There is one origin of all things, that is God Almighty. He is beginning
and end: he is beginning, because he was ever; he is end without any
ending, because he is ever unended. He is King of all kings, and Lord of
all lords. He holdeth with his might heavens, and earth, and all creatures,
without toil, and he beholdeth the depths which are under this earth. He
weigheth all hills with one hand, and no thing {11} may withstand his will.
No creature may perfectly search out nor understand concerning God: greater
affinity have angels to God than men, and yet they may not perfectly
understand concerning God. He created those creatures that he would;
through his wisdom he wrought all things, and through his will he endued
them all with life. This Trinity is one God, that is, the Father, and his
Wisdom, of himself ever produced; and the Will of them both, that is, the
Holy Ghost: he is not born, but he goeth alike from the Father and from the
Son. These three persons are one Almighty God, who wrought the heavens, and
the earth, and all creatures. He created ten hosts of angels, that is
angels and archangels, throni, dominationes, principatus, potestates,
virtutes, cherubim, seraphim. Here are nine hosts of angels: they have no
body, but they are all spirits, very strong, and mighty, and beautiful,
formed with great fairness, to the praise and glory of their Creator. The
tenth host rebelled and turned to evil. God created them all good, and let
them have their own discretion, whether they would love and follow their
Creator, or would forsake him. Now the prince of the tenth host was formed
very fair and beauteous, so that he was called 'Light-bearing' (Lucifer).
Then he began to wax proud by reason of the comeliness that he had, and
said in his heart that he would and easily might be equal to his Creator,
and sit in the north part of heaven's kingdom, and have power and sway
against God Almighty. Then he confirmed this resolve with the host over
which he ruled, and they all bowed to that resolve. When they all had
confirmed this resolve among themselves, God's anger came over them all,
and they were all changed from the fair form in which they were created to
loathly devils. And very rightly it so befell him, when he would in pride
be better than he was created, and said that he might be equal to Almighty
God. Then became he and all his associates more wicked and worse than any
other creatures; and while he meditated how he might share power {13} with
God, the Almighty Creator prepared hell-torment for him and his associates,
and drove them all from the joy of heaven's kingdom, and caused them to
fall into the eternal fire that was prepared for them for their pride. Then
forthwith the nine hosts that were left bowed to their Creator with all
humbleness, and resigned their purpose to his will. Then the Almighty God
confirmed and established the nine hosts of angels, so that they never
might or would afterwards swerve from his will; nor can they now perpetrate
any sin, but they are ever meditating only how they may obey God and be
acceptable to him. So might also the others who fell have done if they had
been willing; seeing that God had made them of the beauteous nature of
angels, and let them have their own will, and would never have inclined nor
forced them in any way to that evil counsel; for the evil counsel never
came from God's conception, but came from the devil's, as we before said.
Now many a man will think and inquire, whence the devil came? be it,
therefore, known to him that God created as a great angel him who is now
the devil: but God did not create him as the devil: but when he was wholly
fordone and guilty towards God, through his great haughtiness and enmity,
then became he changed to the devil, who before was created a great angel.
Then would God supply and make good the loss that had been suffered in the
heavenly host, and said that he would make man of earth, so that the
earthly man should prosper, and merit with meekness those dwellings in the
kingdom of heaven which the devil through his pride had forfeited. And God
then wrought a man of clay, and blew spirit into him, and animated him, and
he became a man formed with soul and body; and God bestowed on him the name
of Adam, and he was for some time standing alone. God then brought him into
Paradise, and established him there, and said unto him, "Of all the things
which are in Paradise thou mayest eat, and they shall all be committed to
{15} thee, save one tree which stands in the middle of Paradise: touch thou
not the fruit of this tree; for thou shalt be mortal if thou eatest the
fruit of this tree." Why would God forbid him so little a thing, when he
had committed to him other things so great? But how could Adam know what he
was, unless he were obedient in some thing to his Lord? as if God had said
to him, "Thou knowest not that I am thy Lord, and that thou art my servant,
unless thou dost that which I command, and forgoest that which I forbid
thee. But what may it be that thou shalt forgo? I say unto thee, forgo thou
the fruit of one tree, and with that easy obedience thou shalt merit the
joys of heaven, and the place from which the devil fell through
disobedience. But if thou breakest this little commandment, thou shalt
perish by death." And then was Adam so wise that God led to him the cattle,
and brute race, and bird race, when he had created them; and Adam made
names for them all; and so as he named them are they yet called. Then said
God, "It is not fitting that this man be alone, and have no help; now let
us make him a mate for help and comfort." And God then caused Adam to
sleep, and as he slept, he took a rib from his side, and of that rib
wrought a woman, and asked Adam how she should be called. Then said Adam,
"She is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh; be her name Virago, that is
_female_; because she is taken from her husband." Then Adam afterwards
bestowed on her another name, Eva, that is _life_; because she is the
mother of all living.
