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Ver. 15.—1. Salute them who love us in faith. By this defcription of the perfons in Crete to be faluted in his name, the apoftle exprefsly excluded the Judaizing teachers, on whom he put that mark of difrespect, to make them fenfible how much he disapproved of their conduct

2. Grace

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15 All who are with me falute thee. Salute them who love us in the faith.' Grace BE with all of you. Amen.

2

15 All my fellow-labourers who are with me in Coloffe, wish thee health. Prefent my good wishes to them in Crete, who fhew their love to me by maintaining the true faith of Chrift. The favour and bleffing of God be with all of you. Amen.

2. Grace be with all of you. By the expreffion all of you, the apoftle intimeted that this epiftle was intended, not for Titus alone, but for the churches in Crete; the members of which were to be taught the things in this letter, and to be exhorted and even reproved, agreeably to the directions contained in it.

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A NEW

LITERAL TRANSLATION

OF

ST. PAUL'S EPISTLE

ΤΟ

PHILEMO N.

PHIL

PREFACE.

SECT. I. The Hiftory of Philemon.

HILEMON, to whom this epiftle was written, was no franger to the apostle Paul. For in the firft and fecond verfes, the apoftle addreffed all the members of Philemon's family, as well acquainted with them. And ver. 19, he infinuates that Philemon himself was his convert. Nay, ver. 17, Philemon's refpect for the apostle is mentioned. He was an inhabitant of Coloffe, as appears from the epiftle to the Coloffians, chap. iv. 9. where Onefimus, Philemon's flave, is called one of them. And ver. 17. the brethren of Coloffe are defired to fay to Archippus (the perfon mentioned Philem. ver. 2.) Take heed to the miniftry which thou haft received.-Befides, the ancients believed that Philemon was an inhabitant of Coloffe. So Theodoret fays exprefsly in his commentary on this epistle; and tells us that his houfe was ftill remaining in Coloffe in his time; that

is, in the beginning of the fifth century. And Jerome also in his commentary on this epiftle, fays Philemon was of Coloffe: And Theophylact calls him a Phrygian, Oper. tom. 2. p. 861.For an account of Coloffe, fee Pref. to Coloffians.

Philemon seems to have been a perfon of great worth as a man, and of fome note as a citizen in his own country; for his family was fo numerous, that it made a church by itself; or at leaft a confiderable part of the church at Coloffe, ver. 2. He was likewife fo opulent, that he was able by the communication of his faith, that is by his beneficence, to refresh the bowels of the faints, ver. 6, 7.-According to Grotius, Philemon was an elder of Ephesus. But Beaufobre fpeaks of him as one of the paftors of Coloffe; in which he is followed by Doddridge.From the apostle's employing Philemon to provide him a lodging in Coloffe, Michaelis conjectures that he was one of the deacons there. These authors were led to think Philemon a minifter of the gospel, because in the inscription of this letter, the apostle Calls him his fellow-labourer. But that appellation is of ambiguous fignification; being given, not only to those who preached the gospel, but to fuch pious perfons alfo, whether men, or women, as affifted the apofties in any manner, while they were employed in preaching. See Rom. xvi. 8. 3 John, ver. 8.

The ancients differed as much as the moderns in their opinion concerning Philemon's ftation in the church. Some of them reckoned him a bishop. But others, fancying that Apphia was his wife, contended that he had no ecclefiaftical character whatever; for they began very early to esteem celibacy in ecclefiaftical perfons. In particular, Hilary the deacon faith exprefsly, that he was one of the laity. Theodoret, Oecumenius, and Theophylact seem alfo to have been of the fame opinion. See Whitby's preface to this epistle.

SECT. II. Of the Occafion on which the Epifile to Philemon was written.

Onefimus, a flave, on some disgust, having run away from his mafter Philemon, came to Rome, and falling into want, as is

fuppofed,

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