Part 26

Let us now hear concerning the Holy Ghost, what he is. He is the Will and the true Love of the Father and of the Son, through whom all things are quickened and preserved, concerning whom it is thus said, "The Spirit of God filleth all the circumference of earth, and he holdeth all things, and he hath knowledge of every speech." He is not made, nor created, nor begotten, but he is proceeding, that is going from, the Father and from the Son, with whom he is equal and coeternal. The Holy Ghost is not a son, for he is not begotten, but he proceeds from the Father and from the Son; for he is the Will and Love of them both. Christ spake of him thus in his gospel, "The Spirit of comfort whom I will send unto you, the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from my Father, will bear testimony concerning me." That is, He is my witness that I am the Son of God. And the right faith also teaches us, that we should believe in the Holy Ghost: he is the quickening God, who proceeds from the Father and from the Son. How proceeds he from him? The Son is the Wisdom of the Father, ever of the Father; and the Holy Ghost is the Will of them both, ever of them both. There is therefore one Father, who is ever Father; and one Son, who is ever Son; and one Holy Ghost, who is ever Holy Ghost.

Ever was the Father, without beginning; and ever was the Son with the Father, for he is the Wisdom of the Father; ever was the Holy Ghost, who is the Will and Love of them both. The Father is of no other, for he was ever. The Son is begotten of the Father, for he was ever in the bosom of {283} the Father, for he is his Wisdom, and he is of the Father all that he is. Ever was the Holy Ghost, for he is, as we before said, the Will and true Love of the Father and of the Son; for will and love betoken one thing: that which thou wilt thou lovest; and that which thou wilt not, thou lovest not.

The sun which shines over us is a bodily creature, and has, nevertheless, three properties in itself: one is the bodily substance, that is the sun's orb; the second is the beam or brightness ever of the sun, which illumines all the earth; the third is the heat, which with the beam comes to us. The beam is ever of the sun, and ever with it; and the Son of Almighty God is ever of the Father begotten, and ever with him existing, of whom the apostle said, that he was the brightness of his Father's glory. The heat of the sun proceeds from it and from its beam; and the Holy Ghost proceeds ever from the Father and from the Son equally; of whom it is thus written, "There is no one who may hide himself from his heat."

Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost, may not be named together, but yet they are nowhere separated. The Almighty God is not threefold, but is Trinity. The Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God: not three Gods, but they all three one Almighty God. The Father is also Wisdom of no other wisdom. The Son is Wisdom of the wise Father. The Holy Ghost is Wisdom. But yet they are all together one Wisdom. Again, the Father is true Love, and the Son is true Love, and the Holy Ghost is true Love; and they all together one God and one true Love. In like manner the Father is ghost and holy, and the Son is ghost and holy undoubtedly; nevertheless the Holy Ghost is specially called Holy Ghost, that which they all three are in common.

There is so great likeness in this Holy Trinity, that the Father is no greater than the Son in the Godhead; nor is the {285} Son greater than the Holy Ghost; nor is one of them less than the whole Trinity. Wheresoever one of them is, there they are all three, ever one God indivisible. No one of them is greater than other, nor one less than other, nor one before other, nor one after other; for whatsoever is less than God, that is not God; that which is later has beginning, but God has no beginning. The Father alone is not Trinity, nor is the Son Trinity, nor the Holy Ghost Trinity, but these three persons are one God in one Godhead. When thou hearest the Father named, then thou wilt understand that he has a Son. Again, when thou sayest, Son, thou knowest, without doubt, that he has a Father. Again, we believe that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit both of the Father and of the Son.

