trum afyllede. Drihten ne oncnæwd hí, forðan de hí sind oðre, opre hí wæron. Hwæt is to cwedenne, "Ne cann ic eow," buton þæt ic ne worhte eow dyllice? Ne cann Drihten leahtras, ac he gewitnaỒ leahtras. Đæt godspel belics pus, "Wacia eornostlice, forðan þe ge nyton pone dæg ne ða tid.” Nất nên man pyssere worulde geendunge, ne fur on his ágene geendunge. Menig man wolde pone máran dæl his lifes aspendan on his lustum, and one læssan dæl on dædbote, gif he wiste hwænne hê geendian sceolde. Us is bedigelod ure geendung, to ði þæt we sculon symle ús ondrædan done endenextan dæg, pone de we ne magon næfre foresceawian. We sceolon fordi wacian on ure heortan and on geleafan; we sceolon wacian on hihte and on soore lufe; we sceolon wacian on godum weorcum, and dồn buton ydelum gylpe, gif we hwæt lytles to gōde gedoð, þæt we moton faran into heofenan ríce mid þam clænan Brydguman, Hælende Criste, sede leofað and rixað mid his Heofenlican Fæder and pam Halgum Gaste on ealra worulda woruld. Amen.

IN DEDICATIONE ECCLESIAE.

MINE gebroðra þa leofostan, we wyllað sume tihtendlice spræce wið eow habban be dyssere cyrclican mærsunge, and eow læran þæt ge sylfe beon Godes tempel gastlice, nu ge his eorlice tempel wurðiað.

Witodlice on Sære ealdan was anlipig hús þam Ælmihtigan Gode to wurðmynte aræred on Iudea ríce, binnon þære byrig Hierusalem, and ealle oðre peoda wurðodon mislice deofolgyld, and dam fela templa aræerdon, and mid andgitleasum and lífleasum anlicnyssum afyldon. þæt anlipige Godes tempel was wundorlice gecraft þurh gastlicum gerynum. Dauid, se mæra cyning, hæfde gemynt þæt he wolde þæt tempel aræran ðam Ælmihtigan Gode to wurðmynte, ac hế him sæde, ðurh his wítegan Nathan, þæt his sunu sceolde

were.

The Lord knows them not, because they are other than they What is it to say, "I know you not," but that I wrought you not thus? The Lord knows not sins, but he punishes sins. The gospel adds thus, "Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour." No man knows the ending of this world, not even his own ending. Many a man would spend the greater part of his life in his lusts, and the less part in repentance, if he knew when he should end. Our ending is hidden from us, in order that we should ever dread the last day, which we never may foresee. We should, therefore, watch in our hearts and in faith; we should watch in hope and in true love; we should watch in good works, and do without vain-glory, if we do some little good, that we may go into the kingdom of heaven with the pure bridegroom, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with his Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost for ever and ever.

Amen.

ON THE DEDICATION OF A CHURCH.

My dearest brothers, we will have some hortatory speech with you concerning this ecclesiastical celebration, and instruct you so that ye may yourselves be God's temple spiritually, now that ye are honouring his earthly temple.

Verily in the old law there was a single house reared to the honour of Almighty God, in the kingdom of Judah, within the city of Jerusalem, and all other nations worshiped divers idols, and to them reared many temples, and filled them with senseless and lifeless images. That single temple of God was wondrously contrived through ghostly mysteries. David, the great king, had designed that he would rear that temple to the honour of Almighty God, but he said to him, through his prophet Nathan, that his son should rear that temple, and he

þæt tempel aræran, and he wolde him beon for fæder, and nim mid mildheortnysse gyrde styran, gif hé ahwar unrihtlice dyde. Dauid pa rixode on Iudea lande feowertig geara, and his lif leofode Gode swide gecwemlice, and ðurh done Halgan Gast da sealmas sette, pe we æt Godes lofsangum singað.

Æfter his geendunge, feng Salomon, his sunu, to rice, se lufode God sona on his geogode, and geoffrode him micele lác, þæt wæron pusendfealde onsægednyssa æt ânre offrunge. Efne da on pære ylcan nihte æteowode him Drihten on swefne, pus cwedende, "Bide me loce hwas du wille, and ic de sylle." Ɖa cwæð Salomon to Drihtne, "Đu cyddest micele mildheortnysse dinum deowan Dauide minum fæder, þæt he on soðfæstnysse and rihtwisnysse leofode ætforan de; and ðu geûðest his bearne his cyneríces. Nu eom ic cnæpling, and nytende mines færes, and ic eom geset betwux pinum folce, pe ne mæg beбn geteald for dære micclan menigu. Forgif me wisdom, þæt ic mage pin miccle fole gewissian, and ic cunne tocnawan betwux god and yfel. Ɖa gelicode Gode peos ben, and cwæð to Salomone, Ðu ne bæde me langsum líf, ne miccle welan, ne Xinra feonda deað, ac bæde me wisdomes. Nu forgife ic de eac wise heortan to ðan swide, þæt nan eorðlic man næs din gelíca ærðan þe du wære, ne eac æfter þe ne bið. And eac ic de forgife þæs de ðu ne bæde, welan and wuldor, swa þæt nan cyning næs ðin gelíca on ærrum dagum. And gif du færst on minum wegum, and mine beboda hylst, swa swa din fæder dyde, donne gelenge ic pine dagas. Salomon awốc da, and his swefen understōd; and him forgeaf da God swa micelne wisdom, and snoternysse, and bradnysse heortan, swa swa sand-ceosol on sæstrande. Him becomon eac swa micele welan to handa, þæt his bigleofa wæs ælce dæg mid his hirede prittig mittan clænes melowes, and sixtig mittan odres melowes, twelf fætte oxan, and twentig feld-oxan, hund-teontig wedera, buton huntode and fugolode and gemæstra fugela. Feowertig geara

