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.

What auayleth it my brethren, though a manne saye he hathe faythe, yf he haue no dedes? Can faythe saue hym: If a brother or a sister be naked and destitute of dayly fode, and one of you saye vnto them: departe in peace, God sende you warmnes and fode, not∣withstandynge ye geue them not those thynges whiche are nedefull to the bodye, what shall it helpe? Euen so, faythe (if it haue no dedes) is dead in it selfe. But some manne wil saye: thou hast faythe, and I haue dedes, shewe my thy faythe by thy dedes: and I wyll shewe the my fayth by my dedes. Beleuest thou that there is one God? Thou doest well. The deuyls also beleue, and tremble. But wilt thou vnderstande (O thou vayne manne) that faythe without dedes is dead? Was not Abraham oure father iustified thorow wor∣kes, when he had offred Isaac hys sonne vpon the aulter? Thou seest howe that faythe wrought with his dedes, & through the dedes was the faith made perfect: & the scripture was fulfylied, whiche sayeth: Abraham beleued God, and it was reputed vnto hym for tighte wesnes: and he was called the frende of God. Ye se then howe that of dedes a man

is iustifyed, and not of faythe onely. Likewise also was not Kaab the harlot iustyfyed thorow workes, when she had receaued the messagers, and had seut them out another waye? For as the bodye without the spirite is dead, euen so faythe without woorkes is dead also.

Is it to be thought, that the only profession of faythe, is ynough of it selfe to obteyne saluacion? what is faythe without charytye? Charitie is a lyuely thing, it ceasseth not, it is not idle, it expresseth it selfe with good dedes dooing, whersoeuer it is present. And if they want, my brethren, shall the vayne name of faythe (I praye you) saue a manne. The faythe is fruteles, that worketh not by charitie, yea it is no faythe but in title only. That which I haue sayed, shall more cierely appeare by conference of an example. If a manne geue fayre wor∣des to a brother or a syster, that wanteth clothynge or dayly sustenaunce, and saye: Goe your waye in peace, get you heate, and get youre bely full of meate, and for all his so saying, geueth none of those thynges that the bodye hathe nede of is not thys mannes fayre speakynge vnprofytable to the pore nedye folkes? They shall starue for colde, or bee an hyngred for al hys fayre tale that releueth not theyr necessitie. He releueth the in his word of mouth, but with his dede he doeth nothing at al. Of like sorte doubtles shall the profession of faith, whiche consisteth only in worde and worketh nothynge in dede, vee vnauayle∣able, but lyeth slugging like as it were deade, neither is it to bee called faythe any more, than a deade corps of a manne is worthye to be called a manne. The thinge that the soule is vnto the body, the same is charitie vnto faythe: so that if charitie be taken aware, the worde of faythe is but a dead matter and vnef∣fectuall. Nether shall it do the any more good before God to professe an idle faythe with thy mouthe, than fayre wordes do vnto the poore neighbour, where he ought to be holpen with dede. They thynke they are mocked, whan a manne sayeth vnto them: get you heate, get youre bely full of meate, whan they haue nether clothe nor meate geuen them. Euen so he semeth to mocke God, that re∣hearseth euery daye: I beleue in God, I beleue in God, whan he she weth no tokens of faythfull belefe. Like as he hath an vnprofitable charitie, that loueth but from the lippes forewarde, euen so hathe he a vayne faithe, that beleueth not but in worde onely. Nowe perchaunce some one starteth out, that gooeth about to disseuer the thinges, that by nature are moste faste ioyned together, and of whom nether can be disseuered from the other, and sayeth: Thou haste fayth, I haue dedes, let vs bothe be contented with hys owne porcion. Let thy faythe suffice the, it is ynough for me to haue good dedes. And yet nothers porcion shalbe sufficient for him. Thou boasteste of faythe, and if thou haue true tyght faythe, it is requisite that thou declare it wyth thy dedes: yf thou haue a deade faythe, thou arte neuer the better for it. Thou crackest of thy dedes, and yet they are not sufficient to get the crown of immortalitie, onles they procede of charitie, whiche is an vnseperable companyon of faith, that bringeth salua∣cion. The thing that flowers and boughes are in a tree, the same are the of∣fices of charitie in vs: whiche if they breake forthe in theyr tyme, they declare that the tree rote is quycke, by whose sappe they are noryshed.

