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 .i. Chapter,

The texte.

Paule and Tymothe the seruauntes of Iesu Christ. To all the sayntes in Christe Iesu whiche are at Philippos with the Bishoppes and Deacons, Grace be vnto you, & peace from God our father and from the Lorde Iesus Christ.

PAule and Timothe, felowes in the office of the gospel, and ser∣uauntes of Iesus Christe: To all the companye of the sayn∣tes, that purelye and entierlye professe the name of Christe, and to them also, that haue the ouersight & ministracion of the Christiā flocke at Philippos: We wishe grace and peace vn∣to you, from god our father and from the Lorde Iesu Christ.

The texte.

I thanke my God with al remembraunce of you alwayes in al my prayers for you, & praye with gladnes: because ye are come into the felowship of the gospel frō the frist day vnto now: And am surely certified of this, that he which hath begonne a good worke in you, shall performe it vntil the day of Iesus Christ: as it becōmeth me, so iudge I of you al, because I haue you in my berte: for asmuche as ye all are companyons of grace wyth me, euen in my bondes, and in the defendyng and stablyshynge of the gospel. For God is my recorde howe greatlye I longe after you all, from the very hart rote in Iesus Christ. And this I pray, that your loue may encrease yet more & more in knowledge & in all vn∣derstandyng, that ye may accepte the thinges that are most excellēt, that ye may be pure, and such, as hurte no mans cōscience vntyl y^• day of Christ, beyng filled with y^• fruit of rightewisenes, whiche fruit cōmeth by Iesus Christ vnto the glory and prayse of God.

Verely as often as I call vpon God in my prayers, as I doo in dede with out ceassyng, I make continuall mention of you all, with rendryng of than∣kes and excedyng reioycyng on all your behalfes, that euer synce the fyrst en∣traunce of your profession, euen vnto this daye, in that you haue releued me wyth your helpe and gentilnes, you haue shewed youre selues to be of the fe∣lowshyppe of the gospel. And my continuall prayer is, that you maye encrease in those vertuous doynges more & more: not doubtyng, but God, which hath entred these godly partes in you, wyl performe y^•, which he hath begon in you, vnto the day y^• Iesus Christ shall come & recompence eternall rewarde to well done dedes. For so it is conuenient, y^e I should iudge of you, through y^e helpe of God, in asmuche as alwayes hitherto I haue had suche experience of youre constaunte and true gospellike loue to me warde, as I may easyly gather, that of a very good begynnyng, shal come a very good ending. For y^e which cause sake my minde is so affectuously set towardes you, y^e euen in these bandes, and whā I am arraigned at Neroes barre, wher I must pleade for my head giltie or not giltie, & in other mine afflictions, through the which y^• power of y^• gospel is not hindred nor obscured, but cōfirmed & aduaūced, I haue euer borne you a singuler good will, bicause I haue alwayes perceiued you as glad as my self, that the word of Christ doth florishe through my painful afflictiō. For god him selfe knoweth, frō whō nothing is hiddē, how disirously affected I am towar∣des you all, not after the maner of mannes affection, either to the intente to get anye thyng of you, or yet in anye wyse to flattre you for youre lyberalitie shewed to me, but I loue you w^t a pure christiā affectiō, for none other purpose, but bycause I see, that you loue Iesus Christ constauntly & purely. I thanke God heartely for bestowynge hys gyftes vpon you, & I beseche hym, that this

youre charitie may encrease more and more, in all knowledge and in all vn∣derstandyng, that you maye knowe, vnto whome youre dutie is to minister the offices of charitie. For the commaundement of charitie, is, that you should mynde to doo good dedes. And discretion sheweth howe and where you shoulde doo good dedes. Than what so euer you shall bestowe for Christes sake, vpon the preachers and promotours of the ghospell, it is best bestowed of all other, bycause you shall receyue it agayne with greate auauntage. And for this cause I wyshe and praye, that you may alwayes encrease in both these gyftes, so as you maye be hable to proue, what is best to be done: and that you maye be of a sincere affection, to geue respecte to nothyng but onelye to Christe: and to set out the profession of the ghospell, with suche vprightnes of lyfe, that you geue not any man occasion to be offended, but rather allute all men to the true wourshyppe of God, and so perseuer styll vnto the daye of Christes commynge, that you maye than appeare ryche, and aboundauntlye ful of good workes, wherof in this world you make as it wer a seedenesse, and shall reape y^e frute therof at y^• day w^t moste plenteous encrease: by y^e meritours goodnes of Iesus Christ, & not to the glory of you & me, but to the glorye and praise of god, to whō as y^• foūtaine of al goodnes al thinges are to be referred.

