hwilwendlicere læne. pæt ece líf ús forgifò God, and purh his genihtsumnysse ús done hwilwendlican fódan ðær-toeacan wyrpo, swuteligende pæt se fōda nis na ure méd, ac þæt ece líf is ures geswinces edlean.

Daghwomlice we sceolon gewilnian þæs ecan lífes, and ure synna symle wánian; forðan de hĩ beoð gegaderode to micelre hypan, gif we hî weaxan lætað. Oft of ðinnum renscurum flewd seo eorde.

pis godspel incð dysegum mannum sellic, ac we hit secgað swa-deah, weald deah hit sumum men licige. God ús gerihtlæce, and to ðam ecan life gelæde, swa swa he behet dam de hine lufiað. Sy him wuldor and wurðmynt on ealra worulda woruld. Amen.

DE SANCTA MARIA.

HWÆT wylle we secgan ymbe MARIAN gebyrd-tíde, buton þæt heo was gestryned purh fæder and ðurh moder swa swa oðre men, and was on dam dæge acenned pe we cweðað sexta idus Septembris? Hire fæder hatte Ioachim, and hire moder Anna, eawfæste men on dære ealdan æ; ac we nellað be dam na swiðor awritan, þy-læs de we on ænigum gedwylde befeallon. Eac pas dæges godspel is swiðe earfoðe læwedum mannum to understandenne; hit is eal mæst mid haligra manna naman geset, and hî habbað swide langsume trahtnunge, æfter dam gastlicum andgite; di we hit lætað unsæd.

sustenance as a temporary loan. God gives us the everlasting life, and, through his abundance, casts to us, in addition thereto, temporary food, manifesting that the food is not our meed, but that everlasting life is the reward of our toil.

Daily should we desire the everlasting life, and unremittingly lessen our sins; for they will be gathered into a great heap, if we let them wax. Oft from thin rain-showers the earth is flooded.

This gospel will to foolish men seem extraordinary, but we, nevertheless, say it, seeing that to some it may be pleasing. May God direct us, and lead us to the everlasting life, as he hath promised to those that love him. Be to him glory and honour to all eternity. Amen.

OF SAINT MARY.

WHAT shall we say of the birth-tide of MARY, save that she was begotten by father and by mother as other persons, and was born on the day that we call the eighth of September? Her father was named Joachim, and her mother Anna, pious persons according to the old law; but we will not write further concerning them, lest we fall into any error. This day's gospel is also very difficult for laymen to understand; it is all chiefly occupied with the names of holy men, and they require a very long exposition according to the ghostly sense; we therefore leave it unsaid.

468

XI. KL. OCTOBRIS.

NATALE SANCTI MATHEI APOSTOLI ET

EUANGELISTAE.

SE GODSPELLEre Matheus, þe we to-dæg wurðiað, awrát be him sylfum hú se Hælend hine geceas to his geferrædene, pus cwedende, "Cum transiret Iesus, uidit hominem in thelonio sedentem, Matheum nomine :" et reliqua: "Đaða se Hælend ferde on sumere byrig, da geseah he sittan sumne mannan æt toll-setle, Matheus gehâten; and he cwæð to him, Folga me. Matheus arás þærrihte fram his tolle, and filigde dam Hælende:" et reliqua.

We nímað þæt andgit pises godspelles æg der ge of Mathees gesetnysse ge of Lucas. Matheus is Ebreisc nama, þæt is on Leden 'Donatus,' and on Englisc Forgifen,' oððe 'Gegodod.' God hine gōdode swa þæt he hine awende of tollere to apostole, and him forgeaf ða gife þæt he awrát ða forman Cristes bốc, and is godspellere purh Godes micclan cyste. "He hine geseah sittan æt tolle." He hine geseah na þæt án mid lichamlicere gesihde, ac eac swilce mid incundre miltsunge, swa þæt hê hine geceas to heofonlicere geðincðe, and cwæð, "Folga me." Folga me na þæt ân on fōtlicum gange, ac eac swilce on gōdra deawa geefenlæcunge,' swa swa se apostol cwæð, "Se de cweð þæt he on Criste wunige, he sceal faran swa swa Crist ferde."

