1B2.3.1

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2

SERMO AD POPULUM

    
3Leofan men, understandað þæt ærest cristenra manna gehwylc
4ah ealra þinga mæste ðearfe þæt he cunne
5Godesriht ongytan þurh lare & lage & gelyfan anrædlice on
6God ælmihtigne, þe is waldend & wyrhta ealra gesceafta.
7And syððan is eac þearf þæt gehwa understande hwanan he
8sylf com, & hwæt he is, & to hwan he geweorðan sceal.
9Of eorðan gewurdan ærest geworhte þa ðe we ealle of coman,
10& to eorðan we sculan ealle geweorðan &
11syððan habban swa ece wite a butan ende, swa ece blisse, swa
12hwæðer swa we on life ær geearnedon.

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13Eala, lytel is se fyrst þyses lifes, & lyðre is, þæt we
14lufiað & on wuniað, & for oft hit wyrð raðost
15forloren þonne hit wære leofost gehealden.
16Ac utan don swa us mycel þearf is, tylian þæs ðe us næfre
17ne ateorað, lufian Godd eallum mode & eallum
18mægne & wyrcan georne his willan.
19His wylla is þæt we aa æfter ure agenre þearfe geornlice
20winnan & þæt geearnian þæt we to gelaðode
21syn, þæt is heofona rice ðæt he hæfð gegearwod ælcum
22þæra þe his willan gewyrcð her on worulde.
23Utan don eac swa we þearfe agan, beon mildheorte &
24ælmesgeorne & eadmode & soðfæste & unswicole & rihtwise
25þæs þe we magan on eallum ðingum, & geðencan
26hwæt we behetan þa we fulluht underfengan, oðþon
27þa ðe æt fulluhte ure foresprecan wæran.
28þæt is, þæt we woldan a God lufian & on hine gelyfan & his
29bebodu healdan & deofol ascunian & his unlara georne forbugan.
30Þis man behæt for ælcne þæra þe fulluht underfehð; &
31ðeah þæt cild for geogoðe sprecan ne mage þonne
32hit man fullað, his freonda forespræc forstent him eal
33þæt ylce þe hit

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34sylf spræce.
35Is þeah ma manna þonne þearf wære þe þises behates
36gescad ne cunnan.
37Twa word behealdað mycel: Abrenuntio & credo .
38Leofan men, for ure ealra þearfe Crist com on þis lif & for
39ure neode deað þrowode.
40Ær ðam timan næs ænig man on worulde swa mære þæt he on
41an ne sceolde to helle, swa he heonan ferde,
42swa forð ahte deofol geweald ealles manncynnes eal for ure
43yldrena gewyrhtan.
44Ac mycel geþolode ðurh his mildheortnesse Crist for ure
45þearfe þa he let hine sylfne bindan & swingan
46& on rode ahon & him ægðer þurhdrifan mid isenum næglum
47ge fet ge handa & swa to deaðe acwellan.
48Ac he geswutelode swaðeah þy ðriddan dæge þa he of deaðe
49aras þæt he ægðres geweald hæfð ge lifes ge deaþes.
50Leofan men, hwa mæg æfre oðrum furðor freondscype gecyðan
51þonne he his agen feorh gesylle & ðurh þæt
52his freond wið deað ahredde?
53Ealle, we scoldan forweorðan ecan deaðe,

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54nære þæt Crist
55for us deað þrowode.
56Ac he gebohte us þa ealle mid his deorwurðan blode of helle
57wite & hæfð nu þurh his gyfe manna gehwylc,
58gif he geearnian wylle, heofona rice.
59Ðonne ne þince us æfre to mycel, ac us mæg aa to lytel,
60þæt we Godes þances to Gode gedon, forðam ne
61cunne we næfre him geleanian þa ðing ealle þe he us
62gedon hæfð & dæghwamlice deð & gyt don wile,
63þær we betst beðurfan, gyf we sylfe þæs geearnian
64wyllað.
65Leofan men, utan don swa us þearf is, beon geornfulle ure
66agenre þearfe, geswican ure synna, & forbugan
67ælc unriht & gebugan georne to rihte.
68And utan understandan þæt nis nan rihtra dom þonne ure ælc
69oðrum beode þæt we willan þæt man us beode.
70And utan geþencan þæt we habbað ænne heofonlicne fæder &
71þæt we syndan þurh cristendom ealle gebroðra.
72Ðy ne misbeode cristenra manna ænig oðrum ealles to swyðe,
73forðam eal þæt ænig man oðrum her on unriht
74to hearme gedeð wordes oððon weorces, eal hit sceal eft
75mænigfealdlice derian him sylfum, butan
76he hit ær gebete.