The texte.

I would ye should vnderstande (brethren) that the thynges whiche happened vnto me, chaunced vnto the great furtheraunce of the ghospell: So that my bondes in Christe, are manifest thorow out all the iudgement hall and in al other places: In so much that ma∣ny of the brethren in the lorde beyng encouraged thorowe my bondes, dare more boldely speake the worde wythout feare. Some preache Christ of enuye and stryfe, and some of good wyll. The one part preacheth Christ of strife and not sincerely, supposyng to adde more aduersitie to my bōdes. Agayne the other part preache of loue, because they know, y^• I am set to defend the gospel. What then? So that Christe be preached anye maner of waye, whether it be by occasion, or of true meanyng, I am glad therof, yea and I will be glad. For I know, that this shall chaunce to my saluacion, thorowe your prayer and ministrynge of the spirit of Iesu Christ accordyng to my expectation, and hope, that in nothyng I shalbe ashamed: but that with all bold nesse, (as alwayes euen so nowe also) Christ shalbe magnified in my body, whether it be thorow lyfe, or thorowe death. For Christe is to me lyfe, and death is to me auauntage If it chaunce me to lyue in the fleshe, that thyng is to me frutefull for the worke, and what I shal chose I wote nor. ••or I am cōstrained of these two thynges. I desyre to be lo••ced & to be w^t Christe: which is moche & farre better. Neuerthelesse, to abyde in the fleshe is more nedfull for you. And this am I sure of, that I shal abyde, & continue w^t you all, for youre furtheraunce and ioye of your fayth, that your reioysyng maye be the more aboundant thorow Iesus Christe in me, by my commyng to you agayne.

Now to the intent, ye may the more amplye be partakers of my ioye, I would ye should vnderstand, brethrē, that y^• emprisonmēt, fetters, arraignemētes, and my other calamities, wher w^t I was tossed & turmoyled for y^e gospel of Christ, did not only not hinder y^e sitting abrod, & cōfirming of y^e doctrine of the gospel, but also happened to the great furtheraunce of it: & did not only not withdraw the faythfull frō the profession y^• they had taken vpon thē, but also confirmed thē in it a greate deale y^e more, & made thē more hartie & of a better courage, so as they vnderstode, y^• to be most vndoubtedly true, y^• I preache, for y^• which I am not afraied to suffre these thinges: & made thē bold to entreprise y^• lyke by myne exāple. For this, for y^e most part, is the cōmen chaūce, y^t happeneth to mat∣ters of honestye & of weightye importaūce: the more they are holden vnder and turmoyled hereawaye and thereawaye, so muche more they come forwarde, & appeare, not withstāding y^e endeuour of y^e wicked, trauailling to the cōtrarie.