Matheus aras, and forlet his tollscire, and filigde Criste; forðan þe he mid ungesewenlicere onbryrdnysse his mod lærde, swa swa hề mid his worde wiðutan hine clypode. "Matheus pa gearcode micel gereord þam Hælende, and hine to his huse gelaðode." He gearcode him gebeorscipe on his huse, ac hé gearcode him micele pancwurðran gereord on his heortan, ðurh geleafan and soðre lufe, swa swa hể sylf cwæð, "Ic stande æt dære dura cnucigende, and swa hwa swa mine stemne gehyrð, and da duru me geopenað, ic gange in to

SEPTEMBER XXI.

THE NATIVITY OF SAINT MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND

EVANGELIST.

THE EVANGELIST MATTHEW, whom we to-day honour, wrote of himself how Jesus chose him to his fellowship, thus saying, "Cum transiret Jesus, vidit hominem in telonio sedentem, Matthæum nomine:" et reliqua: "As Jesus passed by in a certain town, he saw a man sitting in the toilseat, called Matthew; and he said unto him, Follow me. Matthew arose forthwith from his toll, and followed Jesus,"

etc.

We take the sense of this gospel both from the tradition of Matthew and of Luke. Matthew is a Hebrew name, which is in Latin Donatus, and in English Given, or Endowed. God endowed him so that he turned him from a toll-gatherer to an apostle, and gave him the grace that he wrote the first book of Christ, and is an evangelist through the great goodness of God. "He saw him sitting at the toll." He saw him not alone with bodily sight, but also with inward compassion, so that he chose him for heavenly honour, and said, "Follow me." Follow me not only by walking on foot, but also in the imitation of good practices,' as the apostle said, "He who saith that he dwelleth in Christ, shall walk as Christ walked."

Matthew arose, and left his tollship, and followed Christ, because with invisible stimulation he instructed his mind, as he with his word called him from without. "Matthew then prepared a great feast for Jesus, and invited him to his house." He prepared him an entertainment in his house, but he prepared him a much more thankworthy feast in his heart, by belief and true love, as he himself said, "I stand at the door knocking, and whosoever heareth my voice, and openeth the door to me, I will go in to him, and feast with

God afandað neosunge mid

him, and mid him gereordige and he mid me." ælces mannes heortan, and se de underfehð his gōdum willan, se bið gereordod wiðinnan þurh gife þæs Halgan Gastes; and God wunað mid him, gif he on gōdum weorcum ðurhwunað.

pa sunder-halgan and da boceras, pe beciddon þæt Crist mid þam synfullum mannum hine gereordode, wæron mid twyfealdum gedwylde befangene, forðan de hí þæs Hælendes mildheortnysse on dam synfullum hyrwdon, and hí sylfe rihtwise tealdon. Drihten him cwæd to, "Ne behofiað ða halan nanes læces, ac da untruman." He is "Hælend' gehaten, forðan þe he hæld ægðer ge manna lichaman ge heora sawle; and forði hé com to mancynne, pæt he wolde ða synfullan gerihtlæcan, and heora sawla gehælan. "Se de wend þæt he hal sy, se is unhal." pæt is, se de truwað on his ágenre rihtwísnysse, ne hogad he be dam heofenlican lacedome.

He cwæð, "Farað, and leorniað hwæt þæt mæne, Ic wylle mildheortnysse, and na offrunge." pis cwæð sum witega, ærðan de Crist to men geboren wurde. Ne bið Gode nán offrung ne nan lac gecweme buton mildheortnysse. Ɖeah pe sum walhreowa Gode lac geoffrige, ne bið heo Gode andfenge, buton he his wælhreawnysse awurpe, and mildheortnysse lufige. pa Iudeiscan wuldrodon on heora licum offrungum, and Crist sæde pæt him wære leofre lide heortan, and hết hí forði leornian hwæt se witega mænde mid ðære clypunge. Gode is swide leof pæt hé mancynne myltsige, and him is leofre þæt he ús miltsige ðurh sumne intingan, donne hê ús for urum scyldum geniðerige; and ða mildheortnysse be him is gecyndelic, da he wile habban æt ús swiðor þonne ure lac.

He cwæð, “Ne com ic na to clypigenne da rihtwisan, ac ða synfullan to dædbote." Ɖa synfullan hề gebígð to dædbote, and da rihtwísan he geeacnað mid maran rihtwísnysse. Ne clypað hé ða him to de hí sylfe rihtwíse taliað, swilce