All creatures, heavens and angels, sun and moon, stars and earth, all
beasts and birds, the sea and all fishes, and all creatures, God created
and wrought in six days; and on the seventh day he ended his work, and
ceased, and hallowed the seventh day, because on that day he ended his
work. And he beheld then all his works that he had wrought, and they were
all exceedingly good. All things he wrought without any matter. He said,
"Let there be light," and instantly {17} there was light. He said again,
"Let there be heaven," and instantly heaven was made, as he with his wisdom
and his will had appointed it. He said again, and bade the earth bring
forth all living cattle, and he then created of earth all the race of
cattle, and the brute race, all those which go on four feet; in like manner
of water he created fishes and birds, and gave the power of swimming to the
fishes, and flight to the birds; but he gave no soul to any beast, nor to
any fish; but their blood is their life, and as soon as they are dead they
are totally ended. When he had made the man Adam, he did not say, "Let man
be made," but he said, "Let us make man in our likeness," and he then made
man with his hands, and blew into him a soul; therefore is man better, if
he grow up in good, than all the beasts are; because they will all come to
naught, and man is in one part eternal, that is in the soul; that will
never end. The body is mortal through Adam's sin, but, nevertheless, God
will raise again the body to eternity on doomsday. Now the heretics say
that the devil created some creatures, but they lie; he can create no
creatures, for he is not a creator, but is a loathsome fiend, and with
leasing he will deceive and fordo the unwary; but he may not compel any man
to any crime, unless the man voluntarily incline to his teaching.
Whatsoever among things created seems pernicious and is injurious to men,
is all for our sins and evil deserts.
When the devil understood that Adam and Eve were created, that they might
with meekness and obedience merit the dwelling in the kingdom of heaven
from which he had fallen for his haughtiness, then he felt great anger and
envy towards those persons, and meditated how he might fordo them. He came
then in a serpent's form to the two persons, first to the woman, and said
to her, "Why has God forbidden you the fruit of this tree, which stands in
the middle of Paradise?" Then said the woman, "God forbade us the fruit of
the tree {19} and said, that we should perish by death, if we tasted its
fruit." Then said the devil, "It is not as thou sayest, but God knows full
well, if ye eat of that tree that your eyes will then be opened, and ye can
see and know both good and evil, and ye will be like to angels." They were
not created blind, but God created them so simple-minded that they knew
nothing evil, neither by sight, nor by speech, nor by deed. But the woman
was seduced by the devil's counsel, and took of the fruit of the tree, and
ate, and gave to her consort, and he ate. Then they both became mortal, and
knew both good and evil; and they were naked, and thereat they were
ashamed. Then came God and asked why he had broken his commandment? and
drove them both from Paradise, and said, "Because thou wast obedient to the
words of thy wife, and despisedst my commandment, thou shalt get thee food
with hardships, and the earth, which is accursed through thy deed, shall
give thee thorns and brambles. Thou art taken from earth, and thou shalt to
earth return. Thou art dust, and thou shalt turn to dust." God then wrought
for them garments of skins, and they were clothed with the skins.
