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 .ii. Chapter.

The texte.

And you hath he quyckened, wher as ye were dead in trespasses, and synnes, in the whiche in tyme passed ye walked, according to the course of this worlde, euen after the gouerner that ruleth in the ayre, the spiryte that nowe worketh in the chyldren of vnbelefe, emong whō we all had out conuersacion also in tyme past, in the lustes of oure fleshe, and fuli••lled y^• wyll of the fleshe and of the minde: and were by nature the chyldren of wrath, euen as well as other. But God whiche is ryche in mercye, (for his greate loue wherwith he loued vs) euen when we were deade by sinnes, quickened vs together in Christ (by grace ar•• ye saued) and raysed vs vp together with hym & made vs sytte together w^t hym emong them of heauen in Chryst Iesu. That in tymes to come, he myght shewe the exceding riches of his grate, in kindnes to vs ward thorow Christ Iesu. For by grate are ye made safe thorowe faythe, and that not of your selues. It is the gyite of God, and cōmeth not of workes, lest any man should ••••ast hym selfe. For we are his worckemāshyppe, created in Christe Iesu vnto good workes, whiche God ordeined, that we should walke in them.

NOwe marke me this, how the father hath begon in a maner to accomplish euen now in you, that that is accomplished already in Christ, & shal be after ward accōplished in you. Christ dyed and rose agayn, & shall neuer after dye any more. Certes he was not subiecte to sinne, albeit, forasmuche as he tooke vpon him an humaine bodie, he was subiecte to mortalitie. To be briefe, like as sin is a certain death of the soule, and the forewarning of eternall death: euen so is innocencie a certayne life of the soule, and the beginning of eternal life. But of this maner of lyfe, God, that geueth vs his spirite, is the prince. And the de∣uil is y^• autor of death, hauing also a spirite of his owne, wherwith those that

ve enspired, are rapt vnto the pleasures of this world, and plainely distrust the promisses of eternal lyfe. Christ dyed for our offences, and rose agayn to make vs sure of the immortalitie to come. In the meane tyme, after hys exaumple, you also being engraffed to Christ through baptisme, are dead to your sinnes and wickednes: wherein as long as you liued vngodly, you were dead in dede, for asmuche as you had affyaunce in nothing, but noysome shadowes of good thinges, wherwith this worlde for a tyme disceaueth suche, as wantyng the* 1.1 spirite of God, are lead by the spirite of Satan, whose tirannye in the meane while is permitted ouer this lower element. His spirit (I say) and he himselfe setteth out as it were his own power in them, that hauing no trust in the pro∣misses of the Gospell, set theyr whole felicitie in visible and transitory thinges: and geue no eare to God the father, that allureth them to true felicitie, but had leauer serue that wieked cruell maister, whome in tymes past you serued, and not you alone, but all we also. For albeit the law restrayned vs from the wur∣shipping of Images, yet our lyfe was altogether defyled with noysome lustes of corporall thynges, by the enforcemente whereof, we passed of the tyme, not doyng those thynges, whiche the holy ghoste commaunded, but those that our owne mynde, geuen to filthie affectes, bad vs doe. By reason wherof it came to passe, that like as they, which are encorporated to Christe through fayth, ap∣pertayne to the enheritaunce, that is promised to obedient children: euen so we as disobedient children, should haue belonged to a ferre contrary enheritaunce: that is to say, we should haue becomen the companions of hym, to whome we had ioyned our selues. That death is eternal, that is appoynted to the wicked.* 1.2 Wherunto we also were subiect, asmuche as other, touchyng our owne state, and condicion. We had addicted ourselues vnto it of our owne free choice, but it was not in our power to wynde vs agayne out of that most miserable serui∣tude. Nowe you haue heard of our death, now you haue harde of our destruc∣cion, but whereof commeth lyfe, whereof commeth saluacyon? Truely not of* 1.3 our desertes, nor yet by the benefite of Moses lawe. Whence than? Surely of the free largesse of God the father, whose bounteousnesse and louyng affection is so plenteous and so exceadingly great to mankyndewarde, that he hath not onely not punished vs according to our desertes, but also whan we were dead by reason of our sinnes, he hath called vs agayne to lyfe together with Christ. This I say, was not of our deseruing, but came of free gyft. And he hath not only called vs agayne to lyfe with hys sonne, but also he hath caryed vs vp frō these thinges y^t are benethe, vnto the thinges that are in heauē, & there hath pla∣ced vs through Christ Ies{us}: by whō we haue indifferētly together whatsoeuer he (our head) hath: & do possesse now in hope, all y^t we shal shortly after possesse in very dede. Thus it was his wil, that at the resurreccion, whan his promis∣ses shal euidently appeare, he may declare his most aboūdant liberalitie, which it pleased hi of his free goodnes to powre vpō vs, not for our own good dedes* 1.4 sakes, but for the merites of Ies{us} Christ. For the thing is often to be rehearsed, y^t ought to be fixed moste depely in your hartes. It cūmeth of fre grace, I say, that you haue obteined saluacion, from the destrucciō, wherin ye were tangled: lest ye should folow the error of some of the Iewes; which thinke to be saued* 1.5 for obseruing the prescriptes of Moses law. You are endebted for your salua∣cion to fayth, wherby ye beleued the gospell, & yet you may not brag of faith, as though it come of your selfe. Christ loued you first, & hauing drawen you to himselfe, he hath geuen you power, that you should loue hym agayne.

