The first tome or volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testamente

¶The .xvi. Chapiter

[ The texte.] ¶And the Phariseis with the Saduce is came and tempted hym, and required of him to shewe them a signe from heauen. Bu•• he aunswered and sayde vnto them: whan the euen∣••••de beginneth to draw nere▪ ye say: It will be fayre weather, for the skie is red. And in the morning: It will bee troublesome weather: for the skye is glowmyng red. O ye Hypocrites, ye can discerne the face of heauen, but can ye not dyscerne the sygnes of the tymes? The fro∣warde and aduouterouse nacion requireth a signe, and there shall no signe be geuen vnto it but the signe of the Prophete Ionas.

IEsus being here, there came vnto him agayne certaine Phariseis and Saduceis being of a contrary sect, not∣withstanding of one consente and agreemente to lye in wayte for Iesus. And craftely they require him to shew some token from heauen, as thoughe hereafter yf he woulde haue so done, they woulde haue beleued in him, where as they wente about nothing els, but to seke oc∣casyon to reproue hym. But Iesus when he perceyued that after so many miracles, they remained yet in their malice, mourned in the spirite and sayde: Ye hypocrites vtteryng one thyng

with your mouth, and cloking another in your hart, in lesse thinges when ye marke heauen, ye can tel before what weather shal folow the day after.

For whan ye see the sunne go to glade, ye say: to morowe shall be fayre wether, for the ayer is cleare and bright. Againe when ye see the sunne rise in the mor∣ning, by and by ye geue sentence, that that shal be a foule and a boystiouse day because the lowring ayre is red. Whan ye see the fashion and countenaunce of heauen, ye can gesse whether the time will be mete for iourneing, rowing, sow∣ing, or mowing, or for any other thinges apperteyning to the vse of the body: And are ye so dul and negligēt in knowlege of the time, that maketh for your soules helth▪ Ye haue the scriptures, ye see what thynges be done, ye see howe the worlde is renewed, and vnderstande ye not yet, that the tyme spoken of be∣••ore by the Prophetes, and looked for so long tyme, is nowe at hande? Of one signe ye geue sentence, of fayre or foule weather, of so many signes, whiche ye see dayly, doe ye not perceiue the thing that is present? If ye would haue bene made better by wonders and myracles, ye would haue beleued me long agon. Now ye require a signe and a token to be the worse thereby. O naughtie and adulterous generacion, which goeth farre out of kinde from her forefathers, of whose tytles, she magnifieth her selfe. She seketh craftely for a wondre out of heauen, to pycke a quarell and to reproue it: But in tyme to come she shall haue a signe that she shall feare and not reproue. In the meane time she shall haue no signe nor wondre but out of the earth, whiche shal frustrate and dis∣apoynte all theyr endeuoures, when they shall see hym alyue agayne, whome they thoughte to bee dead and buryed. It seemeth a monstruouse thyng vnto them whiche chaunced to the Prophete Ionas: they shall haue a lyke mon∣ster, but more wondrefull. By this riddell and darke fygure, the Lorde Iesus signified that he should be first slayne, & buried of them, whome they thoughte to be nothyng elles but man, and furth with shoulde ryse agayne, through the power of God.

[ The texte.] ¶ And he left them and departed. And whan his disciples were come to the other syde of the water, they had forgotten to take bread with them. Than Iesus sayd vnto thē: Take hede and beware of the leauen of the Phariseis, & the Saduceis. But they thought in thēsel∣ues saying, we haue taken no bread with vs. Whiche when Iesus vnderstode, he sayde vnto them: O ye of litle fayth, why take ye thought within your selues because ye haue broughte no bread? Do ye not perceiue nor remēbre the .v. loaues, when there were fiue thousand men, and how many baskettes toke ye away? Neyther the .vii. loaues when there were .iiii. thou∣sande men, and how many baskettes toke ye away? How happeneth it that ye doe not vnder∣stande that I spake it not to you concernyng breade that ye shoulde beware of the leauen of the Phariseis and Saduceis. Than vnderstoode they ••owe that he had them not beware of the leauen of bread, but of the doctrine of the Phariseis, and of the Saduceis.

