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.

Dearlye beloued, I beseche you as straungers and pylgrems, abstayue▪ from fleshly Iustes, whiche fyght agay••ste the soule, and se that ye haue honeste conuersacyon amonge the Gentyles, that where as they backbyte you as ouyll doc••s, they maye se youre good woorkes, and prayse God, in the daye of disitacyon. Submytte youre selues therfore vnto all manner ordynaunce of manne for the Lordes sake, whether it ••ee vnto the

Kynge, as vnto the ••he••e heed: other vnto rulars, as vnto them that are sent of hym, for, the punishment of euel dowars: but for the laude of them, that do well. For so is the wyl of God, that with wel doyng ye maye stoppe the mouthes of foulyshe and ignoraunte men▪ as fre, and not as hauyng the libertye for a cloke of malicyousnes, but euen as the seruauntes of God. Honoure all men. Loue brotherly felowshipe. Feate God, honoure the kyng. Ser∣uauntes, obey your masters with feare, not onely yf they be good and courteous: but also though they be frowarde. For this is thāke worthy: yf a man for conseyence towarde God endure grefe, and suffer wronge vndeserued. For what prayse is it, yf whell ye be buffe••ed for your fautes, ye take it paciently? But and yf when ye do wel, ye suffer wrong and take it paciently, then is there thanke with God.

Than sence ye acknowlege the singular liberalitie of god towardes you, whome he hathe redemed with the price of bloud, whom he hathe reconsyled vnto himselfe by the deathe of his sonne, whome his will was to haue to bee the membres of his onely begotten, and the lyuyng stones of the heauenly buylding, whome he hathe chosen into the right of children, and called into the enheritaunce of immortalitie: I beseche you (deately beloued) to frame youre selues in holynes of life like vnto your owne dignitie, like vnto the gentil goodnes of god, and vnto so high a rewarde. You are regenerate vn∣to heauen, being in this woorlde as foryners and straungers: make spede thither where your countrey is, & where the enheritaunce of heauen is lay∣ed vp in stoare for you: that you be not called away frō this desyre by earth∣lye and grosse appetites which with all manner of engynes make warre and ••atail agaynste the spirite which is gredyly desyrous of heauenly thinges. Let your conuersacion accorde with your profession, that your maners may allure vnto Christe other folkes also that are paganes, among whome you lyue: vnto whome it is so muche requisite for you to geue no maner of occa∣sion, that they maye rightfully iudge euil of the ghospelles doctrine (yf they shoulde perceaue you in the commune custome of life to bee no whit better than other be,) that the entier vprightenes of your manners and wel doing towardes all menne, may stoppe theyr backbyting reportes wherwith they speake euil of you, for malice that they beare to Christ, and for the hate of re∣ligion, whiche they suppose to be wicked supersticion: whiche thinges eui∣dently perceaued, they shal repent also, and acknowlege their owne errour, being inspired with the mercye of god, whan it shal please him, whiche hathe chosen you, to draw them to him also: and that they maye than by your god∣ly workes glorifie him, whome before they abhorred, because they knew him not. This worlde hathe also an order of his owne, whiche by occasion of re∣ligiō ought not to be disturbed, as much as may be sauing the glory of christ. Euen so Christ would haue you to be free from synnes, that you shoulde ne∣uertheles suffer euery thing willingly for the gospelles busynes sake, obey∣ing and submytting your selues not only vnto Christian magistrates, but vnto the heathen magistrates also: whether he be a kyng, you must obey him as most excellent in the publike autoritie: whether they be rulers, you muste obey them, as by whom being sent to trauail abroade, the king administreth the matters of the cōmon wealth. Nether let it moue you, that they bee hea∣thens, that thei be Idolatours, but acknowledge their office that is necessa∣rye vnto the cōmune wealthe, which consisteth of sondry kyndes of men and religions. For they beare rule with autoritie to restrayne offenders and wic∣ked persones by feare of punyshement, & to allure those that bee good with rewardes to doe theyr duetie. You haue not nede of their fearing, inasmuch as you do of your owne accorde more than mans lawes require. They haue

no nede of mannes commendacion, whom the rewarde of heauen maketh fer∣uent: and yet it is requisite also to acknowlege them with the other. For this is the will of the most hyghe God youre Prynce, that you geue none occasion vnto their inconsiderate ignoraunce, whereby they myghte proueably call the gospelles profession to blame, if they perceaued you to set naught by their au∣toritie. That whiche other doe for feare of the lawes, do you willyngly of your owne accorde, yea more habundauntlye than other doe, that you maye declare youre selues to be ryght free men in dede. For he is free that of his owne mind and willyngly doeth as he shoulde doe rightly. God forbydde that you should abuse the pretence of the gospelles veritie to synne more licenciously. You owe not bonde seruice vnto men but inasmuche as you are the seruauntes of God, you shall submitte youre selues, for his glories sake, vnto all men gladlre and willynglye. If any duetie therfore, if any honour be duely belongyng euen to them that be heathens, either for the publike office sake that they beare, or for affinitie sake, do that throughly vnto all men, lest they being anye whit offen∣ded, be broughte more farther of from the profession of the gospell: yet for all that, it is reason that you loue them specially, whom the commune profession hath made brethren vnto you. Feare God, whose eies no man can begile: And concernyng the kyng, there is no cause why you should be afrayed of him, seing he is dreadfull to none but to euyll doers, but yet acknowledge hys autoritie in those thynges, that he exacieth of you without hynderaunce of godlynes. He demaundeth custome, paye it him: he exacteth tribute, geue it him. That which those that be free ought to do to the Magistrates, thoughe they be hea∣thens, bonde seruauntes ought to do vnto their maisters: from seruing of whō baptisme maketh them not free. But they ought rather with greater reuerence to acknowledge them, not onely yf they be good and sobre men, but also if they be sore men and harde sharpe men, lest peraduenture beyng offended with your frowarde maners doyng otherwise than you ought to doe, they laye the fauite vnto the profession, and be dryuen the more farther of from it, whereunto they ought rather to be encensed and allured by your honest behauiour. Some wyl saye: It is a sore mater to beare the tyrannye of Prynces, it is a sore mater to abyde the crueltie of maisters: For Prynces spoyle, exacte, and punyshe: and maysters wyth whyppes and buffe••tes all to teare them that are faultles. These maters woulde ryghtly seme not worthye to be borne, if it were ascribed vnto them and not rather vnto God. Their wickednes deserueth not thus muche, that these thynges should be suffred at their handes, but so is the wil of God, that youre goodnes shoulde turne their maliciousnes in to the glorie of Christ. For after suche sorte is your pacience acceptable to God, whan beyng afflicted vndeseruedly, you suffre neuertheles contentedly, not for feare of men, but for the glory of God. Communely there is no despyght more impaciently taken, than whan men are not faultye.

But among Christians it is ferre otherwise, for among them like as euery one is the beste, euen so doeth he couet to be mooste acceptable vnto God. And the more inwa••••••ly he loueth God, so muche the more chearfullye he suf∣freth whatsoeuer ••pperteyneth to the glorye of God. But what garmercye were it, yf you suffre whan you are buffetted for naughtye

doynges? The conscience of the faulte teacheth thys, that euery man can abyde his deserued peynes and holde his peace. But whan you suffre patiently the sorowes that are done vnto you for weldoinges, you come in fauour with god, for whose cause sake you suffre wyllynglye.