Part 32
The baptism of Christ to come he preached to all believers, in which is forgiveness of sins through the Holy Ghost. John also, by God's direction, baptized those who came to him of the Jewish nations, but his baptism wrought no forgiveness of sin, for he was God's messenger, and not God. He announced to men the advent of Jesus with words, and His holy baptism with his own baptism, with which he baptized the sinless Son of God, who needed no forgiveness of sin.
Rightly does God's church honour this day, the birth-tide of the great Baptist, for the many wonders which happened at his birth. God's archangel Gabriel announced his birth to Zacharias his father, and his high honours, and his illustrious life. The child in his mother's womb knew the voice of Mary, the parent of God; and in the womb yet closed, betokened with prophetic joy the salutary advent of our Redeemer. At his birth he removed from his mother her barrenness, and his name unbound the tongue of his father, who by his own want of belief had been made dumb.
The holy church celebrates the birth-tide of three persons,--of Jesus, who is God and man, and of John his messenger, and of the blessed Mary his mother. Of other chosen {355} persons, who, through martyrdom, or through other holy merits, have gone to the kingdom of God, we celebrate as their birth-tide their last day, which, after the fulfilment of all their labours, brought them forth victorious to eternal life; and the day on which they were born to this present life we let pass unheeded, because they came hither to hardships, and temptations, and divers perils. The day is memorable to the servants of God which sends his saints, after victory won, to eternal joy from all afflictions, and which is their true birth; not tearful as the first, but exulting in eternal life. But the birth-tide of Christ is to be celebrated with great care, through which came our redemption.
John is the ending of the old law and the beginning of the new, as Jesus said of him, "The old law and the prophets were till the coming of John." Afterwards began the gospel-preaching. Now, on account of his great holiness, his birth is honoured, as the archangel promised his father with these words, "Many shall rejoice in his birth-tide." Mary, the parent of God, is like to none other, for she is maiden and mother, and bare him who created her and all creatures: therefore is she well worthy that her birth should be honourably celebrated.
The relatives bestowed on the child the name of Zacharias, but the mother contradicted them by words, and the dumb father by writing; because the angel who had announced that he was to come, had, by God's direction, given him the name of JOHN. The dumb father could not have informed his wife how the angel had bestowed a name on his child, but by revelation of the Spirit of God the name was known to her. Zacharias is interpreted, 'Mindful of God;' and John, 'God's grace;' because he preached to men the grace of God, and that Christ was to come, who directs all the earth with his grace. He was sent before the Lord, as the day-star goes before the sun, as the beadle before the judge, as the Old Testament before the New; for the Old Law was {357} as a shadow, and the New Testament is truth through the grace of Jesus.
They were children of the same year, Christ and John. On this day the barren mother brought forth the great prophet John, who is praised in these words by the mouth of Christ, "Among the children of men there hath not arisen a greater man than is John the Baptist."
On the mass-day of midwinter the holy maiden Mary brought forth the Heavenly Prince, who is not numbered with the children of men, because he is the Son of God in his Godhead, and the Son of God and of a maiden by his human nature. John fled from the presence of people in his youth, and in the waste, with austere life-course, avoided sin. Jesus continued among the sinful pure from every sin. The crier inclined, at that time, a great body of the people of Israel to their Creator by his announcement. The Lord daily inclines souls without number of all nations to his faith, through enlightening of the Holy Ghost.
The holy gospel says of the Baptist, that he preceded Jesus in spirit and in power of the prophet Elias; because he was his forerunner at his first advent, as Elias will be at the second against Antichrist. It is not without signification that the birth of the crier was completed on the day when the worldly day is waning, and that it is waxing on the birth-tide of the Lord. This signification the same John revealed in these words, "It is befitting Christ that he wax, and me that I be waning." John was sooner known to men, through his illustrious life-course, than Christ was, for He manifested not his divine power, ere that he had been thirty years in human nature. Then it seemed to the people that he was a prophet, and that John was Christ. But Christ manifested himself by many great miracles, and his fame waxed through all the world, that he was true God, who before that had seemed a prophet. But John was waning in his fame, for he was {359} acknowledged a prophet, and the proclaimer of the Heavenly Prince, who a little before had by uncertain supposition been accounted Christ. The waning day of his birth-tide betokens this waning, and the increasing day of the birth of Jesus signifies his increasing power according to his human nature.
