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DOMINICA I POST OCTAVAM EPIPHANIE.
2EUANGELIUM. SERMO 32.

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CUM FACTUS ESSET IESUS. LUCE 2.

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6    This gospel telluþ a lore of Crist whanne he was twelue ȝer olde,
7and þis lore is ful of miracles, as oþre dedis ben þat he dyde. Þe
8story telluþ þat, whan Iesu was maad of twelue ȝer old, he wente wiþ
9Ioseph and Marie vnto Ierusaleem, as þei hadden custoom at Pasc for to
10make þis pilgrymage. And whanne þe dayȝes weren endyde of makyng of
11þis pilgrymage, his fadyr and his modur wenten hoom and Crist lefte
12alone in þe cyte. And his fadyr and his modyr wyste not þat Iesu was left
13byhynde, for children hadden in free custom to chesen weþur þat
14þei wolden wende wiþ fadyr or wiþ modyr; and þus Ioseph
15wende þat Crist hadde comen wiþ his modyr, and owre Lady
16supposede þat Crist hadde comen wiþ Ioseph. And among Iewes
17was þis religioun kept þat men schulde goo by hemself and
18wymmen by hemself, for þei kepten hem fro lecherye in sych
19pilgrimage; but now pilgrimage is mene for to do lecherye. And
20al þis ordeynede owre Maister for to techen his chirche to
21enforme þe prelatis aftyr general doyngis, for errour in hem is

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22more and more harmful to þe chirche. And whanne þei weren
23mette togedre and wantedon þe child Iesu, þei wenden þat he hadde
24ben in feleschipe wiþ som kyn of his frendis . And þei wenten aȝeyn to
25sekon hym among hem, and o day þei wenton aȝen and fownden hym
26not in þe weye. Þe þridde day þei sowten in þe citee and þey
27fownden hym not. And aftyr þe þridde day þei fownden hym in þe
28temple, syttyng among doctours, heryng and axynge hem . No drede þat
29ne Crist kepte good ordre in his doyng, furst heryng and aftyr
30axyng wordys of þe lawe. And alle þat herden hym hadden wondyr vpon
31his wisdom and hise answerys ; and, seynge þe ȝoukþe of þe child, þei
32hadden wondyr of his dedis. And his modyr seyde to hym 'Sone, why dedust
33þow þus to vs? Loo! þi fadyr and I boþe sorwyng han sowt þe.' And Crist
34seyde vnto hem, 'Warto han ȝe sowt me? Ne wiste ȝe not þat I muste be in
35þe nedys of my Fadyr? And here schulde prelatis lerne furst to
36worschipe þere God and to seruen his chirche, byfor þat þei
37bussyeden hem abowte worldly werkys. For eche man schulde
38serue God, byfore þat he seruede oþur þing, for his furste entent
39schulde be to worchype God whateuere he dide; and þis mut
40nede be in Crist, for he dide alle þing as he schulde. But þei
41vndyrstoden not þe word þanne þat Crist spak here to hem. And Crist wente
42doun wiþ hem fro Ierusaleem to Nazareþ, and he was suget vnto hem in
43þingus þat þei beden hym do. And his modyr kepte alle þese wordis,
44beryng hem in her herte. Iesu profiȝtede in wisdom, in age and in grace
45boþe to God and to man . We schullen wyte þat owre Iesu, siþ he was