Let no man deceive himself so as to say or to believe that there are three Gods, or that any person in the Holy Trinity is less mighty than other. Each of the three is God, yet they are all one God; for they all have one nature, and one Godhead, and one substance, and one counsel, and one work, and one majesty, and like glory, and coeternal rule. But the Son alone was incarnate and born to man of the holy maiden Mary. The Father was not invested with human nature, but yet he sent his Son for our redemption, and was ever with him, both in life and in passion, and at his resurrection, and at his ascension. Also all the church of God confesses, according to true faith, that Christ was born of the pure maiden Mary, and of the Holy Ghost. Yet is not the Holy Ghost the Father of Christ; never shall any christian man believe that: but the Holy Ghost is the Will of the Father and of the Son; therefore is it very rightly written in our belief, that Christ's humanity was accomplished by the Holy Ghost.

Behold the sun with attention, in which there is, as we before said, heat and brightness; but the heat dries, and the {287} brightness gives light. The heat does one thing, and the brightness another; and though they cannot be separated, the heating, nevertheless, belongs to the heat, and the giving light to the brightness. In like manner Christ alone assumed human nature, and not the Father, nor the Holy Ghost: they were, nevertheless, ever with him in all his works and in all his course.

We speak of God, mortals of the Immortal, feeble of the Almighty, miserable beings of the Merciful; but who may worthily speak of that which is unspeakable? He is without measure, because he is everywhere. He is without number, for he is ever. He is without weight, for he holds all creatures without toil; and he disposed them all in three things, that is in measure, and in number, and in weight. But know ye that no man can speak fully concerning God, when we cannot even investigate or reckon the creatures which he has created. Who by words can tell the ornaments of heaven? Or who the fruitfulness of earth? Or who shall adequately praise the circuit of all the seasons? Or who all other things, when we cannot even fully comprehend with our sight the bodily things on which we look? Behold thou seest the man before thee, but at the time thou seest his face, thou seest not his back. So also if thou lookest at a cloth, thou canst not see it all together, but turnest it about, that thou mayest see it all. What wonder is it, if the Almighty God is unspeakable and incomprehensible, who is everywhere all, and nowhere divided?

Now some shallow-thinking man will inquire, how God can be everywhere at once, and nowhere divided. Behold this sun, how high he ascends, and how he sends his beams over all the world, and how he enlightens all this earth which mankind inhabit. As soon as he rises up at early morn, he shines on Jerusalem, and on Rome, and on this country, and on all countries at once; and yet he is a creature, and goes {289} by God's direction. How much ampler then is God's presence, and his might, and his visitation everywhere! Him nothing withstands, neither stone wall nor broad barrier, as they withstand the sun. To him nothing is hidden or unknown. Thou seest a man's face, but God seeth his heart. The spirit of God tries the hearts of all men; and those who believe in him and love him he purifies and gladdens with his visitation, and the hearts of unbelieving men he passes by and shuns.

Let everyone also know that every man has three things in himself indivisible and working together, as God said when he first created man. He said, "Let us make man in our own likeness." And he then made Adam in his own likeness. In which part has man the likeness of God in him? In the soul, not in the body. The soul of man has in its nature a likeness to the Holy Trinity; for it has in it three things, these are memory, and understanding, and will. By the memory a man thinks on the things which he has heard, or seen, or learned. By the understanding he comprehends all the things which he hears or sees. Of the will come thoughts, and words, and works, both evil and good. There is one soul, and one life, and one substance, which has these three things in it working together inseparably; for where memory is there is understanding and will, and they are ever together. Yet is none of these three the soul, but the soul through the memory reminds, through the understanding comprehends, through the will it wills whatsoever it likes; and it is, nevertheless, one soul and one life. It has therefore God's likeness in itself, because it has three things in it inseparably working. Yet is the man one man, and not a trinity: but God, Father and Son and Holy Ghost, exists in a trinity of persons and in the unity of one Godhead. Man exists not {291} in trinity as God, but he has, nevertheless, the likeness of God in his soul, by reason of the three things of which we have before spoken.

