THE SONDAI WITHNNE OCTAVE OF TWELTHE DAI.
[SERMON XXX]
Vidit Johannes Jesum venientem ad se.—JOH. i. [29.]
This gospel tellith a witnesse, how Baptist witnesside of Crist, both of his godhede and eke of his manhede. The storye seith thus, that Joon say Jesus comynge to him and saide thus of oure Lord, Lo the loomb of God; lo him that takith awey the synnes of this world, for he is bothe God and man. Crist is clepid Goddis lombe, for many resouns of the lawe. In the olde lawe weren thei wont to offre a lombe withouten wem, the whiche shulde be of o gere, for the synne of the puple. Thus Crist, that was with outen wem, and of o geer in mannis elde was offrid in the cros for the synne of al this worlde, and where siche lambren that weren offrid felden sum tyme to the preestis, this lombe that made ende of other felde1 fulli to Goddis hond. And other lambren in a maner fordide the synne of o cuntre, but this lombe proprely fordide the synne of alle this worlde. And thus he was ende and figure of lambren of the olde lawe, and thus shewith Baptist by his double spekynge the manhede of Crist and his godhede; for oonly God mygte thus fordo synne, sith alle other lambren hadden wemmes, tha thei mygten not hem silfe fordo. And so, al if preestis have power to relese synne as Cristis vikeris, netheles thei have this power in as myche as thei acorden with Crist; so tha yif ther keies and Cristis wille be discording atwynne, thei feynen hem falsely to assoile, and than thei neither loosen ne bynden; so that in ech siche worchynge the godhede of Crist mut first wirche.
John Wyclif, Select English Works, ed. by Thomas Arnold (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1869), 1:77.
[Notes: 1), I have retained all the original font/type characters except for 2 characters. The original typeset character “Þ,” I have converted to “th” for the ease of reading. One other symbol I have replaced either with “g” or “y” where appropriate. This symbol has no corresponding font or symbol that I can find on my font and symbol maps. 2), This is an extract from his sermon on John 1:29, and the only place he makes this remark. There is no attempt to delimit the meaning of world throughout the entire sermon. 3), No spelling modernized; footnote values original; underlining mine.]
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1fel, C.