SUNDAY KKAD5NG. ONE S IMUS! mm. #w-. 1 t" t OR THE rUN-AWAY. SERVANT CONVERTED: IvUi 4 TRUES WRY. „, in ,wbaU wonderful impr vemsntin his condition Onesimu* experienced after he became a Christian An atjectionatz Address v U tkn* unhappy Arsons, hol'.i %U& and Women, who, lrke On-esimU*» T0ji iavlleft 33r Home, ami have got into a had Way 0* |«»ll>|, •nd who have *l'«o a Mivui to Utai how ihey may ^e^ cut. Sold by HOWARD anj EVANS, printers to the Cheap Repository for Moral and Religion* Tracts,) No. 41 and l<2, Long-Lane, West-Smith field, and .J-HATCHARD, No. 190, Piccadilly, London. By S. HA2ARD, bath; and bv all Booksellers, Newsmen, and , hawkers in Town and Country. * Grajt Allowance will be made to Shopkeepers ai*l Hfcvkeri* J*rict One Penny y Or 6s. per Hundred, Cuter* at $tatfans*$aUt ONESIMUS, &c. ONESIMUS was a servant for 'j.L< • , house of one Philemon. '.ThffTJiiJ^ seems to have been remarkable for beim> Christian, but the Apostle Paul very pamni ' mentions his « love and faith towards the? Jesus, and towards all saints " It is plain then I Onesimus roust have had great advances by'fe ing in the house of such a master ; and one jJoiilj think that he must have been a good Christian also. No A he was far otherwise.. He was-qJite insensible of his advantages. Although tfere is said to have been "a church/' that is, a collection of worshipping Christians in Philemon's house, yet Onesimus seems to have been not at all the befc for it. He received, no doubt, the instructions, he attended regularly the family, prayers, h$al*> be- held daily the bright example of Philenion; and yet his heart continued to be hardened. 1 should think it probable that Onesimus was very blind and ignorant respecting religion, and, also vtry carets about it, so that all the spiritual insjxuctionk he re- ceived, would go in at one ear, as the laying is, and out at the other. In the mean time temptations of various ktfs would probably come upon him, and thus he would advance from bad to worse, for one sin comwW leads on to another, at length his heart being Tully hardened, he would be ready for almost any wickedness, It seems by St, haul's account, that unfaithful servant, and actually rofc He became an tKat net h e n run away (perhaps ^ i,rs f! booty with him', to the great city of WW* !M it would be easy for Onesimus to am- !? °nimself just as it is easy for a man who has cea ^ villain somewhere at a distance m this £fy to he hid in London now. ' Whvthe very servants y. Jo Was much as if they were not instructed and It as well therefore to teav* them to go on their Urway, without trying to make them religious ~- I will not stop to reply to this observation here, he- cause, as we go on with the story, the answer will be plain enough. " What 1 have next t© remark of Oncsimus, is, that when he gdt to Rome, he went to hear the Apostle Paul preach. VH are not told the reason; of his first attending on the Apostle, It is not im- probable, however, that some qualm of conscience might put him upon this visit. Methinks I see him for a few days, or weeks, rioting in vice, spending freely the handful of plunder which he had carried off, and as his pockets grow low, becoming low in spirits also. At length his last shilling is gone. Alas! he has no Christian master to support him, no friend to pity him — and now having first doubted possibly whether to plunge intosonle new crime vet order to relieve his growing distresses, he bethinks himself of what he had once so carelessly heard in Philemon's house, and says within his heart "well, there can be no comfort, no hope, no chance of deli- verdncp for me now/but from the gospel " r h it is also possible that he might have occasS overheard the name of Paul mentioned whilH? y waiting at Philemon's table, and when pricked Ins conscience at Rome, Paul therefore is the to whom he would naturally fly for relief. ^ Let no master then despair of being an inatr ment of good to his servants, even though ibr^ time he should see no fruit of his labours I * persuaded there has been many a footman, or staN* boy. or other servant, both male and female who has continued .thoughtless and profane during the ufcole time of residence in a religious master's house, and who nevertheless has been struck to the heart afterwards, and has profited materially in the end, by some hint which appeared to have no effect at the time of receiving it. But we are next to speak of a new scene which presents itself. Onesimus is converted to Chris-, tianity under P nl's ministry. The wnner is con- victed of his sin. Through God's mercy the run' away is arrested in his ma i and wicked course. The poor guilty wretch of course confesses to Paul, his guilt, and through the infinite