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 .iii. Chapiter.

The texte.

¶ For this cause, I Paule am a prisoner of Iesus Christe for you Deathen: Yf ye haue heard the ministracion of the grace of God whiche is geuen me to youwarde. For ••yteuelacion shewed he the mistery vnto me, as I wrote afore in fewe woordes, whereby when ye reade, ye may vnderstand my knowlage in the mistery of Christ, which mistery in times passed was not opened vnto the sonnes of men, as it is now declared vnto his holy Apostles and Propheres by the spirite: that the Gentiles should be inheritours also, and of the same bodi••, and partakers of his promes in Christe, by the meanes of the Ghospell, whereof I am made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God whiche is geuen vnto me after the working of hys power. Vnto me the leaste of all Saintes is this grace geuen, that I should preache among the Gentiles the vnsearcheable riches of Christe, and to make all men see, what the felowship of the mistery is, which from the beginning of the worlde hath bene hid in God, whiche made al thinges thorow Iesus Christ: to the intent, that nowe vnto the rule••s and powers in heauenly thinges, mighte be knowen by the con∣gregacion, the manifolde wisedome of God, according to the eternall purpose, whiche he wrought in Christe our lorde▪ by whome we haue boldenes and enteraunce with the con∣fidence whiche is by the fayth of him.

ANd that you maye geue the more constaunte creden••e hereunto, vnderstande, that I Paule, am laden with these bondes for no cause els, that is to say, not for any naughtie dede, but for Iesus Christes sake, vnto whōe I trauayll to winne you, Gentiles, wherat the Iewes haue indignacion. Yf ye haue heard tell, that this office was committed to me of Christ himself, that I should preache the saluacion of the Gospel (whiche some afore tymeiudged to belong to none but to the Iewes) in e∣uery place, yea euen among the Gentiles, of whose noumber you are. This se∣cret mistery, being hidden before to other Apostles, Christ opened most chiefe∣ly* 1.1 to me, lyke as we begonne to speake briefely of before, in our writynges to other nacions, by readyng whereof, you may know, that I am not ignoraunt of the secret counsel of Christ, who whan he tolde Ananias beforehand, that I carie his name among the Gentiles, he commaunded me than to goe and dooe his message vnto the Gentiles that dwelled farre of. Whiche thing before se∣med abhominable, that wieked persones and Image wurshippers should be called to the felowship of the gospel. Notwithstanding it was so decreed with God long ago, yea euen afore the world was made, and in a maner opened vn∣to the prophetes by inspiracion, albeit it was not playnly opened to the world, as it is now by me, that the Gentiles, through onely fayth of the Gospel, with∣out helpe of Moses law, should attayn saluacion: yea in so much that the chie∣fest of the Apostles durst not admit suche as were not circumcised, vnto bap∣tisine. But nowe it is playnely opened vnto the holye Apostles of Christe, and to hys prophetes, by inspiracion of the holy goste, that the Gentiles through faith are so vnited vnto the Iewes, that they are comen in to the felowship of y^• selfe same enheritaunce, and growe in to all one bodye, reioycyng in theyr com∣mon head, Christe, and by reason therof, are becomen partiners of all the pro∣inisses, that abyde suche, as beleue the Ghospel of Christ: to preache the which Ghospell, autoritie is commytted vnto me, and I ceasse not to dooe my com∣maunded office, labouring constauntly hitherto in the Ghospels busines, euen vnto emprisonmētes and fetters, not that, I am any thing mete, of mine owne strength, for so painful a busines, but he that appoynted that office to me, hath laied his owne helping hande to the same. And so it is, that I being (as concer∣ning myne owne habilitie) feble and weake, am by his benefite strong and full of courage agaynst the stormes of al mischiefes. I boast not myne own wor∣thines,* 1.2 for I cōfesse that I am the least of Saintes: but yet (as litle as I am) it hath pleased the goodnes of God, to putte me in trust with this businesse of moste weightie importaunce, that I shoulde publishe and preache among the Gentiles (whiche before this time knewe nothyng of God) the vnsearcheable richesse of Christ, which he offereth plenteously to all men: and bryng to lyght the thyng, that before was hidden, that the benefit of the ghospell is to be dis∣pensed and ministred to all maner of nacions, whiche beefore was supposed to be geuen onely to the Iewes, although it was otherwyse decreed eternally of God, the maker and gouernour of all thynges: notwithstanding, his will was to haue thys Counsayll of hys diuyne intente, to be yet hitherto kepte secrrete: whiche in these tymes he woulde so openly manifeste, and that by the congre∣gacion, wherinto he powred suche aboundaunce of spirituall giftes, that his

