Two Treatises, Commentary on verse · Verse 20
VERS. 20. Yea, brother, let me hauehave ioy of thee, or let mee enioy this fruit from thee, in the Lord: refreſh my bowells in the Lord.
THis verſe containes a moſt emphaticall repetition of his former petition, with the ſtrength of a new argument thus. That which will reioyce & refreſh mine heart, thou oughteſt to doe: but this the receiuing and remitting of PHILEMON will doe. Therefore oughteſt thou to doe it. Which reaſon being full of holy paſſion, may bee more largely thus amplified. Howbeit, as an Apoſtle & a father, I might enioyne thee as a ſonne, yet as a brother I doe entreat thee, doe this for mee as thou tendreſt my comfort and ioy in thee: doe this refreſhment to mee, an aged and toyled priſoner of CHRIST IESVS, euen for his ſake I beg it, refreſh my bowels in the Lord.
Chriſtians ſhould be carefull to do thoſe things, Doct. which might reioyce the hearts each of other: from Chriſtians ſhould aime at the ioying the hearts each of other.this ground doth PAVL vrge PHILEMON to this duty of receiuing ONESIMVS. So eueryevery member of the ſame body not onelyonly reioices at the good of his fellow-member, but aimes at that which may be for the comfort of his fellow-member. It is vnnaturall for one member to vex and greeue another. GOD threatned the Iſraelites for ſparing the Canaanites, that they ſhould be pricks & thorns in their ſides. It better becoms Canaanites to be thorns to Iſraelites, then Iſraelites to be thornes in each others ſides. In the world yee ſhall hauehave affliction, Ioh. 16. 33. yea, and from the world ſhall wee hauehave ſorrow, but from the Saints of GOD ſhould wee hauehave refreſhment and reioycing. They ſhall hauehave cauſe of ſorrow enough from the worlds malignity, the rather therefore ſhould eueryevery one ſtudy how to aſſwage thoſe ſorrowes, by miniſtring mutuall comforts each to other. It is a great ioy to one Chriſtian, to ſee another religious, 2 Ioh. 4. 3 Ioh. 3. 4. It is a great ioy to one Chriſtian, to ſee another zealous and forward in the ſeruice of GOD, Pſal. 122. 1. I reioyced when they ſayd, Let vsus goe vp to the houſe of the Lord. It is a great ioy to one Chriſtian, to ſee another forward in the workes of bounty to GODS houſe, 1 Chron. 29. 9. The people reioyced when they offered willingly, and Dauid the King alſo reioyced with great ioy. It is a great ioy not onelyonly to the Angells in heauen, Luk. 15. but euen to the fellow-members on earth, when wee turne from any ſinne by repentance, 2 Cor. 7. 9. It is great ioy to good hearts, to ſee others orderly and conſtant in holy ſeruices, Coloſſ. 2. 5. reioycing and beholding your order, and the ſtedfaſtneſſe of your faith in Chriſt. To all theſe particulars are we bound, therfore becauſe we are bound to reioyce, not only our owne, but the hearts of all GODS people. Heere particularly it bindes people to obey thoſe that hauehave the ouerſight of them, that they may doe it with ioy, and not with greefe. Heb. 13. 17. It binds children to be wiſe and gracious, For the father of the righteous ſhall greatly reioyce, and hee that begets a wiſe childe ſhall hauehave ioy of him. Prou. 23. 24. and my ſonne, if thine heart be wiſe, mine heart ſhall reioyce, euen mine. Prou. 23. 15. Thus ſhould children doe that which might reioyce the hearts of their parents, people that which might the hearts of their Miniſters, and one Chriſtian that which might reioyce another.
But farre are they from this, that rather Miniſter Vſe. cauſe of greefe, both to all in generall, and eſpecially to ſuch to whom neerer bonds hauehave obliged them. How many by their coldneſſe, deadneſſe, inordinate and ſcandalous walking doe greeue the hearts of GODS people. That complaint of EZEKIEL againſt the falſe Prophets of his time, Ezek. 13. 22. That they made the hearts of the righteous ſad, may be truly taken vp againſt many priuate people, who by forſaking their firſt louelove, and returning to their firſt ſins, and by careleſſe & vnconſcionable courſes, cauſing the Goſpell to bee euill ſpoken of, doe greeue and make ſad the hearts of all good people. Wee muſt not greeue the good ſpirit of GOD, Epheſ. 4. 30. wee greeue him not onelyonly then, when we greeue him in our ſelues, but when we greeue others in whom the ſpirit of GOD is, & ſo are greeuers of the ſpirit, when we greeue the ſpirits of the righteous. Might but this one thing bee thought vponupon, it would be a good ſtay in time of temptation. Am not I bound to refreſh the bowells of GODS Saints, and ſhall I pierce their bowells? Am I not bound to reioyce their hearts, and ſhall I now giuegive my ſelfe liberty in theſe follies, which will ſad their ſoules? If thou regardeſt not thine owne peace, yet regard their ioy. Or if thou wilt not reioyce, yet doe not greeue them, or if thou wilt not ioy them, ioy not theirs, and thine owne enemies. They were wicked ones that greeued the hart of DAVID, Pſa. 119. 158. I beheld the tranſgreſsions, and was greeued becauſe they kept not thy word. It beſt becomes ſuch perſons to greeue GODS Saints. No leſſe culpable in this kinde are many people in the ſadding of the Paſtors heart, not onelyonly by their non-proficiency and vnfruitfulneſſe, but by their obſtinacies, and croſſe carriages, when on ſet purpoſe they will doe ſuch things as they know will greeue their Miniſters. PAVL glories of his Theſſalonians, that they were the crowne of his reioycing, 1 Theſſ. 3. 19. theſe are alſo crownes, not of reioycing, but crownes of thornes, which peirce the heads, yea the hearts of their faithfull Miniſters. PAVL here vrges PHILEMON to do the thing hee requeſted, becauſe it would reioyce him, theſe will doe the cleane contrary things to thoſe they required, becauſe they know it will bee matter of greefe and vexation, and take more delight in ripping vp and rending, then in refreſhing their Miniſters bowels.
