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 .xix. Chapter.

The texte.

¶ And after that, I herde the voyce of muche people in heauen, sayinge: Alleluya. Salua∣cion and glorye and honour & power be ascribed to the Lorde out God, for true and righte∣ous are his iudgementes, for he hath iudged the great whore whiche dyd corrupte y^• earth with her fornicacion, and hath auenged the bloude of his seruauntes of her hande. And againe they sayde: Alleluia. And smoke rose vp for euermore. And the xxiiii. elders, and the foure beastes fell downe, and worshypped God that sate on the seate, sayinge: Amen. Alleluya. And a voyce came out of the seare, sayinge: prayse our Lorde God all ye that are his seruauntes and ye that feare him bothe small and great.

IF a man might so say, what dothe the punishment of the wicked tyrantes and their damnacion, helpe or profyte the godlye and faithfull christians whiche are persecuted of the dragon, of the beast and of y^• false prophetes for the true faithe and religions sake, euen vnto deathe? Hete in this place is a sufficient and perfight answer vnto this question. For thus it is sayde, the same godly ministers and faithfull witnesses of Christe the crucified and slaine lambe, they doe nothynge els in heauen in their immortall soules but synge thankes and laudes vnto God almightie, styrring, prouokyng, and exhortynge one a nother with lyke affeccion and zeale to prayse God. For Alleluia is nothinge els but prayse God. Allelu, is as muche to saye as prayse ye. And ya is one of the names of the lorde God wherby he is named, of whiche names there are dyuerse. Nowe here maye we learne with what maner of wordes we shoulde and shall prayse God, bothe here and also in heauen: Namely thus, all saluacion and goodnes whiche may be profitable vnto vs and maye be desyred of God, and againe all laude and prayse, for al maner of benefites and goodnes perteyneth onely vnto the mooste mercyfull, eternall and almightye onely one God, and must be ascribed vnto him. Honour whiche is a profession and a de∣claracion of al vertue and godly kindnes and loue, and of al mighte, power and omnipotencye, is due onely vnto the true, onely and eternall God creatour and maker of all creatures. For all his workes and iudgemētes are right, commen∣dable, holy and true without all maner of parcialitye, and specially for as much as he hathe subdued and brought downe the glorious and proude tyrantes bothe of the spiritualtie and of the temporaltie, and hath sent them to eternall damnacion. And hathe caused their wickednes and abhominacion also to come to lyght in this worlde, to the synguler comforte of the faithfull electe that were oppressed of them. And thus they cease not to gyue lawdes and thanckes vnto God, saying continually, Alleluia. But the smoke is the true oblacion and the right sacrifice whiche the holy sainctes doe offer in heauen euerlastinglye, and performe also vpon earthe in the holy churche euen vntyll the latter daye, I meane geuynge of thanckes and acknowledging the goodnes of God, as is before sayd. This oblaciō & sacrifice is made cōtinually without ceasynge with infynite and vnspeakeable ioy, of al holy patriarkes, prophetes, Apostles, mat∣tirs,

and of the whole heauenly felowship, and of all them whiche euer from the beginning haue pleased the lord God with faith, loue, hope and obedience. But the maner and the ceremonies with the wordes reuerence and ioy whiche the holy and faithfull electe do vse, dothe the holy scripture describe after the ma∣ner & capacite of men, in suche wyse as may be best vnderstande and perceyued of vs. Amen, is as muche as that God is the trueth, & faithful in keping of all his promises and wordes. And here maye we learne that we shoulde not name nor esteme the holy and faithfull saintes as princes and rulers of heauē, for as muche as they name them selues but seruantes of God, and are no better, and that also not by merite and deserte, but onely by the grace and eleccion of god. And also some are also greater and higher than other, as Abraham parauen∣ture than Isaac, and Ioseph than Simeon, Peter than Philip, but that ought not curiously to be serched out of man. In heauen shall we see and knowe per∣fitely the cause and occasion of the iudgement of God, but not in this lyfe.