Therfore this is the whole profite of good dedes, if they bee not done vpon vayneglory, not for thanke at mannes handes, not for feare or shame, and not vpon hope of lucre, but of a lyuely faythe, whiche hathe perswaded vs, that, that is geuen vnto God, what so euer is geuen for hys sake vnto our neygh∣bour, and that the rewarde is to be hoped after at none other hande but of him. Thou pleasest thy selfe, in that thou art perswaded, that there is but one God, where as the errour of the painymes beleueth ther bee innumerable Goddes. Thou doest ryght, for in thys behalfe thou excellest them. Howbeit it doeth the no good at all to beleue there is God, & that there is but one God, onles thou so beleue, that thou shalt of hym obteyne saluacion. But that shalt thou not dooe, excepte thou couple charytie vnto faythe, and testifye by thy godly woorkes that thou bothe beleuest hym, and that thou loueste hym. If thou beleue there is God, beleue also that he is the author of saluacyon, beleue hys promyses: and lyue after suche sorte, that thou mayest appeare to be worthye of hys pro∣myses. He hathe promysed mercye, yea, but vnto them that in thys worlde exercise mercye towardes theyr neyghbour. He hathe promysed eternall life, yea but to them that despyse the pleasures of thys worlde. Thys shalt thou not only beleue, there is but one god, but thou shalt also repose al thy whole trust in hym only: or elles what frute shalt thou haue of thy beleuynge? The deuilles do also beleue, that God is, they beleue that Iesus is the sonne of God, and beleue it so muche, that they tremble and quake. But forasmuche as they be∣leue onelye, and loue hym not, they are afrayed of punnyshment at his hande, and hope not after rewarde: and where they fele hym to bee ryghteous, they are not woorthye to fele mercye seynge they are cruell agaynste others. But and if thou be so very a fole, that thou yet standest in thyne owne conceate hauing but a vayne faythe: gooe to, I shall brynge the forthe a more famylyar and a more knowen example, to teache the, that the faythe, whiche woorketh not through loue, is vnprofitable and deade. Abraham, of whome as oure head auncetour, we moste chyeflye make vaunte, deserued the fyrste and pryncy∣pall commendacyon of faythe with God, of whome the reputacyon of rygh∣teousnes was attrybuted vnto hym: but in hym faythe was not vnfrutefully baren. For he did not onely professe with hys mouthe that he trusted in Goddes promysses, but also he doubted not to laye hys onlye sonne Isaac vpon thaul∣tar and slea hym at Goddes commaundement, whereas after the ordre of na∣ture, there coulde no posterytie bee trusted vpon to hym by anye other: but he laying hold on the promises of God whome he knew could raise euen the dead agayn to lyfe at hys pleasure, sticked not to do that he was commaunded. So that of his dedes he deserued the cōmendacion of righteousnes, yea but of those dedes that proceded of faith. For ther are also workes of Moses law, wherun∣to they trust in vayne, that are without the faith of the gospel. What is it, that that noble patriarke would not haue done, seing he went readily & chearfully to the sleaynge of hys only sonne Isaac, whome he loued so muche the more ten∣derlye, because he was borne in hys extreme olde age, and because that lucky posteryty was promised in his name? He was pronounced righteous, euen be∣fore

he did the sacryfyce, yea, but of God that knewe the olde mannes lyuely workynge faythe woulde refuie nothynge, if occasyon were oftred. Ther∣fore bothe the matters dyd helpe eyther other. Faythe encouraged hym, not to feare to offre vp hys sonne, whome he doubted not shoulde by the commaunde∣mente of Goddes power, by and by lyue agayne: but the notable dede set vp∣on, as it were, the fynall furnyture of the matter, declarynge vnto menne al∣so, that Abrahams stedfaste faythe was neyther a deade nor a commune faithe. For he nother fayneth, nor doubteth, whiche stackreth not to auenture in hys onely sonne whome he loued so syngularly. Woulde it greue hym to set naught by money for Christes sake, that is readye to leade hys sonne, whome the father loued dearlier than he did hym selfe, vnto death? So than of thys so notable a document of faythe it manifestly appeareth to bee perfite, that the scripture sayed: Abraham beleued God, and it was reckoned vnto hym for righteousnes, and was called the frende of God. And if Abraham should haue lost the frute of faithe and the commendacion of righteousnes, if he had gtud∣ged at Goddes commaundement to offre vp his sonne: shall his faythe aua••le him, that at Goddes commaundement grudgeth to geue a cote to hys neygh∣bour that starueth for colde, and that grudgeth to geue meate to the hungrye, and drinke to the thurstye, as though God would suffre him to perishe for cold or hungre, that geueth somwhat of hys substaunce to releue hys brothers ne∣cessitie? And if the commendacion of righteousnes chaunced not to them of the olde tyme, but to suche as tryed their faythe by theyr dedes: muche lesse is it to be trusted vpon vnto them, that professe the lawe of perfite charitie. But mer∣cie and liberalitie to the neyghbour is so muche auayleable with God, that a woman, that an harlot, that a straunger was commended for keping of hos∣pitalitie, and deserued to be nombred in the regestre of Godly people, in the re∣gestre of citezens, and in the regestre of the moste tryedlye proued Patriarkes. Rhahab was not a Iewe, she was maystres of a howse of baldrye, and gate her lyuyng with no very honest gaynes of occupung: and yet in Goddes boke she hathe a worthye commendacion of righteousnes: not of faythe only, in that she was persuaded that no mannes good dedes should be loste, God being the rewarder namely that is bestowed vpon good folkes or at leste in the respecte of God: but of that, that she not regarding the daunger of her life, prouided to saue the life of the spies, in that she sent out the messangers, whom the guide of y^• Iewes had sente to spye, by stealth an other way, lest they should perish. She might haue come in no smal fauour with her own coūtrey folkes, if she had (as it was in her hande to haue done) betrayed the spyes. But she had rather serue the wyll of God, than her own gayne: nether dystrusted she, but that she should bee repayed a more pleynteous rewarde of hym, than of menne.

Likewise than as Abraham had the worthy praise of righteousnes, not of na∣ked faithe but of faythe tried by dedes, euen so Rhahab had beleued in vayne that the God of the Iewes is the true very God, excepte, whan occasion serued, she had declared by her dedes, that she had beleued with her whole harte: other∣wise faythe (as I sayed) that is colde of charitie, and vttreth not it selfe, whan

matter requireth, it is veryly no faythe at all, but only a vayne name of faithe. For like as the body being destitue of the soule is dead and vnprofitable, euen so faithe, if it want working charitie, is dead and vneffectuall.