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 texte.

Blessed be God the father of our Lorde Iesus Christe, which according to his aboun∣dant mercy begatte vs agayne vnto a lyuely hope (by that that Iesus Christs rose agayne from death) to an iuheritaunce immortall and vndefyled, and that perisheth not, refer∣••ed in heauen for you, whiche are kept by the power of God thorowe fayth, vnto saluaci∣on, which is prepared already to be shewed in the last time, in the which ye reioyce, though now for a season (if nede requyre) ye are in ••eu••nes, thorow manyfold temptacions, that ••he tryall of your fayth being muche more precious then golde that perysheth (though it be tryed with fyre) might be founde vnto laude, glory and honour, at the appering of Ie∣sus Christe, whom ye haue not seen, and yet loue hym: in whom euen nowe, though ye see him not, yet doe you beleue, and reioyce with say vnspeakable, and gloryous receiuing the ende of your fayth, euen the saluacion of your soules.

For this so passing a great benefite, his liberalitie is to be praysed, of whom by Christ cōmeth vnto vs, whatsoeuer it be that maketh vs truly blessed. And that is not Moses, but God himselfe, & the same the father of our Lord Iesus Christ, which (whan we were lytle fortunately borne of Adam, that is to say borne to synne, borne to death) hath begotten vs new againe into innocencie, and hath begotten vs vnto life that neuer shall dye, being prouoked by no merites of ours, but stiered frely of his owne mer∣cye wherin he most chiefly exceadeth: and this hath he done not by y^• ayde of Moses lawe, but by the costeous gyft of his owne sōne Iesus Christ, whom he would haue to suffre death, to thintent, where we were els de∣sperate

wretches, he might diliuer vs frō the tyranny of synne & death: And him he called anon frō death to lyfe, that we beyng in this worlde dead to worldly lustes, & hauing remembraunce as it were before our tyes of the resurrecciō, after his exāple in vprightnes of conuersacion, might haue an assured & a ready hope, that we also shal once be exempt out of these soro∣wes & atteine with Christ vnto y^• euerlasting enheritaunce, whiche lyke as he beyng our head hath already atteyned, so shal al we also folowe as ma∣ny as be engraffed to y^• mēbres of Christ, & are made worthy by folowing of his crāple, to be called his brethren, & the chyldrē of y^• selfe same father that he is: that like as we suffre commune affliccions with him, so should we haue reward also together w^t him. As long as we were the sonnes of the synful Adam, an infortunate enheritaūre abode vs. But as sone as we were made y^• sonnes of God, we make spedy haste to y^• enheritaūce of hea∣uen. For it besemeth, y^• seing we are borne from heauen, we should behold heauēly thinges, & seing we are borne of God, we should folo we nothing but godlines. They y^• serue the world goe about to haue rewardes y^• are transitory & wage that is slyppery: but for vs there remayneth y^• happy•• enheritaunce after these temperal afflicciōs, which can neither be corrup∣ted with death, ne defited with wearines or heauines, ne yet fade a way by age or sluttishnes. There is no cause for vs to be afrayed of, leste any man should in the meane whyle take this so plenteous an heritage out of our handes. We haue an assured fayth full promyse maker: And in his hādes it is safely kept & layed, vp in stoare for vs in heauen: howbeit after suche sort, that for al that there must an assured hope, and as it were a certayne pledge remayne in the meane time with men vpō earth, not with al maner of men, but w^t you & such like as you are, buto whom the spirite of Christ is geuen in stede of a gage: & which, albeit ye are for y^• time tossed on euery syde w^t condry stormes of sorowes, y^• the frailtie of māis vtterly vnhable of himselfe to beare out, yet by the succour of God, which is mighty in al thinges, you are preserued, not through your owne merites, but by fayth & vnfained trust: wherby you dout not, but frō the last time, after y^• which there shal be no more of this confusion of humayne matters, but the euill mē being appointed to their tormeutes shalbe hable to do no body harme, & the good being safe frō al inuasions of sorowes shal haue the fruiciō of euerlasting rest. For now y^• rewardes lye hiddē, & many times after the cō∣mune peoples estimaciō, thei are in wurse condiciō y^• be of y^• better, & those seme to perish which are most specially in sanegarde, & thei seme to florish which most chiefly goe to naught. In this worlde there is time to exercise godlines, & the reward hath his time prescribed vnto it, which it behoueth not to preuēt. In y^• meane seasō let it be ynough for vs, y^• euerlasting felici∣tie is kept in safegarde for vs, which neither mannor deuil can be hable to take away frō vs before hād, so y^• we shrinke not from y^• fayth, wherby we ought to condēne mortal mens matters, & depende wholy of heauen. Let there be in y^• meane seasō fearce folkes, which being rebels to god, trust to the aydes of y^• world, let thē for y^• time stampe & stare ouer you as though you wer ouercomē & left succoutles. But whan y^• day shal come, & the dis∣course of thiges turned vp side down, they shal be tormēted, & you shal re∣ioyce like cōquerours, yea you ought to reioyce euē now also through y^• vndoubted lokīg for of so passig a great felicitie. For it ought not to seme

