The seconde tome or volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testament conteynyng the epistles of S. Paul, and other the Apostles : wherunto is added a paraphrase vpon the reuelacion of S. John.

¶ The. if. Chapter.

The texte.

For ye your selues (brethren) knowe of our entraunce in vnto you, howe that it was not •••• vayne: but euen after that we had suffred before, and were shamefully entreated at Philippos (as ye knowe) then were we bolde in our God, to speake vnto you the gospell of God, in muche st••yuing. For our erhortacion was not to bring you to errour, nor yet to vnclennes, neither was it with gyle: but as we were alowed of God that the gospel should be committed vnto vs: euen so we spake, not as they that please menne, but God, whiche tryeth our hertes. Neither led we our conuersacion a•• any time with flattering woordes, as ye knowe: neither by occasion of couetousnesse. God is recorde: neither sought we prayse of menne, neither of you, nor yet of any other, when we might haue been in autori∣tie, as the Apostles of Christe, but we were tendre among you, euen as a norsse cherisheth her chrildren, so were we affeccioned toward you: ou•• good will was to haue dea••te vnto you, not the gospell of God only: but also ou•• owne soules, because ye were deare vnto vs.

WHat nedeth vs to make rehersall, seing ye your selues knowe, that albeit we came not vnto you, with brag∣ging and staring, nor curiously mincing a sorte of great wordes, nor setting out any high Philosophie: Yet our entraunce vnto you was not vneffectuall. But where as wee had suffred many thinges at Philippos before, as you your selues knowe, and were shamefully hand∣led with many spightefull rebukes, and so was S••••as also, bicause of castyng the prophecieng spirite out of the Damsel, that was possessed: yet neuertheles through the helpe of our God, we were not afraied euen to preache the gospel of Christ frelye among you also, and not without excedyng great daungier: wheras in case we had preached a forged vayne thyng, we should neuer haue ben in daunger of our head for that matter. For suche men as teache theyr owne doctrine, and not that, whiche they haue re∣ceaued of Christ, and teache for theyr owne avauntage, intending therby to disceaue others for theyr owne lucres sake: those haue no autoritie of theyr doctrine at al, and drawe themselues quite a way, as sone as they drede any daungier of theyr lyues or substaunce. But the doctrine, wherunto we allu∣red you, was not coūterfaicted, ne fayned, neyther purposed vnto disceate, ne yet vnder colourable pretence of it, we haue cloked impure sciences, as the false apostles do, nor haue doen any thing fraudulētlie▪ pretending in out∣warde apperaunce one waye, and purposyng inwardly clene contrarie an o∣ther waye, and vnder the title of Chryste go about our owne pelfe, after the maner of them, that make themselues Apostles: but like as god by his sonne* 1.1 hathe chosen vs vnto this office, that we shoulde syncerely preache the gos∣pell committed vnto vs, euen so do we preache vnto all men, not to crepe in fauour or commendacion with menne, but to do our office so as god may al∣lowe it, who seeth the inward secretes of our hartes, and accordyng therto estemeth euery man. For we haue not flatred any man, as you know at least, nether haue we turned the worde of the gospel, nor your tractable beleuyng in to oure owne gayne, god himselfe is witnesse vnto our consciences: nether haue we hunted after the prayse of men by meanes of the gospell, either at your handes or of any other, wheras we myght haue vsed our autoritie, and brag no lesse thā the false Apostles: which though they teache vayne thinges & to their own gayne, yet they require to be honoured & waited vpon of you. But we considering what becometh the apostles of Christe, which humbled himself for our saluacions sake, haue not taken vpō vs to brag & loke hygh, but haue shewed our selues gentill & sobre among you, not eagrely abusing you, as disciples, but w^t al lenitie bearing with your weaknesse, none other∣wise than a mother nource would chearishe the tender age of her children: & so we being louingly affected towardes you, wer hartely desirous to impart vnto you, not onlye the ghospell of god as the foode of your soules, but also to bestowe our owne life: not that we loked for any reward at your handes, but that we loued you entierly with all our hertes, none otherwise than a mother loueth her owne children. We vpbrayd you not of our diligence, but we rehearse our louing affeccion.

The texte.

Ye remember brethren oure laboure, & trauayle. For we laboured daye and nyght be∣cause we would not be chargeable vnto any of you, & preached vnto you the gospel of God. Ye are witnesses, & so is god, how holyly & iustly and vnblameably, we behaued our selues among you that beleued, as ye knowe, how that we bare suche affeccion vnto euery one of

you, as a father doth vnto children, exhortyng, confortynge, and besechyug you, that ye woulde walke worthy of God, whiche hath called you vnto hys kyngdome and glory. For thys cause thanke we God also without ceassynge, because that when ye reaceaued of vs the woord (wherewith ye learned to knowe God) ye receaued it not as the worde of man: but euen as it was in dede, the word of God, which worketh also in you that beleue.

