his life he lived two hundred and forty-eight years. He was the fifth man from Abraham the patriarch. In that time was a very long life among mankind. If any learned man read over this narrative, or hear it read, then I pray him not to blame this abridgment: to him his own understanding may speak fully on this subject; and for you laymen this is enough, though ye know not the deep mystery therein. It truly befell Job thus as he himself has. written, but, nevertheless, the ghostly signification of the narrative refers to Christ's humanity and to his church, as doctors have expounded. If to any of us some mishap befall, then should we be mindful of this great man, and be patient under the crosses that the Almighty sends on us, and have greater care for our souls than for the short happiness that we shall forsake. Be glory and honour to the benevolent Creator for all his wonders and benefits, who alone is God to all eternity. Amen. THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. NEMO potest duobus dominis servire: et reliqua. The Lord said at a certain time to his disciples, "No man can at the same time serve two masters; he will either hate the one and love the other, or he will attach himself to the one and despise the other," etc. Beda has shortly expounded this gospel, and said, that we should have transitory things for our use, not hold them in the love of our heart. The Lord himself disclosed who the two masters are, when he said, "Ye cannot serve God and your own pecuniary gain." Let the covetous hear these gytsere pas word, sede leaslice is cristen gecweden; gehyre hế, þæt he ne mæg his gytsunge deowian, and Criste samod. Nis swa-deah gecweden, se de welan hæfo, ac se de deowað dam welum. Witodlice se de is þæra æhta deow, he deowað him swa swa hlaforde, and se de is þæra æhta hlaford, he dæld hî swa swa hlaford. Se de gytsunge him hæfð to hlaforde, se forsih his Scyppend; and se de his Scyppende deowað mid lufe, swa swa hlaforde, hề forsihð ða feondlican gytsunge, seode is wyrtruma ælces yfeles. Drihten ús mânode, þæt we næron ealles to carfulle ymbe urne fodan, oððe embe ure gewæda. We sceolon mid geswince ús metes tilian, for Adames ofergægednysse; ac we sceolon ða ymhídignysse fram ús awurpan. "Betere is seo sawul donne se mete, and se lichama betera donne his scrúd:" swilce he cwæde, 'Se God de eow pa beteran ðing, þæt is sawle and lichaman, forgeaf, and eow to men gesceóp, se ylca mæg eow eaðelice foresceawian bigleofan and hleowde, gif ge his willan gefremmað. Wite gehwa þæt seo sawul is gast, and be eorðlicum mettum ne leofað, ac ure hwilwendlice lif bið mid mettum gefercod. For synnum oftih se Ælmihtiga Wealdend hwîlon mannum bigleofan, ac swa-deah se de hungre acweld, we gelyfað þæt he gegæð Gode, buton he pe swiðor forscyldgod wære. He cwæð, "Behealdað þas fleogendan fugelas, de ne sawad ne ne ripað, ac eower Heofonlica Fæder hi afet." Gif da wacan fugelas, þe nu to-dæg beod, and beod to-merigen to nahte awende, habbað butan care bigleofan, Jurh heora Scyppendes foresceawunge, hú miccle swidor wile God foresceawian urne bigleofan, we de sind ece on urum sawlum, and eac beoð on lichaman unateorigendlice æfter dam gemænelicum æriste? Drihten cwæð, þat we sind miccle róttran ponne da fuge las; forðan de se man is de Gode geðih ealra gesceafta rótost, and Gode leofost, buton dam heofenlicum englum, þe næfre ne syngodon. Mannes gecynd is micclum gewurðod, purh þæt pe se Ælmihtiga Godes Sunu hine sylfne gemede words, who is falsely called a christian; let him hear, that he cannot serve his covetousness and Christ together. It is not, however, said, he who hath riches, but he who serveth those riches. Verily he who is the servant of his possessions, serves them as a master, and he who is the master of his possessions, deals them as a master. He who has covetousness for a master, contemns his Creator; and he who serves his Creator with love as a master, contemns hateful covetousness, which is the root of every evil. The Lord exhorted us not to be altogether too careful about our food, or about our garments. We should gain us meat with toil, for Adam's transgression; but we should cast solicitude from us. "Better is the soul than meat, and the body better than its clothing" as if he had said, 'The God that gave you the better things, that is, soul and body, and created you as man, the same can easily provide you food and covering, if ye perform his will.' Let every one know that the soul is a spirit, and lives not on earthly meats; but our transitory life is sustained by meats. For sins the Almighty God sometimes withdraws sustenance