Philemon 1

Philemon 1:6

That your liberality and charity to others that are in want, flowing from thy faith in Christ Jesus, (see note [e] Acts ii,) may be able to demonstrate to all the zeal of your charity and kindness toward Jesus Christ.

Philemon 1:7

This liberal charity of thine is matter of great joy and comfort to me, to consider how many Christians are in their wants refreshed and comforted by thee, my beloved Philemon.

Philemon 1:8

And therefore, though from my experience of thee I have great freeness of behaviour toward thee, in or through Christ, (see note [a] John vii,) and am not shy or backward to lay it upon thee as an apostolical command, knowing that thou wilt readily obey it,

Philemon 1:9

Yet I choose rather to make it my request upon the score of thy love toward me, who as an old man and a prisoner shall obtain some kindness and affection from thee.

Philemon 1:10

And my request is not for myself, but for Onesimus, one whom I have converted to the faith since I was a prisoner;

Philemon 1:11

A person that formerly injured thee when he ran away from thee, but is now, if thou wilt receive him again, (according to the signification of his name,) likely to be profitable to thee, and, if thou please, to me also: (see ver. 13.)

Philemon 1:12

He is thy servant, and therefore I have remitted him to thee. I pray receive him, and entertain him with all kindness, as one dearly beloved by me.

Philemon 1:13

Had it not been for the reason specified ver. 14. I would have kept him here with me, that he

Philemon 1:14

But let not only the Gnostics, ver. 8, be thus admonished and convinced, but let all those also that continue with us, all the orthodox Christians, be taught by you to set up (in themselves and families) some honest labours among men, to supply their wants and provide for themselves necessaries of victuals, &c., that they live not like drones on others’ sweat, maintained out of the treasure of the church, but earn every one their own livings, 2 Thess. iii. 12. “all our loving fellow-Christians. Grace— ### THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO

ᵇ thy charity to all the saints, and thy faith in Christ: (see note [d] Matt. vii.)

But I would not do so till thou hadst given thy consent, that thy charity to me may be perfectly free, and so thy kindness in affording him to me, if thou thinkest meet.

[e] ours] The ἡμέτεροι here are all one with the οἱ ἐξ ἡμῶν, they that are of us, 1 John ii. 19, of which he saith, μεμενήκεισαν μεθ’ ἡμῶν, they remained with us, contrary to the Gnostics, that broke off and separated from them. Those are described ver. 8; and in respect to them peculiarly he commands the doctrine here spoken of, of following the business of their callings, to be earnestly pressed, because those πεπιστευκότες there, the Gnostics that had been professors of the faith, wanted that lesson so much. But now he extends it to those that are not fallen off to that sect, that they be taught it too, that none live idly upon the score of being a Christian, or make that advantage of the liberality of other Christians, but every man labour to earn his own living.

[f] necessary uses] What ἀναγκαία χρεία, necessary use, signifies, is manifest by this place of St. Basil in his Ἀσκητ. p. 560. edit. Basil. Ἄνθρωποι ὄντες δίκαιοι καὶ εὐσεβεῖς, πένητες δὲ, καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων οὐκ εὔποροι, πόνοις σώματος προσωμῆλουν διηνεκῶς, τὴν ἀναγκαίαν χρείαν ταύτη ἑαυτοῖς συμπορίζοντες, “Those that were righteous and pious men, but poor, and not furnished with necessaries, continually laboured, that they might earn necessary use for themselves.” Where it distinctly signifies all those things which are necessary for life, meat, drink, clothes, &c. And so Acts vi. 3, the deacons are set ἐπὶ τῆς χρείας ταύτης, over this use, that is, the providing for the necessaries of life for them that wanted, out of the stock of the church.

