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.

Brethren, my hertes desyre & praier to God for Israel is, that they might be saued: For I beare them record, that they haue a feruent minde to God warde, but not accor∣dyng to knowledge. For they beyng ignorant of Gods righteousnes, and goyng about to stablishe theyr owne righteousnes, haue not been obedient vnto the righteousnes of God. For Christ is the fulfillyng of the lawe, to iustifie all that beleue.

ALl whiche thinges (brethren) speake I with great heauynes, because with all my heart I fauer and would them well, if I were in any wyse able to do them good, beyng in ieopardie of euerlastyng dā∣nacion. But now that whiche is the onely thyng* 1.1 I can do, in my dayly praiers made vnto God, my desyre & peticion is, that they may once yet amend and not alway continue in suche blyndnes. I can not vtterly excuse theyr vnbeleif, but yet in the de∣fence of theyr fault some coloure may be made and pretēded. As they are not in all pointes in suche sorte straungers to God, as the gentiles be, so muche the more wishe I that theyr rude beginnynges may once be made perfite, that whose shadow they haue for a season borne about with them in theyr bodyes, of the same they may now come to the very trueth. For* 1.2 albeit they with extreme deuilishnes fastened to the crosse the Lord, who was y^• foūtayne of al glorye, yet this say I of them, and deny not, that to Godwarde a certaine zeale and loue haue they, but yet not accordyng to knowledge and right iudgement. Nor are they deceiued for lacke of a godly minde and purpose, but in the choyse and practise of life, they rūne farre awry. Now better is it to haue some minde to religion, then to be al without, and of God wel worthy wer that minde of theyrs in goodnes to be encreased, were it not that they to the grosse beginnynges of godly life so stubbernly cleaued, that they refused the true and perfite religion, and wer it not also they so vehemently requyred and auaunced euen sha∣dowes and pictures of trueth, that the verye fountayne of trueth they vtterly dispised. For whiles they busyly in dede, but yet vndiscretely de∣fende and kepe Moses lawe, resistyng him for whom the lawe was prin∣cipally

ordained, they vtterly fal euen from the whole lawe selfe. Kepyng of the sabboth day, circumcision, abstinence frō certayne kyndes of mea∣tes, the shonnyng of dead carkasses, fastyng dayes, the keapyng of high* 1.3 feastes, were for this purpose made and decreed for a time, that frō suche rude beginnynges men might by litle and litle growe vpwarde to true & perfite righteousnes and from a certaine worldly righteousnes encrease and growe vppe to that, whiche is in all pointes godly and perfecte. If an ordinaunce be purposed and made for a better ende, vnseamyng is it for loue of suche a meane, to dispise the ende, for whiche the sayd meane was appointed. But now frowardely so yet do the Iewes, whom albeit after the publishyng of the righteousnes of God it besemed to forgoe the carnal iustice of the lawe, yet so farrefoorth bolster they out & defende theyr olde, and at this tyme hurteful, and not onely superfluous iustice of the lawe, that they not onely wyll not knowledge the heauenly righte∣ousnes of God, but also hauyng a confidence in theyr ceremonies with∣stande and resist the gospel of Christ, wherevnto they ought by fayth to submitte them selfe, if they euer minded to be truely righteous. For we must by imaginacion conceiue as it were twoo kyndes of iustice: thone wherof Moses was author, the other wherof Christ was beginner. The one standeth in ceremonies, the other in fayth and obedience. And as the rude piece of timbre is matter wherof an image is wrought, & as bloud is the beginning of liuyng creatures to be brought foorth by generaciō: so is the iustice of the lawe a rude & grosse beginnyng of thother, whiche is more perfite. And certainly extreme folishenes is it, after that a man is come to perfeccion, curiously to sticke styl in rudimentes. But now of all* 1.4 Moses law, whiche is of it selfe rude & vnperfite, is Christ the fulfillyng and perfeccion, by whom through fayth, and not through circumcision, we attaine righteousnes, whiche way to righteousnes is not onely open for Iewes to entre therinto, but also to all true and faythful beleuers.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Brethren my heartes desire and praier to God for Is∣rael is. &c
• * 1.2

  They haue a feruentminde to Godward but not accor¦dyng to kno∣ledge. &c.
• * 1.3

  They goyng aboute to sta¦blishe theyr owne righte∣ousnes haue not been obe∣dient to the righteousnes of God. &c.
• * 1.4

  Christ is the fulfillyng of the lawe to iustify al that beleue. &c.