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.

But some man wyll saye: howe aryse the dead? with what body shall they come? Thou foole, that whiche thou sowest is not quyckened, excepte it dye. And what sowest thou? Thou sowest not that body that shalbe: but bare corne (as of whete, or of some other) but God geueth it a body at his pleasure, to euery sede his owne body. All fleshe is not one maner of fleshe: but there is one maner of fleshe of beastes, another of fishes, and another of byrdes. There is also celestiall bodyes, and there are bodyes terrestriall. But the glory of the celestiall is one, & the glory of the terrestriall is another. There is one maner glo∣ry of the Sunne, and another glory of the Moone, and another glory of the starres. For one starre differeth from an other in glory. So is the resurrecciō of the dead. It is sowen in corrupcion, it ryseth againe in incorrupcion. It is sowen in dishonour, it ryseth againe in honour. It is sowen in weakenes, it ryseth again in power. It is sowen a naturall bo∣dy, it ryseth again a spiritual body. There is a naturall body, and there is a spirituall bo∣dy, as it is also wrytten: the fyrst man Adam was made a lyuing soule, and the last Adam was made a quickenyng spyrite. Howbeit, that is not fyrste whiche is spirituall: but that whiche is naturall, and then that whiche is spirituall. The fyrste manne is of the earth, erthy: the seconde manne is the Lorde from heauen (heauenly.) As is the erthy, suche are they that are erthy. And as is the heauenly, suche are they that are heauenly. And as we haue borne the image of the erthy, so shal we beare the image of the heauenly. This say I brethren, that fleshe & bloud cannot inherite the kyngdome of God. Neither doeth corrupcion inherite vncorrupcion. Beholde, I shew you a misterie. We shall not all slepe: but we shall all be chaunged, and that in a momente, in the twinkling of an lye by the last trompe. For the trompe shall blowe, and the dead shall ryse incorruptible, and we shalbe chaunged. For this corruptible muste put on incorrupcion, and this mortall muste put on immortalytie. When this corruptible hath put on incorrupcion, and this mortall hath put on immortalytie: then shalbe brought to passe the saying that is wrytten: Death is swa∣lowed vp in victory: Death where is thy styng? Hell where is thy victory? The styng of death is synne, and the strength of synne is the lawe. But thankes be vnto God whiche hath geuen vs victory, thorowe our Lorde Iesus Christe. Therfore my deare brethren, be ye stedfast and vnmouable, alwayes ryche in the worke of the Lorde, for as muche as ye knowe, howe that your labour is not in vayne in the Lorde.

But now synce it is certaine, that a general resurrecciō shalbe, some curi∣ous persō wil aske: after what sort shal it be, & in what kind of bodies shal men rise? synce the bodies, whiche we now haue, are tourned into ashes, & earth, or into some other thing more vile. Thou foole, which maruailest, howe God can once doe in renyuing bodies again, that nature dayly wor∣keth in a sede cast into the grounde. Thou sowest a drye dead sede into the earth, & there agayne thesame beyng putrified semeth to dye, & so finally growyng out of the earth, as it were, lyueth agayne and groweth, nor coulde thesame in any wyse lyue agayne, onlesse it be fyrste dead and buried. But nowe groweth the sede vppe in another fourme, that it had,

