Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/359

 because the  proud  can  never  get  to  heaven.

Christ cried  in  His  preaching,  and  said  to  all  men,

'Penitentiam agite,  adpropinquabit  enim  regnum  caelorum';  that is  in  English,

'Work deeds  of  penance  for  your  misdeeds,

for behold  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  draweth  near.'

Christ then  went  about  throughout  all  the  Jewish  cities,

preaching the  Gospel,  and  enlightened  the  blind,

and healed  all  sicknesses  and  all  diseases.

His fame  spread  then  to  the  land  of  Syria,

and they  brought  the  sick  from  far  and  near,

diversely afflicted,  and  lunatics,  and  men  possessed,

and likewise  the  bedridden,  and  brought  [them]  to  the  Saviour,

and He  healed  them  all,  for  that  He  is  the  Healer.

These same  powers  He  gave  to  His  great  apostles,

that they  might  heal,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,

all sicknesses,  and  also  raise  the  dead,

and cleanse  the  lepers,  even  as  Christ  Himself  did.

There were  twelve  apostles  who  abode  with  him,

and two  and  seventy  He  chose  Him  as  preachers,

who went,  by  two  and  two,  before  Him  everywhere.

These four  and  eighty  who  followed  the  Saviour,

are the  foundations  in  God's  Church,

and the  foremost  preachers,  and  they  wrote  our  books,

even as  they  had  learned  from  their  master  Christ,

and their  lore  came  to  the  uttermost  lands.

Then it  befell  one  day  as  the  Saviour  journeyed,

that a  certain  man  said  to  Him,  '  I  will  go  with  Thee,

and follow  Thee  whithersoever  Thou  goest.'