The paraphrase of Erasm[us] Roterdame vpon [the] epistle of sai[n]t Paule vnto his discyple Titus lately tra[n]slated into englysshe and fyrste a goodly prologue

The Epistle of Paule vnto Tytus.

PAule the seruante of God and an Apostle of Ihesu Chryste: to preache the faythe of goddes electe / and y^e knowlege of the truthe / whiche truthe is in seruyng god / in hope of eternall lyfe / whiche lyfe god that cannot lye / hathe promysed before y^e worlde began / but hath at the tyme apointed opened his wordes by preachynge / whiche preachyng is cōmytted vnto me, by the commaundement god our sauyour, to Tytus his naturall sone in the comen faythe. Grace / mercye / and peace from god the father / and frome the lorde Iesu Christ our sauyour.

For this cause left I y^• in Crete, that thou sholdest pfourme that, which was lackyng and sholdest ordeyne senyours in euery Cytye as I apoynted y^e / yf ony be suche as no man can complayn on / the husbond of one woman, hauing faythful chyldren / which are not sclaundered of ryot / neyther are dysobedyent. For a bysshop must be such as no man can complaine on as it becometh the ministre of god / not stubborne, not angrye / no dronkard / no fyghter / nor ge∣uē to filthy lucre / but herberous / one y^e loueth goodnes / of honest behaueour / rygtuous, holy / tem∣perat / and suche as cleueth vnto the true worde of doctryne / that he may be able to exorte w^t whol∣som learnynge / and to ymproue theym that saye agaynste it. For there are many disobedyent / and

talkers of vanyte, and disceyuers of myndes, namely they of y^e cir∣cumcisyon, whose mouthes must be stopped whiche peruert hole housses teachyng thinges which they ought not because of fylthy lucre. One beyng of them selues which was a poete of their owne, said. The Cretayns are alwaies liars, euill beastes, & slow bellies. This wytnes is true / wherfore rebuke theym sharpely / that they may be sounde in the faythe / and not takyng hede to iewes fables, and commaundementes of men, which turne from y^e truth. Unto y^e pur / are all thynges pure / but vnto theym that are defyled / and vnbeleuyng is nothing pure, but euen y^t very mindes & cōscyences of them are de••yled. They cōfesse y^t they knowe god / but w^t dedes thei deny him / & are abominable /

and dysobedient / & vnto all good workes dyscomendable.

The seconde chapytre.

BUt speake thou y^t whiche becommeth holsome lear ninge / that the elder men be sobre, honest, dyscrete, sound. in the fayth in loue and patience And the elder women lyke wyse that they be in suche rayment / as becommeth holynes / not false ac¦cusars / not geuen to moche dryn kynge / but teachers of honeste thynges / y^t they nurter the yong women for to loue theyr husban∣des / to loue theyr chyldren / to be of honeste behaueour chast / hus∣wyfely / good and obedient / vnto theyr owne husbandes, that the worde of god be not euyl spoken of. Yonge men lyke wyse exhorte

that they be of honeste manets. Aboue all thynges shew thy selfe an insample of good workes in y^e doctryne shewe vncorruptio / ho∣nesty & the holsom worde / which can not be rebuked / y^t he whiche withstondeth may be asshamed / hauynge nothyng in you that he may dysprayse. The seruauntes exhort to be obedyent vnto theyr owne maysters / & to please in all thinges, not answeryng agayne, neyther be pyckers, but that they shewe all good faythfullnes that thei may do worship to y^e doctrin of god our sauiour in all thȳges. For the grace of god y^t bryngeth health vnto all men: hath apered and teacheth vs that we sholde denye vngodlynes / and worldly lustes, and that we shold lyue ho¦nestly, tyghtuously / and godly in this present world, lokynge for

that blessed hope and gloryouse aperyng of the myghty god / and our sauyour Iesu Christ, which gaue hym selfe for vs / to redeme vs frome all vnryghtuousnes / & to pourdge vs a peculyer people vnto hym selfe / feruently geuen vnto good workes. These thyn∣ges speake / and exhorte, & rebuke with all cōmaundyng. Se that no man despyse the.

The thyrde chapytre

WArne them that they submyt them selues to princes & suche as haue power ouer thē to obey theyr cōmaūdment / that they be prompte vnto all good workes, that they speake euyll of no man / y^t they be no fyghters / but softe / shewynge all mekenes

vnto all men / for we our selues also were in tymes past, vnwyse, dysobedyent / deceaued / in daun∣ger / to lustes and to dyuers ma∣ners of voluptuousnes / lyuynge in malycyousnes / and enuye, full of hate hatyng one another. But after that the kyndnes / and loue of our sauyour to manward ape∣red not of the dedes / of ryghtu∣ousnes whiche we wrought / but of his mercye he saued vs, by the fountayne of the newe byrthe & w^t the renuyng of the holy goost / which he shed on vs aboūdantly thrughe Iesus Chryst our sauy∣our / y^t we ons iustifyed by grace / sholde be heyres of eternall lyfe / thrugh hope. This is a true say∣enge. ¶ Of these thynges I wold thou sholdest certefy / that they which beleue god, myght be stodiouse to go forward in good

workes. These thinges are good & profytable vnto men. Folyshe questyons and genealogyes and braulynges and stryfe aboute the lawe auoyde, for they are vnpro∣fytable / superfluous. A man that is y^e auctor of fectes after y^e fyrste & seconde admonysshyon auoyde hym / remembrynge that he that is suche is peruerted and syn̄eth / euen dampned by his own iudge mēt. when I shall send Artemas or Tichicus be dylygent to come to me vnto Nycopolys. For I haue determined there to winter. Bryng zenas y^e lawyer & Apollos on theyr iorney dylygently / that nothyng be lackyng vnto them. And let oures also learne to excel in good workes as farforthe as nede requyreth / that they be not vnfrutfull. All that are with me salute the. Grete them that loue

vs in the faythe. Grace be with you all. Amen. wryten frome Nicopolis a citie of Macedonia.