Many prophets by their prophecy announced the Lord to come, some from afar some near, but John announced his advent by words, and also with his finger signified it, thus saying, "Look now! Behold here goeth the Lamb of God, who shall take away the sins of the world." Christ is named by many names. He is called Wisdom, because the Father wrought all things through him. He is called Word, because a word is the manifestation of wisdom. The evangelist John began the evangelical memorial with the Word, thus saying, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." He is called Lamb, from the innocence of the lamb's nature; and was guiltless, for our redemption, offered a living sacrifice to his Father in the manner of a lamb. He is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, because, through his godly strength he overcame the great devil by the victory of his passion.
The holy Baptist of whom we are speaking, established a rigid life-course, both in raiment and in food, as we have mentioned a little before; for the Mighty Jesus was thus saying of him, "From the days of John the kingdom of God suffereth compulsion, and the violent seize it." It is known to every intelligent man, that the old law was easier than the Institute of Christ is, for in it there was no great continence nor the ghostly courses which Christ and his apostles afterwards established. One thing is the institute which the king ordains through his nobles or officials, another is his own edict in his presence. The holy church is in this place called God's kingdom, that is, all christian people, who shall with force and violence earn the heavenly kingdom. {361} How can it be without violence and compulsion, that any one by chastity overcomes libidinous nature through God's grace? Or who shall still the frenzy of his mind with patience, without difficulty? or who shall exchange pride for true humility? or who drunkenness for soberness? or who covetousness for munificence, without violence? But he who, through God's support, so changes his ways with steadfastness, will then be made another man; another he will be in goodness, and the same in substance, and he will then by violence seize the heavenly kingdom.
There are two kinds of continence, one bodily, the other ghostly. One is, that everyone govern himself with moderation in food and in drink, and manfully remove from himself superfluous aliment. The second kind of continence is more precious and exalted,--though the other is good,--to guide the agitation of his mind with constant moderation, and fight daily against sins, and chastise himself with the sternness of ghostly correction, so that he restrain the fierce beast of the eight capital sins as it were with iron bonds. Precious is this continence and glorious suffering in the sight of God, to govern evil thoughts and sinful pleasures with our own sceptre, and to abstain from injurious speech and perilous work, as from death-bearing meats. He who sedulously performs these things, seizes undoubtedly the promised kingdom with God and all his saints. Great violence it is through which human beings with humble merits obtain that heavenly joy, which the heavenly angels lost through pride.
It delights us to speak yet further of the holy man John, for his honour and our bettering. Of him the prophet Isaiah wrote, that he is "the voice of one crying in the waste, Prepare the way of God, make right his paths. Every valley shall be filled, and every hill shall be lowered, and all crookednesses shall be straightened, and sharpnesses smoothed." The prophet called himself a voice, because he preceded {363} Christ, who is called the Word: not such a word as men speak, but he is the Wisdom of the Father, and a word is the manifestation of wisdom. The Word is Almighty God, the Son with his Father. In every word the voice is heard before the word is fully spoken. As the voice precedes the word, so did John precede Jesus on earth; for God the Father sent him before the sight of his Son, that he might prepare and make ready his way. But John cried these same words to men, "Prepare the way of God." The crier who announces right belief and good works, prepares the way for the coming God to the heart of the hearkeners.
The way of God is prepared in the heart of men, when they humbly hear the speech of Truth, and are ready to the commandments of Life; of whom Jesus said, "He who loveth me holdeth my commandment, and my Father loveth him, and we will come to him, and will dwell with him." His paths shall be straight, when, through good preaching, pure thoughts spring up in the mind of the listeners. Valleys betoken the humble, and hills the proud. At the Lord's advent valleys shall be filled, and hills lowered, as he himself said, "Everyone of them who exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he who humbleth himself shall be exalted." As water rushes from the hill and stands in the valley, so flees the Holy Ghost from the heart of proud men, and takes his dwelling in the humble, as the prophet said, "In whom resteth the Spirit of God but in the humble?" Crookednesses shall be straight, when the hearts of perverse men, which are agitated by the hooks of unrighteousness, are again made even by the ruling-rods of true righteousness. Sharpnesses shall be turned to smooth ways, when angry and ungentle minds turn to gentleness through infusion of the heavenly grace.
