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 .v. Chapter.

The texte.

¶ The elders whiche are among you, I exhorte, which am also an elder, and a witnes of the afflicciōs of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shalbe opened. Fede ye Chri∣stes flocke, asmuche as lyeth in you, taking the ouersyght of them, not as compelled ther∣to, but wyllyngly: after a godly sorte, not for y^• desyre of tylthy lucre: but of a good minde, not as thoughe ye were lordes ouer the parisshes: but that ye be an ensample to the flocke and that with good wyll. And when the chefe sheperde shall appeare, ye shall receaue a•• incorruptible crown of glorye. Lykewyse ye yonger, submyt your selues vnto the elder. Submit your selues euery man one to another, knet youre selues together in lowlynes of mynde. For God resisteth the proude, and geueth grace to the humble.

ENdeuour your dilygence vnto this, brethren, bothe euery one seuerally by your selues, and all together in commune, that fo∣lowynge the fotestepes of Christ, you may atteyne vnto his fe∣lowship. Howbeit it is reason, y^• those, whiche excede other in au∣toritie of age, should excede also in the study of godlynes. Of their example, of their maner of teaching, and of their autoritie dependeth the resydue of the multitude. And it is not inoughe for them, to lyue vpryghtly themselues, excepte they be carefull for the multitude also. For vnto them, their graye head augmenteth autoritie, vse of thinges augmenteth wyse∣dome, and long proued & tried vprightenes of lyfe augementeth their credence. You therfore I speake to, you elders, the kepets of the people, beynge an elder also my selfe, whiche haue performed in mater & in dedes, the thing y^• I teache, that is to say, in suffring enprisonmentes & stripes for the name of Christ sake, beyng ready also euen vnto y^• crosse, whā the wil of God so shal be, & in like ma∣ner hauing this very good hope, y^• whom he hath vouchesafe to haue suffer for his sake, he wil admitte also the same vnto y^• felowship of the glorye of heauen, as sone as y^• day shal come, wherin he shal openly declare his Maiestie vnto the world, & y^• wrastlinges of y^• world being at an ende, y^• rewardes shalbe brought furthe. I beseche you for y^• tormentes sakes y^• Christ suffred for you, & for myne affliccions sakes, wherin I folowe my lord to myne vttermost power, shew your selues right feders of y^• multitude in dede, as it is chaūced to euery mans lotte, watche, walke about, loke on euery syde, & take hede, y^• nothing wante vnto the flocke, for whome Christ died, nether holy consolacion, nether holsome doctrine, ne example of gospellyke lyfe. You are called Superint endentes: accomplyshe in dede y^• thing y^• you are called. Fede, cure, gouerne, kepe, y^• nothing perishe, y^• no∣thīg runne out of y^• way. And see y^• you doe y^•, not grudgingly, as mē cōstrained through feare, either shame, or necessitie of office: but w^t diligēt readines, glad∣ly, & w^t a good wil, respectīg nothing elles, but what may be acceptable to god.

