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▪

And I coulde not speake (vnto you brethren) as vnto spiritual, but as vnto carnal, euen as vnto babes in Christ. I gaue you milke to drinke & not meate. For ye then wer not strōg, nether are ye as yet. For ye are yet carnal. As long verely as there is amōg you enuying, & stryfe and sectes, are ye not carnall and walke after the maner of men? For whyle one say∣eth: I hold of Paule, and another: I am of Apollo, are ye not carnal? What is paul? What thinge is Apollo? Onely ministers are they by whome ye beleued, euen as the Lorde gaue euery man grace. I haue planted, Apollo watred: but God gaue the encreace. So then, ne∣ther is he that planteth eny thynge, nether he that watreth: but God that geueth the en∣creace. He that planteth, and he that watreth, are one. Euery man yet shall receaue hys rewarde, accordynge to hys laboure. Fore we are Goddes labourers, ye are Goddes hus∣bandrye, ye are Goddes buylding. Accordyng to the grace of God geuen vnto me, as a wyse buylder haue I layde the foundacion. And another buylt theron. But let euery man take hede, howe he buyldeth vpon. For another foundacyon can no man laye, then it that is layde, which is Iesus Chryst.

THere are in this learning certayne poyntes mete for be∣gynners, certayne mete for them, that are wel entred, and goyng forwarde, and certayne mete for suche as are verie perfite, of whiche euerye sorte must be taught accordyng to their capacities. Therfore whē I fyrst came vnto you, I coulde not teache you the deapest poyntes of our reli∣giō, as suche should be taught, as are perfitely spiritual, but submitted my preachyng to your weakenes, amōg y^• rude, vsyng rudnes, among y^• grosse speaking grossely, lisping & stameryng, with you, as wemen doe with theyr chyldren. For fayth also hath her encrea∣singes. When I sawe you therfore in Christes learnyng but euen young∣lynges, I fed you as it were with the mylke of grosse learnyng and not with the substancial foode of perfite doctrine, not because I was not able to teach you greater poyntes, but because ye by reason of carnall affections, & blynd∣nes of your former lyfe, ••er not able to vnderstand higher learnynge, as di∣uerse among you are not able yet. For sum there be among you, which albeit through baptisme are become Christes seruauntes, haue not yet shaken of al fleshly affeccions. Such as are in this case, are surely carnal & not spiritual. What nede I many wordes, or why should I feare to speake that of you, y^• the dede selfe speaketh? The matier is knowen by your dedes. For synce the spirite of Christ bredeth vnitie & concorde, & on the contrarie syde, enuy, con∣tentions & debates ryse of nothing elles, but of worldly desyers, synce suche thynges are sene among you, maye not a man saye to your reproche, that ye are entangled with mannes grosse affections? Yf ye denye it, whence come these wordes, that are talked among you sounding to debate and strife, but of a corrupte mynde? for wheras there is but one chiefe doer and ruler ouer all the world, yet among you one sayeth: I am of Paules secte, another say∣eth: I am of Apollos secte, after which sorte or lyke sorte of titles y^• studentes in philosophie striue one with another, whyles one sayeth: I am Aristotles scholer, another sayeth: I am a Platoniste, I am a Stoike, I am an Epi∣cure. Whiche thinge yet I saye not, because any suche strife and sectes

