Page [unnumbered]
The paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the fyrst Epistle of S. Paule the Apostle to Timothee.
The first Chapter.
¶ Paule an Apostle of Iesus Christ, by the commyssion of god our sauioure, and lorde Ie∣sus Christ which is oure hope. Vnto Timothe his naturall sonne in the faith. Grace, mer∣cy & peace from God oure father, and from the Lorde Iesus Christe oure Lorde. As I be∣sought the to abide ••••yll at Ephesus (when I depatred into Macedonia) euen so do, that thou commaunde some, that they folowe no straunge docrtine, uerber geue hede to fables and endles genealogies, which brede doute more then godly edifying, whiche is by faith: for the ende of the commaundement is, loue out of apute herte, and of a good conscience, and of fayth vnfayned: from the whiche thinges, because some haue erred, they are tur∣ned vnto vayne iangelynge, because they woulde be doctours of the lawe, and yet vn∣derstande not what they speake, neyther wherof they affirme.
PAule an Apostle and messagier / lest any mā woulde suspecte that I goe aboute myne owne busynes or humayne affaires, and not a messagier of Moses or anye other man, but the messagier of Iesu Christ, whiche beyng sent of late in his owne person vpon his fathers message, dyd faithfullye finyshe the busynes of hym that sent him. And as for me I toke not this message vpon me on myne owne head, nether receaued I it of man, but was not onely called vnto it by the appointement of the euerlastyng god, but I was also dry∣uen perforce vnto it by his commaundement and autoritie: in so muche that it was not in my choyse to shyfte inyne handes of that office, as payneful as it is, whiche was enioyned vnto me by the autoritie of God, the onely au toure of all our saluacion. For what so euer the sonne hathe enioyned vs by the fathers au∣toritie, that same doe I take as enioyned of the father himselfe, by whome we are also bounden vnto him for our saluacion: aswell in that we are redemed by his death from eternal destruccion, as also in that we are by his mightye helpe delyuered from the rageyng tempestes of afliccions. From the which albeit our chaunce be not to be set at lybertie for a tyme, yet there is no cause why we shoulde doubte of our safe preseruacion, hauynge Christe to our protectoure, whome the father hathe appointed to be bothe the example and autour of oure moost certaynly assured hope. For lyke as he whan he was whypped and nay∣led to the crosse suffred corporal death, howbeit he rose anon againe to lyfe that neuer shall dye: euen so whan we haue bene oppressed with present sorowes of this worlde, he shall one daye restore vs alyue againe to the same immortali∣tie. For this respectes sake, Paule beyng streynghtened throughe his autoritie and mayntenaunce, and an inuincible Apostle writeth vnto Tymothe, his true natural sonne: whō I haue not chosen (quod he) out of an other mannes flocke, but I begat him my selfe out of these bowels of myne, through ye gospel whā he was yet a straūgier frō Christ: & he for his parte is so like, & so expressely resem∣bleth this father of his, in stedfastnes & sinceritie of faith & pure teaching of the