Iesus therfore leauing them with their blindnes, went ouer the water by ship & the disciples had forgotten to prouyde thēselues of bread before they en∣tred into the shippe. For they had but one lofe in the shippe. Iesus therefore to put them in remembraunce, saide: take diligent hede and beware of the leauen of the Phariseis and the Saduceis: noting and touching darkely their Iew∣ishe supersticiō, because they thought it a great matter to eate these meates or those meates, whereas they were taughte beefore, that man was not defyled with the thynges that entred into the mouthe. The dysciples althoughe they vnderstoode not what it mente, were yet monished with thys saying, that they

had forgotten to put vitayle in their shippe. Iesus therefore chideth them be∣yng carefull for thys thyng, blamyng theyr dulnesse, whiche taughte so often both with sayinges and dooinges, vtterly to cast out of theyr mynde careful∣nesse for vitayle, yet were incumbred with carke and care for suche manner of thynges: O ({quod} he) ye that so litell truste to me, why dooe ye vexe youre mynde with thys carefullnesse, that ye haue forgotten breade, as who sayeth, we shall lacke any thyng, althoughe ye prouyde not for it? Dydde not I teache you that firste of all the kyngdome of God muste bee soughte for, and that these thynges shall be cast vnto you? Haue ye not seene now twyse that such a great multytude lacked not meate? So many wayes taughte and monyshed, vn∣derstande ye not yet? remembre ye not yet? Is youre herte yet blynded with suche manier of cares? and see ye not after the Phariseys fashyon, that whiche ye see with youre iyes? and that whiche ye heare with youre cares, ys yt as though ye hearde it not? haue ye forgot that, whiche was lately done, your sel∣ues being not onely witnesses but also ministers? When that fiue thousande men were fully fed with .v. barely loaues & two fyshes, the numbre of geastes being so greate, the preparacion so small, howe many baskettes dyd ye fyll of the scrappes whiche remayned of the feaste? They aunswere hym, twelue. And agayne when fower thousande men were fylled with seuen loaues and a fewe fishes, ye beeyng the dystrybutoures, howe many baskettes filled ye with the scrappes? they aunswere seuen: Why, doe ye not yet vnderstande the maner of my speaking, whiche ye tourne to the care of bodely thinges, whereas my tal∣king studieth and prouideth for the mindes, rather then the bodies?

Now ye shoulde of your selues haue coniectured what my riddel ment when I sayde: beware of the leauen of the Phariseis and Saduceis. I had nowe taught you, that it little skilled what kynde of meate we eate. I had nowe di∣uersly declared and beaten vpon it, that they whiche haue in hande the matter of the ghospel, shoulde vtterly cast away suche vile cares.

The disciples beyng more attent and diligent by this litle chyding, vnder∣stode that Iesus ment that they should take hede diligently, and baware of the doctryne of the Phariseis, whiche had nothyng that was syncere and clean, but was corrupte with ambicyon, auaryce enuie, and other vyces: Whereas the doctrine of the ghospell tasted of no suche thyng. For theyr doctrine doeth rather infecte man, than fede hym, and therefore it must be taken hede of dily∣gently, because they bee woonte for to deceiue vnware and symple men by the false cloke of godlynes, whiche is the very poyson of true godlines.

[ The texte.] ¶Whan Iesus came into the coastes of the citie which is called Cesa••ea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying: Whome doe men say that I the sonne of manne am? they sayde: some say that thou arte Iohn the Baptiste, some Helias, some Hieremias, or one of the noumbre of the Prophetes. He sayeth vnto them: But whome say ye that I am? Symon Peter answe∣red: Thou arte Christe the sonne of the liuing God. And Iesus aunswered and sayde vnto hym: happie arte thou Symon the sonne of Ionas, for fleshe and bloude hath not opened that vnto thee, but my father whiche is in heauen. And I saye vnto thee, that thou arte Pe∣ter, and vpon thys rocke▪ I will buylde my churche, and the gates of hell shall not preuayle against it. And I will geue vnto the, the keyes of the kyngdome of heauen: and whatsoeuer thou byndest in earth shall be bounde in heauen, and whatsoeuer thou looceste in earthe shal be looced in heauen.

