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 thyrde Chapter.

The texte.

¶We begin to praise our selues againe. Neede we as some other, of epistles, of re∣commendacion vnto you? or letters of recommendacion from you? Ye are our epistle writ∣ten in our hertes, whiche is vnderstande and red of all men forasmuche as ye declare that ye are the epistle of Christ, ministred by vs and written not with inke, but with the spirite of the liuing God, not in tables of stone but in fleshely tables of the hearte.

BVt this feare I, leste anye manne thynke, that we agayne prayse ourselfes vnto you: to thyntente wee maye bothe of you & other be had in price and more estemed. But what nede hath any man to seke for commendacions, when the matter self commendeth hym? Nede we such letters of recommenda∣cion, as false apostles carrie about with them, obteyned ei∣ther of other vnto you, or of you to other? Nothing passe we vpon such letters. The liuely epistle, wherwyth we thinke our selfes suffici∣ently praised, are ye Corinthians, written in our heartes, which I with muche lesse payne carrye aboute with me, than they dooe theyrs. This epistle in all places where I come, euerye manne readeth and vnderstandeth, so that I neede none other epistle, synce that by youre Godlye lyfe, all menne perfeitelye knowe, what manner of apostles wee were, and so farre foorth assure wee our selfes of youre good wyl towarde vs, that seeyng that oure owne diligente la∣bor doth aboundantly cōmend vs, wee nede no mens letters of commendacion,

whiles ye in perfite fayth, and christian life, declare that ye are Christes epistle, written by hym in dede, but yet by our ministerie and laboure. Written (I say) not wyth y••ke, as theirs are, which teache humaine and carnall phantasies, but with the spirite of the liuing god: nor written agayne in tables of stone, as mannes lawes are, but in the fleashye tables of the hearte. Your heartes wher∣in wee printed the doctrine of the gospell▪ vsed we in steade of parchmente, my tongue was in steade and serued for a penne, but Christe himselfe with his ho∣lye spirite, indited that thing whiche we wrote.

The texte

Suche truste haue we thorowe Christe to Godwarde, not that we are sufficient of ou•• selues to thynke any thing, as of oure selues, but if we be hable vnto any thyng the same cum∣methe of God, whiche hathe made vs hable to ministre the newe Testamente, not of the letter but of the spirite. For the letter killeth, but the spirite geueth lyfe. If the ministracion of death thorowe the letters figured in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not be∣holde the face of Moses, for the glorie of his countenaunce (whiche glorye is done awaye) why shall not the ministracion of the spirite bee muche more glorious? For if the ministryng of con∣demnacion bee glorious, muche more dooth the ministracion of righteousnesse excede in glorye. For no doubt that which was there glorified, is not once glorified in respecte of this exceadyng glorie. For if that whiche is destroyed▪ was glorious, muche more that whiche remayneth is glorious. Seeyng then that wee haue suche truste, wee vse greate boldenesse, and dooe not as Moses, whiche putte a vayle ouer his face, that the children of Israell shoulde not see for what purpose that serued whiche is putte awaye. But theyr myndes were blinded. For vntill thys daye remaineth the same coueryng vntaken awaye in the lecture of the olde testament, whiche vayle shalbee putte awaye in Christe. But euen vnto this daye when Moses is re••ad, the ••a•••• hangeth before theyr heartes. Neuerthelesse when they tourne to the Lorde, the vayle shall be taken awaye. The Lorde no doubte is a spirite. And where the spirite of the Lorde is, then is libertie. But we all beholde in a mirroure the glorye of the Lorde w••th his face open, and a•• chaunged vnto the same similitude from glorye to glorye, euen as of the spy••yte of the Lorde.

But asmuche as the doctrine of the gospell passeth and is better, tha•• Moses lawe: somuche more fruitfull and better is our laboure, than his. Nor yet take we thus muche vpon vs arrogantlye, but speake the trueth, as God is my recorde: whiche by our seruice through Christe perfourmed it, that wee speake of. For had not his healpe bene, certainly farre were we euen from thin∣kyng vpon any suche thyng of our owne power, and muche farther from do∣yng it. But yf we be eyther hable, or haue bene hable to doe anye thynge, al that came of the free bounteousnesse of God, whyche as he hathe healped vs •••• oure labours, so hath he committed vnto vs this ministerye and dispensacion of the newe testamente, to thentent wee should bestowe among you, not the grosse olde testament, as the false Apostles teache it, and standeth in the know∣lege of the letter, the administracion whereof was committed to Moses, but the newe testamente, whiche is heauenly and spirituall, and standeth in affec∣cions of mynde and not in ceremonies. The lawe and gospel haue both one ma∣ker, but the ministerye▪ of boothe is soondrye, and of the two the apostles is of muche more excellencie. For the letter committed vnto Moses, by reasō of cer∣tain rules & lawes driueth men to death, forasmuch as it by occasion both pro∣uoketh to sin and also condēneth y^• sinner to death: whereas contrarie, y^• spirite, whiche is geuen by preachyng the ghospel, both forgeueth the offences of our former lyfe, and to suche as haue deserued deathe, offerethe lyfe. Nowe and yf

