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 .ix. Chapter.

The texte.

Am I not an Apostle? am I not fre? haue I not seene Iesus Christ our lorde? Are ye not my woorke in the Lorde? If I bee not an Apostle vnto other, yet am I vnto you. For the seale of myne Apostleship are ye in the lorde. Myne aunswere to them that aske me, is this. Haue we not power to eate and to drinke? Haue we not power to leade about a sister to wife, as well as other Apostles, and as the brethren of the Lorde and Cephas? Either onely I and Barnabas haue not power this to do? Who goeth a warrefare any tyme at hys own coste? Who planteth a vineyarde, and eateth not of the fruicte thereof? Or who fedeth a flocke and eateth not of the milke of the flocke?

CAuse therfore hath no man to complayne and say that he is restrained of his libertie. But we may not alway onely con∣sider, what may be lawfully done, but also what is profita∣ble, nor straight doe al that may be defended, but rather doe as Christian charitie requireth, whiche seketh not so much her own pleasures and commodities, as other mens. How many thinges haue there bene, wherein I mighte haue vsed myne autoritie, had not charitie otherwise moued me. I staied not for lacke of knowledge, and well vnderstode what I might doe, but more regarded I that which was for you profitable. Many thinges did I, which I wel wist, made litle to godly life, and al was to apeace such as I would not haue from Christ withdrawen. And many thynges dyd I not, whiche I myght haue done, had not your profite moued me other wyse. And why shoulde I not? Am I not an Apostle as wel as they be, that of this title auaunce themself? Was not I by Christes commaundement sent to preache vnto the gentiles? And if I bee an apostle as well as other, why haue I lesse apostolique autoritie and power?* 1.1 Was it not geuen to me to see our Lorde Iesus Christe, if any man thinke it •• great matier, as it is to se him as some did after his resurreccion? And if apos∣tles be estemed by theyr famous actes, what lacke find they herein in me? Is it not an apostolique act to bring Corinthe, once wholy geuē to worldly desires, to Christes gospell and hys dominyon? And thys acte haue I by gods helpe brought to passe. Whether I be an apostle to the Iewes or not, let them iudge which labour to mingle Moses & Christe together, if I be not, at the least wi••e yet am I vnto you an apostle, which through my preaching beleued in Christ, which sawe the mightie power of god to assist and strengthen my woorde. Yf men therfore loke for actes, ye (I say) are my workemanship, albeit in dede all the prayse of this act, ought to be geuen vnto Christ, and not to me. Are ye not my testimoniall and seale, whereby if nede were, I am able to declare that to me, for the glory of Christ, is committed an apostles office? For so aunswere I them, that aske how I can proue that I am an apostle. Yf I haue among you done asmuch as hath by the chiefe apostles bene done in any place amōg other, why am I not as well an apostle, as they be? Nowe & if mine authoritie be as greate, as other apostles is, and yf I haue doone asmuche good, as they haue, what should let me to be of lyke estate and auctoritye with them? and synce I haue laboured asmuche as they haue, or paraduenture more, whye shoulde I not in rewarde bee equalle with theim? Were wee onlye amonge other

restrained of that libertie to eate and drinke at their costes to whome we prea∣ched the gospel? Is it for vs onely vnlawful to leade about with vs christian matrones to helpe vs with such necessaries of theirs, as it is for thys our life expedient, as other apostles do? not such, I say, as are of the meane sort, but e∣uen the chiefe apostles, the brethren of the lorde, I say, Iames, and Iohn, yea and Cephas also, whiche among the apostles is of princypall estimacyon. Am I and Barnabas therfore onely without lyke autoritie to liue at reste, and to preache the gospel at other mens costes, because we doe not as they dooe? So farre are we from hunting for any riches by preachyng the gospel, that we of gift toke not so muche as a simple and a course liuing, as we might haue do one lawfully. For who is there, that at any time goeth on warfare at his own cost? Who planteth a vineyard, to eate no parte of the fruite of the same vineyard? Who fedeth a flocke, and in the meane season eateth nothing of the milke of the flocke? In euery labor the charge is borne by him, for whō the worke is done.

The texte.

