Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/387

378 bið se mon se þe wyrnð his sweorde blodes. Ðæt is ðonne ðæt mon forwerne his sweorde blodes, ðæt hwa forwirne his lare ðæt he mid ðære ne ofslea ðæs flæsces lustas. Eft cwæð Moyses be ðæm ilcan: Min sweord itt flæsc. Gehieren eac ða þe oninnan him gediglað & gehydað ða godcundan lare ðone egeslican Godes cwide þe to him gecweden is, forðæm ðæt se ege ðone oðerne ege utadrife, ðæt is ðonne se cwide hu mon ðæt fioh befæste ðæm cipemen þe he sceolde forðsellan to wæstme, & ða forðyþe he forwandode ðæt he swæ ne dyde, ða ageaf he hit to unðances, & his eac hæfde micelne dem. Eac hie sculon gehieran ðæt[te] sanctus Paulus geliefde ðæt he swæ micle unscyldigra wære his nihstena blodes swæ he læs wandode ðæt he hiera unðeawas ofsloge. Hie magon gehieran be ðæm cwide þe he cwæð, he cwæð: Hwæt ge sint ealle mine gewitan ðæt ic eom clæne & unscyldig nu git to dæg eowres ælces blodes, forðæm ic næfre ne forwandode ðæt ic iow ne gecyðde ealle Godes geðeaht. Eac hie sculon gehieran hu sanctus Iohannes wæs gemanod mid ðæs engles stemne, ða ða he cwæð to him: Se þe gehiere ðæt hiene mon clipige, clipige he eac oðerne, & cweðe, cum. Ðæt is, se þe ongiete ðæt he sie gecigged mid godcundre stemne, ðætte he eac ciggende & lærende oðre ðider tio & laðige ðider he getogen bið, ðylæs he finde ða duru betynede ongean hiene, ðonne he cume, gif he cume idelhende to, & ða mid him ne brenge, þe he ðider laðian sceolde. Hie scoldon gehieran hu Essaias se witga hreowsiende hiene selfne tælde, ða he wæs onæled mid ðy upcundan liohte, he cwæð: Wa me ðæs ic swugode! Eac hie sculon gehieran ðætte ðurh Salomon is gehaten ðæm monnum þe lust- blood." Keeping one's sword from blood is withholding one's instruction, and not slaying with it the lusts of the flesh. Again, Moses spoke of the same: "My sword shall eat flesh." Let those also who conceal and hide within themselves the divine doctrine, hear the awful words of God which are addressed to them, that the one fear may drive out the other, telling how the money was committed to the merchant to be lent out at interest, and when he neglected to do so he got no thanks for it, and suffered great injury from it. They should also hear that St. Paul believed that he was so much the more guiltless of his neighbour's blood the less he hesitated to slay their vices. They can hear it in the words he spoke, saying: "Ye are all my witnesses that I am pure and guiltless of the blood of each of you up to this