William Tyndale (Pentateuch, Jonah &NT)

The pistle of S. Paul vnto Philemon.
The Prologe to the epistle of S. Paul vnto Philemon.

In this pistle S. Paul sheweth a godlye ensample of Christen loue. Herein we se how Paule taketh poore Onesimos vnto him & maketh intercession for him vnto his master & helpeth him with all that he may / and behaueth him selfe none other wyse then as though he him selfe were the sayde Onesimos. Which thinge yet he dothe not with power and auctoryte / as he well myght haue done: but putteth of all auctorite & whatsoeuer he might of ryght do / that Philemobar.gif myght do likewise towarde Onesimos / and with great mekenes and wysdome teacheth Philemon to se his dutie in Christ Iesus.

The pistle of S. Paul vnto Philemon.

A
Paul the presoner of Iesu Christ / and brother Timotheus.

Vnto Philemon the beloved / & oure helper / & to the beloved Appia / and to Archippus oure felowe soudier / and to the congregacion of thy housse.

Grace be with you & peace / from God oure father / & from the Lorde Iesus Christ.

I thke my God / makinge menciobar.gif all wayes of the in my prayers / when I heare of thy love and fayth / which thou hast towarde the Lorde Iesu / and towarde all saynctes: so that the fellisshippe that thou hast in the fayth / is frutefull thorow knowledge of all good thinges


/ which are in you by Iesus Christ. And we have great ioye / and consolacion over thy love: for by the (brother) the saynctes hertes are comforted.

B
Wherfore though I be bolde in Christ to enioyne the / that which becobar.gifmeth the: yet for loves sake I rather beseche the / though I be as I am / ev Paul aged / & now in bondes for Iesu Christes sake. I beseche the for my sonne Onesimus / whom I begat in my bondes / which in tyme passed was to the vnproffetable: but now proffetable bothe to the & also to me / whom I have sent home agayne. Thou therfore receave him / that is to saye myne awne bowels / whom I wolde fayne have retayned with me / that in thy stede he myght have ministred vnto me in þe bondes of the gospell. Neverthelesse / without thy mynde / wolde I doo nothinge / that þt good which springeth of the / shuld not be as it were of necessitie / but willingly.

C
Haply he therfore departed for a season / þt thou shuldest receave him for ever / not nowe as a servat: but above a servaunt / I meane a brother beloved / specially to me: but how moche more vnto the / both in the flesshe / and also in the Lorde? Yf thou count me a felowe / receave him as my selfe. Yf he have hurt the or oweth the ought / that laye to my charge. I Paul have writt it with myne awne hobar.gifde. I will recompence it. So that I do not saye to the / howe that thou owest vnto me ev thyne awne silfe. Even so brother / let me enioye
the in the Lorde. Comforte my bowels in the Lorde. Trustinge in thyne obedice / I wrote vnto the / knowynge that thou wilt do more then I saye for. Moreover prepare me lodgynge: for I trust thorow þe helpe of youre prayers / I shalbe geven vnto you. Ther salute þe / Epaphras my felowe presoner in Christ Iesu 1.C / Marcus / Aristarchus / Demas / Lucas / my helpers. The grace of oure Lorde Iesu Christ be with youre spretes. Amen.

Sent from Rome by Onesimus a servaunt.

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