So in dede my bondes, gaue occasion, that the woorde of Christe came not onelye to a fewe, and those but of the symple sorte of the commune people, as it was afore: but it floryshed also throughoute all Neroes hall, and all the whole cytie, so as sondrye of the brethren, whyche professed the ghospell be∣fore that tyme, as men halfe afrayed, nowe beynge encouraged wyth my bondes, as the Lorde Iesus ordreth the matter, they begynne alid through myne example, to professe the woorde of the ghospell more freely and bolde∣lye, all drede set aparte. And albeit, all men dyd it not wyth a lyke syn∣ceritie, as they dyd not also wyth lyke dylygence, yet the matter chaunced by occasion to the furtheraunce of the ghospell. For there was among them, some that dyd it of a maliciouse purpose, to procure the greater hatred against me, and to kyndle Neroes stomake so muche the more fearcely agaynste vs, as he sawe thys secte encrease and come forwarde, whiche, in his erronious conceipte, he iudgeth to be hurtefull to his Empire: In consideration where∣of they thoughte, he woulde the soner haue dispatched me oute of the waye. Perchaunce there be manye, that hauynge disdeigne at my glorye, (whyche notwythstandynge I chalenge not to my selfe, but resigne it whollye vnto Christe,) haue gone aboute throughe malicious enuye to obscure my commendacion, if they myght seme to be more diligente than wee. Agayne, there be of them, that preache Christe, as I dooe, with a syncere good consci∣ence, thoughe it be not throughly perfite. For as concernynge fauoure after the outwarde maner of man, I can not wante anye at theyr handes, whyche loue me, and see me endaungered for thys cause, that I goe stedfastlye about, accordyng to the offyce commytted vnto me, to defende the ghospell agaynste the wycked: althoughe, that euen those that preache vpon the moste naughty purpose, haue furthered the glorye of the ghospell also. For they preache Christe, but not of a Christian conscience, nor of an vpryghte purpose, but labour to the intente, they myghte cause me, nowe I am taken and bounden, to be more greuouslye punyshed, in case throughe theyr earnest hoote cockled ghospellyng, they coulde haue broughte vs in to more haynous displeasure. Thys, how so euer it shal happen vnto me, shall make no great matter, so that it turne to the glorye of Christe, vnto whome I owe suche entier hartie loue, that I am glad, to haue hym notified vnto all men, by what occasion so euer it be. They deserue the greatest commendation before God, that preache Christe, vpon the same intente that I doe. And they are to be borne wythall, that vpon a certayne pryuate affection towardes vs, set forwarde the doctrine of the gospel. But those y^• preache Christ, for displeasure of me, in y^• they hurte thēselues I am sorye: in y^• they goe about to hurt me, I defye thē: in that their froward purpose turneth to the furtheraunce of y^e gospel, I am veray glad, so that they teache Christe truelye, althoughe theyr entent be nothyng vpryght. And I doo not onelye reioyce nowe presentlye, but also I wyll reioyce here∣after, in rase they goe on styl, in despight of me, to set out the doctrine of Christ. It greueth not me, that their intente is by thys meanes to destroye me, seynge I knowe well ynoughe, that wyth the helpe of youre prayers, the spirite of Iesu Christe forwardynge and gouernyng this busines, it shall proue vnto my best commoditie, whether I dye or lyue. And my faythfull truste that I haue cōceyued of hym, shall neuer desceaue me, whiche is, that I

am moste certaynly perswaded, that he wil neuer leaue me destitute nor put to shame in preaching the gospell, which he hathe cōmytted vnto me, so as I shal not be enforced wyth anye afflictions, either to re••ante it as vayne, or holde my tongue from speakyng the thyng, that I am sure, is mooste true: but ra∣ther, lyke as the afflictions whiche I haue suffered at mennes handes af∣ter the bodye, haue alwayes hetherto turned to the aduauntage of the ghos∣pell, eyther whan I was stoned, or whan I was scourged wyth whyppes, or whan I was caste to wylde beastes, euen so, thys afflyction whereby I am in ieoperdye of my heade and lyfe, shall proue also to the glorye and prayse of Christe, whether I chaunce to lyue or dye. For as the former stormes of myne afflictions, althoughe they troubled thys ca••cas, dyd neuer for all that wythdrawe myne harte, nor made me to shrynke from the stedfast preachyng of Christe, no more shall also thys hoote tempest any thyng withdrawe me. Yf I lyue, I shall defende the trueth of the ghospell boldely: yf I shall dye, euen my deathe, whiche I shall gladlye suffer for the ghospelles sake, shall further the glorye of Christ. Whether waye so euer happeneth vnto me, I shalbe in sure sauegarde. And as for death, I am not onely not afrayed of it, but I thynke it also rather to be wyshed for, yf it myghte be to the spedye furtheraunce of the ghospell. And yet I am not wearye to lyue, thoughe, I lyue in thys payefull estate, for I measure all the felicitie of my lyfe, by the successe of the ghospell. And on the other parte, I am not affrayed of death. For it shalbe my vauntage, and brynge me to the ioyes of heauen, where after thys lyfe I shall truely lyue. And yet in the meane tyme, thys vyle corporall lyfe wanteth not his frute, forasmuche as in amplyfyinge of good dedes, the rewarde of immortalitie is amplyfyed also, and besydes that whyle we lyue in thys worlde, the ghospell of Christe is set forwarde and confirmed throughe oure trauayll. And it is in the hande of Christe, whe∣ther hys pleasure be, rather that I lyue or dye. For myne owne parte, I am so readyly prepared for eyther waye, that I can not tell, whether is better for me to chose. There is cause, why I shoulde wyshe to dye, and there is cause, why I shoulde not refuse to lyue. But whan I haue cast what is best for me▪ and examyned myne owne hearte, I perceyue it were a greate deale better for me, to be losed frome the troublous toylynges of thys lyfe, and to be in presente companye wyth Christe, and to goe agayne vnto that vnspea∣keable felicitie, that I had a taste of, whan I was ••apte into the thyrde hea∣uen. Agayne, whan I consider, what is best and moste expedyent for you, I perceyue it profitable, yea rather necessarie for you, that I contynue yet for a whyle in thys myne office. And I knowe this for a certayntie, that I shall tarye styll yet in this life, and tarye so, as I shall once haue youre com∣panye agayne, and be at suche libertie, as you shall goe forwarde more a∣boundauntlye in faithe, and as I shall haue muche more cause to be glad of the encreace of your fayth, and as you on the other parte maye be glad of my commyng vnto you agayne, whan you shall see, that by the helpe of Christe, I haue not onely not geuen place to these myscheuous troubles, but also that I am preserued for the encrease of your best profite.

