172. What is matC s greatest offence. 123 



8 the synne doynge. For saynte Iherome sayth, Magis Jerome. 

 offendebat ludas deum in hoc quod suspendebat, quam in 

 hoc, quod eum tradidit : Judas offended god more in 

 that that he hanged hym-selfe, than he dydde whanne he 



1 2 betrayed god. For god sayth in his gospell, Nolo mortem Ezek. xxxUi. 

 peccatoris, sed magis vt conuertatur et viuat. I wyll not the 

 deathe of a synner, but rather that he maye be conuerted [FoI. 89.] 

 and lyue. And also he saythe, Non veni vocare iustoSj i^^^^^^^. 



16 sed peccatores ad penitentiam. I am not comen to call 

 ly^ghtwyse men, but to call synners to do penaunce. 

 For thou canste not so soone crye god mercy with thy 

 harte, but he is as redye to chaunge his sentence, and to 



20 graunte the mercy and forgjnienes of all thy synnes. For 



saynte Austyne saythe, Sicut scintilia \jic'\ ignis in medio Angustme. 

 maris, sic omnis impietas viri ad misericordiam dei. As a 

 sparke of fyer is in comparison able to drye vppe all the 



24 water in the se, noo more is all the wyckednes of man 

 vnto the me[r]cyfulnes of god. And therfore it is conueny- 

 ent that a manne shulde be penytent, contryte, and aske 

 god mercye and forgyuenesse of his synnes and offences, 



28 that he hath done; wherof speketh Chrysost[o]me, Nemo chrysostom. 

 ad deum aliquando flens accessit quod non posiulauerit accepit. 

 No man hath gone any tyme wepynge to god, but he 

 hath taken or had that thynge that he hath asked. And 



32 sayncte Bemarde saythe. Plus cruciant lacrime peccatoris Bernard. 

 diabolum quam omne genus tormentorum. The teares of a 

 synner tourmenteth the deuyll more, than all other kj-ndes 

 of turmentes. And sayncte Aust}Tie saythe, Acriores Angnstine. 



36 dolores demonibus non inferrimus, ^am cum peccata nostra rpol. 89*.] 

 penitendo et confitendo plangimus. We canne not doo more 

 sharper sorowes to the dyuell, than whan we wayle or 

 wepe in confessyon, and doynge of penaunce. And 



40 that maye be well proued by Mary Magdaleyn, Mary 

 whanne she kneled downe and cryed god mercye, and 

 kyste his fete, and wasshed theym with the teares of 