Tedious it would be for us to recount and for you to hear all the depths of the great Baptist's preaching: how with strong reproof and severe admonition he inclined the {365} hard-hearted of the Jewish people to the way of life, and after his suffering announced Christ's advent to the inhabitants of hell, as he in life had with loud voice boldly preached their own redemption to mankind.
Let us now pray the Powerful Saviour, that he, through the mediation of the great Forerunner and Baptist, be merciful to us in the present life, and lead us to the life eternal, to whom be glory and praise with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever to eternity. Amen.
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III. K[=AL]. I[=UL].
PASSIO APOSTOLORUM PETRI ET PAULI.
Venit Iesus in partes Caesareae Philippi: et reliqua.
Matheus se Godspellere awr['a]t on dhaere godspellican gesetnysse, dhus cwedhende, "Drihten com to anre burhscire, dhe is geciged Cesarea Philippi, and befr['a]n his gingran hu menn be him cwyddedon. H['i] andwyrdon, Sume menn cwedhadh thaet dhu sy Iohannes se Fulluhtere, sume secgadh thaet dhu sy Hel['i]as, sume Hieremias, odhdhe sum odher witega. Se Haelend dha cwaedh, Hwaet secge ge thaet ic sy? Petrus him andwyrde, Thu eart Crist, dhaes lifigendan Godes Sunu. Drihten him cwaedh to andsware, Eadig eart dhu, Simon, culfran bearn, fordhan dhe flaesc and blod the ne onwreah dhisne geleafan, ac min Faeder sedhe on heofonum is. Ic dhe secge, thaet thu eart staenen, and ofer dhysne st['a]n ic timbrige mine cyrcan, and helle gatu naht ne magon ongean h['i]. Ic betaece dhe heofonan rices caege; and swa hwaet swa dhu bintst on eordhan, thaet bidh gebunden on heofonum; and swa hwaet swa dhu unbintst ofer eordhan, thaet bidh unbunden on heofonum."
Beda se trahtnere us onwrihdh tha deopnysse dhysre raedinge, and cwydh, thaet Philippus se fydherr['i]ca dha buruh Cesarea getimbrode, and on wurdhmynte thaes caseres Tiberii, dhe he under {366} rixode, dhaere byrig naman gesceop, 'Cesaream,' and for his agenum gemynde to dham naman geyhte, 'Philippi,' dhus cwedhende, 'Cesarea Philippi,' swilce seo burh him b['a]m to wurdhmynte swa genemned waere.
Thadha se Haelend to dhaere burhscire genealaehte, tha befr['a]n h['e], hu woruld-menn be him cwyddedon: na swilce h['e] nyste manna cwyddunga be him, ac h['e] wolde, mid sodhre andetnysse dhaes rihtan geleafan, adwaescan dhone leasan wenan dweligendra manna. His apostoli him andwyrdon, "Sume men cwyddiadh thaet dhu sy Iohannes se Fulluhtere, sume secgadh thaet dhu sy Helias, sume Hieremias, odhdhe ['a]n dhaera witegena." Drihten dha befr['a]n, "Hwaet secge ge thaet ic sy?" swylce he swa cwaede, 'Nu woruld-menn dhus dwollice me oncnawadh, ge dhe godas sind, hu oncnawe ge me?' Se trahtnere cwaedh 'godas,' fordhan dhe se sodha God, sedhe ana is Aelmihtig, haefdh geunnen dhone wurdhmynt his gecorenum, thaet h['e] h['i] godas gecigdh. Him andwyrde se gehyrsuma Petrus, "Dhu eart Crist, thaes lifigendan Godes Sunu." He cwaedh 'thaes lifigendan Godes,' for twaeminge dhaera leasra goda, dha dhe haedhene dheoda, mid mislicum gedwylde bepaehte, wurdhodon.