And he it is, that hath freely powred into you the gift of fayth: by the whiche you should set darkenes apart, and see the lyghte of the Ghospels veritie. It is wholy therfore to be ascribed vnto his fre gift, so that no man hath thereof to* 1.6 boast as though it were of his owne. In that we are created, we are endebted to God. Agayne, in that we are regenerate by faythe and baptisme, and as it were made a newe, after an other maner, we are diuorced from the felowshyp of our parent the sinfull Adam, and engraffed in Christ, the prince of innocēcie: to the intent that by the helpe and exaumple of him, we should from hensforth apply the offices of true godlinesse, & that renouncing the olde man, we shoulde represent the new man in new dedes, and become so ferre vnlike to oureselues in condicions, that a man might iustly say, it were not we. For God, by the doc∣trine* 1.7 of the ghospell, hath opened vnto vs the rewarde of Immortalitie, to the intent we should preace hard vnto it through innocencie of lyfe and well doing. For the euangelical faith is not an idle mattier, but hath an inseparable com∣panion, charitie, whiche causeth moe dueties to be done of the willyng, than the prescriptes of the lawe are hable to enforce of the constrayned.

The texte.

Wherfore, remembre that ye being in tyme passed Gentiles in the flesh, were called vncircum∣cisyon from that whiche is called circumcisyon in the flesh, whiche circumcisyon is made by handes. Reme••ber (I saye) that at that tyme ye were without Christ, beyng aliantes from y^e commen welth of Israell, and straungers from the testamentes of the promes, and had no hope, and were without God in this world. But now by the meanes of Christ Iesu, ye which somtime were farre of, are made nye by the bloude of Christ. For he is our peace, whiche hath made of both, one, and hath broken downe the wal that was a stoppe betwene vs, and hath al∣so put away, throw his fleshe, the cause of hatred, euen the lawe of commaundementes con∣tayned in y^• lawe written, for to make of twayne one newe man in him selfe, so making peace, and to reconcyle both vnto God in one body thorow the crosse, and slewe hatred therby: and came and preached peace to you whiche were a farre of, and to them that were nye. For thorow hym we both haue an entraunce, in one sprite vnto the father.

The yoke of Moses law is not layed vpon you. For one onely law of Christi∣an Charitie, is sufficient to accomplishe all dueties. The Iewes are not endeb∣ted to theyr lawe for theyr saluacion, but yet you are so much more bounden to the goodnesse of god, as you were more far of than they from the true wurship∣ping of god, & from true religiō. Therfore y^• ye may the more vnderstāde, how muche you are bounden to the bountie of God, for being nowe as ye are, your duetie is to remember, what ye haue bene afore tyme. For you were sumtyme Heathens, after the corporall distinccion of kynred, whome the nacyon of the Iewes, bragging of their carnal circumcision that is done with handes, name contumeliously vncircumcised, and repute them for prophane persons and ab∣hominable, supposing this felicitie, that was promised lōg agoe by the oracles of the prophetes, to belong peculiarely to themselues: and not vnderstandyng that they be reputed as vncleane persones before God, whose inward myndes are vncircumcised. But you at that time were vncircumcised both in body and* 1.8 soule, being so muche more abiect & in miserable condicion than the Iewes, in that ye had no hope of Christes benefite to youwarde, that is to saye, because you were vtterly astraunged, aswell from the tytle and felowshyp of the naci∣on of Iewes, vnto whome he semed to be peculiarly promised, as also exile∣led* 1.9 from the couenauntes of God, wherin he promised in saying to Abraham the father of that nacion. In thy seede shall all nacyons bee blessed.

