1B1.8.5

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2Ure Hælend Crist cydde, þæt he lufode þa clænnysse on his
3þeowum swutelice,

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4þa þa he mædenmann him to meder geceas.
5And he sylf leofode buton eallum synnum on þære ylcan
6clænnysse, þe he com to mannum, oð þæt he us
7alysde mid his agenum life and mid his æriste urne deað
8towearp.
9Iohannes eac, se fulluhtere, þe Crist gefullode, heold þa
10clænnysse gecwemlice gode on mode and on
11lichaman on micelre drohtnunge.
12And he is mægðhades man, forðam þe mægðhad is ge on
13wæpmannum, ge on wimmannum, swa swa gewritu secgað.
14Iohannes se godspellere, þe gode wæs gecweme, and Crist hine
15lufode for þære clænnysse, swa swa we
16singað swutelice be him: Virgo electus a Deo, virgo in eum
17permansit .
18He wæs on clænum mægðhade gecoren fram gode, and he on
19mægðhade on ecnysse þurhwunode.
20Sume þa apostolas, þe siðodon mid Criste on his lareowdome,
21þa þa he her on life wæs, hæfdon him gemacan æfter
22Moyses æ.
23Ac hi sona geswicon þæs sinscipes æfre, syððan hi Cristes
24lare geleornodon æt him, swa swa Petrus sæde on sumum
25godspelle:

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26Ecce nos reliquimus omnia et secuti sumus te .
27Quid ergo erit nobis ?
28We forleton ealle þing and þe, leof, folgiað.
29Hwæt gewyrð be us?
30And him andwyrde Crist: Ge, þe folgiað me, for þi ge
31sceolon sittan on twelf domsetlum, and ge deman sceolon
32eallum manncynne on þam micclan dæge æfter þam
33æriste, þonne ic sylf sitte on þam domsetle mines
34mægenþrymmes.
35And ælc þæra, þe forlæt on þisum life nu fæder oððe
36modor, gebroðru oððe geswustru, his wif oððe cildru,
37hus oððe æceras for minum naman, he underfehð þa
38mede be hundfealdum edleane and þæt ece lif.
39ðysne wurðmynt geearniað æt þam ælmihtigan gode þa þe
40mid clænnysse him gecwemað on life and mid godum weorcum
41hine gladiað nu, þæt hi be hundfealdum habbað þa mede,
42þæt þæt hi be anfealdan for his lufon dydon, and þær
43to eacan syþþan þæt ece lif mid him.
44Under Moyses lage men moston lybban on maran softnysse and on
45geswæsum lustum,

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46swiþor þonne nu on þisum niwum dagum
47æfter Cristes acennednysse, þe þa clænnysse astealde ge
48þurh hine sylfne, ge þurh his halgan þegenas, ge wæpmenn,
49ge wimmenn, þe wunedon on clænnysse, fela þusend manna on
50micelre drohtnunge, þe nu syndon halige on heofonan rice.
51Lex et prophetae usque ad Iohannem .
52Seo ealde æ wunode and witegan eac swylce oþ Iohannes timan,
53and witodlice syþþan man sceal mid earfoðnyssum þæt ece
54lif geearnian, swa swa se hælend on his halgan godspelle
55cwæð.
56Iacob, se heahfæder, hæfde twa geswustru buta him to wife be
57þam ealdan gewunan.
58Ac þæt is nu manfullic ænigum menn to donne on þam
59cristendome, þe Crist sylf astealde on þæs godspelles timan
60nu under godes gyfe.
61Se bisceop þa moste under Moyses æ habban wif and cild for
62þære gesetnysse, þe nan mann ne moste to
63þam micclum hade nateshwon becuman buton of Aarones cynne,