Say I these thinges after the maner of men? Saieth not the lawe thesame also? For it is written in the law of Moses. Thou shalt not mousel the mouth of the ••xe that treadeth out the corne. Doeth God take thought for oxen? Saith be it not altogether for our sakes? For our sakes no doubt this is written, that he which eareth, should care in hope, and that he which thressheth in hope, shoulde be partaker of hys hope. If we sowe vnto you spirituall thinges, is it a great thing if we reape your bodely thinges? If other be partakers of this power ouer you, wherfore are not we rather?

But what, haue I nothing to proue this w^t, but onely natural reason? Confir∣meth not the wholy law of god euen the same thing, that the law of nature spe∣keth? Yes surely, for Moses lawe forbiddeth, saying: thou shalt not mousel the oxes mouth, when he is lead about to treade out the corne, and al because it is vniust thence not to haue foode, wherin any creature laboreth. But what ma∣keth this for the apostles, some will say? Thinke ye it likely, that god by this lawe onely made prouision for oxen, or is there rather in this some deper mea∣ning, which belongeth to vs? So farre is god from defrauding the laborer of his liuing, that he would not that asmuch as oxen should be defrauded therof. Wherfore this sentence is not so much written for oxens sake, as for ours, to teache, that whosoeuer laboureth in the painful & laborious tillage of the field of the lord, should not be depriued of the hope of rewarde: & whoso in the floore of the lord treadeth out corne, beside the hope of rewarde euerlastyng, shoulde also with the reward of worldly nede ease his labour. And thinke it not a great mater if when we geue you such thinges, as make to life euerlasting, we again receiue of you such giftes, as apparteine to the bodely nede of this transitorye life: nor if when we sow vpon you spirituall giftes, that we at your handes re∣ceiue carnal cōmodities. Nor cause is there any why such one should vpb••aide a man with his benefites, which for moste precious treasour geueth but vy••e trifles. Neither are we endebted vnto you, if we receiue such necessaries, as ye offer vs, but vnthankefull were you to denie vnto them a liuing, which labor and trauil for your weal. But now and if some haue among you vsed this au∣toritie, and if apostles, such as they be (for of thē for a while pronounce I no∣thing) vse it stil, how much more lawfully might we doe the same, which both first among al other, and most of all other, haue for your weale taken paines.

The texte.

••••u••rthelesse we haue not vsed this power: but suffer all thinges lest we should ••inder the gospel of Christ. Doe ye not know, how y^• they which minister about holy thinges, liue

of the sacrifices? They whiche waite of the temple are partakers of the temple. Euen so also did the lorde ordain: that they whiche preache the gospell, should liue of the gospell. But I haue vsed none of these thinges. Neuerthelesse I wrote not these, that it should be so doen vnto me. For it were better for me to die, then that any man should take this reioy∣sing from me. For it I preache the gospell, I haue nothyng to reioyce of. For necessitye i•• put vnto me. But wo is it vnto me, if I preache not the gospel. If I do it with a good wil, I haue a rewarde. But if I doe it against my will, an office is committed vnto me. What is my reward then? Verely that when I preache the gospel, I make the gospell of Christ•• free, that I misuse not mine aucthoritie in the Gospell.

