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 .vii. Chapter.

The texte.

Seyng that we haue suche promyses (dearly beloued) let vs clense our selues from all ••lthynesse of the fleshe and spyrite, and growe vp to full holinesse with the feare of God. Vnderstande vs▪ we haue hurte no manne: we haue corrupte no manne: we haue defrau∣ded no manne. I speake not this to condemne you: for I haue shewed you before, that ye are in our heartes to dye and lyue▪ with you. I am very bolde ouer you. I reioyce greatly in you. I am fylled with comforte, and am e••ceding ioyous in all our tribulacion. For when we were come into Macedonia, our fleshe had no rest: but we were troubled on e∣uery syde. Outwarde was fightyng, inwarde was feare. Neuerthelesse, God that com∣forteth the abiecte, comforted vs by the cummyng of Titus. And not by his cummyng one∣ly but also by the consolacion whiche we receyued of you: when he tolde vs your desyre, your feruente mynde for me, so that I reioysed the more. For though I made you sorye with a letter▪ I repente not••th ••uch I dyd repente. For I perceyue that thesame Epistle made you sorye, thought it were but for a season. But I nowe reioyce, not that ye were sorye, but that ye so sorowed that ye repented. For ye sorowed godly: so that in no∣thyng ye were hurte by vs. For godly sorowe causeth repentaunce vnto saluacion, not to bee repented of▪ contrary wyse worldely sorowe causeth death. For beholde, what di∣ligen•••• this godly sorowe that ye tooke, hathe wrought in you: yea, it caused you to cleare youre selues. It caused indignacion, it caused feare, it caused desyre, it caused punyshe∣ment. For in all thynges ye haue shewed your selues, that ye were cleare in that matter. Wherefore, though I wrote vnto you, I dyd it not for his cause that had done the hurte, neyther for his cause that was hurte▪ but that your good mynde for vs myght appeare a∣mong you in the syght of God. Therefore, we are comforted, because ye are comfor∣ted: yea and erceadynglye the more ioyed we, for the ioy that Titus hadde: be∣cause his spyryte was refreshed of you all. I am therefore not nowe ashamed though I

••••••sted my selfe to hym of you. For as all thynges whiche we speake vnto you are true, e∣uen so our boasting, that I made vnto Titus, is founde true. And his inwarde affeccion is more aboundant towarde you, when he remembreth the obedience of you all: howe with ••eare & trembling ye receyued him. I reioyce that I may be bolde ouer you in al thinges.

VPon sure trust of suche promyses of God therfore, let vs so vse our selfes, dearly beloued, that we seme wor∣thy thesame, cleansyng our selfes not onely from all filthynesse of body, but also of the soule, that we both may leade a hurtlesse lyfe among menne, and haue ther∣with an vpryght harte to God, furnyshed with full and perfite holynesse agaynste the cummyng of Christe: in the meane season doyng our dueties, not of dissimulacion, as Hypocrites doe, but for feare of God, who geueth euery manne reward accordyng to his deseartes. So wyde and large is the loue, whiche I beare towarde you, that I claspe and embrace you all together with my whole harte: re∣ceiue ye me lykewise, as I am, into your hartes, specially synce that ye re∣ceyue other, which both loue you lesse, and are with theyr costly fyndyng and disdaynfulnesse, chargeable vnto you, and besyde this, lode you also with ceremonies. Neuer hurte we any of you, nor with false learning corrupted any of you, nor violently exacted ought of any man: whiche ye muste not take as spoken to condemne or reiecte you, but to make you the better. For by that I haue alreadie wryten vnto you, it may be clearly perceyued, that I with all my harte loue you, and am with the stronge bande of charitie so knytte vnto you, that I am readie bothe to lyue and dye with you. Suche a greate trust haue I in you, that vpon youre head I dare waraute any thyng, and greate cause haue I to glorye of you, whome I haue in all poyntes founde obediente.

For your offence I letted not freely to reproue you, but nowe I see you amended, my harte is so coumforted, and so full of gladnesse am I, that in all myne affliccions, whiche was elswyse in many daun∣gerouse stormes, it clearly wyped a waye all the sorowe of my mynde, takyng it as a pleasure to suffer for suche mennes sakes. For when we were commen into Macedonia, my bodye hadde no reste, but it was troubled on euery syde. Outwardlye vexed by suche as aduersaries fought agaynste the ghospell, inwardlye through feare, leste false A∣postles by some craftie meanes myght peruerte you: of the aduersaries of the ghospell beaten were we, for other were we afrayed, leste they beeyng dismayed with oure miserable state myght despayre. But God whiche coumforteth the lowe and abiecte persons, coumforted and re∣freshed vs by the cummyng of Titus, not onely because he was come, whose companie I specially desyred, but also because he came from you merye and gladde. And as he was by you made merye, so made he me gladde and merye lykewyse, when he tolde me, howe desy∣rouse ye were of me, howe ye weap••e and wayled, because that