when it was cast into the earth. Into the earth is cast a lytle, vyle, blacke and drye grayne, which beeng by continaunce of tyme putrified there, in due season groweth vp, and becommeth fyrst a tender grasse, and then a stalke, and so at the laste an eare. Of all whiche three there appeared none in that small grayne, which thou before dydest cast into the earth. Euery sede hath his power, which, when it is growen vp, appeareth, so that it may now seme vtterly to be an other, where thou in dede knowest it to be the same, saue that it is chaunged into a better forme. Seest thou not, of a lyttle kernell, howe greate a tree groweth? howe myghtye a stemme there is, howe the rootes spreade, howe large boughes, what a noumbre of braunches, howe pleasaunte blosomes, and plentefulnes of fruyte there is? Of all which there was nothyng, when thou dyd cast that sealye small kernell into the grounde. And yet at that tyme all these thinges didest thou hope for, vpon trust conceiued of y^• workes of nature▪ and darest thou not vpon trust of Gods almyghtye power surely looke for the lyke to be done by God? A kernell it was, that thou sowedste, and not a tree, and yet geueth God to that kernell once quickned, a body, suche as his pleasure is, which geueth euery kynde of sede a speciall property, that wheras all growe agayne, yet haue they not in all poyntes thesame forme they had before. And after lyke sorte is it in all kyndes of beastes, wherof euery one hath his seueral sede, so that of euery seed euery beaste can not be engendred. And though this to all beastes be commen to haue a fleshy body, yet is there betwixte one flesh and an other no small diffe∣rence. For the flesh of men is of one maner, and the flesh of beastes, fyshes and byrdes is of another. Lykewise also though such creatures, as lacke lyfe, be called bodies, yet is there a diuerse forme in heauenly bodies, and in earthly, as in stones, water and earth. Yea and as there is of heauenly bodyes one beautie and comlynes, and of earthly an other, euen so a di∣uersitie is there among the heauenly bodyes them selfe. Fyrste nether is there lyke glory and bryghtnes of the Moone, with the sōne, nor of other starres with the Moone, and briefly euen the verie starres selfe in bright∣nesse diffre one from another, for all are not as bryght as the day starre is. Lykewyse at the resurrection all men shall ryse with theyr owne bo∣dyes, but yet in an vnlyke glory, without doubte as it shal please God to gyue them, and as they in this lyfe haue deserued. For the vngodly shall rise in one fourme & the good in an other. Among them also that are good, euerie one, as he hath in this lyfe vsed hymselfe, so shal he excell other in the gloriousnes of his new bodye. Yet generally all good men shall haue a muche more actiue bodye, than was that, which they by death forsoke. And as it is in nature to couer the seed vnder the earth, the same is in the matier of resurrection, the buriall of the deade bodye. And that whiche in the seede is growyng agayne, is in the bodye rysyng agayne. And as in the one, that is muche better, which groweth vp, than was that, which was caste into the earth: euen so here, albeit it be thesame bodye, that ryseth agayne, yet is it farre vnlike. There is sowen as it were a grayne into the earth, a body subiect to corruption, but thesame shall ryse againe without all corruption. There is hydden in the earth a vyle body & loth∣some, but there shall ryse againe a body both gloriouse and honourable.

There is buryed a bodye, whiche euen when it lyued was weake, but it shall ryse agayne full of power and myght. There is buryed a bodye, which albeit were alyue, yet were it grosse and heauye, and by the reason of that bourdaynouse to the soule, gouernour of the same, but there shall ryse agayne not a naturall, but a spirituall bodye, whiche shall to the soule be no let, whither soeuer it moue. For this is a difference of bodies also, one is naturall, whiche hath neede of meate and drynke, and is we∣ryed with labour, whiche is diseased, whiche with age weareth awaye, which with his grosse and fautie instrumentes, ofttimes letteth the intent of the soule, which by reason of froward desyers oftentimes prouoketh to vyce, to whome yf the soule be obedient and geue ouer, the same is as it were tourned into the body, and groweth out of his nature into fleshe: another is spirituall, which being in this lyfe by lytle and lytle purged from sensual appetites and desiers, and after by resurrection renewed a∣gayne, is in maner transfourmed into the nature of the soule, to whom it by godly desyre applyed it selfe: that as oure soule obeyng the spirite of god is rauished and in maner transformed into him: so maye our bodyes beyng▪ obedient vnto the soule be pourged, and shakyng of his grossenes be purified into such a body, as is very lyke to the soule. This grosse and earthly body receiued we of our first father Adā, which as he was made of earth, so was he subiect to earthly desiers. But there is an other secōde Adam, not somuche the begynner of our natiuitie, as of our resurrection, which as he hath an heauenly beginning, so was he fre from al infeccion of earthly desyers. And so reade we in Genesis: The fyrste man Adam was made to lyue through y^• benefite of the soule, but yet so, that the soule be∣yng as it were bound to the grosse body should do nothing, but by bodily instrumentes, or at the leaste by some material meane. But after him was geuen a seconde Adam, which as he was conceaued by the holy gost, so should he geue lyfe to his, not this grosse lyfe, whiche we haue in many poyntes common with beastes, but a spirituall and a heauenly lyfe. By Christ therfore are we repayred in al poyntes into a better state. For that thing, whiche is in time firste, is also in substance more grosse, and that by the order of nature. We nowe beare about with vs a naturall bodye, and in tyme to come we shall haue a spirituall bodye. As the grosse parent of our stocke went before, so folowed Christ the begynner of a newe genera∣cion. And what sorte of one the earthly parent was, suche are his posteri∣tie, that is to saye, men gyuen to earthly desyres. And agayne what kynde of one the heauenly Adam was, such are they, which are borne agayne in hym, that is to wete, wholy delyted with heuenly thinges. For we must for this state begyn that here, which we intende herafter per∣fitely to enioye. As before baptisme in vngraciouse maners we resemblyd the nature of our fyrst father, so being borne agayne vnto Christ through baptisme, we muste nowe in heauenly lyfe resemble oure heauenly father. And yf we this do not, neither shall we be here partes of Christes bodye, nor in tyme to come gloriously ryse agayne. In deede admitted are we in∣to the kyngdom of god: but this I tell you brethren, that flesh and bloud, that is to say, men of the first generacion cannot come to the enheritaunce of the kyngdome of God: nor the lyfe whiche is with synne corrupted,