And to bee briefe, there remayned no apparente hope of your saluacion, in af∣muche as being wurshippers of deuils, ye had no knowledge in thys worlde of the true God, where as the Iewes called him theyr God, and he agayn cal∣led them hys people. Neuerthelesse, as soone as the trueth of the Ghospell* 1.10 shewed furth his lyght, Christe turned the course of thynges vpsyde downe, and brough••e so to passe, that you, whiche seemed nothyng to perteyne vnto God, were no we knyt moste nere vnto him not by the circumcision of the fore∣skinne, but by the bloud of Iesu Christ, with the price wherof ye were not on∣ly deliuered from the sinnes of your olde conuersacion, but also reconcyled vn∣to God the father. In tymes paste, you were at discorde with the Iewes, yea you were at discorde with God: but Christ the Autour of peace and concorde,* 1.11 stroke away al the difference of circumcised, and not circumcised: he toke away the ceremonies of Moses law, as it had bene a wall, that deuyded the concord betwene the Iewes and the Gentiles, so that two sortes of people, beeyng a∣fore most ferre different one from the other, should agree and growe together in one, vtterly expelling theyr olde grieues. For before Christes cummyng, the gentiles did wonderfully adhorre the Iewes obseruaunces, as supersticious thinges: and the Iewes contrariewise were in such conceipt with themselues by reason of their ceremonies, that they held al such accursed as were without them. Christ therfore by his woonderful deuise, abolished and brought out of vse that ha••ed lawe, that consisteth onely in the prescribed carnall ceremonies, so that he would neyther alyenate the Iewes, nor presse the Gentiles with the burthen of it. For he beyng very God, and very man after the fleshe, obserued* 1.12 the commaundementes of the lawe, and yet he testifyed, that the saluacyon, which he brought after the spirite, belonged no lesse to the Gentiles than to the Iewes, so that now you shoulde neyther be abhominable because of your vn∣circumcision, nor the Iewes any stouter because of theyr circumcision, but that in dispatchyng the olde cankerdnesse of bothe those nacions, he mighte of two make one new, to growe together into one new man Christ, the common sauiour indifferentlye of them both. And lyke as he made the Iewes and the Gentiles at one betwene themselues, euen so he made them both at one with* 1.13 god, that there should be nothing to breake the atonemēt, but that the thinges in heauen and the thynges in earth, shoulde bee ioyned together as it were into one body. The death of Christe, which he suffered for our sinnes, hath vnited vs to God, with whome no man is at peace, that hath delyghte in synne. And forasmuche as this peace is bestowed both to the Iewes and to the Gentiles indifferently, there is no cause, why eyther of them shoulde thinke them better than the other: specially in asmuche as the pledge and gage of the holy ghost, whereof we spake a litle before, is geuen commonlye to them bothe, without difference. Now we se it come to passe, that Esaye by inspiracyon prophecyed long agoe, should come. For Christ hath not offered the doctrine of the gospell to the Iewes onely, vnto whome this blessed felicitie semed to be peculiarely* 1.14 promysed, and whiche also after theyr sorte, were the true wurshyppers of God, but also vnto you, whiche were ferre of, bothe from the kinred of the people of Iewes, and from the wurshippyng of the true God: teaching there∣by, that throughe hys deathe, bothe the flockes of shepe shoulde goe together into one shepefolde, and knowe hym to bee theyr onely shepehearde.

He it is, that hath opened vnto vs the entraunce to the father, who before was displeased at our sinnes, and none other hath opened this entraunce to the Ie∣wes, than he who hathe opened the same to the Gentiles: but we are all boun∣den to him alone, in that we are now bolde to approche bothe to that merciful father, hauing confidence in that commune spirite, which inspireth this assured trust indifferently into the heartes of vs bothe.

The texte.

¶ Now therfore ye are not straungers and foreyners, but citesens with the Saintes, and of the houshold of God: and are built vpon the foundacion of the Apostles and propheres, Iesus Christ himselfe being the head corner stone, in whome what building soeuer is cou∣pled together, it groweth vnto an holy temple in the Lorde, in whome ye also are built to∣gether, to be an habitacion of God thorowe the holy ghoste.

Now therfore, to the intente you shoulde not thinke your selues the wurse, be∣cause you came not of the stocke of Dauid or Abraham, as concerning the kin∣red of the fleshe, or because ye are without the lawe of Moses, in asmuche as after the spirite, ye are citezens and felowes of saintes, perteining to the house of God, which is builded, not of the Iewes onely, but of al them, that purely beleue the Gospell. The foundacions of this house, are the Apostles, the prea∣chers of the Ghospel, and the Prophetes, who shewed long a goe in theyr pro∣phecies, that the gifte of the Ghospell should now be indifferently common to all men. To thys foundacyon you are also faste layed. And to be shorte, Iesus Christe is the chiefe head stone of this building, whiche being layed in the cor∣ner, coupleth and kepeth the walle together on bothe sydes: by whose power and couplyng, all the buildyng of the beleuers, compacted together on euerye syde, dayly encreaseth, and ryseth vnto a perfitely holy spirituall temple, conse∣crated of the lord himself. And of this holy building you are also parte, whilest, lyke lyuelye stones layed vpon the same foundacyons, and holden togither of the same corner stone, you make, in purenes of mynde and spirite, vnto God an holye habitacle vnspotted from all synnes, and voyde of lustes. There bee none receyued into Moses temple but Iewes, but to this temple all they per∣teyne indifferentlye, that embrace the fayth of the Ghospell.

Notes

• * 1.1

  In the chil¦dren of un∣beliefe.
• * 1.2

  And were by nature the childrē of wrathe.
• * 1.3

  But God whiche is riche in mercie.
• * 1.4

  By grace are ye made safe.
• * 1.5

  I•• is the gift of god.
• * 1.6

  For we are his worke∣manship.
• * 1.7

  Vnto good workes whi¦che god or∣dayned.
• * 1.8

  Hauing no hope.
• * 1.9

  Gene .xxii.
• * 1.10

  But nowe by the meanes of Christ Iesu
• * 1.11

  For be is ou•• peace.
• * 1.12

  Through his fleshe.
• * 1.13

  Making peace.
• * 1.14

  To you which were a ferre of.