came I of my selfe, but he sent me. Why do ye not knowe my speache? Euen because ye can not heare my wordes.
Ye are of youre father the dyuell, and the [ F]