Here when Iesus came into the coastes of the citie called Cesarea, whiche

Philippe the Tetrarche so named in the honour of Ceasar, folowing his bro∣ther Herode, whiche chaunged the name, and called that Cesarea, whiche beefore was named the tower of Straton, he thoughte to proue howe muche his schollers had profited by hearing so muche communicacion, and by seeing so many miracles: and whether they had any higher or better opinion of him, than the vulgare sorte. Therefore he demaundeth of them saying: whome doe men talke that the sonne of man is? They say: some say that he is Iohn the baptist. For so the Herodians suspecte. Some say that he is Helias, be∣cause he was taken vp: & they suspect that he doeth appere now according to the prophecie of Malachy. Some say that he is Hieremie, because he was a figure of Christ, and that it was sayde of hym: Beholde I haue set thee thys day ouer nacions and kinges, to plucke vp and to distroy and to plant: which in dede should be fulfilled in Christ. Iesus hearing these, to thentent he would gette out some more certayne and hygher profession, sayeth: ye ({quod} he) whiche shoulde knowe me better, who say ye that I am? Here Symon Peter as he lo∣ued Iesus best, as the chiefe of the Apostolicall ordre, aunswered for them all. Thou arte very Christe, the sonne of God aliue: not speaking of suspicion, but professing certainely and vndoubtedly that he was Messias pronused of the Prophetes, and the sonne of god after a certayne singuler manner. Iesus de∣lighted with this chereful and substaunciall profession, sayde: blessed art thou Symon the sonne of Iohn. The affeccion of man taught thee not this word, but the heauenly father put it in thy minde, by a secret inspiracion. For no man hath a worthy opinion of the sonne, but by the inspiracion of the father▪ which only knoweth the sonne. And I agayn, lest thou shouldest adourne me thanke∣lesse with suche a noble testimony, assure thee of this, that thou arte very Pe∣ter that is to say, a sound and a sure stone, not wauering hither or thither with sundrie opinions of the vulgare sort••: & vpon this stone of thy professyon, wil I builde my churche, that is to saye, my house and my palace: whiche beyng sette vpon a sure foundacion, I will so fortifie, that no power or strengthe of the kingdome of hell shalbe hable to beate it downe. Sathan will come vpon you with many engines, he will rayse a coumpany of wicked spirites against you, but through my defence my buyldyng shall stande imprennable, onely lette thys sure and sounde profession abyde. The kyngdome of heauen is the churche, the kingdome of the deuil is the worlde. Of thys no man nede to bee afearde, so that he bee Peter, that is to saye, lyke vnto thee. And the keyes of this heauenly kyngdome I will deliuer vnto thee. For it is meete that there he bee firste in auctoritie, whiche is firste in the professyon of the faithe, and in charitie. And truely this kingdom of heauen is in earth, but it hath to do with heauen, wherof it doeth depende. Wherfore he that is entangled with sinnes, doeth belong to the kingdome of hell, nor can not enter into the kyngdome of heauen. But he shall enter yf he professe that whiche thou doeste professe, and be losed from his sinnes by baptisme, and so through thy leading and thy ope∣ning of the gates, he shall enter into the kingdome of heauen. This is my pe∣culiar and proper power, to forgeue sinnes: but thys power I will geue vn∣to thee after a maner, that that whiche thou shalte lose, with my keyes recey∣ued of me, vpon earth before men, shal be losed also in heauen before God. On the other side, that which thou shalte binde in earth, shall be bounde also in heauen, for God will allowe thy iudgemente cummyng from hys spiryte.

[ The texte.]