manifolde wisedome whiche with wounderfull deuises disposeth all thinges, through death geuyng life, through shame exaltyng to glorye, through humi∣litie aduauncyng Goddes maiestie, whiche no man in times paste coulde haue Imagined, shoulde nowe bee brought to lyght, not onely to the brode worlde, but euen to prynces, and chiefeste of Angelles and deuilles, that haue to dooe in the skyes and in the vppermoste parte of the ayer: whiche thynges, albeit they myght gesse should come to passe, that mankynde should once be redemed, yet this was not knowen, by what reason, the wisedome of God had eternallye decreed, to bringit to passe: whiche thing now at length was openlye knowen, whan he sent his sonne into the world, who hauing taken vpon him an humain bodye, would by vnspeakeable meanes, vnite and couple the congregacion to hymselfe, whereof our lorde Iesus Christe should bee the head: by whome, like as Innocencie chaunced vnto vs, in that, that our sinnes were doen a waye, e∣uen so chaunced vnto vs an assured truste also, that as children, we shoulde not be afraied to approche vnto the father, whose displeased countenaunce we durst not afore beholde. For what shoulde we bee afrayed of, hauyng suche a heade, that in no wise suffreth any of his membres to perishe, albeit here in the meane season we suffre sum affliccion?

The texte▪

Wherfore I desire that ye faint not because of my tribulacions that I suffre for your sakes: whiche is your praise. For this cause I bowe my knees vnto the father of our lorde Iesus Christ: which is father ouer all that is called father in heauen and in earth, that he would graunt you, accordyng to the riches of his glorie, that ye maye bee strengthed with might by his spirite in the ••••••er man, that Christe maie dwell in your hertes by faith, that ye beyng rooted and grounded in loue, mighte bee hable to comprehende with al sayntes, what is that bredth a••d length, depth and height: and to knowe the excellente loue of the knoweledge of Christ, that ye mighte bee fulfilled with all fulnes, which cummeth of God. Vnto him y^• is hable to doe exceading aboundantly aboue al that we aske or thinke, according to the power that worketh in vs, be prayse in y^• congregacion by Christe Iesus, thorow••••t al generacious from tune to tyme. Amen.

This secrete counsayle of God, forasmuch as I preache boldely in euery place, I suffre exceadyng punishemente, of such, as yet cannot possibly be perswaded of this matter. But I beseche you, let not myne affliccions, whiche I suffre for your sakes, anythyng disquiete or dismaye you. For there is no cause why you shoulde be ashamed of suche an Apostle, though I bee laden with fetters. For like as the crosse of Christe is our glorie, euen so my fetters, which I we are not for any euill dedes, but for the sinceritie of the Ghospel, are for your honestie,* 1.3 and no rebuke. For, the more displeasures we suffre with a constaunt mynd for the Ghospell of Christe, the more entierly we cause the people to beleue, that the promises of Christe are not vayne, inasmuch as through assured hope of them, we faint not for any displeasures of this life. And it is not Ioyous to me onely to suffre for the ghospelles businesse, but it also becommeth al men, that are en∣tred vnto Christe, to folowe the example of their autour and head. And truely for this cause sake, I bowe my knees, and praye earnestly euen from the botome of myne harte vnto God our father, and the same, the father of our lorde Iesus Christe, of whome, as the supreme head, dependeth all spirituall kynred, wher∣by* 1.4 by are incorporated together whether they bee angelles in heauen, or faithfull people vpon earth: and of whome onely, as of the fountaine, springeth what∣soeuer is belongyng to true felicitie: that like as he hath begonne to declare hys

