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 text.

Babes, I write vnto you howe that your sinnes are forgeuen you for his names sake. I write vnto you fathers, howe that you haue knowen him that is from the begynning. I wryte vnto you yongmen, howe that ye haue ouercome that wicked. I write vnto you lytle children, howe that ye haue knowen the father. I haue written vnto you fathers, howe that ye haue knowen him that is from the begynnyng. I haue written vnto you yonge men, how that ye are strong, and the worde of god abydeth in you, and ye haue ouercome that wicked. Se that ye loue not the world, nether the thinges that are in the worlde. If any man loue the worlde, the loue of the father is not in him. For all that is in the worlde (as the lust of the fleshe, and the lust of the eies and the pride of life) is not of the father, but of the worlde. And the worlde passeth awaye, and the lust therof: but he that fulfylleth the will of God, abydeth for euer.

I loue you euen as a mother loueth her children, and write for that pur∣pose, partlie reioycynge at your felicitie, partly exhortyng you to goe fore∣ward better and better. I reioyce at you, as my most deare children, whom I haue begotten agayne by the sede of the gospels doctrine vnto Christ, in that the synnes of your former lyfe are pardoned you, and freely pardoned you, for none other cause, but because you haue professed the name of the lorde Iesu Christe, that you shoulde also remembre after his example fre∣lye to forgeue euerye one his neyghbour. I write vnto you, whom not so muche the processe of age as the grauitie of maners and godly carefulnesse towardes them that be yonger, doeth make worthye the name of fathers: reioyceing in you, that you are not onely endued with a commune maner of wisdome, wherby olde men are commended almost because of the expery∣ence of thinges, and geue the better counsel to the ignoraunte yong folkes, but in that you haue reknowledged Iesus Christe the autor of saluacion: whiche not onely is of a greate olde age, but also hathe bene alwayes wyth the father. You being of great age knowe him that is eternal: and the more fully you knowe him, so much the more diligently you preache him to them that be of slenderer age. Olde folkes do remembre and kepe in mynde many olde auncient thynges, and you kepe him in mynde that was before al age. I write vnto you yongment which through the strength of faith haue ouer∣come that wicked & vnruly Satan. The cōmune sorte of yongmen thinketh themselues happie in that they geue lightly place to no mā because of their bodyly strength. But you are more happie, that by reason of youre strength of mynd, you could be ouercome, neither with enticementes of voluptuous pleasures, ne w^t any terrours of y^e world. Other mens actiuitie florisheth in battail, but your actiuitie hath florished more nobly against the assaultes of deuils, the fleshe, & the world. I write vnto you childrē, which although for tendernes of your yeares, you are not skilled as yet in y^• knowlage of world¦ly matters, yet you haue already atteined the thīg, y^• getteth you euerlastīg felicitie. In other childrē it is y^• first special tokē of wit, if they acknowledge