It is his busynes that you take in hande, and of him you shall receyue euerla∣stinge rewarde. Loke not for rewarde in this lyfe. It is a shame, to take charge of christian people for vauntage sake: whiche charge no man is praysed for ta∣kynge, but he that dooeth it of his owne accorde and frely without any thinge. That man is fallen out of the rewarde of heauen, that hunteth after the hyre of his office at mennes handes here in this worlde. Next vnto this it is, yf any man, thoughe he set naught by lucre, yet seketh ambiciously after honour and dignitie, being desyrous to be a commaunder, beyng desirous to be reuerenced: that man shall haue no rewarde also with God. He hath receaued his rewarde: The office of a right bysshop is ferre of from lordinge. It is not a tirannye, but an administracion. A bisshop is put in autoritie for this ende, not to scrape to him selfe the more gayne therby, not to reigne a lofte, and to vse his pleasure the more frely, but to doe the more good. Therfore you elders, remēbre your office, behaue your selues so in all thinges, that your lyfe maye be an example vnto the people of a gospellyke conuersacion. Let them learne of your behauiour to set naught by lucre, let them learne to defye dysdeignous statelynes, let them learne to hope for the hyre of their duties dooing at Christes handes, & to haue respecte to none other thing in this worlde, but because so it is honest, so is it ac∣ceptable to God. In the meane season playe the good shepherdes frely without any thing. Neuertheles in dede it shall not be doen for nothing: but whan the prince of shepherdes Iesus Christ shall in thappointed daye openly shew forth him selfe, whiche gaue him selfe wholy for his shepe, the keping wherof he hath committed vnto your credence, than in stede of a vyle & mortal triflyng rewarde you shall receyue the glorious crowne of your duetye doinge, whiche shal neuer fade. Therfore in no wyse take the thing vpon your selues, that you ought to loke for at your princes handes: preuent not the daye, whiche he woulde haue to be vncertaine vnto vs. And like as it is the parte of suche as be Elders, to shew them selues as fathers vnto the yonger, euen so the yonger ought on the other parte to shewe them selues manerly and obedient vnto the elders: and lyke as the Elders submitte them selues throughe gospellyke charitie vnto all men, to thintent they maye doe the more good, euen so the yong ought not to abuse the gentilnes and facilitie of the Elders, but it is rather cōuenient for them to obey them w^t so muche the more ready diligence, as they abuse the lesse their autoritie. Where true charitie is, there autoritie is nether dysdeinfull nor the youthe is outragiouslye fearce. He y^• is set in dignitie, goeth about nothinge but this, that he may doe good for other: and he y^• is a subiecte, doeth more of his owne free ac∣corde, than he requireth him. Let all men therfore haue gentyll sobrenes fyxed vtterly in their hartes: and that shall be occasion, that nether the Elders shalbe weary of their charge, nor y^• yonger greued at their autoritie. God hateth fearce flowtenes of stomake in men: his delyght is in lowe mynded heartes, and suche is deiecte them selues: he bestoweth his giftes vnto them that take nothing vp∣on them selues: he repelleth & forsaketh y^• proude persons, as vnworthy his be∣nefites. Suche as humble them selues, them he aduaunceth: and suche as exalte them selues, them he throweth downe: suche as truste to their owne strengthes, them he doeth not vouchesafe to helpe: and those that dystruste theyr owne powers and depende wholye at his becke, them he chearyssheth and maynteyneth.

The texte.

¶ Submit your selues therfore vnder the mightie hande of God, that he may exaite you, when the tyme is come. Last all youre care vpon him: for he euer careth for you. Be sober and watche, for youre aduersatye the deuyll as a roarynge lyon walketh aboute, sekynge whome he maye deuour: whome resyst stedfast in the faithe, knowynge that the same af∣fliccions are appointed vnto your brerbren, that are in y^• worlde. But the God of all grace whiche hath called vs vnto his eternall glorye by Christ Iesus shall his owne selfe (after that ye haue suffred a lytle afflicciō) make you perfecte: settle, strength and stablyshe you. To him be glorye and domintō for euer and euer. Amen. By Siluanus a faithfull brother vnto you (as I suppose) haue I written breffely, exhortinge and testifying howe that this is the true grace of God, wherin ye stande. The congregacion of them whiche at Babilon are companions of your eleccion, saluteth you, and so dothe Marcus my sonne. Grete ye one another with the kysse of loue. Peace be with you al whiche are in Christ Iesu. Amen.

