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 .xx. Chapter.

The texte.

¶ And I sawe an Angell come downe from heauen, hauynge the kaye of the bottomlesse pit, and a great chayne in his hande. And he toke the dragon that olde serpent, whiche is the deuil and Satanas, & he bounde him a thousande yeares: & cast him into y^• bottomlesse pit, & he bounde him, and set a seale on him, that he shoulde deceaue the people nomore, tyl the thousande yeares were fulfylled. And after that he must be loced for a lytell season.

THis chapter maye be taken, as it wer, for a rehersal of the visi∣ons & reuelacions that were before mencioned. And by the waie it describeth againe y^• honour and maiestie of Christ, of gods worde, and the power of the holy gospell, and the benefites of Christ, & addeth therunto the last iudgemēt of the deade whiche shall dye .ii. deathes. This angel that commeth from heauen is Christ whiche shoulde come in to this worlde as was promised vnto the firste man in the beginnynge of the worlde that he shoulde treade the old serpent vp∣on the heade. Whiche is nothing els, but that he shoulde take his power from him whiche the iust and rightuous God hath suffered him to exercise againste man for the synne of the first dysobedience and transgression. Whiche power Sathan hath alwayes exercised and practised with all wicked disceyte and dy∣uerse errours, and specially with ydolatrye, after the whiche doe folow blindnes and all maner of synnes. This power hath Christ mightily and with force ta∣ken from Sathan the deuyll, thorowe his rightuousnes and humblenes euen vntyll the crosse, satisfieng for all the pryde, transgression, disobedience and vn∣faithfulnes of Adam and Eue. And thus he hath bounde him with the chayne of his well deserued power, that is to say, hath hindered him of his proude ty∣rannye & shameful wicked power against the faithful electe of god. This band should indure a thousande yeares y^• is to say, a long tyme, namely euen y^• tyme of the right Christen faith, which after y^• saying of y^• olde fathers should indure for .ii. thousande yeares, but it is vncerten from what tyme, men should begin to teken these yeares, & that the faith in this tyme, should be sore assaulted, whiche hath alwayes bene at this point euen in the tyme of y^• Iewes in y^• olde testamēt and amōg gods owne people hath sometime increased and somtime fallen & de∣decaied. And according therunto might Sathā exercise his power at some tyme more thā at a nother. And thus thorow Christ, Sathan is alwaies bonde vnto

the right faithfull. But whan the faithe decayeth and goeth backewarde, and the falsehede, desceite and dysobedience of man increaseth, so that gods word is more and more contemned and forsaken, than dothe Sathans power increase againe (as it hath ofte come to passe) that he maye deceyue the people, the hea∣then, the vnfaithfull againe, and so vse his power and tyranny againe as lōg as there is lacke and want of true faithe in this worlde.

The texte.

¶ And I sawe seates, and they sat vpon them, and iudgement was geuen vnto them: and I sawe the soules of them that were beheaded for the witnesses of Iesu, and for y^e worde of God: whiche had not worshipped the beast: nether his ymage, neyther had taken his marke vpon their forheades, or on their handes: and they lyued, and raygned with Christ a .M. yere: but the other of the dead men lyued not againe, vntyll the thousande yere were finysshed. This is that first resurrecciō. Blessed and holy is he, that hath parte in the first resurreccion: For on suche shall the seconde death haue no power, but they shalbe the Pre∣stes of God and of Christ, and shall raigne with him a thousande yeres.

The seates to iudge Sathan and his companye, are appointed of Christ vnto the holy apostles and vnto other electe, the soules of them whiche for the lambes sake wer beheaded, that is to say, after diuers maners and fasshions put to death for the gospelles sake, whiche woulde not make any oblacions vnto ydols nor false goddes, nor woulde not worship the beast, that is to saye Anti∣christ, nor woulde not feare nor honour his ymage, but dyd manfully fight for the holy gospell and for the true doctrine and religion of the Apostles. All these shall haue seates in the kyngdome of Christ to iudge the whole companye and courte of Sathan, and to conuince them of their wickednes, blasphemies and damnable errours, whiche shalbe open and manifest vnto the worlde thorowe the gospel. And this their condemnacion beyng openly and manifestly knowen, and their godles tyrannye, shall▪ be their death, from the whiche they shall not ryse vp againe tyll a thousande yeares be past. This manifest iudgement, vic∣tory and honour obteyned with Christ, is vnto them the first resurreccion, na∣mely a great honour and felicitie, not onely in heauē with Christ but also vpon earth in the kingdom of Christ, which he hath vpon earth with his spirite in the congregacion of the holy electe. And they are happy and blessed, and their lyfe is euerlasting both in the heuenly company, and also in the holy churche & con∣gregacion of the faithful & godly soules vpon earth. For they are the most deare beloued & the most acceptable and of highest reputacion with Christ y^e lord and kynge of heauen as right prestes and ministers ought to be amonge vs, and they shall rule and reigne with Christe vnto the ende of the worlde vntyll the last daye of the latter iudgement, and in the seconde resurreccion, and vntil the last and eternall iudgement of the wicked and damned blasphemers.

