considering that the object of that duty is not only the person immediately affected by it, but God, who will reward men for their obedience, and punish them for their disobedience. With respect to God, and Christ who will judge the world, all persons are equal, none are held in a higher esteem than another, but will be respected according to their behaviour in their proper station, whatever that was, master or servant. IV. 2. The duty of prayer is constantly urged upon Christians; and to have God continually in our thoughts, in which state of mind it will be impossible not to address ourselves to him in thanksgiving and petition, is the great object of all the means of religion. When we have attained to this habitual devotion, so that, as the Psalmist [Ps. x. 4] says, God shall be in all our thoughts, we shall be prepared for all the events of life, and secure against all temptations to sin; and without this habitual devotion, or constant regard to the presence and government of God in all our actions, all the prescribed means of religion signify nothing. 3, 4. Prayer for others, we see, is as proper as prayer for ourselves; and both are equally natural, and indeed unavoidable, on the idea of our loving others as we do ourselves, which is the great Christian precept. Earnestly wishing the happiness of others, will necessarily draw after it the practice of praying for it. It is very observable, that all the apostle wished for, from the prayers of his friends, was, his having a more open field for the preaching of the gospel. This appears to have been his only great object. To life or death he seems to have been indifferent. Could such a man as this, whose epistles are so much the language of nature, be an impostor, carrying on some artful design, the object of which must have been his interest or his fame in this world? They know nothing of human nature, and the natural expressions of human sentiments, who can suspect any such thing. 5. Paul was no wild enthusiast, inattentive to times and persons, but conducted himself, and advised others to conduct themselves, with prudence and discretion; especially to give no occasion to unbelievers to think unfavourably of their religious principles; and also not to expose themselves to unnecessary dangers, which may be the meaning of the phrase redeeming the time, securing as much of it as possible for all the useful purposes of life. But we are not to value even life itself, when the cause of truth requires the sacrifice of it. 6. This is an admonition to avoid whatever is offensive to others, and to study whatever is civil and agreeable in conversation; and also that address which will qualify a man to defend his principles, whether they be attacked by argument or ridicule. Good sense is never employed to more advantage than in this way and to persons who see much of the world there is continual occasion for it. 7. Tychicus appears to have carried the letter from Paul to the Ephesians, [vi. 22,] so that it is probable that they were both sent at the same time. 9. We shall see more of this Onesimus in the epistle to Philemon. 10. It appears by this affectionate mention which Paul makes of Mark, that he had seen reason to be entirely reconciled to him, notwithstanding the offence he had taken on. account of his leaving him and Barnabas in his first progress to preach the gospel. [Acts xv. 38.] 11. From this it is probable that all the persons whose names precede this were Jews, and that they who follow were Gentiles. 14. Luke being mentioned after those of the circumcision, makes it probable that he was a Gentile. Demas, who, together with Titus and Crescens, was mentioned by Paul in a former epistle from Rome, [2 Tim. iv. 10,] as having forsaken him, because he loved the present world, had now, it seems, returned to him again; so that all that we have to infer from his having loved the present world, was probably nothing more than his fleeing from persecution, which was not criminal in itself, though it might be unseasonable, and appear to be unkind with respect to the apostle, who, being a prisoner, could not fly. 15, 16. † Laodicea was in the neighbourhood of Colosse and also of Ephesus; and as none of the ancients speak of the epistle of Paul directed to the church of Laodicea, it is probable that the epistle to the Ephesians had been directed to be sent to Laodicea; and as Colosse was nearer to Laodicea than it was to Ephesus, it was natural for them to receive it from thence. These two epistles are very similar to each other, so that the one may serve to explain the other. 17. This seems to reflect some degree of censure on Ar Seasoned with salt. "Ne tenez aucuns discours inutiles, et fades; mais des discours pleins de sel, c'est-à-dire, des choses dignes de remarque." Le Clerc. +"Et eam quæ Laodicensium est, vos legatis." Vulg. See Lardner, IV. p. 498; V. pp. 136, 194, 195, 324, 329; VI. pp. 446, 447, 454-456; Doddridge. chippus, who was probably one of the elders of the church of Colosse. 18. I have observed that Paul seldom wrote much with his own hand, which was probably owing to his not writing the Greek character well. However, to authenticate his epistles, he signed them himself, and usually concluded them with some such sentence as this, expressing his affectionate regard for those to whom he wrote. PHILEMON, PHILEMON was a citizen of Colosse, whose slave Onesimus had run away from him, and had probably robbed him. It happened, however, that Onesimus coming to Rome while Paul was a prisoner there, and hearing him preach, he became a convert to Christianity, and made himself useful to Paul. Being, no doubt, convinced by the apostle of the wrong he had done to his master, he was prevailed upon to return to him; and, to make his reception the easier, Paul gave him this epistle; which shews, at the same time, his just sense of moral obligation, and also his refined address. Though there is not much of what may be called apostolical dignity in this epistle, no article of Christian doctrine being discussed in it, yet it has great propriety and beauty as a private letter, and it clearly shews the apostle to have been no wild enthusiast, but one who was well acquainted with mankind and with human nature, and who governed himself by that knowledge. It therefore shews us that inattention to these things is no recommendation of a Christian. At the same time that we should be harmless as doves, it becomes us to be wise as serpents. We also learn, from this epistle, some lessons of useful morality, such as the duty of servants to their masters, notwithstanding their being upon a level with them as fellowchristians, and the duties of masters to faithful servants, especially when they are at the same time their fellowchristians. This epistle was probably sent at the same time with that to the Colossians by Onesimus. 