vnto you a greate or a greuous matter, though by affliccions and griefes that are but shorte and shall soone haue an ende, you come to the blissed that neuer shall decaye. And perchaunce these persecucions also shall once haue an end, which notwithstanding as often as they come in vre are to be borne with a myghtye stoute stomake, and without dismaying for the glory of God, in hope of the lyfe to come. For after suche wyse doeth the wysedom of God in prouiding for your commodities permitte, that the sinceritie and stedfastnes of your faith may be tried through sondry assaultes of sorowes. For yf golde (which elles were a thing both lost and would goe to naught) be tryed out not only by the touche stone, but also is assayed by the fire, to thintente it maye thenceforth bee had in so muche the more price as it is the more exactely fyned: much more wil God haue your faith, wherunto so high honour of duetie belongeth, to be tried with sondry experimentes, to thin∣tent that whan it shal glister out of these flames of sorowes and affliccions, and being farre more pure and more glittering than any golde though it be neuer so fyne, it may be precious in the syght of God, and that all the matter at length may grow in to cleane contrary condicion: that is to were that the thyng which semed to be layed vpon you in this worlde vnto reproche, may chaunce vnto prayse: and that which semed vnto vilany, may be turned vn∣to glory: that whiche semed to be layed vpon you to put you to dishonestie, may be turned in to habūdaunce of honour in that day, whan Iesus Chrst, whose power worketh nowe in you by secrete meanes, shal she we forth him selfe openly vnto all men, and rendre vnto euery man rewarde accordyng to hys desartes. For what is a more gloryous thyng, than to be praysed of Christes owne mouthe? whan you shall heare: Come you blessed of my father: what thyng is more honorable than to be receaued of God the father into the felowshippe of the kyngdome of heauen together with the sonne? But thys glory, although it shall be the comen glory of all godly folkes, yet it shall chaunce more haboundauntly vnto them, that haue suffered greater thynges vpon earth for Christes sake. Whiche rewardes in case they were nome presently apparent, the strength of faythe should bee no maruclous matter. But nowe the special chiefe prayse of good folkes consisteth in this point, that where you neuer sawe Christ with your bodyly eies, yet with the eies of fayth you see him and loue him: and wher as the violence of sorowes doeth openly & presently grate vpon you, but the rewardes, which are kept till a daye, doe not nowe appeare, yet puttyng assured confidence in hys promisses, you suffre these thynges with none other stomacke, than yf the glory were presently furnyshed before your iyes, neither doe you suffre only with boldenesse, but also in the mydle of affliccions you reioyce with an vn∣speakable ioy, beyng ful of glory before God, that is to say, of a well hoping conscience, and full of a certayne vnfeyned confidēce, that where you suffre suche thynges vndeseruedly, you shall, by the will of God, haboundauntly receyue a great fruyte of your fayth, that is to wete, the eternall saluacion of your soules. For it is a great vauntage, whan through the loosyng of the mortall body, the immortall soule is preserued. Thus it was decreed by the eternal counsayle of God, that menne should atteyne saluacion by these meanes, whereby euen Christe hymselfe came to euerlasting blessednesse.