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 .iii. Chapter.

The texte▪

What preferment then hath the Iewe, or what auauntageth circūcision? Surely ve∣ry muche. For because that vnto them wer committed the wordes of god. What then, though sum of them did not beleue. Shall theyr vnbelefe make the promise of god with out effect God forbid. Let god be trewe, & euery man a lyar, as it is written: that thou myghtest be iustified in thy sayinges, and ouercum when thou art iudged.

BVt here some one wyll saye, yf the whole matier stande in godly lyfe, and hurtles maners ioyned with fayth in Christe, what preferment then hath the Iewe more, than the Gentile, or what aduaun∣tageth circumcision at al, yf faythe and godlye ly∣uyng make both the circumcised I say, and the vn∣circumcised equall? yea yf circumcision make the Iewes matier worse, yf he transgresse the law and offend? Truely, touchyng the free gyft of goddes grace offred by y^e ghos∣pell, no poynte better is the Iewes state and condicion, than is the Gen∣tiles. And yet in some consideracion surely a great preeminence is it to be a Iewe borne. For herin fyrst maye they lawfully glorie, that among all other nations vnto them onelye were delyuered the wordes of god, as it maye appere, eyther for that to them aboue other was committed the law and prophecies, or for that to them god only vouchesaued to speake. Of whiche bothe, the fyrst coulde not be without the great bounteousnes of god, whome it pleased so to magnifie that nacion: and thē agayne muche more semeth he prepared to the faythe offered by the ghospell, whiche knoweth the promyses of the lawe, and nygher is he to the truthe, whiche hath sumwhat therof, albeit it be but a shadowe. For the knowledge of Moyses lawe, and of the darke sayinges of the Prophetes are, as it were a steppe onwarde, and a furtheraunce to the doctrine of Christes ghospel. And albeit sum of the Iewes beyng to muche stubbernely gyuen to the carnall letter of the lawe woulde not gyue credence to the ghospell, yet hurteth not theyr vnbelief, suche as vnfaynedly credit it. Shall the vn∣belief of suche (thinke you) cause, that the faythfull promise of god shall not take effecte, so that he beyng therwith displeased wyl, (as men are co∣menly wont to do,) breake his promyse, and disapoynt all men of y^•, which he hath equally and indifferently promysed to euerie man? God forbid it shoulde be so: but rather looke surely, that god will with all men kepe his promise, sauing: with suche, as refuse to take his offer: whiche he doth, lest any manne myght at any tyme reproue the fidelitie of the promyse ma∣ker, and leste it appere not sufficiently that god is trew, and as he is trew in dede, and cannot lye, so is he ready to perfourme, whatsoeuer he pro∣mised, but falsehod and lying cum of men, which through theyr own faul∣tes are of the promises of god disapoynted. God, as he is faythful, so nei∣ther canne he be deceyued, nor deceyue: but man, in asmuche as he is but manne, maye do bothe. That the promyses of god ben moste cer∣tayne, witnesseth also the misticall and heauenlye psalme of Dauid, saying: To the intente thou in thy sayinges myghteste appeare righte∣ouse and trewe, and in dede ouercum, as often as menne shall accuse

the for suche one, as maketh vayne promises, falsely and leudly thynking with themself, that for myne offences sake thou wylte not perfourme thy promise made to the stocke of Dauid. In dede I cannot denye, but that I well deserued to be disapoynted of thy promyse, but yet muche matier ma∣keth it, that thy fidelitie and truthe shoulde throughe my synnes be amōg men more commended and spoken of: as it wil, whē they shal see the holde on styll, not chaungyng thy sentence, notwithstandyng all myne vnrigh∣teousnes.

The texte.

¶ But yf our vnrighteousnes make the righteousnes of god more excellent, what shall we saye? Is god vnrighteouse, which taketh vengeaunce? I speake after the man∣ner of men: god forbid. For how then shall god iudge the world? for yf the truthe of god appeare more excellent through my ly vnto his prayse, why am I hēcefurth iudged as a synner? And not rather (as men speake euyll of vs, and as sum affirme, that we saye) let vs do euell, that good maye cum therof: whose damnacion is iuste.

But here sum man with himself wyll peraduenture thynke this: yf by mennes vnrighteousnes, the righteousnes of god, be more aduaunced and set furthe, what shall we thynke? Shal we thynke god vnrighteouse, and suche as would haue synne to continewe, that his iustice maye more clearly appere and be more praysed? But now speake I not in myne owne name, but in the name of vngodlye people. For god forbid, that any suche thought shoulde at any tyme enter into any good mannes mynde. Yf god be vnrighteouse, (as this reason semeth) how can he be hyghe iudge of this worlde? For yf this be goddes ordinaunce, that I should be a sin∣full lyar, to the intent that through my lying his fidelitie & truthe might the better be knowen, & more set furth, and that my reprochefull lyfe also should auaūce his glory, why is thē my sinful lyfe layed vnto my charge? why thynk we not rather, as foule tounged people falsly reporte, takyng vs, as though we this sayed: let vs do vnhappely, that good maye cum therof, yf that through out vnrighteousnes the righteousnes of God be more magnified and praysed. But god kepe all good folke farre frō suche frantyke imaginacions. Al suche men for theyr vnbelefe are for iuste and lawfull causes by goddes sentence condemned. For as they can not laye to goddes charge the synnes, wherof themself be wylful workers, so thā∣kes shoulde there none be gyuen vnto them, yf god of his goodnes turne theyr offences to his glorie.

