Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/269

 and received  the  crown  which  the  other  lost.

Likewise Judas,  the  impious,  who  betrayed  the  Saviour,

hung himself  straightway  in  a  snare;

and Matthias  the  humble  was  exalted  afterward,

and chosen  as  apostle  after  Christ's  resurrection,

and hath  the  worship  which  that  atrocious  man  lost

through his  own  treachery,  when  he  sold  his  Creator.

We know  not  if  the  warder  were  ever  baptized,

but we  know,  however,  what  wise  doctors  have  said,

that every  one  of  those  who  are  killed  for  the  faith  of  Christ

is truly  baptized  when  he  dieth  for  God,

and is  washed  in  his  own  blood  from  the  stains  of  his  sins,

and liveth  with  the  Lord  for  Whom  he  gave  up  his  life;

God hath  no  need  that  we  should  do  good  works,

neither commandeth  He  anything  for  His  own  need,

but it  profiteth  ourselves,  whatsoever  He  biddeth  us,

and we  are  happy  if  we  obey  our  Creator,

and if  we  love  Him  alone  above  all  things.

He who  forsaketh  Him,  verily  he  shall  perish;

nevertheless it  liketh  our  dear  Lord

that we  should  perform  His  will  by  our  works,

and thereby  merit  eternal  life  with  Him.

The Apostle  Paul  set  down  in  his  Epistle  [i  Cor. iii. ]

that we  are  verily  our  Creator's  helpers,

so that  our  Lord  doth,  through  His  chosen  (ones),

many  things    in    the    world,  and   notwithstanding    ever    helpeth them;

wherefore men  may  not  think  in  their  minds

[that there  is]  any  goodness  except  it  come  from  God,

nor [may  they]  do  anything  good  without  God's  help.

He is  so  mighty  a  worker  that  He  can  turn

evil to  good  through  His  goodness.

Great evilness  was  there  in  Jewish  men

when they  laid  snares,  with  dark  thought,

how they  might  kill  Christ;    and  that  turned  to  our  healing