Annotations upon all the New Testament philologicall and theologicall wherein the emphasis and elegancie of the Greeke is observed, some imperfections in our translation are discovered, divers Jewish rites and customes tending to illustrate the text are mentioned, many antilogies and seeming contradictions reconciled, severall darke and obscure places opened, sundry passages vindicated from the false glosses of papists and hereticks / by Edward Leigh ...

ANNOTATIONS UPON THE Epistle of PAUL the Apostle, to PHILEMON. (Book Philemon)

IT is a very Rhetoricall * 1.1 Epistle. Philemon to whom this Epistle is written was Pauls Disciple, a man famous among the Colos∣sians, whose house Theodoret witnesseth was at Colosse unto his time. Gaius was the Churches hoast, he the Churches friend. His private piety (saith Scultetus) is especially worthy of praise, that he had as it were a certaine Church in his house.

Philemon, which signifieth à lover, is a fit name for a Master; and Onesimus, which signifieth profitable, V. 11. is a fit title for a servant.

Vers. 3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ] The salutation is set down by the matter of it, which he wisheth to them whereof the parts are grace,* 1.2 that is, full favour of God; peace, that is, by a Synecdoche of the spe∣ciall for the generall, all prosperity both of soule and body. 2. By the form, from God the Father, and from Christ.

Vers. 7. The Bowels * 1.3] This word is thrice used in this Epistle; that is, by an ex∣cessive Metaphore, the inward affections of the Saints.

Are refreshed] A Metaphore drawne from the rest of the body wearied with tra∣vell, or tyred and over pressed with some burthen; and sweetly applied to the rest of the affections toyled and turmoyled with griefe, and ready to sinck under the burden of some grievous affliction.

Vers. 17. If thou count me therefore a partner] The words in the originall are, if thou have me a fellow or partaker, that is one in common with thee, as we are wont to say if you love me doe such a thing; yea it hath a shew of an obtestation, q.d. Per ami∣citiam nostram te oro ut illum sucipias. Estius.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Plena roboris & lacertorum est tota Epistola, & singulis ejus verbis mirifica quaedam argu∣mentandi vis latet recondita. Scultetus.
• * 1.2

  Fenner.
• * 1.3

  Hoc idioma Apostolicum est, ut semper visce∣ra vocet, vo∣lens plenam mentis ostendere charitatem.

  Hieron. in loc. Si me habes pro amico, ac proin∣de rerum tua∣rum participe. Grotius.