¶ The .i. Chapter.
Paule the prysoner of Christe & brother Timothee. Vnto Philemon the beloued, and oute helper, and to the beloued Appia, and to Archippus oure felowe souldier, and to the congregacion that is of thy house. Grace be vnto you and peace from God oure father, & from the Lorde Iesus Christe.
PAule before this tyme an Apostle and seruaunte of Iesu Christ and nowe his prysoner also: for why shoulde not I be glad to be hys prysoner, for whose ghospelles sake I weare these bondes? not for the punyshement of any euyil that I haue done, but as a notable badge of a free & va∣leaunt preacher: and also my felowe ghospellpreacher, brother Timothee, vnto Philemon in the profession of the commune faith a brother, singulerly worthye to be be∣loued: and not a brother onely but also my companion in very many affaires & partaker in the office of the gospel: & to his wyfe Appia, my moste welbeloued syster as concernyng the kynred of fayth: & to Archippus our felowe souldier and to the rest of the congregacion whiche is at his house: Grace be vnto you and peace from God oure cōmune father & frō his sonne the lord Iesu Christ.
I thanke my god, making menciō alwayes of the in my prayers, when I heare of thy loue and fayth, whiche thou haste towarde the Lorde Iesu, and towarde all sayntes, so that the fellowshyppe of thy fayth is fruteful in the knowledge of euery good (woorke) whiche is in you towarde Iesus Christe. For we haue great ioye and consolacion in thy loue because that by thee (brother) the sayntes hertes are comforted.
In my prayers wherwith I am accustomed to sacrifice daylye vnto God, I undre thankes vnto him alwayes on thy behalfe. For I ascribe it thankefully vnto him, that I heare spoken openly of all men, that is to say, both the pure∣nesse, & thy ryght gospelling charitie which yu bearest towardes the lord Iesus: & not towardes hym only, but also towardes al saintes, y• is to were, his mēbres vnto whō what so euer is bestowed, hys wyl is to reckē it done to him self. And this I also beseche him, to augment his mercifulnes vpon thee, & that this thy faith, whiche is not idle in the, may expresse his power dayly more & more, & to enforce the with plēteousnes to releue mo & mo, so y• there be no office of christi∣an charitie but that thou maye be both acquaynted and tried in it. The thyn∣ges that thou hast hitherto done already, occasion vs to conceaue a more sure confidence in thee, that we dare be bolde to recken vpon the in maters of grea∣ter weyghte. For whan I doe consider that all that Christians haue are com∣••••ne, I am not a little ioyous, and euen in these affliccions it was no smal cō∣forte to me, that thou (o my brother) waste so ready to deserue well of al men, by ••••••nes of thy loue, wherwith thou haste refreshed the sainctes heartes that are ••••liicted with the sorowes of this worlde. For in thys thy doing thou declarest ••y selfe to be a ryght brother.
Wherfore, thoughe I myght be bolde in Christ to commuande thee, that whiche was ••y dewtye to do: yet for loues sake I rather beseche the, though I be as I am, euen olde Paul, and now a prisoner of Iesu Christ. I beseche the for my sonne Onesimus whom I 〈◊〉〈◊〉 begotten in my bondes (whiche in tyme passed was to the vnprofytable but nowe, profitable both to the and to me) whom I haue sent home agayne. Thou therefore re∣••••ue him, that is to say, myne owne bowels, whom I woulde fayne haue retayned wt