tenra manna líf. Ac ure mæð nis þæt we ealle Godes gecorenan on dam syx yldum þyssere worulde eow namcu lice gereccan; god we tellad, gif we dyssera gemyndige beoð, þe ge nú gehyred habbað.

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“ pis tach worhte se Hælend on angynne his wundra, on dam Galileiscan Chana, and geswutelode his wuldor, and his leorning-cnihtas on hine gelyfdon." He geswutelode mid pam tácne þæt he is Wuldres Cyning, and Brydguma ðære halgan gelaðunge, sede com swa swa mann to gyftum gelaðod; ac he awende pæt gesceaft, swa swa Ælmihtig Scyppend. And swa getrymde his leorning-cnihta geleafan Hælend Crist, sede leofað and rixað mid Fæder and Halgum Gaste a on ecnysse. Amen.

DOMINICA SEPTUAGESIMA.

DRIHTEN sæde pis bigspel his leorning-cnihtum, dus cwedende, Simile est regnum cœlorum homini patrifamilias, qui exiit primo mane conducere operarios: et reliqua. Se Hælend cwæð þæt heofenan rice wære gelíc sumum híredes ealdre, sede ferde on ærne-merigen, and wolde hyrian wyrhtan into his wingearde: et reliqua.

Gregorius se trahtnere cwæð, þæt pis godspel hæfð lángne tige on his trahtnunge, da hề wile mid sceortre race befőn, þæt hit to hefigtyme ne ðince þam heorcnigendum.

Mine gebroðra, gelome ic eow sæde þæt heofonan rice getácnað þas andwerdan gelaðunge, forðan þe rihtwisra manna gegaderung is gecweden heofenan rice. Se híredes ealdor is ure Scyppend, sede gewylt da de hê gesceop, and his gecorenan on pisum middanearde geagnað, swa swa hlaford his híred on his healle. He hæfð þone wingeard gewislice ealle da geleaffullan gelaðunge, swa swa se witega cwæð Isaias, "Soolice Godes wingeard is Israhela híwræden." Mid pam

it is not within our capacity to recount to you by name all God's chosen in the six ages of this world; good we account it, if we are mindful of these of whom ye now have heard.

"This miracle Jesus wrought in the beginning of his wonders, in the Galilean Cana, and manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him." He manifested by that miracle that he is the King of Glory, and Bridegroom of the holy church, who came as a man invited to the marriage; but he turned the creature as Almighty Creator. And so confirmed the belief of his disciples Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost to all eternity. Amen.

SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY.

THE LORD spake this parable to his disciples, thus saying, Simile est regnum cœlorum homini patrifamilias, qui exiit primo mane conducere operarios: et reliqua. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven was like unto a chief of a household, who went out at early morn, and would hire workmen into his vineyard, etc.

Gregory the expositor said that this gospel has a long series for its exposition, which he will comprise in a short discourse, that it may not seem too tedious to the hearers.

My brothers, often have I said to you that the kingdom of heaven betokens this present church, because a gathering of righteous men is called the kingdom of heaven. The chief of a household is our Creator, who rules those whom he has created, and owns his chosen in this world, as a lord his household in his hall. He has certainly for a vineyard all the believing church, as the prophet Isaiah said, “Verily God's vineyard is the house of Israel." By that name is

naman is geswutelod eal Godes folc. Be dam wingearde cwæð Drihten to Iudeiscre deode, "Ic secge eow, pæt Godes rice bio eow ætbroden, and bið forgyfen dære deode pe his wæstmas wyrcað." pes wíngeard sprytte Godes gecorenan, fram dam rihtwisan Abel oð dam endenextan halgan de on ende þyssere worulde acenned bið, swilce he swa fela winbóga getyddrode. Witodlice dæs híredes ealdor gehyrde wyrhtan into his wíngearde on ærne-merigen, eft on undern, and on midne dæg, on non-tide, and on dære endlyftan tide; forðan þe he fram frymðe middaneardes oð his geendunge ne ablind to asendenne bydelas and lareowas to lærenne his folc, þæt hí symle pa misweaxendan bógas of-ascreadian, þæt da toweardan deonde beon. Witodlice gif se wíngeard næfð pone ymbhwyrft, and ne bið onriht gescreadod, ne bið hế wæstmbære, ac for hraðe awildað. Swa eac Godes folc, buton da lareowas screadian symle da leahtras purh heora lare aweg, ne bið þæt læwede folc wæstmbære on gódum weorcum. Eornostlice se ær-merigen wæs fram Adam od Noe, se undern fram Noe oð Abrahám, se middæg fram Abrahẩm oð Moysen, se non fram Moyse od Drihtnes to-cyme, seo endlyfte tîd fram Drihtnes acennednysse o ende pises middaneardes. Drihten sende his wyrhtan on eallum þisum foresædum tidum to beganne his wingeard; forðan de hê asende ærest heahfæderas to lærenne his folc, and siððan, ælice lâreowas and witegan, and æt nextan his apostolas, and ðurh ða his folces Seawas beeode, swilce he ðurh wyrhtan on wingeardes biggencge swunce.