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46þis manhede and suget to oþre men, and growyde in waxyng
47and in elde, he profiȝtude in connyng wyche þat cam of his
48wittes. But he hadde connyng of godhede and blessyde connyng
49of man, by whiche he was in al his tyme ylyche wys and knew alle
50þing.
51    Here may holy chirche knowe boþe religioun of Crist and
52partis of þis religioun, as obedience and mekenesse. For Crist was
53suget to his lesse and seruede hem ful mekely, for Goddis lawe
54tawte hym þat þei weren enspiryd more þan Crist was bodily.
55And Godes rewle schulde suffice to men, al ȝif þei clowtede not
56newe rewlus. For Crist tawte parfiȝtly a ful rewle for alle cristene
57men; and hit is a fowl pruyde to clowten oure erroures to his
58wisdam, for oold cloþ clowted to newe makiþ more hole, as Crist
59seiþ. And we ben certeyn of owre byleue þa Crist haþ mesured
60his ordre in liȝtnesse and in fredom, more þan oþur men konne
61schape. How schulde blynde fooles aftyr amende þis rewle þat
62Crist haþ ȝyuen? And so God enformeþ men of þis pryuate ordres
63þat þre þingus of here ordres ben ydele and noyows: furst þer
64clowtyng of her rewle, and siþen þer obedience, and aftyr þer
65obligacioun to þer abytis and oþre vses.
66    Furst, Cristes rewle were fully sufficient to alle men, and more
67free and more liȝt and of more auctorite. How myhte þe feend for
68schame cumbre men wiþ sich clowtyng? Ȝif a man schulde
69wenden aweye, hit were no nede to chargen hym wiþ þingus þat
70weren not profiȝtable, ȝif he hadde ynow bysyde. And so, as God

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71forfendeþ men for to adde to his lawe or for to drawe þerfro, for
72hit is maad in ful mesure, riht so we schulden holden his rewle, by
73whyche he techeþ alle cristene men, neiþur adde to ne drawe
74þer fro leste we peyren Godes ordenaunce. And luytel errour in
75þis byleue groweþ to more in long tyme, and þis feendis
76blasfemye in God distorbleþ þe chirche more and more.
77    As anemptys obedience, hit is knowen þat Cristys obedience
78kept clene were sufficient to alle men here on lyue. And oþur
79obedience þat is clowted doþ harm manye weyȝes, for hit
80supposeþ þat þis prelat erruþ not in his comaundementis, but
81euermore biddeþ hise sugetis þe same þing þat God biddeþ. And
82þus eche prelat schulde ben yliche wys and euene wiþ God. And
83whanne þei ben made prelatis by synful menus, as ofte falliþ, God
84schulde algatis ȝiuen hem wit and confermen hem in grace, for ȝif
85þei myhten aftyr do synne, þei myhten be prowde in þer prelacye
86and rewlen here sugetis amys aȝen þe comaundementis of God.
87And þanne were hit profiȝtable to wante siche blynde lederis, siþ
88affiaunce in God and preyng of hise gouernayle myȝte not fayle to
89men, but ȝif þei schal fayle furst. Lord! why ordeyned not God
90suche ordres in þe olde lawe, ne in stat of innocens, but destruyde
91newe þat wer maade? Wheþur God be not now as wys as he was
92in þe olde lawe, and ordeyne now for his spouse as tendirly as he
93dide þanne? And þus alle þese newe ordres beþ fulle of heresye.
94    And as anemptis þese newe habites, certeynly þei ben of þe
95feend, but ȝif þer be som nedful cawse byndyng men þus to
96hem; for ellis þei weren superfluȝ, and to of God but of þe feend,
97siþ þei taryen mennys wittis and her kepyng from Godis werkis.

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98But hit is knowen þing to men þat þese habitis profiȝte not to
99werkis of vertewys, but huyden þese ypocriȝtes, siþ þei may wiþ
100suche habitis be qwike feendis in þis world. And ȝif þei profiȝten
101by any cas, þei doþ harm ofture, as doþ synne, and crien to men
102ypocrisie of suche ordris þat vsen hem. And ȝif þese signes ben
103false, þei maaken men false þat vson hem. And so algatis, siþ
104vertewis myȝte be kepte wiþowten syche signes moore pryuely
105and sicurly, þei ben browȝte in by þe feend, and specially to
106chargen hem more þan counselis or maundementis of God. Eche
107man mut haue som custom; but looke he wedde hym not þerwiþ,
108ne bussye hym not þat hit be kept of manye men, for þei ben
109dyuerse, and axen dyuerse customes aftyr þat God moueþ hem.