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DOMINICA IIII QUADRAGESIME. EUANGELIUM.
3SERMO 43.

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ABIIT IESUS TRANS MARE. IOHANNIS 6.

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7    This gospel telluþ þe furste feeste þat Crist maade to þe puple by
8multiplyyng of mete, as þre gospellis tellen. Þe story telluþ þat
9Iesu wente ouer þe watyr of Galilee, þat is clepud Tyberyadis and monye
10oþre names for townes and cuntrees þat hit ȝede bytwyxen. And a
11greet multitude sewede Crist herfore þat þei sayȝen þe signes þat Crist dide
12on syke men. And Iesus, whan he cam ouur þis watur of Galilee, he
13wente into an hyl and sat þere wiþ hise disciples. And Pasch was ful nyȝ, a
14greet feeste among Iewes. And whan Iesu caste vp hise eiȝen, and saw a ful
15greet multitude was comen to hym, he seyde vnto Philip 'Wherof schulle we
16bugghe loues þat þese men ete?' And þis seyde Crist to tempte Philip, for he
17wiste what he was to do. And Philip seyde to Crist þat loues of two hundret
18pens suffisede not to hem, þat eche man take a luytelwhat. And on of Cristis
19disciples, Andrew, Petres broþur, seyde to Crist 'Þer was a child þat hadde
20fyue barly looues and two fysches, but what ben þese among so manye men?'
21And Iesu seyde to hem to maken hem sytte down to þe mete, for þere was
22myche heyȝ in þe same place. And so þei sat to þe mete, as fyue þowsande
23men. And Iesu took þese fyue loues, and ȝaf þankyng to God, and delude

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24among þese syttynge men, and also of þe fysches, as myche as þei wolden.
25And whanne þei weren fyllude, Crist seyde to hise disciples, 'Gedre ȝe þat
26ben laft, releues, þat þei perysche not.' And so þei gedreden, and fulden
27twelue cophynes of relef of fyue barly loues and two fyschis þat weren lefte of
28hem þat hadden eton. And þese men, whan þei hadden seyn þe syngne þat
29Crist hadde don, þei seyden þus of hym 'Þis a verrey prophete þat is to
30comen into þis world.'
31    Þis bodily foode by whiche Crist fedde þe folc bytokneþ gostly
32fode, by whiche he fediþ mankynde. His passyng ouer þis watur
33wiþ hise disciples is passyng ouer worldly perelis to take Godis
34loore. Cristus syttyng in þis hul is rysyng to spiritual lyf, and
35Cristes lookyng on þe puple is gostly mercy do to hem. And
36steiyng into þe hul of Iesu wiþ hise disciples is takyng of goostly
37lyȝf for to lerne Cristes lawe. Axsyng of Philip, þat was maad to
38schewe þe myracle more, and for to haue betture in muynde, is
39fullyng of Godes word in deede. Þese fyue loues þat Andrew
40schewede ben hard lyf, þat men mote lyue byfore þei konnen
41Cristus lore. And two fysches ben þenkyng of God and heuene.
42Syttyng down in þe heyȝ is meeke þowt of mannys frelte. And so
43Andrew vndurstod more þan Philip þat God, þat multiplyede
44mete as þe lawe telluþ by Helisee, myȝte liȝtly multiplye þis
45mete, and so feden al þis puple; but wiþowten myracle myȝte not

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46so myche puple be fed of Crist. And þese fyue þowsande of men
47wiþowte wymmen and children ben þe nowmbre þat schal be
48sauyd by þis spirytual foode, for fyue is a rownde nowmbre þat
49turneþ wiþowten eende into hymself; and so not alle þat ben fed
50þus schullen come to þe blisse of heuene. Þe twelue cophynes of
51relif ben alle þe seyntis gloses þat ben gedered of Godis lawe to
52feede þe puple afterward. And goostly loore haþ proprete to be
53multiplyed in men, for of o lore comeþ anoþur, and al is þe same
54trewþe. And by þis fode men þanken God, and seyn þat Crist is
55þat greete prophete þat is to comen into þis world and fullen hit of
56heuenely lore. For of oþre myracles of Crist þis myracle is on of þe
57meste: þat so fewe disciples of hise fylledon þe world in so schort
58tyme wiþ þe same gospel of Crist; and he hit was þat dide þis
59myracle.
60    And here men meuon þre dowtis. Furst how Crist absentyde
61hem fro Ierusaleem at þis pasc, siþ Baptist hertly repreuede
62Herowde, and Crist was more hardy þan Iohn for to suffre
63passioun for þe loue of mankynde. But here we trowen þat Iesu
64Crist, siþ he is boþe God and man, dide alle hise dedis at poynt
65deuys, and myhte no weyȝe ben amendyd. And þus he absentede
66hym now to profiȝte more to his chirche, for his tyme was not
67come to dyen at þe Pasc þat he hadde ordeynot. For, as men seyn
68comunly, Crist muste passe þis secounde Pasch, and in þe þridde
69Pasch dye gladly for mankynde. And so Crist suffrede more freely
70þan Baptist or oþre martires, but he was more nedid by wisdam to
71suffren as hymself hadde cast. And so, as Crist hymself hadde
72ordeyned, Baptist schulde dye byfore, and so go to purgatorye,