would be to him as a father, and guide him with the rod of mercy, if he in aught did unrighteously. David then reigned in the land of Judah forty years, and lived his life very acceptably to God, and through the Holy Ghost composed the psalms that we sing at God's lauds.

After his ending, Solomon, his son, succeeded to the kingdom, who loved God already in his youth, and offered to him great gifts, which were a thousandfold sacrifices at one offering. Lo then, on the same night the Lord appeared to him in a dream, thus saying, "Look! ask me what thou wilt, and I will give it thee." Then said Solomon to the Lord, “Thou hast shown great mercy to thy servant David my father, so that he lived in truth and righteousness before thee; and thou hast given his kingdom to his child. Now I am a boy, and ignorant of my way, and I am set amid thy people, that cannot be counted for their great multitude. Give me wisdom, that I may direct thy great people, and that I may know betwixt good and evil. Then this prayer pleased the Lord, and he said to Solomon, Thou hast not prayed of me a long life, nor great riches, nor the death of thy foes, but hast prayed me for wisdom. I will now also give thee a heart wise to that degree, that no earthly man has been thy like ere thou wast, nor also shall ever be after thee. And I will also give thee that for which thou hast not prayed, riches and glory, so that no king has been thy like in former days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, and wilt keep my commandments, as thy father did, then will I lengthen thy days. Solomon then awoke, and understood his dream; and God then gave him so great wisdom, and understanding, and broadness of heart, as the sand on the sea-strand. So great riches also came to his hand, that his provision with his household for each day was thirty measures of clean meal, and sixty measures of other meal, twelve fat oxen, and twenty field oxen, an hundred wethers, besides the produce of hunting and fowling, and fatted fowls. Forty years he reigned at

HOM. VOL. II.

2 P

he rixode on Hierusalem on sibbe, buton ælcum gefeohte; feower hund and dusend cræta he hæfde, and twelf Susend riddena; preo dusend bigspella hé gesette, and fif ðusend leoða; and asmeade be alcum treow-cynne, fram dam heagan ceder-beame, odpæt he com to dære lytlan ysopan. Eacswylce be nytenum, and fixum, and fugelum he smeade, and of eallum leodum comon menn to gehyrenne Salomones wisdom. He arærde, Gode to wurdmynte, pæt tempel pe his fæder gemynte to arærenne, swile hús swa nan oder næs næfre on eorðan aræred. Pæt tempel was on lenge sixtig fæðma, on wídnysse twentig fæðma, on heahnysse Öritig fæðma. Þæt east portic was on lenge twentig fæðma, be þæs temples widnysse, and wæs týn fæðma wid." Dis weorc was swa gefadod mid deorwurðum stánum and readum golde, swa we cow reccan ne magon, and was eall binnon syfon gearum geendod.

Salomon ða gegaderode ealle his witan to das temples halgunge, and þær geoffrode Gode menigfealde lác, þæt wæron getealde twa and twentig pusend oxena, and hund-twelftig pusend sceapa. And se cyning gebigedum cneowum ætforan dam weofode hine lánglice gebæd, and þæt mære hús Gode betæhte, him and his folce to gebed-huse, and to trymminge, and to gescyldnysse wið ælces yfeles onscyte. He astōd ða and þæt folc gebletsode, and cwæð, "Sy ure Drihten gebletsod, sede forgeaf reste and stilnysse his folce Israhel, æfter dam wordum þe hề ær spræc ðurh Moysen his deowan.” Us is langsum to gereccenne ealle da bletsunga and dancunga pe Salomon ða Gode sæde on his folces gesihde, and þæt fole syððan, mid bliðre heortan, on dam eahteoðan dæge ham gewende, dancigende þam Ælmihtigan ealra his goda.

Deos racu hæfð gastlice getacnunge. Sodlice Salomon is gereht Gesibsum,' forðan de he and ealle his leoda wunodon on fulre sibbe pa hwîle de his dagas wæron, þæt wæron feowertig geara. He hæfde getacnunge ures Hælendes Cristes,