Submitte your selues therfore, not for dreade of men, but because you trust in the mightie hande of God. There is no peril, leste you shoulde be troden vn∣der fote perpetually for euer: for he shall aduance and exalce you a lofte, whan the day of rewardes cōmeth. Loke not waueringly about you, haue no distrust, be not aftayed, lest you be tossed in y^e sourges of sorowes, as thoughe you were vndefended and set naught by: for he, that is hable in all thinges, and seeth all thinges, hath charche of you, & wil not suffer any thing of you to peryshe. It is y^e cōmune custoume of youthe to be bēt vnto pleasures, vnto ryot, & vnto wan∣tonnesse. But be you sobre, watche you in your myndes, beyng alwayes readily attētiue and alwayes circūspecte. For y^• aduersarie of your saluaciō, y^• thursteth after mannes destrucciō, sleapeth not, but walketh about lyke an hungrye roa∣ringlion, sekeyng in euery place whom he may snatche vp to deuour: & assaieng by all meanes entraunce vnto you, sometyme layeng wayte for you by volup∣tuous pleasures, sometyme openly oppugnyng you by persecucions. Geue not place vnto him, but resiste him with vnshrinkinge stronge hartes. You wil say: where haue we power against him that is so mightie? He that hathe charge of you, is mightier than he. Put all the whole trust of your hartes vpon him, and your aduersaries power shalbe nothinge. Against the faithles, he is strong: but against the faithfull he is feble. Yf he shoulde assaulte this man or that man, parchaunce it might rightly be takē for a sore greuous afflicciō, but now doeth he impugne al the whole flocke of the godly w^t like malicious hatred. He perse∣cuteth Christ in you, he enuieth all mens saluacion, so that the cōmune afflicciō of all shalbe the more easely hable to be borne, & to stande w^t agreable myndes agaist the cōmune enemy. These matters shal shortly haue an ende. Nether wil God, from whome proceadeth all goodnes, leaue you succourles in the meane season, but wil throughly perfourme the thing that he hathe begonne in you. He hath geuen you suche stomackes, that for his sake you should not be afrayed to suffer tormētes, wherby he hath called you vnto his glory that neuer shal haue ende. He wyll not suffer you to mysse of the victorie: yf you wrestle manfully, he wil helpe you in your wrestlynge, and wyll garnysshe, strengthen and esta∣blyshe you, that beynge tormented for a shorte season, you maye atteine the crowne of immortalitie. By his ayde we get the victorye, & of his free gyfte we shal receyue the rewarde. For there is nothing wherin we may chalenge any prayse to our selues: vnto God alone is al glorye due, not onely in this worlde, but also into al ages for euer: Amē. At this present I wil write no further vnto you: For of this selfe same matter, I suppose, I wrote vnto you of late, al∣thoughe in fewe wordes, by Siluanus a faithfull brother, & I doubte not but he delyuered the Epistle well and faithfully. In it I desired and hartily be∣sought you, to perseuer styl in that which you haue begonne: that nothing alter

your mynde. The waye that you haue entred, is the very right true waye vnto saluacion. Thus ferre you haue proceded forewarde by the goodnes of God. Continue styll stedfastly throughe his helpynge ayde, tyll you attayne vnto the victorious rewarde of lyfe that neuer shall dye. The congregacion of the christianes commende them vnto you, euen the congregacion whome God hath chosen out to himselfe together with you in Babilon, whiche in the myddes of wicked ydolatrours folowe the godlynes of the gospell, and in myddes of most sylthye corrupte lyuers embrace the purenes of cleane conuersacion. You are not alone by your selues, God hath his electe in euery place: In dede those are but a very fewe, howbeit they are a fynely tryed sede to encreace the congrega∣cion in tyme commynge more latgely. Marke saluteth you, whiche is to me as it were my sonne. Salute you euery one other with a kysse, not after the sorte that is geuē more custumely than hartely, but with an holy, pure, & true christiā mynde, which is not doone against the hearte, but is the signe of a chaste and a pure vpright louer, and not a lyeng countrefaicte token. And (to make an ende of myne Epistle in lyke sorte as I beganne it) Grace and peace be alwayes pre∣sent with you al, which beyng engraffed vnto the bodye of Iesu Christ, lyue by his spirite, that grace maye couple you vnto God, and peace maye glewe you together with mutual concorde: whiche thing God (that is best and most migh∣tye) brynge to passe.

Amen.

Notes

• All prelates maye learne diligence at this mooste diligēt prea∣chinge pre∣late, the de∣uyll.