Philemon, to whom this Epistle was written, is said to have been an eminent person in Colossæ; and so that of Col. iv. 9 inclines to believe, where Onesimus, Philemon’s servant, is said to be one of them. St. Paul had converted him to the faith, ver. 19, but that not at Colossæ, (for he had not been personally there, Col. ii. 1,) but in some other place, where he had also contracted a friendship with him. Onesimus had been his servant, and had stolen and run away from him, and coming to Rome while Paul was prisoner there, was converted by him, ver. 10, and is now returned to his master with this Epistle of

Philemon 1:15

And for his leaving thee so injuriously there may come advantage to thee thereby: it is very possible that he was by God’s special providence thus permitted to run away from thee for a little while, that by the reformation and conversion now wrought on him by me, he may be an useful servant to thee for ever;

Philemon 1:16

Being now so improved, that he will not only deserve to be looked on as a servant, useful to thee so, but more than so, as a fellow-Christian, and useful to thee in those best things; one very useful to me, and therefore in any reason to be so much more to thee, who hast a double relation to him, as one of thy family and one of thy faith.

Philemon 1:17

If therefore thou lookest on me as a friend, if all be common between thee and me as between friends, treat him as thou wouldst do me, if I should come unto thee.

Philemon 1:18

And if at his coming away from thee he purloined any thing from thee, or hath any thing of thine in his hands, I will be answerable to thee for it.

Philemon 1:19

I give thee this bill under my hand, whereby I oblige myself to pay it: though I might put thee in mind, that a greater debt than that need not be stood on between me and thee, who owest thy conversion, and so thy soul and well-being, and so thyself to me. “give me cause of rejoicing to see thee, do as becomes a true charitable Christian to do. “that by the benefit of the prayers of you and others for me, I shall have liberty from my bonds, and be permitted to come and visit you.

[a] written it with my own hand] These words are to be explained by the Roman laws: that of Ulpian among their axioms: Si quis scripserit se fidejussisse, omnia solenniter acta videri, “If any one write that he hath undertaken a debt, this is a solemn obliging of him;” and that of Justinian, Ut quodcunque scriptum sit quasi actum, etiam actum fuisse videatur, “That whatsoever is written as if it were done, seems, and is reputed to have been done.” Both to this purpose, that a man is bound as much by his own hand, or confession under it, as if any other testimonies or proofs were against him of a fact or debt, or himself under a solemn obligation. So Anianus, paraphrasing on Paulus, lib. 5. Collect. t. 7. Si scribat aliquis se quamcunque summam redditurum, ita habetur quasi ad interrogata ista, Dabis? Promittis? responderit, Dabo, promitto. Ideoque ad redhibitionem tenetur, “If any one write that he will pay such a sum, he is as much obliged as if he had answered to the ordinary interrogatories, Wilt thou give? Dost thou promise? I will give, I do promise. And therefore he is bound to make payment.” So in the Novells Διαταξ. ρλς. the distinction is put between those who in contracts γραμματεία καὶ λογοθέσιν ποιοῦσιν, ἃ ἐπ’ ἀγοραῖς τίθενται, “enter in bands and obligations, which are done in courts,” and those who συγγράφουσι τῇ ἰδίᾳ χειρὶ, “write it under their own hands;” and presently it is added, that he is as much bound who οἰκεία γράψειε χειρὶ, “writes with his own hand,” (whence are all those three words, ἰδιόγραφον and χειρόγραφον and συγγραφή,) as he who σύμβολον ἀγοραῖον ποιήσειε, ἢ ὑπογράψειεν ἐν τοῖς παρ’ ἑτέρων γραφεῖσιν, ἢ γραμματείοις, ἢ λογοθεσίοις, “hath entered an obligation in the court, or subscribed bills written by others, or bands and obligations,” such as are mentioned in the Gospel, Luke xvi. 6, Διέξαι σου τὸ γράμμα, Take thy bill, that is, the obligation, (wherein he was bound to the steward’s master, which being in the steward’s keeping he restored to him,) and by Chrysostome expressed by γραμματεῖον ἐκτελίσαι, to give bond. And to this kind of obligation, which is not done by any legal contract, but only per chirographum, or ἰδιόγραφον, refer these words of St. Paul here, ἐμῇ (that is, ἰδίᾳ) χειρὶ ἔγραψα. See P. Faber Sem. 3. I.

e T. iv. p. 422. L 7.