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.

¶I saye then: hath god caste awaye his people? God forbid. For euen I also am an Israelite, of the seede of Abrahā, of the tribe of Beniamin. God hathe not caste away his people, whiche he knewe before. Wote ye not, what scripture sayeth of Helias, how he maketh intercession to god agaynste Israel, saying: Lorde they haue kylled thy prophe∣tes, and haue digged downe thyne alters: and I am lefte alone, and they seeke my lyfe. But what sayth the aunswer of god vnto hym? I haue reserued vnto my self seuen thou¦sand men, which haue not bowed their knees to the image of Baal. Euen so also at this tyme is there a remnaunt left, accordyng to the eleccion of grace. Yf it be of grace, then is it not nowe of workes. For then grace is no more grace. But yf it be of workes, then is it nowe no grace. For then were deseruing no deseruing. What then? Israel hath not obtayned it whiche he seeketh, but the eleccion hath obtayned it. The rēnaunte are blyn¦ded, accordyng as it is written. God hath gyuē them the spirite of vnquietnes, iyes that they should not see, and eates that they should not heare euen vnto this daye. And Dauid saithe: Let their table be made a snare to take them with all, and an occasion to fall, and a rewarde vnto them, let theyr iyes be blynded, that they see not: & bowe thou downe theyr backe alwaye.

BVt to what ende drawe all these my wordes? Be they to teache, that the Gentiles whiche were be∣fore this tyme to god straungers, are thoroughe fayth taken into goddes familie, and that the peo∣ple of the Iewes, whiche was by god fyrste chosen oute, is through vnbelief vtterly refused? No not* 1.1 so: for vnlykely is it, that god hath nowe vtterly re∣fused that nacion, which he hath hitherto gentely & gladly knowledged, as his chosen people. If god had throughly refused the whole nacion, then should not my selfe, by kin∣red an Israelite, lineally descended of the stocke of Abraham, and apper∣taynyng to the tribe of Beniamin, at this tyme preache Christe. So ferre are we from this, that god hath refused vs, that euen when I for zeale of the law persued good people, then god called me furth to preache his gos∣pel. At lestwyse that ye forget not, whiche is red in the thirde booke of the* 1.2 kynges, where the prophete Helias speaketh vnto god complayning vpō and blamyng the Iewes wickednes, sayinge: Lorde they haue kylled thy prophetes, and ouerthrowen thyne aulters, I am left alone, and they seke for my lyfe. After whiche vnmercifull crueltie it myghte seme, that god would vtterly haue caste of his people, as desperate and paste all amend∣mente. But what was by god aunswered to Helias? I haue reserued vnto my self seuen thousande men, whiche haue not bowed theyr knees vnto y^• ydoll of Baal. As then at that tyme god refused not al his people, but of so many euyll left a certayne noumber to honour him: after the same sorte happeneth it nowe. For the whole people of the Iewes hath not god suffe∣red to be estraunged from him, no more then he hath suffered the reste be∣syde to peryshe in theyr synnes, albeit of bothe people very fewe are they, whiche do belieue in comparison of them, that refuse so to do.

But yet of his goodnes hath god saued some, neither because they were Iewes borne, nor yet because they kepte Moses lawe, but because he of

manye hath chosen them furthe, vpon whome his pleasure was to shewe* 1.3 his bountiful grace and mercye. Nowe yf he so dyd of his owne bountiful mercy, and not for theyr desertes, let it not be imputed vnto theyr workes. For that, whiche is gyuen a man for his labor, is rather, as hyrewages, than a free gyfte. But that, whiche is gyuen to suche as deserue not, that and none els is a free gift. Yf the desertes of workes be once accoumpted, then is a benefite, no lenger a benefite, but should muche more be called* 1.4 a rewarde. What happened then? Surelye this happened, that the same, whiche the people of Israel vpon confidence of the lawe intended to ob∣tayne, for lacke of belief they went there without, so that suche onlye obtei¦ned, as were of goddes eleccion, and not they, whiche belonged to the cir¦cumcised stocke. To suche as were not chosen by god, neither circumcisiō, nor kepyng of the lawe auayled, but they were w^t malyce so far furth blin∣ded, that vpon syghte of so many miracles they gaue no credence, leyng with theyr bodely iyes Christ, whome they had so long loked for, yet with the iyes of theyr harte seyng hym not at al. And that we now see done and are for the same sorye, the prophet Esai long before prophecied, should be. Because they refused the holy and humble spirite of Christ, therfore hath god gyuen them the spirite of vnquietnes bothe roughe, boysteouse, and vnrulye, so that the wonders they behelde with theyr iyes, they deny styl, as thoughe they sawe them not, and that they heare with theyr eares, no more moueth them, than yf they hearde them not. Suche were they in tyme paste to the prophetes, suche were they to Christe hymselfe, suche are they vntil this daye towarde the preachers of the gospell.

This also Dauid replenished with the spirite of prophecie sawe long* 1.5 before, and for theyr great stubbernes in this behalfe agaynst the wyll of god, prophecieth destruccion mete for suche frowarde people. Let theyr table (sayeth he) become a snare to take them withal, and an occasion to fall, and into punishment dewe for suche dedes, let theyr iyes be so blyn∣ded, that they see not, and alwaye bowe downe theyr backes, because they woulde not pleasauntly vse that whiche was layd before them, and refu∣sed suche thynges, as they presently sawe and hearde, and were without al godly regarde to loke vp to heauē warde, and knowledge toward thē their makers benefite, but gyuyng themself wholly to the grosse meaning of the lawe, disdayne heauenly doctrine, and in regarde of thynges tran∣sitory, despisen that, which is euerlasting. The Iewes cary about in their handes the bokes of Moses, and vnderstande them not: they reade the prophecies, and denie, that in them is promised. But wherto maketh this some man will saye? they are blyndfolded, they are snared, they be bowed downe, and become deafe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  I saye then hath god cast away his peo¦ple: god for∣bid,
• * 1.2

  Wote ye not what scrip∣ture sayth of Helias, howe he maketh in¦tercession.
• * 1.3

  If it be of grace than is it not now of workes?
• * 1.4

  Israel hath not obtayned that which he seketh, but y^• eleccion hath obteyned it.
• * 1.5

  And Dauid sayd, let their table be made a snare, &c.