Sume h['i] gelyfdon on deade entas, and him deorwurdhlice anlicnyssa araerdon, and cwaedon thaet h['i] godas waeron, for dhaere micelan strencdhe dhe h['i] haefdon: waes dheah heora l['i]f swidhe m['a]nfullic and bysmurfull; be dham cwaedh se witega, "Dhaera haedhenra anlicnyssa sind gyldene and sylfrene, manna handgeweorc: h['i] habbadh dumne mudh and blinde eagan, deafe earan and ungrapigende handa, f['e]t butan fedhe, bodig butan life." Sume h['i] gelyfdon on dha sunnan, sume on dhone monan, sume on fyr, and on manega odhre gesceafta: cwaedon thaet h['i] for heora faegernysse godas waeron.
Nu todaelde Petrus swutelice dhone sodhan geleafan, dhadha he cwaedh, "Thu eart Crist, dhaes lifigendan Godes Sunu." Se is lybbende God the haefdh l['i]f and wununge dhurh hine sylfne, butan anginne, and sedhe ealle gesceafta thurh his agen Bearn, thaet is, his Wisdom, gesceop, and him eallum l['i]f forgeaf dhurh {368} dhone Halgan Gast. On dhissum dhrym h['a]dum is an Godcundnys, and ['a]n gecynd, and ['a]n weorc untodaeledlice.
Drihten cwaedh to Petre, "Eadig eart dhu, culfran sunu." Se Halga Gast waes gesewen ofer Criste on culfran anlicnysse. Nu gecigde se Haelend Petrum culfran bearn, fordhan dhe he waes afylled mid bilewitnysse and gife dhaes Halgan Gastes. He cwaedh, "Ne onwreah dhe flaesc ne blod thisne geleafan, ac min Faeder sedhe on heofenum is." Flaesc and blod is gecweden, his flaesclice maeidh. Naefde he thaet andgit dhurh maeglice lare, ac se Heofenlica Faeder, dhurh dhone Halgan Gast, dhisne geleafan on Petres heortan forgeaf.
Drihten cwaedh to Petre, "Thu eart staenen." For dhaere strencdhe his geleafan, and for anraednysse his andetnysse he underfencg dhone naman, fordhan dhe he gedheodde hine sylfne mid faestum mode to Criste, sedhe is 'st['a]n' gecweden fram dham apostole Paule. "And ic timbrige mine cyrcan uppon dhisum stane:" thaet is, ofer dhone geleafan dhe dhu andetst. Eal Godes geladhung is ofer dham stane gebytlod, thaet is ofer Criste; fordhan dhe he is se grundweall ealra dhaera getimbrunga his agenre cyrcan. Ealle Godes cyrcan sind getealde to anre geladhunge, and seo is mid gecorenum mannum getimbrod, na mid deadum stanum; and eal seo bytlung dhaera liflicra stana is ofer Criste gelogod; fordhan dhe we beodh, thurh dhone geleafan, his lima getealde, and h['e] ure ealra heafod. Se dhe ne bytladh of dham grundwealle, his weorc hryst to micclum lyre.
Se Haelend cwaedh, "Ne magon helle gatu naht togeanes minre cyrcan." Leahtras and dwollic l['a]r sindon helle gatu, fordhan dhe h['i] laedadh thone synfullan swilce dhurh geat into helle wite. Manega sind dha gatu, ac heora nan ne maeg ongean dha halgan geladhunge, dhe is getimbrod uppon dham faestan stane, Criste; fordhan dhe se gelyfeda, thurh Cristes gescyldnysse, aetwint dham frecednyssum dhaera deoflicra costnunga.
He cwaedh, "Ic dhe betaece heofonan rices caege." Nis seo caeig gylden, ne sylfren, ne of nanum antimbre gesmidhod, ac is se anweald the him Crist forgeaf, thaet nan man ne cymdh {370} into Godes rice, buton se halga Petrus him geopenige thaet infaer. "And swa hwaet swa dhu bintst ofer eordhan, thaet bidh gebunden on heofonum; and swa hwaet swa dhu unbintst ofer eordhan, thaet bidh unbunden on heofenan." Thisne anweald he forgeaf nu Petre, and eac sydhdhan, ['ae]r his upstige, eallum his apostolum, dhadha he him on-ableow, dhus cwaedhende, "Onfodh Haligne Gast: dhaera manna synna the ge forgyfadh, beodh forgyfene; and dham dhe ge forgifenysse ofunnon, him bidh oftogen seo forgyfenys."