shall haue the inheritaunce of lyfe immortall. And because ye shall be ig∣noraunt of nothyng apertaynyng to the maner of resurreccion, beholde I tell you a misterie. We shall not all dye, for the laste daye shall peraduen∣ture fynde some of vs alyue, but yet shall all we be chaunged to the glory of immortall lyfe, whiche here after a sorte abstayning from the infeccion of synne through godly conuersacion, beginne the immortal lyfe to come. This chaunge shal not be made by lytle & lytle, as we see natural thinges chaunged, but in a minute & twynkling of an iye, at the sounde of the laste troumpe. For the troumpe shall blow, at the voyce wherof suche as then are dead shall ryse immortall. And we, whiche shall at that day be found alyue, beyng sodaynly chaunged shall lyue after an other sorte, that is to say, as they doe, which are rysen again. For necessary it is, that before we perfitly possesse the kingdom of heauen, we vtterly put of al earthlynes, and that this our corruptible body be made incorruptible, and this our mortal body become immortall. When this is so, than shal that verely be perfourmed, which the Prophete O see foreseing sayth, reioysing at the vtter destrucciō of death▪ death is swalowed vp through victory. Where is now death thy styng▪ o hell where is thy victory? The sting of death is sinne, & the strength of sinne is the lawe, which by occasion geuing prouo∣keth vs to sinne. When the law is taken away, the power of sinne is faynt and feble, when sinne is taken awaye, the power of death ceaseth, by rea∣son that the styng is taken awaye, wherwith she is wounte to stryke vs. Vnable were we vtterly to fyght against such violent aduersaries, were it so, we had no strength but our owne: thankes therfore be geuē to God, which hath caused, that if we wil, we may wynne this gloryous victory through Iesus Christe our Lorde, whiche for our sakes with his death ouercame death, and toke vpon hym to purge our synnes. Therfore my dearly beloued brethren, synce it is certaine, that the resurreccion shalbe, and synce it is knowen what blysse & glory men shall enioy therby, which yet no man shal receiue, but such as here, by forsaking sinne, and by godly liuing begynne it, doubte not of that ye haue once beleued, nor suffer your selfes with the talking of vngodly persons to bemoued from your right receyued fayth, but rather apply continually to profite in such thynges, as may bryng you into Gods fauoure, that ye become euery day better than other, preparyng your selfes agaynst the resurreccion to come. Nor shrynke ye to take paynes, assuryng your selfes, that through Christes helpe for transitorie labours ye shall receyue ioyes without ende.

Notes

• All fleshe is not one ma∣ner of flesh.
• The fyrste manne is of the earth earthly.
• Death is swalowed vp in victo∣rie. &c.