grace of God in Christ he obtains pardon, and the hope of eternal life. Here then is a striking proof of the rich provisi- on of mercy which there is in the gospel. A run- away slave and a thief may become a partaker of it ; God can grant even to the vilest v.nd most misera- ble sinner repentance unto life ; ajicf it is proper therefore, that all should pray to God for a heart to repent, and that no one should despair. It is plain from many signs that the repentance of jgfaeiimus was sincere, In the" fijjst placa I think take foul's word that it was so, for Paul !ou5 not have spoken so decidedly as he did if he S not first enquired mto the case. No ; m\l I -rant you Paul examined Onesimus very closely, for Paul's charity did not consist in believing in a aood-iwtured way that every one was a Christian who said that he was so: on the contrary, Paul's charity led him to be careful and jealous lest he should comfort Bis flock with a false hope, or sh ould flatter the person of any one. It made him there- fore exceedingly particular in examining the state of men's souls: and hence it comes to pass that the words of Paul .have so much weight whenever he pronounces any one to be a Christian. But the sincerity of Onesimus's repentance is still further proved by a circumstance which is distinct- ly mentioned ; I mean by his readiness to take Paul's advice when he bids him go back again to his .inju- red master. Now a false penitent would differ from Ouesimus in this particular. A false penitent would make a thousand objections to such a measure. "What, "he would say, "must 1 go back to my master whom I have wronged? i dare not shew ni) uice before him, nor befoie my fellow servants. 1 shall sink into the ea/th when 1 see them, lie- sides, where is the neces^ify for returning, I am willing to repent, indeed, oui may 1 not repent at Home ? Surely I may fee a. lowed lo remain here in m y present obscurity, for tne disgrace of seeing m y master and all my o d triends again is more than I can bear, but I will bear any thing eise; I xv di live hard and work honestly, and I will be ve- jy sorry for my sin, and I wTH c ontinue to attend **ul's preaching. Surely this will smiice."— 6 But go back again in the first place t A ter, say, Paul. » Go and bwj to^fc n ^ have done ; away with all pride and In > ^h-.ch is about you. Submit to the H?, ' ^ have brought on yourself and try to rST y °» you have done as well as you can, by S ^ for Ph,>emon in the time to cM r %&® earn |r h,m as much money as $3B® from h,m, and be not afraid of PhilenJ I * a B i wf ! , lve you a letter to him. 1 his is h^p a n lee pre of your sincerity." p 0Dt 1 Hew wise and judicious was this advice of P ln l f „ Onesimus! "Whom," says he in the letter' 1 fifrrit ,fvn « »> 1.1,.. a. * l ^ , . U ' ilhUe sent ^a,n/ that is, whom 1 have sent back n i. otaerthat .he may confess his whole fault to yo and return ,nto your service." The coniessio ' + u • . - - ~- » .v,v>. i i w evulsion Ot the sin against Philemon was better in this case than any general confession of faith, or than anv plansibie tale of Onesimus's conversion; and soft *fl.ay be observed in other cases, that a readiness to go back at ail hazards, and to acknowledge our crime to the person we have offended, and to repair it as Weil as we are able, is the first proof of sincerity that should be required ; whereas an unwillingness to ret urn implies much remaining pride of heart/a very sinful sort of shame, a disregard to strict ho- nesty, and a fear of consequences that Is incons ; st- ent with that faith and trust in God which accom- pany true repentance. Onesimus, as I have said, consented to return; and let us not suppose that he is now to be pitied on that account, or that any great miseries were in consequence about to fail upon his head. No, let us congratulate him rather on his right resolution, for I will warrant you that after the first affecting I v , r be would be much the happ.er fbi it, ' ^ cneW3S .member also that we are to con^ & M us *°ChStU who has got among Chris- lm« » 0W , aS S that lie departs bearing in his hand. WfPePP le ' v 4 Paul to Philemon which I have llia,ifit T?nd which forms one of the short, books i spoken oh and Xestame nk How kind, how oi: epiS !