Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/99

90 þe on woh willen for ðære ryhtwisnesse lufan. Be ðæm wæs eft gecweden to ðæm scyldegan folce : Eowre witgan eow witgodon dysig & leasunga, & noldon eow gecyðan eowre unryhtwisnesse, ðæt he eow gebrohten on hreowsunge. Đa godan lureowas beoð oft genemnede on halgum gewritum witgan, forðon hie gerecceað ðis anwearde lif fleonde, & ðæt towearde gesweotuliað. Da ðonne þe sio godcunde stefn ðreade, & cwæð ðæt hie sceolden leasunga witgian, ðæt sindon þa ða (om.) þe him ondrædað ðæt hie men for hiera scyldum ðreagen, ac mid idelre olicunge orsorgnesse gehateð ðæm scyldegan, ond mid nanum ðingum nyllað geopenian ðæm syngiendum hiera unryht, ac swigiað ðara ðreaunga. Đæt word ðære ðreaunge is cæg, fordæm hit oft onlycð & geopenað ða scylde þe se him self ær nyste se hie ðurhteah. Be ðæm cwæð Paulus ðæt se lareow sceolde beon mihtig to tyhtanne on halwende lare, & eac to ðreageanne ða þe him wiðstandan willen [willað]. Eft wæs gecweden ðurh Zacharias : Sio æ sceal bion soht on ðæs sacerdes muðe, & his weloras gehealdað ðæt ondgit, forðæm he bið Godes boda to ðæm folce. Forðæm myndgode Dryhten ðurh Essaiam ðone witgan & cwæð: Cliopa & ne blin, hefe up ðine stefne swa ðer bieme. Forðæm se se þe ðone sacerdhad onfehð, he onfehð fryccean scire & foreryneles þa her iernað beforan kyningum, & bodiað hiora færelt & hiera willan hlydende. Swæ sculon þa sacerdas nu faran hlydende & bodigende beforan ðæm egeslican deman þe him swiðe andrysnlic æfter gæð. Gif ðonne se sacerd bið ungerad ðæs lareowdomes, hwæt forstent ðonne his gehlyd? Hwæt mæg he bodian ma ðonne se dumba fryccea? Ac for ðissum wæs geworden ðæt

desires are evil, through love of righteousness. Of which was again spoken to the guilty people: "Your prophets prophesied to you folly and falsehood, and would not proclaim to you your unrighteousness to bring you to repentance." Good teachers are often called prophets in holy writ, for they proclaim that this present life is fleeting, and reveal the future. Those whom the divine voice blamed, and said that they would prophesy untruth, are they who fear to reproach men with their sins, but gently soothe them with promises of security, and are quite unwilling to show sinners their wickedness, but suppress their admonitions. The word of admonition is a key, for it often unlocks and opens the sin which he who committed it was not aware of. Of which Paul said that the teacher should be mighty to exhort to salutary doc