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 .vii. Chapter.

The texte.

¶ And after that, I sewe foure Angels stande on the foure corners of the earth, holdyng the foure wyndes of y^• earth, y^• the wynde should not blowe on y^• earth, nether on the see, nether on eny tree. And I saw another angel ascende from the rysinge of the sunne, which had the seale of the lyuynge god and he cryed with a loude voyce to the foure Angels (to whome power was geuen to hurte the earth & the sea) saying: hurte not y^• earth nether the sea, nether the trees, tyll we haue sealed the seruauntes of our god in their forheades.

THis perteyneth also vnto the syxt seale, as a syngular comforte vnto y^• right faithfull, whiche are tossed and persecuted in this worlde for the truthes sake, and for godlynes. By these.iii.an∣gelles,* 1.1 are vnderstande noysome ministers, whiche goe aboute to hynder bothe the lyfe and doctrine of the gospel, and the true faith. These are y^• messengers of Antichrist, scattrid thoroweout the whole worlde, & they doe great hurte vnto al men of euery degre: whiche is* 1.2 sygnified by the earth, the sea, & the trees. The holy angel, which ascendeth from the rysing of y^• sonne, & hath the token or seale of the lyuyng god, is our lord Ie∣sus Christ: which hath not onely cōmaunded the gospel to be preached vnto al creatures, but also thorowe his godly power, he doth hinder such as would stop or let it. And this he doth thorow his ordinary ministers, as wel of y^• spirituall, as also of the temporall sorte. And for this cause some men haue vnderstanden by this angell, y^e good Emperour Constantyne. But it maye also be some other, by whome out fauiour Christe dothe further, and set for the the doctryne of the gospell, and a Christen lyfe, againste all tyannes and Antychrystes. This angell therfore, shall delyuer the electe children of god, from the myddes of the wycked worlde, and shall marke or seale them with the token or marke of

the blessed whiche is fayth, loue, and innocency, and by these he shall make them to be knowen vnto the whole christen congregacion.

The t••••••••

¶ And I hearde the nombre of them whiche were sealed, and there were sealed. an. C. and xliiii. ••. of at the crybes of the children of Israel. Of the trybe of Iuda were sealed. xii. M. Of the trybe of Ruben were sealed. xii. M. Of the trybe of Gad were sealed twelue. M. Of the trybe of Aser wer sealed. xii. M. Of the trybe of Neptalim were sealed twelue. M. Of the trybe of Manasses were sealed. xii. M. Of the trybe of Symeon were sealed. xii. M. Of the trybe of Leuy were sealed. xii. M. Of the trybe of Isacar were sealed. xii. M. Of the trybe of Zabulon were sealed. xii. M. Of the trybe of Ioseph were sealed. xii. M. Of the trybe of Beniamin were sealed. xii. M.

Thus hathe our sauiour Iesus Christ chosen into his churche & cōgregacion, not onely out of the gentyles or heathen but also out of the Iewes, of all trybes & generacions. Out of y^e whiche, euen before the passion of Christ, there were in∣fynite noumbres, scattered & dyspersed abrode thorow out y^e whole world, which were conuerted vnto y^e christen faithe & receyued y^e baptisme or christendome. As the holy Apostles also, preached first vnto the Iewes, the syncere & pure christen faith. And the nombre of those Iewes y^e were conuerted by them, was doubtles greate, throughout the whole world, & in continuaunce of tyme increased. But here in this place, after y^e customeable vse of the holy scripture, is marked or sea∣led a certen appoynted, & prescribed nomber, for an vncerten & an vnprescrybed nomber, but yet a full and a perfyght nomber. For. xii. times. xii. thousande, doe* 1.3 make an hundreth and. xliiii. thousande. For what cause certen are not here re∣hersed amonge the. xii. trybes, it is not necessarye to searche. For there are euen as many true christians, & more also (thorowe y^• wyll of god) conuerted vnto the true faythe out of y^• trybe or flocke of Iacob: And more shal be dayly conuerted, whan as the Christen religion shalbe restored and reformed after the rule and square of holy scripture, as it was first bylded, of the Apostles & bysshops of the prymatyue churche.

The texte••.

¶ After this I behelde, and lo, a great multitude (which no man coulde nombre) of al na∣tions & people, and tonges, stooe before the seate, and before the lambe, clothed with longe whyre garmentes, & palmes in their handes, & cryed with a loude voyce, saying: saluaciō be ass••r••bed to him that sytreth vpon the seate of our god, and vnto the lambe. And all the angels stode in the compase of the seate, & of the elders, & of the foure beastes, & fell before the seate on their faces, & worshypped god, saying. Amen: Blessing and glorye & wysdom. and thankes, and honour, and power, and myght, be vnto out god for euermore. Amen.