Nelladh dha apostoli naenne rihtwisne mid heora mansumunge gebindan, ne eac dhone m['a]nfullan miltsigende unbindan, butan he mid sodhre d['ae]dbote gecyrre to lifes wege. Thone ylcan andweald haefdh se Aelmihtiga getidhod biscopum and halgum maesse-preostum, gif h['i] hit aefter dhaere godspellican gesetnysse carfullice healdadh. Ac fordhi is seo caeig Petre sinderlice betaeht, thaet eal dheodscipe gleawlice tocn['a]we, thaet swa hw['a] swa odhscyt fram annysse dhaes geleafan dhe Petrus dha andette Criste, thaet him ne bidh getidhod nadhor ne synna forgyfenys ne infaer thaes heofenlican rices.
DE PASSIONE APOSTOLORUM PETRI ET PAULI.
We wylladh aefter dhisum godspelle eow gereccan dhaera apostola drohtnunga and geendunge, mid scortre race; fordhan dhe heora dhrowung is gehwaer on Engliscum gereorde fullice geendebyrd.
Aefter Drihtnes upstige waes Petrus bodigende geleafan dham leodscipum dhe sind gecwedene Galatia, Cappadocia, Bithinia, Asia, Italia. Sydhdhan, ymbe tyn geara fyrst, h['e] gewende to Romebyrig, bodigende godspel; and on dhaere byrig h['e] gesette his biscop-setl, and dhaer gesaet fif and twentig geara, laerende dha Romaniscan ceastregewaran Godes maerdha, mid micclum tacnum. His widherwinna waes on eallum his faerelde sum dr['y], se waes Simon geh['a]ten. Thes dr['y] waes mid {372} dham awyrgedum gaste to dham swydhe afylled, thaet he cwaedh thaet he waere Crist, Godes Sunu, and mid his drycraefte dhaes folces geleafan amyrde.
Tha gel['a]mp hit thaet man ferede anre wuduwan suna l['i]c dhaer Petrus bodigende waes. He dha cwaedh to dham folce and to dham dr['y], "Geneal['ae]cadh dhaere baere, and gelyfadh thaet dhaes bodung sodh sy, dhe dhone deadan to life araerdh." Hwaet dha Simon weardh gebyld thurh deofles gast, and cwaedh, "Swa hradhe swa ic thone deadan ar['ae]re, acwelladh minne widherwinnan Petrum." Thaet folc him andwyrde, "Cucenne we hine forbaernadh." Simon dha mid deofles craefte dyde thaet dhaes deadan l['i]c styrigende waes. Tha wende thaet folc thaet he geedcucod waere. Petrus dha ofer eall clypode, "Gif he geedcucod sy, sprece to ['u]s, and astande; onbyrige metes, and ham gecyrre." Thaet folc dha hrymde hl['u]ddre stemne, "Gif Simon dhis ne dedh, h['e] sceal thaet wite dholian dhe h['e] dhe gemynte." Simon to dhisum wordum hine gebealh and fleonde waes, ac thaet folc mid orm['ae]tum edwite hine gehaefte.
Se Godes apostol dha genealaehte dham lice mid adhenedum earmum, dhus biddende, "Dhu, leofa Drihten, dhe ['u]s sendest to bodigenne dhinne geleafan, and ['u]s behete thaet we mihton, dhurh dhinne naman, deoflu todraefan, and untrume gehaelan, and dha deadan araeran, ar['ae]r nu dhisne cnapan, thaet dhis folc oncn['a]we thaet nan God nys buton dhu ana, mid dhinum Faeder, and dham Halgan Gaste." Aefter dhisum gebede ar['a]s se deada, and geb['i]gedum cneowum to Petre cwaedh, "Ic geseah Haelend Crist, and h['e] sende his englas fordh for dhinre bene, thaet h['i] me to life gelaeddon." Thaet folc dha mid anre stemne clypigende cwaedh, "An God is dhe Petrus bodadh:" and woldon forb['ae]rnan dhone dr['y], ac Petrus him forwyrnde; cwaedh, thaet se Haelend him taehte dhone regol, thaet h['i] sceoldon yfel mid g['o]de forgyldan.