The texte.

¶ And I hearde the voyce of muche people euen as the voyce of many waters: and as the voyce of stronge tho••dringes, saying: Alleluia. For the Lorde our god omnipotent raig∣neth. Let vs be glad and reioyce, and geue honour to him: for the mariage of the lambe is come, and his wyfe made her selfe readye. And to her was graunted, that she should be a•• rayed w^t pure & goodly raynes. For the raynes is the rightewesnes of saintes. And he said vnto me, write, happy are they which are called vnto the lambes supper. And he said vnto me: these are the true sayinges of God. And I tell at his fete, to worship him. And he said vnto me: se thou do it not. For I am thy felow seruaunt, and one of thy brethren, euen of them that haue the testimony of Iesus. Whorship God. For the testimonye of Iesus is the spirite of prophecye.

This maye be vnderstande of y^• holy & faithful saintes vpon earth, whiche af∣ter the manifest & ioyfull preachinge of the gospell as muche as is possible, in the whole world (whan as both Iewes and Turkes shal become Christen) shal prayse & thancke the almighty God for suche syngular grace and mercie, which hath hitherto bene hindered & kept downe with such force and violence by Anti∣christ. As thā shal the glory & prayse of god increase in y^• christen churche, which is the kingdome of Christ: And, thorow the gospell, promysed vnto Christ the bridegrome▪ which church as a faithful and deare beloued spouse which here in this world, loueth & honoureth Christ as muche as she can, shall be fylled and satisfied with all goodnes in eternall blisse and saluacion. The sylken aray, is the innocency of lyfe in this world, thorow y^• grace of Christ, and in heauen it is the immortal glorificacion of body & soule. For than shall man be right blissed whā as he shal be fully satisfied in god thorow Christ with aboundāce & plen∣tuousnes of all benefites and goodnes which can be desiered or wyshed. That same is y^• euerlasting supper of the mariage of Christ wherwith Christ shal ho∣nour his electe, & make them blissed. And in al this whiche Iohn seeth in this vi∣sion, it is said also vnto him, y^• al these thinges, visions & reuelacions came vnto him from God, & to the honour of God, whiche he as a true & faithfull minister should further with al diligence. But as Iohn would haue worshipped y^• par∣son of y^• angel whiche spake vnto him, y^• angel would in no wyse suffer him, like as no saint neither in heauē nor in earth wil suffer any such thīg nor take it vpō thē nor yet in good worth. For god onely must be worshipped, frō whōe onely al goodnes commeth, and must be desired and looked for of him onely. The angels wil be takē & estemed for nothīg els but for brethrē, frēdes & felow seruaūtes of y^• onely one cōmon & general lord, & felowes withal them y^• beleue in Christ & are ready for his sake vnto al goodnes, & to suffer al maner of thīges euē vnto death

But this is the right, perfyte and sure wysedome, which the worldly wyse doe not knowe, neyther desyre nor regarde.

The texte.

¶ And I sawe heauen open, and beholde, a white horse: and he that sat vpon hym was called faythfull and true, & in ryghteousnesse dyd iudge & make barrell. His eyes were as a frame of fire: and on his head were many crownes: & he had a name written, that noman knew but he himselfe. And he was clothed with a vesture dypt in bloude, and his name is called the worde of God. And the warriers whiche were in heauen, folowed him vpon whyte horses, clothed with white & pure raynes: and out of his mouth went out a sharpe two edged swerde, that with it he should smyte the hethen. And he shall rule them with a rodde of yron, and he trode the wynefat of fearsnes and wrathe of almightie God. And hath on his vesture & on his thighe a name writtē: King of Kinges, and Lorde of Lordes.

