chosen from worldly men to God's labours, that through their doctrine and christianity they may gain the lay people to God. We should declare the written doctrine to all God's people together, that its ghostly deepness be not withheld from those who are desirous of observing it; and that the perverse may be reproved, so that they at some time turn to God's right. The apostle Peter had a wife and children, and also some of the other apostles, before they turned to Christ's doctrine; but they ceased from fleshly lusts and deeds after they had chosen the apostolic state: as Peter said to the Lord, “Behold we have forsaken all things, and follow thee."

What shall we further consider concerning this, but that he will have the meed which he merits, who breaks the canonical institute? atonement is permitted, and cessation; he who persists in transgression will find a very stern doom in the life

to come.

Gregory has related an example relative to the words which the Lord spake, that good earth brings forth its fruits in patience. He said that he knew a man at Rome, whose name was Servulus, poor in possessions, and rich in deserts. He lay bedridden from childhood to his end. He lay constantly, and could never sit, nor turn himself on the other side, nor reach his hand to his mouth. His mother and brother ministered to him, and whatsoever the friends of God gave him in alms, he distributed to other indigent ones. He knew no book-characters, but got him holy books, and invited to him learned men, and prevailed on them constantly to expound to him the sense of those books, and he so arrived at the sense of those books, though he himself knew not a letter. On his bed he incessantly thanked God, and day and night honoured him with hymns. When the time came that his great patience should be glorified by God, the disease of all his limbs turned to the heart. When he was sensible that death was approaching him, he prayed those strangers, who dwelt with him as guests, that they would stand by, and

BOM, VOL. II.

H

and on his forðside heora sealmas sungon. Hwæt ða, færlice, dada he sylf mid þam ælðeodigum preostum sáng, đa clypode he mid micclum ógan, and heora sang gestilde, and cwæð, "Suwiad: hwæt la; ne gehyre ge hû myrige lófsangas swegað on heofonum?" Efne da, mid pam þe hê hlyste dæs heofonlican sanges, da gewất his sawul of dam geswenctan lichaman to ecere reste. pa wearð þæt hús afylled mid wunderlicum bræde, swa þæt ealle ða lícmenn wurdon afyllede mid dam wynsumum stence, and se bræd on heora nosðyrlum ne ateorode, o þæt se halga lichama bebyriged wæs. Swa ageaf þes goda mann his wæstm Gode purh geðyld, forðan þe he forbær Godes swingele swide emlice, and siððan to edleanes æcre becom.

Mine gebroðra, understandað be ðisum hwilce beladunge hæbbe we æt Godes dome, gif we asleaciað fram gódum weorcum, we de habbað ure hæle and æhta, nu þes lama wædla buton handcræfte Godes beboda gefylde. Ic bidde cow, gebroðra, tihtað eower mod to gecnyrdnysse gōdra weorca, þæt ge mid geðylde godne wæstm to Godes handa gebringon, þæt ge mid him and his halgum þæt êce líf habban moton on ealra worulda woruld. Amen.

DOMINICA I. IN QUADRAGESIMA.

MEN pa leofostan, eow eallum is cuð þæt des gearlica ymryne ús gebrincð efne nu þa clænan tíd LENCTENLICES FÆSTENES, on dam we sceolon ure gymeleaste and forgægednysse urum gastlicum scrifte geandettan, and ús mid fæstene, and wæccum, and gebedum, and ælmes-dædum fram synnum adwean, þæt we bealdlice, mid gastlicere blisse, da Easterlican mærsunge Cristes æristes wurdian moton, and þæs halgan husles pigene mid geleafan underfon, us to synne forgifennysse, and to gescyldnysse deofellicera costnunga.

sing their psalms at his departure. Lo then, suddenly, while he himself was singing with the stranger priests, he cried with great awe, and stilled their song, and said, "Be silent: what is that? hear ye not how merrily the hymns sound in heaven?" Lo then, while he was listening to the heavenly song, his soul departed from the afflicted body to everlasting rest. Then was the house filled with a wondrous odour, so that all the corpse-bearers were filled with the winsome fragrance, and the odour ceased not in their nostrils until the holy body was buried. Thus did this good man yield his fruit to God by patience, for he bare God's scourging very calmly, and afterwards went to the field of reward.

My brothers, understand by this what justification we can have at God's doom, if we slacken from good works, we who have our health and possessions, while this lame pauper without handicraft fulfilled God's commandments. I pray you, brothers, stimulate your minds to the cultivation of good works, that with patience ye may bring good fruit to God's hand, that with him and his saints ye may have everlasting life to all eternity. Amen.

THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT.

MEN most beloved, it is known to you all that this yearly course just now brings us the pure time of the LENTEN FAST, during which we should confess our heedlessness and transgressions to our ghostly confessor, and wash ourselves from sins with fasting, and watchings, and prayers, and alms-deeds, that we may boldly, with ghostly joy, honour the Easter celebration of Christ's ascension, and with faith partake of the holy housel, for the forgiveness of our sins, and protection against devilish temptations.

Witodlice pis feowertigfealde fæsten was asteald on dære Ealdan Gecy Onysse, dada se heretoga Moyses fæste feowertig daga and feowertig nihta tosamne, to ði þæt he moste Godes underfon. Eft sidðan se mæra witega Elías ealswa láng fæsten, þurh Godes mihte, swa swa se oðer gefylde, and sidðan he wears geferod lichamlice on heofenlicum cræte to dam upplican life, and cymo eft, he and Enoch, togeanes Antecriste, to ði þæt hí þæs deofles leasunge mid Godes soðfæstnysse oferstælan. Drihten eac on dære Niwan Gecydnysse fæste purh his godcundan mihte feowertig daga and nihta fram eallum eor licum bigleofum. Pus was ure lenctenlice fæsten asteald; ac we ne magon for ure tyddernysse Villic fæsten purhteon. Nu is us alyfed, þurh láreowa ealdordóm, þæt we dæghwomlice, on þyssere lenctenlican tide, ure lichaman gereordigan mid forhæfednysse, and syfernysse, and clænnysse. Stúntlice fæst se lenctenlic fæsten sede on disum clænum timan hine sylfne mid galnysse befylð. Unrihtlic bið þæt se cristena mann flæsclice lustas gefremme on dam timan þe he flæsc-mettas forgán sceal. Witodlice on eallum tidum gedafenad cristenum mannum, þæt hi gode weorc began, and ælmes-dæda, and swa-deah swiðost on pisum gemænelicum fæstene. Se de on oðrum dagum sleac wære to godnysse, he sceal huru-ðinga on ðisum dagum acúcian on godum biggengum. Se de ær glædlice mid godum weorcum hine sylfue geglengde, him gedafenað þæt hề nú on ðisum dagum geornlicor mid weallendre lufe his godnysse gecyde. Ne bið nan fæsten Gode gecweme, buton se mann hine sylfne fram leahtrum forhæbbe. Beoð gemyndige dæra twegra worda þe Drihten cwæð on his godspelle: he cwæð, "Forgyfað, and eow bið forgyfen. Syllad, and eow bið geseald." pas twá ælmessena cynn ûs sind to beganne mid micelre gecnyrdnysse: þat we oðrum mannum mid inweardre heortan forgifon, gif hí awar ús geæbiligdon, to ði þæt God ús forgyfennysse do ure synna. And uton dồn þearfum and wannspedigum sume hiððe ure goda, þam Ælmihtigum Gode

Manifestly this fortyfold fast was established in the Old Testament, when the leader Moses fasted forty days and forty nights together, in order that he might receive God's law. Again afterwards the great prophet Elijah accomplished, through God's might, a fast as long as the other,. and he was afterwards borne bodily in a heavenly car to the life above, and will come again, he and Enoch, against Antichrist, that they may confute the devil's leasing with God's truth: In the New Testament also the Lord, through his divine might; fasted forty days and nights, without all earthly food. Thus was our lenten fast established, but we cannot, by reason of our weakness, accomplish such a fast. Now it is allowed us, by the authority of teachers, daily at this lenten tide to nourish our bodies with abstemiousness, and soberness, and chastity. Foolishly he fasts the lenten fast, who at this pure time defiles himself with libidinousness. Unlawful it is for a christian man to indulge in fleshly lusts at the time when he shall forgo flesh meats. Verily it is at all times befitting christian men to perform good works and alms-deeds, and yet most of all at this general fast. He who on other days may be remiss in goodness, should at least on these days be active in good practices. To him who previously had gladly adorned himself with good works, it is fitting that he on these days more earnestly with ardent love show his goodness. No fast will be acceptable to God, unless a man abstain from sins. Be mindful of the two sentences which the Lord spake in his gospel he said, "Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. Give, and to you shall be given." These two kinds of alms are to be practised by us with great diligence: that with inward heart we forgive other men, if in aught they have offended us, to the end that God may grant us forgiveness of our sins. And let us bestow some advantage of our goods on the poor and needy, for the honour of Almighty God,