the fyrste lawe, whyche beeyng grauen in stone wroughte deathe to the trans∣gressour, and gaue no grace, was of such great maiestie and glorye, that when Moses the seconde tyme broughte downe the tables, the Hebrues coulde not beeholde his face by reason of the glorie and maiestie of that, whiche was sure once yet to bee abolished: why shoulde not muche rather the ministerye of the Gospell haue his honoure and maiestie, whereby throughe faythe and the free gifte of the spirite euerlastyng saluacion is geuen? Yf the lawe, whiche coulde condemne and was not hable to saue, hadde suche honoure, certainelye muche more honoure desearueth the Gospel, by preachyng whereof synne is not onely forgeuen, ••ut also rihgteousnesse is geuen. In whiche twoo thinges suche difference is there, that if a manne more narowelye compare eche one of theym with other, that whiche by it selfe is glorious, wyll appeare but base, beyng as it were darkened with the bryght and excellente glorie of the Gospel. For if the lawe, whiche was geuen but for a season, and shoulde wythin a while after bee abrogate, was among menne in suche honoure, of muche more dig∣nitie is the lawe of the Gospell, whiche is bothe generallye geuen to all menne and shall neuer bee abolished. For the newe testament, whereby the olde is ab∣rogate, Christe hymselfe calleth an euerlasting testamente, as I in my other epistle taught you. Of whiche thyng wee beeyng moste certainlye perswaded and assured, in oure ••eachynges vse no darke riddles, but freelye and openlye sette furth the lyghte of the Gospell, surelye beleuyng, that bothe the glorye of this lawe is suche, that it shoulde not bee hidden, and ye of that ••ireyngthe and clearnesse of conscience, that ye are hable to looke thereupon. And there∣fore wee dooe not, as it is read that Moses didde, whiche when he broughte downe the seconde tables, after that the fyrste were broken, couered hys face with a vayle, that the children of Israell shoulde not looke thereupon, nor deaue thereto for euer, synce that euen this was a proufe and significacion to them, that the glorie of Moses lawe shoulde bee abolished, whiche euen at that time, when it was made, was not verye glorious, for in vayne is that thyng glorious, whiche a manne canne not see. In this figure was represented the grossenesse of that nacion, whiche seeyng sawe not, and hearyng hearde not, insomuche that, whiche was doone in Moses face, the same was moste vere∣lye done in theyr heartes, whiche in them were blynded, beeyng as it were o∣uercaste, wyth the vayle of dulnesse. Yea and in this daye the blyndenesse re∣mayneth in that nacion stille, so that when they reade the bookes of the lawe they vnderstande theym not: and with stubberne myndes of a zeale towarde the lawe refuse hym, at whose commyng the lawe selfe graunteth that she shall bee abolyshed. Therefore when they in suche sorte reade the olde tes∣tament, that they wyll not embrace the newe promysed therein, holde they not faste Moses vayle, nor see by faythe castyng of the same, that tho∣rowghe Christe all the darkenesse of the lawe is a brogate? Stu••bernelye yet stycke they to theyr Moses, when he is cumme, to whome Moses bade them geue eare. Hym reade they in theyr synagoges, but they reade hym car∣nallye, sekyng for nothyng but corporall thynges, wheras the lawe, if menne well loke thereupon, is in deede spiritual▪ Letted are thei doubtelesse euen vn∣tyll this day, wyth a vayle cast ouer theyr heartes, which is remoued through fayth in the gospell.

But when the tyme shall come, that they shall leaue theyr grosse myndes, and receauyng the vniuersall fayth tourne vnto the Lorde, then shall theyr vayle be taken away, so that they shall see suche thynges, as without the bryght eyes of fayth can not be seen▪ Moses was grosse and carnall, but the Lorde Iesus is a spirite, not teachyng suche thynges, as maye bee seene with oure bodyly iyes, but thynges inuisible, whiche are by fayth beleued. Moses law, because it with feare of punishemente kepte menne in ordre, was a lawe of thraldome, and the vayle also is a token of bondage. But where the spirite of the Lorde Iesus is, whiche secretelye moueth a manne withoute byddyng and compulsion to lead•• a Godlye lyfe, there is libertie. No manne is compelled to beleue: but he that beleueth, as he shoulde, of his own accorde auoydeth filthines, and vncleanes of lyfe, and foloweth al goodnesse, dooyng more wyllinglye by the mocion of charitie, than coulde euer begotten of the Iewes wyth feare of punishemente. Blinde are they therefore, that lacke the iyes of faythe: when we throughe pure fayth without vayle beholde the glorye of the Lorde, whose brightnes whiles we receyue, as a glasse, altered are we after a sorte into the same glorye, plenti∣fully powring vpon other that brightnes which we receyued of God. And as then Moses face, by that he talked with god, shyned euen as glasse doothe la∣yed againste the sonne, so is oure soule euerye daye more and more secr••atelye enamoured, encreasing from glory to glory by reason of the continual conuersa∣cion of the spirite of God, who inuisiblye nowe woorkethe in vs that whiche hereafter shal openlye bee accomplished.