The spirite of God must speake with men after the maner of men, yf he should be vnderstande. And therfore he describeth the maiestie of Christ, euen after the maiestie of an Emperour. For the highe powers are wont to be honoured euen as Christ is here described with his honour, laude and name. For he is y^• word of God, wherwith this S. Iohn beginneth his gospel, and wherby all thinges are made: whiche is also God and manne the obiecte of faith, that is to saye the thing wherunto y^• faith of al electe hath her respecte: And he is also the rightu∣ous iudge ouer all that euer is in heauen or in earth whiche hath a fyerye and burning zeale and hate against all wicked whiche contemne and despyse his worde, but crowneth all the godly and faithfull with the crowne of his rightu∣ousnes. His name is vnknowen vnto all the world, the trueth wherof he would not expresse before Pilate, and yet trueth & gods worde is all one thing. This rightuousnes of Christ is signified by the sworde, althoughe the worde of God also doth perce thorowe the inwarde harte and mynde of the faithfull as it is written in the .iiii. to the Hebrues. But here the sworde is taken for the rightu∣ousnes in gods kyngdome wherwith Christ ruleth the kingdom whych hys fa∣ther hath geuen hym for his herytage, as Dauid sayth. For like as he hath ioy in euerlastynge blisse with his wariers & hoost that folowe him, euen so doth he presse and treade downe all the wicked with eternall damnacion, before whome also he trode y^• presse vntil his vesture was blody: But they toke it for a mocke and a folyshe yes••, as it was vnto the Iewes a slander. But yet their knees must bowe vnto him, not onely the angels and men in heauē and earth, but also they that are in hell shall be troden of him with the wrathe of God almightie. For without dout he is the king of all kynges and lorde of all lordes.

The texte.

¶ And I sawe an Angel stande soche sonne, and he cryed with a loude voyce, saying to all the foules that flye by the myddes of heauen: come and gather your selues together vnto the supper of the great God, that ye maye eate the fleshe of kynges, and the fleshe of ••ye captaines, and the fleshe of mightie men, and the fleshe of horses, and of them that syt on them, and the fleshe of all fre •••••• and bonde men and of small and great. And I sawe the beast, and the kinges of the earth, and their warriers gathered together to make batayle against him that sat on the horse, and against his souldiers. And the beast was taken, and with him that false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with whiche he deceaued them that receaued the beastes marke, and them that worshipped his ymage. These bothe were cast into a ponde of fire burnynge with brimstone: and the remnaunt wer slayne with the swearde of him that sat vpon the horse, whiche swearde proceaded out of his mouthe▪ and all the foules were fulfylled with their fleshe.

Lyke as Chryst maketh a supper vnto hys chyldren and seruauntes in hea∣uen, euen so doth he also, beynge the sonne of ryghtuousnes make a supper vn∣to the deuylles & to al dampned sowles. In euerlasting supper of al bitternes &

vnblessydnes wherof they maye eate and be partakers altogether. And there is than, desperacion, hate, enuye, wrathe and murmuringe againste God, and all kyndes of euil whiche are sygnified by corporall thinges accordynge to our ca∣pacite, and after suche wyse as men maye be most moued therby y^• they must of necessitie marke and consyder it. And it is to be noted that S. Iohn seeth these gestes of the deuell in hell, that they are the destr••yers of y^• worlde, tyrantes of all maner of degrees, the beast with .ii. hornes, the dragon & false prophete, all enemyes of gods trueth, religion and of all maner of godlynes, oppressours of the innocent frendes of God. To be shorte, all they whiche beare the marke & to∣ken of the dragon & of the beast, whiche is infidelyte & misbelefe in Christ, lyke as faith in y^• crucified Christ is the sure marke and token of al the electe. These vnfaithfull must lyue eternally in the ponde of fyre, and they shall be po∣nisshed & vexed painfully with vnspeakeable sorowe and heuines, euen y^• deuel & his seruātes together. And although some come out of this life with y^• sworde without faith, yet their damnaciō did begin here, & shal continue euerlastingly.