156 HOEiE PAULINiE. 



Observe how it may be made out that Onesimus was a 

 Colossian. Turn to the epistle to Philemon, and you will 

 find that Onesimus was the servant or slave of Philemon. 

 The question, therefore, wiU be, to w^hat city Philemon be- 

 longed. In the epistle addressed to him this is not declared. 

 It appears only that he w^as of the same place, whatever 

 that place M^as, Mdth an eminent Christian named Archip 

 pus. "Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy ouj 

 brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and felloAv-labor- 

 er, and to our beloved Apphia, and Archi2jpus our fellow- 

 soldier, and to the church in thy house." Now turn back 

 to the epistle to the Colossians, and you will find Archippus 

 saluted by name among the Christians of that church. 

 •' Say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou 

 hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it." Chap. 4 : 17. 

 The necessary result is, that Onesimus also was of the same 

 city, agreeably to what is said of him, " he is one of you." 

 And this result is either the efi^ect of truth, which produces 

 consistency without the Avriter's thought or care, or of a con- 

 texture of forgeries confirming and falling in with one an- 

 other by a species of fortuity of which I know no. example. 

 The supposition of design, I think, is excluded, not only be- 

 cause the purpose to which the design must have been direct- 

 ed, namely, the verification of the passage in our epistle, in 

 which it is said concerning Onesimus, " he is one of you," is 

 a purpose which would be lost upon ninety-nine readers out 

 of a hundred ; but because the means made use of are too 

 circuitous to have been the subject of aflectation and con- 

 trivance. Would a forger, who had this purpose in view, 

 havo left his readers to hunt it out, by going forward and 

 backward from one epistle to another, in order to connect 

 Onesimus with Philemon, Philemon with Archippus, and 

 Archippus with Colosse ? all which he must do befoi-e he 

 arrives at his discovery, that it was truly said of Onesimus, 

 he is one of you." 