The dead skins betokened that they were then mortal who might have been
immortal, if they had held that easy command of God. Neither Adam nor all
mankind that have since come from him needed ever to have tasted of death,
if that tree could have stood untouched, and no one had tasted of it; but
Adam and his offspring would have propagated at set times, as the clean
beasts now do, and afterwards, without death, have gone to eternal life. It
was not ordained him from God, nor was he compelled to break God's
commandment; for God left him free, and gave him his own choice, whether he
would be obedient, or whether he would be disobedient. Then was he to the
devil obedient, and to God disobedient, and was delivered, he and all
mankind, after this life, to hell-torment, with the devil who seduced him.
But God knew, however, that he had been seduced, and meditated how he might
again be merciful to him and all mankind.
{21} With two things had God endowed this man's soul; that is immortality
and with happiness. Then through the devil's treachery and Adam's guilt we
lost the happiness of our soul, but we lost not the immortality: that is
eternal and never ends, though the body ends, which shall again, through
God's might, arise to everlasting duration. Adam then was continuing in
this life with toil, and he and his wife begat children, both sons and
daughters; and he lived nine hundred and thirty years, and then died, as
had been promised him for that sin; and his soul went to hell.
Now some men will inquire, whence came his soul? whether from the father or
from the mother? We say, from neither of them; but the same God who created
Adam with his hands, createth every man's body in his mother's womb: and
the same who blew into Adam's body, and gave him a soul, that same giveth a
soul and life to children in their mother's womb, when they are created;
and he letteth them have their own will, when they are grown up, as Adam
had.
Then there was rapidly a great increase of people, and very many were
turned to evil, and exasperated God with various crimes, and above all with
fornication. Then was God so exasperated through the wicked deeds of men
that he said, that he repented that he had ever created mankind.
Nevertheless, there was one man righteous before God, who was called Noah.
Then said God to him, "I will destroy all mankind with water, for their
sins, but I will preserve thee alone, and thy wife, and thy three sons,
Shem, and Ham, and Japhet, and their three wives; because thou art
righteous and acceptable unto me. Make thee now an ark, three hundred
fathoms long, and fifty fathoms wide, and thirty fathoms high: roof it all,
and smear all the seams with tar, and then go in with thy family. I will
gather in to thee of beast-kind and of bird-kind mates of each, that they
may hereafter be for foster. I will send a flood over all the earth." {23}
He did as God bade him, and God shut them within the ark, and sent rain
from heaven forty days together, and opened, to meet it, all the
well-springs and water-torrents of the great deep. The flood then waxed and
bare up the ark, and it rose above all the hills. Then was everything
living drowned, save those who were within the ark, by whom was again
established all the earth. Then God promised that he would never again
destroy all mankind with water, and said to Noah and to his sons: "I will
set my covenant betwixt me and you for this promise: that is, when I
overspread the heavens with clouds, then shall be shown my rainbow betwixt
the clouds, then will I be mindful of my covenant, that I will not
henceforth drown mankind with water." Noah lived in all his life, before
the flood and after the flood, nine hundred and fifty years, and then he
departed.
Then for some time after the flood there was fear of God among mankind, and
there was one language among them all. Then said they among themselves that
they would make a city, and a tower within that city, so high that its roof
should mount up to heaven: and they begun to work. Then came God thereto,
when they were most busily working, and gave to every man who was there a
separate speech. Then were there as many languages as there were men, and
none of them knew what other said. And they then ceased from the building,
and went divers ways over all the earth.
Then afterwards mankind was deceived by the devil, and turned from God's
belief, so that they wrought them images, some of gold, some of silver,
some also of stones, some of wood, and devised names for them; the names of
those men who were giants, and evil-doing. Afterwards when they were dead
then said the living that they were gods, and worshipped them, and offered
sacrifices to them; and the devils then came to their images, and dwelt
therein, and spake to men as though they were gods; and the deceived human
race fell on their knees to {25} those images, and said, "Ye are our gods,
and we place our belief and our hope in you." Then sprang up this error
through all the earth, and the true Creator, who alone is God, was despised
and dishonoured. There was, nevertheless, one family which had never bent
to any idol, but had ever worshipped the true God. That family sprang from
Noah's eldest son, who was called Shem: he lived six hundred years, and his
son was called Arphaxad, who lived three hundred and thirty-three years,
and his son was called Salah, who lived four hundred and thirty-three
years, when he begat a son who was called Eber, from whom sprang the Hebrew
people, whom God loved: and from that race came all the patriarchs and
prophets, those who announced Christ's advent to this life; that he would
be man before the end of this world, for our redemption, he who ever was
God with the supreme Father. And for this race God gave and established a
law, and he led them over the sea with dry feet, and he fed them forty
years with heavenly bread, and wrought many miracles among the people;
because he would choose him a mother from this race.