The texte.

¶ And when the thousande yeares are e••pi••ed, Sathā shalbe losed out of his preson, and shal go out to beceaue the people, whiche are in the foure quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, togather them together to battayle, whose nombre is as y^• sande of the see: & they went vp in the playne of y^• earth: and compassed the centes of the sainctes about, & the be∣loued citie. And fire came downe from God out of heauen, and deuoured them, and the deuyll that deceaued them was, cast into a lake of fyre and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet shalbe tormented daye and night for euer more.

A lytle tyme before the last day, shall Sathan obteyne power againe tyll the ende of the worlde, and shal exercyse and practyse it, and shall worke w^t the wicked and vngodly in the whole worlde, according to his nature & wickednes. And he shall styrte his wicked armye & warriers Gog and Magog, of whom the Prophetes do muche speake. And they are the greate and infinite nomber

of the enemyes of God, of the holy doctrine of the ghospel, and of all holy con∣gregations of true and faythfull Christians, whiche are called and are in dede the very true Ierusalem, whiche dwell vpon earth as citizens of a fortunate, holy, quiet and honorable citie and comunaltie. Agaynste this holye citie and comunaltie shal sathan fyght a newe batell, with his armye and men of warre, with all his power, myght and wyckednes, and shall attempte and goe aboute to ouercome thē & to deceyue them, and to make them to forsake the trueth of God, and shall worke all meanes to destroye soules: And thys shall he doe in the whole worlde. He shall spare no laboure to compasse aboute, and to besege, not the stony citie of Ierusalem in Iewry, but (as it is sayde before) the holye christendome vpon earth, the cytie of the faythfull citizins, namely the godlye elect. But the grace and mercie of God towarde his beloued, and the promesse of Christ towarde his churche, is greater and stronger than the wickednes and power of Gog and Magog, the wycked warrieis agaynst Christ, which shall consume them with fyre, euen as he did stryke Senacharibs army vpon an hundreth thousande, and .iiii. score and .v. thousand in one night thorough one of his aungels, and brought them into as••hes with the fyre of Goddes ven∣geaunce and ryghtuous iudgement. And euen vpon that shall folowe the ge∣nerall iudgement of God, by the whiche the deuil with all his hoost & cōpanye shall be throwen into euerlastyng payne & damnation, which is resembled vn∣to a lake & graue of fyre and brymstone, in the whyche the dragon, the beast & al false prophetes shalbe tormented day and nyght, that is to say, perpetuallye without ende. And that shall be the seconde death.

The texte.

And I sawe a great white seate and hym that sat on it, from whose face fled awaye both the yearth and heauen, & their place was nomore founde. And I saw the dead, bothe great and smale stande before God. And the bokes were opened & another boke was ope∣ned, which is the boke of lyfe, and the dead were iudged of those thynges whyche were writen in the bokes accordyng to their dedes: and the sea gaue vp her dead which were in her, and death & hel deliuered vp the dead which were in thē: & they wer iudged euery mā according to his dedes. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. Thys is the seconde death. And whosoeuer was not founde writen in the boke of lyfe, was cast into the lake of fyre.

