cimes calleth a Company of Chriſtians ordinarily converſing toge- | els of the Saints, dyamimww]ar, are brought ro a reſt ; as Travellers ther by that Name. Thoſe who think the Body of the Church
were wont conſtantly to meet in Philemon's Houſe, ſeem not to con- fider how the dangers of thoſe times made ſuch a thing hardly pra- Cicable,
ther, and the Lord Jeſhs Chriſt 6.
*1Theſl.1, "Ne 2Thefl.1.3
» EpB.t-15 pt towards the Lord. Jeſus 99, and toward all ſatats n. |
Col. 1. 4.
- Leve. 4 Faith in Chriſt, m That kaith which thou haſt in Chrift,
3 Grace unto you, and peace from God our Fa-
þ The common Salutation, vid, the Notes on Kom. I. 7. I Cor,
I, 3.2 Cor, I. 2, &C., 2] 7 4 * I thank my God, making mention of thee al- waysin my Prayers 7. z See the Annotat. on 2 Tim, 1
5 * Hearing of thy love k and faith 1, which thou
k Thy love to God, ard tothe Saints, ver. 7. The Apoſtle put- teth Love here before Faith, contrary to the true order of thoſe ſpi- ritual Hahits, for Lvve muſt be the Fruit of Faith which worketh by dove, and to his own order in other places, 1 Tim, 2, 7. 2 Tim. 1. 13. poſſibly to ſhew us that he ſpake of that Zove, which: 1s con- joined with Faith, and of that Faith, which ſheweth irs Truth Þy
|
after their Journey, or Labourers after their days I.abour, when they come to fit ſtill. |
, 8 Wherefore, * though 1 might be much bold *:Tic in Chriſt # to enjoyn thee « that which is convent 5.
Ent w
. * In the Greek it is, wherefore having much, upptotey, boldneſs, liberty or freedom of Speech, or, much power and 4utbority Or right, as Heb, 10.19. for Chriſt's ſake, being Chrift's Apoftle,or ſpeaking for the ſake of Chriſt, u To command thee, authoritatively, w To «rnxoy, things that are expedient, or convenient, fit for thee to d0e My Office authorizeth me in ſuch caſes, |
9 Yet for loves ſake x I rather beſeech thee, being ſuch a one as Paul the aged y, and now alſo a priſoncr of Jeſus Chriſt z.
. x Writing to thee in a cauſe of Love, where ſo good, and cha- ritable a Man may have an opportunity to expreſs his Charity. Or, rather, out of my Love and Kindneſs to thee, perſuading me that I need not-uſe my Apoſtolical Authority to ſuch a Brother,andFrien''s I beſeech thee, y being ſuch a one as Paul now, much in years, and not like to trouble thee long with any requeſt, Or, Paul the Elder
Priſoner
by Office, one who is thy Brother in the vviniftry ; 7 And now 2
* jThef2 6,
Chip. I:
= 1 Cor.4
Priſoner for Chriſt's ſake, aad ſo cannot perſonally ſpeak to _ and I know ſuch is thy Piety, that my being a ſufferer for the ſake of Chriſt will not reader my Petition to thee leſs acceptable, or to be regarded leſs,
10 I beſeech thee for my ſon Oneſimus a, * whom
[ have begotten in my bonds b.
| Gale 4419+ & Oneſimus lately thy Servant (the ſame mentioned C0, 4.9.) but
my Son. b Not naturally, but ſpiritually, to whom I have,been a ſpiritual Father, and begotten him to Chrift in my old age, and while I have been here ſuffering as a Priſoner.
1x Which in time paſt was to thee unpro- fitable e : But now profitahle to thee and
me d,
c”.' *yengry, he uſeth a ſoft word, for it appears, verſe 18, he had wronged him; taking away ſome of his Goods, and running away with them, without Philemon's knowledge, which made him cloubly criminal. 4 But now EUN ens, profitable; one that may be profitable to thee having learned Chriſt, and to me, who have uſed him in my ſervice, and whoſe Converſion will add to my Crown.
13 Whom I have ſent again e : thou therefore re- ceive him f, that is my own bowels g.
e He comes not of his own head, but upon my perſuaſion, and upon my errand, f I therefore beſeech thee to receive .him kindly, and entertain him in thy Houſe, g Whom I love, as I love my own Soul, thou canft not therefore be unkind to him, but it will refle& upon me,
13 WhomlT would have retained with me,that in thy ſtead, he might have miniſtred unto me inthe bonds of the goſpel b ; |
þ 1 have ſuch an opinion of his fincerity, that T would willingly have kept him with me, that he might, while I am a Priſoner *
the Golpel of Chriſt, have done thoſe Offices for me, which thou wouldft have done, hadft thou been here.
| *Cor.g.7 14 But without thy mind I would donothing z,* that
thy benefit ſhould not be as it were of neceflity but wil- lingly k.
z But he was thy Servant, and I would not do it without thy knowledge and conſent, k& that it might not be thought that thou hadſt done mea kindneſs neceffarily, but that thou mighteft do it freely, which ſeems to argue that St. Paul expetted, that he being reconciled to Onefimus, ſhould ſend him back to Paul): Unleſs he means the benefic done to Oneſtmus, in not revenging the wrong he
had done him, ſhould not be of neceſſity, becauſe he was out ot his | confidence that through the help of the Churches Prayers, he
reach, but freely having him firſt in his power. * 15 For perhaps he therefore departed for a ſeaſon, that thou ſhouldeſt receive him for ever I. |
I Oneſimus in departing deſigned no ſuch thing, but poſſibly God in the Wiſdom of his Providence ſuffered him to depart from thee, and to fall into theft, that he might upon that occation come to a quicker ſenſe and convietion of tin, and ſee a need of a Saviour, and being turned from Sin unto God, and having imbraced Chriſt our common Saviour, thou mighteſt receive, love, and imbrace him euovtop, for ever ;, thisever, In this life, that is, ſolong as you both ſhould live,
16 Not now as a ſervant mm, but above a ſervant », a brother beloved o, ſpecially to me p, but how much more unto thee, both in the fleſh, and in the Lord 9.
m Not now meerly as a Servant. 7» But as one that deſerv- eth much more kindneſs than a Servant. 6 Being a Chriftian deſeryedly to be loved. p Eſpecially of me, who have a Spiri- tual Relation to him, as the Inſtrument of his Converfion, and as he hath been uſeful in miniftring to me in Priſon, q But how much more to thee, to whom he ſtands not only in the Relation of a Brother, being converted to the Chriſtian Faith, but iz the fleſh, as thy Kinſman, or thy Servant, or one of thy Family, or thy Country-man, one of the ſame Town and Place.
17 If thou count me therefore a Partner r, receive him as my ſelf /.
HEBREWS.