You remembre brethren, that we forsoke no laboure nor no trauaile for your sakes, thyrsting nor mynding any other thyng els than your salua∣cion. And we hunted so litell for rewarde at your handes, that we wrought with our handelabour daye and night, to get our lyuing withal, because we would be a burthen to none of you all. The false apostles cloute in their gos∣pel among you, and wrythe to them selues as muche as they can get: and we haue preached the gospel of god vnto you frely without any thing. And you are my witnesses, and god himselfe is my recorde, how holily, how vprighte∣lye, and how vnblameablie we haue behaued oure selues towarde you that beleued, as you know by proued experience, with how syncere a loue we did al thinges, that towardes euery one of you we were euen so affected, as any father is towardes his owne children, now beseching, now comforting, now chargyng you, not to geue vs any thing, but to leade a lyfe worthy of god, whiche, whan you were afore tyme voyde of all godlynesse, hath called you through fayeth to the studie of true godlinesse, and hathe also through tem∣porall affliccions, called you into his kingdome and glory Immortal. Al is well: you acknowlage the goodnesse of God: and for that cause we also redet thankes vnto him continuallie, for kendlyng your heartes after suche sorte, that whan we came in a poore basse estate vnto you and hauyng no shewe of dignitie to set vs forwarde, yet as soone as you had hearde the gospell prea∣ched of vs, you receaued it, not as a fable or the word of mā, but as the word that came frō god himself, as it was in dede: for he himselfe spake euē by vs.

The texte.

For ye brethren became folowers of the congregacyons of God whiche in Iewry are in Chryst Iesu: for ye haue suffered lyke thynges of your ky••smenne, as we oure selues haue suffered of the Iewes. Which as they kylled the Lord Iesus, and theyr owne Prophetes, euen so haue they persecuted vs: and God they please not, and are contrary to all men, and hynder vs, that we should not speake vnto the Gentiles, that they myght be saued, to fulfil theyr synnes alwaye. For the wrath of God is come on them, euen to the vtmost.

The word of man is weake & vneffectual, but the word of god is effectually mightie: which, as sone as you had dronken of it, was not ydle, but began to worke his power in you, so as it might euidently ynough appeare, y^• you had receaued thesame spirite, in y^• you incontinently began to folow the exāples of the other congregaciōs of god y^• professed Iesus Christ in Iewrie. That, which Christ: that, that we: that, that the rest of the Iewes whiche embrace the doctrine of the gospel, haue suffred of their owne countrey menne, vnto whome this doctrine is odious, the like haue you also suffred of your owne townes men. For like as they kylled the lorde Iesus, & slewe his prophetes before him, bicause they could not abyde the trueth: euen so do they also per∣secute vs that are the true gospel preachers, with such blindnes of harte, that they prouoke euen the wrath of god vpon themselues, because they rebell a∣gainst his will, & go against al men, as the very enemyes of mankinde, & as men that enuie al mens saluacion which is offred through faith, & go about to draw al men w^t them into destrucciō. For they do not let vs after this sort of any priuate displeasure, but they enuy all the gentiles their wealthe, and trouble vs for this intent, that we should not preache the gospell vnto the

gentiles, wherby they myght be saued: as though it were but a smal mat∣ter for thē to haue slayne the Prophetes before, and byanby Christ after the Prophetes, except they persecute and dispatch vs out of the waye al∣so: so as they may finish the whole heape of their mischeues, and lay this, as it were the Sūme totall of their wickednesse, alwayes to be like ma∣nered to themselues, and neuer to repent from their madnesse. By reason wherof they prouoke the wrathe of God so sore vpon them, that they are to be despaired of, forsomuch as of a purposed malice they spurne awaie the mercy of God from thē, and by al possible meanes oppugne the gospel, through whose onely helpe they myght be deliuered from destruccion.

The texte.

For as muche brethren as we are kept from you for a season, as cōcerning the bodely pre∣sence (but not in the herte) we enforced the more to see you personally with great desyre. And therfore we would haue come vnto you, I Paul once and agayne: but Satan with∣stode vs. For what is ou•• hope or ioy, or crowne of reioysing? are not ye it in the presence of our Lorde Iesus Christes at his cumming? yes, ye are our glory and ioy.

But the more I loue you, brethren, for the readinesse and promptitude of your faythe, the more I am enflamed with the louyng desyre of you, be∣cause beyng kepte from you for a tyme, I coulde not haue the fruicion of your company, wherof I was wondrefully desirous, although we were neuer absent in minde. And yet this could not satisfie y^• lone that we beare towardes you, except I should also presentlie se you euen with my body∣lyeies. Wherfore I thought it not ynough, to send any bodye to you, or to speake with you by letters, but I Paul went about once and eftesones to come to you my selfe, so as I myght the more throughly confirme your consciences: But Satan withstode this purposed endeuour, which by the wicked Iewes hyndred my cumyng vnto you. And what maruayle is it, though I bee so desirous of you? For what other thyng is there in this world, wherwith I can content myselfe, wherof I may aduaūce myselfe, wherof I maye perswade myselfe to enherite felicitie? I defie all thinges incomparison of the gospel of Christ. Than what is our hope, or what is our ioye, or what is our crowne? Among others of the gentiles whom I haue wonne vnto Christ, are not you also? albeit not in the sight of the worlde, yet veryly it is with the Lorde Iesus Christ. Whan the enemyes of the gospell are throwen vnder foote, and the triumphe openly kepte at his cūming, what ensignes and what other tokens of victory shal I bring forthe in that royall cumpany, but you and suche other like as you be? In the meane tyme I am inassured hope of these thinges. You are the frute & the matier of our glorye, you are our ioye, in case you perseuer vnto the ende in those thinges that you haue begonne.

Notes

• * 1.1

  God sende vs suche preachers.