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DOMINICA XXIII POST FESTUM TRINITATIS.
2EVANGELIUM. SERMO 23.

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ABEUNTES PHARISEI. MATHEI 22.

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6    Þe storye of þis gospel telluþ how þe pharisees casten to desseyue
7Crist by wordis of ypocrisye. And so þe pharises, wendyng owth fro þe
8weye of trewþe, maden a cownseil by hemself to take Iesu in speche ; and
9fyrst þei spoken fagyng wordys, as ypocrytes don, but ȝeet þei
10senten here disciples and come not hemself, leste þei weron conuycte
11by wisdam of Crist. Þei senten to Crist two peples, Iewys and
12Herodyanes , to witnesse aȝenys hym whateuere he hadde seyd,
13oþur aȝen þe Iewes or aȝen þe emperour. 'Maister,' þei seiden, 'we
14wyte wel þat þow art sad, trewe, and þe weye þat lediþ to God þow techist in
15trewþe, and þow takist noon hed of man but boldly tellust þe soþe, for
16þow reckist of noo man but puttist God byfore.' And aftyr þei axedon
17þis questioun of Crist, þat he schulde tellen þat hym þowhte and
18not by oþur mennys witt, weþur hit were leueful to ȝyue taliage to þe
19emperour . Hem þowte þat Crist schulde nede sey oþur 'ȝe' or
20'nay'; ȝif he seyde 'ȝe' he spak aȝen þe Iewys, for þei chalanghedon
21of þer fadris to be sughet to noo man, and ȝif he seyde
22'nay' he were aȝenus þe emperour; and so on eche syde hem

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23þowte þat Crist was taken. But Crist schewyde furst þe purpos of
24þese ypocrites. Whan Iesu knew þe wickidnesse of þes false
25men, he clepud hem ypocrytes and axede wharto þey temptydon hym ;
26and eft Crist took a mene weye anoþur þan þei þowten on. 'Schewe
27ȝe me' seyde Crist, 'þe mone of þe taliage.' And þei schewedon hym a peny.
28And Crist axede ouer, 'Whose ymage is þis? and whose wrytyng aboue?' Þei
29seyden hit was þe emperours. And Crist ȝaf hem þis answer, general
30and sotyl, 'Ȝyue ȝe to þe emperour þat is his, and to God þat is his' ; by
31whiche word hit semeþ þat Crist approuede þe emperour and
32subieccion to hym, in þat þat he makiþ Godis pees, and seruyse
33propre to God schulde be kept to hym. And so Cristys wordis
34myȝte no man disproue.
35    Heere may men towche þe malis of ypocrisye for þer is no werse
36synne, ne more general, ne more venemows, for hit is more euyl
37þat hishit þus contrarieþ to trewþe, siþ an ypocrite feyneþ hym
38hooly, and he is a false fend. And herfore repreuede Crist
39ypocrisye of ordres, for he wiste wel þat þey schulden after do
40more harm in þe world. Furst suche ypocrytes lyon on hemself,
41and seyn þei don for holynesse whateuere þat þei don; and so þei
42venyme furst hemself and afturward oþur men. And hit is more
43general þan manye oþre synnes, for eche stat of men is blemschyd
44wiþ þis synne, but furst and moste religiows and clerkys. For þer is
45no spedy cause why þey vson syche habytes, but to dyuyden hem
46in holynesse from þe comun peple; syþ as meedful werkys myȝte
47þei don in secler habytis and more pryuely, as Crist bydduþ vs
48ben holy. And herfore Crist bidduþ to be war wiþ sowrdow of þe

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49pharisees, siþ þer is no resoun to ypocrisye but to schewe mennys
50synne, and to disseyuen on eche syde boþe þe ypocrites hemself
51and oþre men þat dwellen wiþ hem. And so her religioun serueþ
52to crye þat þei ben holy, and to make diuision bytwixen hem and
53oþre men; and, syþ licnesse is cause of loue among men, sych
54diuision is cause of hate and enuye. Godus lawe and kynde techen
55þat eche beest loueþ beest lic to hym. And so experiens techuþ
56þat oon ordre loueþ his broþer more þan a straunge man, aȝen þe
57rewle of charyte. And sych gadrynge of lompys by sencible sygnes
58haþ not auctorite of Crist, but raþer reprouyng, for vpon Goode
59Fryday Crist ordeyned hym to be cloþud þries aȝenys sych
60weddyng wiþ cloþus of colour and schap. And, as Crist seiþ in
61repref of syche sectis, 'kynrede of hordam sekiþ siche signes'.
62    Alle þe dedes þat þei doon sownen to ypocrisye, and aȝenys
63noo men spak Crist scharplier. And, al ȝif frerys seyn þat þei
64beggon for charite, whan þei han prechid for such beggyng, and
65þat Crist beggude so and bad hem begge þus, nerþeles al þis
66speche is powdret wiþ gabbyng. And, as ypocritys doon, þei
67sekon her owne auauntaghe, and not þe worshipe of Crist, ne
68profiȝt of his chirche; for ȝif þei diden, þei wolden sewe Cristes
69rewle and leue chargyng of þe peple, boþe in nowmbre and
70beggyng, and leuen her hiȝe howses þat þei propren vnto hem,
71siþ Crist hadde no propre hows to reston ynne his hed. And, as
72Macometis lawe takiþ myche of Cristis lawe, and medleþ oþur
73lawes, and þere comeþ in þe venym, so doþ antecrist in þese newe

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74sectis. And so as þey bryngon in breþren by falshede of lesyngus,
75so ben þer ordres growndide in falsheed on eche syde. And syche
76men mute nede destorblen holy chirche.
77    And þus secler clerkis ben fulle of ypocrisye, boþe popes and
78byschopes and clerkys vndyr hem. Crist forfendide to putte
79miracles þat he hadde doon to þe manhede of hym, for errour in
80byleue. But þe fend drediþ not to feyne absolucionys and
81indulgenses, wiþ oþre ȝiftys þat God grauntyde neuere, to spuyle
82men of here mone, and not for sowle helþe for þanne wolde þei
83ȝyue freely þese ȝiftis, as Crist ȝaf hymself and bad oþre do. And
84þus lowere clerkis trauelen by watyr and by londe for to haue
85benefices and propre possessiounes, more þan þei don for help of
86mennys sowles. And howeuere þei speke, þei lyuen alle in
87ypocrisye. And þus whan men fiȝten, pledon or chiden, charite is
88not þer eende, but pruyde and propre hauyng. And þus hit is of
89seclers þat ben weddyde men. And so charite of men is blyndisblyndid by
90ypocrisye, so þat no synne of þis world lettiþ now more charite;
91and so ypocrisye is more general synne and more pryue synne to
92bygyle men, and worse to destrye in comun peple. And al þis
93figuredon pharisees aȝenys Iesu Crist.