Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/77

 from teachers'  mouths,  as  if  they  chewed  their  meat.

And those  are  unclean  which  chew  not  their  cud,

because they  betoken  those  who  desire  not  rightly,

neither will  learn  what  may  be  pleasing  to  God,

nor revolve  in  their  minds  the  Saviour's  commands,

and they  are  therefore  unclean  just  like  the  wicked  beasts.

Those beasts  are  clean  that  cleave  their  claws,

and chew  their  cud;    they  betoken  the  believers

in God's  congregation,  who  with  belief  receive

the old  testament  and  Christ's  ordinance,

that is,  the  old  law  and  the  new  testament,

and chew  God's  commands  ever  with  meditation.

Those beasts  were  called  unclean  in  the  law,

who do  not  cleave  their  claws,  although  they  chew  the  cud;

or if  they  do  cleave,  and  will  not  chew;

for the  betokening,  which  was  then  still  to  come,

that we  cleave  our  claws  in  the  two  testaments,

the old  and  the  new,  that  is  Law  and  Gospel;

and that  we  ponder  in  mind  the  Almighty's  behest;

and he  who  forsakes  either,  he  liveth  unclean.

Even so  the  Jews  who  despise  our  Lord,

and have  in  contempt  his  Gospel-preaching,

are unclean,  and  to  Christ  odious,

although they  in  their  mouth  revolve  Moses'  law,

and will  only  understand  the  literal  meaning.

Many things  were  forbidden  to  God's  people  in  the  law,

which now  are  clean,  after  Christ's  advent,

since Paul  saith  to  the  Christians  thus;

omnia munda  mundis  (Titus  i. 15);