The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church: Containing the Sermones Catholici, or Homilies of Ælfric, in the Original Anglo-Saxon, with an English Version. Volume I.Aelfric, Abbot of Eynsham
Religion
The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church: Containing the Sermones Catholici, or Homilies of Ælfric, in the Original Anglo-Saxon, with an English Version. Volume I.
Aelfric, Abbot of Eynsham
Sermons, English (Old)
Ðæra apostola tweonung be Cristes æriste næs na swa swiðe heora
ungeleaffulnys, ac wæs ure trumnys. Læs us {302} fremodon þa ðe hraðe
gelyfdon, ðonne ða þe twynigende wæron; forðan ðe hi sceawedon and grapodon
ða dolhswaðu Cristes wunda, and swa adræfdon ealle twynunga fram ure
heortan. Þa ðreade se Hælend his leorning-cnihta twynunge, ðaða hé
lichamlice hí forlætan wolde, to ði þæt hí gemyndige wæron ðæra worda þe hé
on his siðe him sæde. He cwæð þa, "Farað geond ealne middangeard, and
bodiað godspel eallum gesceafte." Godspel is us to gehyrenne, and ðearle
lufigendlic, þæt we moton forbugan helle-wite and ða hreowlican tintrega
þurh ðæs Hælendes menniscnysse, and becuman to engla werode þurh his
eadmodnysse. He cwæð, "Bodiað eallum gesceafte:" ac mid þam naman is se
mann ána getacnod. Stanas sind gesceafta, ac hí nabbað nan líf, ne hí ne
gefredað. Gærs and treowa lybbað butan felnysse; hí ne lybbað na ðurh
sawle, ac ðurh heora grennysse. Nytenu lybbað and habbað felnysse, butan
gesceade: hí nabbað nan gescead, forðan ðe hí sind sawullease. Englas
lybbað, and gefredað, and tosceadað. Nu hæfð se mann ealra gesceafta sum
ðing. Him is gemæne mid stanum, þæt he beo wunigende; him is gemæne mid
treowum, þæt he lybbe; mid nytenum, þæt he gefrede; mid englum, þæt he
understande. Nu is se mann gecweden 'eall gesceaft,' forðan ðe he hæfð sum
ðing gemæne mid eallum gesceafte. Þæt godspel bið gebodad eallum gesceafte,
þonne hit bið ðam menn anum gebodad, forðan ðe ealle eorðlice þing sind
gesceapene for ðam men anum, and hí ealle habbað sume gelicnysse to ðam
men, swa swa we ær sædon.
"Se ðe gelyfð, and bið gefullod, he bið gehealden; and se ðe ne gelyfð, he
bið geniðerod." Se geleafa bið soð seðe ne wiðcwyð mid þweorum ðeawum þæt
þæt he gelyfð; be ðam cwæð Iohannes se apostol, "Se ðe cwyð þæt he God
cunne, and his beboda ne hylt, he is leas." Eft cwyð se apostol Iacobus,
"Se geleafa ðe bið butan godum weorcum, se bið dead." Eft he cwæð, "Hwæt
fremað þe þæt ðu hæbbe geleafan, gif ðu næfst ða godan weorc? Ne mæg {304}
se geleafa ðe gehealdan butan ðam weorcum. Deoflu gelyfað, ac hí forhtiað."
Þa deoflu gesawon Crist on ðisum life on ðære menniscnysse, ac hi feollon
to his fotum, and hrymdon, and cwædon, "Þu eart Godes Sunu, forði ðu come
þæt ðu woldest us fordón." Se man ðe nele gelyfan on God, ne nænne Godes
ege næfð, he bið wyrsa þonne deofol. Se ðe gelyfð, and hæfð ege, and nele
ðeah-hwæðere gód wyrcan, se bið þonne deoflum gelic.
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