-e how condescending does every part of ^ CUOn t t ',p,ear when it is carefully examined! ^ fP '£imen of the christian spirit, and we shall I,isa ;' Z t n from Onesimus's character to „. (in- ( poortu-.iity of considering. SJl wiS grown extremely old, and he had feed much in the cause of the gospel. He was J ,7 time a prisoner,, and it was while m i andm bonds that he. had preached so effec- Svto Onesimus. It is likewise remarkable that fcnlv Onesimus the slay* but that Philemon the master also, to whom the letter was addressed, had been converted through Paul's ministry. Thus therefore this venerable saint was able to write With: the authority that belonged to him both as an apos- tle, as an old man, and as Philemon's father m Christ, as the father in like manner of Onesimus, and as a chief sufferer, who was soon also to prove a noble martyr, in the cause of their common Saviour; What then is the ground which he may be sup- posed to take in order to persuade Philemon to spare the poor converted slave that is sent b$ck tohirn ? The grqui'-d he takes is thi- : He iorbearg, he says, from that exercise of his aul hoj hy, vehuu suck a one .as lie might use,; .he..h.in t s , n~ a >- *k tecting manner, how Philemon feifesejl ir.\u oW-J l the life of his very sou? to the attest!* entreats Philemon, for love's saR' r and '* ^ the earnest request that is made tp £m°fc P,y timating also the worldly profit wE S?9» tvould ! de „ve from having 7 now a cnSi- ^'^ instead efan unbelieving one. bS^^ seech thee for my son Onesimus, whom T h * v I t gotter up my bonds, which in time pasTi t i -Pr eble but is now p.rofitahl/.to me, whom 1 have sent again, thou therefore r 31s c "'n that ,: s mi - Re ov>n bowds -" A i sei vant but above a servant, a brother belovpd especially to me, but how much more unto thee both in the flesh and in the Lord." T h * an a&t-.nishing difference does Christianfo make m men ! What a kind of spirit do we here trace . How strange also must all this love and con- descension seem to some people ! a man of the world, whose servant had robbed him and run away, would never uelieve,ChrLstianity could convert the man, and would disdain to receive such a kind letter as 1 have described. J am persuaded also my readers will agree, that a u orldly correspondent, thoujjh naturally ever so humane, would be very Jar from writing such a kind of letter as this ; ant! certainly an unrepennng and worldly minded siave would ill deserve to have it wi itten. But how affectionately t does the apostle stui proceed, "If," says Paul, "thou , n re\ad Christianity on the whole condition of this ' retched run-away. He was sijnkmg, no doubt. say therefore a partner, receive him as my- court™/," hJth w r,nged thee, or owefth thee s9lf ' , that on mine account. I Paul have writ* ^jS mine own hand, I will repay it. Albe- tC "l Ja not say to thee, how thou owest to me thine h 1 es °aS how let it be rema*ed, what a happy influ- W» as poverty and woe. en he first waited on Paul ; he was living, i dare "among the dregs of the people of Rome ; and if m had remained unconverted,' if either he had not .one to Paul, or if having gone to him he had ajaia hardened his heart, and returned to his former wick- edness, he would probably have ended his days on the crucifix or gibbet, or at least he-would soon have perished through want, unknown and unregarded, lor he would have been swept away among the thou- sands whom the vice and wickedness of every great city are continually sending to an untimely grave. A guilty conscience also would have haunted him in his last hours, and after death he must have stood before an offended God, and at last lie must have had his portion in that place where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. How happy then, 1 say, how transporting was the change ! The pride of his heart being first subdued through that blessed gospel which v^as made kn,own to him, he returns to his master. This was a great ^ep. He returns to slavery indeed, but to a slavery W doubt that was extremely mild, and that scarce- ly deserved the name ; for he is immediately re- ceived even as a brother intp the family from 10 whence lie had fled as 1 culprit, and the same cpis. tie of Paul .which introduced him to Philemon v/ouU now recommend him no doubt to many' members of the church at Colossus, with whom would become united in the bonds of christian love. Nay, if we believe the report of history, his C;'ood conduct as : a slave, soon afterwards gained him fcSs! ii bcrt\> : 'and he ewri rose as many have suppos- ed, { though of tins there may be a certain decree of doubt ) to the situation of minister, or teacher of the infant christian church. Vhatevcr his condition may have been during the remainder of his duty on earth, (and it is indeed comparatively of iittle moment) of this at least we are sure, RAtt his evei lasting happiness was secured, and that he is now numbered among the company of those "who have washed their garments, and matfe tfterh tomffe in the blood ofthe Lamb; 1 ' whose c;:ences in this life are pardon:d through the merits of Christ, and who are " standing before the throne of God." There the great apostle Paul, and his ex- cellent