Simon, dhadha he dham folce aetwunden waes, get['i]gde aenne orm['ae]tne rydhdhan innan dham geate thaer Petrus inn haefde, thaet {374} he f['ae]rlice hine ab['i]tan sceolde. Hwaet dha Petrus c['o]m, and dhone rydhdhan unt['i]gde mid dhisum bebode, "Yrn, and sege Simone, thaet he leng mid his drycraefte Godes folc ne bepaece, dhe h['e] mid his agenum blode gebohte." And h['e] sona getengde widh thaes dr['y]s, and hine on fleame gebrohte. Petrus weardh aefterweard thus cwedhende, "On Godes naman ic dhe bebeode, thaet dhu naenne todh on his lice ne gefaestnige." Se hund, dhadha h['e] ne moste his lichaman derian, totaer his haeteru sticmaelum of his baece, and hine dr['a]f geond dha weallas, dheotende swa swa wulf, on dhaes folces gesihdhe. He dha aetbaerst dham hunde, and to l['a]ngum fyrste sidhdhan, for dhaere sceame, naes gesewen on Romana-byrig.
Sydhdhan eft on fyrste he begeat sumne dhe hine bespraec to dham casere Nerone, and gel['a]mp dha thaet se awyrgeda ehtere thone deofles dhen his freondscipum gedheodde. Mid dham dhe hit dhus ged['o]n waes, dha aeteowde Crist hine sylfne Petre on gastlicere gesihdhe, and mid dhyssere tihtinge hine gehyrte, "Se dr['y] Simon and se waelhreowa Nero sind mid deofles gaste afyllede, and syrwiadh ongean dhe; ac ne beo dhu afyrht; ic beo mid the, and ic sende minne dheowan Paulum dhe to frofre, se staepdh to merigen into Romana-byrig, and g['y]t mid gastlicum gecampe winnadh ongean dhone dr['y], and hine awurpadh into helle grunde: and g['y]t sidhdhan samod to minum rice becumadh mid sige martyrdomes."
Non passus est Paulus, quando uinctus Romam perductus est, sed post aliquot annos, quando sponte illuc iterum reuersus est. This gel['a]mp swa sodhlice. On dhone odherne daeg com Paulus into dhaere byrig, and heora aegdher odherne mid micelre blisse underfeng, and waeron togaedere bodigende binnan dhaere byrig seofon mondhas tham folce lifes weig. Beah dha ungerim folces to cristendome thurh Petres lare; and eac dhaes caseres gebedda Libia, and his heah-gerefan w['i]f Agrippina wurdon swa gelyfede thaet h['i] forbugon heora wera neawiste. Thurh Paules bodunge gelyfdon dhaes caseres dhegnas and {376} h['i]redcnihtas, and aefter heora fulluhte noldon gecyrran to his h['i]rede.
Simon se dr['y] worhte dha aerene naeddran, styrigende swylce heo cucu waere; and dyde thaet dha anlicnyssa dhaera haedhenra hlihhende waeron and styrigende; and he sylf weardh faerlice upp on dhaere lyfte gesewen. Thaer-to-geanes gehaelde Petrus blinde, and healte, and deofol-seoce, and dha deadan araerde, and cwaedh to dham folce thaet h['i] sceoldon forfleon thaes deofles dr['y]craeft, dhylaes dhe h['i] mid his lotwrencum bepaehte wurdon. Tha weardh dhis dham casere gecydd, and he het dhone dr['y] him to gefeccan, and eac dha apostolas. Simon braed his hiw aetforan dham casere, swa thaet he weardh faerlice gedhuht cnapa, and eft h['a]rwenge; hw['i]ltidum on wimmannes hade, and eft dhaerrihte on cnihthade.