THE NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST.

ATTENDITE a falsis prophetis, qui veniunt ad vos et reliqua.

The Lord said to his disciples, "Guard yourselves against false prophets, who will come to you in semblances of sheep," etc.

This gospel is now simply said. The false prophets, that Christ foretold to his disciples, were heretics living in holy semblance, but who would turn the true belief, that God himself taught, from the right rule to their heresies, and set false books against the true belief, to deceive the innocent christians. Now there are other false prophets, which are all who in holy semblance perpetrate evil works, and clothe themselves without with pious practices, and within are envenomed with impiousness. Of such Jesus said in another place, "Ye justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts." Again he said, "Wo unto you hypocrites, ye are like unto painted sepulchres, which appear beautiful to men without, and the grave is, nevertheless, filled with dead bones and rottenness; so ye also appear righteous without in the sight of men, and ye are within filled with deceit and unrighteousness."

The Lord said, "Guard yourselves against false prophets :" as if he had said, ' Be diligently cautious against such hypocrites, because they are not sheep, but are wolves in the semblances of sheep. They are pious without, but within they are without truth, persecutors of christian men, and robbers, like fierce wolves. Ye will know them by their fruits. Look not at their countenance, heed not their pious habits, listen not to their sweet flattery, but behold their works. They praise God's saints with their mouth, but they gainsay God's saints by their perverse deeds. They oppress the believing, and though they calumniate not God by words,

ne tælon, hí tælað hine swa-deah mid yfelum deawum.' "Hwa gaderað æfre wínberian of dornum, oppe fic-æppla of bremelum?" Hwa mæg æfre of leahterfullum mannum, oððe of dwyrum, ænige godnysse gegaderian? Be disum dornum and bremelum cwæð se Elmihtiga God to Adame, æfter dan de hê of dan forbodenan treowe digde, "Seo eorde, pe is awyriged on ðinum weorce, agifð þe dornas and bremelas."

"Elc god treow wyrcd gode wæstmas, and yfel treow wyrc yfele wæstmas." Ne mænde ure Drihten mid pisum wordum þa treowa pe on æppel-tune wexao, pa de sind líflease, sawullease, and andgitlease, ac purh heora híw he gebicnode pa gesceadwisan men, de andgit habbað and be agenum willan wyrcað, swa god swa yfel. God bið þæt treow de godne wæstm for brincð, yfel bið þæt de unwæstmbære stent, wyrse bið þæt de yfelne wæstm byrð; and se man bið herigendlic de mid gōdum weorcum hine sylfne bysgað, and oðrum gebysnað; se bið unherigendlic de unnyt leofað; se bið cwealmbære and twyfealdlice dead, swa swa se apostol cwæð, sede on gódnysse unwæstmbære bið, and on yfelnysse æfre growende and wæstmbære.

"Ne mæg þæt gode treow wyrcan yfele wæstmas, ne þæt yfele treow gode wæstmas." Ne cwæð se Hælend þæt se yfela ne mihte gecyrran and beồn gōd, ac swa lânge swa hế yfel bið, ne mæg he wyrcan godne wæstm. Ærest sceal se mann hine sylfne awendan fram yfele, þæt his weorc magon beōn awende. Sodlice gif se man þurhwunað yfel, ne mæg he habban gōde weorc; and gif se goda man ðurhwunað on his gōdnysse, ne mæg hé yfele wæstmas for bringan; forði sette God láre, and het læran ða ungelæredan, þæt men sceolon yfel forlætan, and to gode gebugan, and on godnysse Jurhwunian.

"Elc treow de ne wyrco gódne wæstm bið forcorfen, and on fyre aworpen." Be disum cyrfe spræc se Hælend on oðre stowe ðurh bigspel, pus cwedende: "Sum híredes hlaford hæfde aplantod án fíc-treow binnon his wíngearde, and

they calumniate him, nevertheless, by evil manners." "Who ever gathers grapes from thorns, or figs from brambles?" Who can ever from sinful or perverse men gather any goodness Of these thorns and brambles the Almighty God said to Adam, after he had eaten of the forbidden tree, "The earth, which is accursed through thy work, shall yield thee thorns and brambles."

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Every good tree worketh good fruits, and an evil tree worketh evil fruits." By these words the Lord meant not those trees which grow in an orchard, which are lifeless, soulless, and void of understanding, but by their similitude he indicated those rational men, who have understanding, and work by their own will, either good or evil. Good is the tree that brings forth good fruit, evil is that which stands barren, worse is that which bears evil fruit; and the man is praiseworthy who busies himself with good works, and sets example to others; he is not praiseworthy who lives useless; he is pernicious and doubly dead, as the apostle said, who is barren in goodness, and in evil ever growing and fruit-bearing.