The texte.

What then, Are we better than they? No, in no wyse. For we haue all redy proued, howe that bothe Iewes and Gentiles are all vnder syn, as it is written. There is none righteouse, no not one, there is none that vnderstandeth, there is none that seketh after god: they are all gone out of the waye, they are al vnprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one. Theyr throte is an open sepulchre, with theyr tongues they haue decey∣ued, the poyson of aspes is vnder their lyppes. Whose mouth is full of cursyng and bit∣ternes. Theyr feet are swyft to shed bloude: Destruction and wretchednes are in theyr wayes, and the waye of peace haue they not knowen. There is no feare of god before theyr eyes.

But now agayne to our purpose what shall we saye? Are we, that are Iewes in better case, thā are y^• paynyms? Not a whyt. I meane touching gods grace, promysed by the gospell, though that in the prerogatiue of the lawe gyuen vnto vs by God we seme to passe them. For nowe haue we already playnly proued, that both Iewes and Gētiles are all subiect and

thral vnto synne. As for the gētiles, y^• matier is more plaine, than can be denied. And y^• the Iewes are in like case, theyr owne scriptures beare eui∣dēt witnes. For in the .xiii. psalme of Dauid this wyse is it wryten: there is none righteous, none is there that vnderstādeth or seketh for God, all are wandered out of the waye, and therewith also becomen vnprofitable, no man is there, that doeth well, (I say) not somuche as one. Againe in the .v. Psalme: theyr shrote is an open sepulchre, with theyr tonges haue they deceiued: the poyson of y^e serpent Aspis is vnder theyr lippes. In the ix. Psalme likewyse, whose mouth is ful of bitternes and cursyng. With whiche testimonies the prophete Esai agreyng, saieth: theyr fete are swift to shed bloud, destruccion and wretchednes are in theyr wayes, & the way of peace haue they not knowen, there is no feare of God before theyr yies.

The texte.

We know, that whatsoeuer thyng the lawe sayeth, it sayeth it to them, whiche are vnder the lawe, that all mouthes may be stopped, & that all the worlde may be subdued to God, because that by the dedes of the law, there shal no fleshe be iustified in his sight For by the lawe cummeth the knowledge of synne.

Nor can we now cauel & say, that suche sayinges touche not, ne belong to the Iewes, synce that whatsoeuer the lawe sayeth, the same properly appertaineth vnto suche, as the same was geuen vnto, and are therfore to the same more bounden. All whiche was of God for none other pur∣pose done, but generally to stoppe euerye mannes mouthe from proude auauncyng of them selues: & eftsones to declare, that the whole worlde was endaungered to God, synce that, no not Moses lawe carnally kept, was able to make any man righteous and innocent in the sight of God, without whose commendacion among men to be accoumpted for righte¦ous is but a vaine trifle. But here wyll some one say, if men by kepyng of the law become not righteous, what good doeth it? Certainly to this end auailed the lawe, that by it eche man knewe his faulte. And surely to∣warde the recouery of health no smal furtheraunce is it, if a man knowe his owne disease.

The texte.

But nowe is the righteousnes of God declared without the lawe, forasmuche as it is alowed by the testimony of the lawe and of the prophetes. The righteousnes of God cōmeth by the fayth of Iesus Christ, vnto all, and vpon all them, that beleue.

But as hitherto it specially apperteined to the lawe to shewe menne theyr offences, whiche they before the lawe geuen knewe not so wel: so is there nowe by preachyng of the gospel, a righteousnes declared, whiche nedeth no helpe of Moses lawe, whiche righteousnes yet the lawe & pro∣phecies spoke of before. A iustice (I say) there is declared, not of the law, but the iustice of God, to be obtained, neither by circūcision, nor Iewishe ceremonies, but through fayth and a sure trust in Iesus Christ, who a∣lone geueth true and perfite iustice, not onely to the Iewes, or to any o∣ther special nacion, but without percialitie to all and euery man, whiche hath a sure trust and confidence in him.

The texte.

There is no differēce: for all haue sinned, and are destitute of the glory of God: but are iustified freely by his grace through the redempcion, that is in Christ Iesu, whom God hath sette foorth to be the obteiner of mercye through fayth, by the meanes of his bloud, to declare his righteousnes, in that he forgeueth the sinnes that are passed, whi∣che God did suffre, to shewe at this tyme his righteousnes, that he might be coump∣ted iuste and the iustifier of him, whiche beleueth on Iesus.

