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I. We learn from this love appearing in the apostle THAT THE BASEST PERSON IN THE CHURCH, TRULY CONVERTED AND BROUGHT UNTO CHRIST, SHOULD NOT BE CONDEMNED, BUT MOST LOVINGLY, TENDERLY, AND BROTHERLY REGARDED. The least and lowest member that belongeth to God ought not to be rejected and debased, but highly for Christ's sake to be honoured and respected. Reasons:

1. Those that are least esteemed, and are of lowest condition, were bought with as great and high a price as any others.

2. There is no respect of persons with God.

3. They shall receive with others the same recompense of reward.Uses:

1. Seeing we are bound to love the lowest in the Church that belong to Christ, we learn that our affections must be carried most earnestly, and in the greatest measure to those that have the greatest measure of heavenly graces, not regarding riches, or kindred, or outward respects before the other.

2. Seeing every member of Christ must be much esteemed, be he never so mean, it teacheth us not to have the religion of God and the faith of Christ in acceptation of persons.

3. This giveth comfort and contentment to the meanest and smallest of God's saints, and putteth them in remembrance not to be discomforted and out of heart for their mean calling or for their low estate, for they are nothing the less regarded of God, or to be esteemed of His Church.

II. We learn from this name given unto Onesimus converted to the faith THAT THERE OUGHT TO BE THE SAME AFFECTION BETWEEN THE PASTOR AND THE PEOPLE, WHICH IS BETWEEN THE FATHER AND THE SON. Uses: —

1. Seeing the minister and people ought to love as father and son, it teacheth both of them to cut off all occasions of discord and division and to nourish love and mutual concord one with another. It may be many occasions may arise, which if by wisdom they be not smothered and suppressed in the beginning, they are as little sparks that quickly break out into a flame, and the flame suffered to continue consumeth all things that are near unto it. We must show ourselves ready to bring water to quench this fire. It is a deceitful snare, and wonderful subtilty of Satan to cast matters of dissension between the minister and people that so though the Word be among them, yet that it may by that means be with less fruit and profit with them.

2. These most loving titles applied to the minister and people show the duties required of pastors toward their charge, and teach them to love them as their children, to tender their good, to exhort them to lay up for themselves spiritual riches. Great is the love of parents towards their children., If the child be sick or wayward, they do not cast him out of doors or withdraw their affection from him. Hence it is that Christ when He saw the people scattered abroad, and dispersed here and there as sheep without a Shepherd, "He had compassion upon them, and showed great love toward them." We see how Christ applieth this to the conscience of Peter, and willeth him to try his love toward Him by feeding His sheep and lambs, thereby assuring him that if he persuaded himself to love Christ Jesus, and yet was not careful to teach His people, he deceived himself and lied to the Holy Ghost, who would find him out in his sin. Seeing the minister and people ought to be as father and son, this showeth the duty of the people that are under their ministry that they regard their ministers as their parents, honouring them, yielding them due recompense, esteeming them as workers together with God, to beget them to Christ, to turn them to salvation. Of our parents we have received only to be, of our ministers we have received to be well. Of our parents we have taken our first birth, of our ministers we have obtained our second birth. Of our parents we have been brought into the world by generation, of our ministers we have been brought into the Church by regeneration. Our first begetting was to death, our second or new life is to life and salvation. By the first birth we are heirs of wrath, by the second we are made the sons of God.

(W. Attersoll.)

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KJV: I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:

WEB: I beg you for my child, whom I have become the father of in my chains, Onesimus,