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DOMINICA QUINTA POST OCTAVAM EPIPHANIE.
2EUANGELIUM. SERMO 36.

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4

SIMILE EST REGNUM CELORUM HOMINI QUI SEMINAUIT. MATHEI 13.

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6    Crist in þis parable telluþ þe stat of his chirche, and seyþ þat þe
7kyndam of heuene is lyȝk to a man þat sew good seed in his feld . Þe
8kyndam of heuene telluþ boþe togydre, Crist and his meyne, but
9Crist pryncipally; and herfore Crist is often clepyd þe kyndam of
10heuene, and þe chirche, þat is his wif, is o persone wiþ hym. And
11þus þe kyngdam of heuene seyþ þis spowse and þis wif. But here ys
12þe kyngdam take for Iesu Crist, þat is boþe God and man, and
13ordeynuþ wel for his chirche. Þis man sew furst good seed in þe feeld of
14þis chirche, for he prentide good feiþ in herte of hise seruauntis;
15and þis seed is Godis woord, as Crist hymself seiþ. Furst þis seed
16growide clene and browte forþ good fruyt, but þe feend hadde
17enuye þat þis seed growide þus; and þis man, þat is enemye to Crist
18and his chirche, caam and sew tarus whan men weren aslepe . For, by þe
19dowyng of þe chirche and neclygence of prelatis, is mannys lawe
20medlud wiþ Godys lawe, and þese dowble mennys lawes, þe

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21popis and þe emperowres, letten Godis lawe to growe, and gnare
22þe chirche as taris gnaren corn and lettuþ hit to þryue. And þe
23fend wente awey and cesude somwhat to tempte men, for he was
24syker of þis tare þat hit schulde myche lette þe chirche. And þis is
25þe cautel of þe feend: to wiþdrawen his malice, and schewe signes
26as myraclis whan he haþ sowen euyl seed, as ȝif God were wel
27payed wiþ sowyng of sych seed; and, as wete somerus norischen
28siche taris, so lustful lyf of men þat schulden florischen in vertewis
29brynguþ in syche lawes bysyde wordis of byleue. And þis lettuþ
30trewe men to telle Godis lawe, and lettuþ þe chirche to growe in
31feiþ and oþre vertewis. And furst, whan þe chirche growede wiþ
32þis tare, ȝif hit was hyd longe aftur þe dowyng, but siþ was þis
33tare schewyd and Godis lawe hid, for manye wete someris ben
34come to þe chirche; and so mannys lawe groweþ and Godus lawe
35is lettyd, and specially by lawis of þese newe ordres. But whan
36malice of þese lawes was knowen to trewe men, þanne þei and
37aungelis speke to God and preyden hym þat þei myhten gedren
38awey þese tares, so þat Godis lawe myhte renne frely as hit furst
39dyde. But Crist denyeþ þis to hem for harm þat myhte come, for
40good corn myhte be drawen vp byfore þat hit were ripe, as trewe
41men in God myhten be sone cullyde ȝif þei schewedon to myche
42þis cause of clennesse of Godis lawe. But God haþ ordeynet his
43seed to growe til hit be rype, as God haþ ordeyned his membris to
44helpon aȝeyn þe fendys lymes, as longe as hit is good þat þe
45chirche profiȝte heere by hem. And þus ȝif sowyng of þe feend

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46tarieþ here Cristis chirche, and makiþ Cristis corn here ful þinne,
47and makiþ þicke þe feendis lymes, nerþeles þis good corn groweþ
48more medily to þe chirche for þei han moore lettyng. But wel is
49hym þat may stoonde!
50    And herfore byddeþ Crist þat men schullen suffre boþe þese two
51growe til þe tyme of repyng, and þanne schal he seye to þe reperis 'Gedre ȝe
52furst þes tarys togydre, and byndeþ hem in knychys to brenne; but gedre
53ȝe þe goode corn to my berne.' Tyme of þis repyng is cleput þe day of
54doom or ellis tyme nyh hit, and þese reperis ben goode aungelis,
55þat gedren partis of Cristis chirche, and þese goode aungelis
56schullen bynde Cristis enemyes in knycchenys, and aftyr þei
57schulle brennen in helle by þe riȝtful doom of God, and trewe
58seruauntis of Crist schullen be gedrede by goode aungelis and
59come to heuene as Godis berne. And heere supposen somme men,
60siþ hit is nyh doomes day, þat sone heraftyr schal be destruyet
61boþe mannys lawe and here makeris; and so, ȝif God wole, boþe
62ypocrites and tyrauntis schullen be destruyed, as þe antipope wiþ
63his cowrt and þese newe religiouse, and þan schal Godis lawe
64reygne wiþ þe trewe partis of his chirche. For, as þis gospel telliþ,
65þese taares schul be gedrid furst, but at þe day of doom Cristis
66lymes schulle furst be counfortid. And so hit semuþ þat Crist
67spekiþ here of tyme byfore þe day of dom. And þus he meueþ
68manye men for to trete þis mater now; and preyȝe we alle
69deuoutly þat God doo here as hym likuþ, and stonde we stif in
70Godis lawe, and preyse we hit byfore þis taare.

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71    Manye men musen of þe vndirstondyng of þis gospel and
72þenkon þat hit ys folye to spekon aȝenus anticrist, siþ trewþe of
73Godis lawe telluþ þat he schal vencusche cristene men for a tyme;
74and we may see þis atte yȝe. And þus telluþ þe gospel þat God
75wole þat tare growe tyl þe day of doom among good corn; but
76who schulde reuerse God and don aȝeynes his wille? Here schulle
77we suppose comun byleue and comun distinccions þat ben seyde
78in Latyn. And þanne me þinkuþ þat we schulden preye þat Godis
79wille be don, as hit is in heuene so here in erþe; and ouer þis we
80schulden stonde sad in byleue of God and lyuen in vertewys, as
81Godis lawe byddeþ vs, and assente not to synne of anticrist þat
82reigneþ now, but haue sorwe þerfore, siþ Crist hadde sorwe for
83synne and wepte neuere but þryes for synne, as Godis lawe techeþ
84vs, and resoun acordeþ herwiþ siþ synne is moste euel. And so we
85schilden more haue sorwe for synne þan for any oþer euel.
86And þus, ȝif we myhten lette synne, we schulden be Godis
87procuratours, al ȝif we dyen þerfore and profiȝten here no more.
88But lyue we wel, and God fayluþ not to counselen vs how we
89schullen do. And þus assente we not to synne, but profiȝte we as
90God biddiþ vs. And herby may we answere to þe feendis
91argument: suppose we þat anticrist schal vencusche trewe men
92for a tyme, but þis is in bodily victorie, and not in vencuschyng of
93trewþe, for þus he vencuscheþ no man but euere is ouercomen

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94hymself. And þus trewe men schillen euere haue matere for to
95fiȝte goostly boþe wiþ þe feend and his membris þat ben wickede
96men of þis world. And so wiþ þis vndirstondyng fiȝte we wisly
97wiþ þis world; but algatis looke þat we ben armed wiþ pacience
98and charite, and þanne þe fiȝtyng of þe feend may no weye don vs
99harm. And ȝif þis skyle schulde meue men to parforme Godis
100wille, neuere schulde man fiȝte wiþ synne, for God wole þat
101synne profiȝte. But what wyten we wher tyme be come þat God
102wole þat þis tare be destruyed? And herfore worche we wisly, and
103fiȝte we aȝeynes þe feend, siþ þis stondeþ wiþ Godis lawe and wiþ
104fullyng of Godis wylle.