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.

I haue truste towarde you in the Lorde, that ye shall be none otherwyse mynded. But he that troubleth you, shall beare his iudgement, whatsoeuer he be.

But forasmuche as ye haue hitherto staggered throughe the entice∣ment of other, I despayre not, but that ye wyll hencefurth stedfastlye con∣tinewe in youre olde godly purpose, standyng in this truste, muche vpon knowledge and triall of youre natures, but speciallye vpon the helpe of Christe, who wrought in you to begynne with a mery chere, and wyll lyke∣wyse worke in you grace, manfully to continew. But whosoeuer he be, that hath with new learning troubled the quietnes and purenes of your faith, albeit he deceyue menne, yet shall he not escape goddes iudgement.

Hym at this tyme for certayne consideracions vtter I not, nor vse extre∣mitie agaynste hym, but at goddes handes, to whome he is not vnknow∣en, he is sure to be punyshed, who is without regarde of any mannes au∣thoritie, whome he hath muche rather offended than me. Nor let this moue you, though some saye, that I abhorre not the kepyng of the law▪ whiche haue with the Iewes lyued lyke a Iewe, and caused Timothie to be circumcised. I dyd so by compulsion, and oftentimes resisting, gyuyng yet place at that tyme, wherin I sawe no greate ieopardie at hande in so doyng, and contrarie, yf I had not done it, there had bene a great commo∣cion. But nowe vpon diuersities of the tyme and circumstaunce, expedi∣ent it is to folowe another way. And to tell you briefly herein my mynde, it is not all one to suffer and permit circumcision, and to preache it. I suf∣fered Timothie to be circumcised, but I neuer taught, that either he, or a∣nye els should be circumcised.

So lykewyse when I oftetymes was conuersaunt among the Iew∣es, I abstayned from meates forbydden by the lawe, but neuer enioyned I vnto anye man, that suche choyse in meates shoulde be had, but rather taught the contrarie, that it forced nothyng what kynde of meates a mā eate, so that he vse them soberly and with thankes geuyng to god. The tyme was, when it was nedefull to beare with the sinistre rooted persuasi∣on of the Iewes, but nowe, synce the gospell is clearelye knowen, and the Iewes stubbernely labour to drawe the Gentiles into theyr supersticion, it is neither wel done, nor ieopardiles to beare with it any lynger, but ra∣ther besemeth it euery man, boldely to preache, that Moses lawe is expi∣red, and that all men ought to embrace the libertie of the gospell.