For as the disease is so general that all are this farre gone, that before God they can of theyr owne iustice nothyng glory: so must all of the same God, whom they haue offended, seke to be made righteous, whiche righ∣teousnes he geueth, not as wages due for kepyng of Moses law, or of the lawe of nature either, but frely through the great mercy of God, procu∣red not by Moses, but by Iesus Christ, by whose bloud we are redemed from the tyranny of synne. The Iewes as it cannot be denied, had in ty∣mes past theyr mercy table, a shadowe and figure of that, whiche should afterward folowe, but no we hath God declared Christ to be vnto all peo∣ple the very propiciatory mercie table, and sacrifice, to the entent that vpō displeasure cōceiued fyrst with our synnes, we might now be made at one with God, not by the bloud of beastes, as the Iewes wer, but by the most blessed bloud of Christ him selfe, whiche washeth awaye the synnes of all men, therby declaryng his righteousnes to al y^• world, whiles he through his sōne in suche sorte forgeueth the sinnes of our former life, y^• he would yet haue vs nomore hensfoorth fal again vnto thē. Nor yet doeth he this because men haue deserued so much, but because his {pro}••ise was so to do. Nor is it to be supposed, that God hath vntil this time suffred his people to runne at ryote out of his lawes & to continue in synne, either because he wyst not what they did, or fauoured theyr doynges, but rather in this tyme long before appoineted, to shewe his righteousnes, that so it might clearely appeare, that he is both throughly and in all pointes righteous of him self, and the onely author of our iustice, whiche he indifferētly ge∣ueth to al suche, as beleue the gospel of Iesus Christ.

The texte.

Where is then thy reioysyng? It is excluded. By what lawe? Of workes? Nay: but by the lawe of fayth.

If this be so, (as it is) then answere thou me, whiche art a Iewe, where be thy crakes become? They are vndoubtedly taken from the, and dis∣patched arte thou of them, synce the tyme that it hath pleased God, in the gospel of Christ to make all nacions equal. For euen the very Gentiles haue now helth and saluacion offered vnto them. But then by what law I pray you, are they excluded? Are they excluded by the olde ceremonial lawe of Moses? No not so, but by a newe lawe, suche as nothyng els re∣quireth, but a liuyng fayth in the sonne of God.

The texte.

Therfore we holde, that a man is iustified by fayth without the dedes of the lawe: Is he the God of the Iewes onely? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, euen of the Gentiles also. For it is God onely whiche iustifieth the circumcision that is of fayth, and vncircumcision through fayth. Do we then destroy the lawe through fayth? God forbid. But we rather mainteine the lawe.

For we hold (as in dede the trueth is) that euery man may hensfoorth through fayth be made righteous, though he kepe not the workes & cere¦monies of Moses lawe. The lawe & righteousnes therof peculiarly here¦tofore appertained to the Iewes: but the benefite of Gods mercy offered by y^e gospel, God now generally offereth to al men. Is he (trowe ye) only God of y^• Iewes? Is he not aswel God also of the gentiles? Doubt there is none, but that he is God of al nacions, aswel (I say) of the gentyles as of the Iewes. Then further, sythe there is but one God ouer all, good reason is it, that his gifte be likewyse commen to all. Whervpon it folo∣weth

againe, that it is not one God, whiche iustifieth the circūcised Iew, callyng him from his affiaunce in the lawe, whiche promiseth a sauiour, to the fayth of the gospel, whiche perfourmeth the same, & another God whiche iustifieth the vncircumcised paynym, by callyng him frō his ido∣latrie, to the same fayth: but it is euen one god, whiche worketh righte∣ousnes in bothe. But here wyll some Iewe say, what sayest thou Paule? If through fayth (as thou sayest) all thynges be geuē vs, then makest y^u Moses lawe but a vaine thyng, & for none vse & profite geuē to y^e Iewes. God forbid. Rather so farre are we frō thabolishement or thappayryng of the authoritie of the lawe, that we muche more maintaine & establishe it, whiles we preache & teache, that thing to be doen in dede, whiche y^• law promised, & tel you of him, to whō as to a marke the lawe appointed & di∣rected. Nor is that abolished, whiche is chaūged for a better, nomore thē we say, that the floures are abolished, when in theyr steade fallyng frō y^• trees there groweth fruit, or when in steade of y^• shadowe, there is placed a very body.

Notes

• Wha•• prefer∣m••nt then. &c.
• What then though sum of them dyd not. &c.
• For if the trueth of god appere more excellent tho∣rough my ly.
• That al mou¦thes may be stopped, and that all the worlde. &c.
• Whō God hath ••et f••rth to be the ob¦teiner of mer∣cy. &c.
• Therfore we holde that a man. &c.
• Do we then destroy the law through fayth, &c.