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DOMINICA X POST TRINITATEM. EPISTOLA. SERMO 40.

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SCITIS QUONIAM CUM GENTES ESSETIS. PRIMA CORINTHEOS 12.

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5    Poule moueueþ in þis epistele for former kyndenesse of Crist to be
6kynde to hym aȝeen. For clerkis seien, and sooþ it is, þat boþe
7God and kynde haten þat a man dwelle vnkynde aftir greet
8kyndenesse þat he haþ takun; for sooþ it is þat alle synne turneþ
9to vnkyndenesse to God. And þus Poul bryngiþ to þes mennus
10mynde hou myche kyndenesse Crist haþ don hem. Ȝee wetyn he
11seiþ, whan ȝee weren heþene, ȝee weren ledde to doumbe maumetis, goyng
12as beestis from oon to anoþer, as ȝif ȝee hadden no soule of man.
13And siþ mannus God shulde be a þyng þat were þe fairest and þe
14beste, in whiche shulde lye þe heleþe of men, and make mennus
15soule like to hym, þe fouleste þyng þat falliþ to man, and most
16perelus to his soule, is to haue a fals god, as hauen men þat
17worshipen maumetis; for þei maken þer soule foul to greet perel
18of þer soule. And þus it is a foul þyng to be led as a beere to a stake
19bi vntrewþe of a feend, to loue ouȝt as it were god, þe whiche
20þyng is not god; for alle suche ben false goddis.
21    And þus seiþ Poule aftir þat noon þat spekiþ in Goddis spiryȝt
22puttiþ cursidnesse to Crist , siþ al þe Trynyte approued hym, and
23boþe his dedis and his wordis weren hooly and ful of resoun and
24loue. And þus men seien comynli þat false men on þre maneris
25putten cursednesse to Crist, and alle þes ben dampnable. First,

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26whan men bi opun synne ben not kyndeli to Crist, as alle synful
27men done for tyme þat þer wille is turned amys. Þe secounde
28seyyng of cursidnesse þat false men puttyn vnto Crist is to seye
29wiþ herte and word þat Crist was a fals prophete, and curse hym
30be vnbileue, as diden Iewis long tyme. Þe þridde cursyng and þe
31werste þat false men putten to Crist is þat þei feynen þe name of
32Crist, and his goodnesse wiþ his lawe; and ȝit þei falsen þis in
33dede, and seien þat oþir lawe is beter. As men of þes foure sectis
34þat puttyn bihynde Cristis lawe, and takun hem a newe patroun
35and newe reule wiþoute Crist: þes men ben ypocritis þat Crist
36hatiþ most of alle.
37    And þus seiþ Poul aftir, as treuþe suyng of his wordis, þat noon
38may seye 'Lord Iesu' but in þe Hooli Goost . And Poul spekiþ heere of
39seyyng þat is seiyng fulli formed, as is seiyng of trewe men in
40herte, in word and in dede, þat seien ryȝtli to Goddis worshipe in
41þe name of þe Trynyte. What men trowen we may þus seye 'Lord
42Iesu is oure lord, and oure sauyour fro þe feend', but ȝif þe Holi
43Goost teche hym? - for þanne he makiþ no departyng fro Cristis
44godhed and his manhed. But whateuere Crist haþ ordeyned or
45seid was don to his chirche at poynt deuys. And in þis cursyng
46fallen þes sectis þat dispisen Cristis lawe; as ȝif his ordynaunce
47faylede, but þer ordynaunce is myche betere. For what man
48shulde chese anoþer lawe, but ȝif þat lawe were betere þan
49Cristis? For he is fool of alle foolis þat þus chesiþ þe worse weye,
50and leeueþ þe beter weye to heuene, more lyȝt and more redy.
51For he puttiþ to Iesu Crist boðe cursyng and disseyȝt, whan he
52seiþ bi his dede þat Crist hidde þe betere weye, and tauȝte þe