friend Philemon, and there also the convert- ed slave Onei imus, unite with one voice in that trhim ph;mt song ( God grant that each of us may one Say join in it * Unto him that hath loved us rind wished us fro-'m our sins in his own blood, and 1 l&e us kmr.s - id priests unto God and his rtf> bim glory and dominion forever An Applkati° n of the atovc Story to the Case of those Unhappy, Men and Women, zvbo, like Onesimus, bavl feft fbSr Home, and havr got into a bad H ay of Life. THE story, which we have related, may. be use- ful t;> persons of every cl t -.s, but there is a very particular applicationof it which maybe rriade to those, who, in some measure, resemble the run- away and unconverced Onesimus. I mean now, therefore, to address myself to those who through some false step in life, and perhaps by adding one piece of misconduct to another, have fallen into very distressful and disgraceful stances. I address myself more especially to those unhappy women, who, like Onesimus, have run- away from their proper home, where once perhaps they may have heard something of the gospel, though they did not attend to it, and who are now ruined in their character, who are also plunged by their growing necessities into a life of open and allowed sin, and are perishing both as to body and soul, either in cur great towns or among the dregs °f the people of our metropolis. I would entreat such persons to consider a little the case of this poor Onesimus, at the time he was Plunged, as I have supposed him to have been, in ! ' le debaucheries of Rome, and when he must be viewed as a run-away, and even a thief and a vaga- bond. Methinks he resembled, in a few leading Particulars, what some of you may be at present. ! 0w it happened that Onesimus went one day to Car Paul preach. What if you were for once in )our lives to do the same? 1 mean, what if you H 'ere to go and hear the preaching of some faithful loftave you and zealous minister of Christ, some f„„ Rfll the Apostle ? I would advise you if , w oF doing it 41 alii to go on the very nl sV"* -Onesnn us, by hearing Paul preach, wa d ^ uol ol all ms troubles, for he was effectual! ^ to Christian.^; a„J who k.ovvs fihe?; you pursue the same me#n s , it may not p l™ 1 'J --Indeed, I can hardly imagine any oth J ^.UMt.whJch 0.,esi,m,sactually,dokV*h c h2 coM have been recovered; and, depend Eft « « v V r you escape, and are restored to pea e ^appmess, and to so defy, it must be by the s.m mighty power of tl. g p 1 . Would to God some unhappy creature, uho reads- 1{ns'tafe,',™ who has imitated Ooesimus in his wanderings Blight imitate him in his rope ta. ee. Would to Owl that some lost sheep might thus he brought back into the fold of Christ. 'Would to God, that some prodigal son for instanee inndit be persuaded iiue the prodigal son in the gospel; to rem nt and re- turn to his lather's house : or that some woman, wbo us_ a sinner, uhde sue is reading this tale, might find her eyes begin to stream wnh tears, like the Magdaleu who wept so pfentifufly at the feet of our Saviour, and might, Jrke her, aitain to a com- fortable and vveH grom.dcd hope, that " her sins which are many," are foigw h her. " But what can we do ?" rViethinks I hear a whole tnuhitude of such pusn:, reply-, "We long ha be restored" to all the comforts y..'u >peak of; we are < banned at the very mention of siieti happiness, but we know not how toget possession (H it." I ans'.o-f, do then in all cespects like Onesimusu l ake ex- ample, as far as your case will allow, from all the I 13 ,'ous circumstances wh-ch may be supposed to VW1 belonged to his tale. First of all, he attended Hi's preaching, after which,, I suppose, he called ofthe apostle, and told him his story. The apos~ , j nc ) ee d, was a poor roan himself, and a prisoner Jlso- so that a little goad advice, f which, however, isa've.ry valuable thing": was all Wit could he got from him; except, indeed, tiut Paul fc>ejhg aegiiauv ted with a number of good Christ a.xb ig whori} ttiere might be some rich ones also, he was able i# mveOnesimus a letter oPnntrodu'clion, if he though^ proper. The same thing, perhaps, may happen now. If you will call on some minister of the gospel, after having for a while attended his preaching, provided he judges you to bo truly penitent, he will be induced, perhaps, if poor himself, to give yoii^. recommendation ta soirie .christian friend of his, to some capital housekeeper like Phflemon. But shall I tell you what will be his dhnculty ? A suspicion will immediately arise about your sin- cerity, and the removal of this suspicion is f he cre;fc thing which you must aim at. Onesimus succeed-* ed in removing this suspicion from the mind o. Paul; for, if he had not, I am sure