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73and be taken owt by Crist. And þus Crist ȝaf ensaumple to vs to
74flee deþ whanne he meueþ vs, as al his lyf was ensaumple to teche
75men how þei schulde lyue.
76    The secounde dowte is axsed here, why Crist wolde not take þe
77rewme of Iude þat was owyd to hym, siþ þe puple profrede hit
78hym anon aftyr þis myracle þat Crist hadde fed þus þe folc. But
79here men seyn as to þe furste þat hit were a maner of bigyng to haue
80þe rewme for such a feeste, and of puple þat was so symple. Also,
81al ȝif Crist was kyng, he wolde not þus reigne worldlily, ne hym
82was owed no sych rewme, siþ God wolde not þat hit were so. Also
83Crist ordeyned hymself to lyue wiþowte wrong of anye man, and
84so he wolde not reigne þus wiþowte þe emperowres leue, þat men
85schulden wyte þat his lyf no weye reuersude þe emperowr; and so
86wytnesses þat acusodon hym in tyme of his deþ weren oponly
87false. And þus, as owre Lord forsok to be looued of þe feendis, so
88he forsok now to take þis rewme þus of þis puple.
89    The þridde dowte þat seweþ þese two is how Crist myȝte
90disseruen in suffryng of his passioun, siþ he was nedud to suffre
91þus. But here we wyton, as Crist was nedud to suffre and dyen as
92he hadde ordeynot, so he was nedyt to haue blisse for þis willeful
93passioun, siþ al þis passioun of Crist was more willeful þan oþur
94myȝte be; and for so myche wilfulnesse was his passioun more
95medful. And here þese blynde heretykes wanton wyt as ydiotes,
96whan þei seyn þat Petur synnede not in smytyng of Malcus here,

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97but ȝaf ensaumple to preestis to fiȝte, and þus Crist lettud hym
98to fiȝte more; for hadde Petre and oþre apostles fowten þus,
99þanne þei hadden lettud þe passion of Iesu Crist and sauyng of
100mankynde. But here þese blynde heretykes, þat ben vnable to
101conceyue sutilte of holy writ, schulden furst lerne þer owne
102wordis. Soþ hit is þat alle þingus mote nede come as God haþ
103ordeyned, and so eche dede of Crist mut nede be doon as he dide
104hyt. And þus, ȝif men schulde not sewe Crist her, fore he muste
105neede suffre, noo cristene man schulde sewe Crist in noo þing þat
106he dyde, for alle þe þingus þat Crist dide musten nedly comen as
107þei cam. And so suche heretykes musten nede sewen anticrist and
108be dampned wiþ hym for defawte of here byleue. And ȝif þei seyn
109þat þis is false, þat alle þingus mute þus nedely come - Lord! how
110dremyden þese foolys þanne þat, ȝif Petur hadde fowte forþ
111þanne, Crist schulde not haue suffred deþ ne haue bowt mannys
112kynde? Certes þese ydiotis kan not schewe how þis schulde sewen
113of any trewþe, but ȝif þei supposen here þat þus hit muste nedis
114be. And ȝif we schulden herfore lette to take ensawmple to sewe
115Crist, we schulden lette euermore to sewe Crist and take his lore.
116But, siþ Crist reprouede Petre, and seyde a cause general þat
117'whoeuere smyteþ þus wiþ swerd, he schal perische by Godis

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118word', hit is knowe þing þat Petre synnede in þis fiȝtyng; and
119more schulden preestes fiȝte not for a cause of lasse valu.