The texte.

Onely let your conuersacion be, as it becommeth the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or els be absent, I may yet here of your condicion, that ye continue in

one spirite, and in one soule, labourynge as we doo to mayntayne the faythe of ghospel: and in nothyng fearynge your aduersaries, whiche is to them a cause of perdicion, but to you of saluacion, and that of God. For vnto you it is geuen of Christe that not on∣lye ye shoulde beleue on hym: but also that ye shoulde suffre for hys sake, hauynge euen suche a sight, as ye sawe in me, and nowe heare of me.

Doo you see nowe howe lytle I regarde myne owne feli••itie, in compa∣rison of youre commoditie? What man is it, that woulde not loothe the ca∣res of thys worlde to be in the thyrde heauen? Who woulde not desire to be in the vpper paradise, and to be delyuered out of these miseries? Who woulde not contemne the communication of man, whan he remembreth the secrete wordes that were spoken to him aboue? Who would not in stedde of so many daungiers, so mani ieoperdies, so many deathes, rather chose to be in the quiet∣nesse, that neuer shall haue deathe? Neuertheles I set so muche by brotherlye charitie, that I regarde more the profyte of others, than myne owne desyre. And therefore it shalbe youre partes to applye youre selues the more diligent∣lye, that you maye doo lykewyse, accordynge to my mynde in thys behalfe. And that shalbe, in case you wyl frame your lyfe answerably vnto the ghospell of Christe, for whose sake I abyde all these troubles, that I be not frustrate of this frute, for the whiche onelye thyng, I woulde wyshe to be seperated from the moste blessed felowshyppe of Christe. Therefore endeuoure youre selues, that in case I see you agayne, I maye fynde you suche, as I woulde wyshe you to be: or yf there be anye let, that I can not see you agayne, yet at least, I maye here of you in myne absence, that lyke as you haue done alwayes hitherto, so continue styll in one spirite, whiche you haue commonlye receyued: and agree all in one mynde, holdyng vp wyth your diligence and prayers, the fayth of the ghospell, that warreth agaynste the wycked: and be not afrayed of any persecution, to resiste the enemies of Christe manfullye in euery place, whose wycked doynges shall worke nothyng elles, but their owne destruction and your saluation, and cause the glorye of the ghospell the more to flourishe, and theyr owne wycked purposes to proue alwayes worse and worse. It is a very goodly thyng to suffer for Christe, but it is an excellent thyng, by hym to conquere the aduersaries. Howbeit we can in no wyse attribute that to oure selues. For it is geuen you of God, not onelye to beleue in the ghospell of Christ, wythout dyssemblyng, which I preache, but also readyly to suffer for it, as you see me doe: And shrynke not to abyde the same conflicte for the ghos∣pelles sake, that you haue sene me suffer so manye wayes afore, whan I was there, and you haue harde of me beyng nowe in boundes and in haserd of my heade. These thynges happen not by chaunce, at all aduentures, but are ap∣pointed by the goodnesse of God, vnto them specially, whose godlynes he will haue more notablye sene through the afflictions of this life.