As was before sayd, there wer many turned vnto y^e christē faith, out of y^e tribes of y^e Israelites, after y^• fleshe. But there were many more, yea infynite nombres out of all other heathē people, tounges, & nacions, which euē frō y^e antyquyte (as bothe Sybylla & Mercurius, & also more euydētly & certeinly y^• patriarke Ia∣cob in y^e. xlix. of Genesis, & lykewyse all y^e prophetes doe testifie) dyd looke and wayte for the sauiour & Messias. Out of y^e which the christendome did dayly in∣crease, & waxe greater in y^• whole worlde, & thus they became right children of Abraham, & Israel, after y^e faith, to y^• glorye & prayse of god. Where vnto al the holy patriarkes had alwayes more respect, thā eyther to y^• lande of Chanaan, or to y^e temple of Ierusalem, or yet to y^• circumcision & cuttyng of y^e foreskynne of their bodily (but vnnaturall and dysobedient) children and posterite. Yea or fy∣nally to all maner of Iewyshe ceremonies. For those christians, that were con∣uerted frō the heathē, in the whole world, dyd imbrace & receyue the gospel very desyrously & feruently, framing their lyues in euery condicion therafter, refor∣myng & forsakyng their olde heathnyshe & synfull lyfe & maners: pacient in all maner of affliccions: Constant and faythfull euen vnto deathe for the true saythe and relygions sake, againste ydolatrye, supersticion and false religion.

And for this, they haue receyued euerlastyng blisse, wherin they laude & honour god in the ioyes of heauen euerlastyngly. As they also doe no lesse, so long as they remayne in the warrefare of this transitorye lyfe, wherin they walke, (as beyng marked and chosen out) in all innocencie, vertue, and godlynes: & thus euen vpon earth, they possesse their soules with pacience, in all maner of assaul∣tes and temptacions, with a true confidence in god, and with a quiet conscience. And by this meanes they take here a tast of the blissed hope and loue, vntil they obteyue euerlastynge saluacion.

The texte.

¶ And one of the elders answered, saying vnto me: what are these whiche are arayed in longe whyte gatmentes, and whence came they? And I sayde vnto him: Lorde thou wo∣test. And he sayde to me: these are they, whiche came out of great tribulacion, and made their garmentes large, and made them whyte by the bloude of the lambe: therfore are they in the presence of the seare of god and serue him daye and nyght in his temple, and he that sytteth in the seate wylld well amonge them. They shall honger no more nether thirst, ne∣ther shall the sunne lyght on them, nether eny heate. ••or y^• lambe whiche is in the myddes of the ••eare, shall fede them, and shall leade them vnto fountaynes of lyuynge water, and God shall wype awaye all teares from their eyes.

A certen elder asked S. Iohn (to geue him occasion to teache, and to instructe him) what he iudged, and thought of those blessed ones, whiche he saw in suche honour with god, garnysshed with whyte garmentes. And Iohn made a quicke answer, sayeng, that all those whiche doe cleaue vnto Christe with a true and a perfyght faith, and for the faithe and truthes sake suffer paciently & wyllingly, what a••••lyctiō so euer god shal sende vnto them, thei shalbe in great honour and estimaciō with god. And they are suche, as assc••ybe al their perfightnes, vertue, and godlynes, not vnto their owne workes, nor yet vnto their owne fulfyllyng of the lawe, wherin they must nedes knowledge them selues gyltye and synful: but all together vnto the merytes of the healthsome passion of Christ, whiche is and shall euer be their rightuousnes, in whome they put their trust and confy∣dence: and for his sake, they are readye to suffer, whatsoeuer god shall lay vpon them. These are the holy & blessed, whiche beginne in this lyfe, to haue a delight in godlynes, euen with a free spirite: And thorowe faythe they are sure of the grace and mercye of god, which shal continue for euer towarde them, & at length they shall haue the cleare fruicion of all goodnes, and shall fully possesse that, which they doe here hope and looke for. Suche men are the very true seruaun∣tes of god fully stablysshed in the right faythe, and true loue: From the whiche (thorowe the grace of god) they shall neuer fall: For as muche as god is their father, and ouerse••r, whose deare and louynge children they are. And they can lacke no treasure, neyther corporall nor spirituall, eyther in this worlde, or in the worlde to come. And they lyue blessedly in peace and quientnes of conscience, be∣fore god: readye at the pleasure of god, to goe thorowe welthe and woo in this worlde, whome no maner of creature can hurte, for as muche as the lorde fauo∣reth them, vnto whome they haue vtterly geuē and committed them selues, and haue offred vp vnto him a pleasant sacrifice & oblacion in faythe, in true Chri∣sten loue and perfyght hope. For Christ that suffered death for them, and rede∣med them with his bloude, will not forsake them, but graciously rule & gouerne them, and thorowe the holy gospel wil instructe them in all rightuousnes, which they begynne here in this world, and shal enioye the frute therof in the lyfe euer∣lastyng. And thus thorowe y^• grace & mercye of god, they shal ouercome al woe and vexacion, and remayne pacient in persecucion, yea and mery and ioyfull

also in him, that can strengthen and comforte them: whiche dystrybuteth his plentifull grace vnto them, to worke al holy & vertuous workes. For the which also, beyng his owne workes, he wyll yet crowne and rewarde them (as S. Au∣sten sayeth) in the kyngdome of heauen eternaliy.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Foure an∣gels.
• * 1.2

  The earth, the sea, and the trees. The holy angell.
• * 1.3

  A certen nomber, put for to signi∣fye an vn∣certen mul∣titude.