Colossians 4:5-9 | |
5. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. | 5. Sapienter ambulate erga ex-traneos, tempus redimentes. |
6. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. | 6. Sermo vester semper in gratia sit sale conditus: ut sciatis quomodo oporteat vos unicuique respondere. |
7. All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellow-servant in the Lord: | 7. Res meas omnes patefaciet vobis Tychicus dilectus frater et fidelis minister ac conservus in Domino. |
8. Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts; | 8. Quem misi ad vos hac de causa, ut sciretis statum meum, et consolaretur corda vestra: |
9. With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you: they shall make known unto you all things which are done here. | 9. Cum Onesimo fideli et dilecto fratre, qui est ex vobis. Omnia patefacient vobis quae hic sunt. |
5.
lest any stumblingblock be put in,
the way of the blind, (Leviticus 19:14,)
for nothing is more ready to occur, than that unbelievers are driven from bad to worse through our imprudence, and their minds are wounded, so that they hold religion more and more in abhorrence. Secondly, it is lest any occasion may be given for detracting from the honor of the gospel, and thus the name of Christ be exposed to derision, persons be rendered more hostile, and disturbances and persecutions be stirred up. Lastly, it is, lest, while we are mingled together, in partaking of food, and on other occasions, we be defiled by their pollutions, and by little and little become profane.
To the same effect, also, is what follows,
6.
7.
He adds,
1 Sales. The term is frequently employed by classical writers to denote witticisms. See Cic. Fam. 9:15; Juv. 9:11; Hor. Ep. 2:2, 60. -- Ed.
2 "Et que par ce moyen il seroit a craindre que les fideles ne s'y addonassent;" -- "And as on this account it was to be feared that believers would addict themselves to this."
3 "Ou s'en vont en fumee;" -- "Or vanish into smoke."
4 "Car c'est des principales parties de vraye prudence, de scauoir discerner les personnes pour parler aux vns et aux autres comme il est de besoin;" -- "For it is one of the chief departments of true prudence, to know how to discriminate as to individuals, in speaking to one and to another, as there may be occasion."
5 Paley, in his Horae Paulinae, finds the statement here made respecting Onesimus, "who is one of you," one of the many undesigned coincidences which he adduces in that admirable treatise, in evidence of the credibility of the New Testament. The train of his reasoning in this instance may be briefly stated thus -- that while it appears from the Epistle to Philemon, that Onesimus was the servant or slave of Philemon, it is not stated in that Epistle to what city Philemon belonged; but that it appears from the Epistle, (Philem. 1, 2,) that he was of the same place, whatever that place was, with an eminent Christian, named Archippus, whom we find saluted by name amongst the Colossian Christians; while the expression made use of by Paul here respecting Onesimus, "who is one of you," clearly marks him out as being of the same city, viz., Colosse. -- Ed.