beeyng offended I came not yet vnto you: and shewed me moreouer, howe diligently ye obeyed my cōmaundementes, insomuche that when I was of this enfourmed by Titus, I toke more pleasure of your diligence in your a∣mendement, than I was sad through your offences. Lothe am I at any time to make you sorye, but yet synce that fortuned wel, I repent me not, for that in my other letters I made you sadde, albeit I before dyd repente. For althoughe thesame Epistle, whiche was bothe to you and me sorowful, for a season made you sorye, yet am I nowe well therewith pleased, not be∣cause we made you sorye, but because that sorowe broughte you to repen∣taunce. This worlde hathe in it a certayne kynde of sorowe, vnfruitefull and hurtefull as when menne either for losse of money, or for losyng theyr pleasures, or for wrathe and enuye are disquieted in theyr myndes. There is in Christian religion also a certayne sorowe, but suche as is profitable and good, by meane wherof ye are so farre from beyng the worse by me, that by thesame ye are well amended and become godly. For he that is for this sorye, because he hath displeased god, sheweth thereby, that he is amended: and sorowe after this sorte so bringeth one to repentaunce, that it suffereth a manne no more to fall agayne vnto his olde faultes. But contrarywise the sorowe, whiche groweth of worldelye desyres, worketh death and is hurte∣full bothe to bodye and soule. Dooeth not youre state declare this ma∣ner? For what a diligence hathe this godlye sorowe of youres wroughte in you? What speake I of diligence? I myghte muche rather saye a sa∣tisfaccion, wherewith to me ye haue cleared youre selues, playnelye shew∣yng, that ye approue not that vnhappie deede: yea I mighte saye an indig∣nacion, as who were so sharpe agaynste the offender, that I was compel∣led to moue you to bee fauourable and gentle: yea a feare, as thoughe one mannes leopardye hadde belonged to all: yea a desyre foorthwith to amende the faulte: yea a zeale and loue to folowe sin banishyng dishonestie: and to bee shorte, a desyre also to reuenge, as it appeared, by that he, whiche dyd the faulte, was straighte punished, so that ye haue in all poyntes declared youre selues to bee cleare and free in that matter.

Wherfore▪ thoughe I wrote vnto you all of the matter, as thoughe it hadde belonged to all, I wrote not onelye for his fake, whiche dydde the faulte, or for hym, agaynste whome it was dooen, but rather because ye shoulde all perceyue what great care I haue of you, (as god is my witnes,) whiche was sopensyfe, bothe leste this infeccion myghte crepe among you, and the faulte of one or two infecte the whole bodye, and agayne leste it shoulde bee vnknowen, what loue ye beare towarde me, whose wyll ye so gladlye obeyed. And synce this was vnto you coumfortable, as whiche reioyse, that suche are amended, as it was meete shoulde be, gladde am I also of youre gladnes, but this pleasure of myne was by the gladnes of Titus encreased, whiche vpon my commendacion was so receyued among you, that his hearte was by all you refreshed, when he sawe howeye estee∣med me. So that nowe, yf I haue to hym any thyng bosted of youre ver∣tue and obedience, I haue for that taken no shame, for in this ieopardye is he, that prayseth any manne.

Hym praysed I vnto you, and you I praysed to hym. And bothe chaunced well, for as ye in all poyntes founde Titus suche one, as I tolde you he was: euen so founde he all suche thinges true, as I before of you had bosted vnto hym, and therfore neither before hym, nor before you am I ashamed of lying. And whereas he heretofore loued you, nowe yet vpon profe of youre gentlenes, euen from the verye heart roote he loueth you, whyles he bethin∣keth hymselfe and calleth to mynde, how gladlye all ye obeyed oure mynde, whiche he broughte vnto you, and also with what feare and reuerence yo re∣ceyued hym at his cummyng. And certaynlye glad am I, that I fynde you suche, as I maye in all thinges hereafter be bolde vpon you, so that hence∣furthe I wyll not feare to require any thyng of you.

Notes

• We haue hu••t ••o mā, we haue de∣frauded no man.
• God that comforteth the abiecte, comforted vs by the cūmyng of Titus.
• Godly so∣rowe cau∣seth repen∣taunce vnto saiuacion.