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 texte.

¶ And there came vnto me one of the seuen Angels whiche had y^• seuen vyalles ful of the seuen laste plages: and talked with me, sayinge: come hither, I wyll shewe ••hee the bryde the lambes wyfe. And he caried me awaie in the spirite to a great and an hye mountaine, and he shewed me the great citie holy Ierusalem, descending out of heauen from God ha∣uinge the brightnes of God. And her shynyng was like vnto a stone most precious, euen lyke a Iasper, clere as Christ all: and had walles great and hye, and had twelue gates and at the gates twelue Angels: and names wrytten, whiche are the names of the twelue tri∣bes of Israel: on the East parte thre gates, and on the Northsyde thre gates, and towardes the Southe thre gates, and from the west thre gates, and the wall of the citie had twelue foundacions: and in them the twelue names of the lambes .xii. apostles.

Christ is the angell of the great councell, whiche thorowe his angels that serue him worketh and bringeth to passe the ordinances of God with punysh∣mentes and plages of the wicked and vnfaithfull, whiche doe hynder and let his ordinances. The rewarde dothe he pay him selfe. For he him selfe is the re∣warde and the crowne of the blessed. This Christ our lorde and sauiour tal∣keth here with Iohn his beloued, and of a speciall trust and loue towardes him, he sheweth him his spouse and wyfe, and nameth her the lambes wyfe, but it is the christen churche, the felowship of all saintes and holy electe. This chri∣sten churche is in .ii. maner of states. In the first state she is mylitant euer stri∣uynge, and fightyng, euer in warrefare, assaulted with much trouble and vex∣acion, sorowfull, vnperfyte, and euer waxyng and increasynge. And in the o∣ther state she is triumphant, victorious, euer triumphinge, quiet, free, without care or sorowe for any vexacion, perfyte, heauenly, blessed, and euerlasting. Of bothe these states for certen fewe properties the earthly Ierusalem the citie of the Iewes is set for a figure, comparison, example and counterpane. Whiche Ierusalem of the Iewes, lyeth vpon an hyll, hath .xii. gates and great hyghe walles, and lyeth on highe towarde the whole lande rounde about on euery be∣halfe. Of the whiche they that wyll knowe more, maye reade Iosephus which writeth largely therof. Nowe here speaketh Christ of the spirituall Ierusalem in her double state. It lyeth also highe for as muche as it is highly indewed w^t gods grace and glorious giftes, for whose sake almightie God sent his onely begotten sunne vpon earth to clense and to make her pure, to bylde her, to bew∣tifie and to garnyshe her, and to make her glorious, euen for an euerlastynge kingdome, and for a deare beloued spouse for him selfe. This citie is great, for it reacheth vnto all the endes and coastes of the worlde, and it is also holy, for it is sanctified with the holy and blessed presence of Christ, w^t his precious hearte bloode, which was shedde in the highest loue and obedience towarde god

and mankynde, and that washeth a waye the synnes of all the worlde, in that are al the faythful purged & clensed. This descending of the heuenly citie Ieru∣salem or holy chrysten churche sygnifieth the comon felowshyp and participaci∣on of the churche ••riumphant that reygnyth in victory, with the churche myly∣tant, that contyneweth and remaineth in battel and warrefare. For they bothe are one churche, deuided and sondred in .ii. onely in this worlde by reason of the tyme. For that churche, whiche is nowe militant and lyeth in warrefare vpon earthe, shal shortly be in heauē victorious and triumphant. This churche both vpon earthe and in heauen hathe one godly glorye, & al honour, vertue, prayse, might, and blisse commeth vnto her from God. The light of this churche, is the most precious stone, namely vpon earth, faythe with loue, and in heauen trueth and saluaciō in Christ. The walles which defende, preserue, and kepe this citie, is the faith and belefe in the holy worde of god, by the whiche the faithfull bele∣uers are kept and preserued. The .xii. gates maye we take and vnderstande for the .xii. articles of the holye Christen faythe, vpon the gates, the xii. apostles, or patriarkes, or prophetes whiche haue their glorious and ho∣ly names not onely written in heauen, aboue all other holy saintes, but also vpō earth in the militant or warrefaring chutch. These gates of the articles are wel and orderly set and appointed, of the father, of the sunne, of the holy gost, of the grace and rewarde of redempcion. The .xii. foundacions of these walles, maye be taken for the bokes of the olde and newe testament, vpon the whiche y^e wall of the christen churche, the holy faithe (whiche is but one bothe of the christianes of the olde and of the newe testament, bothe of the prophetes and of the Apo∣stles) is and ought to be founded and grounded. And where as the Apostles are here more named than the prophetes, it is done for this purpose, for as much as thorow the Apostles the doctrine of the prophetes, and the gospell promysed in the prophetes was spredde abrode and publyshed in the whose wyde worlde: whiche gospell the prophetes dyd preache and wryte onely vnto the children of Israel, and to their neighbours the people nexte about them of the lande of Is∣raell, and againe because the apostles were witnesses in their owne parsons of the slaying and death of the lambe.