Then at last, when the time came that God had foreseen, he sent his angel
Gabriel to a maiden of that race, who was called Mary. Then came the angel
to her, and greeted her with God's words, and announced to her, that God's
Son should be born of her, without communion of man. And she believed his
words, and became with child. When her time was come she brought forth, and
continued a maiden. That child is twice born: he is born of the Father in
heaven, without any mother, and again, when he became man, he was born of
the pure virgin Mary, without any earthly father. God the Father made
mankind and all creatures through the Son; and again, when we were fordone,
he sent that same Son for our redemption. The holy mother Mary then
nourished that child with great veneration, and it waxed, as other children
do, without any sin.
{27} He was born without sins, and his life was all without sins. But he
wrought no miracles openly ere that he had been thirty years in a state of
man: then afterwards he chose to him disciples; first twelve, whom we call
apostles, that is messengers: after that he chose seventy-two, who are
denominated disciples, that is learners. Then he wrought many miracles,
that men might believe that he was God's Child. He turned water to wine,
and went over the sea with dry feet, and he stilled the winds by his
behest, and he gave to blind men sight, and to the halt and lame a right
gait, and to lepers smoothness and health to their bodies; to the dumb he
gave power of speech, and hearing to the deaf; to the possessed of devils
and the mad he gave sense, and drove away the devils, and every disease he
healed; dead men he raised from their sepulchres to life; and taught the
people to which he came with great wisdom; and said, that no man might be
saved, except he rightly believe in God, and be baptized, and adorn his
faith with good works; he eschewed all injustice and all leasings, and
taught righteousness and truth.
Then the Jewish people showed great envy of his doctrine, and meditated how
they might put him to death. Now was one of the twelve of Christ's
companions, who was called Judas, seduced by the instigation of the devil,
and he went to the Jewish people, and consulted with them how he might
betray Christ unto them. Though all people were gathered together they all
might not destroy him, if he himself willed it not; therefore he came to us
because he would suffer death for us, and so, by his own death, redeem all
mankind who believe from hell's torment. He would not take us forcibly from
the devil's power, unless he had forfeited it; but he forfeited it entirely
when he whetted and instigated the hearts of the Jewish men to the slaying
of Christ. Then Christ consented that the bloodthirsty ones should take
him, and bind, and, hung on a cross, slay him. Verily then two believing
men honourably buried him; and Christ, in that time, {29} went to hell, and
overcame the devil, and took from him Adam and Eve, and their offspring,
that portion which had previously been most acceptable to him, and led them
to their bodies, and arose from death with that great host on the third day
of his passion: then came to his apostles, and comforted them, and for a
space of forty days sojourned with them, and repeated the same doctrine
which he had before taught them, and bade them go over all the earth,
preaching baptism and true faith. Then, on the fortieth day of his
resurrection, the Lord ascended to heaven in sight of them all, with the
same body in which he had suffered, and sitteth on the right hand of his
Father, and governeth all creatures. He hath opened to righteous men the
entrance to his kingdom, and those who wholly despise his commandments
shall be cast down into hell. Verily he shall come at the end of this world
with great majesty, in clouds, and all those who have ever received a soul
shall arise from death towards him; and he will then deliver the wicked to
the devil, into the eternal fire of hell-torment; the righteous he will
lead with him into the kingdom of heaven, in which they shall rule to all
eternity.
Men most beloved, consider this discourse, and with great care eschew
unrighteousness, and merit with good works the eternal life with God, who
alone ruleth to eternity. Amen.
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