There was a heretic called Arius, who disputed with a bishop who was named Alexander, a wise and orthodox man. The heretic said, that Christ the Son of God could not be equal to his Father, nor so mighty as he; and said, that the Father was before the Son, and took example from men, how every son is younger than his father in this life. Then said the holy bishop Alexander in opposition to him, "God was ever, and ever was his Wisdom of him begotten, and the Wisdom is his Son, as mighty as his Father." Then the heretic got the emperor's support to his heresy, and proclaimed a synod against the bishop, and would bend all the people to his heresies. Then the bishop watched one night in God's church, and cried to his Lord, and thus said, "Thou Almighty God, judge right judgement between me and Arius." On the morrow they came to the synod. The heretic then said to his companions, that he would go forth for his need. When he came to the place and sat, all his entrails came out, while he was sitting, and he sat there dead. Thus God manifested that he was as void in his inside as he had before been in his belief. He would make Christ less than he is, and diminish the dignity of his Godhead; when a death was given him as ignominious as he was well worthy of.

There was another heretic who was called Sabellius. He said, that the Father was, whenever he would, Father; and again, when he would, he was Son; and again, when he would, was Holy Ghost; and was therefore one God. Then this heretic also perished with his heresy.

Now again, the Jewish people who slew Christ, as he himself would and permitted, say that they will believe in the Father, and not in the Son whom their forefathers slew. Their belief is naught, and they will therefore perish. For our redemption Christ permitted them to slay him. All {293} mankind could not have done it, if he himself had not willed it; but the Holy Father created and made mankind through his Son, and he would afterwards through the same redeem us from hell-torment, when we were undone. Without any passion he might have had us, but that seemed to him unjust. But the devil undid himself, when he instigated the Jewish people to the slaying of Jesus, and we were redeemed by his innocent death from the eternal death.

We have the belief that Christ himself taught to his apostles, and they to all mankind; and that belief God has confirmed and established by many miracles. First Christ by himself healed dumb and deaf, halt and blind, mad and leprous, and raised the dead to life: after, by his apostles and other holy men, he wrought the same miracles. Now also in our time, everywhere where holy men rest, at their dead bones God works many miracles, because he will with those miracles confirm people's faith. God works not these miracles at any Jewish man's sepulchre, nor at any other heretic's, but at the sepulchres of orthodox men, who believed in the Holy Trinity, and in the true Unity of one Godhead.

Let everyone know also, that no man may be twice baptized; but if a man err after his baptism, we believe that he may be saved, if with weeping he repent of his sins, and, according to the teaching of his instructors, atone for them. We are to believe that the soul of every man is created by God, but yet it is not of God's own nature. The matter of a man's body is from the father and from the mother, but God creates the body from the matter, and sends a soul into the body. The soul is nowhere existing previously, but God creates it forthwith, and sets it in the body, and lets it have its own election, whether it shall sin, whether it shall eschew sins. Nevertheless it ever needs God's support, that it may eschew sins, and again come to its Creator through good deserts; for no man doeth anything good without God.

{295} We are also to believe that every body which has received a soul shall arise at doomsday with the same body that he now has, and shall receive the reward of all his deeds: then will the good have eternal life with God, and he will give a meed to everyone according to his deserts. The sinful will be ever suffering in hell-torment, and their torment will also be measured to everyone according to his deserts. Let us therefore merit eternal life with God through this faith, and through good deserts, who existeth in Trinity One Almighty God ever to eternity. Amen.

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SERMO IN ASCENSIONE DOMINI.

Primum quidem sermonem feci: et reliqua.