The great, general, ryghtuous, most iust and last iudgement of God whā as y^• whole world shalbe iudged, is here described by the great and whit stoole. Which shall be greuous, heuy and intolerable, vnto the rebellious, disobedy∣ent, wycked and obstinate contemners of Gods holy worde, the euerlastynge ghospell of Christ. But it shall be ioyfull, swete, pleasant, delectable, welcome and acceptable as most hartely desyred and loked for vnto the godly, faythful, humble, & elcte of God. The iudge vpō the stoole is our sauiour Iesus Christ, dreadful and feareful vnto al the world & vnto such earthly mē which haue set their marke, ende, loue, hope & felicitie vpon the earth, & in those thinges wher∣in the worlde deliteth, as are fleshely lustes, pride of life, & al wickednes & lack of loue both toward god & the neighbour. And therfore the earth, sygnifieth y^• men that dwel vpō the earth & the deuils which remayne in earth, in the ayer (which is also called heauē) which are thrust out of their places & habitacions, & no more found therin, but in the place & habitaciō which the iust iudgemēt & omnipotencie of God hath prepared for thē in y^e earth y^t is most wide & distant from the kingdom of heauen. Vnto this dredfull and terrible iudgement of God shal come & stand before the iudgemēt seate of God and Christ, all those whiche were deade, both masters and seruauntes, great and small, hyghe and lowe, myghtie and vnmyghtie, men and women, yong and olde, none excepte.

Than shal the heartes, consciences, thoughtes and secretes of al men be opened and dysclosed: not onely vnto them whiche shal and must than knowledge them selues giltye and worthye of eternall damnacion, but also vnto the other. For as than shal all wickednes of the conscience be open, euydent and manifest: For they shall accuse and condemne them selues, without any cloke or excuse, whan as they shall beholde all men, and shall reade with perfyte vnderstandynge and with feare and tremblynge the other great boke of gods rightuousnes and e∣quite, of his warnynges, doctrine, instruccions and threatnynges whiche they haue had sufficiently in this worlde euery one in their tyme thorowe gods mer∣cyfull and fatherly prouision and sendynge, but they haue vtterly contemned and despysed them with all the righteousnes & godlynes that they haue taught. And they woulde nothing regarde nor esteme the holy worde of God, which was geuen vnto the worlde in the holy scripture for a perfyte rule and square: but they would neuer credyte nor beleue it, but rashly against their owne conscience haue refused and contemned it. And therfore shall they be wyped out of the re∣gyster booke of the faithfull and of them whiche shall lyue perpetually w^t God and withal his peculiar electe in eternal ioy & blisse. And thus they shal remaine continually in the eternall indignacion of God, in euerlasting hate, enuy & most painfull tormentes and great impacience and continuall sorowe, in so muche that their eternall death shall also be with corporall payne and tormente of the bodye euen with the whole felowship of the deuyll, and that without any ende or ceasynge. This iudgement and heuy daye shall no man be able to escape and auoyde, whether he be consumed in the earth, in the fyre or in the see. For all this standeth in the hande of y^• almightie power of God, whiche with one word, wyll and commaundement made all elementes, heauen and earth and all that is therin. And where he sayeth that the hell shoulde geue vp her deade: vnder∣stande therby (as in many other places of holy scripture) the graues in y^• earthe, or wheresoeuer they be, out of the whiche the deade shall ryse vp and they that shall be than alyue (as S. Paule saieth) shall be changed in a shorte space, in the twincklynge of an eye, to stande together before the iudgement seate of God with them whiche shall be iudged to euerlastinge lyfe or death. But euery one of them whiche shal appeare and shall know them selues manifestly, shal iudge them selues accordynge as they haue done, after or against the wyll of God, in faith or infydelite, in loue or contempt of god, in the feare of God or in securitie, after the lustes of the fleshe, rightuously and vnrightuouslye. For there shall no colour, crafte, lyes, dissimulacion, violence, might, anger or respecte of par∣sons auayle or helpe, but euery man shall there be iudged accordynge to hys workes. And thus shall hell with all suche that belong vnto it & shall be dam∣ned, be nothing els but a fyery lake, a terryble and heuy state of damnacion, or∣deyned and prepared of all the myserie, sorowe, wickednes and euyll that can be thought or ymagyned. This is the seconde death, the rewarde punyshment and recompence of all them whiche are not founde writen in the boke of lyfe, which shall remayne perpetually with Christ in heauen (with all the holy angels and electe) in the ioyfull, perfyght and eternall blisse and fruicion of all the grace and goodnes that is prepared of God and of Christ our heuenly kynge for all faithfull beleuers. But this is incomprehensyble vnto all reason, wytte and sense of man, onely to consyder it generallye: as S. Austen saith, saluacion is a state wherin is all perfyghtnes aboundantly of all those thinges y^t are good

and to be desyred eyther in heauen or in earth, wherunto God of his mercye will helpe and bryng vs.