Paul would nd> ver have written such a letter as he did to Philemon. Let me, then, close' with a little advice as to thi ■ F°int, l mean as to the naannerin which you must give proof of your sincerity. First, when you confess your faults to any one* jp-whom you ask help, do "not confess them bv Mves. I have known some persons ackno\^e1dgj a lew things which they have done wn rw, \\A\ W% indeed, they could not hide, while they Points 14 have been mightily reserved upon other They have left out half their story. They ha\ e thought, perhaps, to spare themselves hereby bin in fact, it was commonly proved, rhat what vviscon cealed was afterwards discovered, and they h ave been rejected, not at all on account of any unwilling ness to help them, though hitherto ever so wicked but on account of its continuing still to be impossi- ble to put any trust in them. Onesimus, I warrant you, confessed his whole sin to Paul, and was not detected afterwards in any little reservations or ex- cuses, or false colourings. Again, draw nearer and nearer to religion. Read the scriptures. Avoid bad company. Attend dili- gently on the preaching of the gospel; and endea- vor to make acquaintance with those who attend al- so, and who, however poor, are religious. Onesi- mus had become one among the little society of the "Samts which were at Rome," at the time when Paul wrote so confidently of his sincerity. Again, put away your pride and false shame, very forlorn and wicked people arc often very proud, and this pride works in a thousand ways, so as" to hinder their deliverance. Onesimus sub- mitted to go back to fuf old master, notwithstand- ing ail the shame that attended ius return; and you must shew something' of the same temper, ify oU expect any one Who understands the human heart, so as all Christians do, to put confidence inp sincerity. Again, put your trust in God. pah'tp f u J|tS present duty; and do not reason too 'rime n a consequences. God hM all events, and 1# ^ likewise all -hearts in his hand : and he'ean make a way for your escape, as he did for ti' Onesimus, ifyou resolve fully to [car him, and put your trusjln him. ? Again, determine on the life of industry ; for idleness in you must be dishonesty, pne&urws : went J and -worked even as a slave. 1 hone yohiVaVe no objeciiic to £0 and work any where as a ^erv;in(, and to accept even the lowest service. 1 hope tcp you d'eslft! to be a very diligent aad/pVofitable s*C2.y vant. " Onesimus/ 7 as St. Paul observes, " had been once unprofitable, but was now 'prbStatT'e,', He became a most valuable hard-working nM\u when lie became a Christian. But, above all things, take care to be what you wish to' appear; take care, I mean, to be a mcVst;sm cere and true penitent. It is a smalt matter "to seem sincere in the sight of your fellow- ere a r t ire -\, when you are not so in the sight of God. '[ he he v: is deceitful. Enter, therefore deeply into t^u Blatter. Consider, your own weakness in times r^.s?, from temptation; be often un your kri81t, ; nso a confessing your sins, and praying to God tBVVen£t v ff- ^ yoir by his Holy Spirit;" pray to him, in sTOrt, *y search and to try you, to prove you, anf exji- fame your ways, to look well if there be any way °f wickedness in you, and to lead you in the wiv everlasting-. " 1[ you should go tp him, will take notice of'voer ^ ase? twi.l add another hint ; on this subject. AVl-n ^nesimusfirst went to Paul, V'Me- say he lite to ^Fecfed to get such a kind lefter [ M h : e obtained. ! . 1 then explaffi"'t'6 ! 'y6u whaP^as thV cause Unmade Paul condescend so readily to this 16 poor, repenting sinner ? It wa , this - p once a great sinner Himself; he could w " time, when though lie never wis n \u\ ™ m ^n away) yet he was a hindercr of the ° P f rur >- a persecutor also. But Paul had oh-.inli Ve » -And now it became the happine WLT^ tell of the grace of Jesus Christ. <«Untom» • ^ he. "who am less than the feast oTafe^ th,s grace given, that t should preach amc&! Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Chr '^ g S e thought it the greatest honour in the world to^ al owed to publish among the vilest Gen t salmon of the blessed Jesus So it is -Toe very best men on earth, whether Chr£2 ministers or Christian people, like Paul owe 3 ! mercy, and they long, 'therefore, to^o« fory^n-SiJr 1 " 07 ' ^ t0 ^ «* ^ ^ to v^'""' th€n ' t0 , l "' lder staiKl the true hindrance te >om recovery It i s net that there are no Chris- ZL™ f ?r l ' ,eIp >'° U - ]t * » ot ^ arc no mean of deliverance for you, lor we have shev;n you that 'tf there is a will there is a way." It is a7o r ^*5 e drive « ' i-nto sin by an iwesistftle rate, to,- God is above fate, and God drives no man rJ°r S>n n , IS ' 111 short ' V