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64þæs forman bisceopes, be godes gesetnysse.
65Hit mihte þa swa wel beon, forþam þe hi ne mæssodon
66næfre, ne husel ne halgodon, ærþan þe se hælend
67sylf husel gehalgode ær his þrowunge and het us swa don on
68his halgan gemynde.
69He ne gecyst nu be nanum cynrene, ac of ælcere mægðe be
70þæs mannes geþingðum, to his halgum þenungum him to
71mæssigenne bisceopas and mæssepreostas to swa mycelre gerynu,
72þæt hi halgian magon mid heora þenungum þæt halige husel
73to his lichaman and blode, and he wyle habban huru þa clænan
74to swylcum weorce, swa swa him wel gerist.
75He cwæð on his godspelle be þam þe him þeniað: Sint
76lumbi vestri procincti et lucernae ardentes in
77manibus vestris .
78Beon eowre lendena ymbgyrde, and beon leohfatuleohtfatu on eowrum
79handum byrnende.
80Lareowas us secgað, þæt on þam lendenum is þæs lichaman
81galnyss, and god bebead for þi, þæt we sceolon gewriðan
82and gewyldan þa galnysse, we þe him þeniað
83on þære halgan mæssan.
84And we sceolon habban on urum handum leohtfatu, þæt synd þa
85godan weorc, þe gode liciað,

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86oðrum mannum to bysne, na us sylfum to gylpe.
87Eft cwæð se hælend to his gingrum þuss: Qui mihi
88ministrat, me seguatur, et cetera : Se ðe me sylfum þenað,
89folgie he eac me, and þær þær ic sylf beo,
90þær byþ eac min þen.
91Se þe Criste þenað, he sceal him eac folgian æfre on
92clænum þeawum be Cristes gebysnungum, þæt he mote wunian
93on þære ecan worulde mid hælende Criste, swa swa he sylf
94behet þam þe him þeniað on his þeowdome her.
95Iohannes, se godspellere, on his gastlican gesihðe,
96Apocalipsis gehaten, þe se hælend him onwreah,
97geseah Crist standan and þone clænan flocc mid him,
98hundteontig þusenda and feower and feowertig þusenda,
99swiðe hlude singende þone heofonlican sang, and nan
100oþer halig mann ne mihte singan mid him þone gastlican
101lofsang on godes gesihðe, buton þa þusenda, þe þuss
102synd geherode.
103Hi sunt, qui cum mulieribus non sunt coinquinati. Virgines
104enim sunt. Hi sequuntur agnum, quocumque ierit .

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105ðas halgan næron næfre mid wifum besmitene.
106Hi sindon mægðhade gehealdenre clænnysse.
107Hi folgiað Criste, swa hwider swa he gæð.
108Ac þa godes þeowas, þe gode sceolon þenian, gyf hi licgað
109nu on heora lustum her, þonne ne magon hi
110singan þone heofonlican sang, ne Criste folgian on his
111fægerum wununge, þe þa clænnysse lufað on his clænum
112þeowdome.
113Is nu for ði mycel neod læwedum mannum, þæt hi leornion
114heora geleafan æt Cristes lareowum, and hu
115hi lybbon on riht on godes gelaðunge, forþan ðe þry hadas
116syndon, þe fullice gode liciað.
117þæra is ærest riht sinscipe and syþþan wudewanhad and
118þonne mægðhad mid þæs modes clænnysse.
119Riht sinscipe is on gesinhiwum, þa þe beoð geæwnode æfter
120godes gesetnysse and æwbryce ne wyrceað wolice and sceamlice,
121ac heora lif lybbað, swa swa hit alyfed is, bearn strynende
122mid godes bletsunge on alyfedum timan, godes folce to eacan,
123forþan ðe god fordemð þa dyrnan forligeras and þa unrihtan
124hæmeras on helle suslum,