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77Ac utan gladian georne God ælmihtigne, habban us soðe sibbe
78& some gemæne & don a to gode þæne dæl
79þe we magan & geearnian us mid þam ece blisse.
80Utan gyman þæt we urne cristendom clænlice gehealdan &
81aweorpan alcne hæðendom & habban rihtne geleafan,
82& lufian cyricsocne dæges & nihtes oft & gelome, &
83libban þam life þe scrift us wisige, & a að
84& wedd wærlice healdan, & freolstida & fæstentida
85rihtlice understandan, & ure ælmessan geornlice
86dælan & gelæstan bliðum mode Gode þa gerihta þe him to
87gebyrian, þæt is se teoða dæl ealra þæra ðinga
88þe he us on ðysum lænan life to forlæten hæfð, & ure
89frumgripan gangendes & weaxendes, & geearnian
90us mid þam lytlum mycle mare us sylfum to þearfe.
91Ðonne is þærtoeacan gyt to understandenne þæt we eac
92eadmodlice eal gelæstan on geargerihtan þæt ure
93yldran hwilum ær Gode behetan; ðæt is sulhælmessan &
94rompenegas & cyricsceattas

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95& leohtgescota.
96& se ðe þæt deð þæt ic ymbe spece, he deð him sylfum
97mycle ðearfe.
98And þæt is witodlice ful soð, gelyfe se ðe wylle, an tima
99cymð ure æghwylcum þæt us wære leofre þonne
100eal þæt we on worulde wiðæftan us læfað, þær we a
101worhton, þa hwile þe we mihtan, georne þæt God
102licode.
103Ac þænne we sculan habban anfeald lean þæs þe we on life
104ær geworhton.
105Wa ðam þonne þe ær geearnode helle wite.
106Ðær is ece bryne grimme gemencged, & ðær is ece gryre;
107ðær is ece æce, & ðær is sorgung & sargung,
108& a singal heof; þær is wanung & granung; ðær is yrmða
109gehwylc & ealra deofla geðring.
110Wa ðam þe þær sceal wunian on wite.
111Betere him wære þæt he man nære æfre geworden þonne he
112gewurde.
113Nis se man on life þe areccan mæge ealle þa yrmða þe se
114gebidan sceal se ðe

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115on ða witu ealles behreoseð; & hit is ealles þe wyrse þe
116his ænig ende ne cymð æfre to worulde.
117Ðyder sculan manslagan, & ðider sculan mansworan; þyder
118sculan æwbrecan & ða fulan forlegenan; ðider
119sculan wiccan & bearnmyrðran; ðider sculan þeofas &
120ðeodscaðan, ryperas & reaferas, &, hrædest to
121secganne, ealle þa manfullan þe God gremiað, butan hy
122geswican & ðe deoppor gebetan.
123For Godes lufan we biddað manna gehwylcne þæt he beþence
124georne hine sylfne.
125Utan gecyrran georne fram synnum & God biddan inweardre
126heortan þæt he us gebeorge wið þone egsan.
127Utan forfleon geornlice man & morðor & manslihtas, stala &
128strudunga & searacræftas, & utan scyldan
129wið forliger & wið æghwylce fylðe, & utan lufian riht
130georne & ælc unriht ascunian.
131Utan andettan ure synna

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132urum scriftan þa hwile þe we magan &
133motan, & betan & a geswican & don to gode
134swa mycel swa we mæst magan.
135Þonne beorge we us sylfum wið ece wite, & geearniað us
136heofona rice.