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53vnparfitere weye, til þat God hadde sent þes sectis. And þes sectis
54camen not fully out til þat Sathanas was vnbounden. Among
55alle blasphemes þat euere sprungen, þis is þe mooste cursed; for
56þei techen opunli in dede þat þus it is, houeuere men glosen. But,
57al ȝif þes two kyndis of Crist ben dyurse in hemself, ȝit þes two
58ben o God and þer ben no mo goddis.
59    And þus men shulden in þer þouȝt þenken how dyuysioun of
60þyngis comeþ of þis oo God, þe whiche God is a spiryȝt. And
61herfore seiþ Poule aftir þat þer ben dyuysiones of Grace, but certis it is
62þe same spiryȝt of whom camen alle þes gracis, as of o welle comen
63many strondis. And þus of þis same spiryȝt moten come dyuysiones
64of seruysis ; for þis o God mot haue seruauntis aftir þe grace þat he
65ȝeueþ, siþ þis Lord loueþ degrees in his seruauntis as it falliþ. And
66þus in þe þridde tyme þer ben dyuysiones of worchyngis, and ȝit it is þe
67same God þat worchiþ al in alle þyngis . Who shulde grucche for þes
68dyuysiones, siþ þei ben þus ordeyned of God? as eche part of a
69man mot haue þes þre dyuerse in ordre: as first he haþ an hid
70power, and of þis power comen his willis, and of þis power and þis
71wille comen worchyngis to mennus profiȝt. And þus, as it is in
72man, so it is in hooli chirche; and ioye we of þis ordynaunce of
73God, siþ it is boþe fayr and good.
74    And þus Poul declariþ aftir nyne degrees of mennus worchyngis
75þat God haþ ordeyned in þe chirche, as þer ben þre ierachies,
76for eche membre of hooli chirche haþ sum shewyng of þis
77spiriȝt , boþe to profyȝt of it and to profyȝt of þe chirche. As to
78summe bi ȝifte of God is ȝouen þe word of wisdom , for summe haue
79sum knowyng heere of treuþis of þe heyȝe Trynyte. And anoþir
80haþ word of witt aftir þis same spiryȝt ; for summe men haue
81knowyng of God, boþe of aungelis and of heuenes, and hou þis

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82world comeþ of God bi fair ordre þat he haþ ordeyned. Oþir men
83haue bileue of hid þyngis and of heye; and alle þes þre comen of
84God þat ȝyueþ þes to his chirche. Summe haue grace of heleþis , boþe
85bodili and goostli, boþe to haue hem in hemsilf, and to ȝyue hem
86to oþir breþeren. And God is þat ilke spiryȝt of whom alle þes
87gracis comen. God ȝyueþ anoþir to worche uertues , and speciali to
88knowe Goddis uertu, and how God of his gracious uertu haþ
89ȝouen men power to worche uertues, as in departyng of þe see,
90and in stondyng of þe sunne, and in many oþir wondris þat God
91haþ doon for mannus sake. And ȝit þe wisdom of God ȝyueþ for
92profyȝt of his chirche prophecie to sum men, to sue good and flee
93euel, as Ioon hadde in Apocalips, and sum men aftir hym haue
94lesse. And þis secounde ierachie answeriþ to þe secounde persone.
95To oþere is ȝouen þe seueþe tyme discrecioun to knowe spiritis , and þis
96is a greet ȝifte þat comeþ of þe Hooli Goost. For no drede siche
97spiritis moeuen men to dyuerse werkis, and it is a good ȝifte of
98God to knowe goode spiritis fro yuel; for goode spiritis moeuen
99euere men to uertuous dedis, and yuel spiritis moeuen men to
100yuel and to bigile men. Þis same Spiryȝt ȝeueþ to men dyuerse
101manere of langagis , as þis Goost ȝaf apostelis witt and tungis on
102Wittsunday. And at þe laste þis Goost ȝeueþ men to vndirstonde
103witt of wordis , as þis Goost ȝeueþ many men witt to knowe what
104holi writ meneþ. And alle þes þre ȝiftis of God ben proprid to þe
105Hooli Goost. But ȝit siþ alle þes þre persones ben o God and o

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106Spiryȝt, noon of hem ȝeueþ ony of þes, but ȝif þei alle þre ȝyuen
107hem. For oo God doþ alle goodis; and he departiþ þes þyngis to men aftir
108his power, witt and wille; and þus he departiþ not amys, al ȝif þe
109resoun be hid fro vs.