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125buton hi heora unriht ær heora ende gebeton.
126Hit wære swyþe rihtlic æfter rihtum life, þæt se cniht
127heolde hine sylfne clæne, oð þæt he wifode,
128swa swa he wyle habban clæne mæden, þonne hi cumað
129togæderes.
130And æfter godes gesetnysse eall swa scyldig byð geteald se
131forlegena cniht swa þæt forlegene mæden.
132Wudewanhad is, þæt man wunige on clænnysse for godes lufon,
133swa swa þæt godspell segð, æfter his gemacan mid
134anrædnysse, ægðer ge weras ge wif æfter godes wissunge.
135Hit byð swyþe sceandlic, þæt eald wif sceole ceorles
136brucan, þonne heo forwerod byð and teames ætealdod,
137ungehealtsumlice, forðan ðe gesceafta ne beoð for
138nanum oðran þinge astealde butan for bearnteame anum,
139swa swa us secgað halige bec.
140Mægðhad is witodlice se þe wunað on clænnysse æfre fram
141cildhade gesælig for Criste, ge wæpmenn, ge
142wimmenn, þa þe wurðiað Crist mid swa micelre lufe, þæt
143him leofre byð, þæt hi mid earfoðnysse hi sylfe gewyldon
144to þære clænnysse, þe hi Criste beheton, þonne hi heora
145lustas on heora life gefremmon

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146and fram þam ecan wurðmynte ælfremede beon;
147swa swa þa godan munecas and mynecena doð,
148þa þe on clænnysse Criste æfre þeowiað.
149ðas þry hadas habbað þone þryfealdan wæstm þære godre
150eorðan; swa swa þæt godspell us segð, þæt þæt
151gode sæd, þe god sæwð on mancynne, sum berð
152þrittigfealdne wæstm, sum syxtigfealdne, sum hundfealdne
153mid healicum geþylde.
154ða þe on sinscipe wuniað mid gesceadwisnysse and heora æwe
155healdað buton æwbryce symle, þa habbað þrittigfealde mede
156æt þam mildheortan Criste on þam ecan life mid þæra engla
157geferrædene.
158ða þe on wudewanhade wuniað for Criste, þa habbað eft æt
159him syxtigfealde mede, and þa þe on mægðhade and on modes
160clænnysse fram cildhade wuniað on Cristes þeowdome,
161mid eadmodnysse him æfre þeowigende, þa habbað hundfealde
162mede mid him sylfum on ecnysse and þa mærestan wununge,
163swa swa se witega cwæð, Isaias se æþela, on his gesetnysse.

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164On þære gesetnysse mæg sceawian se þe wyle, hu holdlice
165god spræc þurh þone halgan witegan be his clænum þegenum
166and his clænum þinenum, hu he hi gearwurðað toforan oðrum
167mannum on þam ecan wurðmynte and on wuldre mid him.
168We ne magon nu secgan on þysum sceortum gewrite, hu þa
169halgan apostolas heredon þa clænnysse, and hu þa wisan
170lareowas awriton be þære mycele bec on manegum gesetnyssum.
171And se þe him wiðcwyð and heora gesetnyssum, he ne byð na
172wita, ac witodlice gedwola.
173We rædað on bocum, þæt ungerim bisceopa and muneca wæron,
174swa swa wæs Martinus, Gregorius and Augustinus, Basilius and
175Cuthberhtus, and manega oðre, on micelre drohtnunge Criste
176þeowigende on clænnysse æfre.
177And heora nan ne sealde swylce leafe næfre, þæt ænig
178weofodes þen moste wif habban, se þe mid his handum halgian
179sceal þæt halige husel, swa swa se hælend tæhte.
180Eac swylce mæssepreostas manega wæron halige, swa swa wæs
181Beda, se mæra bocere, and eft Hieronimus
182and oðre gehwylce

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183wide geond þas woruld, þe wunnon wið unþeawas
184and galnysse onscunedon þurh godes gast onbryrde
185and þa fulan forsawon for heora fracodnysse.
186On westenum wunedon þa wisan fæderas Antonius and Paulus,
187Hilarion and Macharius, Iohannes and Arsenius, Pafnutius
188and Apollonius, and fela þusenda, swa swa
189Vita Patrum segð, muneca and mynecena,
190on mycelre drohtnunge Criste þeowigende on modes clænnysse.
191And swa byð æfre oð þissere worulde geendunge, þæt þa
192clænheortan on Cristes lufe þeonde beoð on halgum
193geþingðum, oð þæt hi becumon to Criste sylfum.
194þam sy a wuldor to worulde.
195Amen.