¶ Than charged he dis disciples that they shoulde tell no man that he was Iesus Christe. From that tyme forthe began Iesus to shewe vnto his disciples howe that he muste goe vnto Hierusalem, and suffer many thinges of the elders, and hye priestes, and Scribes, and muste be killed and raysed vp agayne the thyrde daye: And whan Peter had taken hym asyde, he began to rebuke him saying: Maister fauour thy selfe, thys shall not happen vnto thee. But he turneth him aboute, and sayed vnto Peter: goe after me Sathan, thou ••ynde••e••••eme, for thou sauerest not the thinges that be of God, but those that be of men.

Whan Iesus had spoken these thynges, he commaunded his disciples that they should as yet kepe this godly opinion of him, secret with themselues: nor open it to others that he was Messias. For first the sacrifice of the cro••se must be accomplished, and the veritie of his manly nature declared, and further by his resurreccion, and the holy ghoste, his diuinitie muste bee declared. For al∣though the voyce and sentence of Peter, was praysed of Christ, as the sētence of them whiche nowe began to profi••e and spring vp by little and little, vnto thinges of more perfeccion, yet they dreamed of a certayne kyngdome▪ not vt∣terly vnlyke a worldely kingdome. And therefore Iesus darkely, and as in a riddle, promised vnto Peter the ryght of the keyes, but he delyuered them not by and by. For as yet he was not mete to vse them, as yet he was not suffycy∣ently taught with the instruccion of the holy spirite. And therefore Iesus cal∣leth them backe to the mystery of the crosse and of hys deathe, by the whiche misterie that kingdome must be prepared, the deuil once ouercome, and sinnes abolished, that they mighte bee the lesse troubled in their myndes whan they should se thinges chaunce which they knew should come to passe a litle after. They desyred rather to glory in the mightie and high sonne of the liuing God, but no man can truely glory in hym, but he whiche is not offended with hys humilitie and lownes. Iesus therefore began to prepare his disciples to thys storme which was at hand, shewing them that he must first goe to Ierusalem, and that he shoulde haue many griefes and displeasures of the Scrybes and Phariseis, and also of the chiefe priestes, and finally that he shoulde be killed, but on the thyrde day ryse agayne. Whan the disciples being yet carnal vnder∣stoode not fully this communicacion, because they iudged these thynges vn∣mete and vnworthy for him, who thorough so many myracles declared hym∣selfe to be the sonne of God, yet they durst not demaunde of their maister what it ment to dye and ryse agayne. Therefore Peter who for the special loue that he had to his mayster, was bolder then the other, taketh hym asyde from the other of the Apostles, as though he woulde tell hym a thyng more familiarly: and chyding hym, and abhorring the speaking of death and afliccions, sayd: Lorde be good to your selfe. These thinges shall not happen vnto you. For it is in you that they come not to passe: For although Peter pronounced hym to be the sonne of God alyue, rather by the instigacion of the father, then by hys owne reason or wit: yet he was farre from the vnderstandyng of that mistery, that Iesus by hys death shoulde redeme mankynde, and by his resurreccyon declare vnto the worlde the might of his diuine power. Therfore Iesus to re∣fourme this affeccion in his disciples, turned vnto them, & behelde thē whome he knewe to haue like mynde and affeccyon (albeit onely Peter durste blame the Lord,) and said vnto Peter: Come behind me Sathan. Be not against the will of my father: it is thy parte to folowe me, not to goe beefore. Nowe thou dooeste withstande, and endeuour to leat that thyng whiche bothe my father willeth to be doen, and also it behoueth me to doe, for the health and saluacion

of mankinde. Thou desireste to bee a felowe of the kyngdome, and thou arte againste me making spede vnto the crosse of myne owne accorde, to thentente I may winne and get thys kyngdome to my father: what way ye see me goe the same ye must goe also to the kyngdome of heauen. But thou sauereste not yet the thynges whiche be of God: but led by mannes affeccyons▪ repyneste a∣gaynst the will of God. Resiste not therefore, thou vnprofitable counsaylour, but folow after me, becum rather a scholler then a maister.