Lucas se Godspellere ['u]s manode on dhisre pistol-raedinge, thus cwedhende, "Se Haelend, middangeardes Alysend, aeteowde hine sylfne cucenne his gingrum, aefter his throwunge and his aeriste, on manegum dhrafungum, geond feowertig daga, and him to spraec ymbe Godes rice, samod mid him reordigende: and bebead him thaet hi of dhaere byrig Hierusalem ne gewiton, ac thaet hi dhaer anbidedon his Faeder beh['a]tes, he cwaedh, the ge of minum mudhe gehyrdon. Fordhan dhe Iohannes se Fulluhtere gefullode on waetere, and ge beodh gefullode on dham Halgan Gaste nu aefter feawum dagum. Eornostlice seo gegaderung his leorning-cnihta cwaedh dha ['a]nmodlice, Drihten leof, wilt dhu nu gesettan ende thysre worulde? He him andwyrde, Nis na eow to gewitenne dha t['i]d odhdhe dha hand-hwile the min Faeder gesette thurh his mihte: ac ge underfodh thaes Halgan Gastes mihte, and ge beodh mine gewitan on Iudea lande, and on eallum middangearde, odh thaet endenexte land. And h['e] laedde h['i] dha ['u]t of dhaere byrig up to anre dune dhe is gecweden mons Oliueti, and hi gebletsode up-ahafenum handum. Tha mid thaere bletsunge ferde h['e] to {296} heofonum, him on locigendum; and thaet heofonlice wolcn leat widh his, and hine genam fram heora gesihdhum."

"Dhadha hi up to heofonum starigende stodon, dha gesawon hi dhaer twegen englas on hwitum gerelan, thus cwedhende, Ge Galileisce weras, hwi stande ge dhus starigende widh heofenas weard? Se Haelend, the is nu genumen of eowrum gesihdhum to heofonum, swa he cymdh eft swa swa ge gesawon thaet he to heofonum ast['a]h. Hi dha gecyrdon to dhaere byrig Hierusalem mid micelre blisse, and astigon upp on ane upfleringe, and thaer wunedon odh Pentecosten on gebedum and on Godes herungum, odhthaet se Halga Gast him to com, swa swa se aedhela Cyning him aer beh['e]t."

"On dhyssere geferraedene waeron Petrus and Iohannes, Iacob and Andreas, Philippus and Thomas, Bartholomeus and Matheus, se odher Iacob and Simon, se odher Iudas and Maria thaes Haelendes modor, and gehwilce odhre, aegdher ge weras ge w['i]f. Eal seo menigu waes an hund manna and twentig, anmodlice on gebedum wunigende."

Se Haelend taehte dha halgan lare his leorning-cnihtum aer his dhrowunge, and aefter his aeriste he waes wunigende betwux him thas feowertig daga, fram dhaere halgan Easter-tide odh thisne daegdherlican daeg, and on manegum wisum dhrafode and afandode his gingran, and ge-edlaehte thaet thaet he aer taehte, to fulre lare and rihtum geleafan. He gereordode hine aefter his aeriste, na fordhi thaet he sydhdhan eordhlices bigleofan beh['o]fode, ac to dhi thaet he geswutelode his sodhan lichaman. He aet thurh mihte, na for neode. Swa swa fyr fornimdh waeteres dropan, swa fornam Cristes godcundlice miht dhone gedhigedan mete. Sodhlice aefter dham gemaenelicum aeriste ne beh['o]fiadh ure lichaman nanre strangunge eordhlicra metta, ac se Haelend us dedh ealle ure neoda mid heofenlicum dhingum, and we beodh mid wuldre gewelgode, and mihtige to gefremmenne swa hwaet swa us licadh, and we beodh ful swyfte to farenne geond ealle w['i]dgylnyssa Godes rices.

{298} He beh['e]t his gingrum nu and gelome thaet he wolde him sendan thone Halgan Gast, and thus cwaedh, "Thonne he cymdh he eow tiht and gewissadh to eallum dham dhingum dhe ic eow saede." Tha com se Halga Gast on fyres hiwe to dham halgum hyrede on tham endleoftan daege Cristes upstiges, and hi ealle onaelde mid ['u]ndergendlicum fyre, and h['i] wurdon afyllede mid thaere heofonlican l['a]re, and cudhon ealle woruldlice gereord, and bodedon unforhtlice geleafan and fulluht ricum and redhum.

