Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/58

Hatton MS.] wier[ð]lice, & monige beoð togeniedde [eac] suiðe untælwierðlice. Ðæt we magon sueotole ongietan, gif we geðenceað ða twegen witgan ðe God wolde sendan to læra[n]ne. Oðer hiene his selfes willum gebead to ðære lare & to ðæm færelte. Oðer for ðæm ege, ðe he ondred ðæt he hit sua medomlice dón ne meahte, him wiðsóc. Ðæt wæs Heremias. Ða he hine sendan wolde, ða bæd he eaðmodlice ðæt he hiene ne sende & cuæð: Eala e[a]la eala Dryhten, ic eom cnioht; hwæt conn ic specan? Ac Essaias, ða Dryhten acsode hwone he sendan meahte, ða cuæð Essaias: Ic eom gearo; send me. Loca nu hu ungelic spræc eode of ðissa tuega monna muðe. Ac hio wæs of suiðe gelicum willan, forðon hio áweoll of anum wille; ðeah heo an tu tefleowe, ðeah wæs sio æspryng sio soðe lufu. Ymb ða we habbað tua bebodu: an is ðæt we lufigen God, oðer ðæt we lufien ure niehstan. For ðære lufan Essaias wilnode hu he nyttosð meahte beon his nihstum on ðys eorðlican life, & forðon he wilnode ðære ðegnunga ðæs lariowdomes. Hieremias ðonne wilnode singallice hine geðiedan to ðære lufan his Scippendes, & forðam he forcwæð, & nolde ðæt hine mon sende to læranne. Ðæt ilce ðæt he untælwyrðlice ondred to underfonne, ðæt ilce se oðer swiðe hergeondlice gewilnode. Oðer ondred ðæt he forlure sprecende ða gestrion ðe he on ðære swygean ðæt he sumne hearm geswigode ðær ðær he freme gecleopian meahte, gif he ymb ðæt geornlice sw[u]nce. Ac we sculon swiðe smealice ðissa ægðer underðencean, forðonðe se ðe ðær wiðcwæð, [na fullice ne wiðcwæð], & se se ðe wolde ðæt hine mon sende, he geseah ær hine clænsian ðurh ða colu ðæs

to love our neighbour. From love Isaiah desired to be as useful as possible to his neighbours in this earthly life, and therefore he desired the ministration of teaching. Jeremiah desired always to continue in the love of his Creator, and therefore he refused, and did not wish to be sent to teach. The same charge that he blamelessly dreaded to undertake, the other very laudably desired. The one feared losing what he had gained in silence and meditation; the other feared concealing some mischief by his reticence, while he might have spoken to advantage, if he had zealously laboured. But we ought to consider both cases very narrowly, for he who refused did not altogether refuse, and he who wished to be sent saw that he was first purified by the coals of the altar, lest any one durst undertake unpurified