[ The texte.] ¶ Than sayde Iesus vnto hys disciples: yf any man will folowe me, let hym forsake hym∣selfe, & take vp his crosse & folowe me. For whoso wil saue his life shal loose it. Againe, whoso loseth his life for my sake, shall finde it. For what doeth it profit a man if he win al y^e whole world, & loose his owne soule? For what shal a man geue to redeme his soule agayne withal? For the sōne of man shal come in the glory of his father with his angels, and then shal he re∣warde euery man according to his dedes. Uerely I say vnto you, there bee some standyng here, whiche shall not taste of deathe, tyll they see the sonne of manne come in hys kingdome.

When that with these sayinges Iesus had cut the combe of Peter for his importune frowardnes, turning to all his disciples began to declare at large what it was that he sayde to Peter: come behinde me. Whosoeuer ({quod} he) will bee my disciple and partaker of the kyngdome of heauen, let hym folowe my steppes. And lyke as he seeth me despysyng all the goodes of thys worlde, to bestowe my lyfe also willingly for the saluacyon of menne and glory of my fa∣ther: so muste he also refuse and caste of all humayne affeccions, ready to all kindes of death, for the gospels sake, and take his crosse and folow me, which am goyng to the crosse. So to suffer is a blessed thyng: so to bee rebuked is a gloryouse thyng: so to be killed is a winnyng of lyfe. I know there is nothing more dere then life: but so euery man must lose hys lyfe, if he will saue it: and except he lose it, he shall lose it in dede. He loseth it for aduauntage that loseth it for the gospels sake. He loseth it in dede whiche forsaking the ghospell, pro∣uideth for thys temporal lyfe, and loseth the life euerlasting. There is no man so foolish that woulde winne this whole worlde with the losse of this corporal and shorte lyfe. To what purpose serue rychesse yf the owner perishe? So it is a mad mannes parte to make so muche of hys affeccions, of rychesse, or els of his body, whiche within shorte time shoulde perishe, yea though no man kil it: that for mennes pleasure he will lese the lyfe euerlasting, whiche whoso hath not, hath all the other in vayne. Therefore nothing ought to be so deare vnto any man, the gain whereof he woulde chaunge with the losse of his soule. For the losse of other thinges may some wayes be recompēced, the losse of the soule cannot be recouered. He that loseth his life for my sake, dooeth not lose it, but commytteth it to me for auauntage, and shall receyue it agayne with lucre, whan the Maiestie of the kingdome of God shall appeare.

Nor ye ought not to be dyscouraged in youre mynde because I haue shewed you that ye must suffer muche aduersitie for the ghospel. They shall haue an ende shortely, and euerlasting glory, shall folow the temporal ignomyny and rebuke. For the sonne of man whome ye shall see oppressed and troden downe of all men and counted for a wurme: shall come once in an other lykenes, and shall shewe vnto all men the Maiestie and glory of hys father, beeyng garded and accompanied with his aungels. Than he that was iudged here and con∣demned with a shameful deathe, shall bee the iudge of all menne bothe quicke and dead, and shall yelde a rewarde vnto euery man accordyng to hys dedes. Than shall they bee appoynted to euerlastyng deathe, whiche here regarded

more their lyfe thā me: and they shalbe rewarded with immortal life which for my sake despised y^e life of the body for a time. Now is the tyme of strife and trauayle, hereafter shalbe the time of rewardes. And truly this felicitie shall than be made absolute and perfecte, when it shall bee seene good vnto the father. For it belongeth not vnto you to knowe the tyme. And yet in the mean seasō there shalbe geuen to you, a certain taste of this glory. For be ye assured of this: there be sum here stādyng whiche shall not taste of death, be∣fore that they see the sonne of man shewyng the maiestie of his kingdome, as it may be seene with bodily iyes. Surely before death they shal see the king∣dome of God shewe furth his power: and now by litle and litle, vanquyshe and ouercum the whole power of this worlde.

Notes

• O ye Hypo∣crites. &c.
• O ye of ly∣tel faith▪ &c
• And I will geue vnto thee. &c.
• For what doth it pro∣fit a man if he wiue all y^e world. &c
• For y^e sonne of man shal come. &c.