their father, but you knowe your heauenly father, by whom you are rege∣nerate vnto heauen. Let euery one maynteyne that he hath, and encrease in that he hath. For this cause sake, I bothe reioyce in euerye one, and also warne all and euery orders and states of you, that acknowledgeyng your felicitie, you geue thankes to God youre autour, and hauyng in remem∣braunce, whither you must go, preace alwayes forewarde vnto more per∣fecciō. I wil rehearse it vnto you therfore, that ye can not forget it. I haue written vnto you fathers, for you knowe him whiche hath nother begin∣nyng nor endyng, that the desyre of this lyfe should in no wyse stiere you, seyng you make haste to the life that neuer shal haue ende. I haue written vnto you yongmen, because you haue ouercome the ruflynge nycenesse of youth through the valiaunt strengthe of mynde, and because you haue with a constaunte heart kepte the worde of the Gospell, and haue by the helpe of Christ, ouercome the Deuill the continuall enemye of mankynde. Continue you styll in victorye, contemne styll that whyche you haue hitherto contemned, and loue more and more that you haue begon to loue. The worlde enticeth by false imaginacions of transitorye goodes, and frayeth with a vayne and false shewe of euilles. As for you, let those thin∣ges fraye you whiche are euill in dede, and neuer haue ende. And let these thinges catche you that are good in dede and knowe none ende. Folowe the lyght of the gospell and loue heauenly thynges, whiche the heauenlye father promyseth, vnto whom you are regenerate by Christ. Flee the dark∣nes of naughtie lustes, wherby this worlde layeth bayte with countrefaict goodes. It can not possiblie be, that you can loue bothe at ones, nor serue both at ones. There is none agrement betwene God and the worlde, there is no concorde betwene lyght and darknes: whosoeuer loueth the worlde, swarueth from the loue of God the father. I speake not of this worlde, which god made, wherin we liue, wil we nil we. The wiked gredy desires of vayne thinges (wherein the common sort of menne repose their felicitie, forgetting the thinges that are truely good in dede) I cal the world. It is not the place, howe farre of so euer it be, not the raymente, not the meate, not the title, that exemteth you frō the world, but a mind that is pure from those desires y^• I spake of. And what hath this world, that is not noisomly hurtful? There are thre thinges, y^• it most chefely deceineth folishe & vncir∣cumspect folkes withall: the voluptuous pleasure of the fleshe, enticemen∣tes of the eies, and hyghe statelynes and proude galauntnes of lyfe. For it obiecteth certayne iugglinges of vayne pleasures to clawe the senses of the bodye withall for a tyme, that the mynde maye in the meane while be called awaye from the studie of heauenlye good thynges. For the desyre of suche maner of good thynges, the heauenlye spirite suggesteth, whom God the father geueth vnto his childrē that are truly regenerate by Christ. The deuill hath also a spirite of his owne, by whom he suggesteth a per∣nicious loue of thynges neyther true nor durable, vnto them that haue bent themselues throughly vnto this worlde. He suggesteth the naughtye sportes of lechery, to title the mēbres of the body withal through a folishe and a filthy itching delite. He suggesteth the delite of fyne meates & drinke to please y^• paunche & the mouth w̄al. He suggesteth the swetnes of idlenes & slepe, that the mynde may waxe the more sluggishe throughe custume,

He suggesteth wanton songes and shameles fables, to anoynt the eares withall. He suggesteth the wanton enticementes of beawties and sondry kyndes of thinges to beholde, to delite the eies withall. He suggesteth the pompes and ioylitie of riches, the occasions of ambicion. Finally he allu∣reth mennes myndes on euery parte awaye from the true and euerlasting good thinges vnto the vayne imaginacions of good thinges. Let him that is entangled with the desire of these thinges, knowe that he is not moued by the spirite of the heauenly father, but by the spirite of the worlde. The worlde, lyke as it consisteth vpon elementes that endure but for a time, e∣uen so geueth it nothing but that whiche shall shortly perishe. God, like as he is eternall, euen so geueth he freely euerlasting rewardes. Therefore he that dependeth vpon the succours of the worlde, foloweth a certayne feli∣citie that is both vayne and shall shortly be taken awaie, which, euen casu∣altie that commeth vnthought vpon, plucketh away in this worlde, or at lest age dispatcheth it. Truly death that shall come vn to euery man, pluc∣keth quite awaye all the dreame of false pleasures. Whan the mater is ta∣ken awaye, the pleasure perisheth, and sorowes come in place. Whan the man is taken away, al is gone to naught, and euerlasting torment cometh in place. But he that ••beieth vnto the father that calleth him vnto the loue of an heauenly lyfe, his felicitie shal neuer haue ende. For he that geueth it, knoweth none ende. The vnhurtfull commodities of this worlde are to be vsed for the tyme, yea but smallye, but moderately, to the necessitie of na∣ture, not to the voluptuouse fulfylling of pleasure. But the chiefe studye of mynde ought to be turned to the thynges that be eternall, whereunto the vse of all other thynges ought also to be referred.