are either in my name, or in Apollos rysen, but because I thought it good to put example in our persons, to make you more plainly perceyue the haynous∣nes of this your offence. For yf it be an vnseamly thing to giue vs, which are the true apostles of god, and suche as haue taught you nothing, but that we receyued by the spirite of Christe, suche glory and prayse, as is onelye due to hym: who can beare with you when ye chalenge to be of mennes sectes, not moche passing, what they bee, parauenture false apostles, and gyue ouer the gloriouse and myghtye woorke of youre saluacion and profession to vile persons, whiche shoulde only be gyuen vnto Christ? As yf one named Fran∣gilius, or Benotius, or Angulius, or Carmilius, or sum other of any other name, (for these put I, but for an example) haue deuised sum worldlye order or rule of lyfe, wyll ye straight vpon pride of theyr names, be at shamfull va∣riaunce among your selues, and by extinguyshing Christes name, make men the authors of trewe religion, wherof Christ is onely the beginner? And yf ye this doe, there remayneth nothing els, but as ye varie in newe made names, so lykewise labour to mayntayne and nouryshe thys dissencion of myndes with diuersitie of apparell, with diuersities of meates and drynkes, and in the whole order of lyfe: that as princes seruauntes some by red, some by yea∣lowe, some by partie coloures, some by one cogniza••unce, some by a nother, shewe that they haue dyuerse maisters, whome they doe seruice vnto: so must ye, whiche haue gyuen your selfes to the sectes of men, as though ye had by thē receiued lyfe and libertie, glory of theyr surnames, as though it were not honorable ynough to bee called christians. What, are ye ashamed of thys name? Is it not sufficient, by hurtles and godly lyfe, openlye to declare your selues to bee his? In this breake ye that whiche is one, and deuyde Christes glorye among lurdaynes. What ma••••er of menne youre capi∣taines are, I speake not yet. But put the case thei w••r as good as Apollo, as good as Paule, yea as good, as the high and chief apostles, are they yet any more than seruauntes to Christ, in whome ye beleue▪ They be not chief work∣men, but are in another mannes busines occupied ••o theyr owne ieopardie. And this authoritie haue they receiued of Christ only, vnder whome as prin∣cipall guyde and ruler, some execute one office, some another, as euerie of thē is by god apoynted. As I (for example) fyrst planted, what time I layed the foundacion of the learning of the gospell▪ Appollo watered it, and with gen∣tyll exhortacions cherished that, whiche was by me begunne. But to make the tree growe, and so encrease, that it plentuouslye bring furth fruite, that is the worke of god, and not oures. For both he that planteth, and he that wa∣tereth, labour all in vayne, vnles heauen gyue therto hys secrete power and influence, whiche is somuche more effectuall, because it is priuey and secret. Yf the husband manne be of thys dysapoynted, nothyng in maner preuay∣leth, the gardiner, nor yet the waterer, but yf heauen bee seasonable, the whole increase ought to be aknoweleged to come thence, and from god. For as concernyng thys feate, aswell the setter, as the waterer are in like case, for bothe labour in other mennes woorkes, and shall for theyr paynes receyue rewarde, not of you, but of god, whose woorkemen, we are. We as iourney men, labour in the worke of god: ye are hys grounde and lande, whiche we in hys behalfe tylle, and not in oure owne: ye are a buyldyng re∣red vp for hys honour, and not for ours. We owe hym seruice, but let

euery man take hede, what seruice he doeth hym: if he doe true and fayth∣full seruice, he shall receyue an honeste rewarde, but yf he otherwyse doe, then eyther shall he lose his labour, or receyue suche rewarde, as he hathe therby deserued. I for example, according to the grace, that God hathe gyuen me, lyke a wyse buylder haue layed a foundacion for buyldyng, not by myne owne power, but by his helpe, that apoynted me to this of∣fice. Vpon the foūdacion that I haue layed, diuerse men diuersly buylde, but let euery manne marke well, what he buyldeth therupon. As for the foundacion, that we haue layed, cannot be chaunged. What preachers soeuer come after vs, of what autoritie soeuer thei be, vnles they preache that Iesus Christe was fastened to the crosse, geue them no eare. Yf these allowe our foundacion, then remayneth it, that they thereupon buylde suche a piece of worke, as is for that foundacion mete. The foundacion is heauenly and spirituall, and suche as wherwith the buyldyng of earthlye and carnal learning agreeth not. A vayne counterfaite buylding may haply deceyue the iudgement of men, but it cannot deceyue Gods iudgement.

Notes

• I haue plā∣ted, Apollo watered.