Lord Christ, who is called the Sun of Righteousness: he fights with us against foul sins, who before his ascension promised to us all that he would be with us daily until the ending of this world. To the servants of God then among the people of Israel might not be allotted any land-possession, because God had before commanded through Moses, that they should live by his offerings: he said that he himself was their inheritance; so also now should the noble servants of God live by God's portion, if they would do rightly, and ever exalt his righteousness, and gain ghostly produce to God, and be the intercessors of his people, also constantly direct them, and give example by works, and have their reward in everlasting life.

Who may ever in life recount the great powers of God, which he hath manifested from Adam's beginning until this present day? Be to him glory and praise to all eternity. Amen.

THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT.

THIS tide from this present day until the holy Easter-tide is called CHRIST'S PASSION TIDE, and all God's ministers in the holy church with their church-services honour, and in remembrance hold his passion, through which we were all redeemed. Our books also say, that we should hold these fourteen days with great earnestness, on account of the approach of the holy passion and honourable resurrection of our Saviour. On these days we omit in our responses 'Gloria Patri,' on account of our lament for the holy passion, unless some high festival-day occur during them.

This daily gospel speaks of the perversity of the Jews, how they opposed Christ's doctrine by unbelief, with envious mind.

HOM. VOL. II.

nysse, mid niðfullum mode. Drihten cwæð to dæra Iudeiscra menigu, and to pam ealdor-biscopum, "Quis ex uobis arguet me de peccato? Si ueritatem dico, quare uos non creditis mihi?" et reliqua: þæt is, on urum geðeode, "Hwilc eower dreað me be synne? Gif ic soð secge, hwí nelle ge me gelyfan?" et reliqua.

We willað trahtnian dis godspel æfter Augustines and Gregories dihte. We sceolon smeagan mid arfæstre heortan ures Drihtnes manowærnysse. He com to di þæt he wolde synna forgifan, and he cwæð, "Hwilc eower dreað me for synne?" Ne duhte him to huxlic, þæt he mid gesceade hine betealde unsynninne, sede purh Godcundnysse mihte da synfullan gerihtwisian. He cwæð, "Gif ic soo secge, hwí nelle ge me gelyfan? Se de fram Gode is, he gehyro Godes word: forði ge nellað gehyran, forðan de ge ne sind fram Gode.” pa Iudeiscan wæron fram Gode, and hi næron fram Gode. Hi wæron fram Gode gesceapene, ac hi wæron geleahtrode purh deofol, and ðurh mandædum hî wæron deofles bearn; swa swa Crist on disum godspelle her-bufan him to cwæð, "Ge sind deofles bearn, and ge willað eoweres fæder willan wyrcan: he was manslaga fram frymde, and he ne wunode on soðfæstnysse, forðan de nán soðfæstnys nis on him." Ɖa Iudeiscan noldon gehyran Cristes soðfæstnysse, forðan de hí wæron afyllede mid heora fæder yfelnysse and leasunge: ac swa swa heora fæder purh andan ofsloh da frumsceapenan men, swa eac da Iudeiscan smeadon niðfullice ymbe Cristes cwale, geeuenlæcende heora fæder, þæt is, deofol, de fram frymde wæs manslaga, na ðurh wæpnum, ac ðurh yfelre tihtinge.

Wite gehwa sede oderne to leahtrum forspend, þæt he is manslaga, þonne he dæs oðres sawle forpærð þurh his yfelum tihtingum. Æle gesceaft is god on gecynde, ac hit bið geleahtrod purh yfelnysse. pa Iudeiscan wæron gode on gecynde and on gebyrde, forðan de hí wæron Abrahames ofspring; ac hi wæron yfele and deofles bearn ðurh euen

The Lord said to the multitude of Jews and to the chief bishops, "Quis ex vobis arguet me de peccato? Si veritatem dico, quare vos non creditis mihi?" et reliqua : that is, in our tongue, "Which of "Which of you convicteth me of sin? If I say the

truth, why will ye not believe me?” etc.

We will expound this gospel according to the authority of Augustine and Gregory. We should contemplate with pious heart our Lord's meekness. He came to the end that he might forgive sins, and he said, "Which of you convicteth me of sin?" It seemed not to him too humiliating with reason to prove himself unsinning, who through his divine nature might justify the sinful. He said, "If I say the truth, why will ye not believe me? He who is from God heareth God's word: ye will not hear, because ye are not from God." The Jews were from God, and they were not from God. They were created from God, but they were corrupted by the devil, and through deeds of wickedness they were children of the devil; as Christ in this gospel here above said to them, "Ye are children of the devil, and ye will work your father's will: he was a manslayer from the beginning, and he existed not in truth, because there was no truth in him." The Jews would not hear Christ's truth, because they were filled with the evilness and leasing of their father: but as their father through envy slew the first created persons, so likewise the Jews enviously deliberated for the slaying of Christ, imitating their father, that is, the devil, who was a manslayer from the beginning, not by weapons, but through evil instigation.

Let every one know who entices another to sins, that he is a manslayer, when he perverts the other's soul by evil instigations. Every creature is good in its nature, but it is corrupted by evil. The Jews were good by nature and by birth, for they were Abraham's offspring; but they were evil and children of the devil through imitation, not by nature.

læcunge, na ðurh gecynde. Hit is gewunelic on halgum gewritum, þæt gehwam bið fæder genamod be his geefenlæcunge: gif he geeuenlæco Gode on gōdum weorcum, he bið þonne Godes bearn gecíged; gif he geuenlæcð deofle on manlicum dædum, he bid donne deofles bearn, purh his yfelan geeuenlæcunga, na gecyndelice.

Drihten cwæð on dyssere ylcan rædinge her-wiðufan to dam Iudeiscum, "Soo sod ic eow secge, Ælc dæra de synne wyrcd, he bið þonne dære synne deow." Witodlice se synfulla deowað þam wyrstan deowte: þeah de he bruce brâdes rices, he is earm deowtling, na anes hlafordes; ac swa manegum leahtrum swa he gehyrsumad, swa manega deofla him beod to hlafordum gesette.

Gehwa mæg hine sylfne tocnawan on dam wordum þe Drihten cwæð, "Se de is fram Gode he gehyro Godes word." God Almihtig bebytt mannum þæt hí sceolon heofonan rices eðel symle gewilnian, and þyssere worulde ydelnysse forseon ; oðres mannes ææhta ne gewilnian, his ágen cystelice dælan ; soðfæstnysse and rihtwisnysse mid anrædum mode symle healdan. Smeaga nu gehwa on his mode, gif das beboda and oore pillice habbað ænigne stede on his heortan, donne tocnew he hwæder he is fram Gode. Witodlice se is fram Gode pe Godes beboda mid gehyrsumum eare gehyrð, and gecneordlice hí mid weorcun gefyld. Se pe ne mæg lustlice Godes word gehyran, ne nele hí on weorcum awendan, he bið æra arleasra Iudeiscra efenhlytta, be dam pe Crist cwæð, "Forði ge nellað gehyran, forðan de ge ne sind fram Gode."

pa Iudeiscan cwædon be Criste pæt he wære Samaritanisc, and hæfde deofol on him. Samaria hatte ân burh, da burh forsawon pa Iudeiscan to dan swide, þæt swa hwilcne swa hí to hospe habban woldon, donne cwædon hĩ be dam þæt he wære Samaritanisc. Twa bysmolice word hí cwædon to Criste: an is, þæt he wære Samaritanisc, oðer þæt he deofol on him hæfde, þæt we cwedad on Englisc be wōdum menn,