A   The same daye wente Iesus out of the house, and sate by the sea syde, and much people resorted vnto hym, so greatly that he went and sate in a shyppe, and all the people stode on the shore. And he spake many thinges to them in symilitudes, saying, beholde, the sower went forth to sowe. ^noteAnd as he sowed, some fel by the wayes syde, and the foules came and deuoured it vp. Some

fell vpon stonye grounde where it hadde not muche earth: and anon it sprong vp, because it had no depth of earth: ∧ when the sunne was vp, it caughte heate, and for lacke of rotynge wyddred awaye. Some fel among thornes, ∧ the thornes sprong vp and chooked it. Parte fell in good grounde, and brought forth good frute: some an hundred fold, some sixtie folde, some thyrty folde. Whosoeuer hath eares to heare let hym heare.

B   And the disciples came and sayde to hym: Why speakest thou to them in parables? He aunswered and sayde vnto theym: it is geuen vnto you to know the secretes of the kyngd&obar; of heauen, but to them it is not geuen 05Q1179For whosoeuer hath to hym shalbe geuen, and he shall haue aboundaunce. But whosoeuer hath not: from hym shalbe taken awaye euen that he hath. Therfore speake I to them in similitudes: for though they se, they se not: and hearyng they heare not: neyther vnderst&abar;d. ^noteAnd in them is fulfilled the Prophesye of Esayas, whych prophesie sayth: with the eares ye shal heare, and shal not vnderstande, and with the eyes ye shal se, and shall not perceyue. For this people hertes are waxed grosse, and their eares were dull of hearynge, and their eyes haue they closed, lest they should se with their eyes, and heare with their eares, and shoulde vnderstand with their hertes, ∧ should tourne that I myght heale them.

C    ^noteBut blessed are your eyes, for they se: and your eares, for thei heare. Verely I say vnto you, that many Prophetes and perfecte men haue desired to se the thinges whyche ye se, ∧ haue not sene theim: and to heare the thynges which ye heare, and haue not heard th&ebar;. Heare ye therfore the similitude of the sower. ^noteWhosoeuer heareth the word of the05Q1180 kyngedome and vnderstandeth it not, there cometh þe; euill man, and catcheth awaye þt; which was sow&ebar; in hys hert, and this is he whiche was sowen by the way side. But he that was sowen in the stony grounde, is he which heareth the worde of God, and anone with ioye receyueth it, yet hath he no rootes in hym selfe, and therefore dureth but a season. For assone as tribulation or persecucion ariseth because of the word, by and by he falleth. He that was sowen among thornes, is he that heareth the worde of God: but the care of thys world, and the disceythfulnes of ryches choke the word, ∧ so is he made vnfruteful. But he whiche is sowen in þe; good ground, is he that heareth the worde and vnderstandeth it, whiche also beareth frute and bryngeth forth, some an .C. folde, some sixtye folde, and some .xxx. folde.

Another similitude put he forth vnto them saying: &cross2; The kyngedom of heauen is lyke D   vnto a man whiche sowed good seede in hys felde. ^noteBut whyle men05Q1181 slept there came hys foo and sowed tares amonge the wheate, and went hys waye. When the blade was spr&obar;ge vp, and had brought forth frute, then apeared the tares also. The seruauntes came to the housholder, and sayde vnto hym: Sir sowedest not thou good seede in thy close? From whence then hath it tared? He sayed to them: The enuious man hath done this. Then the seruauntes sayde vnto hym. Wilt thou then that we go and gadder them? But he sayde, nay, lest whyle ye go about to wede oute the tares, ye plucke vp also wyth them the wheat by the rotes. Let both growe together tyl haruest come, ∧ in tyme of haruest, I wyl saye to the reapers, gather ye fyrst the tares, ∧ bynde theym in shewes too be brent: but gather the wheate into my barne. &cross3;

E    ^note&cross2; Another parable he put forth vnto them saying: The kyngdom of heauen is lyke vnto a grayne of mustard seede, whiche a man taketh and soweth in hys felde, whych is þe; leest of all seedes. But when it is growen it is the greatest among herbes, ∧ it groweth vp into a tree: so that the byrdes of the ayre come and buylde in the braunches of it.

^note&cross2; Another similitude sayde he to them. The kyngdom of heauen is lyke vnto leuen, which a woman taketh and hydeth in .iij. peckes of mele, tyll all be leuended.

^noteAll these thynges spake Iesus vnto the people by similitudes, and withoute similitudes spake he nothyng to them, to fulfil that which was spoken by the Prophet saying: I wil op&ebar; my mouth in similitudes, ^note ∧ will speake forth thynges whych haue ben kept secrete from þe; begynnyng of the world. &cross3;

&rhand;&cross2; Then sente Iesus the people awaye, ∧ came home. And hys disciples came vnto him sayinge: declare vnto vs the similitude of the tares of the felde. ^noteThen aunswered he ∧ sayed to them. He that soweth the good seede, is the sonne of man. And the fielde is the worlde. And the chyldren of the kyngdom, they are þe; good seede. And the tares are the chyldren of the wycked. And the enemy that soweth them is the deuell. ^noteThe Haruest is the ende of the worlde. And the reapers be the Aungels. F   For euen as the tares are gaddred and brent in the fyre: so shall it be in the ende of thys worlde. The sonne of man shall sende forth hys Aungels, and they shall gather out of hys kyngedom all thynges that offende, and th&ebar; whych do iniquity, and shall caste theim into a fournayce of fyre. There shalbe waylyng ∧ gnasshyng of teth. ^noteThen shall the iuste men shyne as bryght as the sunne in the kyngd&obar; of theyr father. Whosoeuer hath eares to heare let hym heare. &cross3;

^note&cross2; Agayne the kyngdome of heauen is lyke vnto treasure, hidde in the fielde, the whiche a man fyndeth and hyddeth: and for ioye therof goeth and selleth all that he hathe, and byeth that felde.

^noteAgayne the kyngedome of heauen is lyke vnto a marchaunt that seketh good pearles, whyche when he had founde one precious pearle, went and solde all that he hadde, and bought it.

^noteAgayne the kyngedome of heauen is lyke

vuto a nette cast into the sea, that gathered of all kyndes of fyshes: whiche when it is full, men drow to lande, and sitte and gadre the good int vessels, and cast the bad awaye. So shall it be at the ende of the worlde. The aungels shall come out, and seuer the bad from þe; good, and shall caste them into a furnayce of the fyre: there shalbe waylyng and gnashyng of teth. Iesus sayd vnto them: vnderstande ye al these thynges? They sayde, ye Lord. Then sayd he vnto them. Therfore euery05Q1182 Scribe which is taught vnto the kyngdome of heau&ebar; is lyke an housholder, whiche bringeth forth, out of his treasur, thinges both new ∧ old. &cross3; ^note

^noteAnd it came to passe when Iesus had finished these similitudes, that he departed thence and came into hys owne co&ubar;trey, and taught them in theyr sinagoges, in so much that they were astonyed and sayde: whence cometh all thys wysdome and power vnto hym? ^noteIs not thys the carpenters sonne? Is not his mother called Mary? and hys brethren be called Iames and Ioses and Simon and Iudas? And are not hys sisters all here with vs? ^noteWhence hath he all these thinges. And they were offended by hym. Then Iesus saide to them a Prophet is not without honor saue in his own co&ubar;trey, ∧ am&obar;g his own kynne. And he did not make miracles there, for their vnbeleues sake.

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