Eph. iv. 22 — 24. That ye put off concerning the former con- versation, the old man, which is corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts ; and be reneived in the spirit of your mind ; and that ye put on the new man, ivhich after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
CHRISTIANITY is universally professed amongst us : but many know little more of it than the name. They, who are in some measure acquainted with its principles, have, for the most part, learned it only from books and human instruction. But there are some who have learned it, as it were, from Christ himself. Their understandings have been opened, and their hearts instructed by his good Spirit. These are said to " have heard Christ, and to have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus a." These may be distinguished from the others by the effects of their knowledge. While the speculative Christian remains willingly ignorant of true holiness, the truly enlightened man labours to attain the highest mea- sure of it that he can. This St. Paul represents as the infallible consequence of divine teaching : and his declarations respecting it set forth the sum and substance of a Christian's duty.
I. Put off the old man —
There are many terms peculiar to the Holy Scrip- tures which need to be explained. Those in the text are of the greatest importance —
"The old man" is that principle of sin which actuates the unregenerate man —
[It is a natural principle. As a man consists of a soul with many faculties, and a body with many members, so does this principle, though but one, consist of many parts : pride, unbelief, &c. &c. constitute that body of sin, which is here denominated " the old man ;" and it is called " old," because it is coeval with our existence, and is derived from our first parents, after whose fallen image we were made. It is a corrupt principle. It is expressly called so in my text. All its inward " lustings" and desires are vitiated, and invariably discover themselves by the external fruits of a vain " con- versation." It is also a (( deceitful" principle, continually representing good as evil, and evil as good : it constantly dis- appoints our expectations, making that to appear a source of happiness which never yet terminated in any thing but misery.]
This it is our duty to be " putting off" —
a ver. 21.