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1

DOMINICA QUARTA POST FESTUM TRINITATIS.
2EVANGELIUM. SERMO 4.

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4

ESTOTE MISERICORDES. LUCE 6.

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6    This gospel meueth men to mercy aȝen þe ypocrisye of þese false
7pharisees. And Crist byddith furst generally men to be merciful 'as
8ȝowre Fadur is merciful' , for whan a general word ys seyd by
9hymself hit schal be taken for þe moste famous. Ther beth many
10fadres, as fadur of kynde and fadur of lore, but þe moste proper
11fadur ys he þat made men of noht, for he is fadur of mennys body
12and fadur of her sowles, and in vertu of hym worchen alle other
13fadres. And þis fadur schulde we suwe in alle oure werkys, for, al
14ȝif we may not atteyne to þis fadur, nerþeles þo werkys be
15nohȝtys þat ben noht ensaumplyd and wroht bi þis fadur. Þe
16mercy of þis fadur kan we not telle fully, for he ys þe moste
17worchere þat may ben in þis world; and he can not worche but
18ȝif he medle mercy, for he wrohte by mercy wan he made þis
19world, sythe he dyde good to aungeles and made hem parfiȝt
20and broȝte hem to heyȝer stat withowten here desert. And so
21whanne he doth good to ony creature, he makyth hit parfit of his
22pure grace. Siþ God almiȝty, al witty and al goodly, kan not

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23worche but ȝif he worche by mercy, be we þanne merciful for
24goodnesse of God. Þe leste mercy of men ys among clerkys, þat
25wolen not ȝyue goodus of grace but ȝif þei sullen hem. And
26þerfore þis sinne is heresye byfor God, þe moste and þe fyrste þat
27partiþ men fro God, for þey weyen her wynnyng more þan þer
28God. And herfore al þat we doon schulde be doon in Godys
29name, to worchipe of oure God and profiȝt of his cherche. ȝe, ȝif
30we be holden bothe to God and man by resoun of dette to don a
31good dede, loke þat þis resoun be fyrst his in owre þowt. And so
32no man may excusen hym fro werkys of mercy, as no man may
33wante werkys of a good wille for þat werk ys þe furste and heyȝest
34in man. Furst schulde a man haue mercy of hymself, and mercy of
35his moder þat is holy cherche, and þan hath he mercy of al þe
36ende of his kyn.
37    The secounde word of Crist forbedyth fool iugement . And resoun
38of þis stondeth herynne þat God may not iuge folily ony man;
39and so, as oure wille haþ nede to be cloþid wiþ mercy, so oure
40vndurstondyng hath nede to haue riȝt iugement. For many men
41wenen to be merciful to ypocrites, and þei don harm to men to
42whiche þey wenen do profiȝt. And many men wenen to iuge þer
43breþren, and ȝet þei iugen falsely and cruelly of many. And yche
44man schulde tempre such iugement aftyr God, for God in his
45iugement may not faylen fro resoun.

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46    The þridde word biddyth cristen men be war of foly dampnyng vppe
47peyne of þer dampnacion . And, al ȝif þis semeth no comun sinne
48among men, nerþeles alle maner of men synnen herinne, as
49prelatys þat dampne men in maner of þer cursyng and ofte
50tymes þei wyten not how þei ben to God; and by reputacion þat
51schulde be taken of Godes lawe þes men don wel as God biddeþ
52hem do. Lordes iugen ofte tymes þat oþer men don amys, whan
53þey displeson hem in þer wrong wille, as we dampnen Clement
54with his fautours and þei dampnen vs, and o kyng dampnyth his
55aduersary and he dampnyth hym aȝen, and comunes dampnon
56prowde men and oþur men to ben ypocrites. And comunly fool
57iugement ys a þing þat men knowen not, for þey ledon not þer wit
58aftyr Godes lawe, for þei presumen as þe fend to connen þat þei
59knowen not.
60    The fourthe and þe fiþe word biddeth men forȝyuen, and ȝyue sum
61maner of goodys, and so schal God rewarden hem . And not al only God,
62but seyntes in heuene schal rewarde men after þat þey han here
63don to hem; for þese fyue dedys alarged to alle men mute haue
64summe men seyntys in heuene, and þese seyntes schullen rewarde
65men here in habundaunce of foure þingus. Furst þei schullen
66rewarde men in a good mesure , for seyntys in heuene don bettur to
67men þan þei duden to hem here in þis lif; and where men dyden
68scarsly good to þer breþren, seyntes fullen trewe men with alle
69maner of goodys. And þis fullyng ys not voydid but sadly
70replenyched and at þe laste hit is hepid as myche as hit wole take.
71And sych metyng of corn, mele or oþer þyng wolde be preisud

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72among men for largenesse of þe metere. And þis þyng men han
73here in her bosim, but God fulleth þe substaunce. For certys, in
74such mesure as men mesuren to þer breþren, schal hit be mesurut to hem
75by iugement of God ȝif þe mesur be good þei schal haue good
76aȝen, and ȝif þe mesur be vniust þey schal haue peyne aȝen.
77    And, for defawte in al þis comyth of ypocrisye of prelatys þat
78schulden techen pleynly Godys lawe and not here erþely
79wynnyngus, þerfore seith Crist in his parable þat ȝif þe blynde lede
80þe blynde þei fallen boþe in þe dyȝk . But for Crist schulde be oure
81maystur, and we schulde not straunghe from hym, we schulden
82leue þese ypocrites and suwe lore of þis goode maystur, siþen he
83may not leue trewþe, ne faylen in techyng of trewthe. And þus
84schulde men ben parfiȝt and fle þe rote of falsehed. And þese
85prelates han of þer maistur comunly þis maner þat þei kan see a
86mote in þer brother yȝe, but a beem in þer owne yȝe þenke þey not on ; for þer
87wyt is set to spuyle and to acusen and not for to helpen hem ne
88oþure men, and herfore þer coueytyse blendiþ hem þus. But by
89lore of Crist men schulden seye to hem ' Ypocrite, cast furst þe beem
90owt of þin owne yȝe, and þanne maistow pyke betur þe mote fro þi broþur '.
91Here may we see þat sugetys schylden blame prelatys whan þey
92sen opynly greet defawtys in hem, as defawte of Godus lawe in
93kepyng and techyng; for þis is a beem by þe whyche þe fend
94byndeð his hows, and þei schulden knowe þis, as þei schulden fele
95þe lore herof.