from men, but, nevertheless, we believe that he who dies of hunger goes to God, unless he were greatly criminal. He said, "Behold the flying birds, which nor sow nor reap, but your Heavenly Father feedeth them." If the weak birds, that are now to-day, and will to-morrow be turned to naught, have sustenance without care, through their Creator's providence, how much more will God provide our sustenance, we who are eternal in our souls, and shall also be unperishable in body after the common resurrection? The Lord said, that we are much more joyous than the birds; because the man who thrives to God is of all creatures the most joyous, and to God dearest, save the heavenly angels, who never sinned. Man's nature is greatly honoured thereby, that the Almighty Son of God vouchsafed to assume that mode þæt gecynd to underfonne. He cwæð, "Hwilc eower mæg geican ane elne to his lenge?" Witodlice ne become we purh ure foresceawunge to dam wæstme, þe we on urum lichaman habbað; uton forði lætan þæs reafes ymhídignysse to das dihte pe dam lichaman da lenge forgeaf. Wyrta sind eaðelice gesceafta, and ðurh winterlicne cyle symle forseariað; swa-ðeah þæs Ælmihtigan cystinys hí geglencð mid swa wlitigum blostmum, þæt hí oferstigao mid heora fægernysse ealle eorölice gebleoh. Ne mihte se wuldorfulla Salomon, ne nan eorolic cyning swa wlitige deagunge his hræglum begytan swa swa rose hæfð, and lilie, and fela oðre wyrta þe wunderlice scinað: da wyrta beoð nu to-dæg blowende on wynsumnysse, and to-merigen beoð forbærnde. Merigen is geteald on bocum for toweardre tide, þeah ge da bysne ne cunnon. Hwi forgifð God pam wacum wyrtum swa fægerne wlite, and ús forbyt þæt we ne sceolon hōgian ymbe ure frætewunge, buton forðan de we sceolon mid wácnysse and soore eadmodnysse pa heofenlican fægernysse and frætewunge geearnian, þe Adam forleas, forðan de hề wolde, þurh dæs deofles tihtinge, mærra beón ponne he gesceapen was? Ne sceole we wuldrian on woruldlicere frætewunge, forðan þe seo frætewung and se lichama sind brosniendlice swa swa dæra wyrta blostm. Drihten bead pet we næron bysige and carfulle, cwedende," Hwæt sceole we etan, odde hwæt drincan, ode mid hwam beōn ymscrydde?" and cwæð, "Witodlice eower Heofenlica Fæder wat þæt ge þyssera ðinga behōfiað: secað ærest Godes rice, and his rihtwísnysse, and ealle das ding eow beoð þærto geeacnode." We sceolon ærest secan Godes ríce and his rihtwísnysse: þæt is, pæt we sceolon swiðor hogian embe þæt ece líf, þonne ymbe done ateorigendlican bigleofan, done ús geeácnað God dærtó, gif we dæs oðres swidor cepað. Ne cwæd he na þæt ús beod pa ateorigendlican bigleofan forgyfene, ac pærto geeacnode, forðan de he talað þæt ece lîf to his gife, and done eorðlican bigleofan to nature. He said, "Which of you can add one ell to his length?" Verily we come not through our own providence to the stature that we have on our bodies; let us, therefore, leave care of raiment to the disposal of him who gave to the body its length. Plants are tender creatures, and through wintery chill always wither; nevertheless, the bounty of the Almighty adorns them with such beauteous blossoms, that they excel by their fairness all earthly colours. Neither the glorious Solomon, nor any earthly king could get such beautiful dyeing for his garments as the rose has, and the lily, and many other plants which appear wonderful: these plants are to-day blowing in winsomeness, and to-morrow are burnt. In books to-morrow is reckoned for future time, though ye know not an example. Why gives God to the mean herbs so fair an aspect, and forbids us to be solicitous about our decoration, but because we should by simpleness and true lowliness merit the heavenly fairness and decoration, which Adam lost, because he would, through the instigation of the devil, be greater than he was created? We should not glory in worldly decoration, for the decoration and the body are corruptible as the blossom of plants. The Lord enjoined that we should not be busy and careful, saying, "What shall we eat, or what drink, or with what be clothed?" and said, "For your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye need these things: seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." We should first seek God's kingdom and his righteousness: that is, that we should be more solicitous about the everlasting life than about the perishable sustenance which God adds for us thereto, if we are more observant of the other. He said not, that perishable sustenance will be given us, but added thereto, because he accounts the everlasting life as his gift, and the earthly HOM. VOL. II. 2 H |