Ver. 19.-Spiritual benefits the mod wl,uab~ of all. Since St. Paul had (as it appears) won to the embracing of the faith of Christ as well Philemon himself as Onesimus his slave, he rightly reminds him, as his :first and most powerful argument, that Philemon owes himself and his very life (that is, the life of his soul) to him. L HE DOES NOT SUM UP THIS OBLIGATION. He leaves it to the conscience of Philemon to consider how much he was indebted. It was, perhaps, inoommensurable with the favour he was asking. But it is clear that such an obligation must exceed every other. A man's self is n1ore valuable than his l,a,nd,s or his goods (Job ii. 4). It~ therefore a lifelong obligation that men are under to those who _have been~ them the ms~~me~ta of great 8piritual benefits, and one not capable of bemg_ fully disc~rged. So 1t 1_s ~aid, " Bow beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bnngeth good t1dmgs, that puhlisbeth peace I" (Isa. Iii. 7; Rom. x. 16). St. Paul bears witness that the Galatians, whose sµiritual father he was, regarded nothing as being ~ good or too costly to show their affection for him (iv. 14, 15); and he lays dowJl IIl 1 ~r. b.. 11 that the spiritual benefite of which he had been the meana were 111preme 1n kind to uq possible ca.rnal reoompewie. 1-26.] nm EPISTLE TO PHILEMON. 11
II. 8PlnITUAL BENF.FITB ARE INDEED THE GIFTS OF GOD AND THE EFYE0TS OF HIB 0RA0E; but he uses the services of men, a.nd particularly of his ministers, in the dis- pensing of them. " It is hotter to help our friends to recover lost grace than lost money" (Thomas Aquinas). And those who receive them rightly will be s,uta.bly grateful. III. SPIRITUAL BENEFITS THE MOST VALUABLE, because the soul of man is his most precious possession (Mark viii. 36, 37). 'l'he life of the soul is impaired a.nd a.t len:::r h wholly lost by sin ; but is regained and strengthened by Divine grace. 1. The soul ,:R more noble than earth OT heaven; for of these the one is for its temporary habitation, the other for its eternal one. 2. It bears the image of God. It is like tlie p\ece of silver in the parable (Luke xv. 8), for which, when lost, such diligent search was made. The heavens were created with a word, but the redemption of the soul needed the incarnation of Christ, and his death upon the cross. 3. Hence its value, and the corresponding value of a service rendered to it-a. value so great as not to be capable ~f being expressed (e.g.) in money. IV. IT IB INCOMMENSURATE WITH TEMPORAL THINGS. So St. Paul does not give the sum of it. Th, freedom of Onesimus was a B(gvice in the spiritual sp~e. It was a benefit to Onesimus himself; and, if he were employed a.a St. Paul proposed (ver. 13), in the service of the Church, might be the mea.us of good to many other souls. V. IT w.a.s .A FIT'rlNG PLEDGE, therefore, of the gratitude of Philemon.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver11. 1, 2.-The sceptre of lwe. "Fellow-labourer . . . fellow-soldier." These are terms expressive of the spirit of St. Paul. He was not only an ecclesiastic, speaking ea;-cathedra, so as to have dominion over men's faith. He was a brother amongst brethren; he ruled by force of character a.nd by depth of love; he addresses them i11 words which ha.d not then degenerated into a formula: "Dearly beloved." L CoMMON WOBK. "Fellow-labourer." For Paul believed in work-in hard work. He had "journeys oft;" he returned to confirm the faith of the disciples. He worked in sorrow of brain and sweat of heart, and sometimes in sweat of brow. II. COMMON CONFLICT. "Fellow-soldier." For a.ll through the ages the Cbristia.11 has a battle to fight-within himself, and with the world a.nd the flesh a.nd the devil. Men are sustained by the sight of men nobler than themselves risking life a.nd health. In the Crimean W a.r, when a. young officer headed his troops, running by their side in the heat of the conflict, a private remarked, "'l'here runs ten thousand a year!" Paul did not direct a campaign from afar; he did not do the dainty work, a.nd leave others to hard fare and dungeons. He "fought a good fight," and in that fight he fell, to be crowned with honour hereafter. How inspiring, therefore, would such a man be to other apostles-" a fellow-soldier " ! -W. M. S.
Ver. 4.-Love's outcome in pray(g. "Making mention of thee always in my prayers.'' We may judge of the reality of our affection by the current of our thoughts. Do we find them tending towards some absent friends daily? Then we have evidence that ours is not the superficial love that can live only in the presence of its object. With thEI Christian thought turns to prayer. There on the throne of the universe is One who ca.n best befriend our dearest friends. I. THERE w.AS BLESBEDNESS IN THE EXPERIENCE. " I thank my God, ma.king mention," etc. It was not a prayer touched with sorrow for Philemon, Apphia, a.nd Archippus, or with anxiety about their faith and character. It was the prayer of one who rejoiced that the Christ above could keep them from falling. II. THE!lE WAS PURPOSE IN THE PRAYER. Paul remembers its subject-matter. When he heard of their love and faith towards the Lord Jesus, he prayed that their faith might not be merely personal or selfish, \Jut that their religion might be, in the modem speech, "altruistic," which is "otherism" as opposed to " selfism." Paul prayed that t.he communication of their faith might be effectual, that tho light might shine on other11 so as to gu_ide tJwm, that the fountain might flow into other hear~ ~o a& to refreah Ul~-W. lrL S. L2 THE EPltjTLE TO PHILEMON.
Vel'll. 9, 10.-Love's motit•e-power. "For love's sake I rather l..-.,,iech t.hee . . . for my son Onesimus." Onesimus was a slave--one who in past time11 had been aa WllS natural, unmoved by any inspiration to good service-and was "unprofitabie." He had been begotten again through the ministry of Paul, and now that he sends him back. he tells Philemon that the new Divine life in him will make him faithful earnest &nd "profitable." ' ' I. TBUTB TRIUMPHS IN TIME. Slavery did not fall at once, nor was polygamy destroyed at once. Revolution would have been the cost of any such attempt. Paul left the cro~s ~ do i~ mighty work. The spirit of the gospel made slavery and polygamy ahke 1mposs1ble, because the cross destroys self, teaches us that we are not our own, and emancipates all who are oppressed through a love which gives itself for others instead of holding them in bondage. II. LoVE IS THE SUPREME COMMAND. He will not enjoin. Men resist orders and commands. They find excuses for inaction, and their pride is hurt. But when love intreats, and when that love is like that of Paul the aged, and Paul a prisoner, and Paul to whom Philemon owed his own self (ver. 19), we need not wonder that love won the day; so Onesimus would be received back as a servant (a bond-servant), "but above a servant, a brother beloved."-W. M. S.