And yet wittingly and well aduised vsed we not among you our right, not be∣cause it was vnlawful so to doe, or because we had sufficiente otherwyse, but rather in our great lacke of necessaries we suffered great hardnes, leste other∣wise some such thing might happen, whereby the increase of Christes doctrine myght be hindred. For had it not bene, that we more regarded your weale, than our own profite, we well knew, that ye were certainly assured, that as among the grecians they whiche minister about holy thinges, haue a liuing of the sa∣crifices: euen so among the Iewes suche as wayte vpon the aulter, are parta∣kers of the aulter. And euen so hath the lorde Iesus ordayned it, that suche as preache and teache the gospell, should by the gospel haue a liuyng geuen them. And with a meane and a conuenient liuyng, euen he that faythfully laboreth i•• Christes seruice, ought to be content. For god forbid, that any man shoulde by that growe ryche, whereby we are taughte to despise riches. And thys ye s••e, for how many causes and consideracions I myght lawfully haue done, as o∣ther doe, and yet none of them moued me to take anye thyng of you. Nor pur∣pose I at any tyme hereafter to take ought of you, lest any man suspect, that I for this brought so many reasons, because I woulde with more excuse dooe that hereafter, whiche I heretofore neuer dyd. Of wiche mynde I not onelye not repent my selfe, but would also rather die for hūger, than any man should take this glory from me: whiche since I haue once embraced, I intende stead∣fastly to kepe. Nor sustayne we suche lackes with sorowfull cheare, but take them for a pleasure rather, coumptyng it my glorye, freely to preache the gos∣pell, synce so to doe, I see it for your weale expedient, that ye also may by myne exaumple learne sumtyme to abstayne from that, whiche is lawfull, if it he for other mens weale profitable. For if I preache the gospell as other doe, cause haue I none to glorye of. The Lorde hath geuen me thys offyce, whome whe∣ther I will or not, I muste obey. Prayse then deserue I none, if I execute and doe that office, whiche is geuen vnto me in commission, but on the other syde as∣sured* 1.2 am I of punishement, if I in preachyng the gospell be slacke. Yf I wil∣lingly and without byddyng haue preached the gospell, god shall for that my readye good will rewarde me, and if I doe it against my wil, yet must I nedes doe that whiche I am put in trust with. The gospell is deliuered vnto me, not to hyde and kepe it to my selfe, but to preache it to the Gentiles. Nowe if I be∣stowe it, I bestowe the treasure of the lorde, and not myne owne, if I bestowe it not, wrong doe I to the Lorde, whiche with my selfe kepe that talent with∣out fruite and ••arayn, whiche he would haue encreased with vsury. But here ye wil say, if such one as doth not his duetie be sure to be punished, & he that do∣eth his duetie haue no rewarde, what hast thou thē Paule to glory vpon? Cer∣tainly therby shal euery mā haue praise, if he do more then he was cōmaūded.

The lorde gaue vs in commaundement to preache the gospel, but he bade vs not so to doe for nothyng, and at our owne fyndyng, but rather gaue vs auto∣ritie to eate and drynke of such thynges, as those people offered, to whome we preached the gospell. That therefore whiche his pleasure was should for vs be lawfull, I would not take and vse as lawfull: and for thys vsed I not the au∣toritie geuen vnto me, because I knew, that so to doe was both more, for your profite, and for the auauncement of gods worde frely to preache vnto you the doctrine of the gospell, to thintent I myghte with more libertie warne you of your dueties: and also ••echuse it should now more clerely appere, that I teache not for aduauntage, as some doe, whiche seke theyr owne profite, and not the honour of Iesus Christe.

The texte.

For though I be fre from all menne, yet haue I made my selfe seruaunt vnto all menne, that I mighte win the moe. Vnto the Iewes I became as a Iewe, to win the Iewes. To them that were vnder the lawe, was I made as though I had bene vnder the law (when I was not vn∣der the law) to win them that were vnder the lawe: To them that were without lawe, became I as though I had bene without lawe (when I was not without law as perteinyng to God, but vnder the lawe of Christ) to win them that were without law: To the weake became I as weake to win the weake. In all thynges I fashioned my selfe to all menne to saue at the least∣way some. And this I doe for the gospels sake, that I might haue part therof.

And as in this point I vsed not my power & autoritie, so in some other pointes submitted I my selfe as though I had to such thinges bene bounde, where I was in dede fre, and might haue chosē. For where as I am not vnder the gen∣tiles lawes, and am by the grace of the gospel made free from the law of Mo∣ses, yet of myne owne accorde, euen as one bounde therto, I please all men, to the ende I may wynne more vnto my lorde. To the Iewes therfore fashioned I my selfe, sometime making a vowe, and shauing my head, and causing also Timothie to be circumcised, as though I had bene a very Iewe, when in dede I well wist, that Moses lawe was abrogate? and this di•• I to thintent that such as could not be drawen from the supersticion of their auncesters lawes, I might, folowing their mindes, allure thē either vnto Christ, or at the leaste not make them therunto wurse willing by displeasing theyr mindes. Among such therefore, as thoughte themselues vnder the lawe, I so behaued my selfe, as though I had bene also vnder it. Agayn among suche, as were free and deliue∣red from Moses lawe, sometymes I so vsed my selfe, as thoughe I had bene vnder no lawe, when yet beefore god I am not vtterly lawles, but am vnder the lawe of Christe, whiche I muche more esteme, then Moses lawe. And yet in apparence tempered I my selfe to theyr capacities and myndes, as amonge the people of the Athens I dyd, not straighte crying out vpon theyr goddes, whome they supersticiously honored, but of a writing, that was vpon an aul∣ter toke an occasion secretly to bring in Christ, wherein I of him in such sorte tempered my tale, that I taughte them, that he was an excellente manne, and as one that for his great actes was made a god, and taughte not, that he was both god and man, because I well wist that they were not then able to receiue that mystery. Yea and out of their owne writers broughte witnes, by all the meanes I could laboring to allure them vnto Christ. And all this dyd I, not for myne owne pleasure, nor yet of any lightenesse or inconstauncie, but to en∣large the gospel. I might haue vsed mine own strength, and haue bene like my selfe, but that thyng mynded I rather, whiche in dede was to me not so profi∣table. But for the gospel more expediēt was it to temper my self to the weake∣nes