1. From Philemon being called the fellow-labourer of Paul, some have concluded that he was the bishop of the church at Colosse. But it is evident that all the epistles of Paul See Lardner, VI. pp. 378-381; Doddridge's Introd. V. p. 586; Michaelis's Introd. Lect. (Sect. cxxxiv. cxxxv.), pp. 296—299. were written prior to the appointment of bishops, as the term was afterwards applied, there being no mention in his writings of any single person as president or overseer of any particular church. The custom then was to appoint a number of persons, with the title of presbyters, or elders, to superintend the affairs of a church; and it was not till some time after this that it was thought proper to distinguish one of these by the title of bishop, or rather to appropriate to one that title, which had before been given to all the elders promiscuously. 2. Archippus was evidently one of the elders of the church of Colosse, since, in the epistle to that church, he was admonished to attend to his ministry. Philemon had probably a large family, consisting of many slaves, most of whom were Christians as well as their master. I must again observe, that in those times all persons in the condition of slaves were by no means wholly illiterate, capable of nothing but mere labour. Many of them had better educations than their masters, and were persons in whom the greatest confidence was reposed, being intrusted with the chief management of very important affairs. Onesimus was probably a person of some knowledge and capacity, or Paul would hardly have spoken of him as one who had been so useful to him at Rome. 3. I hardly need to observe, what I have done on so many former occasions, only that it is a matter of particular consequence, that no person could use this language so constantly as Paul does, and have any idea of Christ being God. They are by him evidently distinguished from each other, as beings of very different classes. 4. Here prayer and thanksgiving are addressed to God, and not to Christ, though it is in a matter relating to the Christian church; which clearly proves that the apostle did not consider Christ as a proper object of prayer, but God only. 6. This sentence is rather embarrassed. The meaning is, that as Philemon had been distinguished by his Christian zeal, the apostle wished that he might continue to be so, and that its effects might be so conspicuous in every Christian duty, as that all persons might see and admire it.† 7. These praises of Philemon, as I doubt not they were * See Chrysostom in Lardner, V. p. 145. + "En sorte que la liberalité de votre foi en Jésus-Christ est agissante, comme le reconnoissent tous les gens de bien, qui sont parmi vous." Le Clerc. See Harwood, N.T. just, very properly introduced the request which the apostle had to make to him. 8, 9. Observe, here, the address of the apostle. He might have used his apostolical authority, and have commanded Philemon, but he chose to ask what he wanted, as a favour, alleging the love that he bore to him, his own advanced age, and his being a prisoner, as if to excite his affection and even compassion. Paul could not at this time have been much more than fifty-four or fifty-five years old; but through his incessant labours he might be infirm, and conclude that he was drawing near to the close of his life.t 10. In order to enforce his request in favour of Onesimus, he calls him his own son, being converted by him while he was a prisoner, and from this circumstance more dear to him. 11. Being now a Christian, and having a full sense of his duty, he would be of much more value than he had been, and on that account was entitled to a more favourable reception. In this the apostle probably alluded to the meaning of the word Onesimus, which signifies useful. He had probably been a slave, born and educated in his master's house, and had this name given to him for the sake of the good omen, which was very customary in those times. ‡ 12. He represents Onesimus as the same with himself, in order to raise Philemon's esteem for him. 13. Paul here considers it, and justly, as the duty of all Christians to assist those who are in any difficulty, and especially when suffering for the sake of the gospel. Paul therefore had a kind of a right to retain Onesimus to serve him in the place of his master. 15. Here the phrase for ever may only mean during life, or it may refer to the satisfaction that Philemon would have in his slave, as a Christian brother, to all eternity. 16. That is, both as a slave and as a Christian. § 18. It is not certain that Onesimus had robbed his master of any thing. All that Paul alludes to might be the loss of his service for so long a time as he had been absent from him. 19. I need not point out all the strokes of fine address in this epistle. We may see them in every sentence, nothing "For Jesus Christ-a prisoner for his attachment to the Christian_cause.” Harwood, N. T. Gr. + See Doddridge. ↑ See Ibid. § Vev. 17. "I conjure thee, therefore, by all that is common between us, receive him as myself." L'Enfant, after Theodoret, in Doddridge. |