Ælc æra manna þe mid rihtum geleafan god weorc beeode was untwylice dises wíngeardes wyrhta. Se merigenlica tilia, and pære riddan tíde, and pære sixtan, and ðære nigoðan, getácniað þæt ealde Ebreísce folc, pe fram frymde middaneardes mid rihtum geleafan God wurdode, swilce hî swuncon on wingeardes biggencge mid gecneōrdlicere teolunge. To dare endlyftan tíde soðlice wurdon þa hæðenan geclypode, and pam was gesæd, "To hwi stande ge her ealne

declared all God's people. Of the vineyard the Lord said to the Jewish nation, "I say unto you, that the kingdom of God shall be withdrawn from you, and given to the people who cultivate his fruits." This vineyard produced God's chosen, from the righteous Abel to the last saint which shall be born at the end of this world, as if it sent forth so many vine-boughs. Verily the chief of the household hired workmen into his vineyard, at early morn, again at the third hour, and at mid-day, at noontide, and at the eleventh hour; because from the beginning of the world till its ending, he ceases not to send messengers and teachers to teach his people, that they may constantly prune off the misgrowing boughs, that the future ones may be thriving. Verily if the vineyard have not compass, and be not rightly pruned, it will not be fruitbearing, but will very soon become wild. In like manner the people of God, unless teachers constantly prune away sins by their teaching, the lay-people will not be fruit-bearing in good works. Verily the early morn was from Adam till Noah, the third hour from Noah till Abraham, the mid-day from Abraham till Moses, the noon from Moses till the Lord's advent, the eleventh hour from the birth of the Lord till the end of this world. The Lord sent his workmen at all these aforesaid times to cultivate his vineyard; for he sent first patriarchs to teach his people, and afterwards teachers of the law and prophets, and at last his apostles, and through these cultivated the morals of his people, as if by workmen he had laboured in the cultivation of a vineyard.

Each of those men, who with right belief cultivated good works, was undoubtedly a workman of this vineyard. The morning husbandman, and those of the third hour, and of the sixth, and of the ninth, betoken the old Hebrew people, who from the beginning of the world have worshiped God with right belief, as if they had laboured on the cultivation of the vineyard with diligent tilling. At the eleventh hour verily the heathen were called, and to them was said, "Why stand

dæg ydele?" pa hæðenan stodon ealne dæg ydele, forðan de hí forgymeleasodon pæs ecan lifes teolunge on swa lángsumere tíde middaneardes. Ac understandað hú hí andwyrdan þæs wîngeardes hlaforde: hí cwædon, "Forðan þe nan man ús ne hyrde." Witodlice næs nan heahfæder, ne nan witega asend to hæðenum folce, pe heora gedwyld belōge, ær Drihtnes to-cyme purh his menniscnysse. Hwæt is to cweðenne, pt nên man ús to Nam wingearde ne gehyrde, buton þæt nan man ús ne bodade lifes weig?

Mine gebroðra, hwylce beladunge mage we habban, gif we godra weorca geswicað, we de fram cild-cradole to Godes geleafan comon? We magon eac das ylcan mislicnyssa ðæra foresædra tída to anum gehwylcum menn þurh his ylda tidum todælan. Witodlice ures andgites merigen is ure cildhad, ure cnihthad swylce undern-tíd, on þam astihð ure geogoð, swa swa seo sunne deð ymbe þære riddan tide; ure fulfremeda wæstm swa swa middag, forðan de on midne dæg bið seo sunne on dam ufemestum ryne stigende, swa swa se fulfremeda wæstm bið on fulre strencde peōnde. Seo non-tîd bið ure yld, forðan de on non-tíde asihð seo sunne, and ðæs ealdigendan mannes mægen bið wanigende. Seo endlyfte tíd bið seo forwerode ealdnyss, þam deade genealæcende, swa swa seo sunne setlunge genealæhð on þæs dæges geendunge. Eornostlice ponne sume beoð gelædde on cildhâde to gōdum deawum and rihtum life, sume on cnihthâde, sume on geðungenum wæstme, sume on ylde, sume on forwerodre ealdnysse; ponne bið hit swylce hî beon on mislicum tidum to dam wingearde gelaðode.

Mine gebroðra, behealdað eowere deawas, and gif ge gyt Godes wyrhtan sind, sceawiad. Smeage gehwilc hwæt he ded, and behealde hwæder he on Godes wingearde swince. Se de on andwerdum life him sylfum teolad, and na Gode, ne com se na gyt binnon Godes wingearde. pa tyliað soðlice Gode, pa de ne secað heora âgen gestreon ðurh gytsunge, ac smeagað ymbe Godes teolunge, hú hí magon unriht alec