Se halga heap befr['a]n Crist, hwaedher he wolde on dham timan thisne middangeard geendian. He dha cwaedh him to andsware, "Nis na eower m['ae]dh to witenne thone timan, the min Faeder thurh his mihte gesette." He cwaedh eac on odhre stowe, "N['a]t n['a]n man dhone daeg ne dhone timan dhysre worulde geendunge, ne englas, ne nan halga, buton Gode anum." Theah-hwaedhere, be dham tacnum the Crist saede, we geseodh thaet seo geendung is swidhe gehende, theah dhe heo us uncudh sy.

Tha apostoli waeron gewitan Cristes weorca, fordhan dhe h['i] bodedon his dhrowunge, and his aerist, and upstige, aerst Iudeiscre dheode, and sydhdhan becom heora stemn to aelcum lande, and heora word to gemaerum ealles ymbhwyrftes; fordhan dhe h['i] awriton Cristes wundra, and dha bec thurhwuniadh on cristenre dheode, aegdher ge dhaer thaer dha apostoli lichamlice bodedon, ge thaer dhaer h['i] na ne becomon.

Ealle gesceafta dheniadh heora Scyppende. Thatha Crist acenned waes, tha sende seo heofen niwne steorran, dhe bodade Godes acennednysse. Eft, dhadha he to heofonum astah, tha abeah thaet heofonlice wolcn widh his, and hine underfeng: na thaet thaet wolcn hine ferede, fordhan dhe he hylt heofona dhrymsetl, ac he sidhode mid tham wolcne of manna gesihdhum. Thaer waeron dha gesewene twegen englas on hwitum gyrelum. Eac swilce on his acennednysse waeron englas gesewene; ac thaet halige godspel ne ascyrde hu hi gefreatwode waeron; fordhan dhe God com to us swidhe eadmod. On his upstige waeron gesewene englas mid hwitum gyrlum geglengede. Bliss is {300} getacnod on hwitum reafe, fordhon dhe Crist ferde heonon mid micelre blisse and mid micclum dhrymme. On his acennednysse waes gedhuht swilce seo Godcundnys waere geeadmet, and on his upstige waes seo menniscnys ahafen and gemaersod. Mid his upstige is adylegod thaet cyrographum ure genidherunge, and se cwyde ure brosnunge is awend.

Thadha Adam agylt haefde, tha cwaedh se Aelmihtiga Wealdend him to, "Thu eart eordhe, and thu gewenst to eordhan. Dhu eart dust, and thu gewenst to duste." Nu to-daeg thaet ylce gecynd ferde unbrosnigendlic into heofenan rice. Tha twegen englas saedon thaet Crist cymdh swa swa he uppferde, fordhan dhe he bidh gesewen on dham micclum dome on menniscum hiwe, thaet his slagan hine magon oncnawan, the hine aer to deadhe gedydon, and eac dha dhe his lare forsawon, thaet hi dhonne rihtlice onf['o]n thaet ece wite mid deofle. Thaet halige gewrit cwydh, "Tollatur impius ne uideat gloriam Dei:" "Sy dham arleasan aetbroden seo gesihdh Godes wuldres." Ne geseodh tha arleasan Cristes wuldor, dhe hine aer on life forsawon, ac hi geseodh thonne egefulne thone dhe hi eadmodne forhygedon.

Recumbentibus undecim discipulis: et reliqua. We habbadh nu geraed Lucas gesetnysse embe Cristes upstige; nu wende we ure smeagunge to dham odhrum godspellere Marcum, the cwaedh on dhisum daegdherlicum godspelle, thaet se Haelend aeteowde hine sylfne his apostolum and cidde him, fordhan dhe hi noldon aet fruman gelyfan his aeristes of deadhe, dhadha hit him gecydd waes. Tha cwaedh se Wealdend to his gingrum, "Faradh geond ealne middangeard, and bodiadh godspel eallum gesceafte: sedhe gelyfdh and bidh gefullod, se bidh gehealden; se dhe ne gelyfdh, he bidh genydherod. Dhas tacnu fyligadh tham mannum the gelyfadh," etc. This godspel is nu anfealdlice ges['ae]d, ac we willadh nu, aefter Gregories trahtnunge, tha digelnysse eow onwre['o]n.

