» The word Greet is ſupplyed to fill up the Sence. 2. d. De- clare my good Willto them, and Deſires of therr weltare. You have the ſame Salutations, 1 Cor. 16. 19. And the like in Col. 4.15 Phil:m. 2. By the Church in their houſe, is generally underſtood, their Family or Houſho/d 3 which he calls a. Church, becauſe of the Godly Order and Religious Worſhip that was exerciſed amongſt them. May 49uila and Priſcilla bea pattern unto other Houle. keepers; may the families of Chriſtians be every where as little Ehurch:s. The Houſe of Gecrge, Prince of 4nhalt,for the good and Godly Order therein obſerved, was ſaid to be, as well a Church as a Court. There are ſome that think, That by the Church in their Houſe, is meant theChriſtians that were wont to aſſemble there for Solemn Worſhip; bur this is not likely, becauſe of the parti- cular Salutations ot ſo many in the following Verſes. o Epenetus in the Gr:c>& Tongue, is Laudable and Praiſe worthy ; ſo was this Perſon, both in name and in deed. p The ſame is affirmed of the houſe of S:ephanus, 1 Cor. 16. 15. The meaning may be this. Eprnetys wasthe firſt Perfon, and Stephanus his Family, was the firſt Family that embrac't the Faith of Chriſt, in the Region of Achaia. Tais is a ſingular Commendation ; Gods foul delires ſuch firſt-ripe
Fruits. Micah. 7.1. |
6 Greet Mary q, who beſtowed much labour on
US 7 that ſhe hath /aboured much in the Lord ; noting ſome ſpecial Lab y This was a common Name, but the Perſon here meant was of | or Service for which ſhe is here Commended.
ſpecial note. Jgnatizs highly commends one of this Name, giving her an ample CharaCQter for Wiſdom, and Godlineſs. -» This.1s the Commendation the Apoſtle gives of this Woman : it is to be underſtuwod of her Labour and Service in providing Food , and
other Neceflaries for the Entertainment of the Faithful ; eſpeci-|21. # A choice Chriſtian, one eminent for gifts, Coal ally, the Preachers of the Goſpel : which he / acknowledgeth as 2 Joh. 1. You read of an Ele& Lady : He is ſuppoſed not *9 * done to himſc1f, though he had not been at Rome, becauſe of the| here of Erernal Eleftion. o His Mother by Nature, mine b . f&ion: She hath tendred me as a Mother her Son. | y' ſ
mother and mine 0.
fired unto the Apoſtle Pax! himſelf,
7 Salute Andronicus || and Junia « my kinſiner ; my fellow priſoners, who are of note amogs m. 1" ſtles w, who alſo were in Chriſt before me x. s It may be rendred Junias. Some think, This Tun; Woman, and the Wife of Andronicus ; Others take then Ys, for men. t So he calls them, Either becauſe they _— c9.3. Or becauſe they were of the ſame Tribe : or hetw Jen, were more nearly Related to him, by Conſanguiniry ang rr v. i.e. "They had been Impriſoned for the Goſpel, as wei) vu The Apoſtle had been often in priſon himſelf,. 2 Cor. ;1 , mT. read A. 16. 23. of his being impriſon:d at Philippis, and 7 * be ) theſe two were his fc/low priſoners ; for we read of wy priſoners there , beſides Paul and Silas. wv. 15.26, w.; , a were well known to the Apoſtles, and were in good Eſteem .) them : Not only the Twelve, together with Paul and þ,, 7 but other Teachers are ſometimes called Apoſtles or Meſlenge. vid. 2 Cor. 8. 23. Phil 2, 25. Some have thought FS ts Andronicus and Juxia, were of the number of the Sever; Di of the one hundred and Twenty, which are mentioneg > 15. Orof thoſe that were Converted by the fiſt Preaching « Peter, and the reſt, 4F. 2.41. and 4.4. By whar follows - " peareth they were of conſiderable ſtanding in Chriltian? x There aret/ee things for which he commends theſe Two 2. ſons: TheFirſt is, their Sufferings for Chriſt ; A $:<3 j; th Fame among the Apoſtles; and the Third is, their Forwarder in Converſion. This was Mnaſon's Commendation, 43, 1,1; When he ſaith, They were in Chriſt, he intimates the Vertue ai _ of Fairh, to incorporate us into Chriſt, as bran; hy, Into 4 | VINE;
8 Greet Amplias y my beloved in the ord z,
3 Some Tranſlations call bim 4Ampliartys ; it is a Roman Name z This is added to ſhewthat hedid nor love him for his riches; or any outward reſpe&, but for the Lords fake ; for the 554, x Chriſt, which appeared in him. PR
9 Salute Urban @ our ||helper in Chriſt 5, and 5; chys my beloved c. | # Thisallo is a Roman Name ; it was coveted afterward; hy many Biſhops of Rome. b The ſame that was faid of xl; a Priſcilla. v. 3. Poſſibly he might be one of their Teachers, c Thi 15a Greek name, which ſignifieth an ear of c:rn. Some have re.
leſsa Perſon eminent in grace and gifts, or elſe the Apoſtle would never have Dignified him with this additional Commcadztion, tha he was beloved of him, or dear to him.
19 Salute Apelles 4 approved in Chriſt « $41y-
them which are of Ariſtobulus || houſhold f,
4 Origen ſuppoſeth this Appe!les to be 4polls, of whom you real AZ. 18. 24. Andin other places. Epiphanius ſaith, Hewas Teacher in the Churches of :Smyrna before Polyzarpus. e One who hath ſhewed himſzIf a faithful and ſincere Chriſtian ; who hath given many proofs of his Sincerity, Zeal, and Conſtancy, Thisis high Encomium ; to be in Chriſt is much, to be approved in Clift i more : Tryed Gold is moſt precious. In a time of Tryal, toitand faſt, and hold his own, is a Chriſtian's greateſt praiſe. The wad Houſhold, is not in the Greek, bur is added to fill up theſence; you have the like in the next Verſe, and in 1 Cor. 1.11. Arif hin. ſelf is not Saluted ; Either he was dead, Or as yet unconvertedto the faich of Chriſt : But it ſeems there were ſeveral Chriſtians, inor belonging to his Family, whom the Apoſtle here Salutes, See the next Verſe, we |
11 Salute Herodian my kinſman g. Greet them tha be of the || houſhold of Narciſſus 4, which are in the
Lord z,
g vid. v. 7. h This Narciſſus IS reported by $wetonisis, to hae been 1n great favour with Claudius the Emperour, and to haves. bounded in Wealth; ſo that he was worth 7:n Millios. He w 2 wicked Man himſelf, yer ir ſeems he had divers good Chriſtin; in his Family. So weread, that there were Saints ir. Neri's Houle or Court, Phil. 4. 22. Towhat a degree of Wikedne's are they Ar- rived, who will not ſuffer a Religious Perſon to dwell in their Houſes! This ſhews, That good Chriſtians may ſerve wicked Maſters with a good Conſcience. 7; This may be added, becuk that all in Narciſis his Family were not Chriſtians, or Members of the Church of Chriſt.