of other, as though I had bene lykewise weake my selfe, all whiche was to win them vnto Christe. And to be briefe, among euery sorte of men, altered I my selfe into euery fashion, and in euery place laboured to saue some, by di∣ligent seruice winning their good willes. Such diligēce and readines to please, is not flattery, wherwith some seke your fauour: but call it so hardely, if I ei∣ther toke any reward of you, or desired any. The gospels preferment is it, that I labor about & not mine owne, & seke thaduauntage of the lord, & not myne. Of him and none els loke I for rewarde, if I doe as his wil is. Now are not singular rewardes geuen, but for singular vertues. In the grace of the gospel we must not onely so labor, that it seme we haue done our parte, but that also we carie away the pryce and chiefe game.

The texte.

¶ Perceiue ye not, how that they whiche runne in a course, runne all, but one receiueth the reward? So runne, that ye may obtain. Euery man that proueth masteries, abstame•••• from all thinges. And they doe it to obteine •• croune that shall perishe, but we to obteyne an euerlasting croune. I therefore so runne, not as at an vncertain thing. So fight I, not as one that beateth the ayre: but I tame my bodye, and brynge it into subieccion, leste by any meanes it come to passe, that when I haue preached to other, I my selfe shoulde be a ••aste awaye.

Perceiue ye not that such as run in these comen runnyng plaines, wherin m•••• striue for a game, that many runne? but to him onely is the pryce geuen, which first cummeth to the marke. Thinke it not therefore sufficiente, after a sorte to haue done your dueties, and therby to escape punyshment, but ye muste with all your might labor for the besteso running in the course of the gospell, that ye obtain & win prayse at gods hand the chiefe maister of the game. For his sake must we both doe and suffer al labor. Diuerse thinges, albeit they be paynful, must be abiden, so that the same helpe to this rewarde: and abstayne must we from many thinges, though they beelsewise lawfull, if they lette our victory. Generally whatsoeuer stādeth in his way, that hasteth toward the price, must be auoyded. Shame it is that we for so hygh a rewarde should more slowely labor, than the common sorte of men doe for a vile. He that runneth in these cō∣mon runnyng places, refraynethe hymselfe from meates, from pleasures, and from many suche other thinges, as of them selues are delectable, because they be to victory a hindraunce, & also suffereth many thynges, albeit vnpleasaunt, passing vpon no grieuous labor, so that he winne the chiefe game, whiche he only seketh for. Now if such let passe nothing vndone and vnsuffered, and al to be rowsed and commended of the lewde people, to haue a vain praise of men, & to carie away with them but a sory reward, how much more should we dooe this, to be commended of angels, praised of god, and to haue the rewarde of life euerlasting? Whē such a high & weighty matier is in hand, shal there in the midway therto a litle meate of no price, or any such like point let you from your purposed course? In thys goodlye game take ye hede, after what sorte ye be∣haue your selfes. As for I runne not lyke a slougarde, as they are wonte to doe which hasten to no certayn marke at al. Nor play I the champion as some do, which for their pastime with their handes do beate the ayre, but by al meanes chastice & with sharpe correcciōs subdue my bodie, so suppressing & taming it, that it may therby be made obediēt to the spirite, that it may, if the honour of y^• gospel so require, both easily abstayn from that, which is lawful, & paciently suffer aduersitie: lest it happen with me as it doth with some, that when by my

preachyng some are called furth to the game, my selfe therein geat no prayse. And finally lest when I haue encouraged other to the desire of this praise, my self departe thence with shame, and vnpraysed. But I labour with a very sure hope of rewarde, and teache no man any thing with worde, which in liuing I exercise not.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Haue I not seene Iesus Christ our lorde.
• * 1.2

  But woe is it vnto me, if I preache not the gos∣pell.