Learne what ſhould be the ſpeciall ground of our Doct. 2 ioy in others. PAVL deſires PHILEMON to gratifie him in this buſineſſe, that he might hauehave ioy of him in his obedience. Nothing ſhould more ioy our hearts, then the ſpirituall good of our brethren. But of this before v. 7.
Refreſh my bowells.] The ſame petition in another phraſe, Refreſh my bowells, that is, refreſh mee, and doe this kindneſſe to me, howeuer it may alſo be applied to ONESIMVS as before v. 12. ONESIMVS being his owne bowels, in receiuing ONESIMVS hee ſhall refreſh his bowels. But I rather take the former to be the true ſenſe.
See what great comfort and content Miniſters Doct. receiue in obedience, and ſubiection to their doctrine. Peoples obedience, how great a refreſhment to Miniſters.It is as their meat and drinke. Meats and drinks doe not more refreſh, and content the hungry, and thirſty mans bowels, then the obedience of people refreſhes the hearts of Gods miniſters. Great is the labour of the miniſtery, full of ſore toyle and paines, but yet all the paine is ſwallowed vp with that ioy peoples obedience yeelds. My meat is to doe my fathers will. Ioh. 4. It is meat and drinke to good hearts, not onelyonly to doe, but alſo to teach the will of GOD. But when they teach it, and ſee others thereby brought alſo to doe it, this goes as a refreſhing oyle into their bowells. Me thinks this might ſomewhat mooue people to yeeld obedience to the Miniſtry of the word. Many would often ſeeme to pity vsus, and doe acknowledge the toile of this Miniſteriall buſineſſe. Doeſt thou pity the Miniſter indeede? Doth it pity thee to ſee his wearineſſe, and how his ſpirits and ſtrength are ſpent? out of thy pity then refreſh his bowells. Refreſh him with thine obedience. This will reuiue him after all his wearineſſe, this will put life, and vigor, and ſpirits afreſh into him againe, when hee ſhall ſee his labour well beſtowed. The ioy in the ſucceſſe of their labours fills them with more ſpirits, then the labours of their body ſpent. Then is the Miniſtry a weariſome worke indeede, when after a great deale of ſore labour, a man hath no recreation or refreſhment; but is more wearied and tyed with the ſight of mens hardneſſe, then with the hardneſſe of the labour. The onelyonly cordiall and ſweet refectiue, after the weariſome worke of the Miniſtry, is the ſucceſſe of our labours. Why then will men deale thus vnkindely with vsus, thus hardly and cruelly with vsus, to denie vsus our refreſhings after our labours? why deale men worſe with vsus, then ordinary ſeruants; yea, then their beaſts? Thy beaſt after his day-labour, wherewith hee is wearied and tired, hee ſhall hauehave his bait and lodging to refreſh him, and wilt thou not vſe thy Miniſter as kindely as thy beaſt? pity his great paines and wearineſſe, and recreate and refreſh him with thine obedience. Many when they ſee the labour of the Miniſtry, would giuegive eaſe to the paines therof, with that ſpeech of PETERS to our Sauiour in another caſe, Matth. 16. Maſter pitie thy ſelfe, what neede you take ſo great paines? But to let paſſe that anſwer giuen to PETER, fitly ſuiting with their counſell, Thou ſauoureſt not the things that be of God, but thoſe that be of men, wee deſire them to pity and refreſh vsus by their taking of more profit, and not to bee pitied or refreſhed by our owne taking leſſe paines. Their profit would eaſe and refreſh vsus againſt all our paines. This was CHRYSOSTOMES refreſhment after his paines, Propterea non Ad pop. hom. 9.ſentio docendi laborem auditorum lucro releuatus. Haec enim merces nos reparare poteſt, & releuare, & alacres promptoſque facere, &c. His auditours gaine ſo refreſhed him, as to take away the ſenſe of all paine in teaching. Their profit was his refectiues and reparatiues.
In the Lord] The Lord indeede is the end and aime of all a Chriſtians actions. That as hee hath all things from the Lord, ſo he refers all things to the Lord. Hee enioyes GOD in all things, and doth all things in GOD. As hee is nothing, ſo hee doth nothing out of the Lord. If he reioyce, hee reioyces in the Lord. Phil. 4. 4. If hee glories, hee glories in the Lord, 2 Cor. 10. 17. he loues in the Lord, Rom. 16. 8 His workes of mercy are in the Lord, Rom. 16. 2. His workes of curteſie are in the Lord, Rom. 16. 22. Yea, he marries in the Lord, 1 Cor. 7. 39. And indeede this is to walke with GOD when wee hauehave GOD with vsus in all our actions: Then is hee with vsus, when wee doe all in him, and with reference to him. Otherwiſe are all carnall mens actions carried. They walke in the fleſh, in the luſts, in the hardneſſe of their hearts, in the vanity of their mindes, in the wayes that ſeeme good in their owne eyes. Their actions are in the fleſh, in the pride, in the vaine glory of their hearts; yea, often in Sathan, but not in the Lord. We muſt firſt bee in the Lord, and the Lord muſt firſt be in vsus, before wee can doe any thing in him. They which are in the fleſh cannot doe any thing in the Lord.