aboundaunte glorye in you, so he maye more and more augmente his liberall goodnesse to you ward: that as you are engraffed to Christ through baptisme, and as it were borne newe agayne, so you maye gather courage and strengthe with daylye encrease, not accordong to the bodye, but accordyng to the mynde and soule, that is to saye, by the gyfte of the spirite of the father, continually en∣creacyng in vs, by whome we are made stronge and valiaunt, to withstande al dredes of persecucion: and that the constancie of your fayth maye be suche, that you thynke surelye, that Christe will neuer fayle you, but rather dwelle in ward∣ly in your hertes, for y^e faythful trustes sake, wherwith you commit your selues wholy vnto him. For with such is he most specially presente, as distruste theyr owne strength and depende wholye of his helpe. And this shall the rather come to passe, yf hauyng a Ghospellike fayth, you practyse also a Ghospellike charitie, knittyng the oue to thother, so as it maie vtterlye reste and take rote in* 1.5 your soules, to y^e entent, that being established and groūded vpon this sure foū∣dacion, you maye ware greater, and greater in your spirite, and after a certayn wise, be correspondent to the vnmeasurable spirite of God, that you maie grow and go forward so perfitely, that not onelye with the Iewes, but also with the vniuersall multitude of Sayntes, whiche are encorporated to the bodye of Christe, through the beliefe of the Ghospell, you maie bee hable to comprehend how infinitely the goodnesse of God extendeth it selfe, and how it is not restrai∣ned* 1.6 within narrowe bondes and limittes: in heigth reachyng vp to the angels, in depth pearcyng downe to the helles, in length and breadth spreadyng it selfe vnto all coastes of the worlde: and that you maye be hable also to vnderstand the inestimable charitie of Christe towardes mankynde, whose knowledge ex∣celleth all the knowledge of man, how excellente so euer it be. And that you may in these gyftes so encreace, that as perfite and lustye membres, you maye bee answerably mete for so noble a heade, and so hygh a father. For lyke as the bo∣dyly byrth hath degrees of ages, hath his encreases, and hath his measure, as long as his growing time endureth, euen so this spiritual generacion also hath his childehood, hath his springing time, and than his perfite lusty growen age. For these thynges (I saye) I praye often vpon my knees vnto God the father. Which thinges in dede although thei be greate, and far about mannes power,* 1.7 yet I desyre them of hym, whose power is so myghty that we cannot possibly Imagyne so great a matter, but he is hable to dooe muche greatter: and is so good and so gentill, that he dooeth not onelye accoumplishe our desyres wyth his owne liberalitye, but also geueth vs muche more than we can hope for: And yet there is nothyng in this behalfe dooen other throughe our merites or powers. For we are nothyng elles, but the instrument of the diuyne power, that woorketh his owne myghte in vs, so that all glorye, that florisheth in the congregacion, is wholy to be ascribed to hys largesse, through Christ Iesus, by whose participacion the congregacion is endowed with so excellente gyftes: and of this glorye there shall bee no ende, but it shall endure through all ages to ternally, like as the congregacion of Christ shal also haue none end. That, that I haue sayed, is certayne and vndoubtedly true.

Notes

• * 1.1

  By ••••uela∣tion shewed he this mes∣tery vnto me.
• * 1.2

  Vnto me the least of al Saintes is this grace geuen &c.
• * 1.3

  That he ••••ul•• graunt you accordīg to y^• riches o•• his glory.
• * 1.4

  which is fa¦ther of all.
• * 1.5

  Ye beeyng rooted and grounded in loue.
• * 1.6

  myght bee hable to cō∣prehende
• * 1.7

  Unto hym that is ha∣ble.