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.

¶Of the ministring to the saintes, it is but superfluous for me to write vnto you: for I knowe the redines of your mynde, whereof I boaste my selfe vnto them of Macedonia, that Achia was prepared a yere agoe: and your ensaumple hath prouoked many. Neuer∣thelesse, yet haue I sent these brethren, lest our boasting whiche I make of you, should be in vayne in this behalfe, that ye (as I haue sayde) may prepare your selues: leste perad∣uenture if they of Macedonia come with me, and fynde you vnprepared, wee (I will not say ye) shoulde be ashamed in this matter of boasting. Wherfore, I thought it necessarie to exhort the brethren, to come before hand vnto you, and to prepare your good bles••yng promised afore, that it might be readie, so that it be a blessing, and not a detraudyng.

HOwe for me to bestow any labour with my letters to moue you to be charitable vpon the poore, I thinke it superfluous, synce I haue of your readie good myndes suche sure and per∣fite knowledge, that I nothynge doubte to boaste thereof a∣mong the Macedonians, so farre that by your exaumple not onely Corinthe, but welnyghe all Achaia is dysposed, ready, and well mynded to lyke liberalitie. And albeit we were well assured of youre good mynde beefore, yet thought we it not amysse to sende these our brethren before, lest it happely appeare by some meane▪ that we haue of you made a vayne boaste in this poynte, whiche in other thynges hitherto haue done, as I sayde of you. Nowe the purpose why we sent them before, is, that as wee before wrote vnto you, the money be gathered in good tyme, and that it bee in a redinesse, whiche euery man is willyng to geue, leste if the Ma∣cedonians, to whome I haue boasted of you, come with me and fynde you vn∣prepared, we bee put to shame as one that hath made a vayne bragge of you: I will not saye, leste ye bee put to shame, as menne in thys vnlike your selues, whiche in all other giftes excell other.

And for thys cause thoughte I it good to desyre these brethren to goe thether vnto you, beefore I came myselfe, to prepare the contribucion, whiche ye had before purposed and appoynted, that it mighte be in a more readines, wont to be called when we speake Greke, eulogia, that is to saye, a blessyng, because eue∣rye benefite shoulde gladlye and without murmuryng be both geuen and ta∣ken: if it so bee not, than is it rather extorcion, than a fre gifte. He that wil geue let hym freely geue, and asmuche as he will. Thys poynte I warne you of, the more a manne geueth, the more rewarde shall he haue.

The texte

Thys yet I say: he whiche soweth litle, shall reape litle, and he that soweth plenteously shall reape plenteously. And let euery manne dooe accordyng as he hath purposed in his hearte, not grudginglye, or of necessitie. For god loueth a cherefull geuer. God is hable to make you ryche in all grace, that ye in all thynges hauyng sufficient vnto the vtmoste, may bee ryche vn∣to all maner of good woorke, as it is written: He hath sparsed abrode, and hath geuen to the poore, his righteousnes remaineth for euer. He that ministrethe seede vnto the sower, ministre bread also for foode, and multiply your seede, and increase the fruites of your righteousnesse, that on al partes ye may be made rich into al singlenes, which causeth thorow vs that thankes are geuen vnto God. For the office of thys ministracyon, not onelye supplyeth the nede of the sainctes: but also is aboundaunte herein, that for this laudable ministryng, thankes might be geuen to God of many, whiche prayse God for the obedience of your consentyng to the Gos∣pell of Christ, and for your synglenes in distributing to them, and to all men, and in theyr prai∣ers for you whiche long after you, for the aboundaunte grace of god in you. Thankes be vnto god for hys vnspeakable gifte.

Whoso soweth litle, shall reape but litle, but he that soweth plenteouslye and with a good chere, shall lykewise reape that he sowed, so that he this doe, not because we bad hym, but because he in hys hearte hath so purposed. For more largely and freely geueth he, whiche geueth with a good will. More spa∣ringly geueth he, whiche geueth with a heuie chere as one compelled. But god loueth a chearefull geuer. For he that dooeth hys duetie agaynste hys will, be∣fore hym is coumpted, as thoughe he dyd not hys duetie. And cause is there none, why ye should feare, leste ye lose this your almes. For God which coum∣teth that to bee doone vnto hym, whiche is for hys loue bestowed vpon hys saintes, is sufficiently able, albeit ye receyue no recompence of menne, to make your almes dedes gaynfully to returne vnto you, in that he wil geue you sub∣staunce inough for the mayntenaunce of your lyfe, and also enryche and plenti∣fully encrease you in all godlye woorkes. For the almes dedes, whiche are be∣stowed to relieue the poore saintes, are a good parte of iustice and godlines. E∣uē as the psalme writer testifieth also: he dealed abrode and gaue to the poore, for the whiche hys iustice continueth from tyme to tyme perpetually. And my prayer is, that he which ministreth sede vnto the sower, and geueth him bread for hys nouryshmente, and substaunce to helpe the poore people, mayntayne alwayes your riches, eftsones to helpe them, and so multiplye your seede, and increase the fruites of your righteousnes, that ye may be ēriched in al kindes of vertues, and therewith alwayes growe forwarde into al synglenesse and gen∣tle dysposicion of hert, and that ye dayly regard your money lesse & lesse, which while they bee bestowed, not vpon euerye rascall, but vpon the saynctes, dooe cause youre lyberalitie to auaunce Goddes glorye, in that the Godlye people beeyng refreshed with youre almes, doe through vs geue thankes vnto God:

so that I herein claime some rewarde, whiche bryng this matter to passe. For in the execucion of this office, wee not onelye by youre liberalitie attayne the reliefe of poore men, but also the greater your almes is, the more geue thankes to God, whiche hauyng an experience of youre Godlinesse, for this your ••oun∣teousnesse, prayse God in that they dooe perceaue youre obedience to the Gos∣pell with one accorde, by reason whereof ye dooe freelye and frankelye deale youre substaunce, not onelye to them for whome wee sue at this presente tyme, but also to all other. For the poore muste bee holpen, wheresoeuer they bee. Finallye this ensueth, that in theyr prayers, whiche as thankefull menne, they offre vnto God for you, they wishe to see you, that they maye euidentelye see before theyr face your singular godlinesse, whiche they knowe to bee geuen you by god, by the greatenesse of your almes, wherewith they are refreashed. But for this vnspeakeable gifte, specially thankes ought to bee geuen to God, whych both moueth your mind to geue, and prouoketh them not to abuse your giftes to idlenes or riot, but to prayse god.