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I just finished reading a biography of Erasmus by James McConica, and now all I want to do is read a bunch of Erasmus's writings. The great thing about that is that most of his writings can be found online. Here's a passage from his book "Handbook of the Christian Soldier".
"Moreover, as if it were not enough to be threatened on all sides by enemy forces, we bear within us in the innermost part of our being an enemy more familiar to us than the members of our own household or our closest friends, and for that reason all the more dangerous. Yes, it is that old, earthly Adam, by virtue of his intimacy with us more than our fellow citizen, but by ambition and design more than our enemy, one whom we cannot ward off with ramparts or drive out of our camp. He must be watched with a hundred eyes lest he lay open the fortress of God to the demons of hell.
Therefore, although we are all engaged in such a difficult and dire conflict, and must do battle with an enemy so numerous, so sworn and vowed to our destruction, so vigilant, so heavily armed, so treacherous, and so well trained, yet, poor fools that we are, shall we not take up arms against them? Not mount guard? Not hold all things suspect? On the contrary, we lie flat on our backs, snoring the day away, as if everything were at peace. We remain idle, give ourselves up to pleasure, and take care of our own skins without a care in the world. As if our life were not warfare, but a Greek symposium, we roll around in our beds rather than in animal skins upon the bare earth; we are garlanded with roses and the delights of Adonis rather than girded in harsh armour; instead of devoting ourselves to military pursuits we are sunk in idle luxury; in place of the weapons of war we handle the unwarlike cithera, as if this kind of peace were not the most hideous of all wars. For whoever makes peace with vice violates the treaty struck with God at baptism. And you, you raving fool, cry out: 'Peace, peace,' while you make yourself an enemy of God, who alone is peace and the author of peace. He cries back in a clear voice through the mouth of the prophet: 'There is no peace for the wicked.' Nor are there any other terms of peace with him except that as long as we are soldiers in this garrison of the body we make war upon vice with implacable hatred and with all our strength. Otherwise, if we make terms with vice, we will make a twofold enemy of him who alone as friend can render us happy or as enemy consign us to eternal perdition. we will be taking sides with things with which God will never be reconciled (how can there be any accord between light and darkness?), and with sheer ingratitude we do not keep faith with what we solemnly promised to him, criminally violating a covenant ratified by sacred ceremonies."
"Moreover, as if it were not enough to be threatened on all sides by enemy forces, we bear within us in the innermost part of our being an enemy more familiar to us than the members of our own household or our closest friends, and for that reason all the more dangerous. Yes, it is that old, earthly Adam, by virtue of his intimacy with us more than our fellow citizen, but by ambition and design more than our enemy, one whom we cannot ward off with ramparts or drive out of our camp. He must be watched with a hundred eyes lest he lay open the fortress of God to the demons of hell.
Therefore, although we are all engaged in such a difficult and dire conflict, and must do battle with an enemy so numerous, so sworn and vowed to our destruction, so vigilant, so heavily armed, so treacherous, and so well trained, yet, poor fools that we are, shall we not take up arms against them? Not mount guard? Not hold all things suspect? On the contrary, we lie flat on our backs, snoring the day away, as if everything were at peace. We remain idle, give ourselves up to pleasure, and take care of our own skins without a care in the world. As if our life were not warfare, but a Greek symposium, we roll around in our beds rather than in animal skins upon the bare earth; we are garlanded with roses and the delights of Adonis rather than girded in harsh armour; instead of devoting ourselves to military pursuits we are sunk in idle luxury; in place of the weapons of war we handle the unwarlike cithera, as if this kind of peace were not the most hideous of all wars. For whoever makes peace with vice violates the treaty struck with God at baptism. And you, you raving fool, cry out: 'Peace, peace,' while you make yourself an enemy of God, who alone is peace and the author of peace. He cries back in a clear voice through the mouth of the prophet: 'There is no peace for the wicked.' Nor are there any other terms of peace with him except that as long as we are soldiers in this garrison of the body we make war upon vice with implacable hatred and with all our strength. Otherwise, if we make terms with vice, we will make a twofold enemy of him who alone as friend can render us happy or as enemy consign us to eternal perdition. we will be taking sides with things with which God will never be reconciled (how can there be any accord between light and darkness?), and with sheer ingratitude we do not keep faith with what we solemnly promised to him, criminally violating a covenant ratified by sacred ceremonies."
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