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 argument vpon the fyrst Epistle of thapostle. S. John / by Erasmus of Roterodam.

THat this is Saincte Iohn thapostles epis∣tle, whiche wrote the Gospell, the very stile of the wordes selfe is a playne argument. He maketh muche a dooe in the rehersall of light and darckenes, life and deathe, hare and loue, in often repetinge the wordes, as though they were taken out of the sayinge nexte before. Of the whiche sorte (to open my saying more plainly by example) this is one: Loue not the Vuorlde, nether those thinges that are in the VVorld. Yf any manne loue the VVorlde, the loue of the father is not in hym for all that is in the VVorlde &c. And anon after: He is not of the father, but of the VVorlde: and the Vuorlde passeth aVuaye. How often here is the worlde rehearsed? Fynally in all hys sayinge there is lesse compendyous shortenes, and more open plainesse than in the writynge of the reste of thapostles. And as for thepistle, it is more euidently plaine, than nedeth any argumente, like as the two Epistles folowinge are, whiche are ascribed to one Iohn a cer∣tayne senior, and not to Iohn the apostle.

Thus endeth the Argumente.