page I,283

1

DOMINICA XVI POST FESTUM TRINITATIS.
2EVANGELIUM. SERMO 16.

3
4

IBAT IESUS IN CIVITATEM QUE VOCATUR NAYM. LUCE 7.

5
6    This gospel telluþ of o miracle þat Crist dude of a deed body, þat
7was þe secounde of þre þat Crist reisude fro deþ to lyue. And so
8telluþ þe gospel þat Iesu wente into a citee þat is clepyd Naym wiþ hise
9disciples and oþur peple, and whan he cam nyȝ þe ȝate of þe cytee, cam a cors
10þat was boren to be beryed, þat was a child of a wydwe. And myche peple of
11þis citee caam wiþ his wydwe and maden sorwe. And whanne Crist saw
12þis wydwe, he hadde mercy vpon hyre and bad hire wepe not, but wente
13and towchide þe bere þat þey booren, and þise men þat boore þis beere stooden
14stylle to see þe eende. And Cryst seyde to þe dede body 'Ȝong mon, I bydde
15þe arys'. And þat ȝong man þat was deed sat vp and bygan to speke.
16And Crist ȝaf hym to his modyr. And alle þe peple hadde drede, and
17preysuden God, and seyden þat a gret prophete roos among hem and þat God
18hadde visyted his peple for þis myracle þat þei sawen.
19    The gospel telluþ of þre deede bodyes þat Crist reysude froo
20deþ to lyue. Þe fyrste was þe personys dowtyr, þat he reysude
21wiþynne in þe hows. Þe secownde was þis wydwe sone, þat he

page I,284

22qwykede in þe ȝate. Þe þrydde was þe stynkynde careyne, þat he
23qwekude in þe graue. And þis bytokneþ þre synnes þat God
24forȝyueþ in þis world. Þe fyrste bytokneþ ful concense for to don
25aȝeynes Godus wille but hit comeþ not owht in dede, as þe mayde
26lay in þe hows. Þe secownde bytokneþ þe secownde synne whan a
27man to wykkyd wille puttiþ a wickyd dede, but he comeþ not to
28custoom as dyde Lazarus þat was beryud in a graue; and þis is þe
29ȝonge man þat we speken of stoondyng in þe ȝate. Þe þridde
30synne addiþ to þese two a long custoom to lye in synne, and þis is
31Lazar þat lyþ stynkynde fowre dayes in his sepulcre.
32    Þis secownde is a wydwe sone for syche synnerus whanten God,
33and so þey, faylyng of spowse of þe chyrche, may wel be clepud a
34wydwe; but þei han sorwe of here synne and oþur neyȝeborwus
35also. Crist byddiþ þe beere stonden whanne he sesuþ men of her
36synne; and he towchyth þe body whanne he ȝyueþ hem
37contricion; and he comawndeþ hit to rysen whanne he
38comanwndeþ meedful werkys. And þis man bygynneþ to speke
39whan he þankyþ God in grace; and Crist ȝyueþ hym to hys
40modur whanne he makyþ hym to helpon hys chyrche. And þus
41wente Crist into Naym whanne he entryde newe to hys chyrche,
42for Naym is as myche to seyn as 'flowyng' of 'mouyng'; for þe
43chyrche fyrst flowyde wiþ synne, and syþ was meuyd to God by
44bemys of þe Hooly Goost whan hit hadde grace to come to hym.

page I,285

45Wiþ Crist wenten his disciples and a greet rowte of folk, for
46manye wheren helperus of God to bryngon his chyrche to riht
47stat. Þe ȝate of þis cytee is entre to religioun of Cristus chyrche,
48in whyche ȝate been manye ȝonge men blynded and dede
49gostly, for þei knowen not Cristus religiown, how hit passuþ alle
50oþre. And so in þis ȝate ben two maner of dede men; to summe
51lokiþ Crist and qwykuþ hem in grace and ȝyueþ hem power and
52wille to come clene to his ordre, and wyte þat alle oþre ordres ben
53charghows to men, as myche as þei adden to Cristes religioun, for
54noon addicion is worþ but ȝif Godis lawe grounwde hit. Summe
55ben dede in þis ȝate þat Crist qwykenyþ not, but lasten in þere
56olde errowrus to þer deþ day, and ben þese þat taken a lyf
57vngrowndid clene in Godis lawe; and þese men lasten in þer
58errour owt of þe bowndis of Godis lawe, and ben boren fro þe ȝate
59to be beryut in helle. But þer is a pryue qwykyng þat God doþ ny
60þe deþ þat we cannot telle of, but ȝif God wole schewon hit vs,
61and þerfore foly iugement schulde be fled in þis mater. And þus
62þese men þat beren þis beere to putte þis dede man in eurthe ben
63men þat consenten and procuren to wyckydnesse. And so vpon
64þes þresynnys haþ God mercy here, but vpon þe furþe synne God
65cesuþ neuere to punysche, for þei synnen to þer deþ and so aȝen
66þe Holy Gost - þat God mut nede punysche wiþowten ende siþ
67þis synne may haue noon ende in helle.
68    In þis mater we schulde be war of perel of ypocrisye, for monye

page I,286

69feynen hem in statys and doon þe reuerse in her lyf. And ȝet þei
70seyn þei beþ parfyter in þer lyf þan were þe furste clerkys of
71Crist. And þus enemyes to Cristys religioun chalanghen to ben of
72his ordre, al ȝif þei doon euene þe reuerse to name þat þei
73beren, as þe pope schulde be moste meke man, moste seruisable
74and moste poore, as we ben tawte in seyn Petre þat was pope next
75aftyr Crist. And now men seyn þat þe pope mot nede reuerse þis
76ordenaunce and haue more power for to do þingus þat towchen
77excellence. And þus byschopys, þat schulde be clerkys and poore
78men as apostles weren, ben moste lordis of þis world and reuersen
79apostles lif. Sum tyme monkys weren lewyde men, as seyntes in
80Ierusaleem, and þanne þei kepton þei hemself fro synne, as seynt
81Bernard beruþ witnesse. But now monkys ben turnesturned vnto
82lordys of þis world, moste ydel in Godus traueyle, and seyn þat
83þei ben betture monkys þan were þe furste seyntys. And so frerys,
84þat weren breþren in Crist and noȝt charghows to þe chyrche,
85neþur in nowmbre, ne in cloþing, ne in mete, ne in howsyng, ben
86euene turned aȝen fro þe fyrste lif of hem. And ȝet by þer
87ypocrisye þei blynde þe chirche many gatis. And þus names of
88offisys, and namus of vertewes also, ben chawnghed by ypocrisye,
89and cursyd men rewlen þe world.