"The good tree cannot work evil fruits, nor the evil tree good fruits." Jesus said not that the evil man might not change and be good, but so long as he is evil, he cannot work good fruit. First shall a man turn himself from evil, that his works may be turned. But if a man continue evil, he cannot have good works; and if a good man continue in his goodness, he cannot bring forth evil fruits; for God established instruction, and commanded the unlearned to be taught, that men should forsake evil, and turn to God, and continue in goodness.

"Every tree that worketh not good fruit shall be cut down, and cast into the fire." Of this cutting Jesus spake in another place through a parable, thus saying: "A master of a household had planted a fig-tree within his vineyard, and

com æfter fyrste to dam treowe, sohte wæstm dærón, and nænne ne gemette. He cwæd da to pæs wíngeardes biggengan, Efne nu reo gear ic sohte wæstm on disum fictreowe, and næune ne funde: forceorf hit; to hwí hrem hit disne stede? Se biggenga him andwyrde, Hlaford, læt hit standan gearlânges, oopæet ic hit bedelfe, and mid meoxe bewurpe, and hit witodlice wæstm wyrcd; gif hit donne beran nele, du cymst and forcyrfst hit." pa dreo gear getacnodon dry timan dissere worulde: ante legem, sub lege, sub gratia : þæt is ær æ, under æ, under Godes gife. Se tima is agán þe wæs ær Moyses æ, and se tima is agán de wæs under Moyses æ, se tíma stent gýt de is under Godes gife, pæt is fram Cristes to cyme on menniscnysse oð þyssere worulde geendunge. On disum örym timan andbidað God mancynnes rihtinge and gode wæstmas. Hwas bið þæt unwæstmbære treow wyrde æfter disum þrim tímum, buton scearpre æxe? Se biggenga bæd þam treowe fyrst æt ðam hlaforde, swa swa se apostol Paulus cwæd, "Ic bige mine cneowu to dam Elmihtigan Fæder for eow, þæt ge beon on soðre lufe gewyrtrumode, þæt ge magon underfón mid callum halgum hwæt sy brádnyss, lángnyss, heahnyss and deopnyss on Godes gesetnyssum; and tocnawan eac da oferstigendan soðan lufe Drihtnes Cristes, þæt ge beon gefyllede on ealre Godes gefyllednysse." Se apostol ðingað for ús, bigende his cneowu to dan Ælmihtigan Hlaforde, þæt we ne beon forcorfene. Uton beon wæstmbære on godum weorcum, þi-læs de se Hlaford us wæstmlease gemete, and hate ús mid deades æxe forceorfan, and siddan into dam ecum fyre awurpan.

Pæt treow bið bedolfen and mid meoxe beworpen, donne se cristena man mid soðre eadmódnysse his synna behreowsað. Dæs treowes ymb-gedelf is seo eadmódnys pæs behreowsiendan mannes; þæt meox is þæt gemynd his fúlan dæda, on ære dædbote. Hwæt is fülre Sonne meox? and swa-deah, gif du his wel notast, hwæt bid wæstmbærre ? Awend pine heortan mid sobre dædbote, and din weorc bið

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came after a time to the tree, seeking fruit thereon, and found He said then to the dresser of the vineyard, Behold now for three years I have sought fruit on this fig-tree, and found none cut it down; why cumbereth it this place? The dresser answered him, Lord, let it stand a year longer, until I delve around it, and dress it with dung, and it then make fruit; if it then will not bear, thou wilt come and cut it down." The three years betokened the three times of this world: ante legem, sub lege, sub gratia: that is, before the law, under the law, under God's grace. The time is gone that was before the law of Moses, and the time is gone that was under the law of Moses, the time stands yet that is under God's grace, that is, from Christ's advent in humanity until the ending of this world. In these three times God awaits the amendment of mankind and good fruits. Of what is the barren tree worthy after these three times, but of the sharp axe? The dresser prayed a time for the tree of the lord, as the apostle Paul said, "I bow my knees to the Almighty Father for you, that ye may be rooted in true love, that ye may receive with all the holy what breadth, length, height and depth there is in God's laws; and also know the surpassing true love of the Lord Christ, that ye may be filled with all God's fullness." The apostle mediates for us, bowing his knees to the Almighty Lord, that we may not be cut down. Let us be fruitful in good works, lest the Lord find us barren, and command us to be cut down with the axe of death, and afterwards cast into the everlasting fire.

The tree is delved around and dressed with dung, when the christian man with true lowliness repents of his sins. The delving about of the tree is the lowliness of the repentant man; the dung is the remembrance of his foul deeds, in that penitence. What is fouler than dung? and yet, if thou well use it, what is more fruit-bearing? Turn thy heart with true penitence, and thy work will be turned. Root up greedi