Dhaera apostola tweonung be Cristes aeriste naes na swa swidhe heora ungeleaffulnys, ac waes ure trumnys. Laes us {302} fremodon tha dhe hradhe gelyfdon, dhonne dha the twynigende waeron; fordhan dhe hi sceawedon and grapodon dha dolhswadhu Cristes wunda, and swa adraefdon ealle twynunga fram ure heortan. Tha dhreade se Haelend his leorning-cnihta twynunge, dhadha h['e] lichamlice h['i] forlaetan wolde, to dhi thaet h['i] gemyndige waeron dhaera worda the h['e] on his sidhe him saede. He cwaedh tha, "Faradh geond ealne middangeard, and bodiadh godspel eallum gesceafte." Godspel is us to gehyrenne, and dhearle lufigendlic, thaet we moton forbugan helle-wite and dha hreowlican tintrega thurh dhaes Haelendes menniscnysse, and becuman to engla werode thurh his eadmodnysse. He cwaedh, "Bodiadh eallum gesceafte:" ac mid tham naman is se mann ['a]na getacnod. Stanas sind gesceafta, ac h['i] nabbadh nan l['i]f, ne h['i] ne gefredadh. Gaers and treowa lybbadh butan felnysse; h['i] ne lybbadh na dhurh sawle, ac dhurh heora grennysse. Nytenu lybbadh and habbadh felnysse, butan gesceade: h['i] nabbadh nan gescead, fordhan dhe h['i] sind sawullease. Englas lybbadh, and gefredadh, and tosceadadh. Nu haefdh se mann ealra gesceafta sum dhing. Him is gemaene mid stanum, thaet he beo wunigende; him is gemaene mid treowum, thaet he lybbe; mid nytenum, thaet he gefrede; mid englum, thaet he understande. Nu is se mann gecweden 'eall gesceaft,' fordhan dhe he haefdh sum dhing gemaene mid eallum gesceafte. Thaet godspel bidh gebodad eallum gesceafte, thonne hit bidh dham menn anum gebodad, fordhan dhe ealle eordhlice thing sind gesceapene for dham men anum, and h['i] ealle habbadh sume gelicnysse to dham men, swa swa we aer saedon.

"Se dhe gelyfdh, and bidh gefullod, he bidh gehealden; and se dhe ne gelyfdh, he bidh genidherod." Se geleafa bidh sodh sedhe ne widhcwydh mid thweorum dheawum thaet thaet he gelyfdh; be dham cwaedh Iohannes se apostol, "Se dhe cwydh thaet he God cunne, and his beboda ne hylt, he is leas." Eft cwydh se apostol Iacobus, "Se geleafa dhe bidh butan godum weorcum, se bidh dead." Eft he cwaedh, "Hwaet fremadh the thaet dhu haebbe geleafan, gif dhu naefst dha godan weorc? Ne maeg {304} se geleafa dhe gehealdan butan dham weorcum. Deoflu gelyfadh, ac h['i] forhtiadh." Tha deoflu gesawon Crist on dhisum life on dhaere menniscnysse, ac hi feollon to his fotum, and hrymdon, and cwaedon, "Thu eart Godes Sunu, fordhi dhu come thaet dhu woldest us ford['o]n." Se man dhe nele gelyfan on God, ne naenne Godes ege naefdh, he bidh wyrsa thonne deofol. Se dhe gelyfdh, and haefdh ege, and nele dheah-hwaedhere g['o]d wyrcan, se bidh thonne deoflum gelic.