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 .iiii. Chapter.

The texte.

¶ After this, I loked: and beholde a dore was open in heauen, and the first voyce which I hearde, was as it were of a trompet talkynge with me, whiche sayde: come vp hyther, and I wyll shewe the thinges, which must be fulfylled herafter. And immediatly I was in the spirite: and beholde, a seate was set in heauen, and one sate on the seate. And he that sate, was to loke vpon, lyke vnto a Iaspar stone, and a Sardyne stone. And there was a rayne∣bowe about the seate, in syght lyke to an Emeralde. And about the seate were foure and twentye seates. And vpon the seates foure and twenty elders syttyng clothed in whyte rayment, and had on their heades crownes of golde.

HEre doth Iohn looke and see in spirite, as all y^• prophetes dyd. Beholde the fygure, whiche representeth vnto thee, what hea∣uenly mysteries of the kyngdome of Christ, and of the thinges that should happen afterwarde, Iohn dyd see in the heauen be∣yng opened. To be in the spirite, is asmuche as to be rapte of the spirite of god, into an heauēly traunce aboue al mans witte power or capacyte. Gods stoole or seate in heauen sygnified the euerlastynge state and continuaunce of the power, myght, blisse and ryghtuousnes of god. The bryghtnes of the precious stones sygnified y^• hyghe maiestye and glory of god, bewtyfyed with the knowledge of al thinges. The raynebowe sygnifyeth

his mercye and pacient sufferynge, yet not without mete and condigne reuen∣geaunce and iustice. The .xxiiii. seates and the .xxiiii. elders, doe sygnifye y^• most hyghest iustyce, and vnsearcheable councell and iudgement of god, and that the most speciall frendes of god bothe of the olde and new testament, are incorpo∣rate into y^• kyngdome of god, bothe Patryarkes, Kynges, Prophetes, Apostles and bysshops: All are subiect vnto the lorde in all holynes, and ready to honour him eternally. And al these doe knowledge, that they receyued all goodnes and commendacion that they haue, of the bountyfull grace of god.

The texte.

And out of the seate proceded lyghtnynges, and thondrynges, and voyces, and there were .vii. lampes of fyre, burnynge before the seate, whiche are the .vii. spirites of god. And before the seate there was a sea of glasse, lyke vnto Cristall, and in the myddes of the seate, and rounde aboute y^• seate were foure beastes full of eyes before and behynde. And the first beaste was lyke a lyon, and the seconde beaste lyke a calfe, and the thirde beaste had a face as a man, and the fourthe beaste was lyke a flying Egle. And the .iiii. beastes had echone of them syre wynges about him, and they were full of eyes within. And they had no rest daye nether nyght, sayinge: Holy, holy, holy, Lord god almightye, which was, and is, and is to come.

The earnest iudgement and commaundement of god, shall be opened and made manyfest vnto all the worlde thorowe the gospell, whiche shall be fearful and heauy vnto the wycked, but ioyfull and welcome vnto the faithfull & god∣ly: For vnto them it shall come with the gyftes of the plentifull spirite of God, whiche shall appeare in their fruites. The sea of glasse, maye sygnifye vnto vs, the aduersityes of this lyfe, whiche serue both to y^• glorye of god, and also to the syngular profyte of the faithfull for the frutefull exercyse of their faythe. The iiii. sondry beastes, are interpreted by some of the olde doctours (but not by all) to sygnifye the .iiii. Euangelystes. They maye betoken the .iiii. special mysteries of the Christen faythe: As the manhode of Christ maye be sygnified by the face of the man: And the passion and death of Christ, by the calfe appoynted to be slayne and offered. And the resurrection from death by the lyon: And the ascen∣cion into heauen by the Egle. All whiche misteries of Christ are plentuously set furth in the holy gospelles, and Christ and his kyngdome is descrybed in them vnto all the world, as a necessarye and a perfyght doctrine. The wynges which are spoken of, doe sygnifye here (lyke as they doe in the .vi. Chapter of Esaye) the obedience and reuerence, whiche all creatures doe owe of duty vnto y^• lorde, whiche vertues the faythful both willyngly and dylygently doe declare withall redynes and swyftnes of their godly and deuout heartes. The multitude of the eyes, dothe sygnifye, the Christen doctrine and wysedome of god, wherof is no want nor scarsenes in the churche: And this doctrine must be learned and taken out of the holy scripture geuen by god. For the whiche cause, al godly and bles∣sed myndes as well of the angels as of men, shal neuer cease to prayse and exalt the almightye god, to be holy in al his workes, onely one in his godly substance and yet a Trinite of persons, as it is wonderfully declared and expressed bothe by al holy scriptures, and also by the heauenly wysedome of the prophetes, and other holy men, secretely inspired and lyghtned of god, euē certein of the heathē also, whiche thorowe true fayth doe knowledge and confesse that there is but one onely god, creatour of all thinges, and ruler and gouernoure foreuer and immutable.

The texte.

¶ And when those beastes gaue glorye and honour, and thankes to him that sate on the seate (whiche lyueth for euer and euer) the foure and twentye elders fel downe before him

that sate on the trone & worshypped him that lyueth for euer, & cast their crownes before the trone sayinge: thou arte worthye (O lorde our god) to receaue glorye and honour, and power, for thou hast created all thinges, and for thy wylles sake they are, & were created.

One creature geueth euermore occasion to another, to knowe and to ho∣nour by al meanes possyble, the vnsearcheable highe, maiesty, power, wysoome, and mercy of the onely creatour and maker al the world: knowledgyng al good∣nes, that can be founde or sene in all maner of creatures, to come onely of God, whiche is the well sprynge of all goodnes. And for that cause, he is onely to be honored, inuocated and feared with all reuerence and submission, as muche as euer is possible for al creatures to performe, which haue all that they haue, what soeuer it be, lyfe, power, actiuite and altogether of god, and can ascribe nothing that good is vnto them selues.

Notes

• To be in the spirite. Gods seate The preci∣ous stones. The rayne¦bowe.
• The .xxiiii. seates and the .xxiiii. elders.
• The sea of glasse.
• The foure sondry bea∣stes. The face of the man. The calfe.
• The lyon. The Egle.
• The wyn∣ges.
• The eyes.